Archive for the ‘Football Analysis’ Category

One of the most pleasing aspects of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations was that two co-hosts, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, have both managed to qualify for the Quarter Finals…

Gabon in particular have looked an impressive outfit, winning qualification Group C with three wins from three games, including a 1-0 win over Tunisia which secured top spot. Equatorial Guinea won their two opening games in Group A against Libya and Senegal, but failed narrowly against Group A winners, Zambia, going down by 0-1 but six points was enough to give them the runners up spot.

The most impressive team so far has been tournament favourites, Ivory Coast, who won all three of their Group B games without conceding a goal. They now take on Equatorial Guinea in Malabo on Saturday and go into the game as odds on favourites to progress to the Semi Finals.

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Arsenal slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United as boos rang out after Arsene Wenger inexplicably substituted Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with the score at 1-1

The nippy, technically astute youngster was having his best ever game in an Arsenal shirt and after much persistence from the hosts, set up striker Robin Van Persie for the equaliser in the second half.

Following the expected rejuvenation which came courtesy of ‘RVP’s’ fine finish and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s equally fine run-turned-assist, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger bizarrely chose to substitute the Arsenal winger to the horror of Gunners fans everywhere.

Thunderous boos rang out with stunned Arsenal (and Manchester United) fans baffled by Wenger’s decision to take off the best player on the pitch.

In came Andriy Arshavin, on stayed the hopelessly ineffective Theo Walcott, and minutes later United winger Antonio Valencia gleefully sidestepped a poor Arshavin tackle to burst into the Arsenal box as Danny Welbeck slammed home the winner.

So Why Did Wenger Take off Oxlade-Chamberlain?

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Glen Johnson is the subject of much discussion after Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini slammed a tackle he made during Liverpool’s 1-0 League Cup semi-final win at Eastlands.

Johnson leapt into a two-footed tackle on Joleon Lescott during a fiery second half.

Enraged, City boss Roberto Mancini suggested that Johnson’s tackle was a far more dangerous than the one which got his own defender Vincent Kompany sent off against Manchester United at the weekend.

So have your say with In The Stands below. Which was a worse tackle, Glen Johnson’s on Lescott or Vincent Kompany’s on Nani?

The UEFA Champions League Last 16 draw has paired Arsenal with AC Milan whilst Chelsea will take on Napoli in a English vs Italian double header.

Chelsea finished top of Group E but will be especially weary of last 16 opposition Napoli who overcame Manchester City in the group of death to book their place in the last 16 at their very first attempt.

Arsenal on the other hand have been handed what looks to be an equally tough draw in the form of AC Milan. The 7-time European champions finished a distant second behind holders Barcelona in Group H but will be no pushovers come the last 16 when they take on the Gunners.

The pair met at this stage in 2008 with Arsenal triumphing 2-0 on aggregate to knockout the then holders AC Milan, and this time around things look just as tough given the form of Massimo Allegri’s men.

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The UEFA Champions League last 16 draw takes place on Friday in Nyon with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Napoli awaiting their fate in the knockout round.

Two seeding pots have been formed, one consisting of group winners and the others of runners-up as follows:

Group winners: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Benfica, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, APOEL and Barcelona.

Group runners-up: Napoli, CSKA Moscow, Basel, Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille, Zenit St Petersburg and AC Milan.

As typical of the draw, seeded group winners will be away in the round of 16 first legs which will be played on February 14/15 and 21/22, with the return matches taking place on March 6/7 and 13/14.

No team can play a club which have emerged from their group nor can they be drawn against any side from the same country until at least the quarter-finals.

The remainder of the draw will be held on March 16 with the final taking place in Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 19.

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A bitter Jose Mourinho has blamed Real Madrid’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in El Clasico on mere luck.

Hosts Real Madrid were outplayed and out-skilled by champions Barcelona who, despite going behind within 22 seconds, rallied back to win 3-1 courtesy of goals by Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and a fine Cesc Fabregas header.

Reflecting on the result Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho surprised the assembled journalist by pointing to mere luck as the main cause to his side being defeated at home in the season’s first El Clasico.

“The first-half was balanced, but the goal in second half was pure luck and nothing more. It is not a matter of talent or a failure,” the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ told the post-match press conference.

“Luck plays a part,” he went on to add.

“With the 1-0, we should have gone 2-0 up, which under normal circumstances we would have, because Cristiano [Ronaldo] normally puts the ball inside [the goal].”

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In The Stands brings forth the team news and our predictions as Real Madrid host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in the El Clasico.

