No. 7 Shirt

Time for the youth to progress

2008-07-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Pique Leaving

2008-05-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

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.

United v Everton

2007-09-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

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.

England v Russia

2007-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

Italy v France

2007-09-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

The Short, Short, Long System

2007-09-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

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 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

HSV vs. Bayern

2007-09-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

HSV 1-1 Bayern
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.

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.

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:

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.

United vs. Sunderland

2007-09-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

United 1-0 Sunderland
Saha

First Half
The first half of this game was very, very boring. United came out in their typical 2007/2008 form, passing well, playing well, keeping possession, but not scoring. Watching the game as a United fan there is a bit of a feeling of restlessness creeping into me. I fear that this game could be going into the same form as the other pitiful draws. It is a frustrating half, because when you have that much possession it is vital that you come away with a goal. Anderson, who is getting his first start, looks lost. He has a good future at United, but it isn’t showing this game. He needs time to adjust to the English game, and maybe some reserves games would help him. United have plenty of match-winners on their team, it is now just a matter if they show up or not. If I were Sir Alex, there would be no doubt in my mind that a pure center forward needs to be on the field.

United coaching Points:

Patience, patience, patience. The chances will come. It is important that United don’t rush and they play their game. Do not make the job easier for Sunderland.

Come out of the gate fast: for the first 15 minutes United need to pile on the pressure. Get a goal before the 60th minute and the game is as good as over. Every minute from here on out sunderland are going to get more confident.

Sunderland coaching points:

Make it hard for United: You have played well so far, so don’t let up. United have the task on them to score, and sunderland does not need to aid them. Make it hard for United by keeping good defensive shape, don’t over-commit on the challenges, and make them earn their goals.

2nd Half:
Sir Alex made the substitution that needed to be made, brining on Saha for Anderson. Saha had an immediate impact, and almost scoring on a full volley after he settled the ball on his chest. United were now playing with more shape, stretching the field and making it difficult for Sunderland to keep their compact shape. All credit to Sunderland though, they played well. They did not give United a lot of easy chances, but the one they did proved to be vital. In the 72nd minute, the tipping point finally came. Off of a Nani corner, Saha hit the ball with the back of his head into the goal. For my money, Gordon needed to come off of his line to get that and the defending could have been a bit more tighter. Still, I don’t care, United were up 1-0. The rest of the game was characterized by United killing the game off, and quite effectively. The final whistle was blown and United unconvincingly won the game 1-0.

Recap:
United won because they played Sunderland. Any better team and that is a draw. United were dominating, but as Arsenal know, that only goes so far. The ball eventually needs to be put past the keeper and Saha seemed like the only one out there willing to do it. With the suspension to Ronaldo and injury to Rooney, United looked very poor and not very fluid. With both of them being back (hopefully Rooney will be fit) in two weeks against Everton, it is vital that United do not drop any more points and start to play better. The addition of Saha really won this game for United. He was always on the last defender, ready to be slipped in past the defense. Saha kept the Sunderland back line honest and it was important because of the attention turning towards Saha and off of Tevez and Nani. Tevez will need to step it up if he is going to play when rooney comes back. His performance levels have been sub-par at best and he looks lost. He defended well today, but why is he defending? He was dropping back further than Scholes at some points, which is not good. Hopefully Tevez isn’t one of those players that needs to have the offensive strategy based around him, because that is not how United work. All in all, the saying is “3 points are 3 points” and I guess that is all there is to say.

MOTM: Luis Saha—he stretched the field and got the vital winner today.

Just some housekeeping:
I am going to update the Madrid Derby in midweek. I am working on it pretty hard and it will include a lot of slides and coaching points.

Other games for this round:
HSV vs. Bayern Munich

United vs. Spurs

2007-08-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

United 1-0 Spurs
Nani

1st Half

The first half started with a bang. Right off the kickoff a miss-step by United allowed some neat interplay between Berbatov and Keane, that ended with Robbie Keane hitting the topside of the cross bar. The game settled down for the next 15minutes, with Spurs having most of the possession. United then came back, showing signs of life. Tevez is playing very awkwardly today. Before he was very visible as the center forward, checking in and receiving the ball, and today that is not the case. He is all over the place, waiting for the other players to find his feet. It is really distracting the United formation and general field shape. United remained in possession of the more meaningful play for the rest of the half. With all the possession, there is no end product. This is really worrying me, because the need of an end product has been the thorn in the side of the United team this year. Hopefully in the second half United will turn the screw and finally put on in the back of the net.

Coaching points for Manchester United:
Attack with speed: United are at their best when they are attacking with speed and a lot of width. Playing that 451 allows them to employ another midfield player, who should be able to allow United to spread the field without really compromising that much defensively. Those sweeping moves that start with the right midfielder and end with the left midfielder are the ones that produce goals.
Don’t lose focus: It almost happened to Rio. He lost focus and almost allowed Berbatov to go in on the United goal without any defending. This cant happen if United are going to win.

Coaching points for Spurs:
Counter attack: United are going to pile on the pressure, and the best way to relieve that is to counter-attack a couple times to get the field more spread out.
Put Defoe or Bent on for Berbatov: I lover Berbatov, but this isn’t the game for him. He has been virtually invisible this game and he is the type of player who needs service. He isn’t getting it, and it shows. With Bent of Defoe, that gives spurs some faster options for the counter attack. With Keane on one side spreading the defense and Defoe on the other, it could work if done with speed. If United come out guns a’ blazing, this may be the only way to score.

2nd Half

The beginning of the second half mirrored the first. Tottenham took the game to United for about 15 minutes, but could not score. Fireworks erupted after that, however, as controversy ruled. The situation that was the most debated was with Wes Brown. Here is the play:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2075234887133771044&q=wes+brown+handball&total=1&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Now, my opinion is that there is no penalty. I believe this because of no conclusive evidence that the ball hit Wes Brown’s arm. Webb can not be 100% sure, and therefore he can not award the penalty. There are just too many aspects about that play that make it hard to call the penalty rightfully. Wes Brown obviously had no intention of playing the ball (look at his arm movements), and therefore even if it did hit his arm, that doesn’t mean it is a penalty. Webb could not give that penalty because there STILL isn’t any conclusive evidence either way. After that incident, United struck. Nani, who looked to be the best player for United in the 1st half, hit a wonderous shot from 30yds out that found the back of the net. The shot took a slight deflection off Tevez, but he should not get claim. The ball was going in anyway because of the amount of venom that Nani hit the ball with. Tottenham piled on the pressure for the remaining part of the game, eventually losing out to a less than convincing Manchester United side.

Final thoughts for Spurs: tough loss today. United didn’t look very good, but yet Spurs still lost. The continued lack of fortitude through the middle of the park really hurt spurs today. Berbatov looked lively, and Keane was non-existant.

Final thoughts for United: good win. Nani’s strike came out of the blue and proved to be vital. When your opponent has periods in the game where they have a lot of possession, it is important not to concede. United dealt with those threats well and did not concede. Sometimes a magical piece of skill is what it takes to win the game and Nani sure provided that.

Oops

2007-08-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but I am not going to do a review of Liverpool and chelsea. I have been too busy and everyone knows about the game anyway. That was going to be my big "coaching points" topic, but it just hasnt come to be. I apologize.

The games this week are:

Real Madrid vs. Athletico Madrid
Manchester United vs. Spurs
PSG vs. Lille

If I can get my hands on the U17 game of England and Brazil that will substitute for PSG and Lille

City vs. United

2007-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

City 0-1 United

Geovanni

1st half
The first 20 minutes of the first half started with total Manchester United domination. They are moving the ball from side to side, but not creating chances. The midfield is too compact with Scholes, Carrick, and Hargreaves in it. Micah Richards is playing a great game it has to be said. Then, City get a break. Geovanni takes a shot, hits it off Vidic, and goes in, 1-0 City. United fans all around are cursing their luck. There is no justification for it. City have had 1 shot on goal and it goes in. United do need to create more, but they also need to be the beneficiary of some kind of luck. There needs to be one break to go their way to turn a half chance into a full chance, and maybe we can get a goal that way. There really isn’t much else to say. Same old book, just a different chapter this year for United. Dominate the game, but don’t score, and then let the other team score. It is really frustrating because this kind of story was not told last year.
Manchester United Coaching points:
Switch to a 442: this seems to be a rallying cry from United fans. I am not trying to rally, but reason. I am saying this because United need to take Richards out of the game. With a 451/433, there is a out and out striker. Tevez is in that role for this game. Richards is playing so well, that it is impossible to get around him with speed and with only 1 person. With a 442 you add another decoy in there to be marked by Richards and allow Tevez to play off the other center half. So that is what I would do if I was Sir Alex. I would switch to a 442 and put the striker right on Richards. Sort of invert the marking process. I would make sure that the 2nd striker is being marked by Ricahrds, then take advantage of the other center half.
Do no get lackadaisical on defense: One more blip on the defensive side will cost United the game, period.
Manchester City coaching points:
Do not get careless: You have the lead, so keep it. Stay focused, stay organized, and you can win the game.
Force United to shoot from 20+ yds out: If you have to allow United to shoot, allow them to shoot from 20+ yds. They are a team that can break a lot of teams down, but if you stay organized and create a forcefield around your own 18yd box, than you will win. If United score from 20+ yds out, then so be it. Make them score from there and not from 6yds.

