UNITED’S MULLER DESIRE
Manchester United wanted Thomas Muller ‘at all costs’ this summer, apparently.
‘Super agent’ Giovanni Branchini (who wears a cape, one might imagine) confirmed what we already knew when he revealed that he had to break it to United that there was no chance of signing the Germany striker.
“Manchester United wanted Thomas Muller at all costs,” Branchini told calciomercato.com in a Q&A picked up by most of Friday’s papers. He added: “I’ve spent days trying to explain Bayern Munich would never let him leave – so in the end they changed their mind.”
LUKAKU HOLDS WENGER AMBITION
Romelu Lukaku is an ambitious boy. Ever since he joined Everton for not far off £30million, the striker and his agent have seemed at pains to point out that the Toffees are a mere stepping stone to the very top.
Daniel Storey’s crush has been talking about which bosses he’d like to play for, and Arsene Wenger makes his top three.
“Mourinho is one. Guardiola and Wenger. In this order,” the forward told Le Vif.
Cue ‘Wenger eyes January move for Lukaku’ headlines…
BAYERN-BOUND KLOPP TO DISAPPOINT PL GIANTS
‘Arsenal and Liverpool receive devastating blow in hunt for Jurgen Klopp’ is the Daily Star website’s headline.
When they say ‘Arsenal’, it seems they actually mean ‘Piers Morgan’. But Liverpool might be slightly more irked at more rumours coming out of Germany that Kloppo is indeed waiting around for Pep Guardiola to shuffle off into the sunset next summer.
Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season and does not seem in a hurry to discuss a renewal.
AND THE REST
Manchester United are keen on Bayer Leverkusen’s Turkish international Hakan Calhanoglu…Jesse Lingard could be set to join Sheffield Wednesday on loan…Tottenham are interested in Lille’s Sofiane Boufal…Aston Villa are targeting a January move for ex-Chelsea midfielder Gokhan Tore…Javier Mascherano will stand trial on charges of tax evasion later this month…Turkish prodigy Enes Unal has revealed he snubbed Chelsea in favour of Manchester City…Mathieu Debuchy is expected to review his situation at Arsenal in January after losing his place on Thursday in the France squad… Brendan Rodgers has dismissed suggestions that Divock Origi could go on loan in January.
Date published: Thursday 1st October 2015 8:31
LIVERPOOL HANDED SANE CUSTARD PIE
Schalke have confirmed that Liverpool were keen on signing 19-year-old Leroy Sane.
German publication Bild has quotes attributed to Schalke director of sport Horst Heldt, who says Liverpool submitted a lucrative offer for Sane during the transfer window.
“There was one or more prestigious club that contacted us about Sane. Liverpool was ready to pay money for him.
“These offers didn’t at all interest us or the player. I am really not concerned about losing the player.
“Two years ago, Ajax made an offer as well.”
Liverpool are believed to have offered around £11million for the winger, but Brendan Rodgers received the proverbial custard pie with neither the club nor the player interested in the move.
WEST BROM CHECK ON ENRIQUE…AND
West Brom scouts checked on Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique this week, according to the Daily Mail.
It’s not surprising Albion are keeping tabs on the 29-year-old full-back because he almost signed for them in the transfer window, but the move fell through reportedly because of the Spaniard’s high wages.
The former Newcastle man is out of contract next summer and West Brom are mulling over whether to wait until then to sign the player or move in the January window.
Enrique, who has been omitted from Brendan Rodgers’ Europa League squad, has been included in Liverpool’s Premier League squad but he is well down the pecking order and turned out for the Under-21s this week.
Enrique has also been heavily criticised by fans on social media for posting pictures of himself, but he was forced to apologise – how dare he enjoy life after being dropped.
Enrique said: “I thought it was good to share with the fans pictures but I think they have been killing me for that.
“Ok, chao (sic) Instagram and Twitter. Focus on play (sic) football and show myself again.”
ARSENAL LINKED WITH ‘GOAL-MACHINE’
Arsene Wenger will sign Celta Vigo “goal-machine” Nolito in the January transfer window, according to reports in Spain.
