In the wintery climes of a cold Parisian night last November, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi was asked about the Ligue 1 title race, his recently acquired team three points clear at the top having drawn 1-1 away at Bordeaux. “Given the league table at present, if PSG are not champions of France at the end of the season, it will be a failure.”

At the time it was difficult to disagree.

PSG were already six points clear of champions Lille, seven clear of likely challengers Lyon and twelve clear of biggest rivals Marseille, having spent €86.4million Euros on new players following Qatar Sports Investment’s takeover. Put in context, that figure represented 48% of total transfer spending in the entirety of France’s top two divisions – the other 39 clubs between them spending a total of €94.6million.

The closest team to PSG in the league at the time of al-Khelaifi’s comments were Montpellier, three points behind after scrapping to a 1-1 draw at Saint Etienne.

Little Montpellier, who finished 14th the previous season and have spent 5 of the last 8 seasons in Ligue 2. All well and good – everybody likes an underdog – but such early season form was deemed surprising and definitely nothing to worry about in the face of a seemingly growing force like PSG. The consensus was that, like irritating flies buzzing around a royal banquet, they’ll go away eventually, if ignored.

By December, Montpellier were top. Still their charismatic president Louis Nicollin played it down.

“Montpellier champions? Impossible. All I’m worried about is that we might qualify for the Europa League. That’d really p*ss me off. What a rubbish competition!”

Nicollin, a gruff character who made his fortune in the family business of rubbish collection, went further still.

“If I were at PSG, Lyon, Lille or Rennes, and Montpellier finished as champions, I’d want to stab myself in the arse with a sausage. What a disgrace that would be!”

Well get the saucissons ready, because on May 20th 2012, the ‘impossible’ became reality. After seeing off Auxerre in a wildly entertaining, frustrating and equally anti-climactic final day in France, Montpellier were crowned champions of France for the first time in their history.

Victory over exiting champions Lille in the penultimate weekend had ended the northern club’s reign whilst simultaneously taking Montpellier to the brink. The hosts won it in the 94th minute, just hours after Manchester City’s own last minute dramas, thanks to Karim Ait-Fana’s late, late strike – a goal that saw Montpellier’s Stade de la Mosson erupt in outpourings of ecstasy and glee.

The scenes were genuinely emotional. “Look at all these people, these fans” was all keeper Geoffrey Jourdren could utter repeatedly between streams of joyful tears, barely able to control himself in the post-match interview. “Just look!” he wept unashamedly.

Victory had secured Champions League football and meant Montpellier needed just a point from their final game away at Auxerre to reach the gates of football heaven. In the meantime, the Champions League’s famous orchestral music blared around the creaking stadium.

A week later the dream was realised in a 2-1 win at Auxerre, in a tawdry match that required over 30 minutes of stoppages due to angry Auxerre fans – their team already down – doing their best to interrupt proceedings with tennis balls and toilet paper.

It resulted in an unnecessary, drama-killing wait as every other team’s season had finished and we knew the answers to all questions but the biggest – who will win the league? PSG’s win at Lorient delayed the suspense as Montpellier, drawing 1-1, needed only concede one goal to blow it in the most spectacular of ways.

But as those who have watched coach Rene Girard’s team all season will know, this Montpellier is made of stern stuff. There would be no bottling it here. John Utaka’s second goal of the game gave MHSC the win to put the icing on the cake of an unforgettable, historic season.

On the brink: Montpellier celebrate late winner v Lille

“This crowns the season,” Girard stated. “I am so proud of my players. They’ve had an exceptional season and we deserved to go all the way.”

Girard’s success is a veritable poke in the eye for billionaire oligarchs worldwide who observe football and think money can buy you love. An absolutely incredible achievement. Remember – Montpellier’s entire annual budget of €33million is less than PSG paid for one player (Javier Pastore, €42million).

Girard built a team based on solid foundations, a team that has grown and developed together from academy to first team. In players like Remy Cabella, Benjamin Stambouli, Jourdren, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Jamel Saihi and Younes Belhanda Montpellier found the nucleus of a strong team based on a clear identity and a shared vision.

This sense of purpose and identity was an element PSG so clearly lacked, with constant in-fighting, tantrums and arguments. Not only amongst players but also at boardroom level, with the frankly disgraceful treatment of former coach and PSG legend Antoine Kombouare, sacked just days before Christmas despite topping the table.

Where disharmony reigned at PSG, Montpellier provided the antidote. A formidable defence – statistically the best in the division – featured free transfer Vitorino Hilton and the physically dominant leader and captain Yanga-Mbiwa in the centre, flanked by Garry Bocaly and the formidable Henri Bedimo – crowd favourite and a revelation at left back, one of the players of the season in Ligue 1 after joining last summer for €2m.

In midfield Belhanda’s development into a creative midfielder of real repute has been a huge contributing factor, with 12 goals and 4 assists winning him the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award. Souleymane Camara and the cult hero that is John Utaka both played key roles down the flanks, providing the width and service for Olivier Giroud, whose 21 league goals won him the golden boot.

Signed from Tours in Ligue 2, Giroud has developed into one of the best strikers France have and a potential option for Laurent Blanc’s Euro 2012 squad. The poster boy of this historic Montpellier team, the 25-year-old has huge ability and can score all manner of goals, from tap-ins to 25-yard volleys from unfathomable angles. His composure in setting up Ait-Fana for the late winner vs Lille was a firm example of his cool under pressure.

The bond and unity within this championship winning Montpellier team has been consistently praised by Girard.

“We’re a club of brothers, an academy club. In the end it’s proved to be quite a nice blend. We’ve played a complete style of football, we haven’t just defended. There’s been a great balance in the team and I’m delighted.”

The party in La Paillade has been going on ever since, as on Monday Montpellier received the trophy and Loulou Nicollin, France’s longest serving club president, collector of football kits and a true fan, sported a radical new hair-do, fulfilment of a promise made if Montpellier won the league.

“We have shown that clubs like ours can exist,” said Girard. “Everybody said that it’s only the rich who can win everything, but we’ve proved it’s not always the case.”

(photo credit: Sly973 (S.Brouard) via Flickr)

It’s been a while.  Truth be told the stresses of a relegation battle for my team in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League was a little too much.  Well, that and getting a new sporting business up and running, but with the small matter of the Champions’ League and then the Euros your ever humble (with good reason) betting blogger is back.

Bayern Munich Vs Chelsea, Saturday 1945

After the thrills and spills of the Premier League finale the UEFA Champions’ League final lacks something of the normal thrill factor of recent seasons.  No Barcelona, No Mourinho, no Manchester team.  Nevertheless it promises to be a belter of a game with Chelsea looking to fulfil their long held dream and having to do so in the home stadium of their opponents Bayern Munch.

This is the fourth time it has happened that the host has made it to the final.  Real Madrid and Inter Milan won in 1957 and 1965 but the one time the host lost was in 1984 when Roma went down to an English side in the shape of Liverpool.

If Bayern get the first goal it could all be over.  They have scored first in 32 games this season in the Bundesliga and Champions’ League and have won 31.  At home in the Bundesliga they have conceded a miserly six goals in the whole campaign.

Chelsea will take some comfort though that they have scored the last goal in all five European games played under caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo.

Bayern’s record at home where they have won all six in the competition this season is too strong to ignore, particularly against a Chelsea side that has only won one.  Yes, they have the ability to draw but 1.85 Bayern is a reasonable price given their strength at home.

Backing them to win 2-0 or 2-1 against a side without Ramires in the middle could prove better value at a combined 4.50.

If it does go all the way to penalties, do not despair Chelsea fans.  Bayern have missed 8 of their last 25 penalties.  Just a thought.

Back: Bayern Munich to win at 1.85 or Bayern to win 2-0 or 2-1 at combined odds of 4.50

See also: Dilemma for Di Matteo as Chelsea look to make history vs Bayern Munich – Champions League final preview

Rob Hartnett is the founder and editor of Sport for Business, a subscription based publishing and networking business that looks at the commercial world of sport.  Pop over and have a look if you like that sort of thing. www.sportforbusiness.com

The Champions League final is ironically being contested by two sides who are not champions of their own domestic leagues.

Chelsea have finished 6th and Bayern Munich have lost the league for the second year running, compounded by a 5-2 defeat to Dortmund in the German Cup final last weekend.

Strangely if Chelsea wins this will be the greatest season in the club’s history; the history books will forget the turmoil of the club under Andre Villas Boas and the 6th place finish, but remember an FA Cup win and a Champions League victory.

The Champions League victory would give Chelsea rite of passage to a unique club that includes some of the world’s greatest teams, making jibes that the club has no history somewhat redundant. Winning the Champions League would even go as far as to partially vindicate the ownership of Roman Abramovich who has so craved this tournament.

However, if Chelsea lose on Saturday their season will be remembered in a different context, one of disappointment and disarray on the pitch and in the board room, by far the worst season of the Abramovich era. Despite winning the FA Cup finishing 6th in the league is simply not good enough, and the prospect of no Champions League football next year would mark a clear failure of top down planning from the boardroom.

The game

Bayern Munich are not as strong a side as some commentators would have you believe. Despite not playing too badly they were taken apart by a ruthless Borussia Dortmund side last weekend, losing the domestic cup final 5-2. Although playing at their home ground and with Chelsea’s four suspensions they must be considered favourites, despite the pressure growing on them in the German media.

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will be a big threat to Chelsea down either flank, Jose Bosingwa in particular will struggle against Ribery cutting in from the left but one would expect Ashley Cole to handle Robben adequately using his experience as he so often does to great effect in big games. Cole in particular was fantastic over both legs against Barcelona, despite an early concentration slip that allowed Sanchez in behind on side.

Bayern’s midfield will be packed with attack minded players which could directly trouble the Chelsea back-line although David Luiz has been very good under Roberto Di Matteo as has Gary Cahill, although doubts remain over how fit they will be for the game.

The major absentee for Chelsea will be Ramires, a surprise focal point for Chelsea attacks under Di Matteo. In the new 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1 he provides pace and willing legs down the right flank, often the spearhead for counter attacks, as well as being able to cover for the right back. His goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup final was a prime example of this.

His absence may prompt a tactical reshuffle as Chelsea have no real replacement here as Florent Malouda is more a left sided player and Salomon Kalou prefers to cut in from the left.

The Germans have defensive problems of their own however – Holger Badstuber is suspended and Daniel Van Buyten is short of match fitness which means midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk will fill in at centre-back. With Didier Drogba’s aerial prowess he would definitely fancy himself against a midfielder playing centre-back. Jerome Boateng has also looked uncertain at times this season and was apparently poor against Dortmund at the weekend.

(photo credit: eigi11 via Flickr)

Key men for Chelsea

Despite being 34 Didier Drogba has scored 5 goals in 6 Champions League starts this season and his physical, direct style of play could prove too much for Tymoshchuk if Chelsea look to get the ball to him quickly. Only four players in the Champions League have won more aerial duels than Drogba, who wins 2.6 per game, more than any player who will play in the final.

Winning the Champions League could be a fitting way for him to potentially end his career at Chelsea, and he’ll be desperate to atone for getting sent off for a petulant slap on Nemanja Vidic in the 2008 final.

With Luis Gustavo suspended and Tymoshchuk playing centre-back Munich are short of a holding player which means Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos could play together as the base of the 4-2-3-1. Gustavo records more tackles per game than any player on show and this will be missed in what is otherwise a very technical midfield.

With a natural ball winner it could provide Juan Mata the chance to get in between the lines if he is deployed behind Drogba. It is here where he is really able to influence the game and could offer Chelsea some stability in possession in a game where they are likely to spend large periods without the ball.

