In the summer of 2013 a lot of prices have been speculated as to what Real Madrid would be willing to want to pay for Gareth Bale, ranging from £60 to £110 million and them prices have had people at their wits end, trying to figure out why they want to pay that much and how Madrid see him worth that much.
Having took in them figures what Madrid are apparently willing to shell out to land Gareth Bale, most football fans jumped up and started comparing it to the fee Madrid paid to bring C.Ronaldo from Manchester United to Madrid back in '09.
I personally believe them two figures have no correlation whatsoever and there are several reasons as to why i believe that and i will explain them in further depth soon enough.
Gareth Bale near enough dragged Spurs to 5th in the Premier League on his own last season despite the rest of Tottenham's players pitching in with their own sporadic goals, it's obvious that Bale's outfield escapades dragged Spurs up the table all last season and i feel Daniel Levy is well within his right to haggle with Madrid for whatever price he feels that Bale is worth to Spurs not just on the field but as towards Bale's personal contribution to the club.
Tottenham have strengthened considerably so far in the 2013 summer transfer market with the shrewd capture of the Belgian left winger Nacer Chadli along with the capture of the tenacious box-to-box midfielder Paulinho and in the last two days, Robert Soldado from Valencia and all of them captures were exactly what i feel Spurs were missing last season to push on to a top four solid challenge or even a late title challenge however their own personal aim will fall dramatically if they lose Gareth Bale because he is just that damn good.
Is he currently worth to Tottenham in 2013, than Ronaldo was to United in 2009? I would say yes and i'll explain why.
In 2009, Manchester United had the attacking quartet of Ronaldo, Berbatov, Rooney and lastly Tevez so when Ronaldo left they had the work rate of Tevez to partly fill that void. (Notice how i kept Berbatov and work rate apart) and brought in Antonio Valencia to fill the number 7 slot on the right. Who do Tottenham currently have to take over the reigns from Bale if they were to sell him, do they have any player whatsoever in their squad that is near Gareth Bale's caliber and can carry them to Europe? I don't believe so and i believe if they sold Bale, they wouldn't finish in the top 6 WITHOUT getting at least £80 million and i'll try my best to try and break down that transfer fee right now.
If by some big miracle Gareth Bale was to better last season, this season and helped Spurs to a 3rd placed finish they would gain at least 10 million from Champions League revenue and if he left, chances are they wouldn't finish anywhere near that.
I then feel Spurs would have to put £20 million of that aside( i cannot see Daniel Levy spending 70 million in one transfer market) then using that £50 million on another top class striker to accompany Soldado up front and replace Gareth Bales goal input, another left winger and an attacking midfielder.
So in conclusion, i feel Gareth Bale is worth £80 million plus and Daniel Levy is well within his rights to try and cash in on his clubs prize asset for any bids near that price.
Monday 5 August 2013
Wednesday 29 May 2013
Transfers that MUFC missed out on and/or didn't go in for.
Since we're approaching pre-season and that's when "silly season" starts, when all sorts of teams get linked with all sorts of players, i've took it upon myself to draw up a list of just a few players that Manchester United have missed out on over the years or the ones that quite simply, got away.
[ list is in no particular order ]
1. Xherdan Shaqiri: When United took on Basel in the Champions League season of 2011-2012 season, i earmarked this man as the main man to watch in the away tie mainly and i was proven right. Predominantly left footed but like his team-mate Arjen Robben, he's very effective when given a yard on his left foot. Not given a lot of time to shine under Jupp Heynckes due to his team mates being in terrific form, you have to wonder whether he'll be given time to shine under up and coming manager Pep Guardiola and the imminent arrival of Mario Gotze who can play in Shaqiri's position.
2. David Villa: This man when played in position down the middle of the pitch is easily one of, if not the best finisher on the planet. Left Valencia due to the club not having a choice in having to sell him due to debts behind the scenes, he was signed by Barcelona for a fee of 40 million euros and has since gone on to score in a Champions League final against United and lift the cup itself and win 2 La Liga titles. The majority of the games he's played in however, he has been pushed out in a wing position to accommodate Lionel Messi in the Barcelona team however with a still more than decent record of 32 in 76 games, he's doing very well.
3. David Silva: Sticking with former Valencia players, we move on to David Silva.
This Spanish playmaker left Valencia due to similar circumstances as to why the afore mentioned David Villa left. The Spanish team were in desperate need of funds and David Silva was another player they could cash in on and what a player he has become for Manchester City. The main catalyst behind Manchester United's biggest home loss in over 30 years when City won 6-1 at Old Trafford, Manchester City must hope this man won't be lured back to Spain by the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona in the years to come.
4. Arturo Vidal: This tenacious Chilean box to box midfielder's name was on the lips of many Manchester United fan's lips when he became available to move when he was at Bayer Leverkusen. Full of stamina and with a slight mean streak to his game, he could have became the perfect partner for Michael Carrick however, moved to Juventus in the summer of 2011 for a fee of 10.5 million euros to become a partner to Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo and hasn't looked back since.
5. Rafael Van Der Vaart: One of Hollands best left footed midfielders this side of the year 2000, Spurs bought the Dutch playmaker for a mere £3 million pounds when United bought the not-so-gifted Bebe.
Can be played in the middle of the park or at the tip of the diamond in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation however wasn't renown for having superb stamina and was quite injury prone in his time at White Hart Lane.
6. Eden Hazard: The one that got away for what most football fans think, because of money. Despite being quite arrogant, to the extent of dominating his own transfer saga in the summer of 2012, the Belgian winger/playmaker has the talent to back it up. A third of the "three amigos" in Chelsea's attacking midfielders and an important part of the "golden generation" of Belgiums current team, many United fans can't help but wonder what could have been if he hadn't snubbed the reds.
7. Javi Martinez: This man has become the missing puzzle in Bayern Munichs midfield over the last season.
Moved from Athletico Bilbao the summer after they lost the Europa League final 3-0 to Atletico Madrid and hasn't looked back since. Tenacious, strong and full of stamina.. he has not only given Bastian Schweinsteiger more freedom to roam forward he has also became a vital player to have on their team for set pieces. 8. Mesut Ozil: Real Madrid bought this Turkish born German attacking midfielder after the 2010 World Cup for a mere 15 million euros and has so far, racked up 100 assists in La Liga. Very agile and with one of the best first touches in world football, this man and Mario Gotze have very similar attributes and when both played behind the striker/s in Germany's national team they share the nickname Gotzil.
[ list is in no particular order ]
1. Xherdan Shaqiri: When United took on Basel in the Champions League season of 2011-2012 season, i earmarked this man as the main man to watch in the away tie mainly and i was proven right. Predominantly left footed but like his team-mate Arjen Robben, he's very effective when given a yard on his left foot. Not given a lot of time to shine under Jupp Heynckes due to his team mates being in terrific form, you have to wonder whether he'll be given time to shine under up and coming manager Pep Guardiola and the imminent arrival of Mario Gotze who can play in Shaqiri's position.
2. David Villa: This man when played in position down the middle of the pitch is easily one of, if not the best finisher on the planet. Left Valencia due to the club not having a choice in having to sell him due to debts behind the scenes, he was signed by Barcelona for a fee of 40 million euros and has since gone on to score in a Champions League final against United and lift the cup itself and win 2 La Liga titles. The majority of the games he's played in however, he has been pushed out in a wing position to accommodate Lionel Messi in the Barcelona team however with a still more than decent record of 32 in 76 games, he's doing very well.
3. David Silva: Sticking with former Valencia players, we move on to David Silva.
This Spanish playmaker left Valencia due to similar circumstances as to why the afore mentioned David Villa left. The Spanish team were in desperate need of funds and David Silva was another player they could cash in on and what a player he has become for Manchester City. The main catalyst behind Manchester United's biggest home loss in over 30 years when City won 6-1 at Old Trafford, Manchester City must hope this man won't be lured back to Spain by the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona in the years to come.
4. Arturo Vidal: This tenacious Chilean box to box midfielder's name was on the lips of many Manchester United fan's lips when he became available to move when he was at Bayer Leverkusen. Full of stamina and with a slight mean streak to his game, he could have became the perfect partner for Michael Carrick however, moved to Juventus in the summer of 2011 for a fee of 10.5 million euros to become a partner to Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo and hasn't looked back since.
5. Rafael Van Der Vaart: One of Hollands best left footed midfielders this side of the year 2000, Spurs bought the Dutch playmaker for a mere £3 million pounds when United bought the not-so-gifted Bebe.
Can be played in the middle of the park or at the tip of the diamond in a 4-1-2-1-2 formation however wasn't renown for having superb stamina and was quite injury prone in his time at White Hart Lane.
6. Eden Hazard: The one that got away for what most football fans think, because of money. Despite being quite arrogant, to the extent of dominating his own transfer saga in the summer of 2012, the Belgian winger/playmaker has the talent to back it up. A third of the "three amigos" in Chelsea's attacking midfielders and an important part of the "golden generation" of Belgiums current team, many United fans can't help but wonder what could have been if he hadn't snubbed the reds.
7. Javi Martinez: This man has become the missing puzzle in Bayern Munichs midfield over the last season.
Moved from Athletico Bilbao the summer after they lost the Europa League final 3-0 to Atletico Madrid and hasn't looked back since. Tenacious, strong and full of stamina.. he has not only given Bastian Schweinsteiger more freedom to roam forward he has also became a vital player to have on their team for set pieces. 8. Mesut Ozil: Real Madrid bought this Turkish born German attacking midfielder after the 2010 World Cup for a mere 15 million euros and has so far, racked up 100 assists in La Liga. Very agile and with one of the best first touches in world football, this man and Mario Gotze have very similar attributes and when both played behind the striker/s in Germany's national team they share the nickname Gotzil.