‘Arsenal to pip Liverpool and Barcelona to £13.3m goal-machine’, reads the Daily Express’ headline.
According to Fichajes, the Gunners will match the attacker’s £13.3million buy-out clause and sign the 28-year-old in January.
Firstly, we’re not sure 99 goals in 334 games constitutes “goal-machine” status and this is Arsenal we’re talking about here. Arsene Wenger failed to make an outfield signing in the summer window and with Danny Welbeck expected back in action early next year then the move for Nolito looks very unlikely.
And we haven’t even mentioned the Express’ blatant click-baiting yet. Are Liverpool (click) and Barcelona (click) really interested?
AND THE REST
Everton are giving a trial to Brazilian right-back Felipe Mattioni. The 26-year-old played for the club’s U21 side in their 3-1 win over Norwich City at Southport on Tuesday night…Wales want the future of manager Chris Coleman sorted out early in the new year…Chris Ramsey has been warned he is skating on thin ice at QPR…Aston Villa midfielder Joe Cole has held talks with manager Tim Sherwood over arranging a loan move to the Championship…Walter Mazzarri’s agent has revealed the former Inter Milan coach is learning English ahead of a possible move to the Premier League…Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target Martin Montoya is not looking for a quick escape from Inter Milan, according to his agent.
It feels eerily like Brendan Rodgers is mirroring Roy
Hodgson and Rafael Benitez’s final doomed days at Liverpool. Raheem
Sterling and Dele Alli also need huge performances. Plus, Arsene Wenger,
Jose Mourinho and Manchester United’s right-back.Arsene Wenger
“Weak”, “soft” and “lacking characters leaders and winners” was the typically subtle verdict from Roy Keane on Arsenal in midweek. It’s a withering assessment that could have been made at any point over the last decade, but it’s an assessment which is growing more and more difficult to challenge.
Where Wenger could previously fall back on progress in the Champions League and a top-four finish in the Premier League whenever his job security was questioned, one of those ‘achievements’ grows more unlikely with each game. Defeats to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos leave Arsenal bottom of their group in Europe, with back-to-back ties against Bayern Munich next. A top-four finish alone may not be enough to save the Frenchman come the summer; indeed it should not be enough.
As Sarah Winterburn wrote in midweek, Wenger got it wrong against Olympiacos. Very wrong, no less. With progress in the Champions League in major doubt, the leaders await in a Premier League clash the Frenchman cannot afford to lose.
If history is anything to go by however, that’s the most likely outcome. The Gunners have beaten United just twice in 17 meetings since 2008, and just once in the Premier League in that sequence. Arsenal have a lower win percentage against United in the league (24%) than versus any other opponent. You can’t help but feel Wenger will be more eager to ensure avoiding defeat rather than gaining the win at the Emirates on Sunday, thus sending out further mixed messages to his supposed title challengers.
Dele Alli
“Be careful with the younger players, the players who arrive in the Premier League and perform well. It’s not easy. But again, like last season, it’s not my decision. It’s Roy Hodgson’s decision if he wants to call up Dele Alli. Always in football it’s step by step and we need to be careful. It is too much of a rush to talk about bigger steps for him.” – Mauricio Pochettino, September 25.
“We’ve been impressed with Dele Alli and this is a chance to get to know him. He’s a very exciting talent.” – Roy Hodgson, October 1, after naming Dele Alli in his England squad.
It’s been quite the meteoric rise for the Spurs midfielder. This time last year he was starting for MK Dons against Yeovil in League One; this time in two weeks he could be an England international. For a player with three Premier League starts to his name, much is being asked of good old Bamidele Jermaine.
All eyes will be on the 19-year-old at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Whether he replicates his performance against Manchester City from a deeper-lying role or he is utilised in his cutomary more advanced role, Alli will be expected to prove just why he is in line to feature for England despite boasting just two Under-21 caps.
Brendan Rodgers
Who fancies a game of spot the difference?
Exhibit A: “The doom and gloom that surrounds us is not coming from within the club, not from me and not from the players – it’s coming from people outside who are having a field day and delighting in the fact we are having a bad time.”
