Football Dose

SACK HIM ALREADY!

2012-10-25T17:06:00.000+04:00

11 games, 6 losses , 2 draws , and 3 wins. Even the most pessimistic Milan fan wouldn't have predicted this disaster at the start of the season. The Rossoneri have now experienced 3 back to back losses, fans of the red and black like me have become accustomed to losses, going into every game hoping for a victory, content with a draw, and deep down, expecting a loss. Like the fans, I’m pretty sure the players feel the same way, and in my view, only a change in leadership will break this psychological barrier to help Milan get out of it’s free-fall.

I was shocked last night listening to Champions League commentary when one of the analysts said “Well, if they sack Allegri, another coach is gonna come, and what’s he gonna do?” Well, another coach could do much more. This is not a team that should lose half at its games. Yes the best players have gone, and the squad has many average players, but there are still players with great potential and every Milan fan knows that this squad is not playing to the best of their abilities.

The passing is shocking the game plan is confusing, there is no stability in the lineups, and the result is a lack of organization and chaotic displays.

Let me start by what Allegri has done:

1. He has played 11 different defensive lineups in the last 11 games. Surely after a few games, a coach must have an idea about who is the best person for which position. Not only does this lack of consistency hurt the player’s confidence, it also makes it impossible for the team to gel as every week a certain defender is partnered with a different player.

2. Milan have conceded more than half their goals as a result of set-pieces which further proves that experimenting with the defensive lineup hinders any chance of progress. Also, conceding so many goals from set-pieces is a direct result of the coach not addressing such a pressing, yet simple issue.

3. After the favored 4-3-1-2 lineup failed, Allegri switched to a 4-3-3 where the team showed signs of progress, however, after the international break, the 4-3-1-2 was re-introduced and resulted in a 3-0 lead for Lazio. The coach then changed to a Gung-ho strategy to make the final score 3-2, and then claimed that we were unlucky not to get a draw.

4. The most recent experimentation was a complete disaster when Allegri fielded a 3-4-3 last night against Malaga. This was quite dysfunctional as Milan only created 2 or 3 goal scoring chances while Malaga never looked like losing.

5. Apart from the defensive lineups, until the last match, Allegri has insisted on fielding Nocerino and Boateng in the starting lineup when both players were extremely out of form. Emmanuelson was in top shape in preseason, yet he only played a few minutes in the past few weeks.

6. Pazzini in my eyes is an atrocious player. Little skill, can’t dribble , can’t finish, can’t press, can’t hold up play, absolutely useless. Yet he plays every game.

7. The Shaarawy and Bojan partnership looked very effective when they played together. There was a natural chemistry between those players. We saw those 2 pair up in 2 consecutive games where the team performance improved greatly, but then Bojan was inexplicably dropped.

The list could go on and on about how poor Allegri’s team management and squad selection has been. When he won the Scudetto with Milan, the team had leaders on and off the pitch (Seedorf, Silva, Nesta, Gattuso, Ambro, Ibra, Van Bommel). If he failed to motivate, then the senators would step in and take charge of the situation. At the moment, Allegri doesn’t inspire confidence in any of the players, and Ambrosini seems resigned to defeat. There isn’t a Gattuso, a Nesta, or an Ibra to shout a battle cry to get the team back on its feet.

What would a new manager bring? Well for starters, every Milan player knows that Allegri will be replaced in the next weeks or months. If the average employee knew their boss was leaving, they certainly wouldn't be performing to the best of their abilities. On the opposite side, Allegri has probably already packed his bags, and hence, he wouldn't put everything into it either. A new manager would bring stability to the team, the players would improve their performances, and the team would get a much needed injection of positivity.

Chelsea last season were collecting defeats with AVB, then DiMatteo took over and won the Champions League with the same set of players. Yes, maybe Chelsea had better players than Milan, but it still shows how a change in leadership can improve the team. On the other hand, we have also seen teams suffer after a change in leadership, however, after only 2 months into the season, Milan have almost lost their chance of a Top 3 finish in the Serie A, and if their current performances continue, will most likely be eliminated from the Champions League. They have nothing left to lose.

Milan need to sign a great manager, someone who knows what it means to be a part of this legendary club, someone who can instill confidence and fighting spirit into the team, reignite the flame, and the will to win in every player.

The Deepest Fears of a Milanisti

2012-10-02T16:28:00.000+04:00

So we sold Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, then swapped Cassano for Pazzini, not to mention the departure of the senators (Inzaghi, Nesta, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Seedorf) and Van Bommel. What we are left with is an average squad that should be able to compete in the top 5 in Serie A, yet winning a match has never felt harder for me in my entire career as a Milan fan.

A few nights ago, I was watching Real Madrid play Deportivo, and I thought "man that team kicked us out of the Champions League only a few years ago". Since then they've gone downhill , been relegated to Liga Adelante and are now fighting to keep their place in the Primera division. The same can be said about Celta Vigo who were also once a team that regularly finished in the Top 4 and took part in the Champions League. Then there is Liverpool, who despite showing real improvement this season, have really struggled to regain their status as a top club as they once were. The examples are countless of how bad management, bankruptcy, and perhaps a little bit of bad luck can leave a football club , and it's fans in shambles.

My deepest fears is to witness the free-fall of Milan into a team that is no longer competitive , not only on the European scale, but also on the domestic front. Yes, my deepest fear is Milan turning into a Deportivo.

Granted, Milan have only played 7 games this season, but the fact is, all these 7 matches were winnable! We have not played against Juventus, Roma, Inter, Napoli, Lazio, Arsenal, or Barca. We have played against Anderlecht, Sampdoria, Udinese, Bologna, Cagliari, Parma, and Atalanta!

Recent performances have been slightly better than the initial horror shows exhibited at the start of the season, however, these performances are still far from convincing. We have teams like Zenit spending 100m Euros on transfers, Chelsea continuing to reinforce their squad, and PSG spending like money grow on trees, while Milan have sold their best players and have purchased the likes of Pazzini, Constant, and Traore, among others, who in their wildest dreams would have never thought of breaking into Milan's first team only a few years ago.

This brings me to the point of UEFA's FFP rules, which has been a constant excuse used by Berlusconi and Galliani for refraining from purchasing any top quality players. But then what is the point of meeting the UEFA FFP rules when the current team stands very little chance of qualifying for the Champions League? The idea is to build a financially viable, and competitive team, yet it seems that Milan management have overlooked the competitive aspect and are expecting average players to miraculously turn into skilled magicians on the field.

The problems at the club have been heavily directed towards Allegri for not utilizing the players at his disposal properly, and while I agree there are better coaches than Allegri out there, who could probably organize the team in a better way, and churn out a few results, it would be naive to think that changing the coach will suddenly make this Milan team a title contender. The problem lies with the management, starting from the board, and the president.

A common defense is that the president has done a lot for the club, yes, we have seen a lot of titles won under Berlusconi's watch, but we cannot continue to call on past achievements to justify recent failures. It only takes common sense to see that the senators will soon get old and need to be replaced by equally talented youngsters who can uphold the name of the club and continue it's legacy. It only takes common sense to see that other clubs who we previously out-earned in revenues have overtaken us by miles. It takes common sense to see that the San Siro is no longer a world-class stadium but more of a pre-historic landmark. A stadium that floods every time it rains, a stadium that has very little facilities. All these aspects add up to gigantic amounts of revenue that Milan have missed out on over the years. Revenues that would have helped rebuild the squad properly to ensure that the team remains at a competitive level.

Another aspect is the diabolical lack of wage structure. We have fringe players like Flamini and Mexes pocketing 4M Euros a year! While in Torino, Juventus legend Gigi Buffon who earns a little over 3M euros is one of the top earners of the club.

At the moment, I don't foresee any easy fixes, the best a Milanisti can hope for is some sort of plan to build a new stadium or renovate the SanSiro, develop youngsters, implement an appropriate wage structure based on achievements on the field, and attempt to increase commercial revenues.

Until then, we'll have to learn to enjoy mediocre football.

The Current Financial Landscape in Football

2012-07-18T17:43:00.001+04:00

So it's that time of the year when your favorite club is either buying players for reinforcements or (in my case) selling it's stars. With Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations about to kick off in 2012, it seems the only clubs who are taking this issue seriously are those in Serie A. While that cannot be ascertained by looking only at the purchases and sales of star players, I don't see clubs like PSG, Manchester City, or Chelsea meeting the FFP rules. These rules state that clubs who make a loss of more than 45 million Euros over the 2012-2014 period are disqualified from participating in the Champions League. Based on current figures, Manchester City had in excess of 100m POUNDS in losses, when you do the maths, that equates to 127 million Euros! and that's just in one year. How on earth are they going to reduce their losses to 45m over 2 years?!

In any case, apart from transfer fees, here's an overview of who spent what on wages last year. From the figures, it is no surprise that Barcelona and Real Madrid are what they are at the moment. Whether they can sustain that sort of expenditure is another story. It is also surprising that Milan are fifth on this list with an average salary per player of USD 6.1 million. Most people consider Milan a cheap team that looks for bargains, but it seems like what they were saving on transfer fees, they have been paying in higher wages. From this perspective, perhaps the Ibra/T.Silva sales were necessary to reorganize things.

Rank	Team and League	Avg Wages per player (USD)	$ per week
1	Barcelona * La Liga	8,680,569	166,934
2	Real Madrid La Liga	7,796,637	149,935
3	Manchester City * EPL	7,403,754	142,380
4	Chelsea EPL	6,795,899	130,690
5	Milan * Serie A	6,104,769	117,399
6	Bayern Munich * Bundesliga	5,907,652	113,609
7	Internazionale Serie A	5,700,915	109,633
8	Manchester United EPL	5,521,423	106,181
9	Arsenal EPL	5,280,108	101,541
10	Liverpool EPL	5,230,525	100,587
11	Juventus Serie A	4,695,976	90,307
12	Schalke Bundesliga	4,187,722	80,533
13	Aston Villa EPL	4,067,464	78,220
14	Roma Serie A	3,897,660	74,955
15	Tottenham EPL	3,809,476	73,259
16	Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga	3,122,824	60,054
17	Valencia La Liga	3,065,511	58,952
18	Werder Bremen Bundesliga	2,734,924	52,595
19	Stuttgart Bundesliga	2,721,154	52,330
20	Hamburg Bundesliga	2,579,904	49,614
21	Atletico Madrid La Liga	2,575,531	49,529
22	Sevilla La Liga	2,546,216	48,966
23	Fulham EPL	2,425,160	46,638
24	Everton EPL	2,371,948	45,614
25	Sunderland EPL	2,367,467	45,528
26	Bolton EPL	2,342,962	45,057
27	West Ham EPL	2,338,844	44,978
28	Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga	2,278,258	43,813
29	Newcastle EPL	2,239,808	43,073
30	Blackburn EPL	2,164,252	41,620
31	Nuremberg Bundesliga	2,131,880	40,998
32	Fiorentina Serie A	2,053,745	39,495
33	Wolfsburg Bundesliga	1,977,999	38,038
34	Stoke EPL	1,951,237	37,524
35	Lazio Serie A	1,925,350	37,026
36	Athletic Bilbao La Liga	1,909,662	36,724
37	Wigan EPL	1,828,126	35,156
38	Genoa Serie A	1,807,493	34,759
39	Kaiserslautern Bundesliga	1,762,005	33,885
40	Hoffenheim Bundesliga	1,760,991	33,865
41	Cologne Bundesliga	1,759,956	33,845
42	Celtic * SPL	1,757,964	33,807
43	Hannover 96 Bundesliga	1,716,322	33,006
44	Birmingham EPL	1,710,585	32,896
45	Borussia Monchengladbach Bundesliga	1,683,902	32,383
46	Napoli Serie A	1,669,305	32,102
47	Mainz Bundesliga	1,665,531	32,029
48	Zaragoza La Liga	1,658,391	31,892
49	St Pauli Bundesliga	1,656,318	31,852
50	West Bromwich Albion EPL	1,650,305	31,737
51	Villarreal La Liga	1,641,640	31,570
52	Sampdoria Serie A	1,629,504	31,337
53	Wolverhampton Wanderers EPL	1,463,969	28,153
54	Freiburg Bundesliga	1,379,842	26,535
55	Rangers SPL	1,355,612	26,069
56	Palermo Serie A	1,234,698	23,744
57	Espanyol La Liga	1,206,102	23,194
58	Mallorca La Liga	1,113,970	21,422
59	Bologna Serie A	1,061,291	20,409
60	Udinese Serie A	1,059,458	20,374
61	Catania Serie A	1,049,493	20,183
62	Real Sociedad La Liga	1,046,964	20,134
63	Getafe La Liga	1,034,400	19,892
64	Parma Serie A	972,067	18,694
65	Bari Serie A	920,411	17,700
66	Cagliari Serie A	881,469	16,951
67	Osasuna La Liga	854,323	16,429
68	Racing Santander La Liga	829,195	15,946
69	Deportiva La Coruna La Liga	799,880	15,382
70	Lecce Serie A	790,298	15,198
71	Blackpool EPL	718,893	13,825
72	Chievo Serie A	695,463	13,374
73	Malaga La Liga	695,184	13,369
74	Brescia Serie A	633,957	12,191
75	Levante La Liga	577,924	11,114
76	LA Galaxy * MLS	555,799	10,688
77	Heart of Midlothian SPL	541,437	10,412
78	New York Red Bulls MLS	529,126	10,176
79	Hercules La Liga	502,543	9,664
80	Almeria La Liga	489,979	9,423
81	Cesena Serie A	418,285	8,044
82	Sporting Gijon La Liga	380,642	7,320