Sunday 26 May 2013
Player ratings for the Champions League Final, 2012-2013.
Bayern Munich - Winners.
Manuel Neuer- Easily the best goalkeeper in Germany and world football right now, come on leaps and bounds since his Schalke days, produced a handful of world class saves in the final in the first half. 7/10.
Phillip Lahm- Produced quite the display in his third final in 4 seasons, often the threat when over-lapping Arjen Robben. Finally received a well overdue Champions League medal. 8/10
Jerome Boateng- Improved momentously since his Manchester City days and finally got his own say in a final at Wembley despite losing a handful of battles to Robert Lewandowski in the first half, recovered well in the second half. 7/10
Dante- Suitable replacement throughout the latter stages of the Champion League for Holger Badstuber, unfortunate however for the latter that he couldn't partake in this years final. Despite giving away the only penalty of the game with a needless challenge, Dante himself had a decent game but not at his best. 6/10
David Alaba- This man won over many football fans due to his nullifying over Cristiano Ronaldo over two legs in last seasons competition and he's carried that form over into this years competition. Kept Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski quiet throughout the game well, whilst getting forward to support Franck Ribery a lot. 7/10.
Javi Martinez- This man was seemingly brought in to be a squad player last summer however, he's literally robbed Luiz Gustavo of his place in the midfield. Did a good job on marking Ilkay Gundogan throughout the game and dominated the whole midfield area. 9/10.
Bastian Schweinsteiger- Like Phillip Lahm, well overdue a Champions League Medal. Seems to have found a perfect midfield partner in Martinez, however still plays his usual style as a box to box midfielder. Was injured in the pre-match warm up yet that didn't seem to hinder him throughout the 90 minutes. 8/10.
Franck Ribery- Underrated and overrated by many fans of football yet produced a display that will please many of his own fans. Got the better of Marcel Schmelzer throughout the match. 7/10.
Thomas Muller- Under-rated himself by many fans outside of German football yet was one of three top scorers at the World Cup in 2010. Went un-noticed throughout patches of this match however his fans will still be happy with his display. 6/10
Arjen Robben- Made up for his penalty being saved by Petr Cech in last years final by scoring the winner for Bayern. Was pretty much nullified by Lukasz Piszczek until he moved up front for the final 10-15 minutes of the match when he got the better of the two Dortmund centre backs. 7/10.
Mario Mandzukic - Another shrewd signing made by Jupp Heynckes in the previous summer, however has earned his place in Bayern Munichs starting XI. Was fairly anonymous in the final itself up until his scuffed goal to break the deadlock. 6/10.
Borrusia Dortmund - losers.
Roman Weidenfeller - Like his counterpart in Bayerns goal, Weidenfeller produced a handful of world class saves in the match including a save with his face from a one-on-one with Arjen Robben. 6/10
Lukasz Piszczek - The majority of Munichs threats came through the middle throughout the match however, Pizczek himself did well when called upon to combat the threat of Franck Ribery. Unfortunately on the losing side in this final. 6/10
Mats Hummels- A product of Bayern Munich's academy however couldn't come back to haunt his former club in the final. Went on a few jaunting runs throughout the match however they came to no fruition. Arguably out of position or rather "caught ball watching" for Bayern Munichs opener. Not one of his best games in his career so far. 5/10
Neven Subotic- Often the unsung hero in Dortmunds defence due to Mats Hummels' performances however tonight he pretty much outshone his partner, just a shame the result wasn't as good.
Made a significant goal line clearance that prevented a certain goal for Arjen Robben. 6/10.
Marcel Schmelzer - Ventured forward on his own accord more than he was actually needed in his own half to defend the threat of Arjen Robben. Most of his deliveries from set pieces never found a team mate however. 6/10.
Ilkay Gundogan - This man has been a shining light in Dortmund's European escapades this season and was probably their best player on the night too when he escaped Javi Martinez. Scored from the spot and sent Neuer the wrong way after Reus won his side a penalty. 8/10.
Sven Bender - The "engine" of Dortmund's team on the night, out there to try and tussle with Javi Martinez however didn't succeed. Still put in a more than average shift on the night though. 6/10.
Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski - More often than not, used as Dortmund's main attacking threat when it comes to wing play however didn't even get going in this tie. Caught in two minds more often than not.
6/10.
Marco Reus- Somewhat promoted to the CAM role in this match due to Mario Gotze's absence which was down to apparent injury. Linked up superbly with front-man Robert Lewandowski in the first half and sporadically in the second half. Went on a few runs at the Bayern defence but to no avail. Won his team a penalty in the second half, however. 7/10
Kevin Grosskreutz - Given a starting berth in what is usually Marco Reus's role in the team. Normally a utility man for the team, he started in his favoured role in the final but was pretty much ineffective. 5/10
Robert Lewandowski- The Polish front man has been linked with exits to Manchester United and Bayern Munich in recent weeks and it was shown why in the final. Won many duels against Jerome Boateng and Dante on his own. Possibly won the award for "best disallowed goal of European history" too, with a slick touch and volley hit from 30 yards out. 7/10.
Manuel Neuer- Easily the best goalkeeper in Germany and world football right now, come on leaps and bounds since his Schalke days, produced a handful of world class saves in the final in the first half. 7/10.
Phillip Lahm- Produced quite the display in his third final in 4 seasons, often the threat when over-lapping Arjen Robben. Finally received a well overdue Champions League medal. 8/10
Jerome Boateng- Improved momentously since his Manchester City days and finally got his own say in a final at Wembley despite losing a handful of battles to Robert Lewandowski in the first half, recovered well in the second half. 7/10
Dante- Suitable replacement throughout the latter stages of the Champion League for Holger Badstuber, unfortunate however for the latter that he couldn't partake in this years final. Despite giving away the only penalty of the game with a needless challenge, Dante himself had a decent game but not at his best. 6/10
David Alaba- This man won over many football fans due to his nullifying over Cristiano Ronaldo over two legs in last seasons competition and he's carried that form over into this years competition. Kept Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski quiet throughout the game well, whilst getting forward to support Franck Ribery a lot. 7/10.
Javi Martinez- This man was seemingly brought in to be a squad player last summer however, he's literally robbed Luiz Gustavo of his place in the midfield. Did a good job on marking Ilkay Gundogan throughout the game and dominated the whole midfield area. 9/10.
Bastian Schweinsteiger- Like Phillip Lahm, well overdue a Champions League Medal. Seems to have found a perfect midfield partner in Martinez, however still plays his usual style as a box to box midfielder. Was injured in the pre-match warm up yet that didn't seem to hinder him throughout the 90 minutes. 8/10.
Franck Ribery- Underrated and overrated by many fans of football yet produced a display that will please many of his own fans. Got the better of Marcel Schmelzer throughout the match. 7/10.
Thomas Muller- Under-rated himself by many fans outside of German football yet was one of three top scorers at the World Cup in 2010. Went un-noticed throughout patches of this match however his fans will still be happy with his display. 6/10
Arjen Robben- Made up for his penalty being saved by Petr Cech in last years final by scoring the winner for Bayern. Was pretty much nullified by Lukasz Piszczek until he moved up front for the final 10-15 minutes of the match when he got the better of the two Dortmund centre backs. 7/10.
Mario Mandzukic - Another shrewd signing made by Jupp Heynckes in the previous summer, however has earned his place in Bayern Munichs starting XI. Was fairly anonymous in the final itself up until his scuffed goal to break the deadlock. 6/10.
Borrusia Dortmund - losers.
Roman Weidenfeller - Like his counterpart in Bayerns goal, Weidenfeller produced a handful of world class saves in the match including a save with his face from a one-on-one with Arjen Robben. 6/10
Lukasz Piszczek - The majority of Munichs threats came through the middle throughout the match however, Pizczek himself did well when called upon to combat the threat of Franck Ribery. Unfortunately on the losing side in this final. 6/10
Mats Hummels- A product of Bayern Munich's academy however couldn't come back to haunt his former club in the final. Went on a few jaunting runs throughout the match however they came to no fruition. Arguably out of position or rather "caught ball watching" for Bayern Munichs opener. Not one of his best games in his career so far. 5/10
Neven Subotic- Often the unsung hero in Dortmunds defence due to Mats Hummels' performances however tonight he pretty much outshone his partner, just a shame the result wasn't as good.
Made a significant goal line clearance that prevented a certain goal for Arjen Robben. 6/10.
Marcel Schmelzer - Ventured forward on his own accord more than he was actually needed in his own half to defend the threat of Arjen Robben. Most of his deliveries from set pieces never found a team mate however. 6/10.
Ilkay Gundogan - This man has been a shining light in Dortmund's European escapades this season and was probably their best player on the night too when he escaped Javi Martinez. Scored from the spot and sent Neuer the wrong way after Reus won his side a penalty. 8/10.
Sven Bender - The "engine" of Dortmund's team on the night, out there to try and tussle with Javi Martinez however didn't succeed. Still put in a more than average shift on the night though. 6/10.
Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski - More often than not, used as Dortmund's main attacking threat when it comes to wing play however didn't even get going in this tie. Caught in two minds more often than not.
6/10.
Marco Reus- Somewhat promoted to the CAM role in this match due to Mario Gotze's absence which was down to apparent injury. Linked up superbly with front-man Robert Lewandowski in the first half and sporadically in the second half. Went on a few runs at the Bayern defence but to no avail. Won his team a penalty in the second half, however. 7/10
Kevin Grosskreutz - Given a starting berth in what is usually Marco Reus's role in the team. Normally a utility man for the team, he started in his favoured role in the final but was pretty much ineffective. 5/10
Robert Lewandowski- The Polish front man has been linked with exits to Manchester United and Bayern Munich in recent weeks and it was shown why in the final. Won many duels against Jerome Boateng and Dante on his own. Possibly won the award for "best disallowed goal of European history" too, with a slick touch and volley hit from 30 yards out. 7/10.
