Wednesday Tit-Bits: Wenger versus The World

In the wake of Aaron Ramsey’s broken leg at Stoke on Saturday, the media seems to have covered the story form multiple different angles. Yet in true journalistic style the only thing that anyone seemed to care about were that: -

• Ryan Shawcross didn’t MEAN to break anyone’s leg
• There was no malice or intent behind the challenge
• Arsenal’s style of midfield passing football means they’re far more likely to be on the end of such tackles
• Arsene defended similar style of hard tackling play when he had players such as Vieira and Adams in his side 7 years ago

It's obvious that Wenger has changed his views and approach in the same way that the style of his squad has changed.  Any coach worth his salt should be able to adapt style and philosophies based on the players he has at his disposal. The passion fuelled debates between Arseblog, ArsenalInsider and a good deal of journalists such as Robert Dineen and Matt Dickinson.

I think it does the game a bit of a disservice to continue any debate in the same vein. What is really needed is some way to stop such events ever happening again. Other than perhaps the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast everywhere else the football world has focused on the actors of this story.

The words malice or intent should never be a part of any discussion on the matter, the cases where a player has intentionally committed a career threatening act are so obvious that it need not be considered.

I would rather hear a discussion on what constitutes a good tackle rather than a bludgeon or scything challenge. There is something to be said for good positioning and ball control, had Shawcross not had such a poor, heavy touch in the first place he would not have been in a position to make the challenge. No other country likes a good hard tackle like the they do in England, but if people don’t want to see these sorts of incidents again there will have to be a greater shift toward technique and control.

The rest of the Arsenal players must also be applauded for carrying on with the match in question. They didn’t self destruct as they had done against Birmingham 2 seasons ago. The team seemed to pick up their tempo again after 5-10 minutes, though they were handed a penalty that could have gone either way, and the 3rd goal seemed to matter little other than to add an flattering gloss to what had been a tight game. Stoke did very well to defend their goal up until the 90th minute but rarely threatened after the first half.

Blatter considers doing away with offside

It seems Sepp Blatter wants to take a leaf out of Hockey’s book and rather than investigate the possibility of video technology, something that wouldn’t require any sort of rule change, just the odd minute of consultation with an official who has a TV. The FIFA president has been pondering the idea of doing away with the offside law altogether (Article here from The Times).

As far as I understand the change, it would apply the offside law to say the final third of the pitch, or the 18 yard box, but elsewhere the law doesn’t apply. This would mean teams having to sit very deep to not allow attackers such a great advantage leaving vast spaces in the midfield for passing play to occur. In one sense it could kill the long ball game, given the depth at which the defenders will have to sit they will be able to easily deal with any howitzers fed from back to front. On the other hand I think this will take away a certain level of tactical nous and strategy from the game.

First bans handed out for blasphemy crackdown in Italy

The FIGC in Italy have finally started handing out bans for swearing, blasphemy and the display of motifs, logos or controversial messages on players shirts during goal celebrations. The first two culprits are the Chievo coach Domenico Di Carlo and Parma striker Davide Lanzafame. Referees have been instructed to red card any players they hear blaspheming during games and the authorities will also be enforcing bans retrospectively using the powers of TV evidence. More here at FourFourTwo.

I wonder how such a policy would go down in the English leagues. Perhaps it would foster a little more respect for referees, not that the premier league is any less respectful than any other major European league. I would like to see how many players are sent during the first few weeks of the policy’s introduction.

England climb above Argentina in FIFA rankings

In a world not quite as unfathomable as the magical UEFA coefficients, England have moved up a place to 8th in the FIFA world rankings. They knock Argentina down one, while Germany have also moved up into 5th place. England’s opponents tonight, Egypt, have moved down a whopping 7 places to 17th. I suspect this is due to their failure to qualify for the world cup later this year. More here and here.

Cassano to be the next Pandev?

The liberation of Goran Pandev in December set an interesting precedent for the treatment of players going out of contract in Serie A. In previous years if a player had been in unsuccessful contract negotiation or was requesting a transfer chairmen in Italy effectively put the player on the naughty step.

Antonio Cassano has been effectively excluded from the Sampdoria squad since the Genoese squad tried to offload the once upon a time reckless striker to Fiorentina in the January transfer window. Fees had been agreed but at the final hour the player pulled out. This transfer had come after a public falling out between the player and the Sampdoria manager Del Neri.

