Whilst the nation continues to analyse England’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany with a fine-toothed comb, the powers that be have announced that Fabio Capello’s position as manager will be reviewed over the next two weeks. With Capello’s predecessors Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren also unable to get the best out of the nation’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’, the finger of blame must indeed be pointed at the players too. However, in failing to qualify for the quarter-finals, Capello has failed to vindicate the FA’s decision to pay him £6m a year. Was Capello the main reason why England performed so dismally at the World Cup?
Despite Capello’s illustrious background and the good work he carried out during qualification, I cannot help but feel that he was tactically inept at the World Cup. Like his predecessors, Capello suffered the affliction of believing that using all your star players, irrelevant of where they are positioned, would constitute a good team. Frank Lampard, an attacking midfielder, who benefits at club level so much from having hard-working defensively minded midfielders behind him at Chelsea, looked unsuited to his deep berth with the national side. Yet again, Steven Gerrard was a victim of his versatility, being consigned to a role on the left-hand side of midfield.
Unfortunately, England perennially look like a side who struggle in possession. For reasons unknown to myself, many of England’s illustrious names do not look comfortable when with the ball. As such, the side should’ve been set up to press and to harry the opposition. In opting to line up in an increasingly outdated 4-4-2 set-up, Capello let his midfield get outnumbered, and the unfortunate absence of Owen Hargreaves meant that he had no natural ball-winner to pressurise the opposition into relinquishing possession. Gareth Barry lacked the drive, determination and pace to effectively fulfil this role, and the manner in which Mesut Ozil found space and time with the greatest of ease highlighted how badly Capello got it wrong.
The likes of Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Germany have all had relatively successful World Cup campaigns thus far, and not a single one of them uses 4-4-2. Whilst it is arguable that their success is attributable to the more talented crops of players that they have at their disposal, their respective managers’ decisions to correctly use their finest talents highlight one of Fabio Capello’s flaws. Kaka is used in his favoured role for Brazil, and Lionel Messi is given free reign for Argentina. Following the final whistle on Sunday, Harry Redknapp stated “We need to produce a player like Ozil.”
But we do – and we use him on the left in a 4-4-2. Instead of using Steven Gerrard in the position where he is most effective (in the middle, behind Wayne Rooney), he was deployed out wide. The criminal misuse of Steven Gerrard bears an uncannily similar resemblance to the woeful treatment afforded to Paul Scholes earlier on in the noughties.
Whilst the players were to blame for their showings, the manager is entirely responsible for team selection and tactical preferences. It is clear that Capello got both of these hideously wrong on Sunday, and he must take responsibility for his mistakes.
Should Capello stay, or should he go?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul
Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong believes that this Premier League season is the most competitive for a long time. With the season now well underway the Cameroonian believes as many as seven clubs could battle it out for the top four spots and an all-important place in next year’s Champions League.
The 25-year-old told talkSPORT: “The league is getting crazier and crazier. We can’t even pick who is going to be in the top four or who is going to get relegated.
“It is really interesting and there will be a lot of teams involved in the title race.
“It is going to be a tough season, you have to win regularly and keep the levels really high no matter who we are playing against.”
Take a look at the runners and riders chasing the holy grail of Champions League football and make your own mind up over who will achieve their goal.
Manchester City
The top team in the country at present and looking completely unbeatable. After trouncing rivals United in the Manchester derby they confirmed their rightful place in the top four and having grabbed their first Champions League win against Villarreal last week they are going from strength to strength in the fight for trophies here and on the continent. With the ocean of talent at their disposal and the world-class talents on show in the form of Aguero, Silva and Balotelli, they are virtually guaranteed to finish it the top four and more than likely as Champions.
Manchester United
Fergie’s team are wounded at the minute but it should turn out to be nothing more than a blip in the machine that is Manchester United. The Red Devils have made the most consecutive appearances in the competition than any other side, currently on a run of 16 seasons. Although he’s been quiet in the last few games, Wayne Rooney will surely play a big part in the team’s success and the young blood of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley will want to show they can be the next home grown legends at Old Trafford. It would be a brave man to bet against them making a return next year. Expect them to chase City all the way.
