As if Ledley King were not fragile enough, this week Fabio Capello and Harry Redknapp have fought a ferocious tug-of-war over the injury-prone defender. It is the familiar dispute of club loyalty against national pride. But what is most remarkable about this row is that King can play at all.
By Redknapp’s admission the players doesn’t train at all in preparation for a game and doesn’t train at all in recovery from a game. He is simply wheeled out onto the pitch – especially when times are most desperate – and then stretchered off when the time is right.
It goes against all coaching discourse about preparing for peak performance. How can a player be physically fit enough for 90 minutes? Mentally ready for ? and tactically in tune to the practices of his team and nuances of their opponents? Surley the chalkboard is insufficient preparation for elite football whether it be at international level or in the Premier League.
So either King is a freak of nature with awesome physical attributes in spite of his fragile limbs or is football far simpler than we buy into? Despite the rhetoric, the montages and the cash fuelled hyperbole, could football really be quite a basic game out over 90 minutes demanding though it is played?
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Monday, 23 March 2009
Final word on the weekend - Ashley and Kinnear the miracle men of Newcastle
While all eyes trained on Craven Cottage where Fulham beat Manchester United or Anfield where Liverpool trounced Aston Villa, Newcastle United slipped almost anonymously into the bottom three with eight games remaining following defeat to Arsenal.
A whiff of Championship football next season has been in the air circulating St James’ Park for a while now but is fast becoming a lingering stench. Such a situation would have been unimaginable to Newcastle fans at the start of the season. But now it is a reality they have accepted.
In the space of seven months, Mike Ashley and Joe Kinnear have achieved something none of their predecessor could. They have quelled the expectations of the fans. They have transformed the fans from potent protestors, demanding the best, into beggars, pleading for mercy. They have run the club down so far that survival would be an achievement, a great achievement.
Mid-table anonymity was not enough to save Glenn Roeder, Graeme Souness or Sam Allardyce mainly because it left them without an identity and a without a purpose. What the fans want most of all is a fight, a struggle, an enemy to unite and rally against. During the Keegan era it was Manchester United, now it is Stoke and Middlesbrough.
A whiff of Championship football next season has been in the air circulating St James’ Park for a while now but is fast becoming a lingering stench. Such a situation would have been unimaginable to Newcastle fans at the start of the season. But now it is a reality they have accepted.
In the space of seven months, Mike Ashley and Joe Kinnear have achieved something none of their predecessor could. They have quelled the expectations of the fans. They have transformed the fans from potent protestors, demanding the best, into beggars, pleading for mercy. They have run the club down so far that survival would be an achievement, a great achievement.
Mid-table anonymity was not enough to save Glenn Roeder, Graeme Souness or Sam Allardyce mainly because it left them without an identity and a without a purpose. What the fans want most of all is a fight, a struggle, an enemy to unite and rally against. During the Keegan era it was Manchester United, now it is Stoke and Middlesbrough.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Final word on the weekend: Liverpool's result not so shocking
The result was a truly shocking: Manchester United 1 Liverpool 4. The events were even more shocking: Liverpool comeback from a goal down at Old Trafford to hit four past the best defence in the league with the player of the season (Nemanja Vidic) rendered a nervous wreck before seeing red. And yet it should have come as no surprise.
This is a Liverpool team capable of the incredible one-off results - take the 4-0 defeat of Real Madrid as corroborative evidence. With two truly world-class operators in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, backed by a gang of able and efficient support staff, Liverpool have a team capable of overturning anyone on any day. But not everyone on everyday.
Inconsistency has blighted their season and it is by no accident. Two world-class players can sustain a cup run, such as in Europe, but they cannot shoulder a 38-game push for the title. In Europe, an able squad can negotiate the early rounds with the latter stages overcome with a touch of class from Gerrard or Torres. However, with injuries, suspensions and lulls in form, two players cannot be relied upon to generate results season round in a league scenario. It is why Manchester United will win the league; they have five or six players who will earn their share of points throughout the season with late goals and decisive interventions. Liverpool do not have enough resources to be consistent.