Saturday 25 May 2013
BVB fall at the final hurdle.
Borussia Dortmund, the team on every fans lips throughout Europe and also throughout the 2012-2013 Champions League campaign.
However it wasn't to be as they were beaten 2-1 by fierce Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at Wembley, going down to goals scored by Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben with an Ikay Gundogan penalty sandwiched in between both goals.
What next then, for this team that have won over many admirers this season?
We've seen a team in Europe before, win over many neutral fans on their journey to a European final before being beaten in a final and their best midfielder being poached before the team itself, went on a downward spiral in domestic competitions.
That team of course is Athletic Bilbao, they went on to the Europa League final in 2011-2012 season, dismantling Schalke 04 and Manchester United on the way to that final before being beaten soundly 3-0 by Atletlico Madrid in the final. Bilbao themselves then went on to sell Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich and have hardly had the best of seasons since.
Borussia Dortmund have already agreed the sale of Mario Gotze to rivals Bayern Munich next season and with the likes of Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski and the pretty much recently acquainted Marco Reus being linked with exits from the club, many would hope that Jurgen Klopp can keep this young group of players together. They have the right balance of youth, skill and experience in their current squad and any neutral fan can admit themselves that it would be a shame to see this group of players disband so soon.
However it wasn't to be as they were beaten 2-1 by fierce Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League final at Wembley, going down to goals scored by Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben with an Ikay Gundogan penalty sandwiched in between both goals.
What next then, for this team that have won over many admirers this season?
We've seen a team in Europe before, win over many neutral fans on their journey to a European final before being beaten in a final and their best midfielder being poached before the team itself, went on a downward spiral in domestic competitions.
That team of course is Athletic Bilbao, they went on to the Europa League final in 2011-2012 season, dismantling Schalke 04 and Manchester United on the way to that final before being beaten soundly 3-0 by Atletlico Madrid in the final. Bilbao themselves then went on to sell Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich and have hardly had the best of seasons since.
Borussia Dortmund have already agreed the sale of Mario Gotze to rivals Bayern Munich next season and with the likes of Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan, Robert Lewandowski and the pretty much recently acquainted Marco Reus being linked with exits from the club, many would hope that Jurgen Klopp can keep this young group of players together. They have the right balance of youth, skill and experience in their current squad and any neutral fan can admit themselves that it would be a shame to see this group of players disband so soon.
Friday 17 May 2013
Manchester United player ratings for the 2012-2013 season.
Manchester
United Player Ratings for the 2012-2013 season.
David De Gea: The young Spaniard has come on leaps and bounds since his debut season for the reds last season, all the critics seem to have got off his back and he certainly looks like he has certified his place as Manchester United’s number one for the foreseeable future.
Neutral fans of the Premier League could also argue that he is the best goalkeeper in the league.
David De Gea: The young Spaniard has come on leaps and bounds since his debut season for the reds last season, all the critics seem to have got off his back and he certainly looks like he has certified his place as Manchester United’s number one for the foreseeable future.
Neutral fans of the Premier League could also argue that he is the best goalkeeper in the league.
Rating: 7/10.
Notable performances: Chelsea away, Man City away, Madrid away.
Despite conceding goals in all of the afore mentioned matches, De Gea made world class saves in each of those matches and shown his mettle in big games.
Anders Lindegaard: Many United fans are yet to warm to this Dane as they did, with the last Danish goalkeeper that was at the club. Having not had many games to shine this season due to De Gea’s progress. Possibly the only architect behind his downfall due to conceding three at relegated Reading back in December.
Rating:
5/10.
Rafael Da Silva: What a season this young man’s had, having been criticised in the past for his rash decision making and not to mention having a very short fuse when it comes to personal battles on the pitch he has improved shed loads this season.
Not only has he improved his defensive work on the pitch, he’s also pitched in with important not to mention class goals this season, notably against Liverpool at Anfield and QPR at Loftus Road.
Rafael Da Silva: What a season this young man’s had, having been criticised in the past for his rash decision making and not to mention having a very short fuse when it comes to personal battles on the pitch he has improved shed loads this season.
Not only has he improved his defensive work on the pitch, he’s also pitched in with important not to mention class goals this season, notably against Liverpool at Anfield and QPR at Loftus Road.
Rating:
7/10
Notable
performances: Tottenham away, Liverpool away and Arsenal at home.
Rio Ferdinand: This man has been a stalwart for Manchester United for as long as i can remember and this season has arguably been his best one yet. He can admit himself he’s lost a yard or two of pace over the years but he’s accustomed to the current pace of the game and reads it superbly well. Excellent player for the likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling to learn from. England’s loss is certainly United’s gain for the foreseeable future.
Rating: 8/10
Notable performances: Newcastle away, Reading at home and Southampton away.
Rio Ferdinand: This man has been a stalwart for Manchester United for as long as i can remember and this season has arguably been his best one yet. He can admit himself he’s lost a yard or two of pace over the years but he’s accustomed to the current pace of the game and reads it superbly well. Excellent player for the likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling to learn from. England’s loss is certainly United’s gain for the foreseeable future.
Rating: 8/10
Notable performances: Newcastle away, Reading at home and Southampton away.
Nemanja
Vidic: This man had missed a massive proportion of the season due to lingering
injuries however since he’s returned this season, the club have amassed a lot
more clean sheets and looked more solid and secure at the back. On the wrong
side of the 30 now, this man is still throwing himself into every tackle and
path of every possible shot.
Rating: 6/10.
Jonny Evans: Having been sent off in the Manchester derby last season which United went on to lose 6-1, the Northern Irishman has developed into a fans favourite slowly over the 2012-2013 season. Very agile for a centre half of his stature and has put in a lot of vital performances this season, not to mention scoring quite a few goals this season.
Rating: 7/10.
Notable performances: Newcastle away, QPR at home, Stoke away.
Phil Jones: Having been a big fan of this man since he moved from Blackburn, i’ve been very happy to see him progressing even more this season having made over 30 first team appearances in his debut season, last season. His performance at The Bernabeu against Madrid, marking Ronaldo particularly highlighted his man marking skills and ability to defend.
Sir Alex even said himself he could well be the greatest player the club’s ever had.
Rating: 7/10.
Notable performances: Real Madrid Away, Stoke away.
Chris Smalling: He and the afore mentioned Phil Jones have been specifically earmarked to be Englands 1st choice centre half pairing in the years to come, however Smalling himself has some way to go to establishing himself as a first choice United player. Take nothing away from the player himself, he has the ability. Shades of a younger Ferdinand to say the least.
Rating: 5/10.
Alexander Buttner: The former Vitesse Arnhem left back won over a lot of United fans in his debut match against the recently crowned FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic in 2012 and even crowned that performance with a goal that he beat four men on his own to score. Looks rather vulnerable when defending however no qualms when the Dutchman gets forward.
Still young and still has time to improve.
Rating: 5/10.
Rating: 6/10.
Jonny Evans: Having been sent off in the Manchester derby last season which United went on to lose 6-1, the Northern Irishman has developed into a fans favourite slowly over the 2012-2013 season. Very agile for a centre half of his stature and has put in a lot of vital performances this season, not to mention scoring quite a few goals this season.
Rating: 7/10.
Notable performances: Newcastle away, QPR at home, Stoke away.
Phil Jones: Having been a big fan of this man since he moved from Blackburn, i’ve been very happy to see him progressing even more this season having made over 30 first team appearances in his debut season, last season. His performance at The Bernabeu against Madrid, marking Ronaldo particularly highlighted his man marking skills and ability to defend.
Sir Alex even said himself he could well be the greatest player the club’s ever had.
Rating: 7/10.
Notable performances: Real Madrid Away, Stoke away.
Chris Smalling: He and the afore mentioned Phil Jones have been specifically earmarked to be Englands 1st choice centre half pairing in the years to come, however Smalling himself has some way to go to establishing himself as a first choice United player. Take nothing away from the player himself, he has the ability. Shades of a younger Ferdinand to say the least.
Rating: 5/10.
Alexander Buttner: The former Vitesse Arnhem left back won over a lot of United fans in his debut match against the recently crowned FA Cup holders Wigan Athletic in 2012 and even crowned that performance with a goal that he beat four men on his own to score. Looks rather vulnerable when defending however no qualms when the Dutchman gets forward.
Still young and still has time to improve.
Rating: 5/10.
Patrice
Evra: A lot of MUFC fans have pointed at this man as the weak link in Uniteds
defence over the last two years due to his concentration not being its best and
being caught out of position on a lot of occasions however this season, the arrival
of Buttner seems to have given him the boost he needed to return to his former
self.
Notable performances: Madrid away, Newcastle away, Newcastle at home.
Notable performances: Madrid away, Newcastle away, Newcastle at home.
Rating:
7/10.
Antonio
Valencia: This man has been so frustrating to watch this season, he himself has
said he’s been plagued by injuries throughout the season. Its not even been a
matter of being inconsistent, the man himself has not found consistency at all.
In the 2011-2012 season he was unplayable, hopefully he can find that form
again in pre-season or he could well be sold.
Rating: 4/10.
Nani: Same scenario with this man as it is with Antonio Valencia, on his day he can be unplayable however unable to find consistency in the 2012-2013 season. Full of tricks and a wicked first touch, this man should be given a chance by David Moyes before any decision should be made. Unfortunately and wrongly sent off in the Champions League Match against Madrid at Old Trafford.