Exhibit B: “I am pretty confident that there is a group of people that don’t want me here to be the manager. Sometimes we haven’t lost games and the hysteria around it is pretty clear that there is maybe something else going on from behind.”
The former comes from Roy Hodgson, the latter from Brendan Rodgers; nearly five years apart to the day. From the bizarre excuses all the way down to the dire performances, this season has been strikingly similar to the final campaigns of both Hodgson and Rafael Benitez before their respective exits.
A draw with FC Sion in isolation is bad, but in the context of Liverpool’s season it merely adds to the increasing pressure on the manager. It is now just three victories from 10 games in all competitions. How Liverpool and Rodgers acquit themselves in the first Merseyside derby of the season could come to define his reign.
Defeat on Sunday is unfathomable for the Northern Irishman, but this is an Everton side fifth in the table and playing in front of a raucous Goodison Park crowd. Considering Liverpool’s last five Premier League wins have come against Bournemouth (currently 16th), Stoke (17th), Aston Villa (18th), Newcastle (19th) and QPR (13th. In the Championship), the Reds are quite heavy underdogs up against their neighbours.
Raheem Sterling
Time to spare a thought for Liverpool fans currently in possession of a 2015/16 club calendar. Those poor souls must suffer with the image of Raheem Sterling adorning their wall throughout all of October – a timely reminder of what they once boasted as the club continue to struggle. Of course, the club isn’t the only one still acclimatising to the move.
For Sterling, the switch from playing the role of big fish in the little Anfield pond to plankton lost amidst the Manchester City talent pool has been an understandably difficult one. This is a player who was asked to help provide for Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli on regular occasions last season, and Sergio Aguero and team-mates this.
It’s difficult to shake off the feeling that Sterling needs to produce a big performance in a City shirt sooner rather than later. The England international has missed just one Premier League game this season – that through injury – but has been substituted in a club-high five games. Liverpool are struggling without one of their most potent attacking threats, but Sterling himself is yet to truly adjust to the quality at the Etihad.
It’s understandable. Sterling is still only 20 and has the weight of expectation still sat firmly on his shoulders after becoming a £44million footballer in the summer. It’s arguable that his versatility, while one of his key assets, rather plays against him in a City side boasting players with similar acumen.
“They know they must perform because if they do not they will be replaced,” was the stark warning from defender and team-mate Eliaquim Mangala in midweek. Where Liverpool had no-one better to compete for his place, City have potential replacements in abundance if necessary. Sterling could do with improving his record of one league goal and assist each so far this season to avoid such a scenario.
Jose Mourinho
Another defeat in midweek, but a different tactic from Jose Mourinho. He avoided repeating similar criticism of his players after defeat to Porto, expressing the need to nurture “good feelings, happiness, self-esteem” among his squad. It might be a little too late for that, Jose.
The Champions League reverse on Tuesday represented Chelsea’s fifth defeat in nine weeks in all competitions so far this season; they had suffered their previous five defeats in 55 weeks beforehand. The most startling aspect of the Blues’ form is the continued presence of Branislav Ivanovic in the starting line-up.
Where John Terry, Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic can be dropped at will, Ivanovic lives a charmed life at right-back. The Serbian has not started a league game on the bench since April 2013 – a run of 62 consecutive Premier League games. The only thing more baffling is that Mourinho is sure to persist with his ‘trusty’ lieutenant in a game Chelsea cannot afford to not win against Southampton.
Manchester United’s right-back
Whomever it may be. Louis van Gaal has his pick of actual right-back Matteo Darmian, bit-part right winger Antonio Valencia, centre-half Phil Jones or bench-bound Ashley Young for Sunday’s test against Arsenal and a newly in-form Alexis Sanchez. Each option will have lasting repercussions for the league leaders.
Darmian is the obvious option – being a right-back and all – but the Italian is also the most reliable choice on a left-hand side vacated by Luke Shaw. If Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Wolfsburg proved anything, it’s that Valencia simply shouldn’t be a starting full-back for a side with such lofty ambitions. The Ecuadorean silenced Sanchez twice last season, but you wouldn’t bet on lightning striking a third time.
