Chris Eagles (22), Darron Gibson (20), Danny Simpson (21), Frazier Campbell (21), Jonny Evans (20), and Lee Martin (21), its time to step up.
This is the biggest summer yet for Manchester United. No, I am not talking about the drawn out transfer saga between Ronaldo, United, and Real Madrid. I am talking about United being able to save a lot of money, and rely on its youth system. This summer is the time when all the youth players really need to prove themselves. They have been given 2 or 3 summers each now, and they have limited opportunities to cut the grade at Manchester United.
The loss against Coventry was a wake up call to the young players, and it shortened their leash a bit. Eagles has been around for a while, and so has Lee Martin. They are too wingers who with Giggs, Nani, and Ronaldo, have limited opportunities. Gibson has been impressing, but he is in the crowded central midfield with Scholes, Carrick, Anderson, and Hargreaves. Simpson is a RB, with a lot of potential, but he needs to prove that he is the natural successor to Gary Neville. Jonny Evans needs to prove that he is capable of stepping in if either Ferdinand or Vidic are hurt. And Frazier Campbell needs to justify his position as a United-grade striker.
United have been lucky the past couple of years to not have any major injuries to vital components of the team. That isn't always going to happen, and this may be the year it doesn't. So, these young players need to justify their places in the first team and show Fergie that there is some hope in the youth programs.
If these players can step up, than it could save United a lot of money. United need money to cover their debt, so not spending 15m on squad players could go a ways in doing that.
I love the pre-season because I get to see the young players. Last year they impressed in China, but I have a feeling that this year's tour of South Africa will be a lot more difficult. I want them to make the grade, and I think they can. All these players need to realize their opportunity and take their chances, and maybe in the future we can see them in the starting 11.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Pique Leaving
Sorry for not posting, but time has been crunched. I am somewhat bemused today, as the transfer of Gerrard Pique from Manchester United to Barcelona was complete. (See http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6608459)
This and the transfer of Guiseppe Rossi to Villareal last year has made me somewhat irritated. I feel that United are really wasting a lot of money in developing these players, and then selling them for a coupe of million pound gain. United could really have used Rossi this year, when there were times when Saha and Rooney were injured, and that left Carlos Tevez to play as the lone striker. Yes, there is always Danny Welbeck, and he may be a great player, but I would rather have Rossi at this point and time. I was always high on Rossi, and his knack for finding the goal and his quick feet are really a usefull tool when trying to score goals. He score 11 times this year in the league for Villareal, and helped them finish 2nd in La Liga.....at 19yrs of age.
Now, to Pique. He is going to be a great defender for Barcalona. He has supreme arial talent, and can read the play really well. Pique is also a great passer of the ball, and has great vision from the back. I know that Rio and Vidic are 1 and 2 at CB, but Fergie could easily rotate Pique in there, and really not loose a whole lot. What frustrates me is that if he got regular time, I do not doubt United could get close to 10m for him in 2 years. And now, who is left at CB? As a dedicated CB, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans are the only two. Sure, O'Shea can play there, but I would prefer a dedicated CB.
There are rumors flying around that Jonny Evans will leave for Sunderland, after impressing on loan. If United sell Evans, I am really going to start to doubt what use the Academy has at United. We spend all this money on coaches, housing, and schooling for these kids, and then sell them whenever someone comes in for measly 2-5m pounds. These players never really get first team run outs, and are suppressed to the reserves. I have a lot of faith in Fergie, but his usage of the youth system after the class of Giggs, Scholes, Becks, Nevilles, Butt, etc has been quite poor. Who have united developed since 2000? Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, and John O'Shea seem like they are the only ones that have played on a regular basis. 3 in 8 years is not very good.
Instead, United are settling for buying players like Park Ji-Sung, who is lauded becuase he runs around the field, and Luis Saha, who is a regular dinner guest at the United physio's house.
I really want to emplore Fergie to use the youth system. Give Simpson a run out before spending stupid amounts of money on Daniel Alves, who cant defend, but plays RB. I want to see Chris Eagles, Lee Martin, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart, and Danny Welbeck get run outs. They play well when United try and play the role of Nike's slave every year in Asia. Evans has proven he has EPL quality, and others could too....but they need chances.
This and the transfer of Guiseppe Rossi to Villareal last year has made me somewhat irritated. I feel that United are really wasting a lot of money in developing these players, and then selling them for a coupe of million pound gain. United could really have used Rossi this year, when there were times when Saha and Rooney were injured, and that left Carlos Tevez to play as the lone striker. Yes, there is always Danny Welbeck, and he may be a great player, but I would rather have Rossi at this point and time. I was always high on Rossi, and his knack for finding the goal and his quick feet are really a usefull tool when trying to score goals. He score 11 times this year in the league for Villareal, and helped them finish 2nd in La Liga.....at 19yrs of age.
Now, to Pique. He is going to be a great defender for Barcalona. He has supreme arial talent, and can read the play really well. Pique is also a great passer of the ball, and has great vision from the back. I know that Rio and Vidic are 1 and 2 at CB, but Fergie could easily rotate Pique in there, and really not loose a whole lot. What frustrates me is that if he got regular time, I do not doubt United could get close to 10m for him in 2 years. And now, who is left at CB? As a dedicated CB, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans are the only two. Sure, O'Shea can play there, but I would prefer a dedicated CB.