Rating: 5/10.
Paul Scholes: He scores goals. Seriously this guy has been heralded as the best central midfielder of our generation and it’s been a blessing to watch him play for as long as he has.
More often than not he completes matches with passing statistics of a Spanish midfielder.
Missed the majority of the last 6 months of the 2012-2013 season with a niggling knee injury, however came back for his and Sir Alex’s last match at Old Trafford.
Rating: 6/10.
Anderson: Most United fans are still not won over by the Brazilian midfielder and he’s been here 5 years, with 4 premier league medals to his name many fans are wondering why he’s still with us. Not been his best this season however, still made himself a decent squad player.
Notable performances: Reading away, QPR at home.
Rating: 4/10.
Nani: Same scenario with this man as it is with Antonio Valencia, on his day he can be unplayable however unable to find consistency in the 2012-2013 season. Full of tricks and a wicked first touch, this man should be given a chance by David Moyes before any decision should be made. Unfortunately and wrongly sent off in the Champions League Match against Madrid at Old Trafford.
Rating: 5/10.
Paul Scholes: He scores goals. Seriously this guy has been heralded as the best central midfielder of our generation and it’s been a blessing to watch him play for as long as he has.
More often than not he completes matches with passing statistics of a Spanish midfielder.
Missed the majority of the last 6 months of the 2012-2013 season with a niggling knee injury, however came back for his and Sir Alex’s last match at Old Trafford.
Rating: 6/10.
Anderson: Most United fans are still not won over by the Brazilian midfielder and he’s been here 5 years, with 4 premier league medals to his name many fans are wondering why he’s still with us. Not been his best this season however, still made himself a decent squad player.
Notable performances: Reading away, QPR at home.
Rating:
5/10.
Michael
Carrick: Admittedly this man was my
scapegoat for a lot of our defeats in the past however, the 2012-2013 season
proved to be the season where he has won myself and a lot of fans over with his
vision, swift thinking and nifty footwork. Earned himself a call up back into
the England fold for qualifier for the 2014 World Cup. Also got himself in the
running for the English POTY awards in the Premier League.
Notable performances: Liverpool at home, Newcastle at home.
Rating: 8/10.
Tom Cleverely: The energetic English midfielder established himself as a England and Manchester United starter early on in the season with his vision and energy being a vital component to both teams however was dropped from the MUFC first XI from pretty much February till the end of the season with no given explanation.
Notable performances: Liverpool at home, Newcastle at home.
Rating: 8/10.
Tom Cleverely: The energetic English midfielder established himself as a England and Manchester United starter early on in the season with his vision and energy being a vital component to both teams however was dropped from the MUFC first XI from pretty much February till the end of the season with no given explanation.
Notable
performances: West Ham away in the FA Cup, Newcastle away and Liverpool at
home.
Rating: 6/10.
Ashley Young: This man had a majestic season in the 2011-2012 season for United scoring terrific goals against Arsenal in the 8-2 win, the 2-0 win away at Blackburn Rovers and the 3-1 win at White Hart Lane however this season has been marred by injury and he’s become slightly predictable.
Rating: 5/10.
Shinji Kagawa: The Japanese playmaker has been played out of position more often than not this season however has still shone in a few games. Prefers being played at the attacking tip of the diamond formation however that position has been filled by Wayne Rooney throughout the season. Should be like a new signing next season should he be played in position.
Notable performances: Norwich at home, Stoke Away, West Brom at home and Swansea at home.
Rating: 6.5/10.
Ryan
Giggs: The 39 year old continued his trend of scoring in every single premier
league season with the opening goal against Everton at home and despite his age
and losing a few yards of pace, his jinky runs still continue to confuse
defenders. His creativity seems to have improved with age also, his link up
with Robin Van Persie for the equaliser at Upton Park was exquisite to say the
least.
Notable performances: Real Madrid at home, West Ham away in the Fa Cup, Everton at home.
Notable performances: Real Madrid at home, West Ham away in the Fa Cup, Everton at home.
Rating:
7/10
Danny
Welbeck: Having only scored 2 goals all season for the club, many argue that
this man hasn’t had a very productive season and doesn’t warrant any England
call up any time soon however any job he has been given by the manager he has
done so and done it very well. Progressed very well in all roles barring the
centre forward role this season.
Notable performances: Real Madrid home and away, Stoke at home.
Rating: 6/10
Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez: The Mexican has had to take a backseat role this season due to the arrival of Robin Van Persie however he has taken every chance he’s been given. Should have been given more opportunities in more competitions however his goals to games ratio cannot be argued with.
Notable performances: Real Madrid home and away, Stoke at home.
Rating: 6/10
Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez: The Mexican has had to take a backseat role this season due to the arrival of Robin Van Persie however he has taken every chance he’s been given. Should have been given more opportunities in more competitions however his goals to games ratio cannot be argued with.
Notable
performances: QPR at home, Chelsea away and of course, Aston Villa away.
Rating: 6.5/10.
Wayne Rooney: Lost a lot of personal fans in the last year or so due to not giving 100% in his performances and handing in a transfer request recently however despite having an off the boil season he’s not done all that bad racking up goals and assists.
Has a lot of work to do to win over new manager David Moyes, possibly team mates and a lot of fans.
Notable performances: Fulham away, Manchester City away, Stoke at home.
Rating:
7/10.
Robin Van Persie: The man who Sir Alex brought in to bring our trophy back and that he did, in emphatic fashion. Usually a poacher however the Dutchman has broadened his game play this season, became a target man and traditional centre forward this season. Was the sort of player Wayne Rooney wanted the club to bring in and now seems to have robbed Rooney of the attention he used to love.
Notable performances: Southampton away, Chelsea away, Fulham at home, Newcastle at home and Manchester City away.
Rating: 9/10.
Robin Van Persie: The man who Sir Alex brought in to bring our trophy back and that he did, in emphatic fashion. Usually a poacher however the Dutchman has broadened his game play this season, became a target man and traditional centre forward this season. Was the sort of player Wayne Rooney wanted the club to bring in and now seems to have robbed Rooney of the attention he used to love.
Notable performances: Southampton away, Chelsea away, Fulham at home, Newcastle at home and Manchester City away.
Rating: 9/10.
Saturday 16 March 2013
Fernando Torres, what happened?
However, when Liverpool lodged a bid and had it accepted for Fernando Torres i was extremely jealous and partly angry as Manchester United had and still continue to miss out on some bargains/good players!
He was bought by Liverpool for £20 million and for the time he was there, he was worth every penny for the Merseyside club and helped them to mount their best Premier League challenge to date in 2008-2009.
During his time at Liverpool, his manager was confident enough in him to lead Liverpools line on his own with a midfield consisting of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano. With Mascherano and Xabi Alonso sitting deep in the defensive quadrant, this gave Gerrard permission to venture forward and express his passing skills to his maximum ability and set up Torres near enough every game and 9 times out of 10, Torres would finish the move with a goal, most of which were world class.
In his first season, Torres would go on to score 24 goals in 33 appearances and in that season alone he went on to break records that once belonged to the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen but was beaten to the PFA player of the year award by Cristiano Ronaldo.
That season alone put fear into many world class defenders in the Premier League and more often than not when Liverpool played Manchester United, Fernando Torres and Nemanja Vidic got into personal battles on the pitch and more often than not, Torres succeeded and even ended up getting Vidic sent off by luring him into fouling him.
In the 2010-2011 season Fernando Torres was sold by Liverpool to Chelsea for a total of £50 million pounds with a record of 65 goals in 102 games, Liverpool later replaced Fernando Torres with Andy Carroll from Newcastle United for a fee of £35 million pound.
Torres had been brought into a Chelsea side that had been led by the world class, powerhouse Didier Drogba for half a decade and that has seemingly affected Torres' confidence.
During his second season at Chelsea, Fernando Torres led Chelseas line up at Old Trafford when they took on Manchester United who went in to half time, 3-0 up. After half time, less than 5 minutes into the second half, Torres went on to score for Chelsea after a smart pass from Nicolas Anelka however later on in the match when Chelsea had improved from their first half display, Torres was through on goal against De Gea and went round the goalkeeper only to hit a shot on his weak foot wide with the net wide open.
Incidents like that don't happen often to world class finishers in this current day and age and this HAS had to affect Torres in one way or another, despite him not being his old self before that happened though, his form has dipped alarmingly since.
He has helped recoup the fee that Chelseas owner had spent on the Spaniard by getting his team through to the Champions League final of 2011-2012, when a Chelsea defender cleared the ball from a Barcelona attack, Torres ran through on goal,rounded Victor Valdes and then placed the ball into an empty net.
In the Champions League final however it was Didier Drogba who stole the show with an 89th minute equaliser for Chelsea and scored the winning penalty to secure the clubs first ever Champions League trophy against Bayern Munich in the German giants home stadium.
Now, few people could argue that Torres this season is playing in a team containing a midfield that was as good as any midfield he played in front of during his whole time at Liverpool and i believe that is true however that's not helping him whatsoever.
With Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar playing behind him, he has three attacking midfielders capable of pulling any trick out of the bag and being able to rescue Chelsea when necessary and you'd think this would help Torres find his old form but you're mistaken.
Those are three midfielders that are finding their feet in the English game and however successful they were before they joined Chelsea they are still players that are attempting to make a name for themselves in world football, do not mistake that for me claiming they are pushing for moves to another club.
At Liverpool, Torres was playing in front of Steven Gerrard who's a midfielder who's already made his name in the game worldwide and Xabi Alonso who's become a vital part of Spains squad for every major tournament and was doing so at the time.