Since this public spat Cassano has been out of favour with Del Neri and hasn’t featured for the club. However they haven’t missed his presence, their first loss came at the weekend in a 1-0 defeat against Parma. the defeat only coming from a very generous penalty decision.

If this situation persists it will be interesting to see if this case pans out in a similar manner to the Pandev case. Arguably, Cassano is past any semblance of prime he ever had, more occupied with filling his face with pastries and having as much sex as he possibly can. I find it difficult to believe that he would make the impact transfer that Pandev has achieved at Inter. The precedent certainly suggests that further player’s have been handed further power, in a world where they already have the ability demand extortionate wages, this disrupts the player-club balance. To what extent the balance has been shifted, we will have to wait and see.

It also seems that the boat has sailed for both Cassano and his supporters, the 23-man squad was announced a few days ago. However there was a greater chance of a 2 legged horse winning the Grand National, than Antonio Cassano being called up to the Azzurri under Marcello Lippi. Their spats have been well publicised and Lippi recently produced a big fat ‘I told you so’ over Cassano’s bust up with Del Neri.

Tactical Analysis: Chelsea left back dilemma

Over the past couple of weeks injuries for the Chelsea full back department have left them without Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov to cover the left back position for 2 vital fixtures.

Malouda filled the void against both Inter in the Champions League and Man City in today’s fixture in the Premier League. I felt that he had 2 very good games on an individual basis, pushing forward to support the attack and tracking back and defending well. However as part of the Chelsea system I felt he didn’t quite fit in and it left them horribly exposed.

In the San Siro against Inter, Ancelotti lined up with a narrow 3 in the midfield which negated the Italian centre of Cambiasso, Thiago Motta and Stankovic. Up front they played Kalou, Drogba and Anelka, a front 3 pairing that would struggle to offer width sufficient to break down Inter.

In this situation Chelsea were relying on the full backs, Ivanovic and Malouda, to get forward and provide the necessary width. For whatever reason most of the action on Wednesday night went down the Chelsea right wing. Perhaps with the intention of getting at the ageing Javier Zanetti or maybe just a coincidence. When Ivanovic pushed down the right, Malouda had to push on the opposite wing to provide width and try to stretch Inter.

Inter setup to absorb this pressure and played most of their football on the counter attack, with the Chelsea full backs out of the equation Inter were able to break and were left 3 versus 3 with plenty of space in the channels (shown in yellow above) to stretch the 3 Chelsea players. If they could have made more of these situations they would have more than a 1 goal lead to take into the second leg at Stamford Bridge in just under 3 weeks time.

Against Man City today, Chelsea went with a narrow-ish 4-4-2. Joe Cole providing a little bit more width down the left but this time Chelsea’s problems came from transitional play. Bellamy’s first goal came about because Chelsea left themselves 2 versus 2 at the back when they had a corner and the scores level at one a piece.

The move began from the clearance of a Joe Cole cross, at this point Chelsea had the situation under control. Carvalho was marking Bellamy and Mikel was free behind him to cover as he retreated to defend the transition. I cannot understand what went through Carvalho’s head, he all of a sudden decides that Bellamy is not important and turns to pressure Gareth Barry who has the ball, he has at least 15 yards to make before he can make any sort of block and leaves Bellamy with some 20 yards of space to play into before he gets to Mikel.

Predictably, Carvalho is in no man’s land, the ball is lifted into the space and Bellamy and Tevez are 2 versus 2 which leads to the goal. You can see the goal here at 101greatgoals.

Luckily it seems that Bosingwa and Zhirkov will be back next week. This will give Chelsea better shape and should see them through to the next round of the Champions League as well as their next few games in the Premiership.

Wednesday tit-bits

Do Chelsea deserve any sympathy in Europe?

Hugh McIlvaney writes, in the Sunday Times last weekend, that Chelsea have had their plentiful share of hardships over the last half a dozen seasons when competing for the title at Europe’s top table.

They have suffered 4 semi-final exits, some more painful than others, and the injustice of losing due to a mishit John Terry penalty. Is this a true depiction of the views of the British footballing public or is it another case of the selective vision and selective memory of a patriotic journalist?

Their one appearance in the final so far was a solid performance but neither they nor Man Utd really threatened for the majority of the game and so they lost it on a lottery, perhaps they should have been more assertive in open play?

En-route to most of these semi finals Chelsea have not had to face the best sides in the draw. In a similar manner to the way in which they always seem to draw League 2 opposition at home in the FA cup they often find themselves with a tie against Stuttgart or Olympiakos or Fenerbache. Not sides to be sniffed at but hardly the cream of Europe. Perhaps I would offer more in the way of sympathy if they had had to play a prolific side, in the sort of form that the 2006-07 Milan side were in the Champions League.

