Archive for the ‘Football Analysis’ Category

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plains, but the goals are all coming from Barca. It’s Spanish football…

Valencia 2 – 2 Sporting de Gijón

Real Madrid 5 – 0 Xerez CD

U.D Almeria 1 – 0 Getafe C.F

Athletic Bilbao 3 – 2 Villarreal

Zaragoza 1 – 2 Valladolid

Barcelona 5 – 2 Atletico Madrid

Málaga 1 – 2 Racing Santander

Osasuna 0 – 2 Sevilla

Deportivo La Coruna 2 – 3 Espanyol

RCD Mallorca 4 – 0 Tenerife

Valencia 2 – 2 Sporting de Gijón

A shock equaliser from Gijon in the last few minutes destroyed what I thought was a pretty sure win for Valencia at home. Villa netted both Valencia goals and has since publicly criticised management’s tactics for failing to beat ten men. I was really hoping for a title push from them this year. Too early to be damning I’m sure, but results like these are the ones they will look back on in their campaign to get back in the Champions league. To combat the problem of good teams drawing Valencia are trying to introduce Manchester United’s “play until we score” injury time policy, will it work?

So we’re a few weeks in, and I’m calling Thomas Vermaelen the signing of the season.

4 goals already from the defender (Including his two today against Wigan), he has seems to have improved the Gunners defence hugely (Apart from in Manchester, his kryptonite). Wenger really has surpassed himself with this relatively unknown defender that makes the £20+ million on Lescott seem pathetic.

Vermaelen has somehow also managed to turn William Gallas into a non-mental, professional defender again. To put that in perspective, that’s like me converting Osama Bin Laden to homosexuality.

So it’s time to call it guys, I think Glen Johnson is up there as well, but at a month or so in, who has proved THE smart purchase of the season? SIGN UP AND GIVE US YOUR OPINION!

Delivering more Sun, Sex and Sangria than a date-rapist waiter in Ibiza. Here’s the results from the opening week…

Barcelona  3 – 0  Sporting de Gijón
U.D Almeria  0 – 0  Valladolid
Valencia  2 – 0  Sevilla
Málaga  3 – 0  Atletico Madrid
Racing Santander  1 – 4  Getafe C.F
Osasuna  1 – 1  Villarreal
Mallorca  2 – 0  Xerez
Athletic Bilbao  1 – 0  Espanyol
Zaragoza  1 – 0  Tenerife
Real Madrid  3 – 2  Deportivo La Coruna

Valencia  2 – 0  Sevilla

A suprising result for me. Valencia have had money troubles for as long as I’ve had pubes (About 2 years) and I couldn’t see them beating a strong Sevilla side even at home. Valencia have held onto their prized assets in Silva and Villa which could see them pushing for the Champions League this season.

Málaga  3 – 0  Atletico Madrid

It seems like everyone is up to these manly flow-charts recently, so to join the crowd here is how to celebrate your goals. There is two versions, one for men and one for women. Let me know if there is any I forgot…

I cannot stress how impressed I am with Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere. Two beautifully taken goals today and a man of the match in both of his Emirates Cup games, he certainly looks the real deal. Wenger has created superstars before and it’s about time he did it with an English player.

Wilshere looks to have the touch and intelligence of Bergkamp with the pace and skill of Henry, a mouthwatering combination for Arsenal and England supporters alike. Currently a winger I see him moving up front when he gets a big stronger.

I don’t imagine he’ll make South Africa 2010 (Although with a good season and a few injuries…) but Capello was there and the 17 year old was the only English player on show. Wenger typically is urging patience with the player and unfortunately we may not see much of him this season bar his Carling Cup performances. I however say throw him in the deep end and see if he floats, I’m sure he would relish the oppurtunity. One to watch and I see great things ahead for this young player.

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In light of the transfer news concerning Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano I thought I would do an article on what position they take up and how important it is for Liverpool – but firstly an overview of the position itself…

Part one – Read my earlier article to get an overview on being a defensive midfielder.

Most the time we consider the defensive midfielder position as a single position – take Makelele, Keano, Viera e.t.c. But the defensive midfielder role can be split between two players. One of them employed as a deep-lying play-maker there to direct and control play and the other as a more persistent and dogged defensive midfielder there to break up the oppositions play and cover the defence. The deep lying/ defensive midfielder system originates from South America and is used extensively in the Brazilian, Chilean and Argentinean leagues as well as their international teams. Take the Brazilian national team – they use these two defensive players to counter balance their immensely attacking team. Look at two pictures below – from 1998 and 2009.

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Ok for this new feature we are going to give you a run down of the important footballing positions, today – the defensive midfielder – part one. – Introduction and the ‘classic’ defensive midfielder.

The holding role is regarded as a key position in modern football and has been employed by many of the top teams in the past ten years. You’ve probably know a few of them – Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Valencia, Liverpool, Real Madrid and A.C. Milan – it has become a staple position of the game.

So what does a defensive midfielder actually do? –  Here are four of the main responsibilities…

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• To protect the defence by hounding the opposition teams’ attackers and defenders.
• To cover the positions left by full-backs, midfielders and centre-backs as they advance into attack.
• To direct distribution of the ball between defence and midfield as well as to the flanks and towards offensive players.

The Trequartista or the 4-6-0 is an evolution of old fashioned formations particulary the 4-2-3-1.

The Austrian ‘Wunderteam’ of the early 1930s had great success with Mathias Sindelar, a centre-forward who constantly dropped deep, and Vsevolod Bobrov did similarly for the Dynamo Moscow tourists who so delighted British crowds in 1945. It was then Nandor Hidegkuti’s role as a deep-lying centre-forward that so perplexed England when Hungary won 6-3 at Wembley in 1953. ‘The tragedy to me,’ said England’s centre-half Harry Johnston, ‘was the utter helplessness… not being able to do anything about it.’ If Johnston followed Hidegkuti, he left a hole in the centre of England’s rearguard; if he stayed put, Hidegkuti roamed free.

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