At Chelsea, he's playing in front of midfielders that are making their own mark on the game and are not the correct players to get the most out of Fernando Torres and get the old Torres back, however creative the afore mentioned may be!
In conclusion i believe to get the best out Fernando Torres, you should play him in midfielders that are willing to make him centre stage, players that have already made their mark and are open to making Torres become his old self.
Thursday 14 March 2013
BVB.
Borussia Dortmund. The team on most fans lips when you think of the Bundesliga and the current Champions League campaign. This is a team that i personally have been keeping an eye on since at least 2009, when the likes of Mohamed Zidan and Lucas Barrios were leading the line for the German outfit.
Since then, both of them have moved on to pastures new and as the cliche goes, the grass isn't always greener and this has proved so for Mohamed Zidan who is now a free agent however Lucas Barrios isn't doing all that bad at Guangzhou Evergrande.
Another player we've seen leave the yellow of Dortmund was Nuri Sahin who was arguably the heartbeat of Dortmunds team however, when Jose Mourinho comes calling as the manager of Real Madrid, you're not going to say no are you? Sahin went on to make an astounding FOUR appearances for Real Madrid's first XI, was then loaned out to Liverpool who then sent him back to Madrid after 7 appearances and is now back in the black and yellow of Dortmund!
When Nuri was sold to Madrid, Dortmund went on to find a more than capable replacement in the Turkish-born German, Ilkay Gundogan and every time i've been able to catch Dortmund playing, this man has been more than instrumental in not only keeping teams attacks at bay, also being an important player in dictating Dortmunds flow in midfield and attacking in the final third.
A lot of football fans have been reeled in by BVB's attacking, full of flair starting XI and especially in the front four of, Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Robert "Lewa" Lewandowski.
The latter, Lewandowski was bought by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2010 for a small fee of just 4.5 million Euros, Kuba from Lech Poznan for an undisclosed fee however, no Dortmund fan has good enough reason to complain.
Marco Reus was brought in from Borussia Monchengladbach, in the summer than the dynamic Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa was sold to Manchester United and he's certainly justified his price tag.
Jurgen Klopp has a squad under his management that look set for challenge Bayern Munichs domination of the Bundesliga for some years to come and with Bayern Munich bringing in the tactical astute Pep Guardiola in the summer, we are looking to have a superb tactical battle on our hands for the foreseen future with Jurgen Klopp vs Pep Guardiola.
Since then, both of them have moved on to pastures new and as the cliche goes, the grass isn't always greener and this has proved so for Mohamed Zidan who is now a free agent however Lucas Barrios isn't doing all that bad at Guangzhou Evergrande.
Another player we've seen leave the yellow of Dortmund was Nuri Sahin who was arguably the heartbeat of Dortmunds team however, when Jose Mourinho comes calling as the manager of Real Madrid, you're not going to say no are you? Sahin went on to make an astounding FOUR appearances for Real Madrid's first XI, was then loaned out to Liverpool who then sent him back to Madrid after 7 appearances and is now back in the black and yellow of Dortmund!
When Nuri was sold to Madrid, Dortmund went on to find a more than capable replacement in the Turkish-born German, Ilkay Gundogan and every time i've been able to catch Dortmund playing, this man has been more than instrumental in not only keeping teams attacks at bay, also being an important player in dictating Dortmunds flow in midfield and attacking in the final third.
A lot of football fans have been reeled in by BVB's attacking, full of flair starting XI and especially in the front four of, Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Robert "Lewa" Lewandowski.
The latter, Lewandowski was bought by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2010 for a small fee of just 4.5 million Euros, Kuba from Lech Poznan for an undisclosed fee however, no Dortmund fan has good enough reason to complain.
Marco Reus was brought in from Borussia Monchengladbach, in the summer than the dynamic Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa was sold to Manchester United and he's certainly justified his price tag.
Jurgen Klopp has a squad under his management that look set for challenge Bayern Munichs domination of the Bundesliga for some years to come and with Bayern Munich bringing in the tactical astute Pep Guardiola in the summer, we are looking to have a superb tactical battle on our hands for the foreseen future with Jurgen Klopp vs Pep Guardiola.
Tuesday 12 March 2013
The rising of, Rafael.
With Manchester United on course to win their 20th league title barring them blowing a big points gap for the second consecutive season, not many Manchester United fans can argue that three players have contributed more than most to this league title, the English lynchpin in Michael Carrick, the Dutch maestro Robin Van Persie and the full of confidence, new number 2.. Rafael Da Silva.
He and his twin brother, Fabio Da Silva agreed to move to Manchester United back in 2007 without even having played a match for Fluminese's first team however moved to United only in 2008 but were unable to play for Manchester United until they both turned 18. At this time, Gary Neville and Patrice Evra had the right back and left back slots nailed down as their own however this would not deter the Brazilian pair from attempting to break through into the first team.
With Rafael making his debut for the first team in the league a year before his brother(Fabio's was delayed due to a calf injury), many MUFC fans were hoping this young, bushy haired Brazilian would become as good as right backs that have come before him in Brazils first team such as Cafu, Maicon and most recently, Dani Alves of Barcelona. However fans of Manchester United have had to wait quite a long time to see the best of the player.
Sir Alex Ferguson had decided in the past to put his faith into the young right back in quite frankly, very big games for our club including the second leg of the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich in April 2010 when, as Sir Alex put it "he absolutely dominated Franck Ribery" until being sent off for a shirt tug in the second half. Manchester United went on to draw the tie 4-4 however went out on the away goals rule.
He and his brother Fabio had previously started in quite frankly, a team full of young players in a FA Cup semi final in 2009, a cup Manchester United haven't won since 2004, where the twins themselves didn't do that bad but United went on to lose the tie on penalties.
Rafael also got himself sent off for two booking against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane and was warned about his future conduct. Manchester United fans had become accustomed to his fiery temperament and rashness in challenges however the latter pretty much was forgotten by most Manchester United fans when Rafael squared up to cross-town rival, Carlos Tevez in the Manchester Derby! [Pictured below]
United first choice right back for over a decade, Gary Neville decided to retire in 2011 however Rafael didn't become Uniteds number 2 till the current 2012-2013 season and he's seemingly took off where Gary Neville left, linking up with Antonio Valencia on the right flank. However with United's wingers being off the boil this season, Rafael has actually become MUFC's most attacking threat when it comes to attacking down the wings!
Having tested himself against what could only be described as a plethora of the worlds best attacking talent since his move to Manchester United in Frank Ribery and most recently this season, former United hero Cristiano Ronaldo, this Brazilian can be genuinely proud of the amount of progress he has made for the reds.
Few could argue that he can be denied the Young PFA player of the year award for the second time in his career however, Gareth Bale like Rafael, has a strong case for that.
This season, Rafael has done his reputation wonders with exquisite goals coming against rivals Liverpool, a well took finish against Fulham back in 2012 and recently what BBC journalist Dan Walker described as a "thronker", not to mention his main duties in defense when needed. At the age of just 22, Rafael Da Silva has made 100 appearance for Manchester United, a feat not many Manchester United players have managed at such a tender age and with the guidance with experienced defenders such as Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and coaches at Manchester United, this young Brazilian and hopefully his brother will hopefully go on to become established starters for club and country.
Sunday 10 March 2013
Can Spurs really mount a title challenge, next season?
Seeing as most people are seeing the 2012-2013 title as a foregone conclusion with United on course to win their 20th league title, the focus is now starting to shift onto who's going to hold on to the three remaining Champions League qualification spots!
Manchester City have been floating around in second place since late 2012 and they seem to be struggling to keep up with Manchester United at the top of the table, seemingly without noticing who are creeping up on them in 3rd, Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, Spurs have previously qualified for the Champions League under previous management with Harry Redknapp however Daniel Levy presumably, decided to release him and then went on to bring in the previous Porto and most recently, Chelsea manager. A lot of questions were asked at the time of this appointment seeing as he didn't do very well with a Chelsea team backed by Roman's millions but Daniel Levy decided to give Villas-Boas something that Roman Abramovich didn't have and hasn't had with a lot of managers bar a certain Mr Mourinho and that is, time.
In the summer of 2012 during the transfer market, AVB decided to take a chance on a certain Belgian centre half that few people had heard of before Ajax came up against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Jan Vertonghen, a left footed "rolls royce" of a defender, still young and still learning yet seemingly playing like a defender who's grew up in the Premier League rather than the Eredivisie, it's been quoted that during that mentioned summer he did have a lot of suitors but nobody was willing to take a chance on the player and now Tottenham are reaping the rewards of a centre half that's pretty much going to be in Belgiums national team alongside the world class Vincent Kompany for the next few years at least.
He brought in Gylfi Sigurdsson who was loaned from Hoffenheim to Swansea in the 2011-2012 season and had a massive impact on keeping them afloat, for a reported fee of £8 million, has proven to be a very good squad player however few would argue he would be doing a better job back at Swansea as a starter however the Welsh team, seem to be doing fine without him.
He invested also in two of Fulhams want-away most attacking players in Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, the former had been linked with Liverpool throughout the summer and the latter, linked with Manchester United. Now Clint Dempsey hasn't become a vital part of the Tottenham team yet however with Dembele it's a totally different story. With him having forged a balanced on the pitch relationship with Sandro, Tottenham had found the perfect balance in midfield with one doing the dirty work and one being the "ball carrier" into the final third however that partnership was short lived as Sandro fell to injury and underwent surgery in January 2013.
Looking past the signings Mr Villas Boas brought in and what he did with players that were there before he was, who he sold and who stayed you cannot argue with his work.