As for the game, the margin of victory masked the evenness of exchanges. Both side’s had their periods of ascendancy, particularly United in the opening quarter and Liverpool in the closing quarter, and with any top-class encounter of this level, inches given resulted in miles taken. Ultimately three individual errors had a hefty price for United. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra were the gift givers, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres the ruthless recipients.
Saturday’s result is likely to be revealed as the most hollow of trumpeted victories.
Elsewhere the weekend’s action remained loyal to the theme of prolonging the angst and intrigue of the season. Once again the teams in lower reaches failed to take decisive steps towards survival, except Tottenham winning 2-1 at Aston Villa. Middlesbrough drew with Portsmouth, Hull drew Newcastle, Sunderland lost to Wigan, Stoke lost to Everton, Blackburn lost to Arsenal and Bolton lost 3-1 to Fulham.
The nine teams, from Tottenham down, all reek of fear and remain highly vulnerable to the end of season flush. Their focuses are now firmly locked on scrapping for survival, paralysed by fear they can’t help but look down making a dramatic surge up the standing unlikely. With ten games remaining for most, it looks as though relegation will be determined by who does worst rather than who does best.
This is a Liverpool team capable of the incredible one-off results - take the 4-0 defeat of Real Madrid as corroborative evidence. With two truly world-class operators in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, backed by a gang of able and efficient support staff, Liverpool have a team capable of overturning anyone on any day. But not everyone on everyday.
Inconsistency has blighted their season and it is by no accident. Two world-class players can sustain a cup run, such as in Europe, but they cannot shoulder a 38-game push for the title. In Europe, an able squad can negotiate the early rounds with the latter stages overcome with a touch of class from Gerrard or Torres. However, with injuries, suspensions and lulls in form, two players cannot be relied upon to generate results season round in a league scenario. It is why Manchester United will win the league; they have five or six players who will earn their share of points throughout the season with late goals and decisive interventions. Liverpool do not have enough resources to be consistent.
As for the game, the margin of victory masked the evenness of exchanges. Both side’s had their periods of ascendancy, particularly United in the opening quarter and Liverpool in the closing quarter, and with any top-class encounter of this level, inches given resulted in miles taken. Ultimately three individual errors had a hefty price for United. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra were the gift givers, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres the ruthless recipients.
Saturday’s result is likely to be revealed as the most hollow of trumpeted victories.
Elsewhere the weekend’s action remained loyal to the theme of prolonging the angst and intrigue of the season. Once again the teams in lower reaches failed to take decisive steps towards survival, except Tottenham winning 2-1 at Aston Villa. Middlesbrough drew with Portsmouth, Hull drew Newcastle, Sunderland lost to Wigan, Stoke lost to Everton, Blackburn lost to Arsenal and Bolton lost 3-1 to Fulham.
The nine teams, from Tottenham down, all reek of fear and remain highly vulnerable to the end of season flush. Their focuses are now firmly locked on scrapping for survival, paralysed by fear they can’t help but look down making a dramatic surge up the standing unlikely. With ten games remaining for most, it looks as though relegation will be determined by who does worst rather than who does best.
Friday, 13 March 2009
Manchester United v Liverpool - The weekend's big one
Manchester United v Liverpool
Barclays Premier League
Old Trafford, Saturday 14 March 12.45pm
Wayne Rooney claims that Manchester United can end Liverpool’s ailing title ambitions by 3pm on Saturday afternoon. He maybe lighting on the pitch, but Rooney is not the quickest. Liverpool’s hopes of being confirmed as the best team in England since 1990 fell by the waste side along time ago (that is if they ever really existed). That is harsh on Rooney but not on Liverpool.
Despite the insignificance of the contest – no one really believes a Liverpool victory would result in a United capitulation – the pride and egos on display on the pitch, in the dugout and the stands should ensure a compelling confrontation.
The Bosses:
Rafa Benitez - While he continues to be a mastermind of one-off tactical skirmishes in Europe, Benitez continues to be exposed in the drawn out race for the Championship. The two images of Benitez could not be more different: The neurotic fool at home, brave pioneer abroad.
