In the transfer market Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City operate at the uppermost level, the upper tier. It is quite clear that Tottenham Hotspur, whilst attempting to work on this level, have found themselves in the back row with a restricted view.
To trade at the top you need money and Champions League football and if you don’t have the latter then you need a lot of the former. Despite their best efforts, Tottenham have neither. Unfortunately this means that the calibre of their transfer targets has dropped.
You can still pick up excellent players but there is always a catch. The most common catch in Tottenham’s case is that these players are old. Consider some of Tottenham’s recent targets: William Gallas is now 34, Brad Freidel is 165 (40), Craig Bellamy 32 and Scott Parker 30. These players may once have been at the tip of the market but those years are some way behind them now, in particular the first 3.
If Tottenham’s targets are not old, then they have a problem at their previous club. (Sometimes they are both old and troubled!) Rafael Van der Vaart was surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, Bellamy and Adebayor are both irreparably out of favour at Manchester City and ‘Mr West Ham’ Scott Parker would now much rather be out of the Championship and operating under the controversial new nickname Mr Tottenham Hotspur.
The lack of Champions league football prevents Tottenham from signing stars who are at the top of the game already, but the lack of money prevents Tottenham even investing in average players in their prime unlike the moneyball movements of League rivals Liverpool who are also operating from this restricted tier of the market, except with a bottomless pit of money to work with.
Liverpool are buying players from the same tier, but the difference is these players are in their prime or likely to improve. Carroll, Downing, Adam, Henderson and Enrique do not require Champions League football now and would not demand it, but they have the potential to improve and mature whilst attempting to qualify. (Only Suarez really looks like a player of the utmost quality.) Liverpool have not done particularly astute business but at least they seem to have a plan. Tottenham Hotspur seem to be chasing the old and unhappy and with every new signing the future seems to look less clear, just slightly more chaotic.
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Of course Tottenham fans can point to the signing of Sandro and the promising youth players now getting a run in the Europa League to suggest that there is young talent in the squad but the fact that Tottenham are struggling to keep up in the transfer market has never been clearer than now.
Gianluca Vialli is a familiar face in the footballing world. A predatory goalscorer in his time at the top with Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea, as well as in 59 caps for Italy, Vialli played in the world’s finest footballing competitions at both club and international level. Over the course of his career, the striker notched up almost 300 senior goals, and won ten senior trophies, including two Serie A titles and a Champions’ League triumph in his final game for Juventus.
All in all, then, Vialli knows a fair amount about football. But how’s his rugby knowledge? In this video, Vialli is quizzed by English rugby legend and TV pundit Will Carling about his knowledge of rugby and asked for a prediction for Italy’s chances at the current 2011 Rugby World Cup. As well as a couple of other comical one-liners, Gianluca opens up about the biggest regret of his career – and it’s one that may surprise you.
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For more news and views from A-List celebrities into Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, please visit www.thisisthegame.com.
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Heineken is an official worldwide partner of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, as well as Europe’s premier club rugby competition, the Heineken Cup.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has praised midfielder David Silva, and stated that he feels the playmaker is one of the best players in the world.
The Spain international has adapted to life in England well since his move from Valencia in 2009, and is now a key player for the Eastlands outfit.
The Italian manager feels that the diminutive Spaniard is underrated, and would not look out of place at one of the El Clasico sides.
“Silva is a top, top player. I don’t know why he didn’t go to Barca or Real Madrid because he’s Spanish but we are lucky because he’s here,” he told The Daily Mail.
“If he had gone to Barca two years ago everyone would say he’s one of the best players in the world – and he is one of the best players in the world.
“He’s different from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo because they are strikers and score a lot of goals but I think he’s the same as Xavi and Iniesta,” the coach continued.
City start their Champions League campaign at home to Napoli on Wednesday, and Mancini knows his countrymen will provide difficult opposition.
“They are a very good team and the Champions League is not like the Premier League, we only have six games and you need to win always if you want to go in the second stage.
“It’s strange because our group is a very hard group and all the teams can finish top or in fourth position,” he admitted.
Mancini also has a dilemma over who to play in attack, with Sergio Aguero fresh from a hat-trick at the weekend, Edin Dzeko in spectacular form and Carlos Tevez back in the fray after playing against Wigan on Saturday.