Another potential key player for Chelsea is Fernando Torres who has been far better in Europe than he has at home. Surprisingly much of his good work has come as a supplier having recorded 4 assists, as well as his 3 goals. For example in the away game against Benfica where he set up Kalou from the right wing, roasting the Benfica left-back in the process.

With Ramires out and Chelsea with few natural options here it is not unfeasible to predict Torres featuring at least in part of the game as a right winger, due to his pace and ability to create.

Chelsea potential XI

Petr Cech will naturally start in goal and as stated the back four will probably be Bosingwa, Cahill, Luiz, Cole. Midfield is where things get interesting. Raul Meireles and Ramires are obviously both suspended, so Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel are sure to start. However, Michael Essien’s form has been poor this season with him struggling to find his former dynamism, understandable after such awful knee injuries.

Mata could thus play behind Drogba, with Malouda and Kalou wide but Malouda also has been massively out of form and out of favour. Thus this could pave the way for a shock Torres start at right wing with Kalou on the left.

However the bolder move would be to give a shock start to young Oriol Romeu alongside Mikel in the holding role with Mata and Kalou wide and Lampard closest to Drogba. Romeu has played 3 games for Chelsea in the Champions League this season and has completed more passes per game than any other Chelsea player, with a vastly superior pass completion rate to any other player. Further to this he has completed more tackles per game than any Chelsea player and more interceptions.

It is a compelling case, he could break up the play alongside Mikel, as well as distribute the ball sensibly and quickly to more advanced players such as Lampard or directly to Drogba.

Mata has rarely played behind Drogba in Europe and playing Torres wide right might be too much of a risk for Di Matteo due to the fact that he won’t offer any cover for an already vulnerable Bosingwa. Romeu has gained more first team football lately but it is incredibly unlikely he will start although I believe it may be a risk worth taking especially considering Munich’s midfield is likely to be packed with ball players. Playing two holding players makes sense. (Editor’s Note – youngster Ryan Bertrand has also been tipped as a possible surprise starter).

Conclusion

Bayern Munich will likely dominate the game in terms of possession, as they have throughout the tournament with 56.2% possession per game, however this will likely suit Chelsea who have a low 44.9% average possession (probably skewed lower by the two legs versus Barca).

Chelsea will look to sit back and absorb pressure and pounce on the counter-attack, something that as noted will be made more difficult without Ramires to burst down the right, but the direct route Drogba provides could be crucial especially against a makeshift, and low on confidence Bayern defence.

Whether Torres plays the Ramires role remains to be seen, but he does complete more dribbles per game in Europe than Ramires and we saw against Benfica how effective he can be against opposition full-backs especially in the context of facing Munich’s back up left back due to Alaba’s suspension (likely Contento).

In my view Di Matteo should look to play Romeu if he decides to play Mata wide as he has shown that he is a better option than an exhausted Essien and a massively out of form Malouda. With Munich packing their side with ball players having a ball winner such as Romeu in the side makes sense. With his lack of experience though it will probably be a risk that is considered too great however.

All things considered, on Saturday night we will know whether this has been the best or worst season in Chelsea’s recent history.

All stats from whoscored.com

(photo credits: Te lo juro por Madonna and eigi11 via Flickr)

With the climax of the Championship almost upon us, Just Football’s James McMath picks his unsung XI – the players who caught the eye but failed to make the cut at the official Football League awards.

In a 4-2-3-1 formation, with no two players from the same club:

Goalkeeper: Julian Speroni (Crystal Palace)

The seventh-best defensive record in the division was a major factor as Palace, with limited resources, stayed clear of danger all season. In fact, their position on the last day (17th) was the lowest Dougie Freedman’s side had dropped since the opening week. Speroni was a key part of the Eagles’ relative success, helping them keep 17 clean sheets.

Right-Back: Kieran Tripper (Burnley)

An ever-present in a Burnley side still lacking in consistency under Eddie Howe. The 21-year-old former Manchester City academy graduate chipped in with four goals and has reportedly attracted attention from the likes of Newcastle United.

Centre-back: Jason Shackell (Derby County)

Dependable and unspectacular, Shackell is almost the embodiment of Nigel Clough’s Rams. He played every league game and took on the captaincy when injury struck Shaun Barker.

James Chester

Centre-back: James Chester (Hull City)

Formed a rock-solid partnership with Jack Hobbs that helped the Tigers boast the second-best defensive record in the division. The ex-Manchester United youngster looks well capable of playing at a higher level.

Left-back: Aaron Cresswell (Ipswich Town)

The 22-year-old Scouser made quite an impact in his first season at Portman Road after arriving from Tranmere Rovers last summer.  Although part of a leaky defence, Ipswich were potent going forward and Cresswell weighed in with five assists and a goal. He was named the club’s player of the season.

Centre-midfield: Nadjim Abdou (Millwall)

The industrious Frenchman brings energy to the heart of the Lions’ midfield so crucial to the way Kenny Jackett asks his side to play. Does the unspectacular jobs better than most in the division and undoubtedly appreciated by his team-mates.

Centre-midfield: Barry Ferguson (Blackpool)

At 34, Ferguson is a fully paid-up member of Blackpool’s Dad’s Army and he has been key to what they have achieved this season. Positionally perfect, he gives Ron Burgundy look average when it comes to being an anchorman.

Right wing: Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)

You don’t get many seasons at Elland Road without some turbulence, but the excellent form of Snograss remains a constant. With 13 league goals and 15 assists, he has as good a chance as any of surviving Neil Warnock’s expected summer clear-out.

Attacking midfield: George Boyd (Peterborough)

Always aesthetically, Boyd is back to his best under Darren Ferguson. He contributed eight goals and 11 assists as Posh hit their safety target comfortably.

Left-wing: Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham United)

Finished the season as Barnsley’s top scorer, despite leaving five months ago. A four-goal haul on Boxing Day took his tally for the Reds to 11, including one of the fastest goals in league history against Crystal Palace. Continued his goalscoring feats for new club West Ham and finished the regular season on 20 goals..

Billy Sharp

Striker: Billy Sharp (Southampton)

Has earned his shot at the Premier League by showing remarkable character off the pitch and clinical finishing on it. Ended the season with 19 goals, one of which came just days after the loss of his newborn son. Left Doncaster for Southampton in January. One went down, the other went up.

Manager: Nigel Adkins (Southampton)

Secured promotion from League One in his first season with the Saints and followed it with another straight into the Promised Land. A fantastic man-manager, whose stock has been steadily rising since he took charge at Scunthorpe United, his next move will be fascinating.

Reminder – The Football League’s official Championship team of the year: Kelvin Davis (Southampton), Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace), James Tomkins (West Ham), Curtis Davies (Birmingham), Ian Harte (Reading), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Peter Whittingham (Cardiff), Mark Noble (West Ham), Matt Phillips (Blackpool), Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Jay Rodriguez (Burnley).

See also: James’ Championship team of the season from last year, 2010-2011

by Christopher Akinrele

Gennaro Gattuso is to leave AC Milan when his contract expires in June. After a weekend in which AC Milan said goodbye to yet another era of loyal servants, a unique place was reserved in the fans’ affections for the Rossoneri fighter who has finally hung up his gloves.

And so it ends. After 13 seasons of running around, snarling and tackling all whilst sporting facial hair that made his cult hero status inevitable, come 1 July Gennaro Ivan ‘Rino’ Gattuso will be a Milan player no more.

Gattuso arrived at Milan after brief spells early in his career at Perugia, Glasgow Rangers and Salernitana which were notable for creating his reputation as an energetic ball winning midfield player (despite Dick Advocaat’s best attempts to convert him to full back whilst at Rangers) with an affinity for all things Scottish.

His energy and defensive ability enabled him to quickly establish himself as the perfect counterbalance to the tempo setting artistry of Andrea Pirlo. Whilst many will, rightly, highlight Pirlo’s range of passing and ability to control football matches as a deep lying playmaker as one of the key reasons behind Milan’s decade of success between 2001-2011, none of this would have been possible without the presence of Gattuso – such an effective ball winner that Milan were able to fill the rest of their midfield with forward thinking players without harming the balance of the side.

There have been lows, most notably the fracas with Joe Jordon (first team coach at Tottenham Hotspur) in the first round of the 2010/2011 Champions League knock out stages and the countless yellow cards and disciplinary misdemeanours, but these have arguably been inevitable products of a combative personality which needed to operate as close to the edge as possible in order to be effective.

In a generation of technically gifted Milan players, Gattuso’s selfless currency was attitude and work rate. A currency made all the more valuable by its relative rarity.

So, what next? Gattuso is adamant that he is not ready to retire from the game just yet and he clearly has the desire “to battle on” for a further season or two. There is early talk, much of it from Gattuso himself, of a move back to Scottish side, Glasgow Rangers. And there is undoubtedly something poignant about a giant of the game whose waning powers have left a shadow of his former self spending the winter of his career at a club who, following this season’s administration, is currently a pale imitation of the dominating team Gattuso left in the summer of 1998.

The only thing we can be certain of is that Gattuso will not be pulling on the shirt of another side in Serie A. The prospect of lining up against the club that has defined his career is simply not an option. Instead he will seek one final club which can provide an “experience that will touch [him] emotionally”, his final performances no doubt characterised by lots of running around, snarling and tackling, all whilst sporting facial hair that will make cult hero status at his new club, inevitable.

Gennaro Gattuso – Honours List

2 League Titles (2003/04, 2010/11) 2 UEFA Champions League (2002/2003, 2006/07) 2 UEFA Supercups (2003, 2007) 1 Italian Cup (2003, 2007) 2 League Supercup (2004, 2011) 1 FIFA Club World Cup (2007)

Christopher Akinrele is a new contributor to Just Football specialising in Italian football. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisAkinrele

See also: 5 reasons why football needs Antonio Cassano

(photo credit: AC Milan official on Flickr)

by Nico H

In 4-3-3 formation….

GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

A relatively easy call to make. ‘Superman’ has been back to his best form in Serie A this season and won his fair share of points for La Vecchia Signora with some outstanding personal performances. That Juve went the entire season unbeaten was in no small part down to the Nazionale captain’s truly world class talent. Essential to Italy’s Euro 2012 campaign.

LDEF: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus)

An admirable 2010/2011 campaign with Lazio prompted Beppe Marotta to move for the versatile Swiss full back. He was not phased by the extra pressure on him to help a rejuvenated Juventus bring home the first Scudetto since the 2005-2006 season (subsequently awarded to Inter due to Calciopoli). Equally comfortable defending and attacking, Juve have looked far less capable when he is not in the lineup, and if he can build on the success he’s had this season Marotta will be licking his lips having secured Lichtsteiner for €10m. He would surely fetch double this now.

CDEF: Thiago Silva (AC Milan)

Consistently one of the best defenders not just in Italian football but in the world, Thiago Silva remains a phenomenon. Physically he has everything – pace, agility, strength and a fantastic leap – and combines this with a Baresi-esque ability to read the play, often darting in front of attacking players to pluck out an interception where most defenders would remain goal side and allow their man to receive the ball to feet.

As one might expect from a former attacking payer (he began his career as a right winger) Silva is more than competent when it comes to starting attacks from the back and is always a threat from corners as his magnificent headed goals against Barcelona and Palermo illustrate. Galliani will have to resist Barcelona’s expected overtures for the player this summer as, with Nesta’s departure now confirmed, Silva’s importance to the Rossoneri cannot be under estimated.

CDEF: Andrea Barzagli (Juventus)

Having proved good but by no means outstanding at Palermo, Barzagli tried the road less travelled for Italian players and moved to Wolfsberg in the Bundesliga in 2007. This experience was clearly important to his progression as when he returned to Italy with Juventus in 2010 he looked far more composed and astute as a defender.