Sir Alex Ferguson – Despite his aging years, Ferguson – unlike Benitez - seems to be improving at a rapid pace as a coach and manager. His failings in Europe, which for so long threatened to overshadow his legacy, are being erased with such efficiency and elegance.
The Key Players:
Rio Ferdinand - With Ferguson’s rotation policy increasing its turnover, a number of United players will be desperate to step up. However against the threats of Gerrard and Fernando Torres, their defence will have to be as solid as it has been all season. Fitness permitted Rio Ferdinand will have a is decisive role in shutting out Torres.
Steven Gerrard – Gerrard is like a flash grenade. He does not dictate the game with his passing like a Xavi (Barcelona), rather he hits you square between the eyes with his surging running and long-range shooting from nothing. Bang and he is gone.
The Tactics:
Despite the form of Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick this season, there remains a suspicion that Untied can be dominated and bullied in central midfield. Inter Milan achieved this in the second half at Old Trafford and Chelsea have been masters of it in recent years.
With an accomplished midfield trio of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Xavi Alonso, Liverpool will play tight in midfield and attempt take control of the game and their Premier League destiny. Despite being at Old Trafford, victory is essential. From that foothold in the game they will hope one of their match-winners – Gerrard and Torres – can do something special.
With little threat coming from the flanks – except perhaps Ryan Babbel – and the majority of play coming through the centre, Ferguson could field the competitive Darren Fletcher to keep an eye out for Gerrard’s surging runs.
Victory is not essential for United, but Ferguson knows they are at their best when going forward. Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney will target the sometimes immobile Liverpool back four by drifting into the centre as much as possible and using their trickery. Carlos Tevez could also have an important role with his unpredictable movement and positioning. With Jamie Carragher marshalling the skies above the Liverpool defence, United will have little effect with an aerial bombardment.
The Result:
With so many match-winners on the field this could go either way. Home advantage, momentum and class give United the edge, desperation gives Liverpool a chance. A late gerrard equalizer gives each a point. 1-1.
Barclays Premier League
Old Trafford, Saturday 14 March 12.45pm
Wayne Rooney claims that Manchester United can end Liverpool’s ailing title ambitions by 3pm on Saturday afternoon. He maybe lighting on the pitch, but Rooney is not the quickest. Liverpool’s hopes of being confirmed as the best team in England since 1990 fell by the waste side along time ago (that is if they ever really existed). That is harsh on Rooney but not on Liverpool.
Despite the insignificance of the contest – no one really believes a Liverpool victory would result in a United capitulation – the pride and egos on display on the pitch, in the dugout and the stands should ensure a compelling confrontation.
The Bosses:
Rafa Benitez - While he continues to be a mastermind of one-off tactical skirmishes in Europe, Benitez continues to be exposed in the drawn out race for the Championship. The two images of Benitez could not be more different: The neurotic fool at home, brave pioneer abroad.
Sir Alex Ferguson – Despite his aging years, Ferguson – unlike Benitez - seems to be improving at a rapid pace as a coach and manager. His failings in Europe, which for so long threatened to overshadow his legacy, are being erased with such efficiency and elegance.
The Key Players:
Rio Ferdinand - With Ferguson’s rotation policy increasing its turnover, a number of United players will be desperate to step up. However against the threats of Gerrard and Fernando Torres, their defence will have to be as solid as it has been all season. Fitness permitted Rio Ferdinand will have a is decisive role in shutting out Torres.
Steven Gerrard – Gerrard is like a flash grenade. He does not dictate the game with his passing like a Xavi (Barcelona), rather he hits you square between the eyes with his surging running and long-range shooting from nothing. Bang and he is gone.
The Tactics:
Despite the form of Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick this season, there remains a suspicion that Untied can be dominated and bullied in central midfield. Inter Milan achieved this in the second half at Old Trafford and Chelsea have been masters of it in recent years.