Whatever Van Gaal decides, Sanchez is the reward. After struggling at the start of the season, the Chilean has now plundered four goals and provided one assist in his last two games. If Valencia struggled against Wolfsburg, imagine him facing that little fella. And if Jones is favoured, just imagine the gurns.
Tim Sherwood
Said Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood back in May: “I am allowed to sign whoever I want in the summer as long as I can justify it, but I believe even if we didn’t make a signing we wouldn’t be in this position again.”
Said Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood after defeat to Liverpool left them 18th: “We need to stay in the division and if we do we will be stronger next year.”
Even in drastically lowering expectations to “if we stay in the division”, Sherwood has managed to make yet another promise he will struggle to keep at Aston Villa. The club may have lost Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph in the summer, but if you are considerably weaker after over £50million worth of investment (only Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs spent more), how does one propose you will be “stronger” next season?
Football in the north east
14 games, nine defeats and 11 goals. So stands the cumulative record of Newcastle and Sunderland, currently 19th and 20th in the Premier League respectively and the final two teams yet to record a victory. Newcastle travel to Manchester City (2nd), while Sunderland host away-day revellers West Ham (3rd).
Still, at least Middlesbrough are doing well.
Claudio Ranieri
A very different challenge awaits Claudio Ranieri at Leicester this weekend. No longer Europe’s form team, the Foxes head into a Premier League clash at Norwich with their unbeaten record no longer intact. Momentum is crucial, and winning it back is not easy.
Bournemouth
For any side to lose their three most important players – and two most expensive signings in their history – within a matter of weeks is devastating. For a newly promoted side it borders on disaster. Eddie Howe is faced with the task of replacing Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel and now top goalscorer Callum Wilson in his Bournemouth squad.
Anthony Martial
Zero goals in two games? If he’s not careful he’ll revert back to a ‘£56.7million man’ soon.
Mails: Wenger should have signed Smalling
Date published: Thursday 1st October 2015 2:01
Seen anything for the Mailbox? Mail us at theeditor@football365.com
‘Premier League rubbish? I’d say the opposite…’
The central argument raised by Nick Miller that the Premier League is rubbish is an interesting one.
However I would suggest that the opposite is true and plays a large role in why English teams struggle in Europe. The Premier League teams ON AVERAGE are very good (discount Sunderland).
The so called ‘lesser’ teams in the Premier League would beat their Spanish or German counterparts most of the time.
Take for example Leicester (finished 14th) last season, compared to Levante (14th in La Liga) and Stuttgart (14th in Germany), I would back Leicester every time over the other two. This was before the huge TV rights money this season which has seen unprecedented investment and star names such as Shaqiri joining Stoke. This has made the Premier League even more competitive.
The top four cannot afford to rest players even against the relegation threatened teams any more. This leads to an over reliance on a first 11 (Chelsea) or so much abuse for dropping points when you rotate (Arsenal) that managers are forced to play their star players into the ground.
I think this very point was raised in a previous mail box but the authors name escapes me. I’m fairly sure Bayern, Real or Barca can afford to rest players more often than the English teams.
Whilst this doesn’t explain Arsenal losing to Olympiacos, I’m fairly sure they had an easier game last weekend than a 90 minute end to end game vs Leicester.
Craig (Personally loving the unpredictable Premier League), AFC, Vietnam.
English teams need to get a grip in Europe
Was interested to read a couple of comments seemingly dismissing the likelihood of Italy overtaking us in the UEFA rankings and nicking a Champs League Place, thought I’d take a look.
Ranking points are calculated with the following rules (I’ve abbreviated)…
1. Both Champs League and Europa League count.
2. It’s an average score per club from a country
3. 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, bonus points awarded for Group Stage of Champs League (4), Last 16 of Champs League (5) & a further point in both Leagues for Quarters, Semi & Final.