There are rumors flying around that Jonny Evans will leave for Sunderland, after impressing on loan. If United sell Evans, I am really going to start to doubt what use the Academy has at United. We spend all this money on coaches, housing, and schooling for these kids, and then sell them whenever someone comes in for measly 2-5m pounds. These players never really get first team run outs, and are suppressed to the reserves. I have a lot of faith in Fergie, but his usage of the youth system after the class of Giggs, Scholes, Becks, Nevilles, Butt, etc has been quite poor. Who have united developed since 2000? Wes Brown, Darren Fletcher, and John O'Shea seem like they are the only ones that have played on a regular basis. 3 in 8 years is not very good.
Instead, United are settling for buying players like Park Ji-Sung, who is lauded becuase he runs around the field, and Luis Saha, who is a regular dinner guest at the United physio's house.
I really want to emplore Fergie to use the youth system. Give Simpson a run out before spending stupid amounts of money on Daniel Alves, who cant defend, but plays RB. I want to see Chris Eagles, Lee Martin, Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart, and Danny Welbeck get run outs. They play well when United try and play the role of Nike's slave every year in Asia. Evans has proven he has EPL quality, and others could too....but they need chances.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
United v Everton
Everton 0-1 United
Vidic
1st Half
This game is a pivotal game for Manchester United, because they can not afford to drop any more points. The game started brightly, with Yakubu almost getting on the score sheet. In the 3rd minute, he wriggled away from Rio Ferdinand, but he pushed his shot wide of the post. Evra almost put United ahead right away also, and in the 5th minute he received a delightful pass from Tevez, but he tried to go near post and high, but he missed his spot. Everton were starting very brightly, attacking with a lot of conviction. United kept on relying on a counter attack for the first 20 minutes or so. This works if you can score, but there are times in the game where you need to keep the ball to get some confidence and break up the rhythm of the opposing team. United weren’t doing this, and Everton weren’t even looking bothered with the counter-attack. Against the best teams, when you have a good spell of possession, you need to score. Everton didn’t do this, and by 20 minutes, United had regained a foot-hold of the game. The game settled down after to 20minute mark, and the next good chance was in the 30th. Vidic had the ball at his feet in the box from a corner, but his shot went wide, but it was another ½ chance gone begging. In the 34th, Michael Carrick hit a shot from 25 yds out that just whistled wide of the post. From there until the end of the half the game was back and forth, but nothing else really troubling either keeper.
Coaching Points
Everton- Manufacture some chances. Everton, excluding the first 20minutes, really didn’t create too much offensively. In order for them to win this game they are going to need to manufacture some chances. Taking longer shots, switching tiempos, whatever will help them get some more chances.
United- Get Tevez to stay up top. Tevez has done some really good distribution, but the problem is, it isn’t his job. Tevez needs to stay up top and stretch the defense to allow for more space in behind the midfield. Because Tevez is dropping so deep, Ronaldo is being forced into the center, a position, to me, where he is ineffective. Ronaldo needs to be playing out wide where he can get the ball with space and take on defenders.
2nd Half:
The second half started pretty brightly. 3 minutes into the half Andy Johnson, who has had a relatively quiet game so far, had a header cleared off the line by Paul Scholes. In the 55th, it was Scholes himself who should have gotten in on the scoring. Carlos tevex played in a brilliant ball for Scholes, and the former England international hit he volley over from 12 yards. The provider for Scholes, Tevez, almost put United ahead in the 61st, when he took a defender on and hit just over from about 18 yds out. United looked like they were starting to have a goal in them, but they still have not made the breakthrough. As a United fan I was nervous, because of the huge impact of this game. United needed the points to close the gap. With Arsenal having to play at Spurs and Chelsea hosting Blackburn, we needed these points, even if it is this early in the year. United’s early pressure faded, and the game turned into a midfield battle for 20-odd minutes. But in the 83rd minute, Nemanja Vidic rescued United. Off of a Nani corner, Vidic cut in front of his defender and powered home his first goal of the year, making the game 1-0 in favor of the visitors. United kept the pressure on, however, and Ronaldo was saved in the 86th. Everton almost pulled level, though. In the 87th, James McFadden, who, for my money, is one of the most underrated players in the Premiership, hit a shot which Van der sar parried unconvincingly. Victor Anichebe hit a shot off the rebound, but it was heroically saved by Rio Ferdinand. VDS always gets into these positions of not parrying the ball far out and wide. He always seems to allow a rebound, and United have been hit hard previously, but this game was not that case. The game ended 1-0 to United, and the 3 points were in the bag.
