Waitforthewhistle

Everything is getting just a little bit clearer

2011-10-18T11:16:00.001+02:00

Surprise team of the league so far is definitely Newcastle. Nobody expected them to get 16 points in the first 8 games of the season. Even, they lost Barton and last year Carroll in January, they are playing some football. Cabaye is a pin point transfer and with Tiote and Gutierrez the midfield seems very solid. In my humble opinion they still have some problems with forwards but so far Ba is doing his job.

Other than that, there`s no need to say that the crown race will be within the city of Manchester. Chelsea is also pushing a lot at the moment but they`ll lose many players when African Cup starts and still AVB is trying to be and in fact should be very careful making the transition. They`re also doing fine so far but time will show how much they want to be the champions as a new team.

Arsenal is without a doubt underperforming this year but they have an ok squad to compete for the Europan cups not for the top four and as usual injuries are a headache for Mr. Wenger. Last year`s underperformers Liverpool is really showing some determination to get through higher places on the table. Gerrard`s terrific return is a huge boost for the Merseyside and they`ll be in a tough competition for the fourth spot with Tottenham. There`s, at least for me, no need to say that Redknapp made the best buy of the year with Parker and with Modric he`s immense in midfield and I even can say they might construct a partnership which would be considered as the best in the league.

Newcomers Norwich is also another eye-catching team and you can`t do anything but admire Lambert for keeping his belief in his squad. No shiny transfers but still a rock solid team who`ll push to make a shift for any opposition. They really started well and it`s in their hands to perform better but the downside would be this is just for sometime. Hope they continue their form because it`s entertaining a lot to watch them.

Gameweek 7 Predictions

2011-09-30T15:11:00.000+02:00

01 Oct 12:45	Everton	2v1	Liverpool
01 Oct 15:00	Aston Villa	2v0	Wigan
01 Oct 15:00	Blackburn	2v3	Man City
01 Oct 15:00	Man Utd	3v1	Norwich
01 Oct 15:00	Sunderland	0v1	West Brom
01 Oct 15:00	Wolves	2v1	Newcastle
02 Oct 13:30	Bolton	0v4	Chelsea
02 Oct 15:00	Fulham	2v1	QPR
02 Oct 15:00	Swansea	0v0	Stoke City
02 Oct 16:00	Tottenham	3v1	Arsenal

I really trust Everton on this match because for two weeks they are playing very well and they seem to be very united due the crisis. Pool will thrill through Gerrard`s involvement but still he lacks match fitness as well as form. Carroll`s form graph is also decreasing Pool`s chances as well as they only picked 3 points from the last three matches. The only danger seems like Suarez and Everton will be wary of this threat and deal with it.

Wigan can`t play from the ground and they always hoof the ball into the opposition area which will be fancied by Dunne and Collins who are both very effective from air. Agbonlahor`s form and Bent`s possible participation will get the 3 points to the home side with ease. Alcaraz`s absence is still a big blow for the visitors but Di Santo or Moses might get an unlikely goal.

Blackburn is showing signs of recovery from their poor start to the season but still it might not be enough for City. Tevez incident will actually benefit the Citizens a lot and De Jong`s return as well as Balotelli getting in the sheet are the pluses as well as Yakubu for Blackburn. Midfield is a concern for the home side added to the backs who are defended by Salgado and Givet. City should tear them apart but it`s also noticeable that City conceded at every away game so far.

ManU will look to get into winning ways after two draws where the latter was a bit shocking after a comfortable 2-0 lead through the half time. Rooney will possibly be back as well as Hernandez and Welbeck. They should seal a comfortable win against the so will be "bully" Canaries.

After losing Ferdinand, Bramble is arrested this week and this will again cause unharmony within the squad and two clean sheets out of the latest three for Bromwich is something that they want to extend. Sunderland also still doesn`t have any decent Premiership striker after Gyan`s departure and this is a butter on bread for Bromwich. Odemwingie and Long seem really threatening and though I favour Brom to win I expect a resilient Sunderland side. Both sides will be happy with a point probably.