4. Quali and Play Off rounds score half points.
5. Last 5 years all count equally.
Currently we have a nice 3-point lead over Italy mainly due to Chelsea winning back in 2011/12 and we’re guaranteed 4 CL places next year.
All very good but things are going to get harder to maintain that gap, last season Italy had a great year with 1 CL finalist and 2 Europa Semi Finalists from 6 teams whilst we had a shocker.
Very soon our historical lead will have gone and we need to beat Italy over the next 2 seasons (by about 0.8 points) to stay ahead. Over the next 3 years that stretches to 2.8 points. A tough ask on current form in the Champs League and attitude in the Europa League.
Basically, English teams need to get a grip, start winning games, preferably at the expense of the Italians and take the Europa seriously otherwise the 4th placed trophy will be no more. (Long Live the 3rd Placed Trophy)
On the other hand it would shake up the Premier League and would be hilarious if Spurs got 4th only to be denied a Champs League spot because Arsenal and Chelsea were rubbish in the Champs League.
Matt (.)(.)
Should Wenger have broken the bank for Smalling?
In a week where Wenger has been slammed yet again for not spending money and having too much faith in his current players, do we have another example of a player Wenger should have tried harder to sign?
Over the years Wenger has become infamous for spending money like it is his own. For me the three players Wenger should have signed and was close to signing but refused to pay the fee were:
- 26 year old Xabi Alonso from Liverpool back in 2008 who Wenger did not think was worth £18m
- 26 year old Luis Suarez again from Liverpool in 2013 who Wenger famously offered £40,000,001 and not the asking price of £50m plus
- Chris Smalling who was heavily linked for £12m this summer who surely would have been sold for £20m plus.
Paul, London
PS I am a Wenger in man.
Strange loans
When watching the Chelsea v Porto game on Tuesday night, Porto made a sub late in the game.
The commentator noted that it was Miguel Layun coming on. Who was currently on loan from Watford. From Watford, on loan at Porto!
It struck me as odd. I looked into it and it turns out he is there on loan with the option to buy, so it makes a bit more sense. But I thought that would be time for a mailbox survey. Strangest loans?
I will start. Faubert to Real Madrid.
Nick, CFC, Inverness
Man United and Everton hold same blueprint
I noticed in the various conclusions to the Man Utd game that many fans and pundits were seemingly pleased that Utd went behind early as it forced them to up their tempo which in turn made the passing more incisive and Utd more dangerous.
I tried to make a similar point in my half cut conclusions to the West Brom Everton game, in that when we went 2-0 behind we increased our tempo which made some of our more sideways passers take extra risks and get the ball forward along the deck. Both teams have managers whose ‘philosophy’, or simply put, strategy to win a game of football, is to control possession throughout the game in the hope that:
- Without the ball, the opposition cannot score (unless there’s a brain fart, like on Monday by Funes Mori and Barry
- With the ball, the team have incisive passers in deep lying midfield roles (Carrick, Schweinsteiger, Herrera, Barry, McCarthy – I know, I know, the United players are better, I’m not making a direct comparison between the players, more the styles of play) to open up the play for the attacking flair players up top.
When the team goes behind the midfield have to take more risks and transition to the attacking players quicker, with the big advantage being that there is then more space for someone like Ross Barkley or Juan Mata to do their thing. My belief is that there is still a concern from both managers on the makeup of their defences which makes them go for a defensive style of play (sterile domination as it has been referred to).
I would say for United, with De Gea, Darmian and Smalling that this is not a fair reflection and that the defence is pretty strong and when Everton have Stones and Jagielka playing this is also the case.
So in summary, I would like to see both teams go for it on 17th October and get the ball quickly to Deloufeu, Barkley, Depay and Mata when they have more space to play in by taking those risks – it may harm pass completion statistics and put more pressure on the defence (which as stated are capable of dealing with it), but both teams have shown that it is their most effective method of scoring goals. It’ll be better than 90 minutes of sideways passes 60 yards from goal.
Bonus point: Have to agree with the recent praise for Smalling, in the pub last night we were amazed at his transformation. An England back five of Hart, Clyne, Stones, Smalling and Shaw (best wishes to him) has amazing potential and the possibility of 500+ aggregate of caps.