2nd Half:
Different half, same story. Complete United domination that led to nothing. This is sad, disgusting, and intolerable. United played like a bunch of mugs today and they deserved to lose. When you don’t look like you give a toss than you will lose. When you allow yourself to be dominated in midfield by an inferior Manchester City side, then you deserve to lose. When you do not have the fortitude to take your team by the coller and carry them to victory, you deserve to lose. I don’t want to summarize the half because it is very redundant to the first half and isn’t even worth talking about.
I firmly believe that United have got to play a 433 when everyone is healthy. Today showed me that between Scholes, Carrick, and Hargreaves, that they can cover a lot of ground in the midfield. They cover so much ground that putting all of them in the center of midfield is not going to do any good, because they just continue to run over eachothers’ feet.

Man of the Match: Micah Richards. He was out of position many times, but his increadable speed allowed him to recover and defend very well. He was monumental in the game and his influence was prevalent from minute 1.

I am worried about this team. As of now, there is no killer instinct. Last year these games were no problem for United. Games where they needed to just nick one goal at the death they were able to do. Maybe it is because of Rooney and Ronaldo’s absence, but hopefully we will not drop too many points and get ourselves out of the title race before they return.

Bremen vs. Bayern

2007-08-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Bremen 0-4 Bayern
Ribery (pen)
Toni
Altintop
Ottl

1st half

The first part of the half started with a tug-of-war between the two styles of play. Bremen seemed content to try and counter attack, with Bayern eager and very attacking minded. Bremen have dealt with the constant barrage of the Bayern Munich attack pretty well. Bremen seem to be running a zonal-type defense, and that is working well with the 442 that Munich are using. Ribery, Schweinsteiger, and Van Bommel seem to all have free-roles, so a zonal defense is the only way to go. It is a quite good system of attacking play by Bayern. Ribery sort of has the “play-maker” role, being allowed to roam all over the field. Van Bommel and Schweinsteiger just sort of roam and fill in the voids left by Ribery. With these 3 fluid midfielders, it is very impressive that Bayern are able to keep their width and shape. Bayern are a very well drilled team. Meanwhile, for Bremen, they are having all sorts of problems getting any success going forward. Diego is the heart a soul of this team’s attacking game plan. Thorsten Frings is not playing, and his defensive presence in the midfield is really missed by Bremen and Diego. Without Frings, Diego is forced to help defend and therefore can not get as much forward as possible to help Sonogo and Almeida. The storyline changed in the 31st minute, when Frank Ribery scored from the penalty spot. Luca Toni won the penalty. It wasn’t a dive, but it must be said he was looking for the penalty. It is disappointing from Bremen’s point of view. To defend well then concede like that is a bit disappointing. That was all the scoring in the second half.

Bayern Coaching Points for 2nd half:

Keep playing the same way- It is effective and working

Keep the pressure on- Bremen are not even close to scoring, so keep the pressure on and they wont score

Bremen Coaching Points for 2nd half:

Get Almeida and Sonogo playing togeather- I am not sold on Almeida after watching him in the UEFA U21’s, and he is not proving me wrong. He has a hard time getting involved with other players. He has sub-poor off the ball movement and he is easily marked out of a match. Sonogo is doing well on his own, but he needs help.

Get forward- the current situation is not working. I would go and put a defensive midfielder in to allow Diego to get forward, slow down the attack to get more involved, and try to score a goal that way.

Stay sharp defensively- the current defensive system is working, don’t break it.

2nd Half
There is a substitution: Altintop on for Klose. I think Bayern are going to switch to a 451, with Altinop being an attacking midfielder and Toni playing the lone role as striker. In the 51st, Bremen had a corner that they did not set up properly. I say this because after the corner was played in, Altintop went on the break, by himself, not challenged, into the box. He slid the ball over to Luca Toni who finished quite easily. Questions have to be asked about where was the defensive cover to guard against that kind of counter attack. Well done by Bayern, but how many times is Bremen going to shoot themselves in the foot for committing so many stupid mistakes? If Naldo and other defenders are going forward, than midfielders need to drop back to break that attack up. The game was pretty much the same type of game that was played in the 1st half. In the 78th minute, another bullet game from the gun that is continually pointed at Bremen’s proverbial foot. This is sad for Bremen. Again, not enough players back from a corner. The corner was cleared, gathered by Ribery who used a bit of magical skill to get by the Bremen defender. Ribery ran up field untouched, played the ball to Toni who found Altintop. What a substitution by Bayern to bring in the speed and skill of Hamit Altintop. For Bremen though, come on. Bremen need to realize that Bayern are faster than them and they need to adjust accordingly. In the 86th minute, Andreas Ottl uncorked a phenomenal strike. Again, no defending by Bremen. No one closes down on Ottl when he receives the throw in. After Ottl received the throw in, he took 1 touch and just unleashed a shot into the upper corner of Wiese’s goal. Wiese has had no chance today, and I feel for him. That ends the agony for Bremen. 4-0 is the final. When you cant get constant pressure in the attacking end and you defend like Bremen did, don’t expect to win much. Frings would have helped immensely, so don’t underestimate that. Bayern are a very, very good team. My prediction was at least CL Semi-finalists next year, and I am not at all scared by that prediction. This Bayern team is good, and should run away with the Bundesliga title this year.

Man of the Match:

Frank Ribery. He pulled the strings for Bayern today. He was the creative force that led them to victory. Couple his influence with a goal to his name and this choice is a no brainer.

United vs. Pompy

2007-08-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Pompy 1-1 United

Scholes

Benjani

1st Half
This was a very entertaining half, much more so than Reading vs. United last week. United have shown a sense of ability to rebound, but maybe that is just a result of having a dedicated striker on the field. Carlos Tevez is making his debut with United today, and he is showing a lot of class. I knew he was a good player, but after watching him at length I really get it know as to why he is so good. Tevez is going to bring United the title. He has an ability to play that role of lone striker very well, and will help United continue to play well when Rooney is injured. The only goal came from Paul Scholes, as he was the beneficiary of some majestic play by United. The ball was swung left to Nani, who cut back to his right foot and crossed in a pin-point ball for Tevez, who controlled the ball excellently, then laid the ball of to Scholes who hit an absolute screamer from 25yds out. United had most of the play and chances, and it will be interesting to see what Redknapp does to counter this momentum.
Coaching points for United: Continue to transistion the ball from side to side. There are a couple of lazy midfielders for Pompy and United need to keep exploiting that. Also, focus the majority of the passing through Tevez.
Coaching point for Pompy: give the right back some help. Get the midfielders tracking back and work on solid defensive shape.

2nd Half
The second half started very calm, except on 54 minutes when Taylor crossed the ball into Benjani who was unmarked and headed the ball right into the bottom corner. The second part of the half was a lot of back and forth. Pompy had a guy sent off for two yellows, making it 11v10. Steve Bennett didn’t really have anything hard to decide, but somehow still decided to screw up the game. Ronaldo apparently head-butted someone, but the replays that I saw showed he just leaned in---and Bennett gave Ronaldo a straight red. Then he carded two players, one for Pompy and one for United for the ensuing mish-mash. Bennett is a disgrace to the officials of the league for his constant barrage of cards and absurd decisions. There was no reason to card the players for the resulting mess, and no need to straight red card ronaldo. Ronaldo we being set-up the whole game and Bennettt needed to step in and stop it. Bennett though, being a complete tosser, just waited until Ronaldo overacted, then Bennett himself overreacted. Steve Bennett is a complete fool and I will be glad when he leaves the refereeing all together. Game ended 1-1 and now I have a sour taste in my mouth. Disappointing that one laps on defense can drop you 2 points.

MOTM: Paul Scholes.

He had a magnificent strike for the goal and his passing tonight was world class.