He’s held down the starting berth at Juventus this season and whilst he does not have the barnstorming (and often over zealous) style of his defensive partner Giorgio Chiellini, Barzagli has quietly gone about his task and in doing so ensured Juventus have had the tightest defence this season, conceding only 20 goals. At 30, he is peaking at the right time for a central defender and was a certainty for Prandelli’s squad in the summer.

RDEF: Christian Maggio (Napoli)

Il Motorino has certainly lived up to his nickname this season proving to be a fundamental cog in Napoli’s much vaunted counter attacking system under Walter Mazzari. The width he gives the team and the speed he injects into his trademark bursts down the right wing have become fundamentally important to the Partenopei whilst at the same time making the right-back position in the national team his.

It is no coincidence that Napoli’s best Champions League performance (at home to Chelsea) featured the infatigable Maggio and their worst (the return leg of the same fixture) took a turn for the worse when the speedy Italian went off injured. Had his shot in the first leg not been dramatically cleared off the line by Ashley Cole, Napoli’s European adventure could have been prolonged.

CMID: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

After a distinctly average 2010/2011 campaign where it appeared to most that Pirlo’s powers were waning slightly, it remained a surprise that he was not deemed worthy of a contract extension at Milan, despite older players such as Seedorf and Inzaghi staying. Juventus had more confidence in the elegant Brescia native however and brought him in on a free transfer. This move reinvigorated Pirlo, and he began the season looking to prove the top brass at Milanello wrong.

With a midfield often accused of lacking creativity (Aquilani and Boateng have been missed for key chunks of the season), Milan must be wondering how this season might have panned out had Pirlo remained a Rossonero. It will stick in Galliani’s throat that Pirlo topped the league in assists this season with 13. Pirlo’s vision and technique set him aside from most other centrocampisti in the league and his deadball ability means he can always pose a threat. A remarkable season by a player many had almost written off a year ago.

Andrea Pirlo (photo credit: Emanuela Tardocchi via Flickr)

CMID: Sebastian Giovinco (Parma)

Known as the Atomic Ant (Formica Atomica) for his diminutive size, Giovinco has spent several seasons away from parent club Juventus, with loans at Empoli and Parma sandwiching disappointing spells at the Old Lady. That said, there never seemed to be full faith in the Turin native’s talents during his spells at Juve and so after a promising season at Parma on loan, Juve wilfully accepted Parma’s co-ownership offer last summer and this show of faith clearly had an impact on the player. Until February it looked like Parma would have a distinctly average season but Giovinco had other ideas, and it would not be over-emphasising to suggest their 8th place finish was down to Giovinco’s wizardry.

His stunning volley against Siena in the penultimate match of the season is a serious contender for goal of the season and he finished the season with 15 goals and 11 assists. To highlight quite what this meant to the team, the rest of the team collectively managed 10 assists and the second top scorer – Sergio Floccari – failed to make it past 8 goals. A magnificent season and Giovinco has been rewarded with a call up to the Nazionale.

CMID: Arturo Vidal (Juventus)

Signing for Juventus invariably comes with a level of expectation which can see some players struggle to cope (see: Amauri, Melo, Borriello). Given the tussle between Europe’s top clubs for Vidal’s signature, this weight of expectation was only increased. It is testament therefore to the young Chilean’s strength of character that he not only met expectations but exceeded them in a big way.

The €12.5m paid to Bayer Leverkusen last summer now looks like a snip for a player who has become crucial to Juventus’ unbeaten Scudetto run. Despite not being known as a goalscorer, Vidal contributed a very credible 7 goals this term, the highlight being a sweetly struck right footed drive from outside the area at home to Roma. A huge talent who will continue to flourish under Antonio Conte’s tutelage.

ATT: Edinson Cavani (Napoli)

Napoli may not have hit the heights of their magnificent 2010/2011 performance but this has been more down to a porous defence than their magnificent attacking trident, the focal point of which being the oft-unplayable Uruguayan. Combining pace, aerial ability and surgically precise finishing he has been exceptional.

Cavani’s hat-trick against Milan earlier in the season set the tone for his season and whilst Napoli could still bring home silverware in the form of the Coppa Italia, competing on three fronts has taken its toll. Regardless, Cavani’s scoring has been consistent (32 in all competitions this season to add to the 33 last season) and his near-mythical status amongst Napoli fans in the relatively short time he’s been at the club are testament to his huge ability and passion.

ATT: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)

Another season, another breathtaking display of goalscoring by ‘Toto’. Every summer for the past few years there are murmurs that as his age creeps up, Di Natale won’t be able to keep up his scoring habit. And every subsequent season he proves the doubters wrong! Another sterling season from the Napoletan, who pounces on any sniff of a chance in the penalty area without apology and also provides a significant set piece threat.

Toto has hinted that this summer’s Euro tournament could be his last in professional football. Piermario Morosini’s death weighed heavily on his mind and he has spoken about the strain placed on players’ bodies in the modern game given how many games are now played (Udinese played 51 competitive games this season). A strong performance this summer would be the fitting end to a brilliant season and memorable career.

ATT: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan)

Nobody could accuse Zlatan of failing to stand up and be counted this season. Continually he has dug Milan out of trouble with his all-action attacking performances. Zlatan really is the full package – and that is borne out by his statistics this year: 28 league goals to earn the capocannoniere (top scorer) title and 9 assists (not to mention 5 assists and 5 goals in 8 Champions League games).

The red card he earned for slapping Salvatore Aronica pointed to the darker side of Zlatan’s game which still hasn’t completely disappeared, but as he wrote in his book (‘I am Zlatan’), Ibra thrives on anger and a feeling of injustice and when he returned from his ban and promptly scored a stunning hatrick against Palermo you could see the evidence of this right before your eyes. Despite a penchant for club-hopping, Zlatan is expected to stay at Milan next season and with his brother-from-another-mother Antonio Cassano now healthy again after his heart operation, next season could prove to be even more fruitful for the Rossoneri number 11.

On the bench:

Sub 1 – Kevin Prince Boateng (AC Milan) – The surprise package at Milan in his debut season, ‘The Prince’ has continued to amaze the San Siro faithful in his second season. Hampered somewhat by injury problems but when he does play his combination of strength, power and technique make him very tough to deal with. Case in point: a 15 minute hat-trick against Lecce to drag Milan from 3-0 down to 3-3 after coming on as a sub – 3 rocket propelled strikes which gave Milan the platform to complete an astounding 4-3 victory. Incredible strikes against Barcelona and Arsenal, as well as an 86th minute goal at home to Genoa to keep the title chase alive showed Boateng possesses the big-game mentality so important at the highest level and at only 25 if he can stay injury free, Milan have an integral piece of their midfield for years to come.

Sub 2 - Mattia Destro (Siena) – An unremarkable season for Siena (they finished 14th) was boosted by a fantastic break-out season for on-loan U21 star Mattia Destro who bagged 12 goals for the Tuscan outfit to help secure their survival. Siena will struggle to retain his services next season and he is expected to return to parent club Genoa.

Sub 3 - Antonio Nocerino (AC Milan) - Signed unexpectedly from Palermo on deadline day for €500,000, Nocerino looked to be a classic Galliani squad player signing, and doubts remained whether he could cut it on the big stage. ‘Noce’ almost immediately dispelled the doubters and became a key part of Milan’s midfield, filling a Gattuso shaped gap when Rino was ruled out for most of the season with a serious nerve injury. Not only did Nocerino bring strength and desire but, quite surprisingly to anyone who had watched him previously, he added goalscoring to his repertoire, scoring 10 league goals. An astonishing feat for a defensive midfielder who had only managed 13 goals in over 200 games prior to this season. May well be a pivotal part of the national team this summer.

Sub 4 - Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – Thought by many to be past his best, Klose took to Serie A like a duck to water and showed he still has that lethal finishing instinct that has seen him average a 1 in 3 goalscoring average over his career. He scored 13 in 25 in the league before injury ended his season – seriously and ultimately fatally derailing Lazio’s push for a Champions League place. If Klose had been fit throughout the campaign they would have undoubtedly lasted the distance in 3rd place.

Sub 5 – Samir Handanovic (Udinese) – No other goalkeeper gets close to Buffon this season but Handanovic is way out ahead of all other challengers in second place with some stunning displays that have propelled Udinese into the Champions League again, despite arguably the worst injury crisis of all teams in the division this season.

See also: Our 2010-2011 Team of the Season and the four players that made both lists….

(photo credit: Image #1 – Edo Nicolino & Image #2 – Emanuela Tardocchi both via Flickr)

by William Heaney

Back in the pre-SPL days of 1994, the member clubs of the Scottish Football League agreed to restructure the league set-up. To facilitate four divisions of ten teams, a vote took place to decide which two clubs would join the senior ranks – both of the new recruits came from the Highlands.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle were formed with league football in mind. The merger of Highland League clubs Caledonian and Inverness Thistle wasn’t universally welcomed, but there can no argument with their success. The club are enjoying their second spell in the Scottish Premier League, and next season will be their third in a row in the top division. They also made headlines with two Scottish Cup victories over Celtic in 2000 and 2003.

The other club accepted into the fold hail from Dingwall (population 5,000), a short journey north of Inverness. Ross County were no new venture, being formed in 1929 and having spent most of their existence in the Highland League.

Although they haven’t climbed through the leagues at the same rate as their neighbours and rivals, the Staggies have achieved much during their time as a league side.

Third and Second Division title triumphs as well as two Challenge Cup victories mean that Victoria Park hasn’t been short of silverware in recent times. County also have their own Scottish Cup win over Celtic to be proud of – a 2-0 semi-final victory in 2010 which meant a first appearance in a domestic cup final (they lost to Dundee United), a feat yet to be matched by their counterparts in Inverness.

However, this season has exceeded all others. After having previously never finished above 5th in the First Division, County have powered their way to this season’s league title and from next season, they will play SPL football. Only one defeat in the league means that they have finished the campaign 24 points ahead of second-placed Dundee.

The success of the Staggies is in no small part down to the return to the club of former manager Derek Adams. During a three year spell in charge, Adams achieved promotion to the First Division and established County in the second-tier, while also earning a reputation as one of the most promising young coaches in the country.

It was no surprise when Adams moved to an SPL club. However, it was curious that he joined Hibernian as Colin Calderwood’s assistant when he could, and should, have been moving up to manage a team of his own.

The change was short-lived for both. Adams’ replacement at Ross County Willie McStay lasted a mere nine games, and the experienced Jimmy Calderwood then took over. Just six months after he departed, Adams then returned to complete some unfinished business. Still only 37, he is aided by Director of Football George Adams, who also happens to be his father.

Despite their success, the side from Dingwall have not been without their detractors. Falkirk manager Steven Pressley described County’s style of play as “percentage football”, while Hamilton manager Billy Reid claimed they were relying too much on veterans rather than developing young talent.

Sour grapes? Perhaps, given that both managers voiced their opinions after their sides had lost to the now league champions. The fact is, Adams’ approach has been very successful – 22 victories in the league, and only a solitary defeat, are testament to that.

A look at the starting line-up from the victory over Dundee on April shows only two players over the age of 30 (Grant Munro and Colin McMenamin) – hardly a team of aging crocks. What they do have is a good group of players, many of whom are in their mid-to-late 20s, and in theory should be approaching the best years of their career – not exactly the worst scenario for a newly promoted side.

County also have a youth programme which caters for children as young as three years old. Previous graduates include Gary Mackay-Steven (sold to Liverpool and currently starring at Dundee United) and Mark Ridgers (sold to Hearts at 16 years old).

The gap in quality between the bottom of the SPL and the top of the First Division is not significant, if indeed there is any difference at all. St Johnstone, for example, were promoted three years ago and will end this season comfortably in the top half of the table.

Ross County will, with some justification, begin life in the top division fully expecting to remain there beyond the end of 2012/13.