Going into Saturday’s clash Real Madrid currently sit top of La Liga on 37 points, three ahead of second place Barcelona having played one game less.

Both sides are bang in form and also recorded fines wins midweek in the UEFA Champions League as Barcelona crushed BATE Borisov 4-0 at the Camp Nou whilst Jose Mourinho’s men thumped Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam – reserve teams and all.

Ahead of the game, In The Stands puts forward some likely scenerios.

What Happens If Real Madrid Win?

If Real Madrid manage to beat Barcelona come Saturday night then they will move six points clear of their closest rivals with a game in hand to boot.

More significantly, the win will mean that Los Blancos would have broken the proverbial ‘mental barrier’ previously hindering them when facing the Spanish and European champions.

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Real Madrid and Barcelona meet again in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu and In The Stands looks back to their previous three matches between the pair.

The Santiago Bernabeu…scene of some terrific, if not controversial meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Here are the last three clashes between the pair and if they are anything to go by, Saturday’s match should also be a thriller.

Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona, Spanish Super Cup, August 2011

The Spanish Super Cup in August is meant to politely usher in a new season, but politeness was the last thing on anybodies lips when Barca came to town.

Despite playing fabulously at times, hosts Real Madrid were undone by two Barcelona goals on the counter-attack, the first being a rasping curling effort by David Villa.

Xabi Alonso equalized for 2-2 before Jose Mourinho’s men had a blatant penalty appeal ignored but the damage was already done.

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A 2-1 defeat to FC Basel saw Manchester United eliminated from the UEFA Champions League meaning that Fergie’s men will be playing in the Europa League from now on.

The chickens have surely come home to roost. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were left wanting on a bitterly disappointing night in Basel as last season’s runners-up crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and into the micky-mouse Lea…sorry Europa League.

A Shock? Yes, that cannot be denied. Deserved? That in itself is debatable. Expected? Well, that depends on how closely you have been watching the Red Devils in recent months.

We at In The Stands are far from surprised; in fact, United’s elimination from Europe’s elite cup competition has aided in shedding some much needed light on the problems currently besetting Fergie’s men.

Here are some reasons as to why Manchester United will be playing European football on a Thursday night from now on. Try not to laugh too hard at the back there!

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Ahead of Saturday’s friendly between England and Spain, In The Stands looks back to the pair’s last match where goals by David Villa and Fernando Llorente sealed an easy 2-0 win for the hosts.

David Villa and Fernando Llorente were the heroes for Spain as they brushed aside a feeble English threat in a resounding 2-0 friendly win at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

It was a reality check with apocalyptic accuracy as Fabio Capello’s men were hung out to dry on a cold Spanish night on February 11th 2009. On a positive note the match also saw former England captain David Beckham draw level with 1966 World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore on 108 caps.

Spain of course went on to lift their first ever World Cup crown one year later whilst England crashed and burn at the last 16 stage at the hands of old enemies Germany.

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A double from Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and solo goals from Sergio Aguero and David Silva saw Manchester City crush Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford in an unbelievable Premier League encounter.

The ‘noisy neighbours’ have not only created a racket, they have taken over the streets, all avenues, the high roads and the city centre itself!

Where oh where do you begin? Maybe with the fact that this was the day, the day of all days when every single football fan in the land knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that Manchester City are not just genuine title contenders (we knew that already), but the number one favourites to bag a first Premier League crown.

6-1?! Even the scoreline seems surreal when compared to the significance of the result and the sheer power of the performance by Roberto Mancini’s charges.

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Everyone kicks you when you’re down – that’s how it works, right? One minute you’re a legend; grooming the best players the Premier League has ever seen – winning two doubles on the way. The next your youthful team deserts you.

Arsene Wenger: the artist, the philosopher, the best manager the English Premier League has ever seen are complements that have become all the more distance. The sheer delight to be managed by a genius is no longer the divine priority – it’s money.

The game has changed. Players have become fickle, their feet have become more itchy and their price has become inflated. For example, It was clear that Samir Nasri wanted to move to Manchester United to play under, arguably, a manager better than Wenger – a move that I understand. But money, again, became a bargaining chip; Nasri could have waited to next year – but Arsenal knew this wasn’t a viable option because his price would devalue significantly. To add to this, hefty contract negotiations and a promise to buy the league would have drawn Nasri away from another season at Arsenal. We must also remember that this ‘saga’ started because Nasri felt he deserved a contract as large as the departed Cesc Fabregas (believed to be around £100,000 per week)

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