With an accomplished midfield trio of Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Xavi Alonso, Liverpool will play tight in midfield and attempt take control of the game and their Premier League destiny. Despite being at Old Trafford, victory is essential. From that foothold in the game they will hope one of their match-winners – Gerrard and Torres – can do something special.
With little threat coming from the flanks – except perhaps Ryan Babbel – and the majority of play coming through the centre, Ferguson could field the competitive Darren Fletcher to keep an eye out for Gerrard’s surging runs.
Victory is not essential for United, but Ferguson knows they are at their best when going forward. Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney will target the sometimes immobile Liverpool back four by drifting into the centre as much as possible and using their trickery. Carlos Tevez could also have an important role with his unpredictable movement and positioning. With Jamie Carragher marshalling the skies above the Liverpool defence, United will have little effect with an aerial bombardment.
The Result:
With so many match-winners on the field this could go either way. Home advantage, momentum and class give United the edge, desperation gives Liverpool a chance. A late gerrard equalizer gives each a point. 1-1.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Is English dominance dulling the Champions League?
Midway through the last-16 round, English sides look set to dominate the latter stages of the Champions League once again this season. Liverpool and Chelsea are through while Manchester United and Arsenal are on the brink of qualification. English clubs, therefore, will in all probability account for half of the teams in the quarter-finals. Again it is already looking like an all-English final.
After the final in Moscow last year and Turin this, it appears we already have the ‘39th game’. But it is not looking that special. The European night is losing its appeal. What is the difference between a Super Sunday and a Super Wednesday?
Anyone watching Chelsea against Juventus in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday night will testify that the drama is still there. But it takes more than great drama to make a great knockout competition, as the FA Cup has discovered in recent years, it also requires quality. And at present the quality is rarified and confined.
That Juventus played better than many expected in the first half against Chelsea, reveals more about our estimations of their current standing and any European resurgence. Their best players, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, and Alessandro Del Piero, remain from a decade ago.
But the result that must have brought to a singe of disappointment to every football fan in Europe, apart from Liverpool’s faithful, was the one at Anfield. The once shimmering white shirts of Real Madrid were sullied by Liverpool’s 4-0 demolition on Tuesday night.
Over the years the European Cup and latterly the Champions League has thrived on an elitism that has thrown together the best sides on the continent. Currently they are all English. While this is positive for the English game, it the European game seems that much poorer at present.
After the final in Moscow last year and Turin this, it appears we already have the ‘39th game’. But it is not looking that special. The European night is losing its appeal. What is the difference between a Super Sunday and a Super Wednesday?
Anyone watching Chelsea against Juventus in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday night will testify that the drama is still there. But it takes more than great drama to make a great knockout competition, as the FA Cup has discovered in recent years, it also requires quality. And at present the quality is rarified and confined.
That Juventus played better than many expected in the first half against Chelsea, reveals more about our estimations of their current standing and any European resurgence. Their best players, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, and Alessandro Del Piero, remain from a decade ago.
But the result that must have brought to a singe of disappointment to every football fan in Europe, apart from Liverpool’s faithful, was the one at Anfield. The once shimmering white shirts of Real Madrid were sullied by Liverpool’s 4-0 demolition on Tuesday night.
Over the years the European Cup and latterly the Champions League has thrived on an elitism that has thrown together the best sides on the continent. Currently they are all English. While this is positive for the English game, it the European game seems that much poorer at present.
Monday, 9 March 2009
The final word on the weekend - Is Tevez the Tasmanian Devil and Eduardo's left ankle
Manchester United’s quest for the quintuple remains firmly on track thanks to the Tasmanian Devil -aka Carlos Tevez.
The Argentinean scored twice as United sauntered into the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. It was a typically ravaging display from Tevez, who not only looks like the famous cartoon character, “Taz”, but acts in on the pitch.
A being possessed, Tevez tears around the field to a devastating effect prompted by his ravenous appetite. But more than his work rate and desire, it is the unpredictability of Tevez that defines him as a player. It both helps and hinders him.
