At the start of the season I predicted a few things, some of which seem to be coming to pass, others of which look a tad silly. One of the latter might be my prediction that Chelsea would miss out on the top 4.
While I will of course admit that I was more than slightly off with that piece of foresight, I will state for the record that I don’t think Chelsea will win anything this season.
Do not be fooled by their lofty league position, their 3-0 win at the Emirates, or their huddle at the end of their most recent wretched performance.
Cast your mind back to last season, when Frank Lampard secured a late, late win for Chelsea at home to a resilient Stoke. Scenes of jubilation erupted as the team made a song and dance around Scolari. The smell of unity appeared to be in the air, and that favourite adage of Football 365 -- it is the Chelsea way to find a way -- looked never truer.
But behind the hullabaloo was a team void of a genuine collective identity, and a team void of genuine attacking talent. One man carried the show last season - Frank Lampard. This year that burden has fallen on Didier Drogba. Aside from this change, I’m not too sure what is different about this Chelsea than last season’s.
What’s that? You’re reminding me of the 3-0 win against Arsenal again? There are a couple of things I would say in response to that. First, Man City beat Arsenal 4-2, but that result had everything to do with Arsenal’s frailties and almost nothing to do with City being particularly good. Chelsea’s win told is a lot about Arsenal. It told is quite a bit about Drogba. But it told us very little about Chelsea. Their woeful displays in the subsequent games prove my point. Many put Chelsea on a pedestal after their victory over the Gunners, but it is clear that this Chelsea team are not nearly as good as the mythic Chelsea team that steamrolled Arsenal and will do so to all who stand in their way.
Those who wrote as much were simply fooling themselves into thinking that the Premier League still has a really good team, perhaps even the “best team in the world”. It doesn’t. Of course on their day, a top Premier League team can beat a Barcelona. But on their day, Stoke can beat Manchester United. Does this mean that Stoke now set the bar for others?
Chelsea are good, but they’re a long way from being great. That they sit 5 points ahead of second place only serves to tells us how much lower the standard is at the top of the league.
Jose Mourinho was watching yesterday’s game against Fulham. Based on what he saw, he will fancy his side’s chances of finally progressing beyond the last 16. Based on what I’ve seen of Chelsea over the last 4 months, I fancy Inter’s chances too.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
What To Watch
In case you’re wondering what to watch in the Champions League tonight, here is a quick guide to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.
Group A
Look no further than this group for the most intriguing match of the final round. It’s quite simple really - Bayern Munich must win to go through. If they don’t, Juve go through. The game is being played in Turin so you would fancy the home club to do enough, but unlike some around these parts, I’m not about to break football’s oldest commandment and write off the Germans. Expect a tense game, where at least one managers job hinges entirely on the result.
Group B
Herein lies the battle for top spot. Wolfsburg need to not only beat Manchester United, but to beat them either 1-0, 2-1, or by two goals. A 3-2 victory, for example, won’t be good enough, because it will give United a better head-to-head record. It is within Man Utd’s interests to finish top, because should they not, then as things stand they will have to face one of Bordeaux, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Barelona or Sevilla - that’s almost a 50-50 chance of drawing one of Spain’s big two. However, the other three teams on that list would probably prove to be quite favourable, so finishing second might just be a blessing in disguise should the draw be kind to United, which it invariably is. That said, the list of second place teams is made up almost entirely of outfits not unlike Fiorentina, Sevilla and Bordeaux, so after some back and forth, here is the conclusion: forget about what may happen in the draw for the last 16 - the best thing is the finish top and avoid the large possibility of facing one of Spain’s big two. Given the defensive crisis at Man Utd currently, this might actually be a game worth watching if you can’t source the one above.
Group C
Things are much more complicated here. Real Madrid need to beat Marseille away from home to guarantee top spot. If they draw and Milan don’t win, then they will also finish first. However, if they draw and Milan win then the Italians’ better head-to-head record will see them snatch first prize.
But -- and this is a pretty big but -- if Marseille not only beat Madrid, but beat them 3-0 (or 4-0, or 5-1 etc), then the French club go through in second place instead of the Spaniards, provided Milan also win (who will thus finish top). If Milan don’t win and Marseille triumph 3-0, then it is first place to Marseille and second place to Madrid.
The only way Milan can go out is if they fail to beat Zurich away from home and if Marseille beat Madrid by any score at all. If Milan lose and Marseille draw, the Italians still go through thanks to a superior record against the French.
Given that Milan lost to Zurich at home, and Madrid lost to a team in the Second Division B 4-0, anything is possible. Marseille--Madrid might just be worth watching if the French manage to get an early goal or two.
Group D
The big question from this group is can Atletico Madrid make the Europa League? That tells you just about everything you need to know. Avoid group D like the plague.
In sum, there are actually some good matches to be found in the final set of group games. Who’d have thought? My order of preference would be Juve v Bayern, Marseille v Madrid, and Wolfsburg v Manchester United.
Group A
Look no further than this group for the most intriguing match of the final round. It’s quite simple really - Bayern Munich must win to go through. If they don’t, Juve go through. The game is being played in Turin so you would fancy the home club to do enough, but unlike some around these parts, I’m not about to break football’s oldest commandment and write off the Germans. Expect a tense game, where at least one managers job hinges entirely on the result.
Group B
Herein lies the battle for top spot. Wolfsburg need to not only beat Manchester United, but to beat them either 1-0, 2-1, or by two goals. A 3-2 victory, for example, won’t be good enough, because it will give United a better head-to-head record. It is within Man Utd’s interests to finish top, because should they not, then as things stand they will have to face one of Bordeaux, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Barelona or Sevilla - that’s almost a 50-50 chance of drawing one of Spain’s big two. However, the other three teams on that list would probably prove to be quite favourable, so finishing second might just be a blessing in disguise should the draw be kind to United, which it invariably is. That said, the list of second place teams is made up almost entirely of outfits not unlike Fiorentina, Sevilla and Bordeaux, so after some back and forth, here is the conclusion: forget about what may happen in the draw for the last 16 - the best thing is the finish top and avoid the large possibility of facing one of Spain’s big two. Given the defensive crisis at Man Utd currently, this might actually be a game worth watching if you can’t source the one above.
Group C
Things are much more complicated here. Real Madrid need to beat Marseille away from home to guarantee top spot. If they draw and Milan don’t win, then they will also finish first. However, if they draw and Milan win then the Italians’ better head-to-head record will see them snatch first prize.
But -- and this is a pretty big but -- if Marseille not only beat Madrid, but beat them 3-0 (or 4-0, or 5-1 etc), then the French club go through in second place instead of the Spaniards, provided Milan also win (who will thus finish top). If Milan don’t win and Marseille triumph 3-0, then it is first place to Marseille and second place to Madrid.
The only way Milan can go out is if they fail to beat Zurich away from home and if Marseille beat Madrid by any score at all. If Milan lose and Marseille draw, the Italians still go through thanks to a superior record against the French.
Given that Milan lost to Zurich at home, and Madrid lost to a team in the Second Division B 4-0, anything is possible. Marseille--Madrid might just be worth watching if the French manage to get an early goal or two.
Group D
The big question from this group is can Atletico Madrid make the Europa League? That tells you just about everything you need to know. Avoid group D like the plague.
In sum, there are actually some good matches to be found in the final set of group games. Who’d have thought? My order of preference would be Juve v Bayern, Marseille v Madrid, and Wolfsburg v Manchester United.
Monday, November 16, 2009
International Football
A Few Thoughts from a Weekend of international Football:
The question surrounding most England friendlies is “What did we learn?” From manager to player to journalist, friendly-as-learning-exercise is the dominant motif. Forgive me for overstating my case, but this is a complete cop out. This kind of language makes the England national team sound like a large footballing sponge, which soaks up all that comes its way. It’s as if the team has that incredible superpower which allows you to soak up all the other powers of your adversaries and use those powers against them. England have played France, and have thus learned the art of, um, disharmony [?]. England have played Spain, and have thus learned the art of possession. England have played Germany, and have thus learned the art of never being written off. England have played Brazil, and have thus learned the art of samba football [which, if the present Brazil team are to go by, looks a lot like the kind of football Liverpool play).
The reality, whoever, is that England have learned very little that they didn’t already know. Their players are not as good as those of other top nations. You cannot learn in one game what Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have been learning their entire lives. The kind of football Spain play runs through the blood of all of its players. Their jealousy for the ball is pathological. To surrender it cheaply would be a betrayal not of “the system”, but of their inward fabric. You cannot teach that kind of disposition to men in their 20’s. It’s too late.
To illustrate my point, take Theo Walcott as a microcosm. In three of four years at Arsenal, has he developed into the “Arsenal” mould? Has he really learned to the point of transformation? I don’t think so. He is who he is, who he has been since he was coached as a child.
The England team will stand a better chance of winning the World Cup if they forget about “learning leassons” from technically superior players. England will not “out-Spain” Spain. They will not beat Brazil at their own game. They will simply need to work harder than the teams they play against, defend well, and hope the likes of Rooney can produce moments of quality at the other end.
There is a good reason why so few teams play football the way Spain play it - it is high risk. As communal as their style is, it rests on individual skill. Each player must be trusted enough so that the ball can be passed to him in any area of the pitch. After a lifetime of experience, each player has earned this trust. One cannot say the same for Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, or any other midfielder England are likely to play. If England are to learn any lessons from their high profile friendlies, it’s that being a pseudo-Spain will not be good enough. England will only win the World Cup as England - the team that launches high balls up to Emile Heskey and hopes either Gerard or Lampard will get on the end of things.
****************
I have already talked about Spain, but allow me to touch on their “friendly” against Argentina. I knew the gap between these two sides was large; I just didn’t realise how large. Argentina went out to literally kick Spain off the park; the Spanish ended up playing the Argentinians off of it. It should have been three or four nil at half time, such was the Spanish superiority.
What a shame to see an Argentine side so bereft of talent and guile. They were the most joyous team to watch 3 years ago, with that goal against Serbia & Montenegro standing as a monument to all that is good about football. Now they are nothing short of a joke. When Maradona came in and Riquelme left, who would have thought that it would have such disastrous consequences? It does seem ironic that the entrance of the real Maradona into the nation team set-up and the exit of a failed “New Maradona” would end up biting Argentina on the back-side, but it has. Spectacularly. Just as Iniesta/Xavi embody the Spanish philosophy of football, Riquelme embodies the Argentinian. Yes he is a flawed genius, but a genius he is nonetheless. You may question his loyalty for jumping ship at the start of Diego’s reign, but you cannot question his foresight. He recognised Maradona as a tactical nightmare, and decided he could play no part in such a mess of a team.
If Argentina are going to avoid humiliation next Summer, Diego has to go, and Riquelme has to be re-installed as the focal point of the team. It’s not going to happen though, is it? And even if it does, what of the defense and goalkeeper? Still, wouldn’t you like to see how the following 6 players would gel:
……………Mascherano…Cambiasso………..
……………………Riquelme………………….
Messi………………………………….Aguero
………………….Lisandro……………………
That’s a team I could get behind. A team with Gago in it is one that I can’t.
By the way, how wrong was Paul Doyle when he said Carlos Tevez was a rich man’s Dirk Kuyt? The busy Argentinian is a far less effective player than the Dutchman. Fergie may have made a lot of mistakes in the transfer market over the past three years, but refusing to sign Tevez was not one of them.
The question surrounding most England friendlies is “What did we learn?” From manager to player to journalist, friendly-as-learning-exercise is the dominant motif. Forgive me for overstating my case, but this is a complete cop out. This kind of language makes the England national team sound like a large footballing sponge, which soaks up all that comes its way. It’s as if the team has that incredible superpower which allows you to soak up all the other powers of your adversaries and use those powers against them. England have played France, and have thus learned the art of, um, disharmony [?]. England have played Spain, and have thus learned the art of possession. England have played Germany, and have thus learned the art of never being written off. England have played Brazil, and have thus learned the art of samba football [which, if the present Brazil team are to go by, looks a lot like the kind of football Liverpool play).
The reality, whoever, is that England have learned very little that they didn’t already know. Their players are not as good as those of other top nations. You cannot learn in one game what Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have been learning their entire lives. The kind of football Spain play runs through the blood of all of its players. Their jealousy for the ball is pathological. To surrender it cheaply would be a betrayal not of “the system”, but of their inward fabric. You cannot teach that kind of disposition to men in their 20’s. It’s too late.
To illustrate my point, take Theo Walcott as a microcosm. In three of four years at Arsenal, has he developed into the “Arsenal” mould? Has he really learned to the point of transformation? I don’t think so. He is who he is, who he has been since he was coached as a child.
The England team will stand a better chance of winning the World Cup if they forget about “learning leassons” from technically superior players. England will not “out-Spain” Spain. They will not beat Brazil at their own game. They will simply need to work harder than the teams they play against, defend well, and hope the likes of Rooney can produce moments of quality at the other end.
There is a good reason why so few teams play football the way Spain play it - it is high risk. As communal as their style is, it rests on individual skill. Each player must be trusted enough so that the ball can be passed to him in any area of the pitch. After a lifetime of experience, each player has earned this trust. One cannot say the same for Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Frank Lampard, or any other midfielder England are likely to play. If England are to learn any lessons from their high profile friendlies, it’s that being a pseudo-Spain will not be good enough. England will only win the World Cup as England - the team that launches high balls up to Emile Heskey and hopes either Gerard or Lampard will get on the end of things.
****************
I have already talked about Spain, but allow me to touch on their “friendly” against Argentina. I knew the gap between these two sides was large; I just didn’t realise how large. Argentina went out to literally kick Spain off the park; the Spanish ended up playing the Argentinians off of it. It should have been three or four nil at half time, such was the Spanish superiority.
What a shame to see an Argentine side so bereft of talent and guile. They were the most joyous team to watch 3 years ago, with that goal against Serbia & Montenegro standing as a monument to all that is good about football. Now they are nothing short of a joke. When Maradona came in and Riquelme left, who would have thought that it would have such disastrous consequences? It does seem ironic that the entrance of the real Maradona into the nation team set-up and the exit of a failed “New Maradona” would end up biting Argentina on the back-side, but it has. Spectacularly. Just as Iniesta/Xavi embody the Spanish philosophy of football, Riquelme embodies the Argentinian. Yes he is a flawed genius, but a genius he is nonetheless. You may question his loyalty for jumping ship at the start of Diego’s reign, but you cannot question his foresight. He recognised Maradona as a tactical nightmare, and decided he could play no part in such a mess of a team.
If Argentina are going to avoid humiliation next Summer, Diego has to go, and Riquelme has to be re-installed as the focal point of the team. It’s not going to happen though, is it? And even if it does, what of the defense and goalkeeper? Still, wouldn’t you like to see how the following 6 players would gel:
……………Mascherano…Cambiasso………..
……………………Riquelme………………….
Messi………………………………….Aguero
………………….Lisandro……………………
That’s a team I could get behind. A team with Gago in it is one that I can’t.
By the way, how wrong was Paul Doyle when he said Carlos Tevez was a rich man’s Dirk Kuyt? The busy Argentinian is a far less effective player than the Dutchman. Fergie may have made a lot of mistakes in the transfer market over the past three years, but refusing to sign Tevez was not one of them.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Chelsea-Man Utd
A war of attrition. A fiercely fought contest. Whatever spin is put on the Chelsea-United match yesterday, there is no getting away from the fact that it was a frankly rubbish encounter between two teams so devoid of creativity and guile that Michael Carrick didn’t look out of place on the field.