“They may not be happy – that’s impossible because every player wants to play always, but I’m the manager and I need to take this decision,” he concluded.
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Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has defended team-mate Luis Suarez over claims that the South American is prone to diving, and has stated that some of Manchester United’s players are more guilty of the claims.
The Uruguay international has come in for criticism after his willingness to go to deck under challenge, and his over-reaction was a major reason for Jack Rodwell’s dismissal in the Merseyside derby earlier in the month.
Manchester United players were unhappy with the attacker’s conduct in their 1-1 draw at Anfield ten days ago, and Suarez had a frustrating afternoon against Norwich in another 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The ex-Ajax forward missed a number of goal-scoring opportunities and felt the Canaries defenders were heavy handed, without any punishment from the officials.
Despite this, the Spanish left-back feels the accusations of diving are unwarranted.
“Last week, Sir Alex defended his team because we played them. The truth is Luis is a really dangerous player and is a really nice guy. He doesn’t dive,” the former Newcastle star told Mirror Football.
“Some of the Manchester United players go down like they are diving into the swimming pool. They defend their team, we defend our team – that’s normal.
“When you lose two points at home, no-one is positive but Luis did really well [against Norwich]. He had a lot of chances and was just unlucky,” he concluded.
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Arsene Wenger looks set to face a battle to keep hold of Alex Song, following news that Inter Milan have joined Barcelona in expressing an interest in the 24 year old midfielder. (talkSport)
Song moved to Arsenal in 2006 and has developed into an established member of the current Arsenal side.
However, with Barcelona and Inter Milan currently considering January moves Song may be tempted to leave the North London club in search of trophies, which have thus far eluded him in his time at Arsenal.
Inter Milan have struggled this season in Serie A, currently sitting in 17th after 9 games. However, Massimo Moratti is already looking to next season and is set to give boss Claudio Ranieri at transfer package looking at the next 18 months.
Song, at 24, would fit the bill perfectly and would add some much needed steel and energy to the Inter Milan midfield. An offer of over £20 million may be enough to tempt Arsene Wenger to part with one of his longest serving players.
Ranieri is also looking to target controversial Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli. The striker previously enjoyed a tumultuous spell in Italy at Inter, although a return is now a serious possibility following Ranieri’s interest.
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There’s rarely a dull moment down at the Bridge but you bet that all concerned with Chelsea could do with getting back to a bit of normality.
Three defeats from five, two consecutive home losses and only two wins from seven is causing much delight around the rest of the country but within the corridors of power at Cobham, there will be some serious head scratching about just what is going on with one of the teams who have dominated English football in the 21st century.
Crisis may be an over used adjective monopolised by the tabloids, but even if things aren’t that bad their current form will be much cause for concern.
Twelve points adrift of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League and with participation in the Champions League in the balance is not where last seasons league runners-up envisaged themselves being at this stage in proceedings.
But all is not lost, indeed all can be salvaged, but Andre Villas-Boas certainly needs to right some wrongs fairly sharpish if they are to compete for the honours they would have expected at the beginning of the campaign
A brittle backline, a midfield that lacks class and authority and a set of forwards who are reticent to make places their own are all jeopardising another season after the 2010 league and cup double winners finished potless last season.
There is something about the autumn months which causes the Blues to shed points like the trees shed their leaves. At the same juncture last year the wheels had fell off under Carlo Ancelotti and although they recovered to chase Manchester United down to the bitter end, the damage had already been done.
The solution under Ancelotti was to launch cash at it during the January transfer window and the least said about that the better, so without going down the same route again once auld lang syne’s died down, just what can AVB do to steady the good ship Chelsea?
He could start by heeding these five pieces of wisdom.
1) Get Alex in.
Not many of the Chelsea brethren can work out why the big Brazilian has been so sparingly used by AVB. He dropped a clanger early on against West Brom but for the large part the former PSV stopper has been effectively solid at the heart of the back four.
Despite his offensive abilities from deep, David Luiz’s wing and a prayer defending is not what Chelsea need at the moment, especially next to Skipper John Terry who seems particularly vulnerable next to the eccentric Sideshow Bob look-a-like. Alex may lack a bit of mobility but he rarely gets caught out, and if Chelsea are thinking of going back to basics, an Ivanovic-Alex-Terry-Cole back four would be as good as any place to start.
