Weekend Preview

I'll be concentrating entirely on the two big games coming up this weekend (for want of spare time to do justice to the rest of the bunch, sorry about that!).

The Manchester Derby

The Red and the Blue sections of Manchester come face to face this weekend in what has become a much anticipated derby clash. What used to be a regular run-of-the-mill huge vs small derby, where the small, over the last few years, unusually came better off on more occasions than not, has now taken a completely different complexion since City's takeover by the Arab behemoths. Its no more seen as huge vs small but as huge vs potential juggernauts. The recent form of both teams have been pretty indifferent, going by their usual standards....but a derby always brings something special as they say!

Not only is the game a derby between two bitter local rivals but it also has a small battle within the battle. Robinho epitomizes Man City as Ronaldo does Man Utd. The former has great potential and wants to be the best in the world one day, the latter is the reigning best. Robinho will take this chance with both hands to show the world and Real in particular that his former employers made a mistake by continuously pursuing Ronaldo and ignoring the gem they already had in their ranks. It would be unfair to say that its Ronaldo vs Robinho out and out, far from it...but this will be an interesting little battle to watch out for.

We have to go all the way back to May last year when Man Utd failed to score on two consecutive games, hence Sir Alex would be hoping their attack devoid of Berba through injury doesn't fail on a third occassion in a row. We might have to dig history books to find that kind of a record. Man City are good too going forward with Robinho and especially Ireland in a great goal scoring nick, but to face Rio and Vidic is a totally different prospect.

Verdict: I will go for an away win with plenty of goals......4-2 to Man Utd.


The London Derby

We are looking at a strange game here. At the start of the season, this fixture would have been dubbed as a tug-of-war between two genuine title contenders...what it has now become is a game where credentials are at stake(at least partially) , not for Arsenal, who are well and truly out of the race after five defeats and the problems going on at the Emirates, but for Chelsea.This season again, they have an appalling home record compared to their fantastic away one. Three draws and a loss at home out of seven is hardly a championship winning form, and if not for the away results, they'd be quite far away from the top. Scolari's argument that on away days, the home teams attack more and hence leave gaps for the Blues to exploit...while at The Bridge they come to park the bus and get a draw, maybe a valid one, but that also reveals the one dimension-ness of the Chelsea attacks. They fail to break down packed defenses because they lack one player, like Ronaldo or Robinho, who can draw defenders and create space for others. They depend heavily on passing the ball around the final third hoping for the defense to make a mistake and leave a space for Anelka, Lampard or Malouda to get into. Comparisons are made between Mourinho's and Scolari's Chelsea, but I have to bitterly concede.....however beautiful the football's being played under Felipe, Jose had an edge in big games.

Arsenal pose a different prospect though. They will come as a not so well organizes defensive unti with great attacking ability. Arsenal's display agianst Man utd showed that if the gunners have the right kind of motivation, they are good enough to beat anyone on their day, except for Stoke and Hull, of course! Needless to say, they would be highly motivated for this one too and the threat they pose will not be overlooked by anyone inside Stamford Bridge. Whether they hang on to fourth(or even come better off) or let Aston Villa take that hallowed spot for once, this game has little bearing on that. What a bad result for Chelsea would do for their title credentials, on the other hand, is something completely different.

Verdict: A fairly open game with lots of goal-mouth action. An uncomfortable home win 2-1.

Enjoy the weekend ahead!

Champions League Round Up

 

Arsenal 1-0 Dynamo Kiev

 Arsenal finally put an end to their crisis by winning it late against Dynamo Kiev. Fabregas promised the Arsenal fans that he would take the team as far as he can under his reign. The win bodes well for Arsenal’s future and now it would be very interesting to see their duel against Chelsea next weekend. Though Arsenal were not at their artistic best , they did probe Dynamo and found a winner through a late Nikola Bendtner goal. Will Arsenal finally start to win games when things don’t go their way? A game against Chelsea might be the best test to such credentials.

 

Manchester United 0-0 Villareal

 Manchester United have once again entered those tortoise zone , where they turn up at a game leaving their shooting boots at Carrington. They created many chances only to be denied by the Villareal goal keeper Lopez. Villareal started with only one upfront, Rossi playing as the lone man against his former team-mates. The tricky forward showed glimpses of his class again but was kept quiet for most parts of the game by the ever impressive Johnny Evans. Villareal never showed any intent to win the game and played for a draw, this one being the fourth consecutive draw between these two clubs. Man United too started with 4-5-1 with Rooney as the lone striker flanked by Nani and Ronaldo and with Fletcher, Carrick and Anderson completing the mid-field. Ronaldo came closest when he hit the woodwork and Rooney had a few shots saved and a goal disallowed but then again this game looked like a repeat of the last weekend game against Aston Villa.   

 

 

Should we have 11 leaders ?

How important is it to have a captain in your side? Does a captain in a football team have as many responsibilities as a captain in any other sport, say cricket, does?

 Are the Captain’s responsibilities just restricted to motivating his team mates?