Just Football would like to personally thank William Heaney for his hard work and excellent contributions as our Scottish football correspondent over the last two years.

(photo credit: pgm2b2 via Flickr)

In an era of rolling news and ever-shortening attention spans, a footballer’s career in the modern game can be built up and knocked down faster than perhaps ever before. Not too long ago Philippe Coutinho was being heralded as the next big thing to come out of Brazil. Just Football’s Brazilian football correspondent Paulo Freitas takes a look at his career to date and the poisoned chalice of promise vs expectation.

Philippe Coutinho was once regarded as one of the most promising players of his age bracket, being known back then as Philippinho. Coutinho is a 19-year-old player that started his career at Vasco da Gama’s youth team in Brazil.

His early steps on the ladder of what looked a career filled with endless possibility involved competing with another Brazilian prodigy, Neymar, a rivalry that began when both players led their teams to the final of the prestigious Under-17 Copa Brasil in 2008. Coutinho’s Vasco won the competition by beating Neymar’s Santos 2-1.

Coutinho and Neymar also played together for Brazil’s Under-15 and Under-17 national teams. Both have attracted strong interest from abroad since the beginning of their careers.

A versatile player, Coutinho can play both in midfield and upfront as a forward. He has very good technical skills as well as speed, and is also capable of taking free kicks. His flair can also make the difference, as has been the case a few times at current club Espanyol.

He is however a physically weak player and often has a hard time dealing with more physical games. His heading and finishing are also elements of his game that need to improve.

Rise to fame

In 2009 Vasco were revamping their squad following their relegation to Série B, allowing young players such as Alex Teixeira and Coutinho to be part of the senior team.

Coutinho’s debut for Vasco came in June 2009 in a Série B game against Duque de Caxias. He had a fairly unimpressive performance, showing good technical skills but poor finishing. He would play 11 more games that year, failing to score goals.

His role increased in the 2010 season, when he also scored his first two goals for Vasco in a 6-0 win against Botafogo. Such performances eventually saw a European side take the plunge – Coutinho moved to Internazionale later that year.

The transfer was fairly controversial as the deal was negotiated by then Vasco’s president Eurico Miranda, but the transfer was set to happen only after Roberto Dinamite became the club’s president, thus causing internal disputes within Vasco’s board. The transfer fee – €4 million – was also deemed too low, and fans and press alike believed he could have stayed for longer at Vasco.

Coutinho’s first senior international call up for Brazil came in 2010, when he was selected for a training camp in Barcelona. He was part of the starting eleven that beat Barcelona B 3-0.

Struggles

Coutinho made a good start at Inter, impressing in pre-season and playing many matches under the command of former Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez. His luck turned for the worse after Benítez was sacked however and his situation became more complicated. After getting injured near the end of 2010, he struggled to win back his place.

His difficulty to adjust to Italian football and life highlights well the problem many promising Brazilian players have when they move too early to other countries.

The need to adjust to a completely different environment is extremely difficult especially when players so young were still trying to establish themselves in their home country. Other players like Breno and Wellington Silva are also good examples of such kind of issue.

Coutinho still managed to have one his best games at Inter Milan after Benítez had left, when his team crushed Werder Bremen 4-0 in the Champions League. The game, however, was more an exception than a rule.

Despite his situation at club level, Coutinho was one of the few foreign-based players called up to represent Brazil at the Under-20 World Cup in 2011. Coutinho did not have a superb performance, being outshined by Internacional’s Oscar, but managed to score 3 goals in the group stage and was a starter in all games, including the final, which Brazil won beating Portugal 3-2 after extra-time.

Recently he has been experiencing a revival since joining Spanish top division team Espanyol on loan deal, indeed he has been one of the team’s main stars, helping them fight for a Europa League place.

Future prospects

As Coutinho is only on loan from Inter to Espanyol, there is a good chance he will return to Italy next season, even more so given Inter will likely try to rebuild their squad following a bad season.

Coutinho though has already made it public that he wants to stay at Espanyol, which would most likely be the best long term option for him as there is less pressure and less competition at the Spanish team than at Internazionale.

With plenty of time on his side, Coutinho would be wise to move to a big team again later on in his career though, especially if he still intends to get called up for the national team. Players playing for teams like Espanyol tend to be neglected when it comes to the Brazilian national team.

Opinion of him in Brazil

Coutinho is generally regarded as a promising player in Brazil, but one that has yet to prove his talent on a consistent basis. He is also admired for being humble, having not let his quick career growth mess up his head.

His reputation and thus his national team chances dropped since he joined Espanyol, as few people in Brazil care about other Spanish teams besides Barcelona and Real Madrid, but at the same time pundits have praised his good performances in recent games.

Still not even 20, Coutinho’s sharp rise and consequent plateau-ing demonstrates the dangers of being excessively over-hyped when still just a kid.

See also: The future of Brazil – planning for 2014

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Time for a look at tonight’s big game in the Premier League, the potential title decider between city rivals Manchester City and Manchester United. Head over to Betfair football betting if you’re planning a punt on the game.

With the gap now just three points and with City’s superior goal difference Monday’s Manchester derby has to be considered the biggest in both club’s recent histories. Sir Alex Ferguson has described it as the ‘most important’ of his 25 years in charge at United.

With United 8 points clear after City lost against Arsenal few would have expected the gap to be just three points ahead of the Manchester Derby, but a loss to Wigan and the shock 4-4- draw against Everton have allowed City back into the title race. City have won all but one of their games at the Etihad this season, whilst United boast the league’s best away form this season.

The sides

The onus is on City to chase the game so one would expect them to play a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 with Aguero behind Tevez. Balotelli is back from suspension but Mancini has stated he will not use him again, although he has said that before about Tevez…

Tevez and Aguero have started four games together scoring 12 goals between them. Aguero and Tevez will likely rotate positions in a 4-2-3-1 with either playing able to play in behind the other to great effect.

City will thus likely have Barry and Yaya Toure (playing in a more reserved role) beind Aguero and Tevez with Nasri and Silva on either side, both looking to get inside. In this regard you’d expect City to be relatively compact due to a lack of natural width which would have to be provided by their full-backs, Micah Richards being a doubt.

Yaya Toure will have to be disciplined playing here as his natural inclination is to break forward with the ball at his feet. With Tevez and Aguero in-front of him he’ll be forced to play more as a holding player alongside Barry, rather than a box-to-box midfielder as he is more comfortable doing.

It is this potential narrowness that could suit United who will likely play Nani and Valencia on either flank to stretch the play. Valencia as we know is always reluctant to leave the right flank. Nani is apparently an injury doubt which means Young, fit again, could return to the side in what is essentially a like for like change.

The midfield battle will be a crucial one so if United chose to play Welbeck and Rooney up top one would expect to see Rooney drop into the midfield to make it a centre midfield 3 when United don’t have the ball. If this happens they’d be well placed to counter-attack when they win the ball back through Valencia and Nani on the flanks.

The result of this might be that Nasri and Silva are forced to do slightly more defending than they’d like by tracking the two United wingers, which will also mean that the full-backs have to play more cautiously than they would against sides who do not opt for out and out wide men, as United do.

After the 4-4- draw against Everton Rafael is likely to be dropped with Phil Jones able to slot in there who will provide more solidity for United’s back line whilst offering slightly less in an attacking capacity.

Conclusion

With United suffering that 6-1 defeat earlier this season one would expect them to want revenge. Nothing less than a win will do for City who do have a better goal difference and would go top with 3 points. That would act as a huge psychological boost going into the final games of the season.

Despite United’s poor form in the last couple of games one would expect them to bounce back with a strong performance which, you’d think, would make a repeat of that famous 6-1 very, very unlikely. Only needing a draw could suit United to sit back and use their width to counter-attack in order to try and nick a goal.

David ‘Junior’ Hoilett
(Blackburn Rovers / undecided (eligible to represent various nations))

Junior Hoilett’s fine form this season has been a big contributing factor to the fact Blackburn Rovers are still in with a chance of Premier League survival. Alongside Yakubu the pair have contributed 20 goals this season as Blackburn have scored more goals than any other team outside the top 6.

It is these goals that have been crucial to Blackburn’s survival bid and Hoilett has generally speaking been at the heart of all things good about Blackburn this season, with several dynamic displays that have begun to catch the eye of other Premier League managers.

A product of Blackburn’s youth academy, Hoilett has been at Rovers since the age of 13, but the Canadian was loaned out as a teenager in order to help with work permit issues. Hoilett, nicknamed Junior, spent the 2007/8 season at Bundesliga II outfit SC Paderborn and then 2008/9 at St. Pauli where 26 appearances, 6 goals, 4 assists and a string of high quality performances impressed then Rovers manager Sam Allardyce.

Although there were some administrative problems, Hoilett was eventually granted a work permit in 2009. His star since has only risen and he could now join the likes of fellow academy graduates Phil Jones and Damien Duff in securing a move to a ‘bigger’ Premier League side this summer, regardless of whether Blackburn go down. But how good is Junior Hoilett?

A statistical comparison of Hoilett and other Premier League players in 2011/12

(stats via WhoScored.com)

At just 21 Hoilett is possibly the brightest young winger in the league. Most adept playing on either flank, Hoilett has mainly been used operating on the left this season or playing just behind Yakubu.

With seven goals as well as five assists Hoilett’s record this season is very good. In contrast to Stewart Downing for example, who cost £20 million and has failed to score or get an assist from the left flank for Liverpool.

No player in the league has completed more dribbles per game than Hoilett who like Nani is adept at running at full-backs and exploiting space in behind opposition defenders. Antonio Valencia, the most out-and-out winger listed above, has recorded 13 assists and scored 4 times and is probably the most in-form right winger in the league, but statistically Hoilett is not far off.

Like Nani, Hoilett can play on either flank although Nani is more of a touch-line hugging winger, even when operating from the left. Nani has created more chances with 2.4 key passes per game this season but Hoilett completes more dribbles.

Luis Suarez is probably most comfortable playing as a support striker, a position Hoilett also plays at times in behind Yakubu. The Canadian youngster, who is also eligible to play for USA or Jamaica and is yet to decide on international representation, has scored only one fewer than Suarez and has 2 more assists, making him more productive for Blackburn than Suarez has been for Liverpool.

Hoilett’s form this season has been undeniably good. He offers an explosiveness that could be an asset to most top teams.

Watching him against Liverpool on April 10th, he operated as an attacking midfielder or second striker but he is positionally adaptable and can play on either flank. He arguably had a quieter game but came to life after a poor back pass by Flanagan and his quick feet and pace earned Blackburn a penalty and Liverpool’s keeper a red card.

Hoilett’s two assists versus Bolton earlier this season that can be viewed here epitomise his quality. The first assist is typical as he raids down the left to pull it back inside for Yakubu but the second demonstrates more control as he comes into a more central position and plays a top quality through ball.

Given Junior Hoilett’s fine form for Blackburn this season there will be many clubs looking at him as a potential summer signing, especially if they go down. At just 21 and with his ability to operate on either flank as well as behind the striker he could be a good option for many clubs, with Spurs and Liverpool often linked.

As an academy graduate of Blackburn it would be interesting to see if Hoilett stayed on for another season were Blackburn to stay up. “I’ve been here since the age of 13, which is a long time,” he has previously commented. “I have developed here as a player and a person and I would like to stay here.”

If Blackburn are relegated though a move could be on the cards, and possibly on the cheap. With such high figures banded around for young players in today’s game Hoilett could surely fetch a high price were he to leave.

If you compare his stats to other players in his position it is clear that at just 21 Hoilett has a very bright future ahead of him. Rovers boss Steve Kean has admitted on a number of occasions that Blackburn have a battle on their hands to keep Hoilett this season, with a number of sides interested.

There will likely be a fair few suitors come May whether Blackburn stay in the Premier League or not.