It goes without saying that Man Utd had the better of it, but what did having the better of it actually entail? It certainly didn’t mean them having more chances, because neither team really conjured up anything worthy of the name. The Reds had more possession, but in the context of this particular game that simply amounted to being the team who gave the ball away cheaply slightly less times than Chelsea did. It was extremely rare to see a move not end after a half-dozen passes, with the ball then launched up to Rooney/Drogba.
It would be unfair to say that the game was without any quality. There was a deft pass from Rooney in the first half (made with the outside of his right foot to the onrushing Giggs) which displayed genuine skill. Nicholas Anelka also provided flashes of class with some nice dribbling. Fletcher’s ball over the top to Giggs complete with first time volley would have been a treat had it come off, but like almost everything the Welshman tried during the game, it didn’t.
The type of game this was can be summed up with the following sentence: Manchester United’s winger was employed to man-mark Chelsea’s fullback. Such is Valencia’s impotency in attack that it was probably a tactic which made the best use out of him, but what we have here is a case of “anti-football”, that term used by pretentious purists (such as myself) to describe football that intends not to create, but to destroy.
What we had on Sunday was two teams who have proven that on the biggest stage, their best (and perhaps only) weapon is anti-football. Being at home, the onus (a word you’ll very rarely see outside of football writing, incidentally) was on Chelsea to actually play football. The problem for the Blues is that they don’t have the kind of midfield up to the challenge. Frank Lampard disappears when the big boys come to town. I keep saying it, but only because it keeps happening. He will never lack effort, but more often than not he will always lack presence and authority, and the skill to manoeuvre in tight spaces. Ballack is semi-retired, as is Deco. Chelsea proved last season that they are capable of stifling the very best opponents, but they have yet to prove that they can create as well as destroy.
Manchester United have also shown themselves to be purveyors of destructive football. Forget about the myth of them being a free-flowing attacking force. When it comes to games that matter, that is the exception, not the norm. In the last few seasons, the following fact illustrates my point: Man Utd’s most creative talent, Wayne Rooney, has been deployed on the wings in order to prevent the opposition’s dangerous full-back from running amok. Could you imagine Wenger saying to van Persie, “Listen, Robin. That Bosingwa fellow is a threat down the flanks. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t get any crosses in.” The notion is absurd.
Yesterday, Rooney was finally allowed to play in a position where he can have a positive effect. The only problem was that his support player was Anderson, someone who has the creative finesse of a bulldozer. With United’s wingers tied up with keeping tabs on Chelsea’s fullbacks (who, for the record, aren’t all that when it comes to skilled attacking play), the genuine threat offered by the Manchester outfit was non-existent, and thus they were reduced to long range shooting. Their anti-football worked up to a point, but when it came to the part where creative football was required, they came up short.
Given the dodgy refereeing/linesman decision, Man Utd do have genuine reason to feel aggrieved at the result. Chelsea didn’t deserve to score, not to mention win. But if it's any consolation, there would have been little glory in winning such a poor game of football. The real injustice is that those were the two top teams in England out on that pitch, and will most likely remain so come May. The challenge for Arsenal is to stop that from happening. Last season Barcelona secured not only a treble, but a victory for football. They may have had only one way to play (as Tim Lovejoy churlishly suggested), but it was the right way. Arsenal do not know how to play football destructively. It may prove their undoing, but as a fan of the beautiful game I live in hope that their aesthetically pleasing brand of football translates itself into a winning brand of football. The more this happens, the more other teams will try to emulate it.
It goes without saying that Man Utd had the better of it, but what did having the better of it actually entail? It certainly didn’t mean them having more chances, because neither team really conjured up anything worthy of the name. The Reds had more possession, but in the context of this particular game that simply amounted to being the team who gave the ball away cheaply slightly less times than Chelsea did. It was extremely rare to see a move not end after a half-dozen passes, with the ball then launched up to Rooney/Drogba.
It would be unfair to say that the game was without any quality. There was a deft pass from Rooney in the first half (made with the outside of his right foot to the onrushing Giggs) which displayed genuine skill. Nicholas Anelka also provided flashes of class with some nice dribbling. Fletcher’s ball over the top to Giggs complete with first time volley would have been a treat had it come off, but like almost everything the Welshman tried during the game, it didn’t.
The type of game this was can be summed up with the following sentence: Manchester United’s winger was employed to man-mark Chelsea’s fullback. Such is Valencia’s impotency in attack that it was probably a tactic which made the best use out of him, but what we have here is a case of “anti-football”, that term used by pretentious purists (such as myself) to describe football that intends not to create, but to destroy.
What we had on Sunday was two teams who have proven that on the biggest stage, their best (and perhaps only) weapon is anti-football. Being at home, the onus (a word you’ll very rarely see outside of football writing, incidentally) was on Chelsea to actually play football. The problem for the Blues is that they don’t have the kind of midfield up to the challenge. Frank Lampard disappears when the big boys come to town. I keep saying it, but only because it keeps happening. He will never lack effort, but more often than not he will always lack presence and authority, and the skill to manoeuvre in tight spaces. Ballack is semi-retired, as is Deco. Chelsea proved last season that they are capable of stifling the very best opponents, but they have yet to prove that they can create as well as destroy.
Manchester United have also shown themselves to be purveyors of destructive football. Forget about the myth of them being a free-flowing attacking force. When it comes to games that matter, that is the exception, not the norm. In the last few seasons, the following fact illustrates my point: Man Utd’s most creative talent, Wayne Rooney, has been deployed on the wings in order to prevent the opposition’s dangerous full-back from running amok. Could you imagine Wenger saying to van Persie, “Listen, Robin. That Bosingwa fellow is a threat down the flanks. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t get any crosses in.” The notion is absurd.
Yesterday, Rooney was finally allowed to play in a position where he can have a positive effect. The only problem was that his support player was Anderson, someone who has the creative finesse of a bulldozer. With United’s wingers tied up with keeping tabs on Chelsea’s fullbacks (who, for the record, aren’t all that when it comes to skilled attacking play), the genuine threat offered by the Manchester outfit was non-existent, and thus they were reduced to long range shooting. Their anti-football worked up to a point, but when it came to the part where creative football was required, they came up short.
Given the dodgy refereeing/linesman decision, Man Utd do have genuine reason to feel aggrieved at the result. Chelsea didn’t deserve to score, not to mention win. But if it's any consolation, there would have been little glory in winning such a poor game of football. The real injustice is that those were the two top teams in England out on that pitch, and will most likely remain so come May. The challenge for Arsenal is to stop that from happening. Last season Barcelona secured not only a treble, but a victory for football. They may have had only one way to play (as Tim Lovejoy churlishly suggested), but it was the right way. Arsenal do not know how to play football destructively. It may prove their undoing, but as a fan of the beautiful game I live in hope that their aesthetically pleasing brand of football translates itself into a winning brand of football. The more this happens, the more other teams will try to emulate it.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Top 10 Predictions
Top 10 7 Predictions
In order to resurrect a dead blog, I was asked to come up with some left-field predictions for the coming 9 months of football. It’s hard to do this sort of thing without sounding purposefully contrary, and I won’t profess to have avoided that pitfall when all is said and done. Nevertheless, here is a collection of predictions that may or may not ruffle your feathers.
Premier League Winners
I picked Arsenal before the season began, and I see no reason to shy away from that (at the time unpopular) choice. Others -- most notably Eamon Dunphy, who completely wrote Arsenal off at the start of the season -- have joined the bandwagon since, for obvious reasons. Arsenal are playing the best football right now, and have more attacking talent at their disposal than even Barcelona. Barcelona’s bench (when at full strength) consists of Pedro, Bojan, and Jeffran. Arsenal’s has Rosicky, Nasri, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott. Even though I just compared, there is no comparison.
In a league campaign, Arsenal should win enough games to take the prize. They may fall short against their direct rivals, but as Manchester United proved last season, that is no obstacle to winning the league.
Champions League Finalists
It’s hard to look past Chelsea as one of the contestants, but I think they may well be joined by an outsider this season. My three to watch out for are Juventus, Inter Milan and Bordeaux, with Inter just shading it. They were quite unlucky to go out against Man Utd last season, and by getting rid of perennial CL knock-out flop Ibrahimovic they’re chances can only have been improved.
English Teams in the Champions League
The last two seasons have seen three English teams reach the semi-final stage. This season I expect there to be only one Anglo representative - the aforementioned Chelsea. Manchester United are extremely beatable right now, so unless they get a favourable draw (or invest well during January) I can’t see them going deep in the competition. Arsenal just seem like a team that will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They inspire no confidence when it comes to tight two-legged affairs. As for Liverpool, well, that one’s self explanatory. However, should the unlikely happen and they make it out of the group, the tired cliché will once again prove true - no one will want to draw them.
World Cup Winners
The odds suggest that a team other than Spain will win the thing, so allow me to choose at random one such team. I’ll go for Germany. A WC semi final in 2006, a Euro 2008 final. This is their time to go one step further. They’re by no means the best international side around, but a 1-0 win against Russia in Russia suggests that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate when necessary.
World Cup Flops
The easy answer is Argentina, although if they crashed out in the group stages would it really be considered a flop given recent goings on? As such, I’m going to go against everything I believe about football and pick Spain. Their win in 2008 was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which being the relative lack of hype surrounding them before the tournament. Things will be a lot different in 2010, and one wonders if the under-achievers tag won’t rear its ugly head once more. They breezed through qualification alright, but come next summer some key players will surely be just about ready to collapse. Xavi looks tired already, while Torres is quite literally a broken man right now whom Liverpool can’t afford to fix. Add to that list some injury prone players like villa and Iniesta, and Spain could be in trouble before a ball is even kicked in South Africa. Their defense is not likely to bail them out either. Puyol, Pique and Sergio Ramos are a collective mistake waiting to happen, so chances will always present themselves to the opposition.
My rather novel prediction is that Spain will just about make it out of their group, but then lose to high flyers England in the last 16, with England making it to the semi-final before losing out to the Germans…on penalties.
PL Player of the Season
There are currently three stand-out performers in the Premier League right now - Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Didier Drogba, with the latter looking particularly spectacular. Between the three of them they have 21 goals and 23 assists, which is phenomenal. I suppose a lot will depend on who wins the league, so given that I’ve picked Arsenal to go the distance I’ll back Fabregas to pick up the prize. After a moderate start to the season the Spaniard looks up for it (if you’ll excuse the Tony Cascarino-ism), knowing that this is as good a chance as any to win some prime silverware with the club he has spent a third of his life at.
Surprise Package of the Season
There is one team in the Premier League that is defying all reasonable expectations given the amount of average players that make up their weekly team-sheet. Rather than potentially challenging for a top 4 spot, they are in fact looking more and more likely to be taking a stab at the top prize itself. It may not come as a surprise to some, but to me the big spenders in Manchester should not be where they are, and yet they are. Of course Manchester United do have a rich history in the competition, but that doesn’t change the reality that they are hugely reliant on Darren Fletcher. Of course it’s not hard to see why that’s the case, what with Anderson, Nani, Valencia, Giggs, Carrick and Scholes being his distinctly underwhelming contempories at the club (no disrespect to Scholes, who was once the finest midfield player in the league).
Then you have Wayne Rooney, the patchiest player in England (which is no mean feat in a country boasting such patchy luminaries as Gabby Agbonlahor and Shaun Wright-Phillips). He’ll score 6 in 6 and look like the best player in the world, and then not do anything for a month. As for Berbatov, he seems to think that plucking the ball out of the sky with a velvet touch is enough to excuse him from actually playing football, a game where his team spends about 40% of the time without the ball. If he actually consistently contributed in terms of attack (and wasn’t so annoyingly smug) he might be forgiven (as Ronaldo was by many), but the Bulgarian remains unreliable, especially in games that matter.
And yet, and yet, United could win the league. A team that, on paper, is barely better than Sunderland’s, will almost certainly be there or thereabouts come May. This should surprise us, people! If I sound anti-United, I am. Unashamedly. I loathe them from the depths of my being. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m completely wrong. Nobody is “objective” about anything, let alone matters pertaining to football.
As the keen observers will have noted, I was asked to make ten predictions but only mustered up seven. If there are any particular requests then fire them this way, otherwise I'll leave things as they stand.
In order to resurrect a dead blog, I was asked to come up with some left-field predictions for the coming 9 months of football. It’s hard to do this sort of thing without sounding purposefully contrary, and I won’t profess to have avoided that pitfall when all is said and done. Nevertheless, here is a collection of predictions that may or may not ruffle your feathers.
Premier League Winners
I picked Arsenal before the season began, and I see no reason to shy away from that (at the time unpopular) choice. Others -- most notably Eamon Dunphy, who completely wrote Arsenal off at the start of the season -- have joined the bandwagon since, for obvious reasons. Arsenal are playing the best football right now, and have more attacking talent at their disposal than even Barcelona. Barcelona’s bench (when at full strength) consists of Pedro, Bojan, and Jeffran. Arsenal’s has Rosicky, Nasri, Eduardo, Bendtner, Walcott. Even though I just compared, there is no comparison.
In a league campaign, Arsenal should win enough games to take the prize. They may fall short against their direct rivals, but as Manchester United proved last season, that is no obstacle to winning the league.
Champions League Finalists
It’s hard to look past Chelsea as one of the contestants, but I think they may well be joined by an outsider this season. My three to watch out for are Juventus, Inter Milan and Bordeaux, with Inter just shading it. They were quite unlucky to go out against Man Utd last season, and by getting rid of perennial CL knock-out flop Ibrahimovic they’re chances can only have been improved.
English Teams in the Champions League
The last two seasons have seen three English teams reach the semi-final stage. This season I expect there to be only one Anglo representative - the aforementioned Chelsea. Manchester United are extremely beatable right now, so unless they get a favourable draw (or invest well during January) I can’t see them going deep in the competition. Arsenal just seem like a team that will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They inspire no confidence when it comes to tight two-legged affairs. As for Liverpool, well, that one’s self explanatory. However, should the unlikely happen and they make it out of the group, the tired cliché will once again prove true - no one will want to draw them.
World Cup Winners
The odds suggest that a team other than Spain will win the thing, so allow me to choose at random one such team. I’ll go for Germany. A WC semi final in 2006, a Euro 2008 final. This is their time to go one step further. They’re by no means the best international side around, but a 1-0 win against Russia in Russia suggests that they are more than capable of stepping up to the plate when necessary.
World Cup Flops
The easy answer is Argentina, although if they crashed out in the group stages would it really be considered a flop given recent goings on? As such, I’m going to go against everything I believe about football and pick Spain. Their win in 2008 was remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which being the relative lack of hype surrounding them before the tournament. Things will be a lot different in 2010, and one wonders if the under-achievers tag won’t rear its ugly head once more. They breezed through qualification alright, but come next summer some key players will surely be just about ready to collapse. Xavi looks tired already, while Torres is quite literally a broken man right now whom Liverpool can’t afford to fix. Add to that list some injury prone players like villa and Iniesta, and Spain could be in trouble before a ball is even kicked in South Africa. Their defense is not likely to bail them out either. Puyol, Pique and Sergio Ramos are a collective mistake waiting to happen, so chances will always present themselves to the opposition.
My rather novel prediction is that Spain will just about make it out of their group, but then lose to high flyers England in the last 16, with England making it to the semi-final before losing out to the Germans…on penalties.