*Data Obtained from the Guardian.co.uk

A Biased Opinion: Barcelona Vs Milan

2012-04-04T05:29:00.001+04:00

For this article, I am throwing all the unbiased bullsh*t out and writing about how I truly feel.

I have been a supporter of AC Milan for as long as I can remember, since 1996 to be exact, that is when my interest in the game started. 16 years of ups and downs, 16 years of sadness and joy that I have shared with hundreds of players that have come and gone at my beloved AC Milan. From the days of CostaCurta and Albertini , Weah and Bierhoff, Boban and Ruicosta, Kaka and Shevchenko, to the more recent Prince and Ibra. I stood by and supported them with a heavy heart when we had a bad season, and with unrelenting ecstasy when we were winning. I even refer to AC Milan as "we"! Isn't that funny, as if I had some affiliation with the club, a club that knows nothing of my existence or support. Heck I have never even been to Italy, yet still consider them a part of who I am. It defies logic, it is beyond logic that their performances and results affect my mood and stir up hidden passions and feelings of anger and rage that I wouldn't normally show. I cannot explain why or how this happened, but I love them unconditionally. As Paolo Coelho puts it: "One is loved because one is loved, no reason is needed for loving".

You can imagine my frustration when sitting with a self acclaimed Barca fan as he said "If Milan were the best team in the world, I would support them". To him it is logical, the man wants to see pretty football. To a loyal supporter like me who loves his club, it is simply outrageous to switch clubs just like that! Barcelona fans have been growing exponentially since their European domination 5 -7 years ago, come to think of it, I have never seen so many Barcelona fans in my region before. But I don't know if i'm comfortable calling these new fans, "fans" at all. Like every great team, Barca too will go through a bad cycle, and when that happens, how many of those new fans will stick around for an unpleasant ride? Right now, they are invincible, the new fans go into every game confident of winning, even crushing their opponents, they have rarely tasted defeat, they do not know what it feels like going into a match as underdogs. Their arrogance annoys me to no bounds.

I remember feeling as confident as the new and old barca fans once upon a time when AC Milan's line up alone would send shivers down their opponents spine . I don't feel as confident now, but I still cheer on.

There is no dispute that Barcelona play great football , although I feel like they could do with some more shooting from distance, but they are undoubtedly the best team in the world at the moment. I have no problems with my AC Milan losing to the best team in the world in the Champions League Quarter Finals.

We had a shot at going through to the semi-finals, we really did. Our players put up a great display of grit and character to prevent Barcelona from scoring at the San Siro. We came to Camp Nou to give it our best shot, but we were prevented, not by Barcelona, but by external factors. That is what I have a problem with.

Football is not played on paper, if it were, we could just crown Barcelona with every trophy there is. As I stated before, I have been a fan of AC Milan for 16 years and I've experienced being knocked out of a competition, even losing a Champions League final in which we had a 3-0 lead at halftime, I've been angry, but never this annoyed with my opponent (Apart from Dudek's "Spaghetti Legs" goalkeeping tactics in the 2005 CL final against Liverpool).

I do not feel we were robbed as Barcelona played better over both legs, however, it was expected that Barcelona would play better, and in a game where the only thing that counts are goals, Barcelona were awarded 2 penalty kicks, 1 of which should have NEVER been given in a match with such high stakes where a single goal would change the course of the game. The Champions League Quarter Finals is not the time or place to be setting a refereeing example for the world, shirt tugs and pulls happen before thousands and thousands of corner kicks in every league in the world.

Calling a penalty ...for a shirt tug.. when the ball was out of play. A simply ludicrous decision that one simply cannot, with a clear conscience agree with. This decision honestly robbed Milan of a fair fighting chance against the world's best team, and also robbed Barcelona of a possible deserved victory.

At 1-1, the game was in AC Milan's hands, all we wanted to do was defend , but the referee robbed us of that opportunity and decided that Barcelona should win this game.

It was disgusting seeing the Barcelona players pressure the referee into that decision, where's the glory and honor in that? It was pathetic seeing their manager justify it after the game. For the Greatest football team in the world to resort to diving, pressuring the referee, time wasting, and an unsporting winning at any cost mentality is simply needless and unfitting of their title.

I will never know what would've happened had that 2nd penalty not been called. Could we hold on for 50 more minutes? Even losing by 5 or 6 goals would have been easier than to go out like this.

If there are any true football fans who support Barcelona, they would not have wanted to win like this either as they will now need to deal with more controversial conspiracy theories surrounding their team.

Alas, what's done is done, an unfair match, and an unfair albeit deserved win for Barcelona (if that last line makes any sense)

Barcelona Always Complains...

2012-03-29T18:49:00.001+04:00

It was a tightly contested match, both teams had scoring opportunities but both teams were also uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal.

Although Barcelona dominated possession, they found it difficult to penetrate Milan's defense and were often playing at a pace that Milan were greatly comfortable with.

Apart from the tactical and technical aspects of the game ,the Catalan's chose to file an official complaint to UEFA about the state of the pitch at the SanSiro.

While the pitch is indeed not in great condition as it has been relaid twice over the last 3 months and there have been problems with sunlight not reaching particular areas of the pitch, Barcelona's complaint was uncalled for. If any team had the right to complain , it would have been Arsenal, as the pitch was in far worse condition when Milan faced the English side.

Instead of praising Ambrosini's gladiator like performance, or the legendary Allesandro Nesta's ancticipation and reading of the game, the astute defending of Bonera and Antonini, the clever tactics deployed by Allegri, or focusing on their team's own missed chances, by filing a complaint with UEFA, Barcelona has indirectly blamed the result on the pitch.

Complaining has been synonymous with Barcelona lately, obviously a characteristic that does not befit a team of Champions. Due to their constant complaints, their concerns have naturally lost their weight in the footballing world , and instead of sparking anger, have evolved into a series of humurous reactions on twitter, here's a few of them:

Defensive football isn't football. We deserve to win always.#barcacomplaints

The referee was Swedish, so out of admiration for Ibra; he denied Sanchez a sure penalty. #barcacomplaints

Milan's goalkeeper played good. It should be RED!! #barcacomplaints

Milan played with 11 players till end of the match. #barcacomplaints

Busquets has never been recognized by the Screen Actors Guild :(#barcacomplaints

The referee only booked Milan players 80% of the time that we asked him to #barcacomplaints

why messi slipping when executing the free kick? #barcacomplaints

Ibrahimovic didn't let Mascherano climb him like a climbing frame#barcacomplaints

They left all of our gear on the highest shelf in the changing room. #barcacomplaints

#barcacomplaints Sandro Nesta is too old to play football

The grass was too green #BarcaComplaints"

The light was reflecting too bright off Ibra's nose. #barcacomplaints

Messi can't see his friends because the grass is taller than him#barcacomplaints

AC Milan Vs Barcelona : Preview

2012-03-27T15:55:00.000+04:00

Barcelona: Dubbed as the greatest football team in the world, Barcelona are keen to defend their Champions League title and become the second club in history to defend their title after their opponents AC Milan accomplished a similar feat 22 years ago.

Barcelona developed their own style of football with high tempo short passes and flicks, and a frantic obsession with recovering the ball. They generally attempt to man-mark players all over the pitch limiting their opponent’s options and forcing them into pressure. Aided by a group of world-class players like Messi, Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, and Puyol to name a few, Barcelona find little trouble in penetrating the opposition’s defense and finding the net making them the toughest team to beat out of the final eight teams remaining in the competition.

AC Milan: A club with a glorious history that has won the Champions league on 7 occasions and in total has lifted more trophies than any other European club. They’re team slowly emerging from a transition phase after a combination of selling off, retirement, and ageing of key players that won the Champions league in 2007. They won their 18^th domestic league title last season and are currently leading the table to capture their 19^th Serie A trophy. The most notable reinforcements that led to the Rossonerri’s resurgence were led by the signing of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Milan has endured a long injury crisis this season and has have played most of their matches with at least 10 to 14 unavailable players.

Head to Head: Having already played each other in the group stages with both matches providing great football entertainment and intensity, this is undoubtedly the most anticipated match-up in the Quarter Finals stage of the CL this season. AC Milan has not defeated Barcelona in their last 5 matchups with their last victory against the Catalan side dating back to the 04/05 CL group stage match-up. The historical record between the 2 teams stands at 4 draws, 4 wins for AC Milan, and 5 Barcelona wins in a total of 13 clashes.

Key Points: For both legs of the tie, Barcelona will be without one of their key defenders, Abidal , who is undergoing a liver transplant, his replacement, Adriano, is also doubtful, which gives Guardiola a few things to think about in defense as Pique has been out of form recently.

AC Milan’s list of injured players would make one of the strongest teams in Serie A with Pato, Cassano, Robinho, Van Bommel, Strasser, Flamini, Abate, Merkel, and Thiago Silva all currently out with injuries. Without Abate or Thiago Silva in defense, Milan, like Barcelona, also look vulnerable in defense.

AC Milan’s objective was to reach the quarter-finals, Barcelona on the other hand are expected to win the competition. Regardless of objectives, I have no doubt that AC Milan will play with great intensity and with the belief that they can cause a major upset. However, the pressure is primarily on the Spanish side in this tie.

Possible Line-ups:

Ranieri Gets The Boot!

2012-03-27T01:44:00.000+04:00

Nicknamed “Tinkerman” for changing his system more often than most managers, Ranieri has been sacked after his short stint at Inter.

Ranieri was hired to pick up the pieces of a shattered Inter side that found themselves dwelling in the bottom of the standings after Gasperini failed to record a single win in his first 5 matches at the helm. Ranieri’s entrance was a breath of fresh air as Inter picked up their first win of the season and recorded another win in the champion’s league.