Coaching Points: Why Rooney and Tevez will be able to play together

The impending question for the past couple of weeks has been if Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez will be able to play with each other. The answer is yes, and with that I will add that they will play very well with eachother. Here is why:
Tevez showed tonight just how good he is. There are maybe only 2 or 3 strikers in the world that can do what he can, and that is have the ability to hold the ball up, as well as be that striker that can play off a bigger forward. With him and Rooney that gives Tevez the responsibility to play as the striker that acts as the focal point of the offensive system. This is what it is going to look like and what I saw a lot of Tevez doing tonight:

Tevez checked to the ball a lot tonight, and received it from either Carrick of Scholes (Tevez’s bubble fills up for him having the ball). What Tevez did was find the wingers (in this case Nani) because of the collapsing defense on the central Giggs and Tevez. When Tevez checked into the deeper positions, it brought the defender with him, giving both Giggs and Ronaldo space in behind tevez. With a quick ball out to Nani and then another quick cross by Nani, giggs and Ronaldo had the ability to win that ball and get a shot in on goal. Now just switch Rooney in for Giggs, and Giggs in for Nani and you have the starting 11 with a bit more quality in front of goal with Rooney instead of Giggs.

Games that will be reviewed this upcomming week:

Manchester Derby

Liverpool vs. Chelsea

Werder Bremen vs. Bayern Munich

United vs. Reading

2007-08-12T11:00:00.001-07:00

United 0-0 Reading

1st Half:

The first half can be summed up in 3 words: Dominance by United. United had 64% of the possession and 7 shots. United look potent, but the final bit of luck or bit of skill just hasn’t been there. United are moving the ball very well and looking very fluid. Rooney and Giggs are playing well together; they are staying tight and combining well. The whole game has been played in Reading’s own half, but to be fair to them they have been resilient.
Coaching points for United: Rooney has great instincts for goal, but he needs to know when to go for the kill and when not to. There are times when Rooney tries to take on 3 and 4 Reading defenders, and obviously he loses the ball every time. Sir Alex needs to tell Rooney to keep getting the ball often, but if there is no obvious scoring opportunity to lay the ball off and find it again in 15 seconds. If Rooney can do that, then United can break through in the 2nd half.

2nd Half:
More of the same. I really wish there was something interesting to write about this game but it was a snoozer. The most interesting thing was Kitson getting sent of for being a tosser and going cleats up on Evra. Marcus Hahnemann played very well for Reading. He didn’t really make an incredible save, but he held his shots, gave no rebounds, and was very good in the air. I am very disappointed with Reading and how they played. They gave no effort to scoring, hence their 2 shots on target. They would get the ball and just whack it up field so they could get into position and defend again. I would at least like my team to act like they wanted to win, rather than sit back and admit they are not a good team and just try for the draw.
Rooney went out injured, hopefully nothing bad.

I wish there were some kind of talking points, but when United have to face 11 or 10 men all defending there really isn’t much you can do besides try and get some short passes and hope that the ball bounces your way once and you put that chance away. United didn’t do it, and therefore they are the first of the top 4 to drop points.
With an away trip to Pompy coming up, the start of the season could be a very disappointing one for United.

Man of the Match:
Marcus Hahnemann.

UPDATE: Due to the United fixture or Wednesday, I am going to review that one instead of the French game.

Newcastle vs. Bolton

2007-08-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

Newcastle 3-1 Bolton
Martins (x2)
Nzogbia
Anelka

The game started very lively, with Newcastle scoring 3 goals within the opening 27 minutes. Bolton came out flat and were punished. The scoring started with Charles N’Zogbia serving a free kick into the box and it simply went untouched and into the far side of the Bolton goal. The second Newcastle goal was the pick of the lot. The constant theme of Bolton’s defence playing like donkeys was ever present here, as Obefami Martins was allowed to drift into the box, control a cross in by Milner on his chest, and hit a bicycle-kick into the roof of the net. It was a fine finish by Martins, but questions need to be asked about the Bolton defending. The third goal was Martins drifting inside with the ball, taking on the defense, then he hit the ball off Faye’s leg around the outstretched Jaaskeleinen.
Bolton looked like they were going to start a comeback on 50minutes, when Nolan exposed the Newcastle back line by sending a beautiful through-ball into the path of Anelka who slotted home his 1st of the season. That was it for the scoring and it has to be said that Bolton looked disappointing to say the least. They gave Newcastle the game with the sloppy defending and the lack of intensity in the first half.
My thoughts: I can not get over how good of manager Big Sam is. He is a manager that has an effective style. I noticed a lot of similarities between his Bolton team and this Newcastle team. Dedication, commitment, and a sense of the game were all prevalent. Look at the diagram below:

This is why I like Sam Allardyce. He knows how to use the complete width of the field even with players that aren’t up to the caliber of Giggs and Ronaldo. Here in the diagram you see the ball (green small dot) with the Left Back. The type of style that Big Sam has put in is one that uses width and counter attacking abilities. This situation is an example of that. The black players are from Newcastle and the red from Bolton. The yellow players are from Newcastle, but are ones that are going to be involved in the counter attack. What happened here is 3 players (N’Zogbia, Martins, and Viduka) all converged in on the ball in order to develop triangles and help out the left back (Geremi). The other central midfielder, Butt (22), left the area in order to give room for Alan Smith. The four players now made a diamond shape, which has 4 different triangles in it. The goal of this passage was to hit the enterting Smith (17), who would then turn and hit the exiting Butt. Butt then was in control of a ball with the defense in the middle of a shift. Butt had an easy pass to James Milner down the left flank. Milner was able to get a cross off, but no goal could come from it.

This play, however, was an indicator of Sam’s system. He uses the converging defense as a way to expose them and start on the counter attack. I loved this style of play at Bolton and I have a feeling that Newcastle will start to play very good and attractive football.

Bolton on the other hand need to get some better back line players. Faye, Cid, Hunt, and Samuel will not cut it. They will get exposed all year long and I feel bad for Jussi Jaaskeleinen.

Premiership Predictions

2007-08-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here are my predictions for the 2007/2008 season of the Barclays Premier League:
1. Manchester United- Call me a homer, but I am picking them. I don’t see a weakness on their team. People may say defense is a bit weak, but with the return of Pique and Bardsley, United are deeper and younger at the back. In midfield there have been the acquisitions of Hargreaves, Nani, and Anderson, with the first two guaranteed to play a lot of first team football. Up top United have added Carlos Tevez to partner alongside Wayne Rooney. United going forward are quick, mobile, and talented, which is scary to other teams.

2. Chelsea- Chelsea have added to their team with Pizarro, Ben Haim, and Sidwell, but did they really add that much? Pizarro will be a spot-starter, Sidwell will not get much time, and Ben Haim is too slow and clumsy to deal with players like you will see in the “top 4” teams. “The Special One” is a great coach and has them playing a style that is very boring, but effective. One problem with Chelsea is going to be the African Cup of Nations. During the CAN Chelsea have two hard games that will end up in draws or losses ( Pompy away, Liverpool at home). They also are starting the year very frail and injured, but they will rebound.

3. Liverpool- Rafa has been spending money this summer—more than he has in the past. Liverpool have added players like Torres, Voronin, and Ryan Babel, but I don’t see that as enough firepower to amass the points needed to bridge the gap between last years’ top 2. Rafa is a tactical mastermind, but he seems to favor Europe. If Liverpool go into a squad rotation system, they will also drop points from the lack of chemistry. I think next year is Liverpool’s year, because Rafa will finally have a team in place that he molded.

4. Arsenal- Wenger is a coach with a lot to prove this year. He needs to prove that he can win without the departed Thierry Henry. Wenger has a group of players that are young, but experienced in the Premiership. They have the talent to get into 3rd, but the do not have the depth. Look for them to start strong a lose steam heading down into “squeaky bum time”, as Sir Alex Ferguson calls it.

5. Tottenham- The inverse of Arsenal. They didn’t really have any pivotal players leave, and they brought in two young starlets in Gareth Bale and Kevin-Prince Boateng. They are also the inverse because they have an inferior starting 11 to Arsenal, but a much better bench. They are very deep, and that is the reason that they fit into 5th. Berbatov and Keane will be potent as a striker force after they spent last year togeahter. If they mature Bale and Boateng then look out for them in the future. Right now, though, they don’t have the starting 11 or experience to break into the top 4.

6. Everton- I think that David Moyes has taken Everton as far as he can, but UEFA Cup isn’t that bad. Everton have added the likes of Phil Jagielka from Sheffield United and Steven Pienaar. To me, they really haven’t helped themselves at all in the off season. They will stay in the same general area in the table as last year. If they acquire Manuel Fernandes from Benfica, that will be a enormous boost for them. Fernandes is a stud and a great young talent.

7. Blackburn- Mark Hughes is a great coach. He has built Blackburn into perennial UEFA Cup qualifiers, and I don’t think anything will change. Blackburn have one of the better strike forces in the league, with McCarthy, Roberts, Derbyshire, and now adding Santa Cruz and talented Holland U21 star Maceo Rigters. David Bentley is also always improving on the wings for them, and the central midfield is held down well with Savage and Steven Ried. Morten Gamst is always a threat wherever he is on the field and on set pieces. As always, the back is held together by Brad Friedal, who is one of the more consistent keepers in the Prem.