PL Player of the Season
There are currently three stand-out performers in the Premier League right now - Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Didier Drogba, with the latter looking particularly spectacular. Between the three of them they have 21 goals and 23 assists, which is phenomenal. I suppose a lot will depend on who wins the league, so given that I’ve picked Arsenal to go the distance I’ll back Fabregas to pick up the prize. After a moderate start to the season the Spaniard looks up for it (if you’ll excuse the Tony Cascarino-ism), knowing that this is as good a chance as any to win some prime silverware with the club he has spent a third of his life at.
Surprise Package of the Season
There is one team in the Premier League that is defying all reasonable expectations given the amount of average players that make up their weekly team-sheet. Rather than potentially challenging for a top 4 spot, they are in fact looking more and more likely to be taking a stab at the top prize itself. It may not come as a surprise to some, but to me the big spenders in Manchester should not be where they are, and yet they are. Of course Manchester United do have a rich history in the competition, but that doesn’t change the reality that they are hugely reliant on Darren Fletcher. Of course it’s not hard to see why that’s the case, what with Anderson, Nani, Valencia, Giggs, Carrick and Scholes being his distinctly underwhelming contempories at the club (no disrespect to Scholes, who was once the finest midfield player in the league).
Then you have Wayne Rooney, the patchiest player in England (which is no mean feat in a country boasting such patchy luminaries as Gabby Agbonlahor and Shaun Wright-Phillips). He’ll score 6 in 6 and look like the best player in the world, and then not do anything for a month. As for Berbatov, he seems to think that plucking the ball out of the sky with a velvet touch is enough to excuse him from actually playing football, a game where his team spends about 40% of the time without the ball. If he actually consistently contributed in terms of attack (and wasn’t so annoyingly smug) he might be forgiven (as Ronaldo was by many), but the Bulgarian remains unreliable, especially in games that matter.
And yet, and yet, United could win the league. A team that, on paper, is barely better than Sunderland’s, will almost certainly be there or thereabouts come May. This should surprise us, people! If I sound anti-United, I am. Unashamedly. I loathe them from the depths of my being. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that I’m completely wrong. Nobody is “objective” about anything, let alone matters pertaining to football.
As the keen observers will have noted, I was asked to make ten predictions but only mustered up seven. If there are any particular requests then fire them this way, otherwise I'll leave things as they stand.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Too Many Kiss-related Puns?
Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Too Many Kiss-related Puns?
Cesc Fabregas produced a masterclass in midfield play against Blackburn last Sunday. Having assisted Arsenal's first three goals he decided to cut out the middle man and simply put the ball in the back of the net himself.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
The ensuing celebration was notable for one main reason: it contained the ever popular badge kissing from a player who's been linked with a transfer to pastures greener, in this case, Barcelona.
The more cynical Arsenal fans might have cast their minds back to the beginning of last season, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a pre-season goal for the Gunners and decided to show his loyalty to the club by kissing the badge in front of the Arsenal supporters. Fast forward to 12th September 2009, when Adebayor decided to taunt Arsenal supporters by celebrating a goal he scored for Manchester City right in front of them.
What then of Cesc's celebration? Is his kiss of the Arsenal badge the kiss of death for his career at the club? Or to put it another way, like Judas, has he betrayed them with a kiss? Unlike Adebayor, Fabregas is loved by the supporters of Arsenal football club, and so if he decides to leave at the end of the season it will surely be on good terms. After all, he has been at Arsenal for seven seasons, which is almost as long a service as recent legends Viera and Henry, the latter of which was a witness of Cesc's demolition of Blackburn and received generous applause from the Emirates crowd prior to the game.
However, unlike Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera, Cesc Fabregas has yet to lead Arsenal to a piece of prime silverware. The fans will feel that he still owes them some trophies, and so they must remain in hope that the latest Gunner to kiss the badge is not planning on kissing the club good-bye any time soon.
However, should he pack his bags next summer he will still be remembered fondly by Arsenal fans as a wonderful playmaker, whose commitment to the club on the field was rarely if ever in question. But he will also be remembered as someone who failed to bring the club the glory it so desperately craves. Can he live with that? Perhaps he won't have to if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, because in that kind of form Arsenal will surely be walking away with a trophy or two come next May.
Monday, October 5, 2009
And It Showed...
I got my first proper look at Barcelona on Saturday, catching all of the second half of their game against Almeria. It was a rather unremarkable game but for one stand out feature:
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
Xavi and Iniesta were man-marked for the entire game, and it showed.
I don't know what the passing statistics were, but I doubt either of them have made fewer passes in a game over the past couple of seasons. They were basically irrelevant. Both of them!
Of course there are other factors to consider before one thinks that these two maestros can simply be man-marked out of a game. First of all, Iniesta still isn't match sharp. His fitness and touch aren't yet what they should be, and so when they are it will be a much tougher prospect to mark him out of a game. Secondly, Messi was going through the motions, content to win the game without really breaking a sweat. A focused Messi would have created space for the midfield duo by dribbling past players and causing general mayhem. Thirdly, Busquets did not play a clever game. He was the free man, yet he used the ball quite carelessly and was reluctant to try anything incisive. As soon as Toure came on, the midfield area was broken up by his sheer presence and directness, and more space was created.
Still, Almeria's tactics raise some interesting discussion points, and no doubt some of Europe's more illustrious clubs were paying attention to what they were up to. "I expect that many teams will copy our tactics here", said Almeria manager Hugo Sanchez. He may just be right.
No doubt also that Pep is well aware of this, and already coming up with a counter-plan. Shift Iniesta out wide as a nominal left winger? Bring Messi into the centre a la Champions League Final '09? Go high up to Ibra and have Xavi and Iniesta pushed further forward to pick up the scraps? Play the free man (Busquets/Toure/Keita) higher up the pitch, since no defensive midfielder is required?
Did you see the game? Any thoughts?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Perfect Weight
After some mild sleuthing I find that Valeron assist mentioned in a comments section recently. Beautiful. Notice how the striker didn't need to touch the ball until he had to take it around the 'keeper, such was the perfect weight of the pass.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
React Quotes
* So yeah. That Manchester derby was pretty crap, eh? I knew it wouldn't be worth watc [gets word in ear about it being a 4-3 thriller] So as I was saying, the derby was clearly the game to watch this weekend, and only a fool would have said otherwise. I must confess, I didn't see it, but by most people's reckoning -- not least Sir Alex's, who is always unbiased in his post-match analysis -- United were worthy winners, and could have been so by a considerably more convincing margin. As it happened they only won the game because of a dubiously late goal that makes you hate United that little bit more.
* City are defensively brittle. In the two games I've seen them in this season -- against Blackburn and Arsenal -- they conceded numerous chances, and were frankly lucky winners in both. It seems a similar story unfolded at Old Trafford, without the lucky winners part. Is Toure and Lescott really a top 4 centre-half partnership? Not likely. Consider Lescott. His signature season came in 07/08, but if I'm not mistaken he played at left-back for most of it, and even then it was his goal scoring exploits and not his solid defensive play that earned him the plaudits. Last season he was at centre-half, but he was always playing second fiddle to Phil Jagielka. In short, we don't really know how good Julien Lescott actually is as a defender, but one suspects that he's not £20m+ good. Less money could probably have been spent on a better player, like that Dunne chap at Aston villa for instance. And then there's Kolo Toure. Capable of splended defending every now and then, but there is question marks over his consistency, and that pace which got him out of many a hole seems to be fading away. It is telling that Wenger was prepared to let Toure go ahead of Gallas, despite him being a number of years younger. I'm not quite sure what Hughes was thinking when he signed these two defenders for a combined total of £38m [?], but on the evidence thus far it has been money poorly spent, and money which could end up costing a lot more as the season progresses.
* Four goals and four assists. I knew Ibrahimovic would be a complete flop. I actually have yet to see a full Barcelona game so I'm unable to give an in-depth report on the matter at hand, but the signs look good so far. Of course few doubt Ibra's capabilities when it comes to shining against the lesser teams, so perhaps critics have yet to be silenced. Still, it would be churlish to take anything away from his contribution so far. It is important to note also that his presence hasn't hampered Messi in any way either, with the little Argentine continuing from where he left off last season, and arguably outdoing himself, having scored 5 in 4. It remains to be seen how Henry reacts to his new colleague, or simply to the new season with all of its demands. Being in his thirties and having just won the treble may lessen the hunger and desire that characterised him last season.
* Given the way Arsenal fans and various media outlets talked about vermaelen before he played a game for the Gunners you'd have sworn he was a certified midget who stepped out onto the pitch wearing platforms just so attackers wouldn't be able to run over his head. Given the way he's being talked about now, you'd swear he was Franz Beckenbaur II. There's no denying that he's been good, but in the words of Steve G, "calm down, calm down". The Belgian has plenty to do before he's proved to be an astute signing.
* Ever since I saw Benayoun tear Ireland a new one a few years ago I've been a closet fan. In his darkest hours at Liverpool I did question my secret allegiance, but given his performances at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, it seems it is becoming perfectly acceptable for his closet fans to come out. He reminds me a lot of Alex Hleb, another of my favourites. He has the increasingly rare ability to go by players, and he sees things that not many see. His presence in the starting 11 will help Liverpool to no end as they seek to eliminate those 0-0 draws against defensively minded teams from their results sheet this season. His big game influence remains a question mark, but this could be the season when Benayoun finally gets his name mentioned alongside Torres and Gerrard.
* City are defensively brittle. In the two games I've seen them in this season -- against Blackburn and Arsenal -- they conceded numerous chances, and were frankly lucky winners in both. It seems a similar story unfolded at Old Trafford, without the lucky winners part. Is Toure and Lescott really a top 4 centre-half partnership? Not likely. Consider Lescott. His signature season came in 07/08, but if I'm not mistaken he played at left-back for most of it, and even then it was his goal scoring exploits and not his solid defensive play that earned him the plaudits. Last season he was at centre-half, but he was always playing second fiddle to Phil Jagielka. In short, we don't really know how good Julien Lescott actually is as a defender, but one suspects that he's not £20m+ good. Less money could probably have been spent on a better player, like that Dunne chap at Aston villa for instance. And then there's Kolo Toure. Capable of splended defending every now and then, but there is question marks over his consistency, and that pace which got him out of many a hole seems to be fading away. It is telling that Wenger was prepared to let Toure go ahead of Gallas, despite him being a number of years younger. I'm not quite sure what Hughes was thinking when he signed these two defenders for a combined total of £38m [?], but on the evidence thus far it has been money poorly spent, and money which could end up costing a lot more as the season progresses.
* Four goals and four assists. I knew Ibrahimovic would be a complete flop. I actually have yet to see a full Barcelona game so I'm unable to give an in-depth report on the matter at hand, but the signs look good so far. Of course few doubt Ibra's capabilities when it comes to shining against the lesser teams, so perhaps critics have yet to be silenced. Still, it would be churlish to take anything away from his contribution so far. It is important to note also that his presence hasn't hampered Messi in any way either, with the little Argentine continuing from where he left off last season, and arguably outdoing himself, having scored 5 in 4. It remains to be seen how Henry reacts to his new colleague, or simply to the new season with all of its demands. Being in his thirties and having just won the treble may lessen the hunger and desire that characterised him last season.
* Given the way Arsenal fans and various media outlets talked about vermaelen before he played a game for the Gunners you'd have sworn he was a certified midget who stepped out onto the pitch wearing platforms just so attackers wouldn't be able to run over his head. Given the way he's being talked about now, you'd swear he was Franz Beckenbaur II. There's no denying that he's been good, but in the words of Steve G, "calm down, calm down". The Belgian has plenty to do before he's proved to be an astute signing.
* Ever since I saw Benayoun tear Ireland a new one a few years ago I've been a closet fan. In his darkest hours at Liverpool I did question my secret allegiance, but given his performances at the end of last season and the beginning of this one, it seems it is becoming perfectly acceptable for his closet fans to come out. He reminds me a lot of Alex Hleb, another of my favourites. He has the increasingly rare ability to go by players, and he sees things that not many see. His presence in the starting 11 will help Liverpool to no end as they seek to eliminate those 0-0 draws against defensively minded teams from their results sheet this season. His big game influence remains a question mark, but this could be the season when Benayoun finally gets his name mentioned alongside Torres and Gerrard.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Around the World...or just England and Spain
*Wayne Rooney needed to fill Ronaldo's shoes when the winger sailed away towards pastures greener. His goals were fulfilling most of the task, but something still felt missing. I didn't know what it was, until Rooney slammed his boot on the ground after being substituted. The legacy of CR7 lives on. Next stop - substituting yourself, because when you've got an ego on a par with Ronaldo, the only person allowed to substitute you is, well, you.
*3-2, 3-0, 5-2. And still they aren't firing on all cylinders. If Madrid ever do they will be a fearsome proposition. If not, they'll be good entertainment nonetheless.
*How about that Guit fella? A poaching striker turned mercurial playmaker if ever there was one. His pass for Ronaldo's goal against Espanyol and his chip over the (awful) Zurich keeper are in the top 5 moments of the season so far.
*Iniesta is back from injury. Yay!
*The game to watch this weekend - Barcelona against Atletico Madrid. There was 14 goals over the two league games last season. It promises to be nothing but fun.
*Game that will not be what people hope it will be - The Manchester Derby. This is no clash between title contenders. City will be beaten, and not in a way that makes you think they're still in with a shout for the title. The only thing that will make this game interesting is Tevez featuring.
*5 of Arsenal's 7 games have been away from home so far this season. Expect Wigan to feel the brunt of this homesickness.
*It's finally happened. The Champions League group matches hold little appeal to me. Liverpool v Lyon is about the only game I'll watch with interest, only because this Lyon team looks pretty darn good on paper.
*3-2, 3-0, 5-2. And still they aren't firing on all cylinders. If Madrid ever do they will be a fearsome proposition. If not, they'll be good entertainment nonetheless.
*How about that Guit fella? A poaching striker turned mercurial playmaker if ever there was one. His pass for Ronaldo's goal against Espanyol and his chip over the (awful) Zurich keeper are in the top 5 moments of the season so far.
*Iniesta is back from injury. Yay!
*The game to watch this weekend - Barcelona against Atletico Madrid. There was 14 goals over the two league games last season. It promises to be nothing but fun.
*Game that will not be what people hope it will be - The Manchester Derby. This is no clash between title contenders. City will be beaten, and not in a way that makes you think they're still in with a shout for the title. The only thing that will make this game interesting is Tevez featuring.
*5 of Arsenal's 7 games have been away from home so far this season. Expect Wigan to feel the brunt of this homesickness.
*It's finally happened. The Champions League group matches hold little appeal to me. Liverpool v Lyon is about the only game I'll watch with interest, only because this Lyon team looks pretty darn good on paper.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
City-Arsenal
A few thoughts on the Man City-Arsenal match:
- Man City weren't particularly good. Here's a remarkable statistic that basically sums up how they played. Their most creative player, Ireland, hit 12 -- 12[!] -- passes today, 9 of which were complete, and only 1 of which was inside the Arsenal half. Giving credit to this City performance is like giving credit to person who earns money by sitting in an airport and stealing any bags that get left unattended. Such a person might have the odd lucrative day, but it's a parasitic lifestyle and worthy of little genuine praise. City did what they did very well. Their counter-attacks were quick and direct. But for me, something about the win felt so dirty. It was similar to Man Utd's win over Arsenal two weeks ago, with the only major difference being that City scored those chances you get when the other team is chasing the game, thus making the scoreline extremely flattering. Next week they play their city rivals. Next week they will surely be brought back down to earth.