Chelsea
Under young buck Andre Villas-Boas, the Blues have made an understated start, flying under the radar into third place and only a point behind Fergie’s men. With eight years fighting at the top under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, the experience is there to continue that battle despite the fresh face of the manager. Having reached the final in 2008 only to lose on penalties, they will want to keep trying until the fully repress the demons of that day. The disciplinary record may affect them, having had five players sent off already this season but the players at the club are likely to be able to guide the club into the top four even if a few more see red.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Tottenham Hotspur
With three places pretty much certainly taken, fourth place is the one everybody else is fighting for. The Spurs side have got a taste of the Champions League now and are determined to get back. The Europa League is not a consolation for Harry Redknapp and the teams he selects for those games reflect how little he cares for it. Having started the season against both Manchester clubs they were unfairly near the bottom, but five wins in the last six games have put them right in contention. Last season the squad was strong but tired towards the end and Harry will be hoping that the acquisition of Adebayor and energetic Scott Parker will be enough to steer them back to the Promised Land.
Liverpool
Everybody’s dark horse for the League this season have disappointed so far, failing to turn their dominance into points on occasions, particularly in front of the home crowd against Norwich. Having said that, the side was very strong in the second half of last season and are in a much better position than twelve months ago so if the form they should early in 2011 comes back at the turn of the year, they will be staking their claim come May. Luis Suarez and returning captain Steven Gerrard will be pivotal in deciding whether the fly or fall.
Arsenal
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Following their horrendous start to the season everybody was wondering whether the Gunners would even reach the top half, nevermind Europe. But three consecutive wins in the league over Bolton, Sunderland and Stoke have put them in seventh, only six points behind Chelsea. And with Robin van Persie banging in goals from all angles, you wouldn’t 8-2 be an Arsenal fan right now.
Newcastle United
Dreams do come true, right? After the regular summer controversy at St James’ Park where three of the clubs best players followed Andy Carroll out of the exit door, one to the Championship and two following some uncomplimentary tweeting, it didn’t look too promising for the Toon Army. But nine games in they are the only team other than the mercurial Manchester City that are unbeaten and have looked strong and composed under Alan Pardew. Chiek Tiote is in good form and Collocini has been a rock at the back, while Demba Ba is showing the form that made West Ham take a punt on him. It could happen. That’s why we love football.
Who do you think will fill the top four? Comment below or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.
[divider] FREE football ad that pays you to view ads [ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]
Tottenham by nature never make life easy for themselves and this week certainly proved no different as the North Londoners missed a golden opportunity to move into third place in the Premier League. If Harry Redknapp is going to secure Champions League football next season then it is clear that they will have to do it the hard way, although Spurs fans will concur that they don’t know it any other way.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Tottenham blogs that include a cheaper option to the club’s stadium development; Assou Ekotto proves critics wrong, while it is time Aaron Lennon got similar plaudits to Theo.
We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.
*
How ‘Championship Manager’s’ finest fell by the wayside*
The WORST Tottenham Kits of our time?
Only serves to highlight Levy’s transfer failing
Tottenham set to battle for Fenerbahce star
The cheaper option to Tottenham’s stadium development?
Tottenham prodigy highlights the pitfalls of a big move
‘Six of the best’ – Tottenham starlets set to make the grade at WHL
Benoit Assou-Ekotto has certainly proved me wrong
Harry Redknapp’s most pressing problem
Top TEN Football Rulings That Need To Change
Tottenham game highlights why I hate player ratings
The right move for Connor Wickham?
Time Aaron Lennon was afforded similar praise?
Is their achievement really greater than that of Tottenham?
A transfer stance that will show that Tottenham are the real deal
*Best of Web*
The only way we know – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2
You Make Your Own Luck – Tottenham On My Mind
Spurs stadium – It’s all gone quiet over there – Martin Cloake Online
A Guided Tour Of Crazypavinchenko’s House – Harry Hotspur
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Anyone for a goal? – Dear Mr Levy
*
Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s lady wife
I suppose you’ve noticed the bandwagon jumpers by now. Happens every time, of course, and all that can be done is to grin and bear it. Like Christmas, though, it seems to come earlier every year and for months before it even started it seemed like you couldn’t move for people who wanted to declare an interest in- even, in some extreme cases, attempting to lecture us on- something we spend every day of our life discussing with friends and, for the even more dedicated souls, our online peers on the various message boards dedicated to the subject. Yes, the WAGs are back and, with them, the World Cup.