The only possible exception to this rule was in 2005 when they played Barcelona and Bayern Munich to reach the semi finals before losing out to a solitary goal against eventual winners Liverpool. I suspect that Barcelona were not at their peak and Bayern have not been able to recreate the successes of the late 90s and early 2000s now that much of the Bundesliga is run on a tight budget.

Last season’s semi final against Barcelona is the main course of Hugh’s piece. Much like many other members of the media and the general public they are quick to mention a shocking performance from Ovrebo and the countless penalties that Chelsea should have been awarded. No one talks about the chances that Drogba missed in the away leg, nor the penalties that should have been doled out to Barcelona for Bosingwa’s tug on Henry’s shirt. Nor do they discuss the misfortune of Eric Abidal, who had to miss the final through suspension because Nicolas Anelka tripped over his own feet.

Tonight Ancelotti’s Chelsea face a former friend in Jose Mourinho, over 2 legs they should be able to ease past Inter. A side who are not in form, have drawn their last 4 matches 0-0. Who lead Serie A by 5 points, chasing a 5th consecutive but hollow title. The standard of the Italian league has slipped since it’s glory days in the 90s.

The key for Chelsea will be to use plenty of width against a Mourinho side expected to play a narrow 4-3-1-2. I look forward to the game tonight with much anticipation.

Pele stands up for Maradonna

After years of animosity, mainly based on the fact Pele has always jealously defended his super status as the game’s greatest player, Pele has defended his Argentine counterpart stating that “it was his first time coaching.” and blaming head of the AFA, Grondona, for installing him in a position of great importance. Full story here.

Ronaldo calling time on his career… not quite yet though.

Ronaldo (the Brazilian) has finally decided that he will be retiring from football, at the end of his new contract. The once prolific striker has signed a 2-year extension to his current deal with Corinthians in Brazil. His career has included spells at some great clubs including PSV, Barcelona, Inter and Real Madrid. More here.

Cristiano Ronaldo proclaimed as God in Madrid

The Spanish press on Monday morning were kissing the feet of the great CR9 or God.  AS and Marca would have you believe anyway. Sid Lowe reports for the Guardian.

Great goals and random video

Boriello stunner for AC Milan vs Bari, see it here.

Maradonna goes through an entertaining warm up routine, courtesy of Gab Marcotti

Young Talent – Douglas Costa

Last summer Douglas Costa became a big star on the YouTube talent circuit, he was touted as the next Ronaldinho. He had been linked heavily to Manchester Utd as an “obvious” replacement to Cristiano Ronaldo.

In the end, rumours about his attitude and problems in his private life contributed to Alex Ferguson passing on the opportunity and instead signing up Obertan.  He had also been linked with moves to Real Madrid and Juventus in August 2009.

At Gremio he only played a handful of games during his 2 year tenure, however he appeared to be a bright, skilful player with a good footballing brain with awareness of his and his teammates positioning on the pitch.

He has also featured often for the Brazil U20 team, both at the World Cup in Egypt last year and at the 2009 U20 South American Championships playing a part in their path to the final and victory respectively.

Against Fulham on Thursday night, he came on for fellow Brazilian Jadson with Fulham, somewhat fortuitously, 2-1 up. He looked very bright and skilful with plenty of pace. I was particularly pleased to see him attacking Stephen Kelly and not being afraid of trying a trick or two at this level.

He pushed the full back and offered plenty of support to Luis Adriano up front when the ball was on the opposing wing. He had much hunger and was constantly demanding the ball when free and in space.

His January transfer to Shaktar (€6m) seems the perfect move for a young talent such as Douglas, the Ukranian side play a slick, to feet brand of passing football that will suit his style and the quality of other Brazilian players at the club will not only push his abilities but also ensure that he settles well in a country far far away from his native land.  I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

Links: -

http://www.douglascosta.com.br/default.asp

English Premier League – Worst Signing 2008/09 season

With the season drawing to a close now awards have been handed out for player of the season etc. It is worth considering the players who have been all but disappointing this year.

5. Deco (Barcelona – Chelsea, £8m). 
The ageing flair midfielder heralded by many as the man to ‘complete’ the Chelsea midfield got off to a flyer under Scolari, providing some quality in the opening day demolition of a Portsmouth side depleted over the summer. However since the departure of Big Phil he has found it difficult to get a place in the starting XI. This may possibly be a case of taking a season to adjust to the English style but it remains to be seen where he will figure in the plans of the next Chelsea manager.