- Shay Given once again came to the rescue. It is hardly an overraction to say that if the two goalkeepers swapped sides before the game, Arsenal would have run out comfortable winners.
- Don't believe those who blast Arsenal's "tippy-tappy" approach to football. I don't hear anybody complain when Barcelona or Spain do it, and rightly so, since they are the best club side and international side respectively. Keeping the ball in football is never a bad thing to do. The object of football is to work the ball into a scoring position, and then score. The Bolton way of doing this is a hoof up the pitch; the Arsenal way is to pass it until a scoring opportunity presents itself. Arsenal's problem today wasn't "tippy-tappy" football. Their problem wasn't pulling the trigger when opportunities came their way, for they had over 20 shots on goal, many of which were decent efforts. Their problem was actually that they weren't tippy-tappy enough. They lacked the control and discipline of a Barcelona or a Spain. When they equalised they became careless, turning the game into a playground match. The adrenaline of youth kicked in, and the shape of the team was lost. More control and a less gung-ho approach would most likely have resulted in an Arsenal victory.
- Apart from one insane dribble, Adebayor posed little threat to the Arsenal rearguard. He was still the same half-hearted creature that stumbled around the Emirates, and even though he has scored in all of City's games thus far, he is not missed in North London. As for his celebration, it's probably vindication for Mr Wenger, who now knows beyond doubt that he made the right decision to sell such a character-less mercenary.
- If Rosicky can stay fit, Arsenal will be all the better for it. His goal today was a smart finish, and some of his link-up play first rate. It should not go unnoted that Arsenal's collapse in 2007 began in January of that year, which is (I think) when Rosicky was ruled out for what turned out to be 18 months. Hardly a coincidence.
- Arsenal have issues, but not ones that are easily definable. For example, they shipped four goals today, but one can hardly say that the back four were dodgey. Central defense looks better than it has done in a few years, and it is a rare day when Sagna and/or Clichy are given the run-around. I can't help but feel that the issues reside with the midfield trio of Song, Denilson and Fabregas, yet these players have been largely applauded in the opening weeks of the season. For me, in the murky world of tippy-tappy football, it all rests on the midfield. Something is not right with that trio in my opinion. What I think needs to happen is that Denilson needs to get dropped, Fabregas needs to drop deeper, and Rosicky needs to come in and assume Fabregas's current role as midfield floater. This isn't to pin all of Arsenal's woes on Denilson, as if he is everything that is wrong with the Gunners. He isn't. But a trio of Song, Fabregas and Rosicky is better than a trio of Song, Denilson and Fabregas. Not only because Rosicky is better than Denilson, but because Fabregas is better utilised further back the pitch.
- That's two losses back to back for Arsenal. Not the end of the world, but the pressure is on for the next game against Wigan. A poor result in that fixture could see all of that early season optimism flow out of the squad, and things could begin to get ugly as they did 12 months ago.
- Wayne Bridge is really, really fast. Especially for a white guy. i wonder how high he can jump...
- Man City are not title contenders. But they are a genuine threat to the Big 4. This alone makes the season of 09/10 worth following.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Broad Strokes
If it wasn't for Spain and an appetite for football that leaves me no choice but to watch the likes of the Confederations Cup, the upcoming World Cup would hold little appeal. When a team like Ireland can go unbeaten in the qualifiers -- a team that decides the best way to beat Cyprus is to concede possession to them and instead lump balls up to Robbie Keane on a wing and a prayer -- you know something is amiss.
To paint with broad strokes, here is my assessment of the major nations in world football:
Argentina - Pathetic. Essentially a one man team, but that one man isn't built to be built around. Messi is phenomenal, but he is no Zidane, in the sense of everything being able to go through him. Players like Zidane, Iniesta, Riquelme are the ones who can make your team dominate the play. Messi is the one who can turn that dominance into goals. Argentina have short-circuited the system by parting ways with Riquelme, and so coupled with their defensive frailties they are neither a joy to watch nor an effective unit. Should they make the World Cup, expect that to be the most they do unless something changes radically in the next nine months.
France - A joke. How Domenech is still the coach is one of the great mysteries of the universe. A talented group of players, but while Monsieur Domenech remains in charge this talented group will win approximately nothing. One must wonder what Raymond has threatened to do should he be sacked. Blow up the Eiffel Tower? Expose his secret affair with the Prime Minister? Ensure that Steve McLaren is his replacement? The mind boggles.
Italy - Just. So. Boring. Watching Italy play is like watching Ireland play, except perhaps even more depressing since you expect so much more. There must be a good national team in there somewhere, but Lippi refuses to find it, and instead resorts to what he knows. When Rossi is your great hope, things are not as they should be.
Germany - The Man City of international football. A pretty decent team, but tactically inept and too flakey to be considered a major force. The saying "Never right off the Germans" has lost much of its credibility. Back in the day, the Germans used to win things if people dared right them off. Now the Germans get to semi-finals, even finals, but then get found out by someone better. They're a weirdly fun team, but not to be taken too seriously, which for something German is a remarkable achievement.
Brazil - Italy v Brazil used to be the pinnacle of football. The tactical astuteness of the Italians against the liberated flair of the Brazilians. These days it's more a poor Italy against an imitation of Italy, with Brazil being that imitation. Like most teams, Brazil lack quality in the middle of midfield. Gilberto Silva still gets games, which tells you all you need to know. Dunga is trying to remedy what happened in 2006, when the big 4 of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Kaka disappointed the world so much that people were actually happy to see France -- France! -- beat them. Brazil have shied away from such a cavalier approach and adopted pragmatism with a tinge of flair. The results have come their way, but nobody is enjoying it. And at the business end of things, Brazil simply aren't solid enough to pull this game plan off when it comes to a World Cup.
Portugal - Similar to Argentina. They probably won't make the World Cup, so they're not even worth talking about.
Holland - Do any of their players play for top sides? Most of them have been sold by Madrid, deemed not good enough to help the Spanish side win things. It's interesting that (arguably) the top 4 clubs sides -- Man Utd, Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool -- only have one Dutch player between them all who gets a regular starting place, and that player is Dirk Kuyt. I rest my case.
So that leaves Spain and England, the two teams with the best chance of World Cup glory in my opinion. Since there is something in my that finds the English football team repulsive, it is Spain alone who carry the flag for international football. They are the best team by a country mile, and unless one of the above magically gets their act together, it is hard to see the trophy ending up anywhere but Spain.
To paint with broad strokes, here is my assessment of the major nations in world football:
Argentina - Pathetic. Essentially a one man team, but that one man isn't built to be built around. Messi is phenomenal, but he is no Zidane, in the sense of everything being able to go through him. Players like Zidane, Iniesta, Riquelme are the ones who can make your team dominate the play. Messi is the one who can turn that dominance into goals. Argentina have short-circuited the system by parting ways with Riquelme, and so coupled with their defensive frailties they are neither a joy to watch nor an effective unit. Should they make the World Cup, expect that to be the most they do unless something changes radically in the next nine months.
France - A joke. How Domenech is still the coach is one of the great mysteries of the universe. A talented group of players, but while Monsieur Domenech remains in charge this talented group will win approximately nothing. One must wonder what Raymond has threatened to do should he be sacked. Blow up the Eiffel Tower? Expose his secret affair with the Prime Minister? Ensure that Steve McLaren is his replacement? The mind boggles.
Italy - Just. So. Boring. Watching Italy play is like watching Ireland play, except perhaps even more depressing since you expect so much more. There must be a good national team in there somewhere, but Lippi refuses to find it, and instead resorts to what he knows. When Rossi is your great hope, things are not as they should be.
Germany - The Man City of international football. A pretty decent team, but tactically inept and too flakey to be considered a major force. The saying "Never right off the Germans" has lost much of its credibility. Back in the day, the Germans used to win things if people dared right them off. Now the Germans get to semi-finals, even finals, but then get found out by someone better. They're a weirdly fun team, but not to be taken too seriously, which for something German is a remarkable achievement.
Brazil - Italy v Brazil used to be the pinnacle of football. The tactical astuteness of the Italians against the liberated flair of the Brazilians. These days it's more a poor Italy against an imitation of Italy, with Brazil being that imitation. Like most teams, Brazil lack quality in the middle of midfield. Gilberto Silva still gets games, which tells you all you need to know. Dunga is trying to remedy what happened in 2006, when the big 4 of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Adriano and Kaka disappointed the world so much that people were actually happy to see France -- France! -- beat them. Brazil have shied away from such a cavalier approach and adopted pragmatism with a tinge of flair. The results have come their way, but nobody is enjoying it. And at the business end of things, Brazil simply aren't solid enough to pull this game plan off when it comes to a World Cup.
Portugal - Similar to Argentina. They probably won't make the World Cup, so they're not even worth talking about.
Holland - Do any of their players play for top sides? Most of them have been sold by Madrid, deemed not good enough to help the Spanish side win things. It's interesting that (arguably) the top 4 clubs sides -- Man Utd, Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool -- only have one Dutch player between them all who gets a regular starting place, and that player is Dirk Kuyt. I rest my case.
So that leaves Spain and England, the two teams with the best chance of World Cup glory in my opinion. Since there is something in my that finds the English football team repulsive, it is Spain alone who carry the flag for international football. They are the best team by a country mile, and unless one of the above magically gets their act together, it is hard to see the trophy ending up anywhere but Spain.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Rather Bizarre Marriage
Debate rages on over the penalty awarded to Manchester United against Arsenal on Saturday. Here is my take on it.
Rooney dived. There can be absolutely no doubt about that. In the clip posted below (albeit a clip uploaded by someone with a definite agenda) you'll see that Rooney made absolutely no attempt to run on to his first touch. Speaking of that first touch, just look at it again. He basically smashed the ball into the crowd. To me, this is the touch of a man with no intention of getting on the end of it. In my opinion, this is what was going through Rooney's head:
Just get to the ball before Almunia, and go to ground as soon as it leaves your foot. He'll more than likely make contact with you.
If diving can have different moral grades, then this particular one is certainly not the worst. However, the irony is that Eduardo -- the player whose every touch was booed by extremely forgetful United fans -- performed almost the exact same maneuver as Rooney, who I'm sure won't be subjected to booing by his own fans or those of any other team. I'm not defending Eduardo, any more than I'm attacking Rooney. I'm just making the observation that both players did more or less the same thing: got a foot to the ball before the goalkeeper and went down expecting/wanting contact.
The difference, of course, is that Almunia did make the contact Rooney wanted, whereas Boric didn't comply with Eduardo's wishes.
Was Rooney's a penalty? Yes, but he won it through a well executed dive. Had Manuel Almunia demonstrated Boric's sense of what was going down he would have pulled out as best as possible and Rooney would have been branded a big dirty cheat...or not. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Almunia did the silly thing by doing exactly what Rooney wanted him to do. In a rather bizarre marriage, it was both a dive and a penalty. Is such a thing not oxymoronic? Let the reader decide.
Anyway, here are the two incidents. Judge for yourself whether my assessment is correct or not.
Rooney dived. There can be absolutely no doubt about that. In the clip posted below (albeit a clip uploaded by someone with a definite agenda) you'll see that Rooney made absolutely no attempt to run on to his first touch. Speaking of that first touch, just look at it again. He basically smashed the ball into the crowd. To me, this is the touch of a man with no intention of getting on the end of it. In my opinion, this is what was going through Rooney's head:
Just get to the ball before Almunia, and go to ground as soon as it leaves your foot. He'll more than likely make contact with you.
If diving can have different moral grades, then this particular one is certainly not the worst. However, the irony is that Eduardo -- the player whose every touch was booed by extremely forgetful United fans -- performed almost the exact same maneuver as Rooney, who I'm sure won't be subjected to booing by his own fans or those of any other team. I'm not defending Eduardo, any more than I'm attacking Rooney. I'm just making the observation that both players did more or less the same thing: got a foot to the ball before the goalkeeper and went down expecting/wanting contact.
The difference, of course, is that Almunia did make the contact Rooney wanted, whereas Boric didn't comply with Eduardo's wishes.
Was Rooney's a penalty? Yes, but he won it through a well executed dive. Had Manuel Almunia demonstrated Boric's sense of what was going down he would have pulled out as best as possible and Rooney would have been branded a big dirty cheat...or not. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Almunia did the silly thing by doing exactly what Rooney wanted him to do. In a rather bizarre marriage, it was both a dive and a penalty. Is such a thing not oxymoronic? Let the reader decide.
Anyway, here are the two incidents. Judge for yourself whether my assessment is correct or not.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
50
I was going to do a predictions post for tonight's game, but instead here are 50 goals scored by Lionel Messi. Worth watching.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Preliminary Thoughts Pt 3
Manchester United
If you expose yourself to football-based media and form opinions on the basis of what the general consensus is, you may find it difficult to decide on how United will do this season. In F365's season forecast, the Old Trafford lot were most writers' pick to get their hands on the trophy in May 2010, and yet in the past week the site has been largely critical of the state of this United squad. Lawro of the BBC is sticking with the Red Devils (though you can tell he's not convinced), while most others think they will be there or thereabouts. But then in steps Paul Doyle of the Guardian, predicting a 5th of 6th place finish for last season's champions, a prediction made before the first two games of the season might I add. My own foresight caused me to proclaim them runners-up, which was really just a more precise way of saying that I don't see them winning the thing.
From my own experience, there are United fans who fall into such opposing camps: those who are bullish about the quality of the squad, insisting that Michael Owen will come good etc, and those who bemoan the regression to stone-age tactics, and who hope rather than think that Owen will be prolific.
In a nail-my-colours-to-the-mast maneuver, I'm going to say with Paul Doyle that this United squad is the worst of the Big 4. It is a team running on fumes; the fumes of reputation and a winning mentality that doesn't easily go away. Such fumes are potent, no doubt, which is why I think many people predicted United to emerge victorious at the end of the season. But the reality is that the quality just isn't there, at least not in large quantities.
No disrespect to Darren Fletcher -- a player who has proved me quite wrong -- but when he is your best midfielder, something has gone awry. Rooney is a gifted footballer, but he's not the kind of footballer who can carry a team on his own. Unlike Ronaldo, Rooney needs good players around him to interchange with. Ronaldo is a guy who can pick the ball up, run around somebody, and then whack the ball into the roof of the net from 25 yards. Rooney is just not that guy. He does his best work in tandem, but he's lacking a partner. Perhaps Berbatov will emerge as the one, but all of the evidence thus far suggests otherwise.
Ferguson has said that he won't be spending any more money on strikers. If he buys an attacking midfielder then that would be a huge boost, but if he chooses to buy neither then where are the goals going to come from? How often will Rooney be winning headers from crosses, which is how United scored their first and only goal of the season? In terms of attacking prowess, it's all looking a bit bleak really.
United's cushion is their defensive quality. Though they don't have Arsenal's attacking flair, a strong defensive platform will be sufficient for picking off a team like the Gunners. But the simple fact is that most of the games United play will require little defending and much attacking. They're equipped for the former, but not so much for the latter.
It's a long season, and with the transfer market not closed yet it's still possible that Ferguson will address the rather obvious problems. The problem as I perceive it, however, is that in Fergie's mind he has addressed the problems. Owen, Valencia, Nani and Macheda represent his collective solution to the loss of Tevez and Ronaldo. But not only is this solution wholly inadequate, it also fails to take into account the state of affairs last season. With Ronaldo and Tevez in the squad, United were still far from excellent. Liverpool were the best team in England for the majority of the season, and it was clear to some people before the Champions League final, and most people after, that United were light on quality in midfield. If Ferguson kept hold of his £100m+ duo, there were still areas that required attention. He didn't keep hold of them, so all he's done is replace them with a less than adequate solution, making United far worse than they were last season -- a season when they were already skating on thin ice.