And, bloody typical, I get Montana Manning, significant WAG of Aaron Lennon, in the sweep. I bet those Johnnie- comes- latelies getting on your nerves in the pub tonight talking like amateurs about handbag linings and favourite facial kits have barely even ever heard of her. Or they have heard of her but they assumed they heard wrong and the person talking was actually referring to Hannah Montana.
Put it like this: she’s not going to be pulling up any trees out there in South Africa. Which, as well as opening up her afternoons for spa dates with Abbey Clancy, is probably a good thing from an environmental viewpoint, and a nail care one too. But it does leave her profile included on The Daily Mail’s Wag Wall-chart woefully short on information.
Under profession we’re offered ‘Model, Actress, Whatever’ which sound like an answer a bored teenager may give a tentative career advisor not picking up on the sardonic tone. (Though would probably come as little surprise to Daily Mail readers- most of whom probably imagine you can take a degree in Model, Actress, Whatever General Studies nowadays.)
And her attitude to clothes, the type of detail which really helps us objectify others? Less is more, apparently. A bit of a done to death line that one, but a classic all the same and one which may perhaps come in handy further on in the tournament if her partner finds himself fielding questions about his work rate.
Click on image to view gallery:
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
There is no doubt about it. Wayne Rooney is in scintillating form with eight goals from just four games. Chelsea won’t roll over like Bolton and Arsenal did for the Champions. However, everything the Manchester United forward touches at the moment turns to goals. If United win at the weekend, you’d think he’ll be in the thick of the action.
Honourable Mentions: Darren Bent, Nani, Luiz Suarez, Sergio Aguero
The Vice Captain
Pulling the strings of the Manchester City attack is the mesmeric David Silva. The Spaniard has two goals and two assists to date and his side travel to Craven Cottage on Sunday. The Cottagers are yet to win this season and Silva is sure to take advantage of any nervousness in the Fulham ranks. With Dzeko and Aguero looking so deadly in front of goal, the likelihood of assists only increases for the ex-Valencia playmaker.
The Outside Bet
He was missed against Spurs last week as Wolves struggled to create enough clear cut chances. However, Matt Jarvis should return from injury at Molineux this weekend against QPR. The man with an England cap to his name could well mark his return with a performance. He is certainly one of the main, if not the main creative outlets for Mick McCarthy’s side.
Honourable Mentions: Ivan Klasnic, Tim Cahill, Nicklas Bendtner
[ad_pod id=’vip-2′ align=’centre’]
Spot the Clean Sheet
Even though they’ve failed to score yet, Swansea’s defence has looked good at home. Barring any silly mistakes from keeper Michel Vorm, West Brom might find Swansea a harder side to break down than Norwich. Hodgson has never been famed for his record on the road in the Premier League either. With two clean sheets to their name at home already, it’s not a bad bet they can secure a third against the Baggies.
Avoid for the Weekend
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Although he showed signs of his former self against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek, Fernando Torres doesn’t look nearly prolific enough to make any fantasy team. He still only has one Premier League goal to his name in 18 appearances since his £50 million move in January. Sunday’s game against Manchester United is unlikely to be the game where he breaks his duck for the new season.
A Forgotten Man
Emmanuel Adebayor’s debut somewhat overshadowed Jermain Defoe’s performance against Wolves. If you still give Defoe a chance, he will put it away and it is something Liverpool need to be wary of going into their clash at White Hart Lane this weekend. He’ll be hoping last season was an anomaly in his career.
My general attitude to David Pleat when listening to the former Tottenham manager on ITV and BBC radio is to ignore him. In fact, ever since Pleat referred to Hernan Crespo as; “that Italian striker” his opinions lost a fair amount of credibility in my eyes.
I was surprised then to hear the former TV pundit pick up on Fabio Capello’s use of his midfielders during England’s friendly win over Denmark on Wednesday night. Pleat’s argument is that the use of two out and out wingers is an unnecessary risk, and a luxury at the top level. Capello would appear to disagree, and whilst a two pronged attack with Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent is becoming a more a more likely option for England’s next round of Euro 2012 qualifiers, the idea of using two fully-fledged wingers is certainly something the Italian is considering as a back up.