Thoughts:
United needed these points, and thanks for Vidic we got them. He played the role of hero today, and all of United nation can thank him. A win at Everton is a win at Everton. However, what concerns me, however, is the fact that United are not playing well. The defending is solid, and we don’t look like conceding, but where is the attacking presence? I have yet to find really see it. With the additions of Ronaldo and Rooney, maybe it will come. Tevez is not really pulling his weight and seems like he may be one of those players who thrives on smaller clubs where he is the lone attacking option. When he doesn’t have the ball played through him, it is really hard to even feel his presence. Manchester United are too good of team to need to play through Tevez, so I hope that he can cope and step his game up, because right now the level that it is at is sub-par. He needs more off the ball movement and some thankless work, like dragging defenders away, making off the ball runs where you don’t even expect to get the ball, etc. United play Sporting Lisbon (a game which will be reviewed here) on Wednesday, and then Chelsea on Sunday. If United don’t right the ship, it could be a bad week, because I guarantee that Chelsea will not be trying to win the game at Old Trafford.
MOTM: Nemanja Vidic--the winner
I will not be doing the N. London derby. I will instead by reviewing the CL match between United and Sport Lisbon.
Vidic
1st Half
This game is a pivotal game for Manchester United, because they can not afford to drop any more points. The game started brightly, with Yakubu almost getting on the score sheet. In the 3rd minute, he wriggled away from Rio Ferdinand, but he pushed his shot wide of the post. Evra almost put United ahead right away also, and in the 5th minute he received a delightful pass from Tevez, but he tried to go near post and high, but he missed his spot. Everton were starting very brightly, attacking with a lot of conviction. United kept on relying on a counter attack for the first 20 minutes or so. This works if you can score, but there are times in the game where you need to keep the ball to get some confidence and break up the rhythm of the opposing team. United weren’t doing this, and Everton weren’t even looking bothered with the counter-attack. Against the best teams, when you have a good spell of possession, you need to score. Everton didn’t do this, and by 20 minutes, United had regained a foot-hold of the game. The game settled down after to 20minute mark, and the next good chance was in the 30th. Vidic had the ball at his feet in the box from a corner, but his shot went wide, but it was another ½ chance gone begging. In the 34th, Michael Carrick hit a shot from 25 yds out that just whistled wide of the post. From there until the end of the half the game was back and forth, but nothing else really troubling either keeper.
Coaching Points
Everton- Manufacture some chances. Everton, excluding the first 20minutes, really didn’t create too much offensively. In order for them to win this game they are going to need to manufacture some chances. Taking longer shots, switching tiempos, whatever will help them get some more chances.
United- Get Tevez to stay up top. Tevez has done some really good distribution, but the problem is, it isn’t his job. Tevez needs to stay up top and stretch the defense to allow for more space in behind the midfield. Because Tevez is dropping so deep, Ronaldo is being forced into the center, a position, to me, where he is ineffective. Ronaldo needs to be playing out wide where he can get the ball with space and take on defenders.
2nd Half:
The second half started pretty brightly. 3 minutes into the half Andy Johnson, who has had a relatively quiet game so far, had a header cleared off the line by Paul Scholes. In the 55th, it was Scholes himself who should have gotten in on the scoring. Carlos tevex played in a brilliant ball for Scholes, and the former England international hit he volley over from 12 yards. The provider for Scholes, Tevez, almost put United ahead in the 61st, when he took a defender on and hit just over from about 18 yds out. United looked like they were starting to have a goal in them, but they still have not made the breakthrough. As a United fan I was nervous, because of the huge impact of this game. United needed the points to close the gap. With Arsenal having to play at Spurs and Chelsea hosting Blackburn, we needed these points, even if it is this early in the year. United’s early pressure faded, and the game turned into a midfield battle for 20-odd minutes. But in the 83rd minute, Nemanja Vidic rescued United. Off of a Nani corner, Vidic cut in front of his defender and powered home his first goal of the year, making the game 1-0 in favor of the visitors. United kept the pressure on, however, and Ronaldo was saved in the 86th. Everton almost pulled level, though. In the 87th, James McFadden, who, for my money, is one of the most underrated players in the Premiership, hit a shot which Van der sar parried unconvincingly. Victor Anichebe hit a shot off the rebound, but it was heroically saved by Rio Ferdinand. VDS always gets into these positions of not parrying the ball far out and wide. He always seems to allow a rebound, and United have been hit hard previously, but this game was not that case. The game ended 1-0 to United, and the 3 points were in the bag.
Thoughts:
United needed these points, and thanks for Vidic we got them. He played the role of hero today, and all of United nation can thank him. A win at Everton is a win at Everton. However, what concerns me, however, is the fact that United are not playing well. The defending is solid, and we don’t look like conceding, but where is the attacking presence? I have yet to find really see it. With the additions of Ronaldo and Rooney, maybe it will come. Tevez is not really pulling his weight and seems like he may be one of those players who thrives on smaller clubs where he is the lone attacking option. When he doesn’t have the ball played through him, it is really hard to even feel his presence. Manchester United are too good of team to need to play through Tevez, so I hope that he can cope and step his game up, because right now the level that it is at is sub-par. He needs more off the ball movement and some thankless work, like dragging defenders away, making off the ball runs where you don’t even expect to get the ball, etc. United play Sporting Lisbon (a game which will be reviewed here) on Wednesday, and then Chelsea on Sunday. If United don’t right the ship, it could be a bad week, because I guarantee that Chelsea will not be trying to win the game at Old Trafford.