Put the terms "defensive midfielder" and "Big 4 club need" together and the usual team to crop up is Arsenal. But is it not the case that United need one far more than Arsenal do? They also need either a central midfielder who can do Carrick's job better than he himself can, or else an attacking midfielder to shoulder much of the creative burden. Get both of those types of players and Manchester United should be back in business. Get neither and Paul Doyle's controversial prediction may not seem quite so foolish in a few months time.
If you expose yourself to football-based media and form opinions on the basis of what the general consensus is, you may find it difficult to decide on how United will do this season. In F365's season forecast, the Old Trafford lot were most writers' pick to get their hands on the trophy in May 2010, and yet in the past week the site has been largely critical of the state of this United squad. Lawro of the BBC is sticking with the Red Devils (though you can tell he's not convinced), while most others think they will be there or thereabouts. But then in steps Paul Doyle of the Guardian, predicting a 5th of 6th place finish for last season's champions, a prediction made before the first two games of the season might I add. My own foresight caused me to proclaim them runners-up, which was really just a more precise way of saying that I don't see them winning the thing.
From my own experience, there are United fans who fall into such opposing camps: those who are bullish about the quality of the squad, insisting that Michael Owen will come good etc, and those who bemoan the regression to stone-age tactics, and who hope rather than think that Owen will be prolific.
In a nail-my-colours-to-the-mast maneuver, I'm going to say with Paul Doyle that this United squad is the worst of the Big 4. It is a team running on fumes; the fumes of reputation and a winning mentality that doesn't easily go away. Such fumes are potent, no doubt, which is why I think many people predicted United to emerge victorious at the end of the season. But the reality is that the quality just isn't there, at least not in large quantities.
No disrespect to Darren Fletcher -- a player who has proved me quite wrong -- but when he is your best midfielder, something has gone awry. Rooney is a gifted footballer, but he's not the kind of footballer who can carry a team on his own. Unlike Ronaldo, Rooney needs good players around him to interchange with. Ronaldo is a guy who can pick the ball up, run around somebody, and then whack the ball into the roof of the net from 25 yards. Rooney is just not that guy. He does his best work in tandem, but he's lacking a partner. Perhaps Berbatov will emerge as the one, but all of the evidence thus far suggests otherwise.
Ferguson has said that he won't be spending any more money on strikers. If he buys an attacking midfielder then that would be a huge boost, but if he chooses to buy neither then where are the goals going to come from? How often will Rooney be winning headers from crosses, which is how United scored their first and only goal of the season? In terms of attacking prowess, it's all looking a bit bleak really.
United's cushion is their defensive quality. Though they don't have Arsenal's attacking flair, a strong defensive platform will be sufficient for picking off a team like the Gunners. But the simple fact is that most of the games United play will require little defending and much attacking. They're equipped for the former, but not so much for the latter.
It's a long season, and with the transfer market not closed yet it's still possible that Ferguson will address the rather obvious problems. The problem as I perceive it, however, is that in Fergie's mind he has addressed the problems. Owen, Valencia, Nani and Macheda represent his collective solution to the loss of Tevez and Ronaldo. But not only is this solution wholly inadequate, it also fails to take into account the state of affairs last season. With Ronaldo and Tevez in the squad, United were still far from excellent. Liverpool were the best team in England for the majority of the season, and it was clear to some people before the Champions League final, and most people after, that United were light on quality in midfield. If Ferguson kept hold of his £100m+ duo, there were still areas that required attention. He didn't keep hold of them, so all he's done is replace them with a less than adequate solution, making United far worse than they were last season -- a season when they were already skating on thin ice.
Put the terms "defensive midfielder" and "Big 4 club need" together and the usual team to crop up is Arsenal. But is it not the case that United need one far more than Arsenal do? They also need either a central midfielder who can do Carrick's job better than he himself can, or else an attacking midfielder to shoulder much of the creative burden. Get both of those types of players and Manchester United should be back in business. Get neither and Paul Doyle's controversial prediction may not seem quite so foolish in a few months time.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tinkering May Have Worked
Either Carlo Ancelotti reads this blog, or he's a pretty good football manager. My ego tells me it's the former, everything else suggests the latter.
I didn't see Chelsea's dismantling of Sunderland, but Ancelotti appears to have continued from where he left off against Hull - the process of adaptation. Basically everything I complained about was addressed. Mikel was removed, with Lampard reverting back to where he is most effective. Malouda was replaced which the more reliable Ballack, and Anelka was relieved of his lone striker duties in favour of the more busy, more creative Deco. A scoreline of 3-1 hints that the tinkering may have worked.
Of course we're only two games into the season. This time last season I recall Scolari being hailed as the answer to Chelsea's problems, with Deco shining as the "missing piece of the puzzle". Is Ancelotti just quickly morphing his team into the one that was initially successful for Big Phil, but was eventually found out as an impostor? Perhaps, but with Didier Drogba looking like he's gives a so-and-so, this Chelsea team may not drop out of the top four after all [!].
I didn't see Chelsea's dismantling of Sunderland, but Ancelotti appears to have continued from where he left off against Hull - the process of adaptation. Basically everything I complained about was addressed. Mikel was removed, with Lampard reverting back to where he is most effective. Malouda was replaced which the more reliable Ballack, and Anelka was relieved of his lone striker duties in favour of the more busy, more creative Deco. A scoreline of 3-1 hints that the tinkering may have worked.
Of course we're only two games into the season. This time last season I recall Scolari being hailed as the answer to Chelsea's problems, with Deco shining as the "missing piece of the puzzle". Is Ancelotti just quickly morphing his team into the one that was initially successful for Big Phil, but was eventually found out as an impostor? Perhaps, but with Didier Drogba looking like he's gives a so-and-so, this Chelsea team may not drop out of the top four after all [!].
Monday, August 17, 2009
Preliminary Thoughts Pt 2
Arsenal
Another classic case of "were X that good or were Y just so bad?", and another cliched answer - a little bit of both. Arsenal lined up as expected, although Bendtner was arguably more defensively deployed than what is usual for someone in that front three. The other surprise in relation to Bendtner was how well he played. One of my guilty opinions is that I rate the arrogant Dane quite highly (though not nearly as highly as Nicholas Bendtner rates the arrogant Dane). Last season he scored something in the region of 14 goals, which was very good considering he was Arsenal's fourth choice front man when everyone was fit...which they never were. Even so, fourth choice suggests a lack of trustworthiness; 14 goals suggests otherwise. This could be a milestone season for the promising youngster, because injuries or no injuries, he's going to get games.
The other two surprises from Arsenal's 6-1 demolition of Everton were the central midfielders Song and Denilson. The former was particularly impressive, showing bite in the tackle as well as composure in possession. He's the reason I said in my predictions post that Arsenal don't urgently need a defensive midfielder (although some cover for him would be nice). I think Song can be for Arsenal what Toure is for Barcelona: a good ball winner and a good ball player. The Cameroonian has what every midfield player needs to have, and what I think Denilson still lacks - presence. What he needs now is to be consistently present to the point where a good Alex Song performance is not a surprise, but an expectation. He has the ability, but does he have the focus and determination to produce this sort of thing every week? This will be one of the key storylines this season.
Another encouraging aspect from Saturday's game -- and this is a sort of backhanded encouragement -- was that Arsenal won well without Arshavin playing well. Half the Russian's passes went astray, and things in general didn't work for him. There'll be days like this, of course. Still, that's the benefit of having such an array of attacking talent. A player like Arshavin can have an off day, but the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie can step up to the plate. When you think that Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott are still to come back, tihs Arsenal team will be an attacking force to be reckoned with, arguably more so than the Barcelona team of last season.
As Fabregas pointed out however, this is but one game. There are 37 more to go in the league, and hopefully many more in the Champions League and domestic cups. Arsenal have always been good at building on leads. We will only truly see what they are made of when they face a much sterner test, which will be coming in the shape of last year's champions in a number of weeks.
Barcelona -- the prototype for this Arsenal team -- had to win all sorts of ways last season. The Gunners must learn to do the same if they are to acheive what Wenger believes they can acheive. It's all well and good winning 6-1, but what about winning 3-2 thanks to two goals in the last ten minutes, a la Barca v Osasuna? Or to bring it closer to home, what about a sneaky injury time goal to clinch all three points against a team with nine men at the back, a la Chelsea? These are the games that separate title winners from also rans. I expect Arsenal to have quite a few more days like Saturday throughout the course of the season. To win things, though, they'll have to have a few Saturday's like Chelsea's, and they'll have to bounce back from a Sunday like Liverpool's. It's a long road ahead, but with the talent on show at the Emirates, it will be a road paved with the most attractive football on English shores.
United, Liverpool and Spurs (my Top 4 pick!) to come...
Another classic case of "were X that good or were Y just so bad?", and another cliched answer - a little bit of both. Arsenal lined up as expected, although Bendtner was arguably more defensively deployed than what is usual for someone in that front three. The other surprise in relation to Bendtner was how well he played. One of my guilty opinions is that I rate the arrogant Dane quite highly (though not nearly as highly as Nicholas Bendtner rates the arrogant Dane). Last season he scored something in the region of 14 goals, which was very good considering he was Arsenal's fourth choice front man when everyone was fit...which they never were. Even so, fourth choice suggests a lack of trustworthiness; 14 goals suggests otherwise. This could be a milestone season for the promising youngster, because injuries or no injuries, he's going to get games.
The other two surprises from Arsenal's 6-1 demolition of Everton were the central midfielders Song and Denilson. The former was particularly impressive, showing bite in the tackle as well as composure in possession. He's the reason I said in my predictions post that Arsenal don't urgently need a defensive midfielder (although some cover for him would be nice). I think Song can be for Arsenal what Toure is for Barcelona: a good ball winner and a good ball player. The Cameroonian has what every midfield player needs to have, and what I think Denilson still lacks - presence. What he needs now is to be consistently present to the point where a good Alex Song performance is not a surprise, but an expectation. He has the ability, but does he have the focus and determination to produce this sort of thing every week? This will be one of the key storylines this season.
Another encouraging aspect from Saturday's game -- and this is a sort of backhanded encouragement -- was that Arsenal won well without Arshavin playing well. Half the Russian's passes went astray, and things in general didn't work for him. There'll be days like this, of course. Still, that's the benefit of having such an array of attacking talent. A player like Arshavin can have an off day, but the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie can step up to the plate. When you think that Nasri, Rosicky and Walcott are still to come back, tihs Arsenal team will be an attacking force to be reckoned with, arguably more so than the Barcelona team of last season.
As Fabregas pointed out however, this is but one game. There are 37 more to go in the league, and hopefully many more in the Champions League and domestic cups. Arsenal have always been good at building on leads. We will only truly see what they are made of when they face a much sterner test, which will be coming in the shape of last year's champions in a number of weeks.
Barcelona -- the prototype for this Arsenal team -- had to win all sorts of ways last season. The Gunners must learn to do the same if they are to acheive what Wenger believes they can acheive. It's all well and good winning 6-1, but what about winning 3-2 thanks to two goals in the last ten minutes, a la Barca v Osasuna? Or to bring it closer to home, what about a sneaky injury time goal to clinch all three points against a team with nine men at the back, a la Chelsea? These are the games that separate title winners from also rans. I expect Arsenal to have quite a few more days like Saturday throughout the course of the season. To win things, though, they'll have to have a few Saturday's like Chelsea's, and they'll have to bounce back from a Sunday like Liverpool's. It's a long road ahead, but with the talent on show at the Emirates, it will be a road paved with the most attractive football on English shores.
United, Liverpool and Spurs (my Top 4 pick!) to come...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Preliminary Thoughts
Having seen Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal in action on Saturday (so much for disinterest in the Premier League), here are some preliminary thoughts/knee-jerk reactions to their respective performances/systems.
Chelsea
As expected, Chelsea employed the 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Mikel at the base, Lampard at the tip, and Malouda and Essien on either side. I don't believe it worked. None of these four midfielders looked comfortable on the pitch, especially Lampard. Chelsea had the lion's share of possession, yet the one they call Fat Frank rarely featured. Mikel was irrelevant, given that Hull were never going to be seeing too much of the ball. And Michael Essien will struggle in games like this, where cleverness and creativity as opposed to power and work-rate are the order of the day.
In short, if Chelsea line up in midfield like so against teams with similar tactics to Hull, they will struggle. I know they had roughly half a million shots on goal, but they only really started piling on the pressure when Ancelotti changed things at half time by taking of the irrelevancy that was Obi Mikel and bringing on Ballack, and then switching Essien into the centre where he is eminently more comfortable. Even then, it was introducing the talents of Deco that really swung things in Chelsea's favour. In a situation where you are facing nine defenders, guile and craft are the tools you need. Deco has both of these, if nothing else.
The fact that Ancelotti made the requisite substitutions, and made them swiftly, bodes well. He saw what was wrong and did his best to rectify it. What will worry him is how easily Hull dealt with any threat down either flank. Cole and Bosingwa were spectators for large parts of the game, not needed in defense and unable to get involved in attack. With those two neutralised, Chelsea offer little if any width. This may be manageable against the Hull City's of this world, but against a good team they will find that they have nowhere to go, no outlet. I just wonder how Chelsea will cope against a team that doesn't surrender possession lightly. Good thing there's not too many of them in the Premier League, from a Chelsea point of view.
A word on Anleka and Drogba. They were rubbish as a partnership, and not great as individuals. Drogba will always be a threat, but this will be in spite of rather than because of his strike partner. The two don't compliment each other in the slightest. It's like playing with two lone strikers, because there doesn't appear to be any harmony between the pair. And thanks to the Guardian's chalkboards, I have concrete evidence to suggest as much! Out of 471 Chelsea passes, precisely three involved both Drogba and Anelka, and one of those was from a kick-off. Whatever way you look at things, that's not good. Simply put, I don't trust this partnership, and I don't think Ancelotti will trust it for too long either. The Premier League's reigning top scorer could find his days numbered, but this will only serve to aid the Chelsea cause.
Key to any Chelsea success this season will be Ancelotti. To be the new Scolari, he simply has to stick by his original principles until they inevitably fail. To be the new Mourinho, he needs to continue to do what he did in the opening game - adapt. His willingness to do so make me more confident in Chelsea than I was 24 hours ago, but the real tests await.
Man City
I predicted a 4-3-3 line up for this City team, based on the players Hughes has at his disposal. It's early days yet and thus too early to conclude anything, but a loosely fitting 4-4-2 was City's formation of choice against a surprisingly good Blackburn outfit, and will perhaps be their default formation for the rest of the campaign. (As an aside, this could be the season Pederson becomes a good Fantasy Football pick again.) Barry and Ireland were in the centre, with Robinho and Wright-Phillips occupying the wings, leaving a big-guy/little-guy combination of Adebayor and Bellamy up top. I have to be honest; I didn't see Wright-Phillips or Bellamy getting much of a look in when it came to Mark Hughes picking attacking options for the starting 11. Perhaps this first game is a mere aberration; perhaps not. Only time will tell.