Wolves is a decent side but they obviously lack a leader in midfield and I don`t think O`Hara can provide it. If he is going to be dropped in favour of Milijas thing might change. Fletcher and Doyle would seem a tough test against a tougher Newcastle defense. Ba is getting on his feet and Best is also providing goals and assists for Newcastle. Still, I wonder till when they can carry this form on and Wolves` reaction to straight 3 defeats might be a blow for Newcastle. Doyle also signed a new deal and it`s a huge boost for the home side.

Bolton is really having nightmares atm and Chelsea should find it easy to pass them. They have too many injuries to deal with and especially absence of Cahill is a massive one for them. Drogba`s return due Torres`s suspension and Anelka once again showing his worth to the boss are giving more options for AVB.

Fulham is getting better by time and they won in the latest Europa Cup match with a Johnson brace. His return is also probably giving a selection headache for Jol but more options are always welcome. Qpr had a nice spell of football with the new transfers but Ferdinand and Hall just don`t seem Premiership quality to me and they`ll be tested with really good Premiership strikers as well as midfielders with the likes of Dempsey and Duff. Fulham`s will will be vital and I think they just want to meet with their first 3 points of the campaign.

Swansea is playing nice but they just don`t score enough. Graham the record transfer still didn`t meet with the net and despite the hard work of Dyer and Sinclair they don`t get enough points. Stoke is a hard test but their first time introduction with Europa League gave them a surprise defeat against Sunderland when they were back to the island. Again this time it`ll be a rough match between two and I fancy Stoke to nick a point.

I believe Tottenham will find it easy against Arsenal because they`re on top of their form. Nine points out of nine and Adebayor, Bale, VDV and Defoe all getting on the scoresheet. Parker might be the best buy of the season and he literally lifted Tottenham`s midfield to a newer scale. Arsenal always found it hard on away and Koscielny`s absence is also Song`s absence in midfield where Frimpong, my assumption, will be raped by Parker and Modric.

A different approach

2011-09-26T17:08:00.001+02:00

Tony Pulis`s side is definitely a pain in the ass when you`re facing them. When you look at them first you might think that they`re more like a wrestling team due their sizes and it probably feels like that when you are playing against them. Rooney once said that Barcelona would really find it much more difficult against Stoke and I think he is right. They are really physical and they are not shamed about showing and using it.

One of the interesting things that Stoke has is their backs are really centre derived and though they don`t have the technique or ability or willing to go forward in the sense of widening the area that`s being used, they play extremely well. That being said, they heavily rely on Etherington and Pennant`s individual abilities, them carrying the ball into the opposition area. The other interesting thing is although they don`t have so much pacy players they look like a counter-attack team on numeruos occasions. And their strongest point would be their stamina and concentration. They never let go the game and always want to win because public is very critical of them and they obviously want to prove a point which is "We also play football".

Let`s not forget that Stoke was promoted to Premier League just four years ago and by the pundits they were favourites to move down. But when looked now, they are really tough to beat and even last year they reached to FA cup finals which they eventually lost to Manchester City. Tony Pulis, in this regard, has really to be applauded but also the financial backing by the chairman was also important in this success. By the results they`ve had so far it can be concluded that the players have obviously more confidence in their game as they`re also competing in Europa League now they are more motivated. A top 10 finish seems really not so far away from Stoke but if they advance further in Europe and a possible to injury to one of Etherington and Pennant or both maybe Stoke would find it very hard to compete. Still, they`ve been really fantastic so far and they definitely need a praise and are worth to look.

Predictions

2011-09-10T14:58:00.000+02:00

Gameweek 4 Fixtures
Date/Time	Home Team	Score
10 Sep 15:00	Arsenal	2v1	Swansea
10 Sep 15:00	Everton	0v0	Aston Villa
10 Sep 15:00	Man City	3v1	Wigan
10 Sep 15:00	Stoke City	0v0	Liverpool
10 Sep 15:00	Sunderland	1v1	Chelsea
10 Sep 15:00	Wolves	2v1	Tottenham
10 Sep 17:30	Bolton	2v4	Man Utd
11 Sep 13:30	Norwich	2v1	West Brom
11 Sep 16:00	Fulham	1v0	Blackburn
12 Sep 20:00	QPR	1v2	Newcastle

Arsenal is to claim first win. With the new transfers they will try and probably win against newly promoted Swansea. Rvp scored 4 goals during the international break and really seems on form. Mertesacker is a great transfer and Santos is really a good attacker back. They`ll be all over Swansea.