However, are England able to justify the use of two attacking wingers in any system? In the past, with David Beckham still patrolling the right hand side of midfield, the national side have had a slightly slower, arguably more balanced midfield. In employing two responsibility free wide men, Capello’s men can potentially gain the sort of penetration that they lacked during the sluggish World Cup campaign.
However, there are major risks to this formation. On Wednesday night, the experiment left full-backs Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole exposed to raids from veteran, Dennis Rommedahl and the impressive but inexperienced, Christian Eriksen. This would be a potential disaster were England to adopt the same system against European rivals with genuine pace down the flanks. Holland or Germany in particular would pounce on this sort of formation with relish.
Admittedly Cole, who has history of struggles against Rommedahl, has shown the ability to keep the very best players quiet. However, it is the role of Glen Johnson that would most concern me in a formation that enabled two wingers to operate with the freedom with which they were deployed against the Danish.
When England line-up against Wales in March, which two of Theo Walcott, Stewart Downing, James Milner and Ashley Young will start is unclear. By then, Capello will hope to be able to call on both Frank Lampard and Seven Gerrard in the centre of midfield, increasing the chance of a two winged system being used again, certainly if he backs out on selecting Darren Bent.
However, the whole conundrum would appear to rest on how keen the Italian will be to give Jack Wilshere his first competitive start in an England shirt. Handing Wilshere a role in the centre would mean sacrificing the increasingly immobile Gareth Barry as defensive cover at the base of midfield. Either Capello would be forced to try and turn Wilshere into a holding player for the trip to Wales, certainly a risk, or to do away with the attacking winger concept altogether.
The concern for Capello is if he doesn’t try a system with two wingers now, there will precious little time to experiment in any sort of meaningful environment until England revert to the system when 2-0 down to Spain in a Euro 2012 semi-final.
Nevertheless, even against a Wales side hammered 3-0 by the Republic of Ireland this week, the thought of leaving Glen Johnson alone to deal with a rampaging Gareth Bale does not sound a sensible proposition.
The demands placed on the modern day full back mean that Cole and Johnson will already be expected to do some attack-minded work for England- both have already been nurtured at club level to display attacking capability- this may convince Capello to shelve the experiment for the time being.
My money would be on Walcott being given the freedom of the right flank against Wales, with James Milner carrying out a conservative brief on the left hand side. This would allow a fit Gerrard and Lampard to team up in the middle, with Jack Wilshere given the nod ahead of Gareth Barry. With the potential problems of a system overhaul, Capello might just hope his plan A is good enough. If not, he’ll just wing it.
If you fancy a lesson on the formations used by Tottenham sides of the 1980’s, sign up via my Twitter account- David Pleat is the guest speaker. Don’t worry about transport Dave and I will pick you up curbside.
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ask any Leeds United fan who their favourite player of the Premier League era was and you’ll get similar responses. Gary Kelly, Lucas Radebe or Nigel Martyn are typical answers, but ask them to think back just a couple of years earlier and they might remember a different legend. Ah yes, Tony Yeboah. The Ghanaian became something of a cult hero at Elland Road, despite spending a limited amount of time at the club, but what he did produce on the pitch, no one could ever forget.
The Whites signed Yeboah from the Bundesliga where he’d been prolific for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 68 goals in 123 league games. He’d suffered a torrid time initially at the club though, having to overcome the racist taunts of his own fans as the first black player to turn out for Frankfurt, but his ability on the pitch won them over in the end. After he initially scored 12 goals in 18 games on loan for Leeds at the back end of the 1994/5 season, they forked out £3.4 million to sign him permanently that summer.
He proved to be a highly successful signing, scoring 19 goals in 39 games the following season, including a hat trick against Monaco in the UEFA Cup and Wimbledon in the Premier League. He also became the first non-English player to win the club’s Player of the Year award, however Yeboah is fondly remembered by the Leeds faithful for his spectacular goals, the man simply didn’t do tap-ins. His shot on goal was unofficially registered as faster than Peter Lorimer’s, the man whose right boot is the stuff of legends round Elland Road. He won consecutive Goal of the Month awards on Match of the Day, the first player to do so, but nobody can quite decide whether his strike against Livepool or Wimbledon was better, so along with another couple of selections, I’ll let you decide for yourselves.