There were fundamental flaws to City's general approach to the game, but one thing they can't be accused of is boring. It's not often you'll see an entertaining encounter in Ewood Park on a wet day, but that's exactly what we got yesterday, largely thanks to Manchester City's risky tactics. Putting Robinho in as a left winger is a mistake in my opinion. Unless you play him off the striker, he can't be integrated into a 4-4-2 system without your team becoming incredibly vulnerable on his flank. Blackburn created numerous opportunities down their right hand side, and so one can only imagine what a Manchester United or an Arsenal might do if given similar time and space.
I can only assume that this is the formation Hughes used during pre-season, so he's probably not going to re-jig it now. But re-jig it he must if Man City are going to mount any kind of serious push for fourth place. Make no mistake about it; they were quite lucky to beat Blackburn. And a team assembled for £200m should not need to rest on luck in order to win football matches. In Ireland and Barry they possess two very good central midfield players, but I can't help but think they need a third man in there -- a de Jong or a Kompany -- who will offer the defense the protection it was crying out for yesterday, and who will help define Ireland and Barry's roles more precisely. They were a bit all over the place yesterday, and so Blackburn were free to drive trucks (or Chris Samba) through to their defense.
Perhaps mere time will be the healer, with players unfamiliar with each other gelling as the games pile up. But then of course time alone is no adhesive. The dressing room must be kept in order, players must be kept happy (though wads of cash tend to solve that little dilemma), and the tactics must allow for a solid unit to form. I think 4-4-2 will prove to be untenable, simply because 4-3-3 caters for more of City's big players in terms of where they are comfortable and where they work. Much like with Chelsea, there will be sterner tests than the one faced on Saturday. There are positives to be taken from a Man City perspective, with the main one being that they picked up a crucial three points. A loss to Blackburn -- which so easily could have happened were it not for Shay Given -- would have immediately piled the pressure on Mark Hughes and his band of rich, merry men. There is still much work to do, but if City can build up momentum then I may be proved wrong about them. They're an exciting team to watch, both because of their attack and defense, or lackthereof -- and so the Premier League is all the richer for them, in more ways than one.
more to come...
Chelsea
As expected, Chelsea employed the 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Mikel at the base, Lampard at the tip, and Malouda and Essien on either side. I don't believe it worked. None of these four midfielders looked comfortable on the pitch, especially Lampard. Chelsea had the lion's share of possession, yet the one they call Fat Frank rarely featured. Mikel was irrelevant, given that Hull were never going to be seeing too much of the ball. And Michael Essien will struggle in games like this, where cleverness and creativity as opposed to power and work-rate are the order of the day.
In short, if Chelsea line up in midfield like so against teams with similar tactics to Hull, they will struggle. I know they had roughly half a million shots on goal, but they only really started piling on the pressure when Ancelotti changed things at half time by taking of the irrelevancy that was Obi Mikel and bringing on Ballack, and then switching Essien into the centre where he is eminently more comfortable. Even then, it was introducing the talents of Deco that really swung things in Chelsea's favour. In a situation where you are facing nine defenders, guile and craft are the tools you need. Deco has both of these, if nothing else.
The fact that Ancelotti made the requisite substitutions, and made them swiftly, bodes well. He saw what was wrong and did his best to rectify it. What will worry him is how easily Hull dealt with any threat down either flank. Cole and Bosingwa were spectators for large parts of the game, not needed in defense and unable to get involved in attack. With those two neutralised, Chelsea offer little if any width. This may be manageable against the Hull City's of this world, but against a good team they will find that they have nowhere to go, no outlet. I just wonder how Chelsea will cope against a team that doesn't surrender possession lightly. Good thing there's not too many of them in the Premier League, from a Chelsea point of view.
A word on Anleka and Drogba. They were rubbish as a partnership, and not great as individuals. Drogba will always be a threat, but this will be in spite of rather than because of his strike partner. The two don't compliment each other in the slightest. It's like playing with two lone strikers, because there doesn't appear to be any harmony between the pair. And thanks to the Guardian's chalkboards, I have concrete evidence to suggest as much! Out of 471 Chelsea passes, precisely three involved both Drogba and Anelka, and one of those was from a kick-off. Whatever way you look at things, that's not good. Simply put, I don't trust this partnership, and I don't think Ancelotti will trust it for too long either. The Premier League's reigning top scorer could find his days numbered, but this will only serve to aid the Chelsea cause.
Key to any Chelsea success this season will be Ancelotti. To be the new Scolari, he simply has to stick by his original principles until they inevitably fail. To be the new Mourinho, he needs to continue to do what he did in the opening game - adapt. His willingness to do so make me more confident in Chelsea than I was 24 hours ago, but the real tests await.
Man City
I predicted a 4-3-3 line up for this City team, based on the players Hughes has at his disposal. It's early days yet and thus too early to conclude anything, but a loosely fitting 4-4-2 was City's formation of choice against a surprisingly good Blackburn outfit, and will perhaps be their default formation for the rest of the campaign. (As an aside, this could be the season Pederson becomes a good Fantasy Football pick again.) Barry and Ireland were in the centre, with Robinho and Wright-Phillips occupying the wings, leaving a big-guy/little-guy combination of Adebayor and Bellamy up top. I have to be honest; I didn't see Wright-Phillips or Bellamy getting much of a look in when it came to Mark Hughes picking attacking options for the starting 11. Perhaps this first game is a mere aberration; perhaps not. Only time will tell.
There were fundamental flaws to City's general approach to the game, but one thing they can't be accused of is boring. It's not often you'll see an entertaining encounter in Ewood Park on a wet day, but that's exactly what we got yesterday, largely thanks to Manchester City's risky tactics. Putting Robinho in as a left winger is a mistake in my opinion. Unless you play him off the striker, he can't be integrated into a 4-4-2 system without your team becoming incredibly vulnerable on his flank. Blackburn created numerous opportunities down their right hand side, and so one can only imagine what a Manchester United or an Arsenal might do if given similar time and space.
I can only assume that this is the formation Hughes used during pre-season, so he's probably not going to re-jig it now. But re-jig it he must if Man City are going to mount any kind of serious push for fourth place. Make no mistake about it; they were quite lucky to beat Blackburn. And a team assembled for £200m should not need to rest on luck in order to win football matches. In Ireland and Barry they possess two very good central midfield players, but I can't help but think they need a third man in there -- a de Jong or a Kompany -- who will offer the defense the protection it was crying out for yesterday, and who will help define Ireland and Barry's roles more precisely. They were a bit all over the place yesterday, and so Blackburn were free to drive trucks (or Chris Samba) through to their defense.
Perhaps mere time will be the healer, with players unfamiliar with each other gelling as the games pile up. But then of course time alone is no adhesive. The dressing room must be kept in order, players must be kept happy (though wads of cash tend to solve that little dilemma), and the tactics must allow for a solid unit to form. I think 4-4-2 will prove to be untenable, simply because 4-3-3 caters for more of City's big players in terms of where they are comfortable and where they work. Much like with Chelsea, there will be sterner tests than the one faced on Saturday. There are positives to be taken from a Man City perspective, with the main one being that they picked up a crucial three points. A loss to Blackburn -- which so easily could have happened were it not for Shay Given -- would have immediately piled the pressure on Mark Hughes and his band of rich, merry men. There is still much work to do, but if City can build up momentum then I may be proved wrong about them. They're an exciting team to watch, both because of their attack and defense, or lackthereof -- and so the Premier League is all the richer for them, in more ways than one.
more to come...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Take Notice
"They'll have to be careful on set-pieces, because Blackburn are an absolutely huge team" - Pat Dolan
If Pat Dolan considers you "absolutely huge", then take notice.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Predictions
Season Predictions:
Premier League Winner
This season the Premier League will have traded quality for competitiveness. Out the door have gone perhaps two of the top 10 or 15 players in the world. In the door has come Phillipe Senderos, back from his year long loan in Milan. Most of the transfers amongst the high end clubs have involved players already sucking from the teet of a Premier League club, and so the unknown is whether players like Barry and Valencia can be Big 4 players as opposed to whether Shevchenko or Veron will be superstars on English shores. Perhaps the fact that the latter two were massive flops has discouraged clubs from dipping into foreign markets. Whatever the case, technically gifted foreigners have not been brought in, and the league will be the poorer for it. A player like Diego going to Juventus is a microcosm of the current trend in European football, and if it escalates then things will only get worse. Unless of course English players suddenly become technically proficient. (pause for laughter)
Anyway, onwards to my prediction for who is going to be the best of a poor but competitive lot. For the simple reason that United, Liverpool and Chelsea will be weaker this season, I'm going to tip my hat in Arsenal's direction. Their defense isn't as bad as people make it out to be, nor is their midfield. Sure a couple of signings wouldn't go astray, but if they employ the 4-3-3 somewhat as effectively as Barcelona did last season -- thus reducing the need to be defensively sound -- they can brush aside most of the 19 other teams in the league, and take enough points off their rivals to clinch the league with the lowest points tally in many a year.
Big 4
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool
Tottenham
Yep. Tottenham. This is the end for Chelsea. Anelka is a joke, Drogba will lose interest, Malouda is still rubbish. I predict it will all fall to pieces for Chelsea Football Club.
Surprising strugglers
That would be Chelsea. As far as I'm concerned only their defense can save them. I expect them to be out of the title race by Christmas thanks to too many draws against mediocre opposition.
Surprise package
Why the aforementioned Tottenham, of course. Man City have overtaken them in the "this is our year to break into the Big 4" hype, and this will only serve to help the Spurs cause. They possess a couple of decent keepers, a strong defense, a solid midfield with complimentary flair in the form of Modric, and a proven strikeforce.
There are drawbacks of course. This team is mentally brittle. Losing a half 5-0 to Manchester United last season suggests as much. But they won a half against United 2-0, the beat Liverpool, the drew twice against Arsenal, and they picked up 4 points against Chelsea, all in a season where they were a bit of a shambles. If Harry can instill something resembling consistency and stability into his starting 11, the result could be a genuine push for fourth place. I don't make them favourites for 4th of course, but given the decline of the Big 4, the silly purchasing of Man City, and the inevitable falling away of Everton and villa, this -- the year when nobody seems to be saying it -- could be Tottenham's year.
Top goalscorer
Jermaine Defoe. The lure of a possible trip to the World Cup, the skyscraper that is Peter Crouch flicking balls onto him, the genius of Modric putting things on plates - it all bodes well for Defoe and for Tottenham.
Most exciting player
Andrei Arshavin. The day he leaves the Premier League will be the day it has truly died. This guy simply makes things happen. He's not afraid to try anything, from clever little passes inside the box to long-range drives to flicks inside his own half. His decision making in the final third is impeccable, possessing as he does an attacking brain that is fully formed and two feet which comply to its every whim. If Arsenal do win the league, this gooner will have been at the heart of it.
Champions League winners
I want to say Barcelona, but the player discussed in the next prediction has forced me to look elsewhere, as has the fact that it's extremely difficult to win the competition twice in a row. I'll narrow it down to three teams, then one. Liverpool, Madrid or Arsenal. I'll go with Liverpool.
Most overpriced, underperforming Swedish string of misery who has never done it when it has mattered and who will continue to disappoint even when surrounded by superstars
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Real Madrid - What of them?
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline of the season. Will they or won't they? They have the players, they have the manager. The system will take time to develop, but if Pellegrini manages to get his players playing the way he wants them to play, I expect fireworks. Will he manage that? There are enough professional players in his ranks to make me believe he will. Kaka, Alonso, Benzema - these are no prima donnas. Even Ronaldo is extremely motivated, albeit for his own sake.
Perhaps one midfield player is missing for the complete set. For Messi, Eto'o and Henry read Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. For Xavi, Toure and Iniesta read Alonso, Lass and...er...Gago? Perhaps Granero will be Madrid's Iniesta, as others have said. I think they need such a player to truly become the re-incarnation of the Galacticos. A player alongside Alonso who can be the bridge between defense and attack; the one who will make the front three look even better than they are.
This is assuming a 4-3-3 of course. They could go 4-4-2, with Ronaldo as a nominal left-winger, Robben on the right, and Kaka behind Benzema. I wouldn't do this against Barcelona, but it will work against most others.
However, the secret to Madrid's success will be something very unglamorous. It will be hard work. Put it in, and they will be contenders for everything. Try and get by without it, and they will come up short when it matters. A Barcelona team full of stars needed to work hard to win. The same will be true for this Madrid team.
Man City
Unlike Real Madrid, they have neither the players nor the manager. Their signings have largely been a joke. Bellamy? Santa Cruz? De Jong? Adebayor? It's difficult to see the logic behind anything that has happened at Eastlands. It will certainly be interesting to see it all unfold, but interesting in the way it is to see a drunk man try and make his way home from a club at 3 in the morning.
Mark Hughes is out of his depth, and if the manager isn't right then nothing will be. I honestly can't believe he's still in charge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is the first out of a job, although he's lasted this long, so...? If City replaced him with Mourinho tomorrow, I would expect them to finish in the top 4. Their players aren't great, but they're good enough to do something significant. As it is, I expect a 6th place finish, and maybe, just maybe, much worse.
What will happen to Darren Bent?
He will score a few goals, appear on Football Focus saying that all he needed was the confidence of his manager and a good run of games, he will play down his England chances saying that he's just taking things one game at a time and enjoying his football, and then he will disappear off the radar completely.
Top 4 Match of the Day cliches
- Michael Owen will score you goals.
- Key to Liverpool's success will be keeping Gerrard and Torres fit.
- Manchester United are capable of going on a run of 10, 12 games unbeaten.
- Chelsea's best signing this summer? Keeping John Terry at the club.
Player of the year
Andrei Arshavin. See above.
Best signing(s)
Honestly, there is no one I'm particularly excited about. Signing Gareth Barry was a good idea, if not particularly inspired or inspiring. Same goes for Peter Crouch.
Worst signing(s)
Premier League Winner
This season the Premier League will have traded quality for competitiveness. Out the door have gone perhaps two of the top 10 or 15 players in the world. In the door has come Phillipe Senderos, back from his year long loan in Milan. Most of the transfers amongst the high end clubs have involved players already sucking from the teet of a Premier League club, and so the unknown is whether players like Barry and Valencia can be Big 4 players as opposed to whether Shevchenko or Veron will be superstars on English shores. Perhaps the fact that the latter two were massive flops has discouraged clubs from dipping into foreign markets. Whatever the case, technically gifted foreigners have not been brought in, and the league will be the poorer for it. A player like Diego going to Juventus is a microcosm of the current trend in European football, and if it escalates then things will only get worse. Unless of course English players suddenly become technically proficient. (pause for laughter)
Anyway, onwards to my prediction for who is going to be the best of a poor but competitive lot. For the simple reason that United, Liverpool and Chelsea will be weaker this season, I'm going to tip my hat in Arsenal's direction. Their defense isn't as bad as people make it out to be, nor is their midfield. Sure a couple of signings wouldn't go astray, but if they employ the 4-3-3 somewhat as effectively as Barcelona did last season -- thus reducing the need to be defensively sound -- they can brush aside most of the 19 other teams in the league, and take enough points off their rivals to clinch the league with the lowest points tally in many a year.
Big 4
Arsenal
Man Utd
Liverpool
Tottenham
Yep. Tottenham. This is the end for Chelsea. Anelka is a joke, Drogba will lose interest, Malouda is still rubbish. I predict it will all fall to pieces for Chelsea Football Club.
Surprising strugglers
That would be Chelsea. As far as I'm concerned only their defense can save them. I expect them to be out of the title race by Christmas thanks to too many draws against mediocre opposition.