8. Portsmouth- I like what Redknapp has done with this team. He has signed some good players, as well as inspiring the existing players that were there. Pompy have the ability to make a run at UEFA Cup, but I estimate that they will fall just short. Not enough fire-power coming from the bench for me. They have a couple of good bench players, but not a game changer.

9. Newcastle- Big Sam is the big addition for the Toon Army this year. Big Sam is a great coach and one that will lead Newcastle in a new and positive direction. They picked up a couple of good players in the off season. Inconsistency and injury will prevent them from getting higher in the table.

10. Aston Villa- The Villians have a good, solid squad. They have some good players and some not so go players. They are an average team and therefore get the average position.

11. Sunderland- Keano is starting his new career as a manager, and so far it has all been positive. The players at Sunderland respect Keane for getting them promoted and will run through walls for him. What he says will motivate them and by pure effort I believe that they post at the 11th spot. New keeper Gordon will really help them and be at least worth 10 extra points this year.

12. Bolton- The loss of Sam Allardyce hurts them big time. Big Sam was a good coach for this team and one that up till now has been underrated. After the Trotters finish in 12th next year people will finally realize that he was the heartbeat of the team. Nicholas Anelka is the key man, and if he wants out and leaves expect them to possibly fall lower.

13. Manchester City- Sven Goran Eriksson is the new boss here and there have been many changes. Because of all these changes, I can see City going into a free-fall during the start of the season. It will take this team a while to get to know each other and be able to play with each other. For this reason they are going to drop far before they can go up in two years.

14. Reading- People may raise a few eyebrows at this pick, but they would have too if last year I picked Wigan to finish 17th. Coppell wont drag these boys that far down and will be a better manager than Paul Jewell was. They will be fun to watch, but I just see them getting the 2nd year blues.

15. West Ham- The Hammers have had a very adventurous offseason with the departure of Tevez and all the court cases. If they get a points reduction they will fall lower than this. A lot of talent on this squad, but can they play together? We will find that out, but I will assure you they will be better than last year, but not by that much. The return of Dean Ashton is the key for them this season.

16. Middelsborough- Boro improved this year, but not as much as everyone else. They are a good team, but a team that just doesn’t have what it takes to climb to latter. The players love Southgate, but how will the second year workout? This team is one injury away to Yakubu from not scoring any goals.

17. Fulham- Craven Cottage is going to have a relegation scare. Lawrie Sanchez has what it takes to take a team with little talent (ie. N. Ireland) and make them play very well. I think he will be the key for this team. Fulham have to be consistant this year, because if they get into a run where they lose 4 or 5 in a row, they could easily get relegated.

18. Wigan- They are going downhill. The next step: down to the Championship

19. Birmingham- They just flat out don’t have the players to compete in the league. Steve Bruce may feel some heat from the new owner, and that could hinder his ability to coach.

20. Derby- What else is there to say? A Championship team playing in the Premierleague.

Community Shield

2007-08-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

Community Shield
United 1-1 Chelsea
Giggs Malouda

A quick recap of the goals:
Giggs’ goal: After a horrible free kick that Ronaldo thumped right into the wall, Rio Ferdinand gathered the loose ball, sent a long, cross field pass to Evra. Evra laid the ball off to Ronaldo, who sent a clever through ball back to Evra with the outside of his foot. Evra slipped the ball into Giggs who was at the penalty spot. Giggs calmly placed the ball into the upper right side of the goal beyond the scrambling Cech and over the head of Ashley Cole.

Malouda: Malouda gathered the ball from the wide left area, dribbled into the box, outlasted the challenge of Ferdinand, and clinically put the ball into the back of the net with the outside of his foot. It must be said that Ferdinand made a mockery out of the play by allowing Malouda to get goal side and he never really put a challenge in.
In the penalty shootout, Van Der Sar saved all three from Pizarro, Lampard, and Wright-Phillips. Ferdinand, Carrick , and Rooney all put the ball in the back of the net to secure United the Community Shield.

Recap: I didn’t include much of a summary of the game because I am putting it here. What this game showed me is that both of these teams are going to play EXACTLEY like they did last year. Chelsea are going to continue to play boring, structured, stale, but effective football. They will only get many men forward on set pieces and when they build the play up from the back. Counter-attacking is not their style. It is hard to counter attack Chelsea, however, because they will foul if the instance comes up where they look like they could get countered. “The Special One” has taught them well and everyone at Chelsea has bought into his system.
United, on the other hand, will play attacking, adventurous, but not always effective football. United looked a bit frail at some points in the game. They will attack when the opportunity arises, but against Chelsea, the opportunity doesn’t always come. United have a tendency, when playing against good defensive teams such as Chelsea, to try too much to rely on one bit of magical skill to win the game. As is shown against AC Milan and against Chelsea, that doesn’t always come about.

Overall, it seems as both teams are getting into form, but not quite there yet. Their current form, for me, is good enough to beat both Reading and Birmingham, as that is what is called of them next week.

Two weeks from now games for review:
United vs. Reading
Bolton vs. Newcastle
Lens vs. PSG

If anyone has a game they would rather see reviewed, then let me know. I may change it.

United vs. Inter (pre-season)

2007-08-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

United 2-3 Inter Milan
Rooney
Adriano (o.g.)

Inter-
Suazo (x2)
Ibrahimovic

1st half
1st United goal was a work of art. It was a beautiful counter attacking involving ronaldo, who broke out from his own box and started up field. Ronaldo then saw Evra on an over-lapping run and slipped him through, who then slid the ball into the middle, dummy by giggs, missed by eagles, and smashed home into the lower left by Rooney. Inter’s 1st was not as pretty. A cross in by Figo, missed header by evra, a mish-mash ball popped out to suazo who was offside and hit home. Inter’s 2nd was a bit better. Evra was caught with ball and had it nicked off him. Quick passing set up ibrahimovic to score clinically at the front post. Poor defending by united in the center once again showed its ugly head. Inter’s 3rd was started by a give away at midfield that gave Inter a break. Evra was caught up the field making it 4v3 in Inter’s favor. More quick passing allows Suazo to have an open goal which he slots home coolly to the near post past van der sar.
2nd Half
In the second half United really had to chase the game. United game out with all guns blazing and tried to give the 73,000 + fans something to gawk about. The lone United goal came from a ball hit in by Ronaldo that was clinically finished by Adriano…..into his own goal. Adriano couldn’t have hit a better attacking header; unfortunately, he was not in his attacking end. United continued to chase the game, forcing good saves out of Julio Casear and Toldo, but the game ended 2-3, Inter.
Talking points:
United showed that they need some more match fitness before the beginning of the season. Inter, fresh off their run in the Emirates Cup, were noticeably sharper, in front of goal and defensively. United had some phenomenal one touch passing that even a team as good as Inter Milan could not keep up with. It is incredible to see passing by United that just forced Inter Milan to chase around like chickens with their heads cut off. Overall, though, this is preseason. United looked like they are needing to work a few more kinks out, but they are looking pretty good.
The one problem that I am worried about is the relationship between Ferdinand and Vidic in the middle of defense. In the first half they were horrible. It was if they were two strangers that have never met. The chemistry between two central defenders is something that is vital in any 4-man backline. In the second half they didn’t look as bad, but there just isn’t enough sharpness there. Hopefully this will be fixed by the time of the Community Shield.

FYI----
During the season I plan on reviewing 3 games every week. I plan on reviewing the United game, one game from the Premier League, and one game from another league in Europe. I apologize for not updating recently, but I was on vacation/ working 50 hrs the past week and haven’t had time. Work is winding down and I will have more time to review some games.

USA U20 vs. Austria U20 (Quarter Final)

2007-07-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

USA U20 1(1) – 2(1) Austria U20
Goals from:
Altidore
Okotie
Hoffer

First Half:
The first half was really pretty much a stalemate between the two sides. Both of them were trying to deal with the immense rain. The game was more or less played in midfield with Austria playing the better football for my money. They never really breached the USA defense, but they had more of what I call “meaningful possession”. Kavlak for Austria was a huge part of their midfield, and was the best player in the first half. He dominated midfield, running around like a pit bull but passing with the accuracy that is second to none. Kavlak has really grown up in this tournament and would be the player I would start my midfield with if I was creating a team out of this tournament. The goal for the USA came on a good cross by Freddy Adu that was headed home with some power by Jozy Altidore. The Austrian goal came off a long shot by Proedl that was fumbled by Seitz and Okotie was Johnny on the Spot to put the rebound in. Going into the second half I want to see if the USA can get through the midfield and get some possession. I also want to see if the USA can get a hold of playing on this surface in the rain. The pitch is artificial and it is raining, so the ball is quick but the USA needs to play better on the surface.