(photo credit: cn174 via Flickr)

The first thing to point out here is that this is no obituary piece.

Barcelona are not in crisis, this is not intended to imply that Barça are a crumbling empire or spent force (let’s see what Pep Guardiola decides regarding his future first) and this is not meant to be an overly critical sharpening of the knives.

On their day Barcelona are still, probably, the best team in the world and thirteen trophies in three years is no bad haul whichever way you look at it. As Fernando Torres put it after his goal helped send Chelsea through to the Champions League final: “we could only qualify by playing this way. (‘This way’ meaning defensively, with only 18.3% average possession over two legs). “Barcelona is the best team in the world.”

However, that said, watching Barcelona both in recent weeks and through the season, there are undoubtedly some problems at Camp Nou.

True, at this exalted level the margins are extremely fine, and what constitutes a problem in Catalunya might pass for a luxury in around 90% of all the clubs in world football. But such is life at the top.

Thus, here are four reasons that, combined, have contributed to the Barcelona of 2011/2012 conceding both their La Liga and Champions League crowns:

1) A squad lacking depth in key areas, part I – the defence

As far as recognised defenders go Barcelona have just four – Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Eric Abidal and Adriano. Six if you count youngsters Andreu Fontas – he of less than 10 first team starts – and Marc Bartra, but in terms of top-level experience and proven quality, just four recognised defenders.

Really, that is a staggering fact for a team chasing trophies in every competition available. By contrast Real Madrid have eight – and that’s without dipping into the cantera.

Javier Mascherano’s reinvention as a centre back, borne almost out of necessity at the back end of last season and carried through, has seen him used there almost all season by Guardiola. Tactically speaking, for the way Barcelona want to play, there is debate to be had concerning the merits of playing a converted defensive midfielder at the back.

But at a mere 5′8, the Argentine strikes no fear into the heart of towering centre forwards like Didier Drogba or Zlatan Ibrahimovic and is prone to moments of obvious positional naivety in the role, as witnessed in the build-up to Chelsea’s goal at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League semi-final first leg.

By his own admission, Mascherano has had to adapt, with some degree of difficulty. “It’s not easy adapting and it’s been strange to leave the midfield, my natural role, but I feel comfortable with Piqué and Puyol,” he says.

Throw Abidal’s health problems into the mix and you have just three recognised, top class defenders available. One, Puyol, is 34. Such lack of cover in defence is plainly unsustainable over a season, and has proved costly. Barcelona have conceded more goals in La Liga now, with 4 games remaining (26), than they did in the entirety of their last two seasons (21 in 2010/11 and 24 in 2009/10).

In this light, the decision to sell Maxwell to PSG in January seems baffling.

2) A squad lacking depth in key areas, part II – attack

Again, this boils down to a squad that looks both positionally and numerically lopsided. The injury to David Villa back in December was a cruel blow, and on such twists of fate do seasons hinge. But again, where is the back-up? Where is the squad depth? Where are the options?

This may come down to matters of tactical style (some might think of Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi as natural strikers. I don’t). But it is within reason to conclude that in Villa, Barcelona only have one recognised, out-and-out centre forward. Real Madrid have two (Benzema and Higuain). Valencia have two (Soldado and Aduriz). Malaga have three (Julio Baptista, Rondon, Ruud van Nistelrooy). And that’s just La Liga!

This does have an impact.

In Spain, while Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fight it out for the Pichichi, behind them Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema are 4th and 5th in the goalscoring charts with 21 and 18 league goals respectively. That’s ignoring Ronaldo’s 42.

Meanwhile Barça’s next top scorer behind Messi is the 13th highest in La Liga – Alexis Sanchez with 11, the same number as Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela.  They’ve been very unfortunate to have to do without Villa, but the impact from Barcelona’s support cast hasn’t quite been as effective as Villa, Pedro and co last season.

How an extra target man might have helped offer Barça a plan B at times of emergency this season. Someone like that tall Swedish guy at AC Milan, perhaps….

3) Fatigue and an ever-so slight drop in level

As mentioned earlier, the margins at this level of the game are very, very fine indeed. We’re talking wafer-thin margins here, but it does seem apparent of late that Barcelona’s level has dropped slightly in both the intensity of their pressing and the speed of their passing.

“Barcelona are reminiscent of the great Dutch teams who attacked with and without the ball,” UEFA’s technical director Andy Roxburgh observed last season. This remark has largely remained true this year, but lately Guardiola’s team appear to have played with far less of their customary vim and vigour.

A look at the sheer number of games played by some of their key players, and we can begin to see why:

Barcelona: Games played by key players 2009-2012 up to and including 25.4.12 (stats via Espn Soccernet)

“Suddenly the passes aren’t fizzing around midfield with the same pace and accuracy,” Jonathan Wilson recently noted in a piece for Sports Illustrated. 686 games in 3 seasons between four players – a staggeringly large number – helps explain why.

Has some degree of understandable and inevitable fatigue led to a drop in Barça’s overall level?

Possession-wise Barcelona’s stats are the same – in Europe they’ve averaged 68% possession again, exactly the same figure as last season. They have however been far more profligate in front of goal. Last season the Catalans averaged 6.23 shots off target per game (81) in total. This season that figure has increased to 9.25 per game and 111 in total – more off target than any other team in the competition.

Even Guardiola has looked slightly world-weary of late. Being so good, for so long, can take its toll.

4) No clearly defined style / Guardiola turns Tinkerman

In UEFA’s 2011 post-season Champions League Technical Report, comment was made regarding an “accentuated trend towards a 4-2-3-1 structure.” “Of the teams who reached the knockout rounds,” UEFA observed, “nine opted for this formation, with six adopting a 4-4-2.”

“The glaring exception to this rule was FC Barcelona – the only team in the last 16 to operate a clear 4-3-3 with a single screening midfielder. Barça’s variation on the 4-3-3 theme stems from the positioning of Lionel Messi, a player who cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be labelled a target striker.”

This year, be it out of necessity, overthinking, or just downright tinkering on Guardiola’s part, Barcelona’s system has been anything but clear. Be it a 3-4-3, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-1-4-2 or even 3-3-4, both the shape and the personnel within those various systems has altered repeatedly.

Xavi previously observed that the 3-4-3 shape “makes it harder for us to defend” and, ultimately, it seems Guardiola’s constant fine-tuning in search of perfection – admirable as it is – may have cost Barcelona at key moments in the season, the recent clasico defeat one pertinent example.

When trying to make a reasoned analysis as to where things may have gone wrong for Barcelona this season, it is important to note, as stated, the extremely fine line between success and failure.

Guardiola’s side hit the woodwork numerous times in both games against Chelsea – any of those shots go in and instead we’re discussing a triumphant return to a third Champions League final in four seasons. Despite the disappointment, Barcelona have remained competitive throughout most of the season and still have a Copa del Rey final to look forward to.

Nevertheless some will still look upon this season as a failure, and this piece I hope touches on some of the reasons why.

“We will come back stronger,” vowed Cesc Fabregas after the Chelsea game, and few would bet against him. The key for the Catalans now is whether Guardiola signs a new contract.

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Why do you think Barcelona faltered this season? Comments welcome below.

(photo credit: N i c o_ via Flickr)

We all know about the glitz and the glamour of life at the apex of the football world. But what about life in the lower echelons of the game, the globetrotters, the people just trying to make it in this jungle of a sport? Footballer’s Lives on Just Football is a feature looking into the game from the player’s perspective, be it a Champions League star or one simply doing his best to earn a living.

by Christopher Atkins

In the modern footballing world, players can travel far-and-wide in search of employment and in particular, those from Africa and South America tend to wander the furthest.

This globe-trotting can be glamorous and we imagine footballers to all be multi-millionaires living jet-set lifestyles. But, for many it is a far cry from this image and this culture of travelling far in search of a better life throws up some interesting tales.

One country that seemingly supplies a never-ending conveyor belt of footballing talent to the world game is Ghana. Wherever you look around the globe there are Ghanaian players honing their skills and recently I spoke to one of them – David Asare, a 19-year-old attacking-midfielder currently plying his trade in the Faroe Islands‘ top-flight.

Travelling via a brief stint in Denmark, Asare has reached the tiny island nation in search of first-team football in Europe. It is from this humble starting point that the attacking midfielder hopes to launch a career that will take him to the top of the world game.

“I started with my youth club Adenta FC and then moved to Adumase in the Ghanaian second division,” the young attacking midfielder tells me, in a polite unassuming manner. “I was 18 and spotted by a representative of an agent from Denmark. He recommended I go there, so I ended up in the youth team of AaB.”

“I went to Denmark in August 2010, after the end of the season in Ghana, and I was only there for nine months before I came here [to the Faroe Islands]. An offer came to join FC Suduroy and I took it. I was with the Under-19 side in Denmark and Suduroy offered me the chance of first-team football. My agent sorted it and here I am.”

And so, the lively attacking midfielder came to arrive in the wind-swept North Atlantic island cluster. A far cry from the environment of his home city of Accra. It would be an intimidating environment for anyone to arrive alone at such an early age, but Asare believes that it was an easy decision to make in order to continue his football career.

“I had no feelings towards the Faroe Islands when I arrived, because I just came here to play football and show my talents. I didn’t even consider what the place was like, I only care for football. My first season here went very well. I played 25 out of the 27 games and scored 20 goals so it was a great period for me and the team.”

“I am not fluent in the language yet. I can understand a bit and I can speak a few words, but I am not fluent at all. My team-mates speak English, so we can easily communicate. They have been very supportive of me on and off the pitch.”

It is not only his team-mates that have taken David to their hearts though and the player has quickly become part of the community in small-town Vagur. In fact, one family in particular have taken the Ghanaian into their lives.

“I am the only Ghanaian here. Last year there was another in the islands, but he has gone now. I live by myself, but I would say I have a nice family here. They see me and treat me as one of their sons, so even though I am far away from home, I have a home.

“I spend most of my time with the family here. They take great care of me, as if I am their child. They live about five minutes drive from me and after practice I will either walk to their place or they will pick me up in their car and we will have dinner together, or lunch, together.”

“When I finish training I am either here with the Kjærbæk family or I am back at my place. I just watch football, listen to music, or play FIFA. Suduroy is just a small place, so it is like this. ”

There is a certain loneliness to the lifestyle he has pursued, but there is a great warmth from the player when talking about his adopted family. Despite the hardships though, Asare believes that the experience in the Faroe Islands has been worthwhile in his development and would have no hesitations in advising a compatriot to follow his route.

“I think I made the right decision to come here and show what talent I have. Now I just need to keep working hard and show myself to the world. I don’t care about starting from a lower place, it is just dependent on me. I have a club and I get playing time, now I must just show what talents God has given me. That is the most important thing.

“No-one from Ghana has come to visit me here yet, but I get to go home each year at the end of the season, so it is ok. I would encourage any Ghanaian to come here and play, they just need to do their best and they will enjoy life in the Faroe Islands. I would definitely encourage it.”

The free-scoring attacking midfielder did not come to the North Atlantic to stay though and he is fully aware that his time here may be coming to an end. Asare’s goal-scoring form of last season did not go unnoticed and there has been interest from clubs in other European countries. First though, the player’s mind is focused on helping FC Suduroy avoid relegation this campaign.

“This year, I need to help my team stay in the top flight. That is my first objective. I would like to move to one of the biggest leagues in the world though. It is a dream for me and I am working hard each day to achieve that. All Ghanaians dream of playing for the national team also and this is no different for me.”

Before settling down to a night of watching the latest round of Champions League action, Asare has one last plea before ending the interview.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Kjærbæk family. They have taken me as their child and it is a great honour for me to say thank you to them and everybody in the city of Vagur here for what they have done for me.”