Ranieri’s good start did not last long however, as Inter’s form was far from consistent and it wasn’t until December where results started to go their way. Ranieri guided the team to an 8 match winning streak which saw the club climb the table and looked to mount a serious race for third place, until he finally succumbed to defeat at the hands of Napoli for the second time this season. After that, the team went 9 matches without recording a single win destroying any hopes of a third place finish and champions league football for the Nerazzurri.

Ranieri was in a tight situation, many thought that the only thing between him and his job was that Inter were still within a fighting chance to reach the Quarter Finals of the Champions league where they had to overturn a 1 goal deficit against Marseille. It wasn’t too much of an ask as they would be playing at the San Siro , in front of their own fans. While Inter managed to open the scoring, Marseille scored a dramatic equalizer in the dying minutes of the game to send Inter crashing out of the competition.

Surprisingly, Moratti did not take any action and Ranieri got to live for another day. The Tinkerman further tested Moratti’s patience with a goalless draw against Atalanta at the San Siro, and finally, a 2-0 loss against their fiercest rivals, Juventus, in The Derby d'Italia this weekend was enough to force the president’s hand and show the 60 year old coach the door.

Interestingly, Tinkerman has found a unique coaching dynamic where he keeps failing, gets paid generously and everyone feels sorry for him.

Although he has coached teams like Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Chelsea, Juventus and Roma, and had the resources to mount serious title challenges, he has never won a domestic league title. His only notable trophies include winning the Coppa Italia with Fiorentina in 1996 and the Copa Del Rey with Valencia in 1999, with his last trophy dating back to 2004, when he won the UEFA Super Cup during his second stint at Valencia in 2004.

Ranieri led Inter for 34 games and while he managed to collect 16 wins and 5 draws, he lost 13 games, much too many for the liking of Inter fans and management.

Inter’s Primavera coach Stramaccioni has been appointed as the man to replace Ranieri which may be just what the team needs. Time will tell if this is the beginning of a long-term project with Stramaccioni bringing through Inter's promising youngsters who recently won the NextGen Series, an international football tournament where the world’s best football clubs showcase their youngsters in a knockout competition.

With not much to play for in their domestic league, the pressure is off and it would be an ideal time for Inter to start their rebuilding process and give their younger players a chance to show what they can do. After-all, they really can’t do much more damage than what has already been done this season.

Reactions to the Champions League Quarter Final Draws

2012-03-17T07:21:00.000+04:00

Comeback Kings Strike Again : Arsenal 2-1 Newcastle- Match Analysis

2012-03-13T09:00:00.000+04:00

It must be asked whether Arsenal fans take any more of this drama! It has been 4 matches in a row where they went behind and still managed to turn it around and win the tie. 3 of their last 4 wins came from goals in stoppage time! The team can be indeed proud of the character and resilience they have showed in their recent games. Arsenal’s dramatic win over Newcastle keeps them in fourth place with 52 points, only 1 point away from third placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Wenger fielded a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation opting to field Chamberlain on the left, while Pardew chose to field a 4-4-1-1 formation with Obertan playing on the right side of midfield and Ben Arfa as an attacking midfielder:

The match started off with a good tempo as Arsenal immediately focused their attacks on the right. It only took 3 minutes for their first chance to arrive as Walcott beat Santon and delivered a cross to Van Persie who couldn’t get on the end of the ball.

Santon was clearly the weakest link in the Newcastle line-up as he simply had no answer to Walcott’s pace and Arsenal continued to exploit this weakness throughout the first half. It was a tightly contested battle in midfield for the first few minutes, and while Arsenal looked more dangerous, it was Newcastle’s Ben Arfa who scored the opener.

Vermaelen played a poor ball straight to Tiote, who played it to Ben Arfa, the Frenchman got the better of Gibbs as he smashed the ball past Szczesny into the net.

Newcastle barely had any time to celebrate as Arsenal equalized through an impressive combination. Straight from the kickoff, Rosicky picked out Walcott who found space behind a confused Santon and played a perfect cross to Van Persie, the Dutchman expertly moved the ball away from Williamson with his right foot and unleashed a fierce left footed shot into the bottom right corner adding yet another goal to his tally.

Newcastle kept the ball well in their own half but found intense pressure as they tried to move forward, and as a result could not create any chances. Arsenal continued their attacks down the right conjuring up a few half chances forcing Gutierrez to drop back and assist in defense.

It was no surprise that Newcastle manager Alan Pardew subbed off the ineffective Santon for James Perch before the start of the second half as Walcott, Sagna, and Rosicky were having a field day on that right side.

The only recognizable change for Arsenal was that Ox Chamberlain was now playing in a more central position rather than hugging the line. As a result he was more involved in the attacking movements and gave his team more options in midfield. Arsenal began to push forward and dominate possession as Newcastle were pinned back, resorting to generally aimless long.

Pardew replaced Obertan with Ameobi on the 61^st minute; this change signaled a switch to a 4-2-2 system with Ben Arfa playing on the right and Ameobi a little behind Ba. This only made things worse for the Magpies as Arsenal were now in complete control of the midfield. Whilst in the first half, Newcastle maintained some control of the game, the second half was entirely Arsenal’s. Newcastle was forced to drop deep and soak up the pressure for the rest of the game, perhaps hoping to get something from a counterattack.

Wenger replaced Chamberlain, who was just beginning to get into the game with Gervinho on the 68^th minute. A few minutes later Wenger brought on Ramsey, who did well to fill the boots of an in-form Rosicky who was having a great game.

Newcastle tightened up well as Arsenal continued their pressure and created a few chances, but they just weren’t able to find the net.

In the 81^st minute, the Newcaslte manager subbed off Tiote for Guthrie, who failed to have any sort of impact on the game and served to give Arsenal more freedom in midfield.

The Gunner’s didn’t show any signs of letting up and kept bombing forward looking for the winner. It wasn’t until the last minute of extra time where they saw their efforts pay off. Theo Walcott charged down the right flank and delivered a cross that fell to Vermaelen who made no mistake as he placed the ball into the back of the net giving his team a well-deserved victory.

Closing Points:

· Santon looked out of his depth for the entire first half and simply couldn’t cope with Walcott’s pace.

· Santon’s replacement, Perch, didn’t really do much better of a job, however, he looked less vulnerable than Santon.

· Chamberlain on the left barely had any touches in the first half. When he was moved to a more central role in the second half, he looked much livelier, and was a constant threat. His substitute Gervinho went back to playing wide, and didn’t have much impact on the game.

· Apart from removing Santon, Pardew’s substitutions were detrimental (removing a midfielder and putting on a forward) in a time where the team was struggling to maintain possession heavily tilted the advantage towards Arsenal. His final substitution, removing Tiote with 10 minutes left to play also further weakened the midfield as Tiote was doing a good job of closing down and breaking up Arsenal’s play.

· Arsenal had 23 attempts on goal compared to Newcastle’s 4.

· Newcastle Goalie, Tim Krul, was the most involved player in his team with 72 touches of the ball and 43 passes. The second most involved Newcastle player was Cabaye, with 57 touches and 44 passes.

· Arsenal are the new Comeback Kings as they set a new EPL record by becoming the first team to come from behind to win in 4 consecutive encounters.

*Stats from Whoscored.com

Arsenal Vs Newcastle : Match Preview

2012-03-10T03:54:00.003+04:00

Newcastle will be looking to bridge the gap between them and the 4^th placed side as they travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on an in-form Arsenal side. With only 5 points separating the two sides, a win for the magpies could really bring them back into the foray for a Champions league spot.

Arsenal will be looking to extend their winning streak and cement their 4^th place position in the table. Despite their disappointing exit from the Champions League last week, the gunners will be in high spirits after their comprehensive 3-0 mid-week victory over AC Milan.

Wenger has also received much needed reinforcements from his infirmary with Arteta, Benayoun, and Ramsey deemed fit to participate in the match. In addition, Santos, who has been out for 3 months with a broken ankle looks set to at least make the bench.

Newcastle, while surpassing expectations this season, are going through a tough patch as they were unable to find a win in their last 3 matches and were lucky to salvage a point from a late goal against Sunderland in their last fixture.

Probable line-ups:

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Sczcesny- Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs -Song, Arteta – Gervinho, Rosicky, Walcott – Van Persie.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul – Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson, Santon – Gutierezz, Tiote, Cabaye, Taylor – Cisse, Ba.

Arsenal and Newcastle played out one of the most entertaining games last season when the Magpies fought back from 4 goals down to earn a draw in the dying minutes at St. James Park.

Neither managers are expected to make any major changes to their side ahead of this match; however, we could see Alan Pardew opting to field an extra man in midfield at the expense of Cisse.

Interesting Facts:

· Arsenal have had a player sent off in each of their last 3 matches against Newcastle

· Arsenal have come back from behind to win in their last 3 EPL games.

· No Premier League team in history has ever come from behind to win in 4 consecutive matches.

· Arsenal have scored in stoppage time in each of their last 3 EPL matches.

· Newcastle United have conceded 3 goals in 4 of their last 6 away matches in the Premier League.

AC Milan Scrape Through As Arsenal Show Their Strength

2012-03-07T11:31:00.000+04:00

Arsenal were only a goal away from completing an epic comeback at the Emirates stadium. Milan held a 4 goal advantage on aggregate but saw their lead reduced to only 1 goal by half-time. The Italians came out much calmer and more organized in the second half and were able to maintain their slim lead to ensure their qualification to the Champions League Quarter-Final.

Arsene Wenger effectively only had 13 players to choose from as the Arsenal squad has been riddled with injuries. Diaby, Benayoun, Ramsey, Arteta, Wilshere, Santos, and Mertesacker, were all unavailable for selection. There were also doubts about whether Rosicky and Gibbs would feature in the game. Wenger tried to field his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, but it would also turn into a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-4 due to the natural position and mentality of the players on the pitch.

Allegri didn’t have an easier time with his squad selection either as Milan have also been struggling with injuries throughout the season. The unavailability of Kevin-Prince Boateng due to injury, and the suspension of Ambrosini, meant that Allegri couldn’t field his preferred formation. Acquilani was an option, but he wasn't fit enough to for 90 minutes so with only 3 midfielders to choose from, Allegri had little choice but to deploy a 4-3-3 formation.

Arsenal didn’t waste any time getting into the game as they went into overdrive from the first minute pressuring Milan’s defense and midfield and controlling the ball well. They saw their efforts pay off in the 6^th minute from their second corner kick of the game. Laurent Koscielny gave Mark Van Bommel the run around and met Chamberlain’s cross with a precise header into the net.

AC Milan looked shaken up by the early goal, just the start that Arsenal needed to mount a historic comeback. Arsenal continued their attacking pressure and had a great attempt from Van Persie saved by Abbiati. They played the offside trap well, and pushed high up the field, forcing the confused Milan side into playing aimless long balls. In the 26^th minute, Arsenal got their second goal from a poor clearance by Thiago Silva deep in his own box after Mesbah failed to close down Walcott for yet another time. Rosicky controlled the ball well and finished it off with a right footed shot into the bottom right corner of the net. Arsenal were half-way there, and it wasn’t even half-time yet.

Milan tried to break Arsenal’s momentum several times during the game by playing short easy passes in their own half, but the fear that consumed the Italians combined with the high pressure from Arsenal rendered that tactic ineffective. Mesbah continued his display of atrocious defending by conceding a penalty as he obstructed Walcott’s run. Van Persie steps up to the spot and makes it 3-0 on the 43^rd minute.

A Déjà vu moment for Milan fans as memories from their dramatic exit to Deportivo in 2004 were brought to life, squandering a 4-1 home lead, to lose 4-0 away. After-all , the last time Milan were down 3-0 at half time in the Champions League was at Deportivo, a game which they would go on to lose 4-0.

Milan managed to create a great chance in the remaining time that would've put them at east, but El-Shaarawy squandered it wide.