These have been some of the many questions asked this weekend when Arsene Wenger finally decided to strip Gallas of his captaincy. The newly appointed Captain, Cesc Fabregas, is not as vocal as his predecessor but certainly more calm and relaxed then any other Arsenal player. So how exactly will Cesc manage to inspire his team mates when he is not getting under the skin of his team-mates?

Do football captains not only have to lead by example but also be vocal on the pitch?

The Mid-Field Connundrum

Much has been made about England’s International football abilities over the last decade so and even more so now since they have strung together five successive wins. Fabio Cappello has instilled the discipline in his team that is often seen on his rather phlegmatic face. Probably Cappello has promised the FA to flash a smile on his face only after he gets England to WC 2010. Assessing England from the performances so far under ‘Don Fab’ they might as well end up being the first team to book their hotels in South Africa.

 The major difference between Cappello and his predecessors has been that Cappello is not afraid to give a kick up the butts to some of his so called ‘untouchables’. Under McLaren and Sven these untouchables were guaranteed a place in the side, all they just had to do was come out in public and support their manager. Fabio Cappello on the other hand has not only changed the team ethics but changed the way England plays its game. One can associate a more continental approach to their game now. It is in stark contrast to the huff-puff, end to end stuff seen in the EPL. They are more firm with the ball, they are decisive and they now believe in possession play.

 This brings us to the topic that I would like to discuss. England have a plethora of mid-fielders but the problem lies in selecting the most balance combination. Each of the mid fielders who are in contention of a starting berth such as Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Barry and Hargreaves are different from one another and different set of attributes to the team.

 While Gerrard comes across as the all action mid-fielder who can play anywhere across the mid-field , Lampard comes off as the more disciplined of the two and a promise of translating his goal scoring form for Chelsea onto the International stage.

Hargreaves is the no nonsense traditional style of central defensive mid-fielder who’ll get stuck in the tackles and will never give opponent players an ounce of space. But unfortunately for him and England he has had persistent injury problems. Hopefully the surgery on his knee which will keep him out of the entire season will come back a stronger player. Barry on the other hand is a different type of defensive mid-fielder who keeps things simple, he is more of an anchor man someone who doesn’t try to do anything flashy. He also possesses an excellent left foot and can bend a few.

 But one man whom I always thought of as the perfect mid-fielder for the International set up is Michael Carrick especially even more when Cappello wants one of his mid-fielders to slow down things and keep the ball moving in the mid-field. Carrick and Barry were excellent against Germany and England mid-field never looked so balanced.  The advantage and different set of skills that England will have when Carrick is on the pitch is that he is a naturally gifted passer , some one who has an eye for a pass and who can shift flanks with consummate ease. Carrick is not an all action mid- fielder like Gerrard , he is not a natural goal scorer like Lampard , he is not a ferocious tackler , but he offers something different from them. He provides an assured presence in the middle , someone who is very good in slowing down the tempo of the game and someone who has always been touted as a good reader of the game.

 The best Combination : I would personally pick Lampard and Carrick, Carrick for the above mentioned reasons and Lampard for his superior tactical sense than Gerrard. Gerrard is quick , direct but is not a natural playmaker and for me personally Lampard is better at dictating the tempo of the game better than Gerrard .

 I'm ending the post a little rather abruptly due to some issues at work and I would even incur the wrath from a few of you as some might accuse me of looking at things through my red tinted glasses but I would really like to hear about the mid-field combination that you would prefer.

 PS : Not that I care about England

 

Too long a break

 

 Sorry for the long hiatus. We let the blog seep through to a dormant state for the last two weeks or so as we had to occupy our minds with work in the office.

 Now we vow to turn around the defunct state of the blog and spring life into it again. We would be back with our weekend predictions, ‘big games’ previews and review, players’ ratings and many more articles.

 To bring to you some recent news and events that occurred last week, you must have enjoyed the weekend action which had plenty of goals in the ‘big four’ matches only if you are not an Arsenal fan.

 Titles are not won in November but they can so easily be lost. I wonder if Arsenal fans are beginning to worry about their team’s prospects this season. They have lost close to one-third of their matches so far losing 4 out of 13. What must be worrying Arsenal fans more (they must have been used to their team not winning anything by now) is that the team has been woefully inconsistent. While everyone has been singing praises for Arsenal’s fledglings, much deeper cracks seem to have appeared in their first team set up. Arsene Wenger got a fantastic response from his team after the loss against Stoke when they beat Man United but the performance against the ‘Villains’ according to him was lackluster, lack of enthusiasm and energy. Arsenal is dropping far too many points at home and if you come to think of it they have played just one of the other teams in the ‘Big Four’. They still have to travel to Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge and also entertain the latter two at Emirates.

 On the subject of big games, Manchester United should be well placed in the title race come March as they have played all the big away games of the season bar the one at Eastlands. If the performance against Stoke is anything to go by then they are also discovering their goal scoring touch.