If you would like to keep track of David and his career progress, you can follow him on Twitter – @david_asare17. And if you have your own story to tell the world in our Footballer’s Lives feature, do get in touch.

Christopher Atkins (@chris_elastico) is a contributor to Just Football and co-editor of The Elastico.

In Part I, Jake Meador discussed the problems Tottenham have faced this season causing a recent mini-slump in form. Now for Part II – The Solutions.

This brings us to this summer’s transfer plans with Spurs. Barring an unprecedented surge from an aging Chelsea side combined with a vintage Tottenham collapse, Spurs will be in next year’s Champions League. In fact, given their respective run-ins, it’s entirely possible that Spurs can jump past their north London rivals, Arsenal, and finish 3rd.

Assuming Spurs do qualify for the Champions League, what transfers need to happen before the exhausting two-front campaign begins in earnest this August?

As I suggested in Part I, Spurs biggest weakness is lack of depth. But it’s not that they lack quality on the bench. Tom Huddlestone, Jermain Defoe, Louis Saha and Niko Kranjcar are all solid players who could play for a Champions League calibre side.

But none of them work as a like-for-like replacement with one of our starters. In fact, we don’t have a like-for-like replacement for either wing player, our deep-lying playmaker or our striker. As this past February and March showed, that’s dangerous any season, but it’s especially alarming with the prospect of European football next season.

So how do Spurs go about fixing it?

It’s a tricky question – Spurs can’t offer the same wage packets as Arsenal or Liverpool, let alone City, Chelsea, or United. What’s more, it’ll be only our second trip to the Champions League so we’re not (yet) a fixture in the tournament.

Those things factor into a player’s decision about where to play. That said, that may actually work in Spurs’ favor.

When you look at the most recent successes in soccer, the best teams are invariably the ones carefully put together to form a cohesive whole, rather than the ones that had 500 million quid thrown at them in individual talents. Indeed, the only oil ball club that really has reached legendary status was the Mourinho-era Chelsea side, yet that side was put together more in the fashion of a carefully crafted Man United, Arsenal or Spurs side than a classically dysfunctional oil ball side.

And it’s not just soccer that’s like that: the best teams in recent years in every professional sport have been the ones carefully constructed around a few stars and filled out with role players. Look at the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, or the St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball. Then contrast them to the Miami Heat, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Yankees.

Sheer talent alone can win a lot of games, but very rarely will it win trophies and almost never will it build a dynasty. In this sense, Spurs’ financial constraints are a welcome protection from the dangers of foolish extravagance like what has been seen at Chelsea and Liverpool in the past two seasons.

So who do Spurs need to get?

Realistic summer targets

Well, based on this year’s form, when Spurs play a 4-4-1-1 in their preferred style, they’re good enough to contend for a title. Spurs don’t need more stars, they need more Champions League caliber talent and more depth. If Spurs can land an Eden Hazard caliber player obviously that would be a lift, but mostly because Hazard fits the system Spurs already play.

But Spurs don’t have to sign Hazard. Rather, Spurs simply need a couple capable backups in the wide positions, a durable target man to backup Emmanuel Adebayor (who they need to sign on a permanent deal) and another midfield playmaker.

In the wide roles, part of the problem will be addressed when Steven Pienaar returns from Everton. In fact, if the South African captain had stayed with Spurs and Kranjcar had been the one to leave on January 31 it’s probable that Spurs would have had a bit more success in February and March.

He’ll never be confused for Bale or Lennon, but as his resurgent form at Everton has shown, Pienaar is a capable playmaker from a wide position. He’s also an excellent defensive player, which is especially useful on the right where Kyle Walker has struggled at times this year.

Other possible options at wing could be a renewed pursuit of Milos Krasic of Juventus or turning toward the lower-table sides in the Premier League, or perhaps even a relegation side – something Spurs did with great success in the signing of Scott Parker. Scott Sinclair would be a fantastic addition, though prying him from Swansea could be difficult. Blackburn’s Junior Hoilett is another potential target.

In the striker role, Spurs have long been connected with Sandro’s former teammate at Internacional, Leandro Damiao. He’d be an excellent fit at the club and you have to think Spurs offer the ideal introduction to Europe for Damiao. He’d be at a Champions League side, but he wouldn’t have to be the star. He’d be able to ease into European football backing up an experienced Champions League calibre striker in Adebayor.

If Damiao doesn’t pan out, Demba Ba or Giuseppe Rossi could work, though neither are as capable leading the line as Adebayor or Damiao and both are injury risks, an especially noteworthy point for a club with such a poor record of fitness.

The toughest position to cover is Luka Modric’s deep-lying playmaker role. Spurs can go with two destroyer/box-to-box types if they like with Huddlestone, Sandro, Parker and Jake Livermore all available, but Spurs really need a deep-lying creator who can get the ball out wide. Those sorts of players are hard to find.

Joe Allen could provide capable cover for Modric. More ambitiously, the club could try to pry Sven Bender or Lewis Holtby from the Bundesliga. Neither are quite like-for-like with Modric, but both can play the German number six role, which is the position played by Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nuri Sahin.

The main objective for Spurs’ this summer shouldn’t be adding more headline-grabbing stars. With Modric, Bale, Van der Vaart and Adebayor Tottenham have four such talents already and bringing in more without regard for how the pieces fit together will do more harm than good.

Adding more world-class stars isn’t necessarily the best approach. Rather, Spurs should look to add depth that fits the overall tactical approach of the club: Pace out wide, creativity in the middle and a capable target man leading the line.

If they have players who can backup their stars for the odd league game (perhaps a Saturday match with a midtable side after a midweek Champions League match) and provide cover for injury, there’s no reason Spurs can’t improve on this season’s results.

For all the latest, subscribe to Just Football via free email updates, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook.

Jake Meador is a writer based in Lincoln, NE and columnist for Just Football. He blogs on books, TV, politics, sport and more at Notes from a Small Place.

(photo credit: ColinRGlasgow via Flickr)

by Sam Thompson

It was clear during Aston Villa’s heavy defeat to Manchester United last weekend that the Midlands club are a side missing key players. Looking at Aston Villa’s strongest XI on paper, it is obvious that the three players in the spine of the side who have been unavailable are sorely missed.

(click to enlarge)

Put simply, Richard Dunne in defence, Stiliyan Petrov in midfield and Darren Bent upfront are irreplaceable for a Villa side uncomfortably positioned at the wrong end of the table.

Add to this injuries to Fabian Delph, Marc Albrighton and Stephen Warnock in recent weeks and it is no surprise that the likes of Nathan Baker and Eric Lichaj have found themselves regulars in the first team whilst players like Samir Carruthers, Jack Grealish and Derrick Williams are filling in on the bench.

Richard Dunne

Richard Dunne was the first to get injured, fracturing his right shoulder after colliding with Joe Hart during a defeat to Manchester City at home. Since being unavailable for selection, Villa have taken just seven points from their eight league matches and conceded three or more goals against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Dunne offers a base for Villa at the back, part of a trio with Shay Given in goal and defensive partner James Collins. At first Carlos Cuellar had been used to partner Collins, but more recently young Nathan Baker has been selected and in fairness performed well at the weekend, but he is no replacement for Dunne.

Only Emile Heskey and James Collins win more in the air for Villa than Dunne. The Irishman makes 2.4 tackles per game, 2 interceptions and an incredible 9.1 clearances per game – the clearest indicator of the sort of pressure Villa have been under this season.

Darren Bent

Darren Bent has missed games since late February, picking up an ankle injury during a draw with Wigan Athletic. Aston Villa have since played seven league games, scoring just six times in total – and only two of those have come from strikers.

Bent is still Villa’s top scorer this season, with nine goals, four more than Gabriel Agbonlahor. Bent also averages more shots per game than any of his team mates. What he gives Aston Villa is clear – a clinical finisher who provides a goal threat in behind with his movement and pace, although he does average the most offsides per game in the Premier League.

His replacement, Agbonlahor, still hasn’t scored in the league since Villa’s 3-2 home victory over Norwich City on November 5th and has recenty found himself playing on the left hand side of a five man midfield as manager Alex McLeish tries to makes his side harder to beat.

As a result of this, Andreas Weimann has found himself thrust into the first team, scoring twice in his eleven appearances this season. He only played his first full 90 minutes against Stoke City two games ago and it is a big ask for the inexperienced striker to be thrown into an underperforming side and be expected to score.

Stiliyan Petrov

The footballing world was devastated when it heard of Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov’s leukaemia diagnosis and it is great testament to Petrov the player that he is missed in the heart of Villa’s midfield. The Bulgaria international does a little bit of everything for his side.

He is their creative platform, with 83% passing accuracy, the player with the second highest dribbles per game at the club and averages 1.4 key passes a game. Defensively he plays a crucial role in Villa’s midfield – pressing midfielders, averaging 3.6 interceptions a match, the highest of anyone at the club. Furthmore, Petrov makes 2.2 tackles a game.

In attack, the Bulgarian averages 1.6 shots per game and his four goals this season mean he is the third top goal scorer at the club – also a sign of how much Villa have lacked a goal threat this season.

Perhaps against Manchester United his presence was most missed. McLeish has experimented with many central midfield combinations during Petrov’s absence, calling upon the likes of Chris Herd, Gary Gardner, Ciaran Clark and Stephen Ireland.

MUFC 4-0 AVFC

In the 4-0 defeat to United, Clark was given the holding role, playing in the middle of midfield alongside Ireland and Gardner, and the game was mainly won by United because of the space left by Clark in the holding role (see diagram), that allowed Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney to drift into the space provided.

Throughout the match, Rooney drifted to the left and right of Clark who was unwilling to move laterally across the pitch, instead preferring to stay very central.

After halftime Villa’s midfield pressed higher up the pitch but the defence failed to move up with it and so the space was expanded and as a result United recorded a comfortable win.

Villa also missed their captain when in possession. At half time United had had 68% of the ball, reducing slightly to 65% by full time. Villa’s passing as a side was only 73% accurate.

Gary Gardner had a torrid time with the ball; at half time only 35% of his passes had found a team mate. In attack, Villa’s central midfield trio had four shots, none of which were on target.

None of Dunne, Bent or Petrov are expected to be back before the end of the season, so any signs of change before their final match in May are unlikely. Villa sit just six points off the drop and Bolton in 18th have a game in hand. Villa’s remaining Premier League fixtures are Sunderland, Bolton and Tottenham at home, West Brom and Norwich City away.

Until the end of season it seems Villa are going to continue struggling to create and score goals and may carry on being punished for conceding at the other end. This is mainly because of the absence of Dunne, Bent and Petrov, three players who make up the spine of a team performing well below expectations.

*All statistics via WhoScored. You can follow Sam on twitter @TTTFootball.

(photo credit: Duncan Nicol aka VanCityVilla on Flickr)

18th April 2007. Exactly five years ago today, Lionel Messi channelled the spirit of Maradona. Not by going off on a cigars, booze and goodness-knows-what-else-fuelled bender, or by losing his composure in a press conference, shouting ‘la concha de tu madre’ at journalists and storming off telling everybody in the room to suck it. Messi chanelled the spirit of Maradona in a good way.

It was the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe. Just nineteen years of age, wearing number 19 on his back, the little Argentine genius picked up the ball in his own half, receiving a pass from Xavi. Frank Rijkaard was there, then manager. Rafa Marquez was there. Andres Iniesta still had hair.

What happened next would go on to be called the ‘goal of the century’ by Barcelona’s own official website, as Messi set off on a run eerily similar to arguably Diego Maradona’s finest moment on a football field, against England at the 1986 World Cup. See for yourself:

Pure class. Five years later, Messi is already Barcelona’s all-time record goalscorer at just 24-years-old.

by Jake Meador

For astute observers of this year’s edition of Tottenham Hotspur, the recent swoon wasn’t a surprise. Tottenham had been flying high all season and, being Tottenham, were due for a slump. What’s more, any time your manager’s tactical nous amounts to “just fuckin’ run about,” you’re going to have some ugly matches.