Luka Modric, the Croat who tried to push for a move to Chelsea in a previous market was sold to Spanish giants Real Madrid for a fee of 26 million. Few would argue he's worth that much on the pitch but he was obviously worth that much to Spurs and their ambitions.
Rafael Van Der Vaart, a dutch playmaker many feel that Manchester United missed out on was sold back to HSV for a reported fee of £10.8 million. It was well documented that Van Der Vaart's stamina wasn't the best and had to be subbed many-a time so it wasn't often you seen him finishing 90 minutes.
During his spell at Porto, he went the full season unbeaten and also won the treble with his side which did lead to many journo's drawing similarities with him and his fellow country man, Jose Mourinho. But it wasn't that, what stood out most of all. It was his man-management skills and his ability to put belief into the the best players in that Porto side, mainly Hulk, Joao Moutinho and the world class striker who moved onto La Liga since, Radamel Falcao.
AVB has currently put them man management skills to use with Gareth Bale and what a revelation he has become this season not to mention being the main reason behind Tottenhams sudden surge up the table into second and only a few points behind the current Premier League champions, Manchester City who are lingering in 2nd.
His current form has given journalists, football fans and pundits many reasons to class him as one of the worlds best players and few could argue with his goals to games ratio playing as a winger.
In my eyes, Tottenham only need a handful of class players to push on for a go at the league.
They do have enough depth as it is but in certain areas, when they lose a player to injury/suspension .. the player that comes in for him just isn't good enough. Mainly right back and strikers i personally feel they need to improve. Their midfield is good enough on any given day to play against anyone in the league and maybe in Europe, their defence is young but always learning. Kyle Walker has made that right back position his own but with minimum threat plus he's still prone to the odd error and lapse in concentration.. most recently against Liverpool on the 10th of March and against Chelsea at White Hart Lane when Juan Mata admittedly got into his head and he gave away a goal in the 90th minute.
Jermaine Defoe and Adebayor who are regularly rotated in this Spurs team i feel, are not good enough if Spurs want to push on in the league. Worth mentioning that Jermaine Defoe has been quite selfish over recent weeks when in goal scoring situations, maybe all the attention and headlines that Gareth Bale is grabbing is getting to him, who's to say?
Off the top of my head i can think of many players that Spurs could enquire/go in for who would not only improve their team but could even attract even bigger players to be a part of this clubs project.
Leandro Damiao, Stevan Jovetic are some of the names that have been mentioned before but most recently Gary Hooper of Celtic in the SPL has been linked with a summer exit, could we see Spurs lodge a bid for the English hitman? Even Mario Gomez of FC Bayern and Robert Lewandowski of BVB in the Bundesliga could be on the way out of their clubs in the summer, could we see Spurs go in for either of these poachers in an attempt to push on in the league?
Who knows.
Manchester City have been floating around in second place since late 2012 and they seem to be struggling to keep up with Manchester United at the top of the table, seemingly without noticing who are creeping up on them in 3rd, Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, Spurs have previously qualified for the Champions League under previous management with Harry Redknapp however Daniel Levy presumably, decided to release him and then went on to bring in the previous Porto and most recently, Chelsea manager. A lot of questions were asked at the time of this appointment seeing as he didn't do very well with a Chelsea team backed by Roman's millions but Daniel Levy decided to give Villas-Boas something that Roman Abramovich didn't have and hasn't had with a lot of managers bar a certain Mr Mourinho and that is, time.
In the summer of 2012 during the transfer market, AVB decided to take a chance on a certain Belgian centre half that few people had heard of before Ajax came up against Manchester United in the Europa League.
Jan Vertonghen, a left footed "rolls royce" of a defender, still young and still learning yet seemingly playing like a defender who's grew up in the Premier League rather than the Eredivisie, it's been quoted that during that mentioned summer he did have a lot of suitors but nobody was willing to take a chance on the player and now Tottenham are reaping the rewards of a centre half that's pretty much going to be in Belgiums national team alongside the world class Vincent Kompany for the next few years at least.
He brought in Gylfi Sigurdsson who was loaned from Hoffenheim to Swansea in the 2011-2012 season and had a massive impact on keeping them afloat, for a reported fee of £8 million, has proven to be a very good squad player however few would argue he would be doing a better job back at Swansea as a starter however the Welsh team, seem to be doing fine without him.
He invested also in two of Fulhams want-away most attacking players in Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, the former had been linked with Liverpool throughout the summer and the latter, linked with Manchester United. Now Clint Dempsey hasn't become a vital part of the Tottenham team yet however with Dembele it's a totally different story. With him having forged a balanced on the pitch relationship with Sandro, Tottenham had found the perfect balance in midfield with one doing the dirty work and one being the "ball carrier" into the final third however that partnership was short lived as Sandro fell to injury and underwent surgery in January 2013.
Looking past the signings Mr Villas Boas brought in and what he did with players that were there before he was, who he sold and who stayed you cannot argue with his work.
Luka Modric, the Croat who tried to push for a move to Chelsea in a previous market was sold to Spanish giants Real Madrid for a fee of 26 million. Few would argue he's worth that much on the pitch but he was obviously worth that much to Spurs and their ambitions.
Rafael Van Der Vaart, a dutch playmaker many feel that Manchester United missed out on was sold back to HSV for a reported fee of £10.8 million. It was well documented that Van Der Vaart's stamina wasn't the best and had to be subbed many-a time so it wasn't often you seen him finishing 90 minutes.
During his spell at Porto, he went the full season unbeaten and also won the treble with his side which did lead to many journo's drawing similarities with him and his fellow country man, Jose Mourinho. But it wasn't that, what stood out most of all. It was his man-management skills and his ability to put belief into the the best players in that Porto side, mainly Hulk, Joao Moutinho and the world class striker who moved onto La Liga since, Radamel Falcao.
AVB has currently put them man management skills to use with Gareth Bale and what a revelation he has become this season not to mention being the main reason behind Tottenhams sudden surge up the table into second and only a few points behind the current Premier League champions, Manchester City who are lingering in 2nd.
His current form has given journalists, football fans and pundits many reasons to class him as one of the worlds best players and few could argue with his goals to games ratio playing as a winger.
In my eyes, Tottenham only need a handful of class players to push on for a go at the league.
They do have enough depth as it is but in certain areas, when they lose a player to injury/suspension .. the player that comes in for him just isn't good enough. Mainly right back and strikers i personally feel they need to improve. Their midfield is good enough on any given day to play against anyone in the league and maybe in Europe, their defence is young but always learning. Kyle Walker has made that right back position his own but with minimum threat plus he's still prone to the odd error and lapse in concentration.. most recently against Liverpool on the 10th of March and against Chelsea at White Hart Lane when Juan Mata admittedly got into his head and he gave away a goal in the 90th minute.
Jermaine Defoe and Adebayor who are regularly rotated in this Spurs team i feel, are not good enough if Spurs want to push on in the league. Worth mentioning that Jermaine Defoe has been quite selfish over recent weeks when in goal scoring situations, maybe all the attention and headlines that Gareth Bale is grabbing is getting to him, who's to say?
Off the top of my head i can think of many players that Spurs could enquire/go in for who would not only improve their team but could even attract even bigger players to be a part of this clubs project.
Leandro Damiao, Stevan Jovetic are some of the names that have been mentioned before but most recently Gary Hooper of Celtic in the SPL has been linked with a summer exit, could we see Spurs lodge a bid for the English hitman? Even Mario Gomez of FC Bayern and Robert Lewandowski of BVB in the Bundesliga could be on the way out of their clubs in the summer, could we see Spurs go in for either of these poachers in an attempt to push on in the league?
Who knows.
Saturday 9 March 2013
Treble dreams, shattered.
When Manchester United left the Santiago Bernabeu stadium with a 1-1 draw with a headed goal from the home grown Danny "Welbz" Welbeck, the reds treble dreams were still well alive and with a Premier League tie with Norwich on the horizon before the second leg back at Old Trafford, few things were more vital than correctly rotating the squad and keeping important players fit and raring to go. United warmed up well for the second leg against Madrid and the FA cup tie at Old Trafford against Chelsea with a tidy 4-0 against a Norwich side that you could argue didn't turn up as well as they did at Carrow Road.
Many football fans finally got to see a glimpse of the Shinji Kagawa that few football fans seen at Dortmund against that Norwich side, with a hat trick littered with cheeky finishes with a MOTM performance and a rocket from Rooney that sealed the win against Norwich and everything was looking on track for the coveted treble that hasn't been seen for 14 years.
Then came the second leg against a Madrid side that have beaten Barcelona twice in two consecutive meetings beforehand so they hadn't warmed up too badly for this match you could say however, the team that Sir Alex Ferguson put out to face Madrid had nullified every possible threat that Madrid brought to the table at Old Trafford and managed to squeeze an own goal out of Sergio Ramos to put them on course to go through to the last 8 of the Champions League. Of course sticking with the team selection that the manager put out, more focus was on the fact that Wayne Rooney wasn't in the starting XI than the focus was on the actual starting XI. Most MUFC fans that watched the Norwich game could argue that, goal aside.. Rooney didn't particularly have a superb game and didn't use the game to stake his claim in the starting XI against Madrid in a way that most of the other players did. The Madrid game was a perfect example of how Sir Alex had rotated his squad correctly to keep the treble dreams alive and few people could argue otherwise despite him starting a 39 year old Ryan Giggs and giving him co-duty of keeping one of the top two best players in the world quiet for a full 90 minutes, but it worked up until Nani's unfortunate and wrong red card. Sir Alex had deployed Nani and Welbeck to play off Robin Van Persie and use their pace to hit Madrid on the counter attack as Madrid play such a high line in most high profile games ( most notably, football fans remember that being the cause of a 5-0 mauling to Barcelona in recent years).