Second Half:
The second half started with more of the same Austrian possession game in the center of midfield. The USA eventually gained a bigger piece of the ball, but they still did not simplify the game enough to be effective in the rain. If you watch Austria in the second half you would have seen a team that did not try and play a perfect ball over the defense like the USA. The USA needs to realize that they had to try and break Austria down by playing short and quick passes, because Proedl is too good to let that happen. The rain started to stop and the pitch, being artificial, dried up very quick and that is another reason why I think the USA was able to get back into the game. Austria almost got a goal off of a Kavlak long range bomb that Seitz parried very well and then a follow up effort also saved brilliantly by Seitz. The second half more or less continued to be a tug of war between the two sides.
For my money the best two players in that half were Michael Bradley, Anthony Wallace, and Veri Kavlak.

Extra Time:
Extra time was more or less “same ol’, same ol’”. Both teams are creating chances and the game has opened up more or less because of fatigue creeping into the players. The main point for me is the continued complexity of the USA’s game. Altidore has been given very minimal amounts of service because the USA is playing a fast breaking, long ball, counter attacking style of game. USA was playing long balls, trying to spray them around the field, while Austria was moving the ball from side to side with quick 1 touch or 2 touch football. Kavlak was acting like a fulcrum between the right side of the team and the left side of the team. Sometimes Okotie was acting like that fulcrum, and when that is happening you know a team is playing how they want to play.
The turning point of the game was when Anothny Wallace was sent off for a rash challenge on Martin Harnik. Wallace played the second half brilliantly by shutting down Harnik but there was a trend that I have noticed while watching this game and watching Harnik in previous games. Harnik is a very well drilled player because when he is defending he pinches in, but when he is attacking you can bet he will be close to that right touchline. He is a very clever player that has a decent turn of speed and that catches a lot of left backs out. The game against Gambia he got the left back carded and then he should have gotten the guy sent off but the referee was generous. The same was in this game. Wallace played very well in that second half, but he was always alone. Wallace was going to ground as a last ditch effort many times against Harnik, and it was just a matter of time before he miss-timed one of those challenges and that is always going to be a yellow and the obligatory red. If Harnik was playing very narrowly than I don’t think Wallace was sent off, but that was not the case. On the ensuing set piece, the ball was lobbed in and “Jimmy” Hoffer scrambled the ball into the net, claiming the win for Austria.

Players of the Match:

Veli Kavlak:
I cant say enough about Kavlak. He is a player that is flying under a lot of people’s radar and a player that could be gotten on the cheap for a team that needs a good CM. He has such great field vision and he shows that in his passing. He is fearless in front of goal and will take a shot on from 30yds out, usually getting it on target. Defensively he is superb. His footballing brain allows him to get into places and get into areas that allow him to be influential in his tackling. He is a very hard player, but one who knows when to be hard and when to just delay. There was a situation where the USA was trying to counter attack and a player was running at Kavlak. The run was at an angle and when Kavlak confronted him the USA player pushed the ball forward anticipating Kavlak diving in. Kavlak instead just delayed and then slid into the ball, winning it, because the USA player pushed it too far ahead. Sheer brilliance. He is a brilliant player and a reason why I think that Austria has gone so far.

Rubin Okotie:
While I think Okotie needs a lot of development, that doesn’t mean he can’t have a good game. Okotie was all over the place, causing a lot of problems for the sub-par American defense. Okotie got his name on the score sheet and was a constant thorn in the American side. I bet Sturgis and Valentine will not be too disappointed to not play against Okotie tomorrow.

Michael Bradley:
This is the pity vote for the Americans. Bradley was a factor from the second half on. He was the engine for the Americans, trying to single handedly pull them back into the match. Where Kavlak gets into good positions by a good footballing brain, Bradley gets into defensive positions by tenacity and tireless running. Bradley tried to pick the USA team up by the scruff of the neck and get a winner. Unfortunately it didn’t happen for Bradley and the USA bowed up to a good Austrian team.

USA U20 vs. Uruguay U20

2007-07-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

USA 2-1 Uruguay Extra Time
Suarez
OG
Bradley

The first half was a half that showed a lot of talent, but really no finished product. Uruguay, like I expected, showed that they are no pushovers in the first half. They had their chances, but took none. The USA looked the more likely side to score, but that really hasn’t happened. I am writing this during the half time interval, so here is my key to the game for the USA:

Attack wide and with speed. Uruguay will be hard to beat if they are attacked slowly and deliberately. They are a very well organized team and you see that in their defensive bunker that they establish when the pace of the game slows down. There is always another player giving cover for the 1st defender as well as a 3rd defender giving balance. When the USA attacks with speed and width (also on the counter attack) that prevents Uruguay from getting settled in. The right and left back have also shown weakness when it comes to holding a guy up. It seems that all they have been coached to do is win the ball and when they are attacked with speed they have a tendency to foul, which results in a booking for a deliberate foul. I nominated Damien Suarez as a player to watch but I am revoking that at half time. He has shown me the real player that he is, and I am not really impressed. The Uruguayan centerbacks are not bad, so the USA needs to attack where they are weak, and that is out wide in the back.

The second half produced two goals. One was by my pre-match man to watch, Luis Suarez, and the other by either Akpan or another Uruguayan. Uruguay deserves to move on in my opinion, because the USA is playing like a bunch of numptys. The goal for Uruguay came with the run of play. Watching the game I could sense that a goal was going to come. It did, off of some poor defending from the Americans. I was looking away right at that moment, so I cant really say who was at fault, but I believe it was Perk, the keeper, who was at fault. Why wasn’t Seitz playing? He is the best keeper I have seen so far and it is ignorant and idiotic not to play him. The goal for the USA came off of a corner after they attacked fast and wide (Who would have thought? Maybe if they did it more often USA would have won already. Again, I am commenting during the interval.) Oh well, it is off to extra time and maybe penalties.

In extra time USA got a goal from Michael Bradley, who actually contributed to the match for once. He is more or less a hack in the center of midfield who gets praise from people for being an “enforcer”. Ill take Szetela and Rogers any day personally. The best way I can describe how Bradley scored was by saying he “Solskjaer-ed” the ball into the net (referring to how OGS scored to with the ’99 European Cup). Whatever, it’s a win.

Recap: I bet Erwin Hoffer is licking his lips at the shoddy USA defense. I am scared of what he will do, I am saying at least one goal. We had problems with Pato and Brazil, just think of what will happen against a bonafide striker in Hoffer.

Luis Suarez is a player that is under everyone’s radar, but I am here to tell you that he should no longer be. He is a very good player and is a player that stays involved in the game from a wide position which is hard to do. He has a good knack for where the ball is going to be and what he should do with the ball once he gets it at his feet. His instincts are very good and he has the physical abilities to be a very good player.

Best player for the USA today: Does no one work? Okay, sounds good. Maybe Szetela, but he should have added his name on the scoresheet.

Adu is moving to Europe this summer or whenever he turns 18. His skill and vision are incredible.

USA vs. Paraguay

2007-07-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Being it Independence Day and all, I am going to review the USA's latest Copa America game.

USA 1-3 Paraguay
Clark 3 Paraguayans

The USA really played well in this game, and in my opinion they were the better team for a large part of the team. The USA showed that their performance of Argentina was not an anomaly, but the base of the mountain. The USA had a lot of good passing, largely because of this:

Eddie Johnson was an actual forward today. He stayed up the pitch and really gave the United States some decent attacking shape. Even though many of you may say “but he plays so negative”. Eddie does tend to play negative, but in the position in the field where you NEED to be negative. I don’t want a forward taking on people anywhere in the midfield third. The role of the true striker is to get on the end of balls and finish them. Eddie Johnson does take on people, but only in the attacking third. With Eddie Johnson playing negative in the midfield third allows the United States to build the play.

It was not all gravy today for the USA. The center of defense was very weak today. Demerit and Conrad are not a good pairing. They are both “chasing” centerbacks. What I mean by that is that both of them chase the ball around the box trying to win the ball all over the place. The USA needs a player like Bocanegra in there to stay at home and clean up the mess. You can see this pairing in perfection when looking at Vidic and Ferdinand and Manchester United. Vidic goes and tries to win the ball while Ferdinand stays at home and cleans up the mess.

Our finishing was also crap. It is as easy as that. We could have scored at least 4 goals in this game. Twellman needs to get in better positions to score. He was good at linking the team together, but he is a striker at the end of the day and needs to get some better opportunities to score and needs to put them away.

Some of the positives:

Ricardo Clark and Benny Feilhaber. They are an incredible pairing together. They complement eachother very well. With Feilhaber only 22 and Clark 24, they can be together for a long time. Clark was very influential in the game, even getting on the scoresheet in the process. I am becoming really, really high on Benny Feilhaber. I am not joking one bit or taking the piss when I say he can be one of the best central midfielders in the world.