[youtube JfLz-WgbqY8]
Unfortunately for Yeboah and the Leeds fans, his career stalled somewhat in Yorkshire after he suffered a series of injuries in the 1996/7 season. The arrival of George Graham as manager proved to be the end of his time at Elland Road as the pair clashed and much to the chagrin of the supporters, the striker moved back to Germany, signing for Hamburg for a fee of £1 million. He spent four years at the club, but his goalscoring record was poor compared to his efforts elsewhere as he managed just 28 in 100 league appearances for the club. Seeking one final payday, he made the move out to Qatar, joining Al-Ittihad Doha.
Yeboah’s impact on European football cannot be underestimated; he paved the way for African footballers in Germany having dealt with so much abuse along the way, thereby proving a fine ambassador for the continent with his fine displays in England and Germany. He still found the time to represent his country, scoring 29 goals in 59 games for Ghana while his work for African charities is also highly commendable. Much to the delight of Yeboah fans, he appeared in a number of friendly matches to try and raise money for orphans in Ghana, while he also gave the Leeds fans one final show at the Lucas Radebe testimonial in 2005.
His ventures outside football have been numerous, but he had a go at becoming the Chairman for Ghanaian side Berekum Chelsea and all reports suggest he made a better fist of it than Ken Bates at his former club. He runs a sports agency, helping African players make the breakthrough into Europe and also owns a series of hotels, making him a successful man outside the game as well. Recent public appearances suggest he might be enjoying those Yorkshire Puddings a little too much again though.
You can’t help but get a strong feeling of nostalgia when you look back at Yeboah’s career. He wasn’t the greatest goalscorer out there, or the hardest worker, but boy did he entertain. As Leeds go into the new season with just Luciano Becchio leading the line, you wonder what those sitting in the Kop would give for their former Ghanaian favourite to be there unleashing his thunderbolts towards opposition goalkeepers once more.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Like any self respecting football fan, I spent most of transfer deadline day sat in my office scouring Twitter for the latest transfer rumour and staring intently at BBC’s sports day live patiently waiting for each auto refreshing nugget of drama to unfold. Not a lot of work was done.
Conversely, those behind the scenes at the Emirates were very busy, something we are not used to from recent deadline days. Overall, Wenger has completed eight new signings this summer with over half of those going right up to the wire. This is the largest intake of fresh blood since 1998 when the likes of Overmars, Petit and Wreh, amongst others, arrived in North London.
That particular group marked a shift in the way we play football and the beginning of our domestic dominance of the late 90’s and early 00’s. And of course we don’t need reminding of the other signings that came during that period and cemented AW’s reputation as a master in the transfer market. So how does this new batch compare?
Obviously only time will tell but my initial reaction was one of relief (yes he’s spent some money, plugged some gaps) followed by excitement and then, this morning, back to reality with a disappointing thud. Let me explain. On the whole I think some good business was this summer, the addition of Mertesacker and Santos means we can finally have a back four that inspires confidence. If Vermaelen can keep fit, he and Mertasacker will provide the Vidic/Ferdinand style centre paring that has been so sorely missed in recent seasons.
Benayoun is a wise, if not underwhelming, loan acquisition and he will bring some much needed Premier League and European experience in the middle. Arteta gives us something to be excited about, I’ve always seen Everton’s former talisman as a natural Arsenal player, he’s creative, quick, and intelligent plus we know he can deliver in the domestic game.
Gervinho looks promising (then again so did Chamakh) and Jenkinson and Chamberlain are young prospects who may need a couple of seasons to mature but could play a valuable part this season, just not in the big games. Good so far but no matter how much I play out the positives I keep on going back to something AW said in a press conference a few weeks ago that has probably haunted him ever since…“(if) you see Fabregas leaving, Nasri leaving…you cannot pretend you are a big club”. Well Fabregas left and Nasri left and the money gained has not been spent on adequate replacements.
All around us big clubs, rightly or wrongly, are spending big, offering big wages and big prospects of silverware. The summer transfer saga has demonstrated that Arsenal cannot compete with this, if we cannot keep our star players, how can we expect to attract new ones?