Half-time was intense for both sets of fans, Arsenal only need 1 more goal to equalize, and the way things are going, they could score 2 or 3! Milan seems nervous and disorganized, and they only have 15 minutes to sort themselves out.

In the second half, Milan looked much more confident in possession. They tightened up at the back, closed down effectively, and started to get back into the game. Whatever it is the coach said at half-time seemed to work. It wasn’t until the 59^th minute that Arsenal had their first and only chance of the second half as Van Bommel was dispossessed by Rosicky in midfield which gave way to a 3v2 opportunity on the counter attack. Abbiati conjured up a miraculous double-save to first deflect Gervinho’s shot and then block Van Persie’s chip.

Milan made the first substitution on the 70^th minute, bringing on Aquilani for El Shaarawy. This meant that Allegri changed to his preferred 4-3-1-2 system with Nocerino moving to the left side of midfield and Emmanuelson playing behind the two strikers.Wenger made 2 forced substitutions due to injuries. Chamakh was brought on to replace Chamberlain on the 75^th minute, and Park-Chu Young took the place of Walcott. With that, Arsenal effectively subbed off their two most effective players as their substitutes had no impact on the game.

With more men in midfield, and with the Arsenal players beginning to tire, Milan began to dominate the game and went on to create 4 chances, one of which was a sitter that Nocerino couldn't convert. The game finally ended without much pressure on Milan’s goal as one would’ve expected in the dying minutes of the game.

AC Milan got away with a terrible performance in the first half. They will perhaps be humbled by this defeat as they made the same mistake that Arsenal did in the first leg… They thought it was going to be easy.

Closing Points:

· Arsenal attacked Milan’s weak point focusing most of their attacks down the right (Milan’s left), which is what they should’ve done in the first leg as well.

· Mesbah had a terrible Champions League debut. Walcott and Chamberlain beat him almost every time. He failed to block the cross that led to the second goal, and had his back to the ball as he conceded the penalty. Mesbah also added no value when he pushed forward, lost the ball a few times and exposed his team to dangerous attacks from his side.

· Koscielny and Vermaelen had a great game and were successful in limiting Ibrahimovic’s danger, but the striker looked tired and wasn’t having a good game; He was caught offside 6 times and lost the ball on many occasions. This was partly due to the unnatural position he was required to play in for most of the game.

· Van Bommel’s yellow card in the 5^th minute of the game tamed him for the rest of the match as he couldn’t use as much muscle as he’d like without the risk of getting himself sent off. This gave Arsenal a good advantage in midfield.

· Robinho is not effective when he plays in the center of a 4-3-3. Ibrahimovic in the center, with Robinho and El-Shaarawy on either side would’ve been a much more suitable strategy.

Another One Bites the Dust - AVB Axed!

2012-03-05T07:43:00.000+04:00

Over the years, I’ve observed two general extremes of football management styles. The first extreme is characterized by micromanagement and mainly result oriented, similar to the management style of Rafa Benitez, Hector Cooper, and Louis Van Gaal. They are seen as an authority figure; they put in place strict rules, schedules, and shout out specific instructions. These types of managers will not spend time with players, discuss their concerns, and have no room for small talk. Their primary tool for motivation is fear. Perform well or you’ll be dropped from the squad! They are not particularly liked, praised, or backed by their players, but nonetheless, their personality and demeanor usually commands respect in the dressing room. The success or failure of these managers depends heavily on delivering consistent results. Once the results start to go against the team, the manager becomes unapproachable, the rules becomes stricter, the players lose their confidence as fear no longer motivates them, and inevitably, the manager loses his job.

The other extreme is a more relaxed environment that is mainly player focused. An example of this would be the management styles of Wenger, Ancelotti, Guardiola and Mourinho. These managers, while also authoritative in nature, as any good leader would be, try to form bonds with their players. They command respect by making time for each player, discussing their concerns and assuring them of their value and abilities, always striving to bring out the best in their players. Under these managers, instead of imposing strict rules and schedules, the players discipline themselves as they look forward to their training sessions and working with their coaches. With this type of manager in charge, his players go out onto the field with confidence and are quick to overturn a bad run of form.

While managers who practice both styles can be tactical geniuses, it is usually the latter that has seen the most success in recent years.

Andreas Villas Boas

Nurtured under Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho, Manager Andreas Villas-Boas made a name for himself in Porto, where he went a whole season undefeated. He broke records for most consecutive wins and most points captured in the Portuguese league. With no experience as a professional football player, and only 9 months of coaching experience at the Academy Level, Villas-Boas took the helm at Porto and went on to win 4 trophies in his first year in football management. It was a dream start to AVB’s career and it caught the attention of Abramovich, who forked out 15 million Euros to bring the young magician to take charge of Chelsea – believing him to be the Alchemist with the Philosopher’s stone who will finally deliver the Champions League trophy that has eluded the club for so long.

Andreas Villas-Boas got off to a good start with his new team winning 9 out of his first 12 matches. Performances began to deteriorate in mid-December, however, as Chelsea were not able to find a win in 4 consecutive games, January was a little bit brighter as the team won 4 of their 6 games, but it wasn’t long before the sun set again on AVB and Chelsea, with their latest run extending to only 1 win in 7 matches including a 3-1 Champions League defeat at the hands of Napoli. The odds were stacked against the young manager, and after only 256 days in charge, Andreas Villas-Boas got the inevitable ax.

Why did Andreas Villas-Boas fail?

It has little to do with his football knowledge, tactics and technical aptitude. The primary culprit was AVB’s management style.

AVB adopted a result focused micro-management style; he implemented strict rules and became overly obsessed with the details. Despite his vigorous work ethics, always being the first to arrive and the last to leave, and often drowning himself with technical data and research, AVB failed to address the most pressing problem. With every passing day, his players grew tired of their manager monitoring their every move, and with results going against them, it allowed the players to scrutinize every decision their manager makes.

A man with minimal coaching experience was given the task of dealing with accomplished players who are of a similar age group. For a player like Lampard, Terry, Cech, or Anelka to actually listen to AVB and treat him not only as an equal, but as a superior requires great charisma and man management skills - two traits that AVB lacked. It was no surprise that as soon as AVB announced his no-Lampard lineup, tension began to mount.

Excluding Lampard is something AVB should have avoided if he were a bit wiser. Lampard is still one of the best players at Chelsea –In all competitions this season; Lampard has scored the most goals, and has the second highest assist tally. As a newcomer, the boss must try to keep the club’s most influential players on his side. Had that happened, there would have been more unity and team spirit in the dressing room and on the field. Alas, it seems Villas-Boas’ ego caught up with him – with an overly aggressive attitude and the mindset of turning the whole club around, AVB expected everyone to do his bidding.

Football management includes a tactical aspect as well as a management aspect; AVB’s short stint at Chelsea does not imply that he is a poor tactician; however, it does show that if he is to succeed at big clubs, he must adjust his management approach, especially when dealing with world class players and big egos.

Ultimately, the blame lies on Abramovich’s shoulders.

The Russian billionaire paid 15 million Euros for a largely unproven manager who won 4 titles in the first year of his career, to replace Carlo Ancelotti, a world class manager who has won 14 major trophies, including 2 Champions Leagues, during his 17 years of experience as a manager with top European clubs.

Ancelotti won the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first season in charge at Chelsea. In his second season, Chelsea finished 2nd, only 3 points behind eventual winners Manchester United, who also eliminated Chelsea in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League. Ancelotti had expressed, more than once, his desire to keep his job but despite achieving the highest win ratio of his career at Stamford Bridge (61.5%), he was still given the sack.

Simply put, Abramovich made a terrible mistake for which Chelsea may have to pay a heavy price. The squad will now have to pull together to salvage a valuable 4^th place finish from a largely disappointing season.

LEBANON MAKE HISTORY!

2012-03-01T11:12:00.000+04:00

Despite losing 4-2 in their World Cup Qualifier match against UAE yesterday, Lebanon secured their spot in the final round of the Asian Qualifiers for the first time in their footballing history.

In September 2011, Lebanon played their first group match of the Asian Qualifiers and succumbed to a 6-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea, an expected result for fans and pundits, after-all, Lebanon represented little threat to the other teams in their group which included Kuwait, UAE and South Korea.

4 days later, however, Lebanon hosted the UAE national team and shockingly defeated the UAE side 3-1, to take home their first 3 points. The UAE FA subsequently sacked their coach Srecko Katanec, after what was deemed to be a “Humiliating Defeat”. Just a one-off result was the general consensus until a month later when Lebanon hosted Kuwait. Although the odds were in favor of the Kuwaiti side, they were saved from the brink of defeat in the dying minutes of the game through an own goal. 2-2 was the final score and the Lebanese National team began attracting some attention. With 3 games left to play, Lebanon found themselves still in contention for qualification.

In November 2011, Lebanon travelled to Kuwait, and once more, against expectations, defeated the Kuwaiti National team 1-0 in front of their own fans. This was a huge result for Lebanon as they were now 2^nd in their group, unprecedented territory for the team and fans. It was at this point that the Lebanese people began to take notice of their national team’s progress. There were only 2 games left and the possibility of qualifying to the next round had never been closer for Lebanon. Their next fixture, however, was against South Korea; the team that beat them by 6 goals only 2 months ago.

The fans flocked to the stadium like never before as Lebanon hosted South Korea and once more pulled off a miraculous 2-1 victory against the mighty South Koreans. They had now almost cemented their place in the second round and would only need a draw against UAE to guarantee qualification. Even a loss would suffice as long as South Korea does not lose their final encounter with Kuwait. Their chances were looking good and were enough cause for early celebration ahead of their last remaining fixture against UAE which took place yesterday.

Although it was an away game played on Emarati soil, Lebanese citizens from all over the world booked their tickets to the UAE and flocked to the Al Nahyan Stadium effectively making it their own by vastly outnumbering the home crowd. The game was played out at a good pace with plenty of goal, with the UAE edging out their opponents 4-2 to earn their first 3 points in the competition to serve as consolation.

Lebanese fans were left a little disappointed by the result, but they shouldn’t be! The team has come a long way from being mere pushovers, to being able to actually compete with their Asian counterparts. With limited budgets, coaching staff, and training facilities, piled on top of the fact that the footballing profession in Lebanon is regarded as a “part-time hobby”, the team has been greatly over-achieving and has given the Lebanese population a common interest to shout about.

UAE 4–2 Lebanon: Match Analysis

Lebanon coach, Thoe Bucker, fielded a 4-1-3-2 formation with El Ali playing as a striker with Maatouk behind him on the left. Zreik, Atwi, and Shamas were in midfield with Faour playing in front of the defense as a holding midfielder. At the back, Mohamad, Dyoub, Najarin, and Ismail were selected, and second goalkeeper Mognieh was given the nod ahead of Samad.

The UAE played a 4-3-3 system with Khaseif guarding the posts; Saeed, Jaber , Juma, and Al Marzouqi in defense, Al Wehaibi, Al Hosani, and Abbas in midfield, and Matar, Qasem, and Obaid up front.

Fueled by the cheers of their supporters, the game started off at a good pace with Lebanon attacking their opponents in the first few minutes. It took around 10 minutes for the Emaratis to get into the game and put some pressure on the Lebanese defense that played a physical game and conceded a number of free kicks.

In the 20^th minute, Saeed scored the first goal of the game from what should have been a simple free-kick for the goalie to deal with, the Lebanese goalkeeper made a mess off the ball as it slipped out of his hands into the back of the net.

The lead didn’t last long for the UAE as 3 minutes later El Ali got on the end of a through ball and burst his way past the last defender before calmly placing the ball into the back of the net to grab the equalizer for the visitors. El Ali had to be subbed immediately after scoring due to his clash with Khaseif in the play that led up to the goal. Akram Moghrabi took his place in attack.