But those aren’t the only reasons we saw the swoon coming. The biggest weakness of this year’s team has always been a lack of depth in two crucial positions: right wing and striker.

Spurs are a team that relies on using pace down the flanks to create width, which gives midfield creators Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart room to pick apart an opponent. Neither player is as effective when deployed in a wide role or when playing in a narrower formation. Yet for much of 2012, that’s what Spurs have had to do due to Aaron Lennon’s injury.

The absence of Lennon gave Spurs a few different options:

1) Continue with the same players and shape, only swapping Niko Kranjcar for Lennon. But that’s problematic for two reasons: First, calling Kranjcar tortoise-like is an insult to the foot speed of tortoises. While he’s a wonderful technical player, Kranjcar would struggle in a foot race with Gareth Barry. And in a team that needs pace, that’s a problem.

The other difficulty is that Kranjcar is the sort of player who needs time on the ball to thrive. How the lad ended up in the Premier League rather than Serie A will forever be a mystery to me. In Serie A, Kranjcar would quickly become a top player. But in the faster pace of the Premier League – and the especially heightened pace of Spurs – he’s a poor match.

(Another angle that has only developed in the last few months is that when Gareth Bale doesn’t have a sufficiently-pacey winger starting opposite him, he tends to cut inside or even all the way across the field, which minimizes his two greatest qualities: pace and crossing ability.)

The other option for Spurs was:

2) Move Van der Vaart to the right wing and go 4-4-2 with Jermain Defoe or Louis Saha partnering Emmanuel Adebayor. And if you want to know how that worked out, revisit that 5-2 thumping at the Emirates.

After that defeat, Redknapp’s typical move was to play Modric out wide opposite Bale with Parker and Sandro in the middle. It was better because Bale stuck more to the left and Rafa could play in the hole, but it completely took Modric out of the game.

Only recently has Redknapp started to experiment with a vaguely 4-3-3 shape with Modric, Parker and Sandro in midfield and Bale and Rafa flanking Adebayor.

That’s the best look they came up with, but it still paled in comparison to Spurs’ 4-4-1-1 with Modric in the middle, Rafa up top and pace on the edge. So it was no surprise when Spurs scored two goals in the 15 minutes Lennon played against Swansea.

The other major weakness of this year’s team is the lack of depth behind Adebayor. As anyone who watched the 2010-11 team knows, a team like Spurs have to have a target man up top or they really struggle for goals, even while playing the prettiest football in England. (This year’s Swansea are plagued by the same problem.)

The arrival of Adebayor not only solved the problem, but it gave Spurs a striker with a skill-set that’s incredibly rare: A target man with good technique and a high work-rate.

Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo and maybe Edinson Cavani are the only other strikers who approach that potent cocktail of skills (not Didier Drogba? – ed). And with their wage packets, we all know none of them are walking through the door at Spurs Lodge. So Adebayor is about as perfect a fit into the side as possible.

The trouble is with whose behind him. Saha and Defoe are both solid players and they’re good ones to have in the squad, as their form this season has amply demonstrated. But they can’t lead the line in a 4-4-1-1 system.

Coming up in Part II – A look at the potential solutions for Spurs. Subscribe to Just Football via free email updates, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be informed as soon as Part II is published, and for all the latest.

Jake Meador is a writer based in Lincoln, NE and columnist for Just Football. He blogs on books, TV, politics, sport and more at Notes from a Small Place.

(photo credit: HowAboutNo! via Flickr)

by Andrew Crawford

The Chinese Super League (CSL) is once again watching its most noisy tenant, Shanghai Shenhua, soak up all the attention. Its big name manager, Jean Tigana is gone, replaced, or rather deposed, in headline-grabbing style by Nicolas Anelka, who will now try to rescue the club from its plunge into the bottom half of the league.

It isn’t unheard of for Chinese football to have star players clashing with management but the very public downfall of Tigana was especially sudden and merciless. Last Wednesday, it was reported that Shenhua were sacking all of the Frenchman’s coaching staff, following complaints from players.

The following day, veteran midfielder, Jiang Kun, publicly criticised Tigana at a press conference, remarking that the latter was ‘absolutely not a successful coach’ before later that night, Anelka announced on his Twitter account that he had been appointed as player-manager.

The madness continued the following day when Shenhua played Tianjin TEDA in front of a sparsely packed Hongkou. Tigana, reportedly in the dark about what exactly was happening, even turned up to the stadium only to be seen leaving before kick-off.

Perhaps if he’d stayed, Tigana would have allowed himself a wry grin at proceedings. Shenhua were awful, losing 1-0 to a Tianjin team that had been having an even worse start to the season than their hosts. The defeat, the first time in their history that Tianjin had beaten Shenhua in Shanghai, sparked fury from those fans who had turned up to watch the game, and boos rang out at both the halftime and fulltime whistles.

Anelka’s formation, a lopsided 4-4-1-1, with the French striker roaming between the midfield and attack, was an absolute disaster and caused Shenhua trouble from the first minute. Fittingly, Jiang, who has looked past his best already this season, was equally terrible.

Yet the fall of Tigana is little more than a footnote in the history of knee-jerk reactions and all-round folly that regularly punctuate proceedings at Shanghai’s biggest club.

Its chairman, the monstrously egotistical Zhu Jun, who once fired a manager in the same week as his mother died, will need to shoulder a large chunk of responsibility for the ongoing madness.

Having talked endlessly about the big names Shenhua were going to be signing post-Anelka (none of whom have arrived), the journeymen group of foreigners assembled to back up their star man haven’t been good enough to meet the expectations that Zhu helped feed.

Critics of the manager will point to the club taking five points from a possible fifteen and only managing to keep one clean sheet in that time, although Tigana certainly wasn’t helped by either the fixture list or a mounting injury crisis.

Indeed, Shenhua’s first five games included derby games against hated rivals Jiangsu Sainty, Beijing Guoan and Hangzhou Greentown as well as the visit of reigning CSL champions, Guangzhou Evergrande.

Over the course of those games, Tigana had to cope with injuries to Anelka but also starting defenders, Song Boxuan and Dai Lin, whilst the last two of those games, Jiang was suspended after his sending off for violent conduct in the dying seconds of the Beijing game.

It may well be that the Beijing game, a 3-2 away defeat to Shenhua’s eternal rival, was the beginning of the end. Having watched his team concede two cheap goals without reply, Tigana laid into his players at halftime, throwing a chair across the changing room and generally tearing strips off his team.

Shenhua duly fought their way back into the game and made it 2-2 before conceding a late winner to former Shanghai midfielder, Mao Jiangqing. A furious Tigana seemed livid at his side, who seemed to care little about what their manager thought- a worrying sign considering that this was only the coach’s second game in charge.

Regardless of what had already happened, the near future now looks uncertain for Shenhua. The club’s fate is in the hands of an unproven manager and Tigana will want to be paid in full if his lavish contract has been indeed terminated.

A young side that needs leadership is now coming to terms with two of its more senior players conspiring to throw their former boss under the bus and will be unsure of who is going to be playing the next game.

Meanwhile, the rest of the CSL, who had to spend the entire winter listening to Zhu and Shenhua talk themselves into title contention, are rubbing their hands at the club’s internal strife.

Anelka, the star player turned manager, will now have to save the club from the mess that the Frenchman himself has created. It remains to be seen how well he fares.

See also: 2012 – Rise of the Chinese Football Empire?

Andrew Crawford is a feature columnist for Just Football specialising in Asian football. Follow Just Football on Twitter or like Just Football on Facebook for all the latest.

(photo credit: Shenhua FC official)

In the past, a full-back’s traditional role was to defend from wide positions, track opposition wingers and prevent crosses coming into the box. However over recent years the role has evolved to be almost more an attacking position than a defensive one.

Players like Cafu and Roberto Carlos pioneered this but in the modern era we now have a plethora of players who play crucial roles for their team in the attacking third, almost more than they do in a defensive capacity. Tactically, full-back positions are becoming increasingly important and a look at statistics of European defenders this season confirms this:

All of these players are in the top 50 European passers in terms of passes played per game which is arguably surprising considering they are all full-backs.

Eric Abidal has played 17 of his 27 appearances in the league for Barcelona as a full-back or on the left of a back three so has still been included. Dani Alves is actually the 6th highest passer in Europe and Philipp Lahm the 7th both of whom play crucial roles for two sides who are still in the Champions League.

This demonstrates the importance of fullbacks in modern games not just in a defensive capacity but in terms of build up and all round play.

The attacking full-back (Alves, Lahm, Rangel, Assou-Ekotto…)

Barcelona and Bayern Munich are two sides known for their possession play, recording an average of 69.3% possession and 64.1% respectively on average this season. In fact, of the full-backs listed all of their sides rank in the top 15 possession sides in Europe.

If we assess the average position of Philipp Lahm in Bayern’s recent 2-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund it is on the right around the half way line, significantly ahead of his two centre-backs. His position is essentially level with the two central midfielders which demonstrates how far he was pushing up and how involved he was with play. To corroborate this Lahm had 99 touches in this game – more than any other player on the pitch.

In fact game to game Lahm has the highest average pass rate out of any Bayern player which indicates that even from full-back he has a significant role to play in his sides build-up.

In the case of most full-backs here, their teams can often come narrow to keep the ball and then utilise the full back as a good outlet ball on the flank. When Swansea City lost against Newcastle recently, despite having 77% possession we saw Angel Rangel enjoy a lot of the ball with 155 touches, a huge number for a full-back.

To put it into the context the highest number of touches for a Newcastle player was 48 in Papiss Cisse. Rangel also played 113 passes in this game. This is because Rangel was used as the main outlet on the right, operating almost as a right winger or wing-back when Swansea had possession, which they did for large spells of the match.

The same applies for Benoit Assou-Ekotto despite Spurs seemingly playing natural wingers. Recently Gareth Bale has spent a lot of time centrally, or coming into central positions from the left, as was the case versus Sunderland which again allows Assou-Ekotto to take up positions high up the field and really influence the play.

With most sides not playing conventional wingers anymore it is becoming increasingly common for the natural width to be found from full-backs.

Difficult as it is to document the formations played by Barcelona due to Pep Guardiola’s sheer tactical variation, they often use a 4-3-3 in which the two wider forwards will cut inside rather than give natural width. The result of this could be congestion in the middle but with Alves as a willing runner down the right Barcelona can keep natural width and retain a key outlet ball down the flank.

As stated, teams often don’t play conventional wingers which works both ways for the attacking full-backs, if they’re not playing against a winger it means they can have a free reign down their respective flank and push up to more of a midfield position.

Other types of full-back (Richards, Ivanovic, Arbeloa…)

Despite the wealth of attacking full-backs around such as Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra or Maicon as well as those mentioned above, there are still a wide range of sides who opt for ’solid’ full-backs rather than attacking ones.

Players like Alvaro Arbeola at Real Madrid or Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea come to mind in this respect. Neither is awful going forward, but both are converted centre-backs rather than converted wingers as attacking full-backs tend to be. Ivanvoic for example only completes 35.6 passes per game, less than half the number completed by Lahm or Alves.

Instead he is stronger aerially and probably a better one-on-one defender. Ivanovic has won 85% of his aerial duels this season. Arbeola 65%. Marcelo his team mate on the other hand has only won 40% of his aerial battles, Lahm 32% and Alves around 41% also.

Although it should be noted that Arbeola is also a good technical player, he is more defensive than Marcelo who pushes high up the pitch on the left. A review of Arbeola’s average position versus Valencia shows him relatively close to Pepe, with Marcelo high up the pitch on the left.