This season will be make or break for AW and Arsenal FC, we must win a trophy and qualify for the Champions League otherwise the allure of the Man City’s and the Barca’s will be too great for the likes of Wilshere and RVP and we may even struggle to sign someone like Arteta, let alone Kaka’s and Messi’s of this world.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Article courtesy of Robert Rankin from Arsenal Insider
With the shocking news that Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is seeking a move away from the club to Premier League rivals Chelsea this transfer window breaking over the past few days, would the sale of one of the club’s most prized assets be a good thing for Liverpool in the long-run and help facilitate a much needed revamp of the playing staff?
It’s become abundantly clear over the past few months that Fernando Torres has been far from a happy bunny at Liverpool, and while the nature of his discontent has been there for everyone to see, the speed at which things have moved over the past few days has been most surprising.
Chelsea Chairman Roman Abramovich has, correctly in my opinion, decided to right the wrongs of the club’s flawed transfer policy in the summer by digging into his considerably deep pockets to fork out for some established talent. The plan at Chelsea was always that in the long-term, the club would become self-sufficient and there has been a noticeable decrease in the club’s spending the past few seasons.
Abramovich though, has obviously realised that he has the right man in charge in Carlo Ancelotti, it’s just that the current squad that he has at his disposal could do with a bit of spring cleaning. Chelsea are clearly an ageing side on the wane at the minute, and by my estimation they probably need around 5 players to challenge for the title again – a strange thing to say about the current champions I grant you, but let me explain.
Jose Mourinho’s back-to-back title winning teams had pace in abundance and a real strength in depth. While Chelsea’s current allegiance to their youth team players is admirable, they are simply too raw to be relied upon just yet. I think Chelsea need a centre half, with their pursuit of David Luiz likely to be revived in the summer, a creative midfielder, a couple of genuinely pacy wingers and a world-class striker. It’s not a major overhaul that’s required, just tweaking and a padding out of the first-team squad with some more experienced faces.
They lack pace and a source of creativity. Their game is based around power and confidence. A Chelsea side in full flow has a swagger to it that’s hard to match and they can be absolutely devastating when on song. Sadly for Ancelotti though, this hasn’t been the case for most of the campaign so far as they‘ve struggled for consistency. Signing Torres would send a signal that the days of the club dipping into the transfer market for big-name players aren’t completely over yet in a signal of both intent and ambition. Torres most certainly offers Chelsea a different option to what they currently possess.
So how much will he cost?
Liverpool have apparently demanded £50m for Torres, a fair price by my estimations, especially considering the market today, the barometer of the Cristiano Ronaldo sale, and the premium you pay for doing your business in January. What Liverpool do with this money is even more interesting though.
If Chelsea need 5 players to truly challenge for the title once more, then Liverpool need probably double that to have a sufficient chance of doing the unthinkable – winning a Premier League title.
Liverpool’s squad lacks any real depth and the quality is worryingly uneven. You have fabulous players such as Reina, Gerrard and Torres interspersed with deeply average footballers such as Konchesky, N’Gog and Kyrgiakos. In short, Liverpool are in dire need of a revamp.
The departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid has hit the club much harder than even the most avid Alonso fan could have envisaged, and they’ve struggled to dictate the tempo of games ever since. Raul Meireles has been a great buy, but he looks more of a threat and comfortable further up the pitch. Top priority has to be, a replacement for Torres aside, a player capable of dictating their play from deep.
This is obviously a task easier said than done and playmakers of the calibre of Alonso are few and far between, but with £50m in their back pocket, Liverpool can afford to pursue, in the eloquent Jamie Redknapp’s words, ‘top, top players’.
The fact that Liverpool are so over-reliant on two players – Gerrard and Torres – isn’t a healthy state of affairs for any side to be in and isn‘t conducive to any sort of lasting success. The lack of a plan B if those two struggle to perform has been present for three seasons now and shows a lack of foresight on successive former managers’ parts.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE…
The new owners NESV have been faced with arguably their biggest challenge to date since taking ownership of the club. If they get the right deal, the one rumoured today to be £40m plus Nicolas Anelka, then it could mark a turning point in Liverpool’s future direction. The fees being banded about are considerable, particularly when you factor in the player’s willingness to move and his injury-record over the past 18 months.