UAE scored their second goal on the 38^th minute from a lovely build up play when Obaid got past his marker on the right side of the field to put in a cross for Matar who set it up for a nice finish by Al Wehaibi to make it 2-1.

Once again, UAE couldn’t hold on to their lead as only a minute before the half time whistle, Maatouk expertly controlled the ball from a cross, receiving it with his right foot, getting past his marker, and applying the finish with his left into the bottom right corner of the net. 2-2 was the score at the halfway mark.

UAE controlled the second half of the game forcing Lebanon to fall back into their own half. The Lebanese defense looked organized enough to cope with the pressure from UAE’s play but eventually conceded in the 69^th minute from a magnificent free-kick taken by Matar. From the edge of the box, Matar blasted a fierce shot into the top right corner of the net to give his team the lead for the third time.

After conceding the goal, Lebanon continued to give away possession in the middle of the pitch and were never really able to get back into the game. With 10 minutes left to go, UAE added a cushion to their lead from an indirect free-kick. Matar played the ball to Saeed, who was left unmarked on the edge of the penalty area; Saeed did not waste the opportunity to add another goal to his tally. 4-2 the final result.

Closing Points:

* UAE played well and looked organized for a team that has undergone a massive overhaul- especially in the second half. Although they only managed to break down the Lebanese defense once from their build-up play, they controlled the game and their first win in 6 games will serve to build up their confidence.

* Set pieces are a basic part of the game and defending them should be a fundamental training aspect; an area that requires much attention for Lebanon having conceded 3 out of the 4 goals from dead ball situations:

- While it’s easy to blame the goalie for the first one, the shot shouldn’t be getting past the wall so easily.

- The second free-kick goal by Matar, although spectacularly taken, a properly placed defensive wall of 3 players, not 2, would have made it much more difficult.

- The 3rd goal from an indirect free-kick was a perfect example of bad defending from set-piece situations.

* Lebanon had several moments in the game (especially in the second half when they were tied at 2-2) where they could have kept possession in midfield through short easy passes, slowed down the tempo, and given themselves a breather. They instead opted to play hopeful long balls and dangerous dribbles opening themselves up to counter-attacks time after time.

* Lebanon’s formation was quite narrow focusing most of their attacks through the middle, UAE caught on to that in the second half as they began to tighten up their center to counter the predictable Lebanese strategy.

* With a 3 man midfield, the fullbacks have to push up to provide support in the channel. The Lebanese fullbacks, Ismail and Mohamad, rarely pushed forward to try and provide passing options to the 3 men in the middle.

* Lebanon has a pacey and talented player in Maatouk and could be better utilized on the left wing instead of the more central role he was playing in today.

* Antar’s absence was heavily felt by the team as he provides guidance, organization, and a sense of calm to his team mates.

Goal-Line Technology? No Thanks!

2012-02-28T04:49:00.000+04:00

After a night filled with drama and heavy emotions mostly due to refereeing blunders affecting both teams, Juventus Coach, Antonio Conte went on Sky Sports Italia after the match and ended up having an argument with pundit and former Milan star Zvonomir Boban.

Boban had said that Milan's disallowed goal had more of an impact on the match than Matri's goal which was ruled offside. Boban's point was that both errors made by the referee were not equal in magnitude which infuriated Conte as he lashed out:

“I find it unacceptable that you can compare the two and say one error was more damaging than the other. Both goals were incorrectly disallowed and are therefore equal. What, was our goal not worth as much? I see no difference whatsoever. They were both mistakes.”

I do agree with Conte in the sense that had Milan been 2-0 up, they might have taken their foot of the pedal and allowed Juve to stage a comeback as they did against Napoli, and had Juve's first goal counted, then the momentum from their goal could have spurred them on to score a winner. It's difficult to speculate on what might have happened.

However, in light of recent footage, both errors were indeed not equal, simply because Matri's disallowed goal wasn't an error!

As you can see from the picture below, at the moment the ball is played, Matri appears offside by only millimeters.

On the other hand, Muntari's goal had clearly crossed the line by a large margin.

Ball Crosses the line, while Vidal signals the referee to call for Offside

While some might say that Muntari was offside when he scored, FIFA's amendment to the offside rule refutes that suggestion:

If a defending player steps behind his own goal line in order to place an opponent in an offside position, the referee must allow play to continue and caution the defender for deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission when the ball is next out of play.

No doubt, the paragraphs written above would spur endless debates between both sets of fans. An aspect of the game that I fear would be lost, had technology been introduced to football.

For years I've struggled to understand why FIFA and UEFA are so reluctant to implement goal-line technology. After-all, It's a very simple process that would cost clubs less than a week's wage of their lowest earning player to implement- and I'm certain that they would be happy to do it. The only conclusion, which is primarily based on twisted logic is that the organizing bodies actually want these sorts of errors to happen.

Referring mistakes cause plenty of emotions and spur post-match debates for weeks and months. After-all, no fan is going to stop supporting their team because the referee made a mistake, on the contrary, the fans cheer louder and the players play harder when they feel hard done by a certain decision.

Yes one mistake could result in a team being knocked out of a competition, or in extreme cases, lose the Final of the Champions League or World Cup, and FIFA argue that it's all part of the game. Now I realize that they just might have a point.

With technology in football, there would be no heated post-match debates like the ones Boban and Conte experienced. There would be no journalists writing about why the goal should have stood ; no articles by fans justifying their team's superiority; no arguments among friends and colleagues about what would have been if that penalty kick was given. Not the worst thing in the world since the result will be a fair one, but it eliminates a lot of the drama and emotions associated with football, and that would certainly be taking something away from the game.

In the NFL, for example, your team scores a touchdown, the whole stadium erupts in celebration; only for the officials to call for an "official review". The officials take about 30 seconds going over video replays to decide whether the touchdown stands. Fair to both teams, no doubt, but the excitement is greatly diminished.

After watching a few NFL games, I think to myself, will football every come to that ? The advantage is that refereeing errors would be completely eliminated from the game. But I don't particularly like the idea of waiting 30 seconds for the officials to assess whether a player was offside , whether it was a corner or a goal kick, a yellow or a red, a penalty kick, a handball, a goal , etc. That would no doubt reduce the enjoyment I get from watching the beautiful game.

It is in that respect that the organizing bodies may have a point in refusing to give in to demands of introducing technology to the game. If they start with goal-line technology, it would open new doors, and after that, who knows where it ends.

Milan and Juventus share the spoils: Match Analysis

2012-02-26T08:00:00.001+04:00

The Real Derby D’Italia had everything, from intensity, tactical strategy, goals, refereeing blunders, and controversy. With only 2 points separating second place AC Milan from first placed Juventus, the match at the sold out SanSiro Stadium was highly anticipated by both sets of fans.

Milan fielded their usual 4-3-1-2 formation with Antonini, T.Silva, Mexes, and Abate at the back, Nocerino, Van Bommel, Muntari in midfield, and Emmanuelson playing behind Pato and Robinho. It is interesting to note that over the past few games, Allegri seems to have slightly altered the 4-3-1-2 system into a 4-3-3 with Emmanuelson pushing up front at certain points in the game.

Juventus went into the game with a 3-5-2 formation. Barzagli, Bonnuci, and Chiellini in defense. Pirlo , Vidal, Estigarribia, Marchisio and Leichsteiner in midfield, while Qualiarella played alongside Borriello in attack. The most surprising part of Conte’s selection was his decision to keep both Vucinic and Matri on the bench.

The game started off with pace from both teams, Milan then started pressing Juventus high up the pitch, and with only 3 defenders, Robinho, Pato, and Emmanuelson, effectively closed down Juve’s option to build up their play from the back.

This forced them into playing long, less accurate, less dangerous passes.

The opening goal for Milan came as a direct result of their game plan. Bonucci was left with little passing options, and was forced to play a woeful pass which resulted in Nocerino’s eighth goal of the season.

Milan’s continuous pressure forced Juve’s wide midfielders into a defensive position, and hence formed a 5-3-2, instead of their intended 3-5-2, foregoing their numerical advantage in midfield and greatly limiting any supply to their two forwards, who had to run into their own half to get a touch on the ball.

Milan continued to dominate the first half creating a number of attempts, the most significant one being a shocking disallowed goal from a Muntari header. Buffon scooped the ball out of his goal after it had clearly crossed the line, the whole stadium could see that it was in, but the referee signaled for play to resume.

Conte adjusted his formation late into the first half to a 4-3-3 but that wasn’t enough to get them back into the game as Marchisio was well out of form and the Borriello/Qauglia partnership upfront provided very little mobility.

In the second half, Milan brought on El Shaarawy for Pato, as Juve replaced Estigarribia with Pepe, and Vucinic for Borriello. Milan still created a few more chances but eventually began to tire as Juventus started to dictate play.

Conte brought on Matri for Quagliarella on the 70^th minute; Allegri responded by substituting Emmanuelson with Ambrosini, changing the system to a 4-4-2.

With 10 minutes to go, Matri’s goal was incorrectly ruled offside by the same linesman that ruled out Muntari’s goal in the first half. After some protests by the players, Juventus continued their relentless search for an equalizer. Milan did not heed the early warning and continued to play at Juve’s frantic pace until Matri struck again from an assist by Simone Pepe with only 7 minutes left on the clock to make it 1-1.

The game opened up in the final minutes with both teams searching for a winner. However, Juve’s assault was put on halt as Vidal got himself sent off for a tackle from behind on Van Bommel in the last minute of the game. However, there wasn’t enough time for Milan to make use of their numerical advantage as the game ended at 1-1 with tension still flaring at the San Siro.

Closing Points:

· In 45 minutes, Pato had 7 touches of the ball, 4 of which he gave away possession. Apart from a few moments where he was applying pressure high up the field, his presence was non-existent. Looks entirely out of his depth, bereft of confidence; a quarter of the player he was 2 years ago.

· Marchisio hasn’t been effective in recent games providing little quality to the squad, both defensively and offensively.

· Conte’s decision to exclude Matri and Vucinic from the starting lineup was quite bold, and possibly a mistake on his part, but it paid off nicely as both strikers came on full of energy ready to face an exhausted Milan side.

· It seemed more logical to bring on Matri for Borriello , and then Vucinic for Quagliarella. The way Conte structured his substitutions meant that Vucinic had to play as a striker – a position he isn’t accustomed to- for about 10 minutes until Matri came on.

· While Milan’s pressing and closing down has been impressive in the last few games, they don’t seem to have enough fuel in the tank to make it last for a whole 90 minutes. Muntari and Robinho’s drop in energy levels were quite evident during the last quarter of the game.

· In close games, Milan is greatly missing the experience and influence that Nesta brings to the defensive line. In the play that led up to the Juventus equalizer, T.Silva naively headed the ball into a dangerous position-when he could’ve easily cleared it- putting Antonini in a compromising position.

· It was a great tactical battle between Allegri and Conte who changed things up a few times during the game. However, Allegri still had a substitution in hand and could’ve brought on Inzaghi in the final minutes after Vidal’s sending off. His inaction suggests that he wasn’t willing to take the risk in the final minutes – considering the emotions flaring on the pitch, it was probably a wise choice too.

Twitter id: @eyehab

Napoli 3 Vs 1 Chelsea : Match Analysis

2012-02-22T05:03:00.000+04:00

A great match to watch , albeit due to shaky defending from both teams, it was free flowing football played at an enjoyable tempo.

Napoli have played the same way for 2 years, their unconventional 3-4-2-1 formation and their high tempo, counter-attacking style has been tailored to suit the abilities of their players. The wide midfielders, Zuniga, and Maggio, drop deep to form a 5 man defensive line, and also push forward to form a 5, sometimes 7 man offense. They are a team that doesn't like to have too much of the ball, and prefer to base their attacks from interceptions or dispossesing opponents.