Drew Moor. He looked really good at that right back position. He was very calm and composed and did a very good job defensively. He was strong all game and was very calm under pressure for this being his first cap. There are good things going on at right back. Watch out for that Zizzou kid who plays RB for the U20’s, he is going to be good also.

All in all we really cant be too disheartened. Add Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, and Tim Howard to that side and we have a possible win.

U21 Final Review

2007-06-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

This game was essentially one sided. Holland was by far the better team and really showed why they are champions. Holland may not have been the flashiest (which was Portugal) team in the tournament, but they were they best coached and most organized.

The scoring went like this:

Holland 4-1 Serbia
Bakkal
Babel
Rigters
Mrdja
Bruins

Like I have said before, this game was all down to coaching and organization. Holland showed how to isolate players, and they really forced the attacking trio of Milovanovic, Baasta, and Rakic to plow their own furrows instead of combining and breaking down the defense. Too many times Serbia was forced to try and lob in passes and try to get some attacking flow that way. That will work a couple times, but it becomes too predictable and it is too easy to break up. Also, in order for this strategy to work you need to have some supporting players for the striker to lay the ball off to and they did not have that either.
One the other side, Serbia was not ready for the onslaught that came from Holland. Many times there were 4 or 5 players running free and open through, around, and across the Serbian defense. The wide fullbacks were caught out numerous times and Holland was there to pounce. Holland showed how to attack, and that is with width and speed. With the fullbacks being caught out and up the field, it was like letting the floodgates open. You had a situation like this

Center back, Centerback

Bakkal Rigters De Ridder
Babel (with Ball)

And Holland did this with a fair amount of speed, which really inhibited any Serbian players from retreating and helping out the other two Serbian players. Holland deserved to win this game, and it is nice to see a team win a final with such precision and free-flowing attacking movement.

Bakkal really impressed me. I have tried to compare him to a player and the best I can think of is Frank Lampard. He is always making runs at the defense either with or without the ball, he has a fair amount of strength, and he has a fairly good touch with the ball.

Rigters also showed a lot of mobility and adaptability in this match. He showed that when he needed to hold the ball up he was able to and when he needed to make a run or run at somebody with the ball he was also able to. He is going to be a good player if he doesn’t get overweight. I am not saying that this is going to happen, he just has the frame and body of someone that could get overweight. If he stays healthy and fit I could see him becoming the next Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

Overall, the U21 tournament was fun to watch. I like looking at the players and possible stars for the future. These are the players to watch for me:

Royston Drenthe
Manuel Fernandes
Manuel Veloso
Moutinho
Matt Derbyshire
Maceo Rigters
Otman Bakkal
Guisseppe Rossi
Giogio Chiellini
Nani

I know that is a lot, but I liked what I say from all these guys. Note, there is a little bit of a bias towards the teams that I watched the games of—I didn’t want too much England, Czech, Belgium, Serbia, or Italy.

Next Update: Maybe something on Copa America? I don’t know…we’ll see.

Recap: Holland U21 vs. Portugal U21

2007-06-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

The end score was 2-1, in favor of the Dutch. The game was probably the best that I have seen so far. The goals came from a Babel penalty, a well taken goal by Rigters, and finally a brilliant free kick by Veloso.

The key to the game for me was the inability for Hugo Almeida to stay in a target role to provide the adequate shape for the Portuguese team. Almeida was all over the place, even defending at some points (that weren’t a corner). This seems a lot of pin on one player, but the results had a snowballing effect. Since Almeida didn’t stay on the last defender and central, that forced Nani to cover for him, losing the width on the left side of the team. Why the coach put Moutinho as another forward also baffled me. Moutinho is the next Deco, you heard it here first. He does a lot of the work in midfield that Deco does. Deco is a great player, but often over shadowed on teams because of players like Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo taking the spotlight. Deco, though, is the heart beat of the teams that he plays on. As Deco goes, so does his team. Moutinho reminds me a lot of him because he practically looks like him, but he plays very similarly to him. Deco does a lot of the passing from the midfield to the strikers, just like Moutinho. Does Deco play out wide? No. Should Moutinho play out wide? No. With Moutinho naturally wanting to come inside to be that Deco-type player, that left Nani sometimes isolated. The offensive shape just wasn’t there for Portugal, and I think that is why they did not get a result from this game. If they got their game together offensively I think they could have put atleast 3 on the board against Holland. Donk and Jong-a-ping don’t impress me, and they could have been had.
Take no credit from Holland though, because they played well. Bakkal played really well for my money, as well as Rigters.

Players that impressed me:

Veloso: I have said before that I like Manuel Fernandes, but I think I may like this kid more. He really impresses me. He has a lot of good field vision, but doesn’t force anything. He is what you want in your holding midfield player, someone who can read the game and someone who doesn’t complicate things with the ball. He is a very good player and he has recently said that he is wanting to go to England. A good find for a team if they sign him. That freekick he scored on did not hurt his value either.

Bakkal: One word I have about this kid is: solid. Bakkal isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done. He is a 18-to-18 midfielder, playing a role in the attack but also a role defensively. He is a very effective midfielder, and someone who I think would excel in England. He puts in a lot of industrious work, which is always welcome in England.

Rigters: He won a penalty and scored a goal to cap off a very polished performance. Holland played a lot of counter-attacking football. Rigters was supposedly playing out wide in a 3-man striking partnership, but he drifted inside as Babel drifted out. Rigters plays a very clever brand of ball. He isn’t the fastest, but he is pretty strong and knows what he is doing. He was always in space and looking to get on the end of final balls that were played into him.

Nani: Nani looked among the most composed players on the field. What impressed me about Nani was his decision making. Nani is at his best when he immediately gets rid of the ball, or takes a man 1v1. He is not good (neither are a lot of players) when holding onto the ball, making the situation a 1v3. Holland were very sound defensively, and Nani couldn’t afford to do that. Nani didn’t do that, but it was sad to see his efforts go to waste as Almeida did nothing to help him.

Next review: England vs. Italy

Anderson Scouting Report

2007-06-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Sir Alex Ferguson has found the equivalent to pre-cancer Lance Armstrong in Anderson. Anderson has the ability to transpire into one of the world’s great players like Armstrong transpired into the world’s best cyclist. Anderson has all the physical techniques that are required to be a top player. He is strong, very fast, and very quick.

The best analogy that I can think of when describing Anderson is he is almost exactly like a young Cristiano Ronaldo, but stronger. If that isnt a scary combination of talent then I dont know what is.

What does this mean?

This means that I see some of the same traits that I did with Ronaldo when he first came to England as I see in Anderson. Ronaldo had (and still does, but it has drastically improved) a tendency to hold onto the ball too long. When I saw Anderson, he was lucky. He held onto the ball way too long but was never really punished for it. That will not be the case in the EPL.

Anderson, like Ronaldo, has very quick feet. Anderson is a very fast player. Ronaldo’s feet may be a bit faster, but Anderson is no slouch. These fast feet help Anderson maneuver around players and position his body square to the goal when shooting.

Anderson, like young Ronaldo, needs to get a bit more mature in his decision making. There were times when I watched him shoot from 30 yds out. That is not going to work. Ronaldo did the same thing. These players will eventually realize (like Ronaldo did) that this is not Portugal. This is the EPL. The players will close down faster and harder then they did, and the decision making speed has to be sped up.

Anderson may hold the upper hand with young Ronaldo in passing. There were times that Anderson’s vision on the field allowed him to make very clever passes. There were also times when these passes were open and he did not find them though. The field vision will increase as he matures, so that really shouldn’t be an area where he comes under much scrutiny yet.

When I was watching Anderson, he was playing a free role. When I mean free role, I am talking free. He roamed wherever he wanted and did whatever he wanted. Now the concerning thing with this is that Anderson disappeared at parts during the game. Usually you give a player a free role so that he can get on the ball more and be more of a factor in the game. So two questions come to the top after see this:
How is he when he is restricted in the area in which he plays? (like playing a dedicated position).
Will this problem be eradicated in the future?

This player is definitely talented, but he is also definitely raw. If Sir Alex Ferguson can do what he did to Ronaldo, then this player is going to be a phenomenal player, worth a lot more than what United paid for him.

To summarise, Anderson is:

Quick
Strong
Fast
Raw

Anderson needs to improve:
Field vision
Decision making
Speed of decision making
Ability to read games and stay involved

The things that Anderson needs to improve on are thing that come with age. He is only 19, so look for him to play a limited role this year. I can see him played a bit for the reserves and making a couple (like 20 or so) appearances for United’s first team. The good thing is that he will be learning under the tutelage of Paul Scholes, who is excellent in all the areas that Anderson needs improvement on.