2) Ditch the high line
Since AVB came in he’s tried to adopt the tactics which brought him so much success at Porto. The concept is fairly straightforward and indeed it’s similar to that which Barcelona so brilliantly execute. It involves pressing high up the pitch, and engaging the opposition in their own half – well away from goal.
The policy of pressing this high in theory means there’s no easy way out to gradually play the ball into your half, and by doing so, if you win the ball back by rights they’ve got less distance to travel to the business end. The idea makes sense but in order for this to be effective, the right players with the right attributes are needed, and Chelsea haven’t got those types of players to make this system work.
For a start, their midfield no longer contains the power, pace and tenacity of the likes of Essien, Makalele, Lampard and Ballack to enforce this high-tempo strategy, meaning the hassling and haranguing is too easy to play around and as such brutally exposes a weak defence.
The midfield is also struggling to control games and play at their pace. Barcelona pull this off because they have innate ball-playing midfielders who can constantly move the ball onto options scattered around and peg the other team back. Chelsea don’t have the type of players to dictate the flow of games in this way, and their constant surrendering of the ball leaves them susceptible to the counter, with vast swathes of grass left behind this high defence.
3) Easy on the entertainment.
When Mourinho’s production were sweeping all before them, they were doing it with the grace and posterity of a wrecking ball smashing a shed. Despite the lavish outlay on some of Europe’s top players they were mechanically effective rather than mesmerically excellent and their abrasive nature endeared them to few.
Abramovich wanted more, he perhaps never even muttered the term ‘blue Barcelona’ but you caught his drift. He wanted a team that won with a style and grace you’d expect for a billion large, yet the more he’s strove for this utopian blue dream, the worse they’ve become.
AVB was the latest in a long line of managers charged with combining style and substance but perhaps he’s taken the remit too far. Slapstick defending and a cavalier attitude means Chelsea games are packed with goals and gaffe’s but to the detriment of results.
There is no doubt that Chelsea have tried to be more expansive this season, but expansive means open and open means vulnerable. Their full-backs are constantly on the charge, their midfield trio lacks a definitive anchor man and the wide forwards see tracking back as an optional extra.
With the ball they are too eager to spring forward and once again this is exposing what started off as a back four, but soon becomes a back John Terry with David Luiz somewhere in the vicinity.
The best teams have control and poise, a methodical swinging pendulum of balance which comes from keeping the ball, moving it about in areas which aren’t necessarily a threat, manipulating play here and there, back and forth in and out before seizing the moment and striking.
Manchester City have rammed home masses of goals so far this season, but by no means would you describe their manner as overly attacking. Much of their game is still largely built around the foundations of 18 months of Mancini pragmatism, so they have a base from which to build, allowing a forward trio or quartet to interlink and drift with a positionless conivance knowing they are still reinforced defensively. Chelsea simply do not have this balance.
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4) Switch to 4-4-2
There must be a constitutional statute at Chelsea which insists the side must be decked out in some permutation of a 4-3-3. Ever since Mourinho implemented it some seven years ago now, no manager has ever strayed from the tried and trusted set-up for any sustained period and the fact that everybody knows the shape they will adopt must surely limit its effectiveness.
At present, there are a couple of things wrong with this formation, for this team, with this set of players. The primary problem is that all of Chelsea’s midfield stocks do a similar job, with little variation or positional difference. Bar the ineffective John Obi Mikel they’re short of the Makalele type fulcrum to protect the back four and after years of trying to acquire some sort of fantasical creative force, they’re still too one paced and predictable.
All of Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles and Ramires perform similar functions but being so similar, and without a genuine holding or floating figure, Villas-Boas essentially has three men doing the job of two which removes bodies from other areas of the pitch.
Given that the 4-3-3 isn’t working seamlessly, AVB could easily shuffle to a 4-4-2 using virtually the same players. Ramires and Mata could operate the flanks with Lampard and Meireles manning the centre in a tactical switch which would arguably provide the Blues with more natural width and two genuine central midfielders instead of three.