MOTM: Nemanja Vidic--the winner
I will not be doing the N. London derby. I will instead by reviewing the CL match between United and Sport Lisbon.
Friday, September 14, 2007
England v Russia
England 3-0 Russia
Owen (x2)
Ferdinand
1st Half
This game figured to be a pivotal game for both England and Russia. England, being the home team, had the responsibility to attack and open the game up, and they did not disappoint. In the 6th minute, a Gareth Barry cross was not dealt with well in the Russian penalty box. The mish-mash of clearances eventually fell to Michael Owen’s foot with loads of time. Like the old Owen, he smashed the ball into the net via the far-post. England were up 1-0 and looked like rolling on. England were relentless, and in the 9th minute Emile Hesky had a shot saved brilliantly by the Russian keeper, and Owen missed the follow-up. The next chance came in the 19th minute, and this time it was Russia. Russia had the ball into the English net, but it was ruled a handball. The handball was a debatable call, but to me it looked the correct decision. This showed that although England had a lot of the possession, the possibility of getting countered was not out of the question, and England needed to stay mentally sharp. The momentum of the game seemed to start changing, and by the 23rd minute, Russia had their first real chance of the game. The Russian shot had Paul Robinson scrambling, but he did well and made the save. England started to get the momentum back, however, and started to create some more chances of their own. In the 29th, Joe Cole had his deflected shot saved well. England kept the pressure on, and were rewarded for their efforts in the 31st minute. Heskey, who has been playing pretty well, flicked the ball on to Owen. Owen, who had a lot of time and a lot of confidence thumped the ball on the volley over the keepers head and into the back of the net. 2-0, England. From here until the end of the half, for Russia, was all about keeping themselves in the game. For England, the name of the game was preventing Russia from pulling a goal back. Combining these two mentalities, there is no doubt that the game was a little slower, with teams only creating ½ chances. At half time the game was 2-0, England.
England coaching points:
Stay compact: Russia has a couple of strikers who are very mobile, and following them and not being sharp would cause the defensive shape to get compromised and very spread out. It is important to just pass the players on to the next guy and keep the defensive shape. If they do this, the game is as good as done.
Get a 3rd: If England score one more goal, the game is over. So why not try and score one?
Russia Coaching Points:
Defend Better: Russias defense has been horrible. They are confused, out-smarted, and lazy. On Owen’s two goals he has had plenty of time. When defending you need to make the job as hard as possible for the other team, and Russia just aren’t doing that.
Be Patient: Russia need to look at a tie as a win in this situation. Therefore, you only need 2 goals. They need to play their game, get one back early, and then go on for another one. The job isn’t easy, but it will be made even hard when just trying to play “Route 1 Football”
2nd Half:
The second half started with Russia coming out and trying to get a goal. Within the first 4 minutes, Russia had created 3 chances. None of them scored, however, and the game was still 2-0. Nothing happened for another 10 minutes, when J. Cole hit a good cross in. Steven Gerrard had a sitter waiting to be put into the back of the net, and effectively end the game. Gerrard missed it, and the score remained 2-0. The game settled down for the next 15 minutes, with England not putting too many people forward, and Russia not really pressing too hard for a winner. In the 76th minute, however, Russia almost pulled one back. A Russian player hit a great shot on the ground, but Robinson was up to the challenge. He saved the initial shot, but he also was responsible for not covering the ball up. Rio Ferdinand was “Johnny on the spot”, however, and he cleared the danger before anything could be made of it. England came back with some power. Shawn Wright-Phillips hit a really good half volley that was well parried by the Russian keeper. England finally clinched the game in the 83rd minute. All the players were up for a corner, that was cleared, the ball came to Owen, who played in Ferdinand. Rio did a back-heel dummy, then hit the ball into the net to preserve the victory and fulfill the 3 quota for England. With the outcome already decided, the rest of the game was calm and England got the win.
Final Thoughts:
I think that England can go onto EURO 2008, IF McClaren keeps this side. A lot of being a national manager is finding players that can play well together, and form a cohesive unit. The team with Lampard and Gerrad in the middle, Owen and Rooney up top, is not cohesive. Every team needs a couple of role players, like Hesky, like Barry, to lift the team and allow the other players to do the work that needs to be done. That little but of industry from those two players is allowing Owen to gamble off of the last defender, and allowing Gerrard to maraud forward as much as he wants. England have looked really good over the past 2 gamedays, and time will only tell if they will look good in the remaining ones. Like I have said before, if Barry and Hesky continue to play, than England will qualify for EURO with easy. If they don’t, and McClaren goes with the old team, expect difficulties in the process.
MOTM: Michael Owen-2 goals, enough said.