Chelsea are still trying to find a formula that works, the Stamford Bridge outfit is going through a transition phase with intense pressure on the players and the manager Andre Villas-Boas. They haven't been clear with their tactical ideas and playing styles, and continue experimenting with different formations. 4-2-3-1 was the chosen plan to face the Serie A side. Going into this game, consensus was that Chelsea's advantage would be the experience of their players who are accustomed to this level of competition with the team. However, with Essien, Lampard, and Obi left out on the bench, their experience advantage was mostly forfeited.

The match began at a high tempo with Napoli looking the more dangerous side as Cavani was played onto a 1-on-1 situation which was saved by Peter Cech, making him the first goalkeeper to save a Cavani shot in the Champions League.

At 27 minutes, Paolo Cannavaro made a mess of an easy clearance in-front of his goal as Mata placed it into the back of the net. 1-0 for Chelsea. Napoli looked shocked after going a goal down, Cannavaro and De Sanctis looked especially nervous and Chelsea could've doubled their lead on a few occasions. It took the home team a few minutes to regain their focus and start seriously looking for a goal.

The equalizer finally came from a wonderful Lavezzi strike at minute 38. Lavezzi went on one of his usual runs on the left channel and cut through to the center- Raul Meireles looked on course to close down the talented Argentine before he inexplicably moved away from him, giving Lavezzi enough time to have a cup of tea before setting up his shot and placing it into the bottom right corner of the net.

With the scoreline at 1-1, Napoli looked hungry for the winner, which presented itself before the end of the half. Cavani directed the ball into the net using his shoulder as Inler played a wonderful ball that passed right in-front of Ivanovic and Cahil - who should've done better to clear it to safety. Chelsea's appeals for handball were dismissed by the referee and 2-1 was the result at half-time.

For a side whose strength are transitional play and counter-attacks, Napoli went into the second half to do just that. With no changes in either team's lineups, Chelsea took control off the game , pressuring their opponents, and creating a few half-chances. Chelsea grew more confident,pushed forward more than what was necessary and were almost punished as Lavezzi shot wide with only Cech to beat.

On the 65th minute, and arguably during Chelsea's best period in the match, David Luiz made a mess of what should have been a simple clearance as the ball bounced off Cavani’s chest, and while most players would’ve just attempted a shot, Cavani showed his class and vision by luring Cech out of his goal and waiting for Lavezzi’s run before calmly setting up his team-mate onto an open Chelsea goal.

After the third goal, the game settled into a slower tempo as Chelsea looked demotivated and Napoli looked content with their 2 goal cushion. In an attempt to liven things up at the 70th minute mark, AVB decided to finally bring on the heavy artillery, Lampard and Essien made their way onto the pitch for Meireles and Malouda which saw Sturridge move into the left channel.

Nicolo Frustalupi, who was deputizing for Walter Mazzari as he serves out his 2 game suspension, responded to Chelsea's reinforcements by bringing on Dzemaili for Lavezzi , effectively forming a more defensive minded midfield.

The blues continued to put pressure on Napoli and tested the keeper through a few long range shots, however, it was always Napoli who looked more dangerous as they often caught their opponents on the wrong foot. With 10 minutes to go, Hamsik dribbled past his marker and played it across the face of the goal to the waiting Maggio who could've made it four, were it not for Cole's goal-line clearance.

Closing Points:

* Possibly all four goals tonight can be pinpointed to basic defensive errors. It looked like P.Cannavaro and David Luiz were competing for who can defend worse.

*Cavani's shoulder goal could've been cleared by either Ivanovic or Cahill, but they both assumed the ball was going out to safety and under-estimated how clinical the Uruguayan striker really is.

* Meireles does have something to offer this Chelsea team, but he seems uneasy in his position as a deep-midfielder. (Which was evident from his reactions to a few situations throughout the game, most notably , the one that led to Lavezzi's equalizer)

* Chelsea were superior in every single statistic in this match except the most vital 2: Attempts on Goal, and Goals scored. Lots of possession and no goals.

*A 2 goal cushion can be over-turned, especially with the suspect defending we saw tonight. Napoli have the advantage though since the Blues will be looking to attack at Stamford Bridge, and Napoli are the masters of the counter-attack.

Chelsea getting what they Deserve!

2012-02-20T07:24:00.000+04:00

Winning the Premier League and battling for the Champion's League trophy were the primary objectives of Chelsea FC for most of the past decade since Roman Abramovich took charge. Now they find themselves struggling to earn a Champions league spot in the Premier League, and are staring at an inevitable exit from the Champions League.

I say this with confidence because I believe that Chelsea are going through an internal struggle, and if they are to stand a chance against well organized, clinical opponents (which they are likely to meet sooner or later in the CL), they must sort out the problems within their ranks first.

Andre Villas-Boas:

He made a name for himself in Porto, he had his player's behind him, went a whole season unbeaten! Broke records for most consecutive wins and most points captured in the Portuguese league. With no experience as a professional football player, and only 9 months of coaching experience in Portugal, Andre Villas- Boas took the helm at Porto and went on to win 4 trophies in his first year in Football Management. A dream start for AVB's career, which surely caught the attention of Abramovich who forked out 15 million Euros to bring this young magician to take charge of Chelsea, believing him to be the Alchemist with the Master-Plan who will finally deliver him the Champions League Trophy that has evaded the club so far.

A few months later, a different story unfolds. Now Abramovich finds his team struggling to compete under his newly appointed tactician. As the season unfolds, their performances have slumped, conceding amateur goals, lacking clarity, ideas, consistency. They certainly don't look like the strong and stable Chelsea that we have been use to over the years.

Andre Villas-Boas is now in a difficult position. But can you really blame him? Suddenly, a man with minimal experience as a coach must deal with players of a similar age group to him, who have had significant achievements, with big ego's. It is certainly not an easy task for either side. For a player like Lampard, Terry, or Cech to actually listen to AVB and treat him as not only an equal , but as a superior...imagine that. No surprise then, as soon as AVB announced his no-Lampard lineup, tension began to mount.

AVB in a difficult position... Literally

He is the coach in the end, and he selects the players , however, excluding Lampard is something AVB would have probably avoided if he were a bit wiser. Lampard is still one of the best players on the team, and as a new comer, even if you're the boss, you need to get the players who have the most influence, on your side. Had that happened , you would probably have seen more unity and team spirit in the dressing room and on the field. Alas, it seems like Villas-Boas' ego caught up with him as well...with an aggressive attitude and the mindset of turning the whole club around , AVB expects everyone to do his bidding.

This doesn't imply that he is a poor manager or coach. He might have made a few wrong decisions, it can happen to anyone, especially at the start of their career, but the main issue here is that AVB doesn't seem to have the support of his players. A fundamental problem that usually ends with the departure of the manager.

Roman Abramovich:

Roman Abramovich

I've always wondered how irrational people such as Roman Abramovich end up being billionaires. To recap, this man paid 15 million Euros for a new-unproven manager who has won 4 titles in his 1 year career to replace Carlo Ancelotti, a World-Class manager who has won 14 major trophies, including 2 Champions League Tournaments during his 17 years of experience as a manager. Carlo won the Premier League and the FA cup in his first season in charge at Chelsea. In his second season, Chelsea finished 2nd, only 3 points behind eventual winners, Manchester United. (who also eliminated Chelsea from the CL Quarter Finals). Carlo had expressed more than once his desire to keep his job, yet found himself sacked at the end of his second year with Chelsea.

Lets not forget that Abramovich is a man that has contributed to the departure of Mourinho from Chelsea, and subsequently sacked Scolari and Ancelotti. History, therefore is not on young AVB's side.

Lets also not forget that since Abramovich took ownership of Chelsea, the club has witnessed it's most successful period in it's history , however, this doesn't change the seemingly irrational reactions Abramovich has when it comes to sacking and hiring managers.

Maybe he has a mysterious footballing philosophy in mind that he would like to see his team play, but no manager so far has succeeded in translating it onto the pitch? Who knows how these Billionaires think...

In the end, the trigger happy Russian is now getting what he deserves through a current Chelsea team that is average on all counts and can only hope to somehow salvage Champions League Qualification from this mess of a season.

The even sadder part is that Abramovich probably won't learn anything from this experience as he is likely to continue churning out top quality managers year after year, who given time, would've achieved something for Chelsea and their fans.

AC Milan vs Arsenal : Analysis

2012-02-16T07:30:00.001+04:00

Hands down, the best performance that AC Milan has produced this season. the Italians had a sense of urgency in their play, they looked hungry, the look on their faces was that of determination and above all, they played with a confidence that made it look easy.

I was immensely surprised at the inclusion of Kevin Prince Boateng in the starting line-up as he has just recently resumed training with the squad and his performance tonight proved how much he missed playing for the shirt. His influence on the pitch is an intangible asset to the team as he gave his teammates the much needed energy boost they were missing in their last few games. I don't think I was the only one who was surprised by KPB's inclusion in the starting lineup as Arsenal didn't appear to have anyone marking him. KPB was effectively free to link up play between midfield and attack without any real issues.

The first few minutes were a little worrying for Milan as Arsenal exposed some space behind Van Bommel , and put in a few counter attacks. As Milan settled into their positions, Arsenal began passing the ball around with no real threat, and Milan's pressing pressure started taking shape. Although Milan had less of the ball than their opponents, they looked far more dangerous with it, and the opening goal came from a poor Szczesny clearance that found Nocerino who expertly lofted the ball to Boateng in a tight angle. He took the shot , and in off the crossbar. 1-0 for the Home team.

It was interesting to see what Arsenal's response was going to be after going a goal down, but nothing changed. Milan looked even more dangerous and confident that even Antonini, who should've had his hands full marking Walcott, was bombing forward and had two close attempts on the Arsenal goal.

The Arsenal defenders played the offside trap a few times successfully but were quickly losing their organization and it was only a matter of time before Ibrahimovic burst forward breaking the offside trap to set up Robinho for Milan's second goal of the evening.

2-0 down, Arsenal resume their slow build up play , boosting their possession statistics, giving Milan all the time in the world to close down, mark players and read their plays. Where was that speed advantage that Arsenal were talking about?

Wenger removes the anonymous Walcott at half time for Henry. This looked like a change to a 4-4-2 formation and I fully expected Arsenal to base their attacks on the wings now (especially the right wing that Antonini is in charge of defending). Milan, however, counters this effectively by pressing their wide midfielders back into their own half with Robinho and KPB also providing defensive cover while Arsenal had possession.

The third goal from Ibrahimovic again, who really took charge of the game with a variety of dribbles, touches, flicks, he was really enjoying himself and Arsenal had no answer for him. He produced a nice set up for Robinho who found himself in some space to shoot after Vermaelen slipped while trying to change directions. Uncharacteristically, Robinho made no mistake, putting the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. With 40 minutes left, Arsenal looked like they just wanted to go back home. Wenger brought on Chamberlain for Gibbs who added some momentum to Arsenal's play. The Premier League side continued their possession game with little or no real threat apart from a Henry-Van Persie play which saw RVP unleash a goal bound shot where Abbiati pulled off an incredible save to deny Arsenal that vital away goal.

Ambrosini was brought on in the 70th minute to relieve KPB and provide defensive support in midfield to Van Bommel.

Score Board at the SanSiro

In the 79th minute, Ibrahimovic struck again, forcing Djourou into commiting a foul inside the area. Ibrahimovic steps up to take the PK and scores a well deserved goal to wrap up his incredible performance. Milan could've scored one or two more in the dying minutes of the game from attempts by Pato who was brought on to replace Robinho. 4-0 for AC Milan was the final verdict, Arsenal completely outclassed, outplayed, and tactically outsmarted.