The other aspect of this is it would finally allow the Chelsea to pair a strike duo up top with support for one another. Torres, Drogba, Sturridge, Kalou and Anelka are all naturally central strikers yet three fifth’s of that forward line have been made to operate as quasi wingers throughout much of their Stamford Bridge stint.
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The 4-4-2 has evolved from the rigidity of the English model from the 80’s and intuitive use of the ball still allows players to roam and venture away from their pre-defined stations. For example, David Silva at Manchester City is often lined up initially at left-midfield but that doesn’t stop the fleet-footed Spaniard from venturing into areas of influence. Should Juan Mata perform a similar function, Ashley Cole would provide the width vacated by Mata’s marauding’s whilst on the other side Ramires has more than enough pace and incision to flank that side. It’s only a slight variation from where they are now, but small measures can make a big difference.
5) Pair up Torres and Sturridge
The other bonus of the 4-4-2 would be that Chelsea could finally put together a decent strike partnership. The inquests into Fernando Torres’s failings have run long and deep yet he has always largely been asked to play the target-man role as a central striker spearheading a three man attack. With the width coming from either side, Torres has little licence to run the channels and neglect his central standing.
Utilising him as one of two would allow Torres and his partner to wonder where necessary knowing there’s someone else to fill the central void. Granting strikers the autonomy to go where they want can make them difficult to pick up, and more of Torres game could be spent facing goal rather than with his back to the action.
If Chelsea do pursue this option, Daniel Sturridge would be an ideal forward to try to restore El Nino to former glories. Since flourishing on loan at Bolton, Sturridge has been Chelsea’s in-form striker and most dangerous striker, and his pace and movement could dovetail ideally if Torres embraced similar traits.
What Torres needs is to find a niche within this team, and playing with his back to goal with two centre-halves for close comfort is not his natural game. A lot of Chelsea’s problems would be eradicated, or at the very least masked, if Torres could start firing again and gaining points from losing and drawing positions.
However, these partnerships aren’t borne over night, and with Anelka and Kalou n the periphery of things and Drogba getting no younger, these two need to be given an opportunity to forge and understanding to shoot Chelsea back to the top.
The one question that was poignantly avoided at Arsenal’s AGM at the end of October was that of the return of David Dein. The fact that many fans like to throw around is that we haven’t won a trophy since Dein left. But then again we haven’t won a trophy since Pascal Cygan left either; you don’t hear people clamouring for his return. However the importance of Dein is not to be underestimated. Not only a great friend of Wenger’s Dein was the man that not only pushed Wenger to sign more players but was also the man that could make that sort of thing happen.
Lyon boss and former Gunner Remi Garde was quoted in the papers recently as saying that he thought Wenger was struggling without Dein: “He kept an eye on the choice of players, the strategy of the club. He is sorely missed.”
So as we consider the possible yet unlikely return of the former maverick board member we have to ask ourselves how much we would be willing to sacrifice to see his return? The situation seems to be that too many bridges have been burned for the former chief executive to return under the current establishment. Yet with ever deepening analysis of Arsenal’s struggles as the barren years roll by Arsenal fans are more and more inclined to desire the return of the former overseer of the club.
Ivan Gazidis
One of the main problems that arises when considering his return is the obvious point that his job is already occupied by Gazidis. However there aren’t many people who would be sad to see the back of the former chief of the MLS. Ivan’s work has been adequate but there a numerous issues with his methods, particularly the sale of Fabregas. Obviously the Barcelona born midfielder was always going to be sold, and obviously the sale was a peculiar one in that there was no competition for his signature, but ultimately to sell one of the world’s greatest players for almost half of what he was worth is a sin by anyone’s standards. Particularly as his contract wasn’t due to run down for another three years.
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Peter Hill-Wood
The second thing standing in the way is our chairman. It is, to say the least, unlikely that Dein would ever return whilst Hill-Wood remains as a figurehead at the club; but frankly nobody is quite sure how much longer he will continue to a be a force at the club. Whilst Kroenke may be indebted to Hill-Wood for giving him a way in to the club the American is a businessman and it is unlikely that the bond between them is anywhere near sacred.