4. Jo (CSKA Moscow – Manchester City, £19m).
An almost extortionate price tag for a player who played very few games in sky blue despite a decent showing at the Olympics. Has had far more success since going on loan to Everton however David Moyes has made it clear that the Toffees cannot afford to meet the valuation of the player. The Brazilian is likely to have an uncertain few months ahead of him, though the same might be said of the whole Manchester establishment.

3. David Bentley (Blackburn – Tottenham, £15m).
Seen as an unnecessary addition by many Spurs fans and has not lived up to the hype that followed his arrival to White Hart Lane, nor his price tag (Blackburn I’m sure are very pleased though). Other than a few decent crosses and a flailing but well weighted shot against Arsenal he has been very quiet in any games he has played in. Another player who faces a somewhat uncertain future under a manager who did not buy him.

2. Robbie Keane (Tottenham – Liverpool – Tottenham, £TILT).
Almost certainly the worst piece of footballing business since anybody set eyes on either Jordan Stewart or Stephen Bywater. Coveted for so long by Rafa Benitez to do nothing but play out of position in a system to which he did not fit. Perhaps the Liverpool boss is missing a few pages from his FA Formations coaching manual. His insistence to play 4-2-3-1 has meant Keane spent much of his time at Liverpool being utterly frustrated and frustrating the Kop faithful. Seems to be happier back at Spurs and probably won’t find himself stranded on the left wing too often.

1. Jimmy Bullard (Fulham – Hull, £5m).
After an injury-free first half to the season, Jimmy ‘My knee is a complete and utter liability and Bupa are having none of it’ Bullard decided that he wasn’t happy with having “only” 18 months on his contract and wanted more more more from a Fulham side who are living within their means. It is very likely that Roy Hodgson is breathing an enormous sigh of relief after flogging the whinging midfielder to Hull for their club record in the £5m region and Jimmy injured himself after just 30 minutes playing time. Without a doubt the worst value for money this season.

Uefa Cup Final 2009 - Preview

On Wednesday 20th May 2009 we will witness the last ever final of the Uefa Cup as we know it. The successor to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which ran between 1955 and 1971, the Uefa cup was traditionally a competition for the runners up in a nation’s league however since merging with the Cup Winner’s Cup in 1999 it also invites the winners of certain domestic trophies to take part in the competition. In England these are the League and FA cup.

This year’s finalists Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk have not had an easy ride to the final and they have had to earn their plaudits as any finalist should.

Both sides have progressed via elimination from the group phase of the Champions League. Shakhtar faced Spurs, CSKA Moscow, Marseille and Dynamo Kyiv en-route and Werder took on the might of A.C. Milan, St. Etienne, Udinese and Hamburg.

Shakhtar have had a tendency to leave things late in the majority of their games in the competition this year, scoring only 2 of their 12 goals in the first half. Both coming against Marseille in the Quarter finals. Perhaps this is an indication of a good fitness routine being maintained throughout the Ukrainian winter break (December-March) and the freshness that comes with such a break.

Bremen on the other hand have had a disappointing season in the Bundesliga, currently sitting in 10th place and can only achieve a 7th place finish at best. This will leave them without any European football next season a situation that I’m sure they will do their best to counter. They have always been a very attacking side and this is very evident given their goal tally, 64 in the league and 15 in the Uefa Cup, however they have been blighted by their leaky defence letting in a bucketful of goals. Conceding over 2 goals in every tie in the competition this season.

Winning the trophy should help ensure that they enjoy the benefits of a European campaign. Shakhtar will not have this worry on their mind as they sit comfortably in second place in the Ukrainian Premier League and will enter the qualifying rounds for the Champions League and should at least guarantee them a place in the Group phase of the Europa League.

A more illustrious reason for both sides to go hammer and tong on Wednesday evening is that neither side has won the competition in their history. Bremen have won the Cup Winner’s Cup in 1992 but for Shakhtar this is their first appearance at the final of any competition at this level and a win would be a great achievement for them.

I think that despite Bremen’s attacking prowess, they are coming to the end of a long and arduous season, they have leaked goals and Shakhtar while nowhere near as potent up front as the Germans will be in their stride after the freshening winter break and their league form at the moment has been spotless. I will have to go for a 2-1 Shakhtar victory in normal time.