Closing Points:

* Milan played a perfect game, but it seemed to me that Arsenal were not mentally prepared for this fixture. The players looked shocked after the first 7 minutes and never really got out of that state. Felt like they were expecting a much, much easier game.

* The gap in Arsenal's defense could fit a bus. No positioning, no organization, no communication, it was an awful defensive display. The players just looked very uncomfortable in their positions.

* Arsenal simply left KPB to roam around the pitch without being marked... How can Wenger miss that? He can spot talent in a 12 year old, but can't see that KPB is not the man you don't want to be marking? No, he is not the same player he was at Tottenham.

* In addition to KPB not being marked, Robinho easily lured the center backs out wide , leaving Ibra with tons of space to put on a show at the San Siro.

* Arsenal had most of the ball in the game (57%), more accurate passes than Milan, but only had 2 real chances to score. Instead of Utilizing their wings and attacking Antonini's side with force and numbers, they inexplicably played to Milan's strength by trying to force their attacks through the middle.

* Most Milan fans wanted to see El Shaarawy make his CL debut tonight, they got Pato instead and were disappointed with his short cameo. On the contrary, I thought he looked energetic and lively although he squandered a sure goal at the last minute.

* The state of the pitch at the San Siro was used as an excuse by the English commentators and many Arsenal fans. I don't get this, Were Milan are Arsenal playing not playing on the same pitch?

(The pitch was relayed 2 days ago due to terrible weather in Italy, It was the first time Milan played on the new surface as well.)

* Arsenal need nothing short of a miracle to qualify for the Quarter-Finals, they must score 4 goals without conceding a single one. (If Milan score a single goal, Arsenal would need to win by a 5 goal margin) ... I just don't see that happening.

AC Milan vs Arsenal : Preview

2012-02-15T20:13:00.000+04:00

Undoubtedly one of the most important games for AC Milan this season, not just because it is a knockout home encounter against a side who can be very dangerous, but also because Milan were sinking into a vicious cycle of Zero victories in 4 games until they managed to take 3 points from Udinese on Saturday in the final 20 minutes of the game. Hardly a convincing victory, but vital for confidence and team spirit.

Now, 4 days later, Milan need to overcome another challenge in what is probably the most critical month of their season. While the likes of Prince, Pato, Nesta, and Abbiati have returned from the infirmary, Pato and Prince have been out for quite a while and will probably need a gradual re-introduction into the first team , hence neither of them would be likely to start against Arsenal tonight. It is true that Milan have a poor record in the head to head matches against the top 6 Italian sides, however, I wouldn't say they were severely outplayed in many of those head to head games, in addition, their head to head ties mostly occurred when Milan had to do without 13 of their players. The main concern for Milan will be fatigue as there has been little rotation for Ambrosini, Seedorf, and Van Bommel who have been playing twice a week for the past 3 weeks, they look like they're about to use up the last drop in their reserve tank and will really need to dig in deep to stay focused and energetic this evening.

Arsenal are going into this match on the back of two wins, A comprehensive 7-1 victory against Blackburn, and a 2-1 last minute win against Sunderland. However, Arsenal are not known to be the most consistent team in the world and their form is something that I don't believe will have much influence on the match at hand. Arsenal, like Milan, have also had more than a fair share of injury problems this season and will be heading into the match without Mertesacker (which may not be such a bad thing) , Diaby, Jenkinson, Wilshere, and Gervinho.

Milan will probably field their battling midfield trio Consisting Van Bommel, Ambrosini, and Nocerino, with either Seedorf or Emmanuelson playing as a trequartista. Upfront, Robinho is the most likely candidate to join Ibrahimovic, and the back four will most probably be Abate, Thiago Silva, Nesta, and Antonini.

I don't expect to see Arsenal change their set up for this match, so it would be RVP upfront supported by Ramsey, Walcott and Chamberlain, Arteta and Song. With not much options for the back four, I predict Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, and Coquelin to be called for defensive duty.

Final Thoughts:

Both teams like to play possession football and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top and takes control of the match.

Both teams have been largely dependent on one man to make the difference , RVP for Arsenal, and Ibra for Milan. Whoever is in better form will give his team the advantage this evening.

Milan's players have much more experience playing in the champions league and it will be a match between experience and wisdom against youth and enthusiasm.

Milan's midfield can be characterized as a defensive , combating midfield with limited creativity. They can ve very aggressive and allow little time and space for Arsenal, but at the same time, they generally are not very dangerous with the ball. (Especially without the presence of KVP).

Leverkusen Vs Barcelona: Barca on their way to the Quarter Finals

2012-02-15T03:08:00.000+04:00

Barcelona went out with a full strength side minus Pique, Xavi, and Villa (who has sustained a long term Injury) and fielded their usual 4-3-3 formation. Leverkusen unsurprisingly went into the game to defend and fielded a 4-5-1 formation with one of the 5 players in midfield floating around in front of the defenders, a drastic change from their usual 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-1-2 formations. In reality it was really a 10 man defense which Barcelona were up against.

For 40 minutes, Leverkusen succeeded in limiting Barca's threat apart from 2 minor chances , 1 from a free-kick and another from a defensive error. At this point , Barcelona had a staggering 78% ball possession , the highest ever statistic recorded in the champions league for Ball Possession , and while they did break a record, they just couldn't find any chances as the Leverkuson boys were diligently closing down their players and reading the game quite well until the 41st minute, one of the few times where Leverkusen decided to push up. They were dispossesed in midfield and simply couldn't catch up with the speed of Barca's counter attack as Sanchez put the ball in the back of the net. The relief could be seen on Guardiola's face and his players.

Sanchez's goal was a complete game changer. Leverkusen were so close to taking the 0-0 scoreline into halftime and give their players the rest they so desperately needed as it is not easy to close down Messi, Iniesta, Dani Alves, Sanchez, and Pedro for 40 minutes. In addition, had the 0-0 scoreline persisted, it would've been a completely different half time team talk from Robin Dutt . Either way, with 4 minutes left, their plan was shattered. What now for the German team? Should they go out and look for an equalizer? Should they resume their defensive display? It's one of those times when very few people in the world would've liked to be in Dutt's shoes.

So the second half began and it was apparent that Leverkusen had changed their mindset. It is the primary problem with playing a heavily defensive tactic (if you concede then you are forced to alter your side's mentality, which is quite difficult on the players mid game). 45 minutes ago, they were mentally prepared to go out and defend, and 45 minutes later, they are now instructed to attack. It just doesn't go down to well with the team. Either way, Leverkusen didn't appear to change much in their formation except that the defense and midfield were now further up the field. The game was somewhat more evenly matched and a dozen times more entertaining as both teams were now actually trying to score. Leverkusen grabbed the equalizer with a header from Kadlec 7 minutes into the second half. 1-1 was the score.

Leverkusen barely had enough time to celebrate the goal as Sanchez struck again on the 55th minute from a wonderful defense splitting through ball from Fabregas (goes to show that sometimes you simply cannot defend against such quality). The game opened up a little more with both Barca and Leverkusen getting a handful of chances, with the left side of Leverkusen's defense being exploited continuously by Barcelona as Kadlec would often charge forward leaving plenty of space behind him with not enough men to cover. Finally, in the 88th minute, Messi put the game beyond doubt from a cross played by Dani Alves who charged forward into the acres of space in Leverkusen's left and had all the time in the world to deliver a well timed cross to the Argentine. 3-1 the final scoreline, and Barca can go into the second leg feeling quite comfortable. It is certainly not over yet, as we have seen team's make some mind blowing comebacks in the past. However, the possibility of this happening to Barcelona at Camp Nou is quite low.

Final Thoughts:

Barca didn't look sharp enough in the first half and Xavi's presence really has an enormous effect in midfield. They produced a better display in the second half as some space opened up.
Adriano and Iniesta really didn't link up that well on the right , and it was no surprise that all of Barcelona's goals came from the right.
Leverkusen had plenty of set pieces, and considering they do tend to score many goals from freekicks, they didn't really utilize their set pieces properly
Leverkusen are a team that usually win a large percentage of the aerial duels, it was quite surprising that the team focused on keeping the ball on the floor playing short passes, instead of playing to their aerial strength.
Leverkusen need to score at least 3 goals in Camp Nou to have any chance of qualifying and with absolutely nothing to lose in their away trip, I'm expecting a free flowing attacking game from both sides with plenty of goals.

The Champions League/ Europa League Knock-out Phase Psychology

2012-02-15T02:05:00.000+04:00

It is really fascinating what the away goal rule does to a team.

Normally, when a team plays at home, they usually have the advantage over their opponents and would look to exploit that home advantage. It is not unusual to expect more of your team when they play in front of their own fans, however, the fear of conceding an Away goal seems to cripple the team and negate the home advantage. Playing the first leg of a two legged fixture at home is a great disadvantage that seems to be ignored by many.

It is not an illogical decision by the team managers to play a defensive game at their home grounds since if they do succeed in maintaining a clean sheet and securing a bore 0-0 draw, the team can then go onto the second leg with the comfort of knowing that a single goal will be enough to see them through , provided they don't lose the match.

This defensive display by teams playing at home in the first leg of European Competitions has analysts and fans furious as they believe that if the team plays negative football at home, then how much worse will they be on the road?!. But what they don't realize is that if a goal is conceded at home , it infinitely complicates things in the away fixture. Having lost by a single goal at home, the players must go out with a mindset of scoring two goals, which opens up their defense and they may end up conceding more.

It is foolish to ignore the away goal rule and simply play your usual game (unless you're Barcelona). Obviously more care and caution is required in the first leg , especially for the home team with the main focus being to maintain a clean sheet (at the expense of winning the game). Then the manager should adjust the game plan for the away fixture based on the home result.

Expect to see a lot more of this trend of defending at Home and attacking on the Away fixture over the next few weeks of European Football.

Udinese Vs AC Milan - Analysis

2012-02-12T04:55:00.000+04:00

Before the game I was looking forward to seeing how a Robinho, El Shaarawy front line would function as both forwards usually like to come from behind and neither can really be used as a target man.

Udinese came on the field in the first half seemingly convinced that they had what it takes to defeat Milan and add to their misery. Truth be told, Udinese were not brilliant in the first half, but Milan put on what was probably their worst performance this season.

Udinese defended deep and looked to catch Milan on the counter-attack, and they did have plenty of them as Seedorf played one too many misplaced passes, and without the presence of Ibra as a target man for long balls , Udinese found themselves winning most of the balls in the air. On the 20th minute, Udinese opened up the score from a Di Natale shot that took a slight deflection off Thiago Silva, who in my opinion should have done better with that. Indeed Thiago Silva has been playing below his level in the last couple of outings.

Milan's reaction after the goal was non-existent, they were lifeless, boring to watch, and looked out of ideas. There are not many players who can outpace Abate, but Armero is one of them, completely taking over the left flank (Milan's right) with some help from team mate Antonio Di Natale.

It was 34 minutes and Milan had their first attempt from far far away, a weak shot by Seedorf. Milan looked anything but dangerous, and had they been facing Udinese on one of their good days would've probably conceded more goals. Milan only had one more attempt on goal from their center back, Mexes, from a long range effort directed at Handanovic which he saved effortlessly. So with 45 minutes gone, Milan's offense had failed to create a single opportunity. Ambrosini made some interceptions, Seedorf just passed to nobody, Emmanuelson was trying to figure out how he can help Abate out, Robinho putting his usual insignificant performance, and El Shaarawy barely touched the ball. No runs, no overlaps, no switching play, it was such a static side that even Udinese couldn't believe how easy it was to defend against. The only Milan player who tried to free himself and make some space in the first half was Nocerino.

