The next part of my prolonged pre-match analysis can be summed up in the following well-thought-out bullet points:
- Florent Malouda is still crap
There have been vicious rumours spreading recently regarding Malouda. Some people are actually saying that he has finally gotten his act together. These people are proclaiming that at long lost we are seeing the Malouda of old, and how he is a changed man under Hiddink etc etc. What these people fail to realise is that the Malouda of old wasn't much good.
Football Focus are the masters of this kind of spur of the moment analysis. If you string two good games together then prepare for an interview where you will be asked about the "tough times", but also about the promising future which may include an England call up "provided I just keep my head down and keep doing what I'm doing". The name Darren Bent springs to mind. Harry came in, Bent got a couple of goals and was suddenly a great striker again, but before long he was back to being no better than Mrs Redknapp, which sadly is a fairer reflection of his limited abilities.
I don't envision Florent Malouda's story ending any differently. Like Bent he has never been a good player. We've seen the real Malouda in the Premier League. His latest performances are simply an abberation, so I don't expect them to last, and I certainly don't expect him to be a thorn in Barcelona's side. It's true that he may find some joy given that Alves has the unique characteristic of being a defender who enters his own half reluctantly, but of all the wingers Alves could have faced in the semi-finals surely Malouda is the most impotent.
However, the impotence of Malouda may prove to be of secondary importance to his defensive prowess. I expect Chelsea to do something of a Man Utd at the Nou Camp and sit back, basically playing with two full backs on either flank. Is Malouda disciplined enough to perform this task? Given that Theo Walcott was Arsenal's most dangerous player on Saturday it doesn't seem likely.
It may seem like I'm just saying this given the topic in question, but one of the sure ways to hurt Barcelona is to have a left winger who can run at people and who uses the ball cleverly. The threat of Ribery was negated in the first leg simply because Bayern were a shambles and could hardly touch the ball. In the second leg however he was a constant thorn in Barcelona's side. It's of course a little silly to base analysis on a meaningless game like that second leg, but I do think the possession of a decent left winger will cause Barcelona far more problems than he ordinarily should. Unfortunatley for Chelsea, Florent Malouda is not a decent winger, and so they will rely on him at their peril.
- Florent Malouda is still crap
There have been vicious rumours spreading recently regarding Malouda. Some people are actually saying that he has finally gotten his act together. These people are proclaiming that at long lost we are seeing the Malouda of old, and how he is a changed man under Hiddink etc etc. What these people fail to realise is that the Malouda of old wasn't much good.
Football Focus are the masters of this kind of spur of the moment analysis. If you string two good games together then prepare for an interview where you will be asked about the "tough times", but also about the promising future which may include an England call up "provided I just keep my head down and keep doing what I'm doing". The name Darren Bent springs to mind. Harry came in, Bent got a couple of goals and was suddenly a great striker again, but before long he was back to being no better than Mrs Redknapp, which sadly is a fairer reflection of his limited abilities.
I don't envision Florent Malouda's story ending any differently. Like Bent he has never been a good player. We've seen the real Malouda in the Premier League. His latest performances are simply an abberation, so I don't expect them to last, and I certainly don't expect him to be a thorn in Barcelona's side. It's true that he may find some joy given that Alves has the unique characteristic of being a defender who enters his own half reluctantly, but of all the wingers Alves could have faced in the semi-finals surely Malouda is the most impotent.
However, the impotence of Malouda may prove to be of secondary importance to his defensive prowess. I expect Chelsea to do something of a Man Utd at the Nou Camp and sit back, basically playing with two full backs on either flank. Is Malouda disciplined enough to perform this task? Given that Theo Walcott was Arsenal's most dangerous player on Saturday it doesn't seem likely.
It may seem like I'm just saying this given the topic in question, but one of the sure ways to hurt Barcelona is to have a left winger who can run at people and who uses the ball cleverly. The threat of Ribery was negated in the first leg simply because Bayern were a shambles and could hardly touch the ball. In the second leg however he was a constant thorn in Barcelona's side. It's of course a little silly to base analysis on a meaningless game like that second leg, but I do think the possession of a decent left winger will cause Barcelona far more problems than he ordinarily should. Unfortunatley for Chelsea, Florent Malouda is not a decent winger, and so they will rely on him at their peril.
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