Like Wayne Rooney he has so many strengths and such willingness to adapt that he becomes difficult to define for opponents and colleagues alike. His ravenous nature means during a game he will drop deep, he will drift wide, he score goals, he will make goals, and he go up top. What is more is that he has the ability to hurt opponents from almost all positions – as demonstrated by his wonderful curling effort on Saturday. Such unpredictability as to when and where this whirlwind will strikes causes havoc for defences.
But that unpredictability is also the reason why he has become a habitual bench warmer at Old Trafford. While Dimitar Berbatov has a specific role in the United side – the pole which his team-mates can dance around – Tevez’s remit is less defined. Sir Alex Ferguson does not want to cage him to a specific role and his attributes do not lend him to such straightjacket restraints. It means he is more difficult to fit into a game-plan and a style of play.
It is, of course, the nature of the beast.
Elsewhere, it may have taken a year but Eduardo’s left ankle is back. Last February it was shattered, some said beyond repair, but on Sunday it fired Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a sublime finish on the volley. Burnley, the victims on this occasion, will surely be demanding that the Brazilian-born Croatia is put under the knife once again to determine whether any high-class military technology or titanium plating was used in the reconstruction of Eduardo’s left ankle. They are unlikely to find anything un-toward, except of course some compelling Brazilian genes.
As for Middlesbrough, beaten 2-1 by Everton, it is a question of whether of defeat in the FA Cup will bring a crippling end to their momentum as they fight against relegation or whether it will allow them to focus on Premier League survival. But does either way does it matter – the real question is whether they are good enough to stay up?
In the other FA Cup clash of the weekend Coventry showed Chelsea the kind of benevolence they have been praying for all season.
The Argentinean scored twice as United sauntered into the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. It was a typically ravaging display from Tevez, who not only looks like the famous cartoon character, “Taz”, but acts in on the pitch.
A being possessed, Tevez tears around the field to a devastating effect prompted by his ravenous appetite. But more than his work rate and desire, it is the unpredictability of Tevez that defines him as a player. It both helps and hinders him.
Like Wayne Rooney he has so many strengths and such willingness to adapt that he becomes difficult to define for opponents and colleagues alike. His ravenous nature means during a game he will drop deep, he will drift wide, he score goals, he will make goals, and he go up top. What is more is that he has the ability to hurt opponents from almost all positions – as demonstrated by his wonderful curling effort on Saturday. Such unpredictability as to when and where this whirlwind will strikes causes havoc for defences.
But that unpredictability is also the reason why he has become a habitual bench warmer at Old Trafford. While Dimitar Berbatov has a specific role in the United side – the pole which his team-mates can dance around – Tevez’s remit is less defined. Sir Alex Ferguson does not want to cage him to a specific role and his attributes do not lend him to such straightjacket restraints. It means he is more difficult to fit into a game-plan and a style of play.
It is, of course, the nature of the beast.
Elsewhere, it may have taken a year but Eduardo’s left ankle is back. Last February it was shattered, some said beyond repair, but on Sunday it fired Arsenal into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a sublime finish on the volley. Burnley, the victims on this occasion, will surely be demanding that the Brazilian-born Croatia is put under the knife once again to determine whether any high-class military technology or titanium plating was used in the reconstruction of Eduardo’s left ankle. They are unlikely to find anything un-toward, except of course some compelling Brazilian genes.
As for Middlesbrough, beaten 2-1 by Everton, it is a question of whether of defeat in the FA Cup will bring a crippling end to their momentum as they fight against relegation or whether it will allow them to focus on Premier League survival. But does either way does it matter – the real question is whether they are good enough to stay up?
In the other FA Cup clash of the weekend Coventry showed Chelsea the kind of benevolence they have been praying for all season.
Friday, 6 March 2009
The weekend's big one: Fulham v Man U
Fulham v Man U
FA Cup
Saturday, March 7, KO 5.15pm.
Manchester United's bid for an unprecedented quintuple continues at Craven Cottage late in the afternoon on Saturday.
In terms of footballing ability, United have proven over the last few months that they are unrivalled in England and potentially - Barcelona aside - in Europe also, making the fanciful task of claiming the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League before the end of the season appear somewhat loigcial.