On the bench for the Madrid game, United had Hernandez, Rooney, Kagawa and Ashley Young and that is a plethora of attacking players if ever you seen them and they would get into most Premier League first teams starting XI every Saturday so that proves the depth of Uniteds squad across them three important matches against Norwich, Madrid and Chelsea respectively. Now chances are against Chelsea, you will see all four of them players mentioned above start against Chelsea as they were rested/rotated correctly.
Despite rotating players for the Madrid game, only one tactician came out on top in that midweek game and that was Mourinho. He smelt blood after the red card and brought on Luka Modric who knows the English game all so well and he was the key that unlocked the ten men of Manchester United and got Madrid on the road to a win. Wayne Rooney was eventually brought on and few people could argue it was too little, too late as Sir Alex presumably felt his tactics would stick even with ten men.
All in all, we move on from the Madrid loss and with a squad with such harmony that cannot be rivaled in the Premier League, we trudge on to Sunday's match with Chelsea with a fully fit squad barring Mr Utility in Phil Jones and Chelsea really should beware of the wounded animal, not to mention a raring to go.. Wayne Rooney.
Many football fans finally got to see a glimpse of the Shinji Kagawa that few football fans seen at Dortmund against that Norwich side, with a hat trick littered with cheeky finishes with a MOTM performance and a rocket from Rooney that sealed the win against Norwich and everything was looking on track for the coveted treble that hasn't been seen for 14 years.
Then came the second leg against a Madrid side that have beaten Barcelona twice in two consecutive meetings beforehand so they hadn't warmed up too badly for this match you could say however, the team that Sir Alex Ferguson put out to face Madrid had nullified every possible threat that Madrid brought to the table at Old Trafford and managed to squeeze an own goal out of Sergio Ramos to put them on course to go through to the last 8 of the Champions League. Of course sticking with the team selection that the manager put out, more focus was on the fact that Wayne Rooney wasn't in the starting XI than the focus was on the actual starting XI. Most MUFC fans that watched the Norwich game could argue that, goal aside.. Rooney didn't particularly have a superb game and didn't use the game to stake his claim in the starting XI against Madrid in a way that most of the other players did. The Madrid game was a perfect example of how Sir Alex had rotated his squad correctly to keep the treble dreams alive and few people could argue otherwise despite him starting a 39 year old Ryan Giggs and giving him co-duty of keeping one of the top two best players in the world quiet for a full 90 minutes, but it worked up until Nani's unfortunate and wrong red card. Sir Alex had deployed Nani and Welbeck to play off Robin Van Persie and use their pace to hit Madrid on the counter attack as Madrid play such a high line in most high profile games ( most notably, football fans remember that being the cause of a 5-0 mauling to Barcelona in recent years).
On the bench for the Madrid game, United had Hernandez, Rooney, Kagawa and Ashley Young and that is a plethora of attacking players if ever you seen them and they would get into most Premier League first teams starting XI every Saturday so that proves the depth of Uniteds squad across them three important matches against Norwich, Madrid and Chelsea respectively. Now chances are against Chelsea, you will see all four of them players mentioned above start against Chelsea as they were rested/rotated correctly.
Despite rotating players for the Madrid game, only one tactician came out on top in that midweek game and that was Mourinho. He smelt blood after the red card and brought on Luka Modric who knows the English game all so well and he was the key that unlocked the ten men of Manchester United and got Madrid on the road to a win. Wayne Rooney was eventually brought on and few people could argue it was too little, too late as Sir Alex presumably felt his tactics would stick even with ten men.
All in all, we move on from the Madrid loss and with a squad with such harmony that cannot be rivaled in the Premier League, we trudge on to Sunday's match with Chelsea with a fully fit squad barring Mr Utility in Phil Jones and Chelsea really should beware of the wounded animal, not to mention a raring to go.. Wayne Rooney.
Thursday 7 March 2013
Wenger and his technically long raincoat.
I, amongst many football fans have grew up watching Premier League football and Arsenal have been up there with the best teams in the league for some time. Arsene Wenger has been at the helm throughout Arsenals best trophy period/s in the Premier League and has had some absolutely world class footballers at the club in that time.
I've seen Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljunberg dismantle teams with swift counter attacks in seconds and i've seen the invincible's close out teams for a full season and that will never be repeated however, all good things come to an end and it'll happen to most football clubs .. the honeymoon period will end and they'll either end up selling players that want to leave or they will go through a trophy-less period and when that time comes, you can only hope that you have either a manager or leaders in your squad that can guide you through that rough time.
Now, a lot of football fans that are from the outside looking in at Arsenal will mostly agree that Arsenal are lacking a leader ON the pitch mainly someone who will get stuck in, grab the team by the scruff of the neck and lead his team onto a draw or a win.
They had that in Patrick Viera, they had it in their two centre halves and they had it in Thierry Henry, Bergkamp and Pires and many other players that were part of the invincible's.. players that would not give their team mates any other choice but to get their heads up and push on.
Of course, not all teams need a gamechanger in midfield who gets stuck in etc.. Manchester United don't have one and they get by just fine however they win trophies pretty much year in, year out and that's the difference between the two.
I personally feel Arsenal could improve in a handful of positions in their starting XI and that's not me having a dig whatsoever, that's me expressing what i feel will improve Arsenal and get them back in the top four.
The fact that actually a few Arsenal fans want Wenger out is however, quite puzzling considering he's the man that has led their club to a UCL final, again i'm going to mention the invincible's as well amongst other honours. The question i forward to you is, if Wenger was to quit.. who's going to be the experienced leader in Arsenals camp? Yeah sure you could bring in a new manager but what will he have, what Wenger doesn't? A stricter regime on the players? You cannot replace a man with such integrity just because you went without trophies, you can't always blame the manager for that. He puts out a starting XI that he feels can win the game that's in front of him. Despite that, you can argue that he has had players that could have lead his team to glory over the last, 5 years? Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and most recently, Robin Van Persie have moved on to pastures new, to seek trophies to fulfill their own personal dreams and ambitions and from an unbiased point of view, you can't blame them whatsoever but let's get one thing straight that a lot of people seem to forget.. Arsenal didn't PRODUCE the three mentioned .. they were all bought from a young age, they were nurtured and they moved on. From Marseille, Barcelona and Feyenoord respectively they were all brought in from a young age and they matured and moved on. Personally in my eyes that does not make Arsenal a selling club, it may have dropped them down a peg or two in the Premier League food chain but that's about it. Footballers are hungry for success and they want it as much as they want to breath, especially when you're well known world beaters who do it on a consistent basis. You can blame Arsene Wenger all you want for selling the mentioned players, but who says he's the one who sorts out players contracts/extensions? With most managers at most football clubs, it's usually managers taking chances on players however due to the amount of high profile players that have left Arsenal over the last few years .. it's now become near enough, which managers are willing to take a chance on Arsene Wenger and his promises of success.
I've seen Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljunberg dismantle teams with swift counter attacks in seconds and i've seen the invincible's close out teams for a full season and that will never be repeated however, all good things come to an end and it'll happen to most football clubs .. the honeymoon period will end and they'll either end up selling players that want to leave or they will go through a trophy-less period and when that time comes, you can only hope that you have either a manager or leaders in your squad that can guide you through that rough time.
Now, a lot of football fans that are from the outside looking in at Arsenal will mostly agree that Arsenal are lacking a leader ON the pitch mainly someone who will get stuck in, grab the team by the scruff of the neck and lead his team onto a draw or a win.
They had that in Patrick Viera, they had it in their two centre halves and they had it in Thierry Henry, Bergkamp and Pires and many other players that were part of the invincible's.. players that would not give their team mates any other choice but to get their heads up and push on.
Of course, not all teams need a gamechanger in midfield who gets stuck in etc.. Manchester United don't have one and they get by just fine however they win trophies pretty much year in, year out and that's the difference between the two.
I personally feel Arsenal could improve in a handful of positions in their starting XI and that's not me having a dig whatsoever, that's me expressing what i feel will improve Arsenal and get them back in the top four.
The fact that actually a few Arsenal fans want Wenger out is however, quite puzzling considering he's the man that has led their club to a UCL final, again i'm going to mention the invincible's as well amongst other honours. The question i forward to you is, if Wenger was to quit.. who's going to be the experienced leader in Arsenals camp? Yeah sure you could bring in a new manager but what will he have, what Wenger doesn't? A stricter regime on the players? You cannot replace a man with such integrity just because you went without trophies, you can't always blame the manager for that. He puts out a starting XI that he feels can win the game that's in front of him. Despite that, you can argue that he has had players that could have lead his team to glory over the last, 5 years? Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and most recently, Robin Van Persie have moved on to pastures new, to seek trophies to fulfill their own personal dreams and ambitions and from an unbiased point of view, you can't blame them whatsoever but let's get one thing straight that a lot of people seem to forget.. Arsenal didn't PRODUCE the three mentioned .. they were all bought from a young age, they were nurtured and they moved on. From Marseille, Barcelona and Feyenoord respectively they were all brought in from a young age and they matured and moved on. Personally in my eyes that does not make Arsenal a selling club, it may have dropped them down a peg or two in the Premier League food chain but that's about it. Footballers are hungry for success and they want it as much as they want to breath, especially when you're well known world beaters who do it on a consistent basis. You can blame Arsene Wenger all you want for selling the mentioned players, but who says he's the one who sorts out players contracts/extensions? With most managers at most football clubs, it's usually managers taking chances on players however due to the amount of high profile players that have left Arsenal over the last few years .. it's now become near enough, which managers are willing to take a chance on Arsene Wenger and his promises of success.