Games for nextweek:
Everton vs. Machester United
Tottenham vs. Arsenal
Owen (x2)
Ferdinand
1st Half
This game figured to be a pivotal game for both England and Russia. England, being the home team, had the responsibility to attack and open the game up, and they did not disappoint. In the 6th minute, a Gareth Barry cross was not dealt with well in the Russian penalty box. The mish-mash of clearances eventually fell to Michael Owen’s foot with loads of time. Like the old Owen, he smashed the ball into the net via the far-post. England were up 1-0 and looked like rolling on. England were relentless, and in the 9th minute Emile Hesky had a shot saved brilliantly by the Russian keeper, and Owen missed the follow-up. The next chance came in the 19th minute, and this time it was Russia. Russia had the ball into the English net, but it was ruled a handball. The handball was a debatable call, but to me it looked the correct decision. This showed that although England had a lot of the possession, the possibility of getting countered was not out of the question, and England needed to stay mentally sharp. The momentum of the game seemed to start changing, and by the 23rd minute, Russia had their first real chance of the game. The Russian shot had Paul Robinson scrambling, but he did well and made the save. England started to get the momentum back, however, and started to create some more chances of their own. In the 29th, Joe Cole had his deflected shot saved well. England kept the pressure on, and were rewarded for their efforts in the 31st minute. Heskey, who has been playing pretty well, flicked the ball on to Owen. Owen, who had a lot of time and a lot of confidence thumped the ball on the volley over the keepers head and into the back of the net. 2-0, England. From here until the end of the half, for Russia, was all about keeping themselves in the game. For England, the name of the game was preventing Russia from pulling a goal back. Combining these two mentalities, there is no doubt that the game was a little slower, with teams only creating ½ chances. At half time the game was 2-0, England.
England coaching points:
Stay compact: Russia has a couple of strikers who are very mobile, and following them and not being sharp would cause the defensive shape to get compromised and very spread out. It is important to just pass the players on to the next guy and keep the defensive shape. If they do this, the game is as good as done.
Get a 3rd: If England score one more goal, the game is over. So why not try and score one?
Russia Coaching Points:
Defend Better: Russias defense has been horrible. They are confused, out-smarted, and lazy. On Owen’s two goals he has had plenty of time. When defending you need to make the job as hard as possible for the other team, and Russia just aren’t doing that.
Be Patient: Russia need to look at a tie as a win in this situation. Therefore, you only need 2 goals. They need to play their game, get one back early, and then go on for another one. The job isn’t easy, but it will be made even hard when just trying to play “Route 1 Football”
2nd Half:
The second half started with Russia coming out and trying to get a goal. Within the first 4 minutes, Russia had created 3 chances. None of them scored, however, and the game was still 2-0. Nothing happened for another 10 minutes, when J. Cole hit a good cross in. Steven Gerrard had a sitter waiting to be put into the back of the net, and effectively end the game. Gerrard missed it, and the score remained 2-0. The game settled down for the next 15 minutes, with England not putting too many people forward, and Russia not really pressing too hard for a winner. In the 76th minute, however, Russia almost pulled one back. A Russian player hit a great shot on the ground, but Robinson was up to the challenge. He saved the initial shot, but he also was responsible for not covering the ball up. Rio Ferdinand was “Johnny on the spot”, however, and he cleared the danger before anything could be made of it. England came back with some power. Shawn Wright-Phillips hit a really good half volley that was well parried by the Russian keeper. England finally clinched the game in the 83rd minute. All the players were up for a corner, that was cleared, the ball came to Owen, who played in Ferdinand. Rio did a back-heel dummy, then hit the ball into the net to preserve the victory and fulfill the 3 quota for England. With the outcome already decided, the rest of the game was calm and England got the win.
Final Thoughts:
I think that England can go onto EURO 2008, IF McClaren keeps this side. A lot of being a national manager is finding players that can play well together, and form a cohesive unit. The team with Lampard and Gerrad in the middle, Owen and Rooney up top, is not cohesive. Every team needs a couple of role players, like Hesky, like Barry, to lift the team and allow the other players to do the work that needs to be done. That little but of industry from those two players is allowing Owen to gamble off of the last defender, and allowing Gerrard to maraud forward as much as he wants. England have looked really good over the past 2 gamedays, and time will only tell if they will look good in the remaining ones. Like I have said before, if Barry and Hesky continue to play, than England will qualify for EURO with easy. If they don’t, and McClaren goes with the old team, expect difficulties in the process.
MOTM: Michael Owen-2 goals, enough said.
Games for nextweek:
Everton vs. Machester United
Tottenham vs. Arsenal
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Italy v France
Italy 0-0 France
1st Half
The marquee match up the particular game week has to be this game. This game is a replay of the World Cup Final in 2006. The first 10 minutes, as all big contests usually are, was quite boring. Both teams were just sort of feeling each other out, getting used to the situation, atmosphere, and the opponent. In the 13th minute, Connavaro almost scored. He is a player that seems to play better in the colors of Italy than he does in the Real Madrid shirt. The cross came in, and Connavaro had an free shot on goal, but he did not do well for it and the ball was cleared. Had Cannavaro done better, there is a chance the game would have been 1-0 for Italy. The next 20 minutes settled down, with both teams still trying to get the breakthrough. In the 33rd minute, this almost changed. Cammoranesi went on a brilliant run, which he capped off by sliding a supreme pass into Del Piero. The shot was not good enough, however, and was easily saved. The Italians kept the pressure on after that, and the architect this time was Pirlo. In the 35th minute he played a great ball into Inzaghi, who hit the shot where the keeper couldn't reach it, but unfortunately for the Italians the ball hit the crossbar. The French had to wait until the 42nd minute for their best chance. In the 42nd, Malouda worked himself open for a shot, but it was saved well by Buffon. The half ended at 0-0, and hopefully the 2nd half will be a bit more exiting.