Everton is really in a crisis atm. They just have 18 players registered and Anichebe is injured till January. Still the first 11 is really strong and I believe in the absence of Bent, Villa will have some troubles. Everton`s midfield is superior to Villa`s and the game will be evens.

On form City should have no trouble passing Wigan at home. Injured Alcaraz will add to defensive troubles for Wigan and the scoreline might seem scarier in fact.

Stoke is really a disciplined and a physical team. The first week they were very ready against Chelsea and Liverpool will definitely find it hard against them. Though, Stoke also doesn`t offer so much attacking threat as Walters is deep in form and Jones is actually fighting a lot but not looking like scoring. Carroll`s form is also not so good and Suarez will find it very difficult to find gaps though I think he`ll not wake up from the ground either whether deceiving or not.

Drogba`s injured through concussion and though the arrivals of Meireles and Mata, I don`t fancy Chelsea`s odds against Sunderland. Torres will again be very nervous as the pressure is increasing and Sunderland`s squad is getting better. O`Shea is fit again and Cattermole, though it is very surprising, hasn`t seen a red card and on form. Bendtner and Gyan should be very dangerous and I just can`t see anything but a draw out of this game.

Wolves` fine form gives something to ponder. Though, Tottenham has lost VDV the likes of Bale, Modric, Defoe and Lennon still seem very threatening. The last match between two ended 3-3 at Molineux but Tottenham was very lucky. It seems like a draw but Wolves` good start to season, form of the whole team and players and Tottenham`s slow start to season edges Wolves for me.

Bolton`s shaky defence, though they have Cahill, just disable them to get the points that they really can. Upfront seems promising but the midfield consists of the likes from Muamba and Reo-Coker who can`t attack and therefore making the team prone to play the match on their field. United is top on form and they`ll somehow end up winning the match.

Norwich is really a good team and I can say also it against WBA. WBA`s defence problem continues and Norwich`s eagerness as a whole team and home advantage makes them favourites against WBA for me.

Fulham obviously didn`t start to the season well as well as Blackburn but Blackburn`s away performance and morale, especially how they lost against Everton and Fulham`s performances at Craven Cottage slightly makes them favourite against Blackburn. New transfer Ruiz will probably make first appearance and he will be unknown to the Blackburn defence.

Qpr really seems the worst team in the league and Newcastle made a flying start to the season. Their defensive record is also very strong and although Qpr made some strong signings like Barton and SWP, this also means they`re going to reorganize the team and this will take time. Also, some players are going to lose their place and this will also make them uncomfortable. Best, Gutierrez, Demba Ba and Obertan`s performances should seal another win for Newcastle.

Ritchie De Laet

2011-09-05T18:04:00.004+02:00

Having watched two of the three premiership game of Norwich, I can clearly say that if they are going to stay up De Laet will be one of the main reasons. In my former blogs, I`ve stated that Norwich and Swansea are the ones who try to play decent football. Paul Lambert for Norwich is of course the architect for this structure and he really needs to be appreciated to have a great eye which helped him to catch De Laet, as well as to have the courage to put him into the middle of defence without a doubt. It`s still essential to state that De Laet should give up doing basic mistakes which caused to two goals to Norwich goal so far.

Remembering watched him two years ago, I actually thought he was a right back but his main position is obviously centre back which I can say based on the performances he show for the first three games of Norwich. Ferguson likes to play centre backs on right back, to improve their passing skills but having seen De Laet`s performances I really wonder maybe it should have been Johnny Evans whom should have been sent as a loan. If he continues his performance level up, then I think he even can cut Smalling out of starting 11. Smalling is a fine defender but he`s mainly selected ahead of Evans due to his simple play and few error making during the matches.

De Laet has also been selected to the Belgium squad on 2009 where he first played for Manu. But his place is not secure as there are the likes of Kompany, Van Buyten, Vertonghen and Vermaelen for centre back position. Still, I really think that he can make the jump and take place in the Belgium squad which`s actually still on the verge of a transition. I should definitely say the Belgium squad seems promising and De Laet would be very priviliged to find himself in the squad.