Unlike just a few short months ago, when rejecting a £35-40m bid would have been nothing short of remarkable, the club now don’t have an overwhelming need to sell. The preferred option would be to negotiate some sort of deal with Torres so that he could stay until the end of the season at least, then be allowed to move on if he still wished to. The problem with this though, is that you then have an unhappy player on your hands for half a season.
The deal for Luis Suarez has to be seen as the exception and not the rule when it comes to the sort of fees that the new owners are likely to pay out in the future. Before the whole Torres/Chelsea story came to light, Suarez was being pursued with the intention of partnering Torres, not replacing him. £23m is a lot of money for Suarez, but it shows that if the right player were to become available, NESV aren’t afraid to put their hands in their pocket and stump up the necessary cash.
However, NESV are widely known in the US from their time in charge of Boston Red Sox to be canny operators when it comes to transfer dealings. They prefer sensible investments over time as opposed to the quick fix option. Without the sale of someone such as Torres, the process of rebuilding the side would happen through incremental steps and smart acquisitions as opposed to a short spending spree. The sale of Torres could speed up the revamp considerably and offers the club more options.
The club’s new-found stability off the pitch means their bargaining position is now significantly stronger than it was at the beginning of the season and they’ll drive a hard bargain for Torres.
In an ideal world for Liverpool fans, Fernando Torres would be content to see out the remaining years of his contract at the club and spearhead Kenny Dalglish’s second coming. This, though, looks to be little more than a pipedream after the last few days’ revelations. Torres will leave, either today, something which is looking increasingly likely, or at the very latest, in the summer. What Liverpool do now is of paramount importance.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Losing a player of Torres’ quality would hit any side hard. He’s unquestionably one of the top three strikers in the world and has a fantastic record for the club. His pace, directness, work-rate and finesse will be sorely missed – but it’s clear that a move for around the £50m is in the best interests of both parties.
It gives Liverpool the opportunity to bring an end to the days of middling players not fit to wear the shirt and presents them with an opportunity for recovery. The first shoots of recovery have already been sown with the arrival of club legend Dalglish. Back-to-back wins and improved performances on the pitch show that it’s not all doom and gloom on the pitch and that there is still a lot at the club to work with.
Inter Milan have shown the blueprint on how to achieve success after the departure of one of the club’s biggest stars, with their reinvestment in their squad after the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovich to Barcelona for £40m plus Samuel Eto‘o. His departure enabled the club to sign Wesley Sneijder, Lucio, Goran Pandev, Thaigo Motta, Diego Milito and McDonald Mariga. An unprecedented treble followed and Liverpool will be hoping the sale of Torres for a similar fee will go some way to repeating similar success on the pitch.
The idea of letting go of Torres seemed bonkers at first, but now, it seems like the only way forward for the club.
What does everyone else think? Should Liverpool cash in on Torres while they can? Will his sale facilitate an improvement of the squad as a whole? Or is this simply a worrying sign of a club in decline?
[divider]
Picklive lets you compete against real people for real money… in real time! Take part in the WBA v Wigan match and play Picklive for FREE Go on, give it a go!
The FA have sprung to the defence of Ashley Cole and Ashley Young, after the England pair were identified for racist abuse on Twitter after missing penalties at Euro 2012.
The Three Lions were eliminated from the tournament in Ukraine and Poland by Italy at the quarter-finals stage after the pair failed to score from the spot.
The duo have been targeted for abuse on the social networking site, with police having already started investigations to unearth the guilty parties.
The FA have released a statement in support of the under-fire pair, and is shocked by the incidents after the players gave their all for England this summer.
“We are concerned at the allegations of abuse aimed at England players Ashley Cole and Ashley Young on Twitter,” a statement on the governing body’s official website reads.
“They have just given everything for the national team at Euro 2012 and it is appalling and unacceptable that messages of an abusive type are being posted. We support any police investigation in identifying who is behind this.”
The Metropolitan police have also released a statement to confirm that they are in the process of investigation.
“We are aware of alleged racist comments on Twitter following England game and have launched an investigation,” a statement reveals.
“The allegation was made to MPS on 25 June by a member of the public relating to comments on a Twitter account supposedly based in London.
“There have been no arrests at this early stage.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“The MPS is examining possible offences under Section 18/19 Public Order Act 1986.”