France Coaching Points:
Attack with Speed- the Italians will NOT get broken down if you let them get hunkered in defensively. That is just fact, because the Italians are incredible at defending. You can not let them settle in if you are to score.
Get Ribery involved- The player who is in the best for France is Frank Ribery of Bayern Munich. He has been a bit anonymous so far and for France to win, Ribery needs to get more involved. France needs to put an emphasis on getting him the ball.
Italian Coaching Points:
Improved off-the-ball movement-
Everything else is working. Defensively all is well. The midfield is dominating. The only thing to not be as refined as needed is the attack. The couple of chances that Italy has made has been when the players have made runs and got open. They can not wait for Pirlo to deliver them in (which has been going on quite a bit), but they need to anticipate what to do and then do it. France also seem to have difficulty passing defending duties from one player to another, and that needs to be exploited.
2nd Half:
The 2nd half will hopefully be better than the first. This is a game that features two really good teams and that just so even with each other that there is no separating them. I would not be surprised if this game ends in a tie, just hopefully one that is 1-1 or 2-2, not 0-0. Italy wasted no time getting into the attack. In the 59th minute, Cammoranesi hit a 25m bomb that almost caught the French keeper by surprise. He did well though, tipping the ball over to preserve the shut-out----for now. France fired back in the 62nd minute with Anelka. The Bolton man walked in past the Italian defenders, but was stopped by Buffon with an excellent save. The remaining 35 minutes simmered down after the initial fireworks. Both teams are playing really well in a transitional sense, not really leaving any holes for either team to exploit. In one sense it is good to watch, but in the other sense it is quite boring. The game ended 0-0, and the teams were more or less equal. France came in, looking to draw, and that is what they did. The fact that all of the Italian subs were for their attackers really speaks for itself. Italy needed to have an offensive punch and that really just didn’t not happen. Del Piero, Inzaghi, and Cammorenesi really should be disappointed with their performance. If they aren’t going to produce anything for Italy, than they really shouldn’t be playing. It has to be said, however, that the substitutes for them really didn’t do much either. Maybe it was down to good defending from France. Either way, the game ended 0-0, which was probably a fair score.
Everything else is working. Defensively all is well. The midfield is dominating. The only thing to not be as refined as needed is the attack. The couple of chances that Italy has made has been when the players have made runs and got open. They can not wait for Pirlo to deliver them in (which has been going on quite a bit), but they need to anticipate what to do and then do it. France also seem to have difficulty passing defending duties from one player to another, and that needs to be exploited.
2nd Half:
The 2nd half will hopefully be better than the first. This is a game that features two really good teams and that just so even with each other that there is no separating them. I would not be surprised if this game ends in a tie, just hopefully one that is 1-1 or 2-2, not 0-0. Italy wasted no time getting into the attack. In the 59th minute, Cammoranesi hit a 25m bomb that almost caught the French keeper by surprise. He did well though, tipping the ball over to preserve the shut-out----for now. France fired back in the 62nd minute with Anelka. The Bolton man walked in past the Italian defenders, but was stopped by Buffon with an excellent save. The remaining 35 minutes simmered down after the initial fireworks. Both teams are playing really well in a transitional sense, not really leaving any holes for either team to exploit. In one sense it is good to watch, but in the other sense it is quite boring. The game ended 0-0, and the teams were more or less equal. France came in, looking to draw, and that is what they did. The fact that all of the Italian subs were for their attackers really speaks for itself. Italy needed to have an offensive punch and that really just didn’t not happen. Del Piero, Inzaghi, and Cammorenesi really should be disappointed with their performance. If they aren’t going to produce anything for Italy, than they really shouldn’t be playing. It has to be said, however, that the substitutes for them really didn’t do much either. Maybe it was down to good defending from France. Either way, the game ended 0-0, which was probably a fair score.
MOTM: Andrea Pirlo---great passing, ran the midfield to perfection today.
Coaching Points:
I say all the time "speed up attack", and Ill admit, it sounds redundant. But, Italy really proved my point today. France were slow on the attack today, and Italy had the answer to every question that France could ask. Here is how:
In this picture here is the basic defensive set-up for Italy (in blue). They played a 433, and when it was set up there was a block of 4 defenders, and then a group of 3 interchangeable midfielders that all contributed on the defensive side. Those players were Gattuso, Pirlo, and De Rossi, and they were drilled to play as a group very well.
Now, look at this:
The ball has been put on the foot of one of the center midfielders. Notice the 3 defenders, giving the Italians pressure, cover, and balance. Now it looks like there is no balance because the who left side is open, but hence on to the next side. Also, notice the passing lanes into the two strikers---or last there of.
Here is the transition from CM to the other CM:
the three CM's from Italy moving, where the 2nd defender now gives pressure, the 3rd (balance defender) movies into the 2nd (covering) defender, and then the 1st (pressure defender) moves down to the 3rd defender.