Once upon a time I was blowing storms

2011-08-31T12:14:00.000+02:00

The thoughts that probably came into Wenger`s mind after humiliating defeat to Manu, or at least that`s what the fans would like to think like: Admitting defeat. Because so far Arsene Wenger hasn`t still admitted that he has done major wrongs since the departure of Vieira, not even Henry. From that moment, it`s still downwards.

As many football fans know Arsenal has a strict wage structure and a limit for transfer fees and this might be a block to transfer experienced players for Wenger but recently he quoted as "I`ll spend even 40 million pounds if the player is right" and even he continued with "I don`t want to spend too big amounts on average players".

Well, if you would ask to many pundits probably they`ll tell you that Arsenal is now consisting of many average players. Still, there were some quality players like Nasri and Fabregas but they were kinda the latest leaves that have left and they also dropped. In my opinion, it`s just RVP and Vermaelen are the ones who can be in a team that`s racing for the title.

It`s really pity but also annoying to see Arsenal`s status now and the reactions of Wenger. He says that after Manu disgrace that he lacked 8 senior players but actually forgets that it was kinda the reserve team of Manu that he was beaten to. There were maybe 6 players that were not in the team of last year and the first 11. Finding excuses and ignoring the facts will not improve Arsenal and I believe Wenger is actually aware of it but what he wanted to was to protest the current football manner in terms of money stating that it is killing the smaller teams and though improvement of the league or the contest. However, I believe he chose the wrong way to protest it. He still could have bought very good players with small amount of moneys but he didn`t do so and it seems it`s going to cost more for both him and Arsenal.

Predictions

2011-08-26T16:55:00.005+02:00

27 Aug 12:05	Aston Villa	2v1	Wolves
27 Aug 12:30	Wigan	1v0	QPR
27 Aug 15:00	Blackburn	1v0	Everton
27 Aug 15:00	Chelsea	2v0	Norwich
27 Aug 15:00	Swansea	1v2	Sunderland
27 Aug 17:30	Liverpool	3v0	Bolton
28 Aug 13:00	Newcastle	0v1	Fulham
28 Aug 13:30	Tottenham	0v2	Man City
28 Aug 15:00	West Brom	2v0	Stoke City
28 Aug 16:00	Man Utd	4v0	Arsenal

Wolves are in form but their defence hasn`t been tested by a better team. Match to go draw for a large time and Villa to score at the late stage.

Wigan to claim first win but due their inability to score it`s going to be again narrow. Qpr is the worst team from the upcomers.

Blackburn and Kean need points and return of Samba with the other signings are a massive boost. Everton in crisis all over the place.

Norwich is a tidy side trying to play nice football but Chelsea are just too strong for them. Last week`s win gave a bit confidence to the side. Torres to score first goal.

Swansea like Norwich plays nice football again and Sunderland is on the verge of a transition. Number of occasions will occur with both team scoring. Gyan should start to pick his form up.

An easy prediction. Bolton are really very bad at away games albeit Qpr win. Klasnic may score again, he`s a natural poacher.

Surprise of the week for me. Fulham needs to get points and will to do so. Dembele getting more time and introduction of Kasami and Gecov might do the difference. Newcastle still doesn`t have a proper forward.

West Brom have played really good against Manu and Chelsea. Long scored on the process for two times and Stoke is just ineffective in the area so far.

Tottenham is dealing with injuries but return of Modric is a boost albeit the protests will highly occur at White Hart Lane. City is on fire and with the substitutions be placed wisely, third win is imminent.

Manu will pass Arsenal very easily. I really don`t think atm, that Arsenal players are concentrated on anything. With youngs again displaying the eagerness to show themselves, Manu will have no trouble.

Traditional Everton beginning started!

2011-08-23T14:07:00.001+02:00

The final match of the gameweek was, for me, a very obvious one, in terms of result. Tottenham is having a midfield injury crisis right now and ManU at home was a definite victory. Anderson and Cleverley started really good to the season and I believe Fergie will use them very much for the league and use Carrick and Fletcher for the Champs League. Tottenham needs to sort out Modric`s situation definitely.