Allegri was in a tough situation, 14 players unavailable and none of the players on his bench were proven game changers. In fact, in midfield, the only available substitutes were Primavera players who were probably in the roster just because he needs to submit a list of 18 players. A good speech and injecting either Maxi Lopez or Inzaghi are the only options he had.

Milan came onto the second half a changed side, they showed determination and a hunger that was missing in the first half. Seedorf finally started to get his act together and read the game well by dropping back and creating some space for either Emmanuelson, Robinho, or El Shaarawy to slip into. Milan looked a notch better, but still no significant danger was created and Ambrosini turned into the best player on the pitch, holding the ball , intercepting, and passing. Great for Ambrosini, but not so great a statistic for a trailing team to have your holding midfielder stand out this much. At the 66th minute, Allegri finally chose to bring on Maxi Lopez for Nocerino.

In truth, this was a great substitution by Allegri and not many would have agreed with him at the time, including yours truly. There was no doubt that Maxi Lopez had to be introduced as the team clearly needed a physically strong target man to act as a base for their attacks, but who has to come off was the trickier question. Nocerino was contributing well, Emmanuelson was also doing his part , albeit mostly defensively, and Seedorf just didn't look sharp. I would've probably removed Seedorf for Maxi Lopez, but what I failed to see until later in the match (after the introduction of Lopez) is that Seedorf's movements and not so much his touches, were creating some problems for Udinese. Seedorf's tactical awareness is indeed far superior to Nocerino's.

It was surprising to see how Maxi Lopez changed the dynamics of the team. Very few fans would have predicted that Maxi Lopez would be capable of changing anything, but he did and shut all his critics up in the process.

Unfortunately for Guidolin, his substitution of Antonio Di Natale coincided only 1 minute before Milan drew level and without the threat of Di Natale , it only made things easier for the red and black outfit. In 25 minutes, Milan found two goals , a Lopez rebound, and a Lopez assist, with a slick finish from El Shaarawy.

Robinho finally came off in the final minutes to make way for Bonera signalling Allegri's intention to tighten up any holes in defense in the final minutes of the game. Credit should also go to Amelia , who unlike Handanovic at the other end of the pitch, managed some wonderful saves.

Milan showed real character today, Allegri also proved that he could be a crude tactician. Truth be told, for a team to come back from such a miserable performance in the first half and turn the game around come full time is truly a feat. This win couldn't have come at a better time for Milan, who will take this confidence into their game against Arsenal on Tuesday.

Suarez Vs Evra - The racism controversy

2012-02-12T02:43:00.000+04:00

Everyone's heard the story.. Tempers flared, no one knows who started it, but Suarez ended it by calling Evra a "Negrito".

In Suarez's case, addressing a person by referring to their appearance, including race, is common practice where he comes from. Spanish terms for "fatty", "skinny", "shorty", "whitey" and even "chino" – literally meaning "Chinese" – are often used in the way many British might say "mate". Although most English-speakers might find any of these terms offensive, they are usually taken neutrally in Latin America and most parts of the world, and in some cases can signal close friendship.

The fact that Suarez uttered the term "negrito" during the heat of battle between two such fierce rivals, Liverpool and Manchester United, to Fabrice Evra, a player he has no history of friendship with, arguably undermines any claim that the Uruguay striker was being friendly.

However, I also believe an 8 match ban and being charged with Racism is an unfair punishment. If anyone was exchanging insults with anyone else, a lot of offensive words will be uttered towards the mother, sister and family. It becomes a competition of how much you can hurt the opponent with your words. I have no doubt that these insults were exchanged between Suarez and Evra, except Suarez, to his doom used the word "Negrito" at some point in their hostile exchange of words.

So Evra backed down and took advantage of Suarez's naivety. This in my opinion is equivalent to someone challenging you to meet him outside the bar for a fight, and then when you do walk outside , you find that he's already called the cops on you.

Certainly it is not right, nor a politically correct thing to say by Suarez, but these two weren't exactly having a civilized conversation, THEY WERE FIGHTING! So forgive me for not having too much sympathy for Evra in this instance.

A hypothetical question to ask would be if the FA would ban anyone, and for 8 matches, for calling someone "White Trash"? I think not.

I've always believed a racist is not defined by the words he says, but by the way he treats people of different races. If someone has a problem with a certain person who just happens to be black, it does not imply that the person is racist!

If Suarez was indeed racist, Liverpool's Johnson should have a huge problem being on the same team as Suarez. On the Uruguayan national team side, Suarez has played alongside Alvaro Pereira, and has also played alongside countless other "Individuals of an African descent" at Ajax. If Suarez really was racist, someone would've said something to support it (Besides Evra). In addition, the FA should have investigated his interactions with people of other races before slapping him with an 8 match ban and branding him as a racist because of one word he uttered during a heated argument with a rival player.

And on that note, If I was in Suarez's position , I would certainly NOT shake hands with Evra, who blew the issue out of proportion, caused Suarez to miss 8 matches with his team, brought him bad press, had to deal with FA trials, and is now viewed as the devil himself by many. If Suarez was a weaker player, Evra would have perhaps ruined his career.

P.S. I am not a fan of Suarez , nor am I Liverpool fan. This is simply how I see it.

Juve 2 - Milan 1 , Panic spreads in the Milan camp

2012-02-09T03:16:00.000+04:00

Juventus are now certain that they are able to win at the San Siro, a vital victory which should spur them to carry on their attack on the scudetto. Milan on the other hand continue to prove they are unable to defeat the big teams with their record standing at 1 win (against Lazio) 4 Draws and 6 Losses. This has not surprisingly incurred the wrath of the Milan fans , indeed with many of the overzealous ones calling for Allegri's head.

It is a tough break for Milan. In tonight's game , there were only 4 midfielders available in the entire Milan squad, 3 of those are close to retirement age, and 1 of them was a former left back who is being played as a right midfielder. Unfortunately , this is going to be the case for a few more games until a few more players recover from their injuries, and even more unfortunate is the fact that Milan face Udinese , Arsenal , and Juventus again , without any additional reinforcements from their infirmary. (to add insult to injury, Ibrahimovic also won't be available for 3 of their league matches).

It will indeed be a Month from Hell for Milan, and they need a lot of luck to scrape through this until they are able to get back to their full strength. Now is the time for Robinho and Emmanuelson, who have been sleepwalking so far this season, to step up their game and prove their worth. El Shaarawy has showed that he can be a valuable player on the field and so should be used to fill the cracks. Then Milan need to rely on VB, Ambro and Seedorf to dig into their fuel reserves for these next few matches.

I still believe that Allegri is a good coach, yes he has been stuck to his 4-3-1-2 formation, but a coach is more than what formation he chooses. In fact, the formation is usually the first culprit, but has the least effect on the squad. The situation is difficult and the fans only care about results, but it is unfair and disrespectful to pull the trigger on any coach after a few losses. The Rossoneri faithful must look at the bigger picture:

Milan are not yet out of the Coppa Italia, (the Away leg will be played in Mid-March with many of the injured players coming back) so there is still a chance, I wouldn't bet my house on it, but we've seen it happen before.

Milan are second in the Serie A with a maximum of 4 points separating them from Juve (assuming Juve win their game in hand).

Milan still have the Champions League to play for.

The most logical thing is for Allegri to stay put and for the fans to concentrate on supporting their team through this difficult patch.

As for tonight's game, both team's played a good game, with Juve looking more lively and as the scoreline suggests more decisive, but the second goal for Juve is a high-school error from the Milan captain. The first thing they teach you in football academy is to not clear the ball towards the center. A critical mistake from Ambrosini and a wonderful strike from Caceres , who introduced himself quite well to the Bianconeri today, cost Milan the game.

Lessons from the Match:

1) Giacherrini was quite a flop playing behind the strikers and I think Conte is smart enough to pick up on that and play him in a more familiar position in the future.

2) Caceres has so far proved to be an inspired signing , I haven't seen a defender scoring 2 goals on their debut ever! Including a crucial winner in the dying minutes of the game.

3) After the 60th minute , Ambrosini's level drops to that of an Amatuer Sunday Footballer

4) Seedorf should always ALWAYS play deep in midfield and not as an Attacking Midfielder. He was much more effective and creative when he dropped back.

5) Robinho is just fading into the Abyss, never looks dangerous, doesn't look hungry, bereft of confidence, slow, just very sad to watch really. I wonder if he will ever regain the form he once had at Man City.

6) Emmanuelson may have something to offer. But one thing is for sure, if he's ever going to offer anything, it won't be while he's playing as a right midfielder.

7) El Shaarawy will develop into a great player, his work rate and effort is amazing and his touch on the ball is pure class. I saw him defending on the right (covering for Bonera) , and then defending on the left (covering for Antonini) , how many strikers would do that for their team.

8) Borriello didn't do much to convince the Juve faithful that he deserves a place on their team. He may get a few more chances, but I doubt he will have an impact on the squad.

9) Pirlo made the Milan fans shake their heads in regret. A real difference maker in the center of the field for Juve.

10) Maxi Lopez...he had one chance, he was too slow , he failed to hit the ball, and he was offside.

Coppa Italia Semi-Final , AC Milan vs Juventus : Preview

2012-02-08T16:47:00.000+04:00

A half strength Milan side must take on a very well organized and dangerous Juventus team who have found themselves under their old captain and new coach, Conte. Juve are now the only team in Europe to have suffered no defeats so far this season, granted they are not taking part in any European competitions, however, no defeats after 21 games in a league like Serie A is certainly very impressive. Conte has created a lethal and versatile unit , and through his constant squad rotation , the parts of this unit are mostly interchangeable, so despite Pepe's absence to injury , you could still expect to see the same ruthlessness.

It hasn't been easy for Allegri this season, although he's been consistent enough with the points, getting almost the same points as he had last season when he won the league with Milan, it is no guarantee that what was enough last season will be enough this time around. Especially if Juve keep their form going, and even more so if Milan cannot find a solution for winning against tough opponents. The match this evening, although a Coppa Italia semi final, is in my opinion, a preview of the more important Milan vs Juve fixture on the 25th of Feb , the result of which will either help Juve break away from the chasing pack to increase their chances of lifting the scudetto, or it could keep the title race wide open provided Milan put an end to Juve's unbeaten run.

Milan's injury list is quite worrying. Over two seasons, it has been very rare to see AC Milan have less than 5 or 6 players in the infirmary. Now the list grows to 10, one could field a pretty strong team made up of all the injured players: Abbiati, Nesta, Yepes, Aquilani, Prince, Flamini, Merkel, Gattuso, Cassano, Pato. As anyone can see, the Milan midfield , even at full strength was considered Average, and now without Prince who has a strong presence on the field, and without the services of Aquilani who adds some activity and creativity to the Milan center , it is going to be a big challenge for the players who take the field. Milan have 5 midfielders left that are not injured, but Nocerino is suspended for this game, and hence only 4 midfielders are available so therefore the choice in midfield is relatively simple for Mr. Allegri, you can expect to see the usual 4-3-1-2 formation, with the following players on the field:

Amelia
Abate, Mexes(Bonera) , Thiago Silva, Mesbah
Ambrosini, Van Bommel, Emmanuelson
Seedorf

El Shaarawy(Maxi Lopez) , Ibrahimovic

As for Antonio Conte, A 4-3-3 formation would most likely be in play with the following selection:

Storari
Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, De Ceglie
Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio
Giaccherini, Borriello, Vucinic

It will certainly be an intriguing battle, the pressure is on Allegri and the Rossoneri as the Milan fans will be watching to see if the team has what it takes to overcome Juve. If they do manage a positive result, I believe this would give the players a new found confidence which would help them in other competitions.