Saturday 12 January 2013
Wilshere vs Cleverely
New debate on the street, which is the better out of two of Englands brightest talents in midfield.. Jack Wilshere OR Tom Cleverely.
If you're biased you're clearly going to side with one or the other because that's what football fans do! I'm not going to bombard anyone with stats as most football fans in general aren't interested in them, all i'm going to do is offer my opinion.
Tom Cleverely
As a Manchester United fan I appreciate the job what Tom Cleverely does in our team and he's probably more under-rated than he is, over-rated. Considering the midfield options that United have, Cleverely has done a very good job in making a spot in midfield his own as he has to battle with the likes of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Shinji Kagawa and Anderson who all offer their own specific duty to the team. Having been sent on loan by Sir Alex three times, to three different clubs since he was brought in from Bradford in 2000 and having had a spell throughout the majority of our youth teams i have nothing but praise for the youngster himself. Now he doesn't have the vision as of yet, that the majority of the players i mentioned above do, however he does bring a lot of energy in midfield not to mention he often become an available, unmarked option for you to pass the ball to, to get the ball up the field and out of danger often using one-two's to get out of tight situations. He doesn't score as many goals as most midfielders out there as he's not renown for his shooting ability or finishing ability but he has brought more goals to his game this season than in the past so it can't be a bad thing. Unlike Jack Wilshere most of all, he's made more progress in the first team having missed his first season with the first team with injury, he's coming along nicely to become an integral part of both Englands and Manchester Uniteds team.
Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere's done a lot to come back from the injury problems that have plagued his career up until this season which has been a shame, as most football fans enjoy watching him dictate most football matches he plays, one including a certain match against Barcelona in the Champions League which says a lot seeing as Barcelona's midfield have dominated so many games in recent times.
Now what differs from him and Tom Cleverely is that, Jack Wilshere is seen by many as a "playmaker" who can make things happen and makes that his own duty in football matches to supply team-mates with goal scoring opportunities whereas Cleverely is a box-to-box midfielder or just a midfielder who brings his own abilities to whichever team he plays in.
Now despite many saying Jack Wilshere's lacking in first team progress, it turns out he's actually made more first team appearances for Arsenal than Cleverely has for Manchester United, but he's had more injury problems than Cleverely which does account for a lot. Having been loaned out to Bolton Wanderers in the 2009-2010 season, he was praised a lot by a lot of managers of teams he played against in that season which was counted a lot towards his first team progress in the premier league.
All i'm saying is i don't feel the need to compare the players abilities against one another as they not only play a completely different ball game when they play, they play different roles in their respective teams and when they both peak they should hopefully become class internationals in Englands team come future world tournaments and winning trophies for their clubs.
If you're biased you're clearly going to side with one or the other because that's what football fans do! I'm not going to bombard anyone with stats as most football fans in general aren't interested in them, all i'm going to do is offer my opinion.
Tom Cleverely
As a Manchester United fan I appreciate the job what Tom Cleverely does in our team and he's probably more under-rated than he is, over-rated. Considering the midfield options that United have, Cleverely has done a very good job in making a spot in midfield his own as he has to battle with the likes of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Shinji Kagawa and Anderson who all offer their own specific duty to the team. Having been sent on loan by Sir Alex three times, to three different clubs since he was brought in from Bradford in 2000 and having had a spell throughout the majority of our youth teams i have nothing but praise for the youngster himself. Now he doesn't have the vision as of yet, that the majority of the players i mentioned above do, however he does bring a lot of energy in midfield not to mention he often become an available, unmarked option for you to pass the ball to, to get the ball up the field and out of danger often using one-two's to get out of tight situations. He doesn't score as many goals as most midfielders out there as he's not renown for his shooting ability or finishing ability but he has brought more goals to his game this season than in the past so it can't be a bad thing. Unlike Jack Wilshere most of all, he's made more progress in the first team having missed his first season with the first team with injury, he's coming along nicely to become an integral part of both Englands and Manchester Uniteds team.
Jack Wilshere
Jack Wilshere's done a lot to come back from the injury problems that have plagued his career up until this season which has been a shame, as most football fans enjoy watching him dictate most football matches he plays, one including a certain match against Barcelona in the Champions League which says a lot seeing as Barcelona's midfield have dominated so many games in recent times.
Now what differs from him and Tom Cleverely is that, Jack Wilshere is seen by many as a "playmaker" who can make things happen and makes that his own duty in football matches to supply team-mates with goal scoring opportunities whereas Cleverely is a box-to-box midfielder or just a midfielder who brings his own abilities to whichever team he plays in.
Now despite many saying Jack Wilshere's lacking in first team progress, it turns out he's actually made more first team appearances for Arsenal than Cleverely has for Manchester United, but he's had more injury problems than Cleverely which does account for a lot. Having been loaned out to Bolton Wanderers in the 2009-2010 season, he was praised a lot by a lot of managers of teams he played against in that season which was counted a lot towards his first team progress in the premier league.
All i'm saying is i don't feel the need to compare the players abilities against one another as they not only play a completely different ball game when they play, they play different roles in their respective teams and when they both peak they should hopefully become class internationals in Englands team come future world tournaments and winning trophies for their clubs.
Friday 11 January 2013
Lionel Messi.
Now there's been a long, ongoing myth that Lionel Messi is only successful due to two of the greatest midfielders to ever grace the game.. Xavi and Andres Iniesta play in the midfield behind him and supply him all the time with assists? Sounds silly, right?
Now some people do have a point that he struggles in Argentina's side because his goal record isn't as prolific for Argentina as it is for Barcelona and there has to be a reason for that, which is what i'm going to try and explain.
Barcelona have made the "tiki taka" style of playing their own throughout their first team all the way through to their academy, otherwise known as total football which was played by the Holland team as far back as 1970 which was led by Johan Cruyff and the national team coach at the time! Now Pep Guardiola has stated himself that Johan Cruyff has taught him a lot when it comes to football and it's no coincidence that since Pep's arrival at Barcelona as head coach and Johan Cruyffs's placement in Barcelona's backroom staff that Barcelona adapted the "tiki taka" as their own style of play and soon it made it's way into the National team and is widely credited for Euro 2012, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2008 trophies that Spain have won since.?
Now, back to my original point about Lionel Messi and the two Spanish maestros..Messi doesn't struggle as such when he's in Argentina's squad, he just doesn't perform as well as he does for Barcelona and that's because Argentina do not play total football, no disrespect to Argentina's style of football however but they do not base their style of play to benefit Messi which is something Barcelona near enough do.
Having sacrificed some of the worlds greatest footballers and playing them out of position to benefit and get the best out of Lionel Messi, the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa .. Messi is basically given a free role within the team to pick up the ball whenever he pleases and run at defences once the said defences have been carved open with Barcelonas tiki-taka football.
The whole of Barcelona's team play to benefit Lionel Messi and that's not to criticize him whatsoever as he is a magnificent footballer and the team trust him a lot to basically give him the ball at any given opportunity as they know nine times out of ten, the ball will end up in the back of the net.
Now i believe myself that due to the small amount of tall players in Barcelonas team, this is why tiki-taka is so effective for Barcelona and Spains team, they have height where it matters in the team however in Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique in Spains team specifically.
Football's a very simple game, well.. it's as simple as you make it. Unless Argentina make some progress towards their international team playing Barcelona's style of play, they will simply not get the best out of Lionel Messi which would be a crying shame as a player as good as he is should be winning plenty of international honours around this time in his career and it would be a shame for him not to win anything with his country and people will always find that a reason as to why he's not "the greatest ever" or "the best in the world".
Now some people do have a point that he struggles in Argentina's side because his goal record isn't as prolific for Argentina as it is for Barcelona and there has to be a reason for that, which is what i'm going to try and explain.
Barcelona have made the "tiki taka" style of playing their own throughout their first team all the way through to their academy, otherwise known as total football which was played by the Holland team as far back as 1970 which was led by Johan Cruyff and the national team coach at the time! Now Pep Guardiola has stated himself that Johan Cruyff has taught him a lot when it comes to football and it's no coincidence that since Pep's arrival at Barcelona as head coach and Johan Cruyffs's placement in Barcelona's backroom staff that Barcelona adapted the "tiki taka" as their own style of play and soon it made it's way into the National team and is widely credited for Euro 2012, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2008 trophies that Spain have won since.?
Now, back to my original point about Lionel Messi and the two Spanish maestros..Messi doesn't struggle as such when he's in Argentina's squad, he just doesn't perform as well as he does for Barcelona and that's because Argentina do not play total football, no disrespect to Argentina's style of football however but they do not base their style of play to benefit Messi which is something Barcelona near enough do.
Having sacrificed some of the worlds greatest footballers and playing them out of position to benefit and get the best out of Lionel Messi, the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa .. Messi is basically given a free role within the team to pick up the ball whenever he pleases and run at defences once the said defences have been carved open with Barcelonas tiki-taka football.
The whole of Barcelona's team play to benefit Lionel Messi and that's not to criticize him whatsoever as he is a magnificent footballer and the team trust him a lot to basically give him the ball at any given opportunity as they know nine times out of ten, the ball will end up in the back of the net.
Now i believe myself that due to the small amount of tall players in Barcelonas team, this is why tiki-taka is so effective for Barcelona and Spains team, they have height where it matters in the team however in Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique in Spains team specifically.
Football's a very simple game, well.. it's as simple as you make it. Unless Argentina make some progress towards their international team playing Barcelona's style of play, they will simply not get the best out of Lionel Messi which would be a crying shame as a player as good as he is should be winning plenty of international honours around this time in his career and it would be a shame for him not to win anything with his country and people will always find that a reason as to why he's not "the greatest ever" or "the best in the world".
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