For this gw, Wolves-Fulham match was an eye-catching one for me as I in my former writing stated that these two teams will surprise this year. Murphy seems getting very old and Jol has to replace him with someone else because with Etuhu playing next to him they obviously lack playmaking as well as creativity a lot in midfield. Wolves started really well and everything seems fine for them but they have not been tested by the better teams so far. Still, if they continue this form against the lesser teams they`ll not worry about relegation this year; pushing through mid-table. This might be Jarvis`s year.

Everton`s traditional beginning to the league started one week later due to the events happened in Tottenham area of London. I assumed a draw for this match but Everton is surely missing a quality forward. Beckford is just not Everton quality nor his workrate. Qpr also didn`t create so many chances but they were lucky to find one.

Villas-Boas is trying to do all the right things imho. His preference Kalou over Malouda and Torres over Drogba is simply showing that he wants to build a hardworking team. But transitions are never easy and this will also take some blood but the sooner it`ll be, means a better Chelsea team we`ll see this season.

Arsenal is in serious trouble and in addition to the necessity of not selling Nasri, they should buy at least 4 players to compete for Champs League spot, not for the title. The match was like Liverpool home against Arsenal.

Alex McLeish seems to be succesfull at Aston Villa, which is signaled by the preference of Agbonlahor playing on the right flank which I believe was a clever one. They`ll get points easier at home but their away record will show their position in the league.

When we pass gameweek two, City and United are clear favourites of championship but what City needs to do again is not depending on the individual skills. I just wonder what they`ll do if Silva gets injured or Dzeko. Will Balotelli and Johnson be enough to be trusted? If they also can turn to a system team like Utd, then they really have the great chance of pursuing the title. Barry`s goal and Milner`s assists show that this transition will occur but I wonder how many losses will they get due to the Champs League.

Am I ever going to be better? (Arsenal-Newcastle)

2011-08-16T13:14:00.000+02:00

Arsenal is really in a serious trouble this year where the deterioration began after the Champions League final against Barcelona. Since then, six years of cupless era is enough for the fans to be angry very much and they are definitely right to be so. And now they also lost Fabregas and will also lose Nasri and there will be really too little difference between them and a team like Fulham or Sunderland. Clichy is gone and no other left back is bought as was the case when Cole left. Gervinho seems to be like Chamakh and even if he wouldn`t be it will not be enough fighting for the title.

The match was really boring which is indicated by the result 0-0. Both teams had few chances and for Arsenal the likes of Ramsey and Rosicky didn`t seem fit. Song`s stupid play also will cause lots of trouble for Arsenal and he should know that he was very lucky that the referee didn`t see what he did to Barton. There is just a little hope due to Van Persie but the hope`s to qualify for the Champions League. I really am believing is that the race for 4th will be between L`pool and Tottenham. This might really be the last season of Wenger and there are some reports in the media suggesting him to go to PSG next year. I really feel sorry for Arsenal fans for what they`ve become.

Can I be a champion?(Liverpool-Sunderland)

2011-08-15T15:22:00.001+02:00

The first five minutes the pressure was on Liverpool simply because the new signings were a bit nervous especially Henderson seemed to me very much. On the contrary I should say Enrique seemed quite confident and he also doesn`t look like the player he was at Newcastle, showing signs of improvement. However, after the first five minutes all of Henderson, Adam and Downing were classy. An interesting note to add would be the age of squad, where except Carragher there`s not any second player who is over 30. So, this shows that Liverpool will suffer a bit of inexperience as they go further on the league, contradicting the title.

Despite the hard work by Carroll and Suarez, Liverpool couldn`t score the second goal where they came too close by Downing`s cracking shot which hit the post. So, that brought my mind what L`pool would do if Sunderland somehow scores which was the case at the second half. Sunderland, for me, was definite to score because when they get close even at the tiniest bit to the Liverpool goal, they always crossed the ball into the area which pleased me a lot because as they are constructing the team upside down right now (even though Bruce played only two of them(Brown and Larsson)) they didn`t try to mature the attacks, they simply showed L`pool that they were there to get a result and they did. Bruce might have started with Vaughan instead of Colback but I guess he just didn`t want to introduce a new signing from the first game on showing the intention that he`s going to make the transition slower. However, the new two signings who have played Brown and Larsson contributed to the result most where Brown was elected MoM and Larsson scored on his debut for the draw.