This appears to be more common in the Premier League, as sides often use centre-backs in wide positions – for example Micah Richards at Manchester City or Younes Kaboul at Spurs who have both been effective in these positions. Richards also plays very few passes per game compared to the previously mentioned full-backs, with just 28.6 passes per game, winning an average of 2 aerial duals per game, about 72%.

Converted centre backs’ emphasis is more defensive and they tend to have to defend diagonal balls in behind as well as provide cover. They also tend to be stronger at one on ones – Lahm for instance is beaten 1.7 times a game whereas Richards, physically stronger and a converted centre-back, is only beaten 0.4 times a game.

Conclusion

The significance of all this is that a clear trend has emerged in the modern game, whereby ball-playing full backs who can be involved in play as much offensively from wide positions as defensively, are crucial. Their ability to provide an outlet for possession based teams who do not play with out-and-out wingers is a huge part of such teams’ gameplans.

Many sides in the modern game utilise their wingers almost as support strikers now, who tend to be close to the forward rather than hugging the touchlines (think Robben and Ribery at Bayern for example). This is also responsible for the emergence of full-backs as key attacking outlets.

Whilst some teams do opt for more defensive full-backs such as in the Premier League, the most attractive teams and teams with high ball retention tend to opt for an attacking, ball playing full-back in order to act as an extra creative outlet.

Maicon for example plays around 4 key passes per game. The modern attacking full back is clearly becoming a major position for attacking sides with regards ball retention and build up play.

All stats accurate at the time of writing and via WhoScored.com

(photo credit: amnesia_x via Flickr)

Since taking over at Liverpool Kenny Dalglish has spent almost £100 million on buying the ‘best’ of British players within the Premier League in a bid to instigate an overhaul of Liverpool and return them to their former glory. Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Adam, Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll were all brought in to start a British revolution at the club.

However with Liverpool’s languishing league position is it a fair conclusion to ascertain that buying British is not a wise transfer policy to implement? Below is a statistical comparison of recent transfer signings in various positions.

Wingers

*All transfer fees listed are based on reports in well known British newspapers but are still liable to be variations in estimated figures due to clauses etc.

Assessing the data shows that Stewart Downing is arguably the weakest winger in question having failed to score and only record one assist, quite a poor return for a winger, especially one who cost £20 million.

Observations of Downing’s play corroborate this as he is the least dynamic and threatening winger for opposition full-backs having recorded the lowest number of dribbles per game, albeit only slightly. More adept full-backs should find it relatively simple to play against him.

In direct contrast Gervinho is noticeably dynamic and direct, often running at full-backs and hitting the by-line. For just £10.5 million he must be regarded as a bargain having only started 16 games due to African Nation’s commitments yet still managing to contribute 6 assists and 4 goals..

Juan Mata does play more coming in from the left, however with 11 assists, 6 goals and 3.2 key passes per game he is clearly the most effective creative player from a wide position. Unlike Downing, due to his inclination to come inside he is arguably more difficult to mark when playing from the left.

Charles N’Zogbia was included as he was the replacement for Downing at Aston Villa. He himself has been criticised for his form this season but again we see he has been more productive than Downing despite playing in quite a negative side.

Ashley Young is the other English example who on the whole has been impressive this season, when fit. His goal against Blackburn demonstrates his goal scoring ability, and further to this he has recorded several assists both from set-pieces and open play.

Of the above wingers he probably has the best delivery and costing between £17 million means he is relatively cheap when we compare his form to his former club-mate Downing. Again like Gervinho he is far more dynamic and even when operating on the left he can both cut inside and hit the by-line, something as stated Downing doesn’t offer.

Some fans say that Downing has been good and his colleagues poor but N’Zogbia is clearly part of a very negative and at times struggling side, yet has been more productive in terms of goals and assists so this argument doesn’t really hold.

Strikers

With regards to strikers we have seen Liverpool spend big on bringing in Andy Carroll only to see him score 4 goals and record 1 assist . His drab performance against former club Newcastle epitomised his season as he rounded the keeper only to trip over his own legs. Demba Ba, the man who replaced him has had much better fortunes since joining Newcastle scoring 16 goals and getting two assists.

Peter Crouch, a fellow Englishman and former Liverpool player has had far better fortune at Stoke. Similar in style, a tall target man, but more technical than Carroll, Crouch has scored 8 times and got 4 assists which arguably strengthens his England chances especially if former manager Harry Redknapp takes over.

Sergio Aguero cost only slightly more than Carroll and has clearly been more productive, a huge reason why Manchester City have performed so well this season. However without any Champions League football to offer it is unlikely that Liverpool could have brought in Aguero who had ambitions to play in the tournament and win silverware. But it does serve to show how much Liverpool overspent for Carroll and his four league goals.

Fernando Torres who cost £50 million has also been a huge disappointment and arguably shows that spending money on any player involves risk. However he had a proven goal scoring record in the Premier League, whereas Carroll had limited Premier League experience.

Midfielders

Liverpool signed Charlie Adam from Blackpool with the hope that he could provide some much needed spark from the midfield, as a cultured ball playing midfielder.

At £7 million he cost a bit less than Mikel Arteta who we can see here is a far better player in this position with vastly superior pass completion, as well as being more involved playing almost 30 more passes per game than Adam.

It’s also worth noting the six goals that Arteta has scored from a deep midfield position.

Adam has done well in terms of creating chances but this season his distribution has been rather hit and miss, especially from long balls, with only 66% accuracy from long passes. The absence of Lucas has impacted on his form but Lucas would not help him improve his passing stats. Its also worth noting that at times Arteta is Arsenal’s most deep lying midfielder.

Jordan Henderson has also been a closely scrutinised signing. Obviously he was purchased for the future but having played in 30 games he has had a key role in their campaign this season. His accuracy is better than Adam’s and he is more of a box-to-box midfielder but again he has struggled somewhat in what has largely been a flat midfield.

Scott Parker is obviously more of a ball winning midfielder but in a technical Spurs side he is expected to win the ball and distribute quickly which is evident in his passing stats, a high number of balls played per game and very impressive accuracy.

Many of Parker’s passes are short balls compared to the raking passes attempted by Adam though. With such a relatively cheap English midfielder perhaps Liverpool could have moved for him considering they had no cover at defensive midfield which has left them vulnerable in Lucas’ absence.

Yohan Cabaye at Newcastle has similar stats to Adam at just half the cost. it is well known generally that English players cost more and perhaps he demonstrates how looking overseas can pay dividends. His performances and partnership with Cheikh Tiote are largely responsible for Newcastle’s impressive season along with the goals scored by Ba and now Cisse, his two assists for Cisse against Swansea a prime example of the Frenchman’s quality Cabaye.

Conclusion

Clearly Liverpool’s big money English signings have generally been disappointing this season. The tables above demonstrates that there were far cheaper, foreign alternatives available for Dalglish. Whether the strategy was down to him or former director of football Damian Comolli, Liverpool decided to opted for home grown players, perhaps out of an ideological desire to develop a young, predominantly British squad.

Some might imply that buying British is unwise, but this is harsh as players like Parker, Crouch and Young all represented relatively good value for money. The big money foreign signing of Torres also proved a risk.

Had Liverpool signed Gervinho and not Downing, Arteta and not Adam/Henderson and Ba instead of Carroll not only would they be better off financially but they’d arguably be doing better in the league.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing but as a general rule managers should approach British players with some caution due to their massively over-inflated transfer fees. Although in the context of quotas that are set to come in it does make sense to purchase one or two good, young British players as United did with Smalling, Jones and Young.

Big clubs buying British does not always guarantee success, as examples like David Bentley or Shaun Wright Philips attest. It is these examples that vindicate managers such as Alan Pardew or Arsene Wenger who look overseas for cheaper and arguably better players.

Stats via Whoscored.com

by Amit Singh

Papiss Cisse has been something of a revelation since signing for Newcastle United in January. Despite Newcastle fans having to wait some time to see him in action due to the Africa Cup of Nations he has hit the ground running scoring 7 goals in 7 games including two crucial goals against Liverpool last Sunday.

Many people expected him to link up with Demba Ba, his fellow countryman, to form a formidable partnership however since pairing up with Cisse Ba has only managed 1 goal in 8 games and in fact has not scored in his last 7 matches.

Ba and Cisse as a partnership

Against Liverpool Cisse played a little in front of Ba who dropped slightly in behind when Newcastle were not on the ball. The result of this was that Ba enjoyed far more touches than Cisse with 60 touches to Cisse’s 35, albeit Cisse departed after 74 minutes.

This represents a shift in what Ba was doing for Newcastle prior to Cisse’s signing. If we review the 2-1 victory Newcastle had against Aston-Villa when Ba was paired with Leon Best, who played slightly deeper, Ba only had 48 touches in his 90 minutes but had 4 shots on goal including 1 goal.

That’s compared to only 2 efforts he had on goal versus Liverpool, one of which was a speculative long range effort, where, conversely he picked the ball up in a deeper position than one would have expected him to have prior Cisse’s signing.

Ba was undoubtedly very much the focal point of Newcastle’s attacks previously, but now with Cisse in the side the dynamics have changed. Ba has almost been forced to play second fiddle in behind Cisse (although Ba was selected as the lone striker when Newcastle went away to Arsenal a few weeks ago).

There has undoubtedly been a shift in Ba’s performances as in the 8 games he has played since Cisse arrived at the club he has only scored once. Whereas in the 8 games prior to pairing up with Cisse Ba had scored 7. In fact the one goal he did score was when he was paired with Best and Cisse came on as a substitute, versus Aston Villa.

Alan Pardew has clearly paired them well as results are good however it is at times more a 4-4-1-1 rather than a 4-4-2 as this would leave them quite open with neither Cisse nor Ba inclined to get back. The tactical shift impacts on Ba as he is the one forced to fill in the hole a bit more rather than both players playing on the shoulder of the last defender, which would leave them vulnerable in midfield.

This is even more essential when Newcastle start Hatem Ben Arfa on the right as again he is defensively vulnerable. With all three of them on the field at the same time it is essential for one striker to get behind the ball when Newcastle are not in possession.

This was somewhat evident in the away win at West Bromwich Albion. On average Ba plays 22 passes per game, however against West Brom, when paired with Cisse he completed 33 passes which is high for him and shows how he was more willing to get involved so Newcastle could enjoy possession.

There are also other factors that might impact Ba’s form such as his well documented knee problem, the reason Stoke declined to sign the striker. Perhaps after a long season as well as AFCON duty Ba is starting to feel the effects, which has led to a goal drought. Further to this, international duty probably didn’t help although Cisse came from half a season in Germany as well as playing in AFCON, where to be fair, Senegal did not do very well and didn’t get out of the group stages.

Conclusion

The fact that Ba is misfiring is possibly further evidence for the notion that the 4-4-2 is dead and along with it so is the traditional strike partnership. For Newcastle fans to have expected both players to fire them in simultaneously was arguably wishful thinking as there are only so many chances a side is going to create per game. The two haven’t yet quite had enough time to gel. Even for Senegal it is usually one or the other rather than both playing together.

Pairing two goal scorers together is always going to be difficult, as usually the partnering would be a supplier and a goal scorer like Bergkamp and Henry or little and large like Heskey and Owen, not two out-and-out strikers together.

Although Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke were arguably in this mould, the Premier League has moved on considerably since then and in recent years it has worked less effectively.

It’s more than possible that Ba is just tired after such a long season and international commitments combined with his injury problems and simply needs time to gel with Cisse.

Newcastle fans may not see the best of the pair until next season after a full pre-season together. If the two do gel they could work a 4-4-1-1 that would suit both players, with one dropping back whilst the other runs the line.

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Amit Singh is a feature columnist for Just Football and the editor of Think Football. Find him onTwitter.