Here is the final shape:
Now there are 3 defenders at the ball. There are also no passing lanes for the strikers. With this transitioning with the 3 Cms, it leaves very little openings for France. It is no wonder to me how France didnt score. Attacking from the counter and with speed can negate this whole situation, and that is what France didnt do. Bravo for Italy and their defending, they are the best in the world at it. It is all about keeping shape, transitioning, and defensive triads, and Italy do all these things well.
Up Next: England v Russia.
Friday, September 7, 2007
The Short, Short, Long System
I recentley watched the Madrid derby, pinning both halves of Madrid (Real and Athletico) against eachother. As I was taking notes on this match, I was really impressed with this game and the style of play of these teams. I lost my notes to the game, and I really dont feel like watching it again. Therefore, I will just do the coaching points. I will admit that I was somewhat ignorant to the style of the Spanish game, and often went on the misnomer of "the players look good becuase the defending is crap". How wrong I was. I like to look at the happeneings of games, and not just take them for what they are (a shot on goal, a goal, etc.), but take them for how they became to be. Now, there was a reason for this "bad defending". Generally I will say that it is becuase of the very good spacing and technical abilities of the players, but in the Madrid derby it was a Short, Short, Long system. Athletico put it to use better than Real, and it really made me stand up and take notice. In Simao and Maxi Rodriguez, Athletico have some very good wingers. They use them very well, and this is how:
The general set up looked like this, with both teams playing a somewhat 442 system.
the guys with arrows are guys that are converging to a point to set up this SSL system. The goal of SSL is to draw the defending in to create space in the midfield for the attacking-minded players. The orange is attacking and blue is defending.
Now, here is the main doings of the system:
The general set up looked like this, with both teams playing a somewhat 442 system.
the guys with arrows are guys that are converging to a point to set up this SSL system. The goal of SSL is to draw the defending in to create space in the midfield for the attacking-minded players. The orange is attacking and blue is defending.
Now, here is the main doings of the system:
the red circled area is the area with the arrows in the previous slide. The ball starts with the furthest forward player, the CM in this case. He has a SHORT pass to another CM, than the second CM has another SHORT pass to the right back, who then hits a LONG, crossfield ball into the winger who is making the run from deep. The defensive set-up is very common, with the left back giving aid to the central defenders, and leaving the wide man with more room. This leaves a little margin for error for the attacking right back when playing the crossfield ball. I can not say how much I loved seeing this. Two of my favorite happeneings in a football game are hitting players running in from deep and a good counter attack. Well, this game had both. Athletico would corral the ball, do the SSL, and then send one of the wingers free down the side. Pure magic.
Here is the outcome of this:
now the winger is free, the left back is failing to keep up, and the forwards are both rushing in, hoping to recieve the ball and put a simple tap in into the net.
that is how it works. Drawing defenders in, creating space, than exploiting the space. A lot of football is like that, setting up attacking moves from areas that are much deeper into your own defensive thrid. There are many different ways to approach a game, a lot of which I am not familiar with. If everyone one I learn is as enjoyable to watch as this one than I can not complain.
Matches for this week:
Italy v France
England v Russia
Monday, September 3, 2007
HSV vs. Bayern
HSV 1-1 Bayern
Klose
Klose
Zidan
First Half:
This is one of the highlight matches of the Bundesligafixture schedule, and hopefully it will not disappoint. Ribery, who was rumored to have to miss this match due to injury is making the start. Van der Vaart, the HSV kingpin, is not starting. The first 35 minutes were back and forth, with no team really gaining the upper hand. The closest opportunity to score came in the 13th minute when Trachovsky’s free kick needed a very good save by Oliver Kahn to keep the score level. An interesting fact: this is the first game that Bayern haven’t scored in the first 30 minutes of a Bundesliga game. I wish they would score, and that would open it the game up and force HSV to attack. The last 15 were a bit more pacey with some good end to end action. This game has been a midfield slugfest that has featured two good German teams that seem to be even with eachother. Both sides are like two prize heavyweight boxers just slugging it out and neither of them look likely to budge.
First Half:
This is one of the highlight matches of the Bundesligafixture schedule, and hopefully it will not disappoint. Ribery, who was rumored to have to miss this match due to injury is making the start. Van der Vaart, the HSV kingpin, is not starting. The first 35 minutes were back and forth, with no team really gaining the upper hand. The closest opportunity to score came in the 13th minute when Trachovsky’s free kick needed a very good save by Oliver Kahn to keep the score level. An interesting fact: this is the first game that Bayern haven’t scored in the first 30 minutes of a Bundesliga game. I wish they would score, and that would open it the game up and force HSV to attack. The last 15 were a bit more pacey with some good end to end action. This game has been a midfield slugfest that has featured two good German teams that seem to be even with eachother. Both sides are like two prize heavyweight boxers just slugging it out and neither of them look likely to budge.
Coaching Points:
Hamburg Coaching Points:
Hamburg Coaching Points:
Get the ball wide: of the minimal offensive success for Hamburg, the better part of that has been on the flanks. Bayern are increadably hard to beat when you allow them to become compact easily, so they should not allow this to happen, and the best way to do it is to spread the defense out.
Do not allow Bayern to counter: After watching the Bayern v Bremen game, it is apparent to me that Bayern can counter attack with brilliant pace and brilliant execution. HSV can not allow them to do this, because it could be the difference between 1 point and 3.