Mr. Dalglish made clever substitutions but I would never understand why he wouldn`t choose a player like Kuyt as a starter. He`s proven, he scores goals and he never stops running. Maybe the difference between the two would be Dalglish`s choice to make the transition faster by introducing the young Henderson starting from the first game where Bruce chose to do so later in the game. N`gog would always be a good sub for these games because he has the flair and also the will to prove himself and as Dalglish stopped at two, Brown`s rigid play tired Carroll enough and the match concluded easily by Sunderland with a draw.

Predictions

2011-08-12T15:12:00.000+02:00

My predictions for the Premier League:

Champions: Manchester United
CL Qualifiers: Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool
Europa League: Tottenham
Relegated will be: Blackburn, Norwich and Swansea
Teams that will surprise: Wolves and Fulham

I`d like to mention a bit more about the teams that I think will surprise. Wolves have formed a solid spine which includes Johnson, Foley, Jarvis, O`Hara, Doyle and Fletcher. If the hardworkers like Henry, Hunt and Berra contribute enough then Wolves would really be a team to look at.

Second team would be Fulham because they simply have a brilliant manager. Jol was success every place he went and he also was very successful with Tottenham during his spell. He`s also known for his eye of a deteceting young talents as well as putting them straight into the team. He also included Riise to the steady Fulham defense as well as Kasami preparing him to replace the aging captain Murphy. Dempsey, Duff, Hangeland and Zamora are very good Premier League players who are capable of taking Fulham easily higher on the table.

"Fortune favors the brave"

2011-08-11T18:37:00.002+02:00

Title belongs to Mick McCarthy, after winning against Liverpool he said that his team was very brave today and therefore got the prize for it. He`s very right in what he`s saying but I really am not going to say that McCarthy was brave enough to play 4-5-1 for most of the time.

Wolves first caught my attention by adding Doyle to their squad whom I praise a lot. Then I started to follow some matches of them and it seemed to me like there was a potential in McCarthy`s team. First year they struggled a lot but Doyle leading the line and with the helps of Jarvis and Craddock they managed to survive. Last year, they brought Steven Fletcher, who also I believe is a very talented striker, and the expectations grew a bit more about survival. Still, the indecisiveness on the formation as well as the defence, caused them a really shitty streak till December. When Doyle got injured, things seemed to get worse but it was time for Fletcher to shine and even though they lost the last game, they again qualified to survive in the top campaign at least for one year more.

The team already showed its potential against the better teams Chelsea, ManU, Liverpool and Man City. When they`re concentrated they really can beat any Premier League side. However, the thing was they were really losing many points against the weaker teams and this caused them a lot of trouble. This problem could have been addressed to the inexperience of the players but the team has now been constructed from lots of players who have at least two years of Premiership experience leaving the players without any excuse. The problematic side would be left back where I reckon the best option is Elokobi but his positional awareness is something to be improved urgently. He also doesn`t go forward as much as his colleagues on the other flank, Zubar and Foley. Elokobi`s partners are also very prone to mistakes who are Berra and Stearman. The pair`s main problem is concentration obviously because especially Stearman makes too many simple mistakes against the lesser teams which caused Wolves a lot. The tendency of Wolves to play on the opposition`s half also makes this pair vulnerable to counter attacks too much because their positioning is also something worrying. Again, Stearman`s impatience lead to the opposition going forward much faster when on counter attack. Defense is an obvious problem to be sorted out for Wolves and they hope to improve it by the helps of Roger Johnson. Still, I don`t rate Johnson so highly but we`ll see what happens as he even is appointed as the club captain. The team is already in a fighting spirit and maybe with the organizational skills of Johnson they`d arrange themselves better.