Surprise package
Why the aforementioned Tottenham, of course. Man City have overtaken them in the "this is our year to break into the Big 4" hype, and this will only serve to help the Spurs cause. They possess a couple of decent keepers, a strong defense, a solid midfield with complimentary flair in the form of Modric, and a proven strikeforce.
There are drawbacks of course. This team is mentally brittle. Losing a half 5-0 to Manchester United last season suggests as much. But they won a half against United 2-0, the beat Liverpool, the drew twice against Arsenal, and they picked up 4 points against Chelsea, all in a season where they were a bit of a shambles. If Harry can instill something resembling consistency and stability into his starting 11, the result could be a genuine push for fourth place. I don't make them favourites for 4th of course, but given the decline of the Big 4, the silly purchasing of Man City, and the inevitable falling away of Everton and villa, this -- the year when nobody seems to be saying it -- could be Tottenham's year.
Top goalscorer
Jermaine Defoe. The lure of a possible trip to the World Cup, the skyscraper that is Peter Crouch flicking balls onto him, the genius of Modric putting things on plates - it all bodes well for Defoe and for Tottenham.
Most exciting player
Andrei Arshavin. The day he leaves the Premier League will be the day it has truly died. This guy simply makes things happen. He's not afraid to try anything, from clever little passes inside the box to long-range drives to flicks inside his own half. His decision making in the final third is impeccable, possessing as he does an attacking brain that is fully formed and two feet which comply to its every whim. If Arsenal do win the league, this gooner will have been at the heart of it.
Champions League winners
I want to say Barcelona, but the player discussed in the next prediction has forced me to look elsewhere, as has the fact that it's extremely difficult to win the competition twice in a row. I'll narrow it down to three teams, then one. Liverpool, Madrid or Arsenal. I'll go with Liverpool.
Most overpriced, underperforming Swedish string of misery who has never done it when it has mattered and who will continue to disappoint even when surrounded by superstars
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Real Madrid - What of them?
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline of the season. Will they or won't they? They have the players, they have the manager. The system will take time to develop, but if Pellegrini manages to get his players playing the way he wants them to play, I expect fireworks. Will he manage that? There are enough professional players in his ranks to make me believe he will. Kaka, Alonso, Benzema - these are no prima donnas. Even Ronaldo is extremely motivated, albeit for his own sake.
Perhaps one midfield player is missing for the complete set. For Messi, Eto'o and Henry read Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema. For Xavi, Toure and Iniesta read Alonso, Lass and...er...Gago? Perhaps Granero will be Madrid's Iniesta, as others have said. I think they need such a player to truly become the re-incarnation of the Galacticos. A player alongside Alonso who can be the bridge between defense and attack; the one who will make the front three look even better than they are.
This is assuming a 4-3-3 of course. They could go 4-4-2, with Ronaldo as a nominal left-winger, Robben on the right, and Kaka behind Benzema. I wouldn't do this against Barcelona, but it will work against most others.
However, the secret to Madrid's success will be something very unglamorous. It will be hard work. Put it in, and they will be contenders for everything. Try and get by without it, and they will come up short when it matters. A Barcelona team full of stars needed to work hard to win. The same will be true for this Madrid team.
Man City
Unlike Real Madrid, they have neither the players nor the manager. Their signings have largely been a joke. Bellamy? Santa Cruz? De Jong? Adebayor? It's difficult to see the logic behind anything that has happened at Eastlands. It will certainly be interesting to see it all unfold, but interesting in the way it is to see a drunk man try and make his way home from a club at 3 in the morning.
Mark Hughes is out of his depth, and if the manager isn't right then nothing will be. I honestly can't believe he's still in charge, and I wouldn't be surprised if he is the first out of a job, although he's lasted this long, so...? If City replaced him with Mourinho tomorrow, I would expect them to finish in the top 4. Their players aren't great, but they're good enough to do something significant. As it is, I expect a 6th place finish, and maybe, just maybe, much worse.
What will happen to Darren Bent?
He will score a few goals, appear on Football Focus saying that all he needed was the confidence of his manager and a good run of games, he will play down his England chances saying that he's just taking things one game at a time and enjoying his football, and then he will disappear off the radar completely.
Top 4 Match of the Day cliches
- Michael Owen will score you goals.
- Key to Liverpool's success will be keeping Gerrard and Torres fit.
- Manchester United are capable of going on a run of 10, 12 games unbeaten.
- Chelsea's best signing this summer? Keeping John Terry at the club.
Player of the year
Andrei Arshavin. See above.
Best signing(s)
Honestly, there is no one I'm particularly excited about. Signing Gareth Barry was a good idea, if not particularly inspired or inspiring. Same goes for Peter Crouch.
Worst signing(s)
Michael Owen. So what if he cost nothing. So what if he's on a pay as you play contract. Before United signed him he was heavily linked with Hull City, and was a joke player for a joke club. Had Hull snapped him up, we'd all have been laughing. Why shouldn't we laugh now?
Antonio Valencia. I say this mainly because I don't like him. He's Quinton Fortune with a bit more pace. I've never been a fan of traditional wingers and I never will be. His presence on the United starting 11 will be a step backwards, to a time when they may have won Premier Leagues but when they were also well off the pace in Europe. This sounds like heresy, but give me Nani before Antonio. (I think I need a shower after writing that.) Like Michael Carrick, this will end up being a case of United making him look better than him making United better. Surely the 16m could have been better spent, especially when you consider that Arsenal paid 15m for Arshavin. When you put it like that, oh dear.
Santa Cruz and Adebayor. A £42m [?] strikeforce on paper, but what little value for money City actually got. If you're going to spend ridiculous amounts of cash, why not spend it on really good players as opposed to a profoundly lazy Arsenal reject and a forward who wasn't even the best Blackburn had to offer? Silly.
This will be a defining season for...
Wayne Rooney. The shadow has disappeared. The days spent at left-back appear to be over. For the past few seasons Wayne Rooney has been defined by what Ronaldo wasn't: a hard worker who'll sacrifice himself for the team. Now is the time when Rooney needs to be defined by what Ronaldo was: the chief attacking threat of Manchester United, the player to make things happen.
Rooney has the ability, but years of misuse by Ferguson have stunted his growth. Has he really improved since he burst onto the scene at Euro 2004? I honestly don't think so. But this can be the year to right that wrong. Will he (and this applies to Rooney and Ferguson)? Ferguson has little choice but to stick Rooney where he's at his best, and so it will be up England's Saviour to do his part. I've always been a fan (anyone who calls Andres Iniesta the best player in the world is okay by me) and so I think he will flourish this season, in spite of what's around him. I expect him to carry United to a second place finish and a Champions League semi-final, but go the distance they will not. Not with that midfield. Not with Michael Carrick at the heart of it.
*********
So that's it, unless there are other things readers want me to predict. I'd be lying if I said I was ecstatic at the birth of the new season, but there are enough good story-lines to keep me interested, if not in England then certainly in Spain.
Anyway, spread the word. Football Beauty is back, as uninformed as it ever was!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Owen No
Fergie does it again. Another stroke of "genius". I won't be shocked if the term "mind games" starts being bandied about in relation to the signing of former Liverpool hitman Michael Owen. It's all a bit silly really.
Had Phil Brown signed Owen it's not unreasonable to speculate that everyone would be laughing at the perennially tanned Northerner, and also at Michael Owen, who couldn't even get a game for Newcastle when they were in direst need. In fact his buddy Alan Shearer felt he had no choice but to relegate Michael to the bench, despite vowing that Owen's hypothetical goals would be crucial in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League.
So naturally when you can't get into the starting XI of a relegated team the only place to move to is Old Trafford. Or not.
From a United point of view, I don't think this is either a gamble or a win-win situation. Owen has cost nothing, which means there's no gamble involved (unless of course Ferguson decides that Owen is the ideal replacement for both Ronaldo and Tevez, in which case this is most definitely a gamble, and a very stupid one at that). It's also not a win-win situation, because Owen is now a bad player. You might as well sign Gary Doherty on a free transfer and call it a win-win situation. Unlike Owen however, Doherty can place in attack or in defense, so perhaps I'm doing the Irishman a disservice.
To give you a genuine picture of how I see this, I would say that snapping up David Connolly or Kevin Phillips would be the equivalent. Would people say that either of these two represent "genius" captures? The sad thing is, they probably would. After all, with United's midfield behind him, Connolly is bound to get much more chances than he did at Sunderland...
I'll freely admit that I've never been Owen's biggest fan, both because he seems like the most boring man alive and because I don't place much value in that type of player - goal scorer, and nothing else. The modern game refuses to bow to such a luxury. If anything, Man Utd represent the hard evidence of this, winning as they have three league titles in a row without anyone you might consider a genuine striker. Barcelona are another example, with their most striker-like player often operating on the flanks. The days when even a fully-fit, speedy Michael Owen prospers appear to be over, not to mention an injury ravaged, not-so-speedy Michael Owen.
Of course this isn't to suggest that Owen will be a disaster in Manchester. If he plays, he will score some goals. But if Connolly plays for Manchester United, he will score some goals to. The goals, in my opinion, are irrelevant. They are a smoke screen, hiding 90 minutes of football narrative. Barcelona didn't win the treble last year because they scored something like 687 goals. They won it because they had the ball more than pretty much every team they played against, and when they didn't have it they worked extremely hard to get it back. That's football for you in a nutshell - keep the ball, and when you don't have it, get it back. The result will be goals scored for your team, and goals not conceded.
A player like Owen upsets this philosophy. Ferguson is presumably not planning on making him his regular front-man, so you could argue that Owen will be that X-factor whom you can bring off the bench if in need of a goal, making my argument contra Owen redundant. Well, in games against lesser teams Owen (or any one of his kind) might prove valuable, but at the top tier more is needed than merely sending on someone to score goals. Witness the Champions League final when United had 4 forwards on the pitch and yet looked even less likely to find the back of the net (which is really the front of the net, right?).
This may be a dumb statement, but for me United are in serious trouble given the current makeup of their squad. Their midfield is still weak, they've lost their most attacking threat and replaced him with an unproven, Berbatov is not going to do it when it matters, Scholes and Giggs aren't getting any younger, Nani is, well, Nani. They're still Man United of course, and with Ferguson at the helm I wouldn't rule them out of anything. But make no mistake about it, they are weaker than they were last year. Much weaker. Only a couple of choice signings will convince me that they can push on and claim that coveted 19th title.
If I were a United fan I would be extremely worried for my team at the moment.
Had Phil Brown signed Owen it's not unreasonable to speculate that everyone would be laughing at the perennially tanned Northerner, and also at Michael Owen, who couldn't even get a game for Newcastle when they were in direst need. In fact his buddy Alan Shearer felt he had no choice but to relegate Michael to the bench, despite vowing that Owen's hypothetical goals would be crucial in keeping Newcastle in the Premier League.
So naturally when you can't get into the starting XI of a relegated team the only place to move to is Old Trafford. Or not.
From a United point of view, I don't think this is either a gamble or a win-win situation. Owen has cost nothing, which means there's no gamble involved (unless of course Ferguson decides that Owen is the ideal replacement for both Ronaldo and Tevez, in which case this is most definitely a gamble, and a very stupid one at that). It's also not a win-win situation, because Owen is now a bad player. You might as well sign Gary Doherty on a free transfer and call it a win-win situation. Unlike Owen however, Doherty can place in attack or in defense, so perhaps I'm doing the Irishman a disservice.
To give you a genuine picture of how I see this, I would say that snapping up David Connolly or Kevin Phillips would be the equivalent. Would people say that either of these two represent "genius" captures? The sad thing is, they probably would. After all, with United's midfield behind him, Connolly is bound to get much more chances than he did at Sunderland...
I'll freely admit that I've never been Owen's biggest fan, both because he seems like the most boring man alive and because I don't place much value in that type of player - goal scorer, and nothing else. The modern game refuses to bow to such a luxury. If anything, Man Utd represent the hard evidence of this, winning as they have three league titles in a row without anyone you might consider a genuine striker. Barcelona are another example, with their most striker-like player often operating on the flanks. The days when even a fully-fit, speedy Michael Owen prospers appear to be over, not to mention an injury ravaged, not-so-speedy Michael Owen.
Of course this isn't to suggest that Owen will be a disaster in Manchester. If he plays, he will score some goals. But if Connolly plays for Manchester United, he will score some goals to. The goals, in my opinion, are irrelevant. They are a smoke screen, hiding 90 minutes of football narrative. Barcelona didn't win the treble last year because they scored something like 687 goals. They won it because they had the ball more than pretty much every team they played against, and when they didn't have it they worked extremely hard to get it back. That's football for you in a nutshell - keep the ball, and when you don't have it, get it back. The result will be goals scored for your team, and goals not conceded.
A player like Owen upsets this philosophy. Ferguson is presumably not planning on making him his regular front-man, so you could argue that Owen will be that X-factor whom you can bring off the bench if in need of a goal, making my argument contra Owen redundant. Well, in games against lesser teams Owen (or any one of his kind) might prove valuable, but at the top tier more is needed than merely sending on someone to score goals. Witness the Champions League final when United had 4 forwards on the pitch and yet looked even less likely to find the back of the net (which is really the front of the net, right?).
This may be a dumb statement, but for me United are in serious trouble given the current makeup of their squad. Their midfield is still weak, they've lost their most attacking threat and replaced him with an unproven, Berbatov is not going to do it when it matters, Scholes and Giggs aren't getting any younger, Nani is, well, Nani. They're still Man United of course, and with Ferguson at the helm I wouldn't rule them out of anything. But make no mistake about it, they are weaker than they were last year. Much weaker. Only a couple of choice signings will convince me that they can push on and claim that coveted 19th title.
If I were a United fan I would be extremely worried for my team at the moment.
Monday, June 8, 2009
So Unprofessional
I've been meaning to say this since the Champions League final, but here is something I find incredibly annoying about the media, and football fans in general:
When Barcelona went through against Chelsea in rather fortunate circumstances, many, many people were saying that they were not that good at all. In those people's eyes, Barca had been found it. La Liga could now be considered a joke league, with the average Barcelona the beneficiaries. I mean look what Liverpool did to Real Madrid.
Based on one game, definite conclusions were drawn up - Barcelona were 'overrated', and Man Utd would teach them a footballing lesson come the CL final. In hindsight all of this seems like it has to have been untrue, but this is really the way many people were talking about Barcelona after their sub-par showing against Chelsea. They were the featherweights who stepped up to the heavyweight division and were quickly found out.
What absolute tosh.
When Barcelona gave United a footballing lesson, were United proclaimed to be an overrated shower by the media? Did they just throw everything Man Utd had done throughout the season into the dustbin and count it for nothing because of one poor game? Did the Premier League become a joke league? Of course not. It would be silly to draw such conclusions from one game, and yet that's what people did with Barcelona.
And what's worse, the same media that were guessing just how big the scoreline would be in United's favour have now turned around and proclaimed Barcelona to be majestic. It's just all so reactionary, so unprofessional.
Had Barcelona lost, they would probably be hailed as the worst football team to ever make a Champions League final, because apparently two games define a team...or at least a foreign team. But of course let's forget about United losing to Liverpool 4-1 at home (a far worse result than Real Madrid's against the same opposition), or the fact that United only picked up 5 points from 18 against Big 4 opposition.
Now my point is not to drag United down. All I'm saying is can we stop drawing big conclusions based on one or two games?
By the way, I saw Argentina play for the first time under Maradona and they're rubbish. Fernando Gago started for them - need I say more?