I have full confidence in Sir Alex’s ability to groom this player, but in my opinion he is not a guarantee to be a productive member of the team like I believe Nani can be. He has all the talent and physical tools in the world, and I hope he utilizes them. He is one of the most gifted youngsters that I have ever seen.

On a personal note, I will only be updating about once a week during the summer. I want my posts to be somewhat informative and not just “well I have to write today, so here is some crap that I want to write.” Next post will be on the review of the Gold Cup and a preview for Copa America.

Nani Scouting Report

2007-06-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

I finally watched the Potugal vs. Belgium game, the game in which Nani played and scored in. This was a great signing for Ferguson. I saw a couple little nuances in his game that I believe will translate well into the EPL.
Here they are:
His ability to get the ball out of his feet very quickly.
-Nani is a player who I would have thought played in the EPL. The game is so fast in the EPL that there are many times (like in Ronaldo’s early years) that foreigners get the ball nicked from them because they are holding the ball too long. Nani is different. He had the ball played into his feet, then he decided to dribble or to pass. That seems sort of obvious. Duh?!?! What else is he going to do besides shoot (and I am talking here from about 40m out)? The thing that amazed me is how fast he made that decision. Nani got the ball and decided instantly. He got the ball nicked when he dribbled at players, but that is to be expected. He has been taught well, because holding the ball too long is something he doesn’t do.
2. His off the ball positioning.
- Nani is well versed in playing left winger. He was always out left, stretching the defense. If there is a criticism that I have of Giggsy, it is that he can sometimes drift inside when there wasn’t a constant supply of balls coming into him. This in turn narrowed the width of the team, making it easier for the opponent to defend. I really liked how he stayed out wide. The only time he didn’t is when he was defending, but that is what you are supposed to do when defending. Ronaldo is constantly on the touchline, so maybe it is something that comes out of the Sporting Lisbon Academy? I don’t know, but it is something that I like in a wide player.

These few traits are the ones I picked up on. I think that these traits will translate well into United’s game. These things are things that I believe you can see by only watching a few games. These are tendencies, stuff that these players will do all the time. I could over generalize and say that Nani is amazing at shooting (because of that great goal he scored against Belgium), but I am not going to say that until I see more. This is what people miss when they watch Youtube highlight videos. There aren’t any videos titled “Nani’s tendencies”. That is too boring for the average person to spend any time looking at.

I have downloaded an FC Porto game and I will watch Anderson in that and see how he is. This is the first time that I am going to watch Anderson, so hopefully I will be impressed.

Reaction to United's signings

2007-06-02T14:14:00.001-07:00

As I said, I will commentate on the signings when there are actual signings. There are actual signings, so I will commentate.

As many of you have read, Manchester United have signed Anderson from Porto, Nani from Lisbon, and Hargreaves from Bayern Munich These signings are signings that signal a continued movement towards youth and a continued dedication to success. Even though these signings have totaled around 50million quid, they have the potential to bring so much more to the club.

Self admittedly, because I don’t have GOLTV or a channel that covers the Portuguese League, I don’t know much about these players. I am the most familiar with Hargreaves, because I have seen him play for England. He is a good player who should be able to integrate into the squad with ease. Hargreaves gives United another good center midfield option and some needed depth. Hargreaves is a versatile player, so along with Fletcher and O’Shea there is adequate cover for anything position from the midfield back (Even keeper, When Johnny O’Shea goes and plays in front of goal, of goal). I believe everyone will see the benefits of his move during the Christmas/New Year session. We also need to remember that Scholesy is now 34, so he can’t really play 38 games anymore.

I will watch the Portugal game in (Nani plays in the game), and update tomorrow.

My overall take on these two signings is one in which I am cautiously optimistic. These two players are very god talent, but as we all know, the EPL is a difficult league to play in. These players seem to be young enough that Sir Alex can bring them up slowly in the system and fashion their game so it is suitable to the EPL. Nani, being 20, and part of the national team, will be a bit more ready to play. Anderson, being only 19, will take a bit more time. I have watched YouTube videos of him, and even though they are highlight videos, the one thing that I can see is that he has speed. He has an incredible turn of speed, and a bit of strength. Those traits are ones that will not hurt him in the EPL. Speed and the pace in which a player plays is one of the major reasons why foreign talent doesn’t always translate well into a good EPL player. Anderson plays the game very fast, so I believe he will be a really good player for Manchester United.

Again, update tomorrow after I watch Nani and Portugal.

Who will be in the Prem next year?

2007-05-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Derby are on the up.

This update is a bit late, but it is here. I watched the game that was deemed the “richest game of the year”. This tag was applied to the game because the 60quid profit that the winner would get for promotion. It should be said that the 60quid is made up mostly of the TV money because of the new deal that the EPL signed.

The game in itself was actually a pretty exiting 1-0 game. I will attribute this to the lack of any actual solid defending of any kind being played…until after the goal that is.

For me the difference in the game was the porous backline that West Brom presented in their starting 11. They were letting the strikers in between them too much. Derby posses a true English center forward in Steve Howard, and he was staking his place in between the two center-backs. For some reason the gap never really closed, and that allowed not only Howard but other Derby players to stretch the backline. That is the reason that there is such an emphasis on a defensive partnership. You did not see that with West Brom. There were two centerbacks playing were they were supposed to, but not within the team. The lack of cohesion in the backline was, for me, the reason that West Brom did not win. They may have had more “match winners” and star players in their squad, but the team is what wins the games.

The goal was something that materialized really from out of nothing. The goal really epitomized my point from above. Here it is:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NRtJoT_yab4

A well executed counter-attack, but it begs the question, what were the defenders doing? There is a half-hearted attempt at a 2nd defender, then the run, and how Pearson just drifts in front of the defender is unacceptable. After seeing their defending in the first half I knew there was a goal coming from Derby. You can not defend that bad and keep a team off the score sheet.

After the goal Derby defended well as a team. All players were 110% committed to the cause and it showed. Well done to Derby. The team that played better as a whole team was the one that prevailed. If you defend well as a team it is incredibly hard for you to lose games, especially if you can produce a counter attack of that quality.

Derby was able to hold onto the 1-0 win, and have had many of these games in the season. Is this saying something? Will this trait allow Derby to stay up next year because they can grind out the results even up against more talented opposistion?

Transfer Rumors

2007-05-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

Transfer Rumors:

If the run in to the end of the year is “squeaky bum time”, then this time of year is “rough bum time”. There is really nothing to this time of year except going on bbc.com in the mornings to see the transfer rumors. The transfer rumors are stuff that can only be fabricated.
“United to bid 4.6billion for Kaka” –(Various) which means that more than 1 source has reported it! Not only are the sources unreliable, they are also unimaginative. Since United have been rumored to be in for roughly 14 strikers, I will not comment on each one. I will not comment on 1.
This time of the year is time to do other things (what the….other things than football?!!?). If you hinge on all the transfer rumors you will look back on the summer and ask yourself why you wasted all that time looking at players who weren’t even close to coming into your club. The players you need to look at are the ones that are confirmed to be coming to your club. And if you are a Liverpool fan I can assure you one thing,
80% of your signings will be rubbish. It is liking picking a wining lottery #. What scouse signing will be good? If he is from Spain and not named Alonso then odds are don’t pick him. Same with United. If the player is not from Europe, go and bet that he will be a bust. I am going to make you guys rich. Liverpool do look to have a large transfer fund available. One player I would not be surprised at all to go to Liverpool is Fernando Torres. He is always rumored to be leaving Athletico, but never to a foreign Spanish team. The only real inference that I am going to make about the transfer season is the fact that large amounts of money are going to be spent. The clubs have more money from the TV deals so I would not be surprised if this was a record breaking summer.

The only really important thing going on in the football world this weekend is the Memorial day game between West Brom and Derby for the right to play in the EPL next year. I hope that it is Derby because I like how they play and they have David Jones, an ex-United player. I liked West Brom under Captain Marvel, but since he has been sacked I couldn’t give a toss bout them. If any West Brom fans are reading this, I apologize. You probably don’t care for United, so we are even. I will write a report after the game on Monday.

Milan 2-1 Liverpool CL Final

2007-05-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

It is over. The fat lady has sung. AC Milan are the “champions” of Europe. I have champion in quotations because is a team that is 3rd best in their country really the best in Europe? Probably not. If we all agree that the table doesn’t lie then there are at least 2 teams better than them.

Anyway, to the game.

The Italians took a lead at the stroke of half time after a Pirlo freekick hit Inzagi in the arm and went in. Later in the second half Kaka slid a ball into Inzagi to run on to and finish beautifully around Reina. Dirk Kuyt scored off of a corner to make the score 2-1.

Overall, the game was pretty much what I predicted. The game was very technical in the middle. There was a constant struggle for supremacy in the midfield, but I feel AC Milan won that battle overall. Liverpool did mark Kaka, which I thought. That did either take Mascherano or Alonso out of the midfield, giving the edge to AC Milan.