There are also lots of plus sides of Wolves like passing. Sometimes they have the ball so much even against teams like ManU, it`s surprising me. The likes of Milijas, Foley and Doyle really like to pass the ball around and when it ends at Jarvis, Hammill or Hunt the attack is generally concluded with a cross. One of the strongest area of Wolves is free kicks and corners. I don`t know the number but the stats are there to be looked for and I really think the goals they scored from these dead ball opportunities must be really high. Milijas, O`Hara and Jarvis have all good direct foots as they know where to put the ball in. Wolves also has a really promising keeper called Hennessey. I think he`s going to develop into a very good keeper and won`t stay at Wolves for so long. If they also can sort out the defensive problems and convert to 4-4-2 which McCarthy is striving for I believe, we can see Wolves between 12-17 this year and it wouldn`t be surprising if we consider Wigan, Blackburn and three newly promoted teams are not stronger than Wolves. My ideal 11 of Wolves would be:

Hennessey

Foley-Johnson-Berra-Elokobi

Hammill-Milijas-O`Hara-Jarvis

Doyle-Fletcher

Sebastian Rudy

2011-08-10T15:05:00.000+02:00

A young lad from Germany U-21 team got my attention yesterday`s match against Cyprus. Very intelligent, simple play and a strong right foot. He doesn`t leave his area that much, meaning not going forward a lot but this prevents the counter attacks as he holds and covers the midfield area. This way he can be regarded as more of a defensive midfielder but his shooting, key passes abilities can also make him a central midfielder. I can`t remember how many interceptions he made yesterday but the result shouldn`t be exaggerated as the opponent was Cyprus. Still, to me he showed that he`s going to be a very important player in future for the team he`s going to play, as well as for Germany if he can succeed along the likes of Schweinsteiger, Khedira and Kroos.

FCA

2011-08-09T16:24:00.000+02:00

As I`m living in Augsburg and FCA has recently climbed up to Bundesliga, I`m starting to follow through their games. The first ended 2-2 where it could have been in favour of Augsburg but missed many chances badly. New forward Mölders seems like the deal but the right back should be sorted out definitely!!!

Still I have to learn a lot (Community Shield 2011)

2011-08-09T15:56:00.000+02:00

Both teams were unable to play with their ideal 11. United lost Hernandez, Valencia and Fletcher to injury(the latter to illness in fact) and Berbatov didn`t figure in Fergie`s first eleven plans against City or Barcelona. City didn`t have Tevez as he was with his family in Argentina and in the midfield instead of Barry, Mancini chose Milner as well as Kolarov at left back position where new signing Clichy plays.

The game started at a slow tempo, both teams testing each other with respective attacks. After 15 mins, it got really physical starting with the foul on Balotelli by Vidic on 11th minute. For United, Anderson and Young were raring to go, the former to fill the void left by Scholes and the latter to impress Fergie.However, the likes of Carrick, Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra all of whom were substituted eventually in the second half, were a bit lazy. Rooney was again close to midfield to pass the ball and set the game up. If Sneijder isn’t signed, Rooney again will be unlikely to reach 20+ goals this season
. Wellbeck showed eagerness and hard work but only flashed once or twice in the game.

Milner will definitely be an important player this season for the Champs League contenders. His versatility, work rate and clever play will contribute a lot to Mancini`s tactics. Carrick`s lazy play let City turn to 4-4-2 as Milner slipped to right flank and run some through balls which brought the first goal due to a foul by Evra who was caught in possession. Lescott seemed better after the goal and seems it`s going to be very hard for Toure to claim his place back when his ban ends.

However, City still lack the collective game and still they depend on the flair` of the likes of Tevez, Silva and Toure. Balotelli isn`t a winger and if Silva is going to be free in the fourth area, City should convert to 4-3-1-2 and therefore Toure will know where his position is and what he`s supposed to do. Dzeko didn`t do too much bar the goal which actually sums up the difference between two teams. United`s second goal was coordinated brilliantly where City`s was due an error.

In the second half United eventually changed 4 players who were actually in their first 11 and the likes of Evans, Jones, Rafael and especially Cleverley played an important role in the comeback. Cleverley has showed some potential to replace Scholes. The sub move was an unexpected genius tactic by Fergie. By putting the young guns into the game and resting the so called "untouchables", he both lowered the expectations of City players as well as giving an ultimatum to his experienced players. Mancini still is making the same mistakes and I wonder when he`s going to fix them. He subbed Milner who was really very beneficial instead of Toure and Johnson was also very dispirited. In addition, Aguero could or should have been introduced later in the game as he could have caused trouble to United defence as he`s completely unknown to them.

Even by looking to the number of subs made, we see that United lead by 4-2 which can be inferred as a sign of United wanted the game more. Mancini should give up depending on just some players and he should start to create a team. The match simply showed us again that football is just as it is.