 Liverpool has been the surprise package this season. Over the years one has got used to hearing Liverpool’s false promises of doing better and winning the league the next season during this time of the season. But they seemed to have that around this season; they are coming out unscathed in tough away games though it will be interesting to see if they can sustain that for the entire season.

 Chelsea has started well as they have always done since they go the taste of fine Russian vodka. They are also hitting top gear this season and have an excellent goal difference which might actually decide the outcome of the title race. Chelsea loses very few matches but draws a bigger proportion of matches and it will be interesting to see if the form of some of their goal scorers like Anelka and Lampard ensure otherwise.

We had another boring week of International friendlies, they are the worst that can happen to a club at this point of the season when there is usually a hectic schedule for the top teams. Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex can testify this as they will be without the services of Walcott and Berbatov respectively thanks to the meaningless friendlies.

 

 

Turn On The Style

"The team is experienced with most of the players above and around 30. We cannot expect a drastic improvement from them."

These are the quotes made by Sir Alex Fergusan(may not be the exact words but almost means the same) at the start of the season about Chelsea's credentials this season. Not only have these old legs defied Sir's logic, but also in style. The team which was ridiculed for grinding out results after results is suddenly the team catching the eye worldwide. The same bunch of players who were written off as not capable of playing beautiful football together by a large section of the football fraternity have proved everyone wrong. Although, we've had one of the best summers in recent times with respect to transfers this season,getting what could be said as the two most important pieces of the zig saw namely Bosingwa (the most important transfer since Frank Lampard in my opinion) and Deco, one cannot discount the one most important capture of the summer, Luis Felipe Scolari. He's the man behind the face lift of the team, unarguably. What impact the gaffer can have on a team is not something too covert in todays footballing world. Its a true saying that a team clearly reflects the personality of its coach. Mourinho's Chelsea was resilient, strong, never-say-die, Scolari's Chelsea is very Brazil-like. I'm not saying we've suddenly become Barca or Arsenal for that matter, but we certainly are a joy to watch unlike the last couple of seasons.

The first couple of games of the season, I had a feeling that all the change is due to Deco. His touch and vision allow us to be more capable of unlocking defenses, which is true, but later on even without him we were as good. We gave two of the best performances against Villa and Boro without him. It was clear then that it was Deco but it is the belief in each player shown by the gaffer to express themselves is what has brought about all the change. It would be an understatement to say that Mourinho did not allow showboating, which would be the wrong word to use for this Chelsea, but certainly the confidence is there to show off some skills without having the boss at the back of your mind. When I compare Mourinho's Chelsea to Scolari's, one thing that is apparant is that the players are more comfortable on the ball than they used to. That could be attributed the movement of the players aound the guy who has the ball. He always knows where the players are moving which makes passing and controlling the ball easier.

The tactical nous of Mourinho cannot be questioned but the difference lies in the mentality of the team. The former boss gave much importance to being solid at the back. The full backs did not bomb as much forward and as frequently as they do now. The mentality was to go up and then shut shop, which is also a very good tactic given the personel he had at his disposal to do just the same. But the style was not eye catching to say the least. It was much result oriented than aesthetics oriented and that is why he was so successful. In his first year at Chelsea, we were a great force going forward too, with the width we had in the form of Duff, Robben and Joe Cole and fast paced counter attacks. That somehow went astray as we offloaded Robben and Duff. We became very one dimensional in our approach and that became easier for teams to defend against. With Makelele a constant presense in the heart of midfield, as good a defensive midfielder as he was, he lacked those move starting passes especially as he got older. With next no width on the flanks, the obvious way was to go direct. Drogba is undoubtably one of the best center forwards for that approach which helped us get results but not in so much style.

Scolari has changed that mentality. He gives much importance to retaining the ball and making it work. As in his own words 'you must have the ball at your feet to make it work'. Ball retention can only be possible if the players move intelligently around the pitch, find spaces. The cliche 'passing and movement' with which Manchester United and Arsenal were showered week in week out before, is now being linked to us too. And it has not come overnight. Any mentality needs time time to change, and the amount of work being done on the training grounds for exactly the same is mind blowing. Players perform sessions after sessions of just passing the ball and moving off the ball, which is clear on the playing field. Players like Lampard and Mikel are revelling in Scolari's system as they have the licence to create. The full backs spend most of the time in opposite half and dare I say, Ashley Cole finally looks like the player he was at Arsenal.

There are a few drawbacks too. Since we're a bit new to the system, and most importantly since we dont have a world class wide man of the likes of Robinho and Ronaldo, who can beat defenders, we struggle to create much when the opposition hunts down all the spaces and close the gaps quickly. For example the games against Liverpool, Roma and Spurs. They crowded the midfield and put their wide men to close down our full backs. Malouda is clearly appalling and looks out of sorts. Sorry to say, but he has to be the worst player since Asier del Horno to get a continuos run of games despite being poor. We certainly missed Joe Cole, who has such a great record against Liverpool. We suddenly looked like we're clueless in these games, especially without Drogba, as Anelka is hardly the man to go with route number one approach.

If most players could remain fit for the rest of the season, I think we're on course for big things this term....and in style!