When Barcelona went through against Chelsea in rather fortunate circumstances, many, many people were saying that they were not that good at all. In those people's eyes, Barca had been found it. La Liga could now be considered a joke league, with the average Barcelona the beneficiaries. I mean look what Liverpool did to Real Madrid.
Based on one game, definite conclusions were drawn up - Barcelona were 'overrated', and Man Utd would teach them a footballing lesson come the CL final. In hindsight all of this seems like it has to have been untrue, but this is really the way many people were talking about Barcelona after their sub-par showing against Chelsea. They were the featherweights who stepped up to the heavyweight division and were quickly found out.
What absolute tosh.
When Barcelona gave United a footballing lesson, were United proclaimed to be an overrated shower by the media? Did they just throw everything Man Utd had done throughout the season into the dustbin and count it for nothing because of one poor game? Did the Premier League become a joke league? Of course not. It would be silly to draw such conclusions from one game, and yet that's what people did with Barcelona.
And what's worse, the same media that were guessing just how big the scoreline would be in United's favour have now turned around and proclaimed Barcelona to be majestic. It's just all so reactionary, so unprofessional.
Had Barcelona lost, they would probably be hailed as the worst football team to ever make a Champions League final, because apparently two games define a team...or at least a foreign team. But of course let's forget about United losing to Liverpool 4-1 at home (a far worse result than Real Madrid's against the same opposition), or the fact that United only picked up 5 points from 18 against Big 4 opposition.
Now my point is not to drag United down. All I'm saying is can we stop drawing big conclusions based on one or two games?
By the way, I saw Argentina play for the first time under Maradona and they're rubbish. Fernando Gago started for them - need I say more?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
It Takes More Than A Goal
A snaphot of the game in generalAccording to most, this game was decided three weeks ago. Man United were imperious against Arsenal, Barcelona were impotent (and extremely fortunate) against Chelsea. I did think United with triumph, but not because of anything that happened in the semi-finals. People don't seem to understand that once United got that first, lucky goal against Arsenal the Gunners were a shambles, or "shoddy" to use Ferguson's word of the week. It may sound like I'm taking away from United's performance, and indeed I am. They haven't looked that good all year, and so the game against Arsenal must be seen as an aberration. Consider their poor record against big-four opposition - 5 points from a possible 18. People talked about Barcelona struggling against English opposition, but the reality of this season is that United have struggled against English teams too - the good ones at least.
Then there's Barcelona - flat-track bullies, big game bottlers, overrated. People were making sweeping judgments on them based on two games, one of which they could have one 2-0. Hopefully hindsight has made people realise that Chelsea were impeccable in implementing their game plan against Barcelona. That's not to excuse the Catalans, but one must appreciate the difficulty of playing against a well-drilled, hard-working outfit content to sit back and hit on the counter.
Unfortunately, much of what passed for pre-match analysis was a glance at United's semi-final, a glance at Barcelona's, and then the seemingly obvious conclusion that Man Utd would trounce them. Incidentally, I wonder what the jingoistic Sunday Supplement guest is thinking now.
To say the game hinged on the 10th minute goal would not be out of order, though of course it takes much more than a goal to completely dominate a game. We aren't to know how things would have panned out had United took the lead, nor are we to know what would have happened had Cesc Fabregas's deflected shot crept in when Arsenal were on the front foot against United three weeks ago. To speculate about such things is pointless really. The bottom line is that United only needed a goal to draw level. Someone said "the game was over" once Barcelona scored. It did look that way at times, but saying that only takes away from Barcelona's ability to make a tight game look like a walk in the park. There were still 80 minutes of football to play, but from that point on only one team really played it.
It wasn't a vintage Barcelona performance, but under the circumstances it was extremely good. The back four did look a little shaky at times, but as always the midfield duo of Xavi and Iniesta played their part in making sure United could never really get at them. It doesn't get any better in football than those two. Xavi has always been a very good player, but in the last year he has just exploded, what with Spain's triumph and a wonderful season with Barcelona. Iniesta is someone I've known since my Championship Manager days. I bought him from Barcelona as a 16/17 year old kid, and while his ratings were average he performances were brilliant. Since then I've always had a soft spot for him, and so I've almost felt like a proud father watching rise up through the ranks, and it was quite startling -- yet wholly justified -- to see him crowned last night by Wayne Rooney as the best in the world (I wonder how Ronaldo will feel about that statement by the way). Iniesta really is that good. No longer can he be dubbed underrated. He may be an anti-galactico, he may be bad for the media, he may be the whitest person in the world, but he is also one of the best players in the world. The best? Let's just say he would be a shoe-in for my World XI.
Another certainty would be Lionel Messi. The Argentine wasn't at his best, but it was he who aided Xavi and Iniesta in weaving their magic, and this was the biggest difference between the semi-final and the final. Unlike Chelsea, United couldn't handle Messi in the centre. This was a simple yet astute piece of tactical nous from Guardiola, who must have watched Liverpool beat United 4-1 with Gerrard in a similar position. Messi found space time and again, with neither Ferdinand nor the United midfield quite sure who's job it was to pick him up. It was certainly Ferdinand's job when Xavi foated that inch-perfect cross into the box, leaving Messi to score his first goal against English opposition. Ironically, he scored it with the part of his body that was adjudged to be the decisive factor for Ronaldo's superiority to Messi. Of course I'm not now saying that Messi is as good as Ronaldo in the air, but it felt sweet to see Messi answer his critics in such fashion - a stunning headed goal against English opposition to cap a fine display.
In fairness to Ronaldo, he was easily United's most threatening player. He held the ball up well, and of course his shots were always cause for concern. But as the game wore on and United became a shambles he was left without a defining role, and suffered as a result of overcrowding in Barcelona's half. Ferguson must take some of the balme for this. For starters, United's problems were in midfield. Carrick, Giggs and Anderson were unable to stamp any kind of authority on the game. You can't wave a magic wand and turn them into great players, but I think the most sensible thing to do at half time would have been to replace Giggs with Scholes. Instead, Fergie replaced Anderson with Tevez, leaving Giggs and Carrick to marshall Xavi and Iniesta. Read that sentence again and see if that's not as dreadful a decision as taking of Riquelme at 1-0 up/failing to bring an 18 year old Messi off the bench. Bringing on Berbatov only made matters worse, but in fariness to Ferguson he didn't really have a choice. All of this played into Barcelona's hands, because once they got the ball to either Iniesta or Xavi (those two again) they could do whatever they wanted with it. It's rare you see a Manchester United team go out with such a whimper, yet even with arguably four strikers on the pitch they couldn't muster up one of those onsloughts they are rightfully famous for. Ferguson addressed the symptoms -- they were losing badly and needed a goal -- but he didn't address the cause -- they just couldn't get hold of/keep the ball.
Some slight changes could have been made to help in this department (and no doubt United missed the industry of Flecther and the bite of Hargreaves), but for me the rather harsh reality is that this Manchester United midfield is just not good enough; not when it comes to this level of football. They're good enough to take three points against the bottom 10 Premier League clubs, but they have failed to convince me over the course of the season. Changes will need to be made. For me, that means Carrick out, Anderson out, Giggs retired. Any suggestions as to who they can bring in?
For Barcelona, this has been a season to savour. I have watched most of their games and so it feels like I have been a participant in this historic season. I will probably never watch as many games of football in one year for the remainder of my life, but I probably couldn't have picked a better time to peak. The question is, can they push on from here? The shocking/mouth-watering truth is that there are numerous positions where they can improve, but the undeniable truth is that in Messi, Iniesta and Xavi they have 3 of the top 5 players in world football, and as long as their alive Barcelona will be a force to be reckoned with.
Then there's Barcelona - flat-track bullies, big game bottlers, overrated. People were making sweeping judgments on them based on two games, one of which they could have one 2-0. Hopefully hindsight has made people realise that Chelsea were impeccable in implementing their game plan against Barcelona. That's not to excuse the Catalans, but one must appreciate the difficulty of playing against a well-drilled, hard-working outfit content to sit back and hit on the counter.
Unfortunately, much of what passed for pre-match analysis was a glance at United's semi-final, a glance at Barcelona's, and then the seemingly obvious conclusion that Man Utd would trounce them. Incidentally, I wonder what the jingoistic Sunday Supplement guest is thinking now.
To say the game hinged on the 10th minute goal would not be out of order, though of course it takes much more than a goal to completely dominate a game. We aren't to know how things would have panned out had United took the lead, nor are we to know what would have happened had Cesc Fabregas's deflected shot crept in when Arsenal were on the front foot against United three weeks ago. To speculate about such things is pointless really. The bottom line is that United only needed a goal to draw level. Someone said "the game was over" once Barcelona scored. It did look that way at times, but saying that only takes away from Barcelona's ability to make a tight game look like a walk in the park. There were still 80 minutes of football to play, but from that point on only one team really played it.
It wasn't a vintage Barcelona performance, but under the circumstances it was extremely good. The back four did look a little shaky at times, but as always the midfield duo of Xavi and Iniesta played their part in making sure United could never really get at them. It doesn't get any better in football than those two. Xavi has always been a very good player, but in the last year he has just exploded, what with Spain's triumph and a wonderful season with Barcelona. Iniesta is someone I've known since my Championship Manager days. I bought him from Barcelona as a 16/17 year old kid, and while his ratings were average he performances were brilliant. Since then I've always had a soft spot for him, and so I've almost felt like a proud father watching rise up through the ranks, and it was quite startling -- yet wholly justified -- to see him crowned last night by Wayne Rooney as the best in the world (I wonder how Ronaldo will feel about that statement by the way). Iniesta really is that good. No longer can he be dubbed underrated. He may be an anti-galactico, he may be bad for the media, he may be the whitest person in the world, but he is also one of the best players in the world. The best? Let's just say he would be a shoe-in for my World XI.
Another certainty would be Lionel Messi. The Argentine wasn't at his best, but it was he who aided Xavi and Iniesta in weaving their magic, and this was the biggest difference between the semi-final and the final. Unlike Chelsea, United couldn't handle Messi in the centre. This was a simple yet astute piece of tactical nous from Guardiola, who must have watched Liverpool beat United 4-1 with Gerrard in a similar position. Messi found space time and again, with neither Ferdinand nor the United midfield quite sure who's job it was to pick him up. It was certainly Ferdinand's job when Xavi foated that inch-perfect cross into the box, leaving Messi to score his first goal against English opposition. Ironically, he scored it with the part of his body that was adjudged to be the decisive factor for Ronaldo's superiority to Messi. Of course I'm not now saying that Messi is as good as Ronaldo in the air, but it felt sweet to see Messi answer his critics in such fashion - a stunning headed goal against English opposition to cap a fine display.
In fairness to Ronaldo, he was easily United's most threatening player. He held the ball up well, and of course his shots were always cause for concern. But as the game wore on and United became a shambles he was left without a defining role, and suffered as a result of overcrowding in Barcelona's half. Ferguson must take some of the balme for this. For starters, United's problems were in midfield. Carrick, Giggs and Anderson were unable to stamp any kind of authority on the game. You can't wave a magic wand and turn them into great players, but I think the most sensible thing to do at half time would have been to replace Giggs with Scholes. Instead, Fergie replaced Anderson with Tevez, leaving Giggs and Carrick to marshall Xavi and Iniesta. Read that sentence again and see if that's not as dreadful a decision as taking of Riquelme at 1-0 up/failing to bring an 18 year old Messi off the bench. Bringing on Berbatov only made matters worse, but in fariness to Ferguson he didn't really have a choice. All of this played into Barcelona's hands, because once they got the ball to either Iniesta or Xavi (those two again) they could do whatever they wanted with it. It's rare you see a Manchester United team go out with such a whimper, yet even with arguably four strikers on the pitch they couldn't muster up one of those onsloughts they are rightfully famous for. Ferguson addressed the symptoms -- they were losing badly and needed a goal -- but he didn't address the cause -- they just couldn't get hold of/keep the ball.
Some slight changes could have been made to help in this department (and no doubt United missed the industry of Flecther and the bite of Hargreaves), but for me the rather harsh reality is that this Manchester United midfield is just not good enough; not when it comes to this level of football. They're good enough to take three points against the bottom 10 Premier League clubs, but they have failed to convince me over the course of the season. Changes will need to be made. For me, that means Carrick out, Anderson out, Giggs retired. Any suggestions as to who they can bring in?
For Barcelona, this has been a season to savour. I have watched most of their games and so it feels like I have been a participant in this historic season. I will probably never watch as many games of football in one year for the remainder of my life, but I probably couldn't have picked a better time to peak. The question is, can they push on from here? The shocking/mouth-watering truth is that there are numerous positions where they can improve, but the undeniable truth is that in Messi, Iniesta and Xavi they have 3 of the top 5 players in world football, and as long as their alive Barcelona will be a force to be reckoned with.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Right and Wrong
Some of the things I predicted happened, some of them didn't. Here is what I got right:
Xavi and Iniesta ran rings around the United midfield.
Carrick wasn't up to much.
Giggs was an unnecessary luxury. Or just plain unnecessary.
It sounds a bit churlish, but apart from his goal Eto'o was poor in possession.
Vidic was culpable for a goal.
Messi, while not at his best, was influential enough to rubbish any short-sighted claims of big-game bottledom.
Here's some of what I got wrong:
O'Shea was arguably United's best player on the night.
Rooney was dreadful.
Anderson didn't score, but that of course was the least of his woes.
Puyol was rarely beaten.
Busquets did what he had to do admirably.
Park was irrelevant, but try telling that to the Asian community who just witnessed their first representative in a Champions League final. One wonders if Ferguson now wishes he made the second hardest decision of his life tonight - dropping Ji Sung Park again.
I haven't fully processed this game (it was quite a tactically complicated game), but suffice to say that Andres Iniesta is the greatest player in the history of world football. Seriously though, isn't he just something else? Anderson is no slouch, yet Iniesta just breezed by him on a numer of occasions. I'll try and form a less hyperbolic summary of events tomorrow, but in the spirit of hyperbole here is a question to ponder: Is this the worst Man Utd midfield in the last 15 years? I said at the start of the season that I didn't fancy them, and in most of the big games this season my doubts have been justified. If I'm right, then what needs to happen?
Xavi and Iniesta ran rings around the United midfield.
Carrick wasn't up to much.
Giggs was an unnecessary luxury. Or just plain unnecessary.
It sounds a bit churlish, but apart from his goal Eto'o was poor in possession.
Vidic was culpable for a goal.
Messi, while not at his best, was influential enough to rubbish any short-sighted claims of big-game bottledom.
Here's some of what I got wrong:
O'Shea was arguably United's best player on the night.
Rooney was dreadful.
Anderson didn't score, but that of course was the least of his woes.
Puyol was rarely beaten.
Busquets did what he had to do admirably.
Park was irrelevant, but try telling that to the Asian community who just witnessed their first representative in a Champions League final. One wonders if Ferguson now wishes he made the second hardest decision of his life tonight - dropping Ji Sung Park again.
I haven't fully processed this game (it was quite a tactically complicated game), but suffice to say that Andres Iniesta is the greatest player in the history of world football. Seriously though, isn't he just something else? Anderson is no slouch, yet Iniesta just breezed by him on a numer of occasions. I'll try and form a less hyperbolic summary of events tomorrow, but in the spirit of hyperbole here is a question to ponder: Is this the worst Man Utd midfield in the last 15 years? I said at the start of the season that I didn't fancy them, and in most of the big games this season my doubts have been justified. If I'm right, then what needs to happen?
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