But after the frighteners served up against Newcastle at St. James' Park, Ferguson is well aware that is it not the necessarily the difficulty of the terrain they must overcome but the length of the journey and the potential to be ambushed by bad luck.
The bosses:
Roy Hodgson - Composed, understated ad highly effective. When the final verdicts are in on the season, Hodgson will be rightly praised for his work in stabilising and drivig Fulham forward.
Sir Alex Ferguson - At present, Ferguson is the priveleged position of down playing hype whilst basking in the knowledge that it is entirely merited. His reputation as the pre-eminent managerial force in the Premier League is once again absolute.
Key Players:
Brede Hangeland (Fulham) - The Norweigan centre-back, the keystone around which Fulham have built a formidable defensive wall, has put the January transfer speculation behind him and is in top form. But he and his colleagues will be tested to the maximum against the Unted's unpredictable attacking force.
Michael Carrick (Man U) - For many people, Carrick is United's most improved player this season. he has finally developed the influence his imaginative and accurate passing has suggested is possible. United's slick football relies on the mdfielder finding his rythum.
The tactics:
Fulham may have an imposing record at home htis season, especially in defence but United will come to attack and to win this one with maximum efficiency. But Fulham, with Danny Murphy at the hub also like to play the game on the ground.
Therefore the midfield clash will be key between him and Michael Carrick will be key with the winner doing most damage, not in the tackle but in the quality of passing. the clash in mdifield between Danny Murphy and Michael Carrick could be decisive in which side hits their stride most effectively.
If United hit their strike the raidings from all over, deep and wide, could be too much for Fulham's otherwise secure backline.
Prediction
Fulham wil fight hard to keep the Cup dream still kicking but expect a smoother United performance than against Newcastle and expect them to prevail.
Fulham 0 Manchester United 2
FA Cup
Saturday, March 7, KO 5.15pm.
Manchester United's bid for an unprecedented quintuple continues at Craven Cottage late in the afternoon on Saturday.
In terms of footballing ability, United have proven over the last few months that they are unrivalled in England and potentially - Barcelona aside - in Europe also, making the fanciful task of claiming the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League before the end of the season appear somewhat loigcial.
But after the frighteners served up against Newcastle at St. James' Park, Ferguson is well aware that is it not the necessarily the difficulty of the terrain they must overcome but the length of the journey and the potential to be ambushed by bad luck.
The bosses:
Roy Hodgson - Composed, understated ad highly effective. When the final verdicts are in on the season, Hodgson will be rightly praised for his work in stabilising and drivig Fulham forward.
Sir Alex Ferguson - At present, Ferguson is the priveleged position of down playing hype whilst basking in the knowledge that it is entirely merited. His reputation as the pre-eminent managerial force in the Premier League is once again absolute.
Key Players:
Brede Hangeland (Fulham) - The Norweigan centre-back, the keystone around which Fulham have built a formidable defensive wall, has put the January transfer speculation behind him and is in top form. But he and his colleagues will be tested to the maximum against the Unted's unpredictable attacking force.
Michael Carrick (Man U) - For many people, Carrick is United's most improved player this season. he has finally developed the influence his imaginative and accurate passing has suggested is possible. United's slick football relies on the mdfielder finding his rythum.
The tactics:
Fulham may have an imposing record at home htis season, especially in defence but United will come to attack and to win this one with maximum efficiency. But Fulham, with Danny Murphy at the hub also like to play the game on the ground.
Therefore the midfield clash will be key between him and Michael Carrick will be key with the winner doing most damage, not in the tackle but in the quality of passing. the clash in mdifield between Danny Murphy and Michael Carrick could be decisive in which side hits their stride most effectively.
If United hit their strike the raidings from all over, deep and wide, could be too much for Fulham's otherwise secure backline.
Prediction
Fulham wil fight hard to keep the Cup dream still kicking but expect a smoother United performance than against Newcastle and expect them to prevail.
Fulham 0 Manchester United 2
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