The problem however for Kroenke, as we all know, is Dein’s relationship with Usmanov. It seems that the two will now only come as a package. And this club isn’t big enough for two billionaires, no club is. The only realistic option it would seem at the moment were for Dein to be given a place on the board as a representative of Usmanov. Usmanov has been angling for a place on the board since he first bought in to the club but the unsavoury nature of his character and proposed strategy for the club mean that he is unlikely to get what he wants. Dein however as chairman of Usmanov’s ‘Red and White Holdings’ could be offered a place on the board. However this is still unlikely.
Alisher Usmanov
So then we are left with the last remaining option somehow allowing Usmanov into our club on a more controlling scale. It is an interesting contrast in principles for Arsenal fans. For so long we have smugly declared that we are a sustainable English owned club. But we’re not even English owned any more and whilst sustainability is desirable I wonder how many people would be happy to be boasting of success instead? Ultimately if anyone is able to swing the power towards Usmanov and Dein in the power struggle for our club it is the remaining supporters who own shares. Now I know that the AST and many others are totally unwilling to sell their shares at all and I, like many, both admire and am grateful for this. There must always be an element of fan power within clubs. But not all shareholders will feel the same way. Whether because of money or other reasons it will be interesting to see whether, when the time comes to sell, people would rather sell to ‘Red & White’ or ‘KSE’.
No we don’t want Usmanov to come in to our club, riddle it with debt and destabilise the future of the club, but neither do we want to continue along the unsuccessful on field path that we currently follow. Kroenke talks about how he is here for the ‘long-term’ and how he wants to make this club successful. But then again he also considers the teams he already owns to be successful. And, let me tell you: they are not. His NFL team is currently enjoying a barren spell that stretches back to the beginning of time. His Hockey team has not won the Stanley Cup since 2001, he boasts that his basketball team reaches the playoffs every year but Arsenal reach the Champions League every year and people aren’t satisfied with that. The only team he has that has enjoyed any recent success was his MLS team that won the league. But not by coming first, they won through the playoffs.
I’m not saying that Usmanov is our best choice, far from it. I think the mistrust aimed at him is more than justifiable, but David Dein is the one man who could truly come back in to Arsenal and be the catalyst for a stagnating boardroom. It just depends how much people are willing to sacrifice to bring back Wenger’s old partner?
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Read more of Hamish Mackay’s articles at Arsenal Mania
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has stated that he feels that Craig Bellamy is being victimised by referees due to his reputation, with recent bookings being unfair.
The Wales international has picked up four yellow cards in his last four games, and Dalglish feels this is due to officials misinterpreting his fiery nature.
“You would hate to believe there is an agenda against him from anyone, but Craig has been booked four times and he hasn’t deserved any of them,” Dalglish told Mirror Football.
“You would like to think if you had been unlucky four times, you would not be unlucky for a fifth. Mind you, you might have said that after the first two.
“One of the bookings was at Fulham when Clint Dempsey stuck his head straight in Craig’s face. When he was booked the other night there, we asked the ref why the wee man was booked and he said, ‘Craig knows’ – but he didn’t.
“And there was another against QPR when Joey Barton approached him. I don’t know why he has been booked but I haven’t seen anything in any of them being reasonable.
“The other night, Antolin Alcaraz gave five free-kicks away with no yellow. If he is going to get five chances, does that mean everyone else is?” Dalglish concluded.
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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that his team’s 1-0 defeat to Brighton at the weekend had nothing to do with reports that his players were jaded after a training camp in Tenerife during the week.
The Tyneside club travelled to the Spanish island to conduct some warm weather training after their 5-2 defeat against Fulham last weekend, but reports indicate that some of the players were let off the leash to enjoy the social scene of the notorious party island.
Pardew however does not feel this was a factor in their defeat at The American Express Community Stadium.
“I don’t think there is any correlation with that at all, to be honest,” he told Mirror Football.
Despite the cup exit, Pardew’s men are still in an excellent position in the league, and the coach is prioritising this, especially once he gets a number of his senior first-team players back available again.
“We knew the Brighton game was important with the core of our team coming back.
“We knew if we could get through this one then with [Fabricio] Coloccini, Cheik [Tiote], Demba [Ba] and Papiss [Cisse] coming back it would arm us, but unfortunately it’s just got away from us.
“It’s a bit of a cliche but we are in a good position in the league and we need to strengthen that now by getting a result at Blackburn and hopefully against Aston Villa too,” he finished.