Bayern Coaching Points:
Attack with speed: HSV are very good and hunkering down and playing defensivly. Bayern have to counteract this with a lot of speed in the attack and width. They should be playing their game at 100mph for the second half if they want to win.
Keep HSV in front of them: HSV are a team that doesn’t have that much speed, but they have a lot of players with good vision that are able to slip players in behind the defense. If Bayern don’t allow this to happen I really cant see HSV scoring in the second half.
2nd Half: the second half started in the same combative manner that characterized the first half. 15minutes passed and the game has started to heat up. Bastian Schweinsteiger was cautioned for a rash challenge of Boateng. I have noticed the brilliance that is HSV’s defensive game plan. They all know what to do, and are very organized. That makes it incredibly hard to break down as FC Bayern are finding out. In the 69th minute, miro klose struck. The ball came in from the right side by Christian Lell. Klose was poaching in the center of the penalty area. He finished the ball with some ease to make the game 1-0 in favor of the southerners. After the goal, Huub Stevens was forced to put on Zidan, who is a forward thinking player on for Olic. The game has settled down for a bit, and HSV are trying to look for the breakthrough. In the 82nd minute, Bayern almost scored again via an own goal when the 18 year old Moteng deflected a corner against his own post. In the 87th minuted, Momo Zidan scored a very good goal. Zidan entered the box with the ball, danced around a few defenders, and then lost the ball. It fell to Jarolim, who then lost it, but it fell to Zidan. Zidan then instinctively put the ball in the back of the net to deservedly level the game. The game ended 1-1, which is a good score for both teams. A well fought and well deserved draw.
2nd Half: the second half started in the same combative manner that characterized the first half. 15minutes passed and the game has started to heat up. Bastian Schweinsteiger was cautioned for a rash challenge of Boateng. I have noticed the brilliance that is HSV’s defensive game plan. They all know what to do, and are very organized. That makes it incredibly hard to break down as FC Bayern are finding out. In the 69th minute, miro klose struck. The ball came in from the right side by Christian Lell. Klose was poaching in the center of the penalty area. He finished the ball with some ease to make the game 1-0 in favor of the southerners. After the goal, Huub Stevens was forced to put on Zidan, who is a forward thinking player on for Olic. The game has settled down for a bit, and HSV are trying to look for the breakthrough. In the 82nd minute, Bayern almost scored again via an own goal when the 18 year old Moteng deflected a corner against his own post. In the 87th minuted, Momo Zidan scored a very good goal. Zidan entered the box with the ball, danced around a few defenders, and then lost the ball. It fell to Jarolim, who then lost it, but it fell to Zidan. Zidan then instinctively put the ball in the back of the net to deservedly level the game. The game ended 1-1, which is a good score for both teams. A well fought and well deserved draw.
MOTM: The whole Hamburg team
They played really well as a team and I can not find a player that deserves it more than another. FC Bayern were the favorites, so the MOTM goes to the team that was the underdog.
HSV used the 451/433 system today to perfection. they attacked as a team, defended as a team, and that brings my to my coaching points section about the system that they used.
Coaching points: Why I love the 433/451 system.
What comes easiest to anyone is what comes natural. I believe this holds true also on the field. The 433/451 system is one that really encourages a natural occurrence of good offensive and defensive shape. Triads of players are one of the fundamental building blocks of the actual game in of itself, and the natural development of these triads are what you see in this system.
Here is the basic formation:
What comes easiest to anyone is what comes natural. I believe this holds true also on the field. The 433/451 system is one that really encourages a natural occurrence of good offensive and defensive shape. Triads of players are one of the fundamental building blocks of the actual game in of itself, and the natural development of these triads are what you see in this system.
Here is the basic formation:
Now look and see the natural triads of players. They are all over, with all three central midfielders linking with each other or even with the wing forwards.
Defensively, the formation really just falls back into a very compact defensive set-up. Look at this slide, and follow the arrows:
The 3 midfielders fall back and plug the holes left in between the flat-back 4. This also creates a defensive triad. The importance of defensive triads is getting someone to pressure the ball, someone to give cover for the 1st defender, and then a third person to give balance to the formation so the two committed defenders do not leave a gaping hole for the attacking team to exploit.
This next slide demonstrates the final defensive positions:
Notice all of the defensive triads that can be formed with the wing forwards, outside full backs, center fullbacks, and midfielders. They are all over the place and are naturally occurring. There is also help for the outside backs by the wing forwards. Sometimes the wing forwards will not retreat as far, so that isn’t always an option. The counter-attack is still on because of this formations natural width. To find the general shape of the counter-attack, just reverse the arrows on the slide with the arrows.
Compare this with the defensive shape of the 442:
Now one may say “look at those triangles also”, but they are not naturally occurring. They are un-natural triangles. they would pull defenders out of position and really compromise the shape of the defensive set-up. With the 442 there is a large amount of responsibility put on the individual players to not get beat.
So that is why the 433/451 system for me, is the best system. I like the natural feel of it. For players to succeed they have to be put in a position to succeed, and I believe the system I have shown allows players to do that.
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