The one surprise was the blunder that was Jankulovski and the beneficiary that was Pennant. Pennant was a constant threat down that right side, but I feel it was mostly because of Jankulovksi’s mistakes. Jankulovski was always missing his kicks, being sloppy, and being out of position. That allowed Pennant to maraud down that right side and give some needed width to the Liverpool side. Those runs by Pennant helped pin back Jankulovski and not really allow him to get forward in support of Seedorf, who was having an absolute shocker. Great tactical move by Rafa. If only Pennant had a decent final ball in him.

After half time though Pennant disappeared. Acelotti made the necessary changes in the locker room. I have a feeling he got down Jankulovski’s throat and told him to step up. Seedorf was also helping back there a little bit. Once Milan get a lead they are one of the best teams in the world. They just completely take the air out of the ball and don’t allow teams to get back into the game. Their mental toughness was on display and even though it made the game boring, it was what had to be done.

Should Milan have been in the tournament to begin with? I don’t believe so. But they are in the tournament, so what can we do about it? They won the tournament on the field, and for that they need to be commended. Well done AC Milan, and hopefully next year Manchester United can take the cup with the ears.

Champions League Preview

2007-05-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

The game is simple: Put the ball in the opposition’s goal.
The challenge: Trying to get there without having the piss kicked out of you by Gattuso

The Champion’s League Final is on tomorrow, showcasing the best 3rd place teams in the world. Sevilla from Spain is close, but I bet Liverpool would beat them. Although Sevilla won the UEFA cup, they still are a step behind in my opinion. 3rd place was the place to be this year by the looks of it. Manchester United missed out on that one.

The game itself will be characterized by one word: Boring. Tactically, this game is going to pit a slow moving Liverpool side playing a 4-4-2 against a “medium well”paced AC Milan 4-5-1. My starting lineups are as follows:

Liverpool
Reina
Arbeloa Carragher Agger Finnan
Gerrard Alonso Mascherano Riise * maybe Riise at LB instead of Arbeloa and Zenden at LMF
Kuyt
Crouch

AC Milan
Dida
Oddo Nesta Kaldeze Maldini
Seedorf Gattuso Pirlo Jankulovski
Kaka
Gilardino

I believe that Mascherano will man mark Kaka, but I do not believe Anchelotti will man mark Gerrard because he will be playing out wide and Seedorf or Jankulovski can do the business there. If Mascherano man marks Kaka that will leave essentially a 4v3 in the midfield in favor or Milan, and that is why I believe they can win this game.
After watching Manchester United play them in the semi-finals, I have noticed that they are weak all around if they are attacked with pace. Manchester were able to get at them with a face paced counter attack and fast, sweeping moves. Liverpool do a lot of things well, but attacking with speed is not one of them. One problem that they are going to have with Gerrard cutting inside and the two defensive minded central midfielders is that they will condense the field when attacking. I know from watching them against Manchester United that condensing the field is not a good option. When on defense, the goal is to condense the field, and having the offense do that for you is making the job too easy.
AC Milan play really well in a slow and technical game. That is when they play their best. Milan are never a team that likes to push the tempo of the game because they are the most organized team in the world. You will not find them losing shape and getting out of position. The only way I have found to break them down is with a pure moment of inspiration or attacking them at speed. I can see Gerrard scoring for Liverpool, but he is the only one I can see scoring.
My prediction: 1-0 AC Milan. Goal coming from Pirlo. This is will be a very boring and slow technical game. The best technical team in the world in my opinion is AC Milan. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the goal from Pirlo comes off of a free kick won by a dive by one of the Italians.

FA Cup Final

2007-05-20T18:56:00.001-07:00

United 0-1 Chelsea

As I sit here writing this entry there is a sense of calmness in me. The calmness comes from the face that United lost the final, but I feel as if in the end it doesn’t matter. How bad is that? The fact is though that I desperately wanted to win the English Premier League a lot more than the FA Cup. The EPL league table shows the true value of each team and I feel it rates the teams perfectly. Cup finals are always games that are a one-off, and the best team does not always win.
Was United the best team on Saturday? No. The best team on Saturday goes to Stuggart, who won the Bundesliga. Chelsea played quite poorly also, but that is to be expected. Chelsea admittedly came into the final not looking to put on a spectacle, but to put on a dragged out, boring game. They played with 2 defensive midfielders and really just took the air out of the ball before the rep from Umbro could put the air in the ball. The pitch at Wembley was long and slow also and that didn’t help.
Being the first FA Cup winner at the new Wembly would have been cool, but being the 2007 EPL title winner is a lot better. Unfortunately, the FA cup final is on the last game of the season, and combining that with a loss to West Ham, I have a sour taste in my mouth about the end. Sir Alex set forth his plans of winning the league this year, and for better or worse I feel as if United used all their resources for winning the league. Europe, even though United made it to the semis, I feel was a second rate goal. For example, the game before the second tie with AC Milan, United rested no one. Milan rested Kaka, Seedorf, and others. The trophy with as big of ears as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is what Ancellotti and company wanted, and they may get that.
Not to many jokes in this entry, but given the calm state of mind I feel as if the situation doesn’t deserve many.

2007-05-17T13:02:00.001-07:00

Midweek before the FA Cup Final

So its midweek before the glorious occasion which is the FA Cup final and I can not wait. My beloved Manchester United are in search of a domestic double to successfully cap of the year. I will GLADLY shell out the extra $25 in order to watch United. Hopefully it goes well.

In other news in football, Liverpool and AC Milan are on a crash course for Athens. I can not wait for this final to be over. I can not stand the Italian cheats or the scousers. This game is going to be one game that will go down in history as “These two teams made it to the final?” This may be the first game where both teams field 8-1-1. I heard the center official for this game has been granted the ability to snort some cocaine during halftime just so he doesn’t fall asleep.
Another facet to this game is going to be the Athens police. They are rumored to be striking during the final. That’s okay though, because I heard the Italian police are good to go whenever a English team is playing a Italian one. The scousers are going to fight anyway, so I guess we can just call the Italian police “Pre-emptive Geniuses”.

Prediction for this game: Milan 1-0 Liverpool with the goal coming from Pirlo or whoever spearheads the 4-5-1.

Jose Mourinho, the coach of the enemy, was arrested the other day for defending his Terrier. Jose, come on, get a dog that is at least as big as the trophy for winning the Carling Cup. Would that be called the “Carling Cup”? If so, I believe it would be appropriate to fill it with beer, which should be something that isn’t done otherwise. I don’t even know what the assumed “Carling Cup” looks like. I can guarantee though that the cup is how big your dog should be--or at least Jose’s, because he really doesn’t have any other cup to compare his dog’s size to.

United 0-1 West Ham

2007-05-14T05:52:00.000-07:00

Today was day I was waiting for. My team, Manchester United, were going to be crowned kings of England (no dissrespect to the queen). The team from up north that has played with verve and class is being crowned kings of the castle. As I sit in my chair, watching Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs lift the Premiership trophy I was overcome with a sense of pride. Not hubris, but pride. I was proud of my team, the way the played, the way they persevered, and they way they did not succomb to the pressure of Chelsea. The whole organization of Manchester United should be proud with this season. From the backroom staff giving Fergie almost 20million pounds to buy Carrick, from Fergie himself installing a sense of belief, and to the players for going out and playing increadable the whole year. Everyone was qestioning whether Ronnie and Rooney would be able to live with eachother this year, and Sir Alex, Rooney, and Ronnie made it happen.
I leave you with a song:

Take me Home, United road
To the place I belong,
At Old Trafford, to see United
Take me home, United road.

Bore Draw

2007-05-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

United 0-0 Chelsea
Ill take a bit from Borat here:
What a game!!.........Not.

With United making none less than 8 changes from the team that beat City--the cohesion was not there. The game was boring, with spots of exitement only coming up whenever a Chelsea player kicked lumps out of Chris Eagles or whenever Chelsea crossed the ball. Kuszcak was all over the place. Every ball that was in the air he felt that it needed to be his-even if there were 5 people in the way. Thanks to both Kieron's (Lee and Richardson) for clearing off the line and making the game end a dull 0-0.

West Ham is up next, and I hear they are getting the whole Argentina squad to come play illegaly for them, becuase they know that the FA will do nothing but fine them. The fine will not be more than the payments for TV--so West Ham view this as a buisness adventure.

In other news:
Mourinho cant find something not to complain about, this time coming out against the fixtures. God forbid this guy from getting strep throat.

This is the first post. They will get better. I promise.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to say that Roma has given the referees more money than Inter Milan and therefore have won the first leg of the del Cuppo Italiano (or whatever) 6-2.
Milan need to spend more money, maybe they shouldnt have brought Figo in.