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I can’t help but feel there is something completely wrong with the fact that there is a 3pm blackout on television for Premier League games kicking off at this time. It is beyond belief that you can go away to any country in Europe, Asia and African and find your team’s 3pm match televised, and yet, supporters in England have to make do with a ridiculous internet feed that conveniently cuts out or freezes whenever a crucial moment in the game approaches. Well it’s about time the Premier League started to make changes and introduce televised games no matter their kick-off time, just like the rest of Europe.
The actions of Karen Murphy, a pub landlady in Portsmouth, may set the ball rolling in a positive direction. She argued that while she was televising 3pm kick-offs in her pub through the use of foreign satellite channels, there was nothing illegal in her actions despite the ban enforced in England. Clearly, she’d found a way around the nonsensical ban that has been put in place and that everyone has for some reason come to accept. Rather than paying through the roof for one broadcaster that limited the amount of games that were shown, she has given herself the choice of provider and has only been paying a tenth of that price and has offered a better option than the increasingly frustrating but overly popular internet streams.
The Premier League has said many times that the 3pm kick-off will not be televised because it will discourage people from attending matches. In my eyes, the story becomes even more ridiculous when that is the primary excuse given. I’ve failed to see a drop in attendances for games at Old Trafford when Manchester United matches have been televised by either Sky or ESPN. Similarly, team’s like Newcastle continue to have healthy attendances. It’s down to the support of the fans and their desire to travel to home or away matches that dictates how many people are in attendance, not whether their team are being televised. But forget for a moment the notion that supporters will be discouraged from attending games if they are televised and rather look to the hugely inflated costs of going to football matches. The story of the first £100 ticket became a significant talking point last season; something which is exactly the sort of thing to discourage people from going to matches.
Yes, there may be changes lower down the leagues, where, like the top divisions in the country, there is a desire to preserve the traditional Saturday match-day experience with a healthy attendance at grounds, and even those who are casual fans might want to go along to support their local team. But why is this limited to only England? It’s almost as if we, as supporters, are being guided through what is right and wrong and having our minds made up for us. If people are shelling out huge sums of money for monthly subscriptions to BSkyB, then shouldn’t fans have a say in what they decide to do with their Saturdays, whether it be to attend the games or watch from home, without the Premier League or any other football organisation spelling out why it is such a hideous idea and one that could ruin English football. I’m not suggesting football fans have a divine right to watch all of their team’s matches on television, but simply why is there not an option when other countries, where the Premier League is of greater interest than their own leagues, have the freedom to choose which of the 3pm kick-offs they’d like to watch.
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As I’ve made the point, England seem to be the only major league in Europe where such a ban is enforced, and there is no reasonable explanation as to why fans in the country suffer for it. Internet feeds from various countries with a number of language options except English have become part of the furniture for most football households in the country on a Saturday afternoon, and yet, that seems to be ok by the Premier League and something they’ll continue to ignore. Well what difference would it make if those feeds were translated into broadcasts through Sky?
What the Premier League fail to recognise is that there is such thing as non-football cities or towns. By that I mean that places like Wigan, who share a ground with a rugby team, are going to experience lower attendances, and not because a more high profile game is televised at the time Wigan kick-off. Places like that suffer for other reasons and shouldn’t be used as an excuse to defend the 3pm blackout. It’s the same in North America: practically every city in the county is an American football city or town, from little leagues, through high school and college football and up to the NFL. But not every city is a baseball city, and most certainly, not every city is a hockey city.
But what about the other side of the coin; would lower league sides not benefit greatly if they were given more television exposure for their afternoon kick-offs. They rely on gate attendances, well why not get them involved in the revenue from television like clubs in the Premier League. It gives them a chance to open up to a wider audience than just those who reside in the immediate area. Of course, we just start the cycle all over again and we’re back to the topic of low attendances.
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Maybe the easiest thing to do is simply change the kick-off times. Why does every match bar the 12:45 Sky game or 5:30 ESPN game have to kick-off at 3pm? Simply shift times around and allow lower league teams to play their matches at different times to those of the Premier League. Easier said than done, of course, but surely there is enough of a reason to end the 3pm blackout than the tired excuse the Premier League continue to give.