Given a year ago we had a back four of Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka and Baines lining up at the World Cup (all good pros but all on the decline) the future looks bright at the back for England, or at least until the underwhelming exit in France.
Cheers, Matt, EFC, London
Rooney criticism grossly overstated
Ben Gleeson’s email this morning is typical of how people are prone to exaggeration and myopia when it comes to passing judgement on Wayne Rooney.
Apparently it has been “evident for at least 3 seasons” that Rooney has not been good enough. AT LEAST 3 seasons; that is to say, it could have been going back further than that, then?
Despite the fact that he scored 34 goals during the 11/12 season, and 19 in 40 games during the 13/14 season.
I know that these are stats plucked from the club website, and that stats can be used to argue any point, but this perception that he has been sh!t for 3 or 4 years is absolute complete and utter rubbish. Make your point, by all means, but do not exaggerate in order to enforce it.
Last season, and indeed under Moyes the season before, Rooney was one of only a handful of players to come out of those seasons with any credit at all.
The blood runs cold to imagine where we’d have ended up without his skill and goals Apparently we should have kept Van Persie, people still seemingly starry eyed from his debut season, forgetting that he was actually totally ****ing shite for the following two seasons. And Javier Hernandez, whose likeable personality seems to be more important than the fact that his overall game was basically worse than terrible.
Wayne Rooney has not been having a great time of it just recently, I think we can all see that, but what grinds my gears is the way people are happy to judge him against a different set of criteria to how they assess other players.
What is good for the goose is no longer considered beneficial for the gander, it would seem, especially when it comes our Wayne.
His drop off in goal return in recent seasons has been widely criticised; his deployment in midfield apparently not an acceptable reason, despite a return of a goal every other game, which for a striker is exceptional, never mind a player being deployed out of position in midfield.
His “miskick” for the opening goal was apparently in stark contrast to Mata’s speculative flick for our second, which was sold as “sublime”.
See what I mean? This side is not “carrying” Wayne Rooney. That is a gross overstatement if ever there was one. People need to get a grip, and stop worrying about what rival fans are saying about our captain.
Harry The Manc.
Schweinsteiger influence already evident
A lot of deserved praise for lovely, lovely Juan Mata this morning in Winners and Losers, as well as some richly deserved abuse for awful, awful Wayne Rooney. I used to argue in the mailbox with Silvio Dante about his Rooneyness but sadly Silvio has ultimately been proven right – Rooney is a shadow of the shadow of the player he once was.
On a more positive note, it’s early days but Schweinsteiger is fast becoming our most important central midfielder. It was noticeable how much control United had with him on the pitch and then how much they lost once he left it, not for the first time this season. I imagine Van Gaal had half an eye on the Arsenal match because the last 20 minutes of a Champions League match when you are 2-1 up against tricky opposition is exactly when you want Schweinsteiger to play. He’s a man for the big occasion and his influence on United is already noticeable – Van Gaal recently told the press that Schweinsteiger has a big influence off the pitch as well as on it and has been accepted by the other players as a leader. Something United were in dire need of.
There are legitimate concerns about his long-term fitness but he has been the most consistent fixture in the base of United’s midfield since the start of the season. Not quite the washed-up, injured has-been many fans gleefully informed us he would be and not bad for the £6.5 million United paid for his services. Considering we spunked £7 million on former hobo; Bebe a few years ago, £6.5 million for Schweinsteiger is a frigging steal, even if he is 31.
So far, he’s done exactly what I hoped he would do and has fully embraced being a United player after spending nearly all his career at Bayern. Funnily enough I remember a few years back he was quoted saying that he would like to join United at some point, apparently his brother is a fan (from personal experience, Germany is one of the few countries outside of Asia where United are strangely quite popular). I am more than happy that he got his wish.
Smyth, MUFC (I like him almost as much as Marco Reus. Almost)
City’s Euro approach needs to change
F365,
City just about did enough to get past a mediocre BMG on Wednesday night, but the performance filled me with little confidence the team can get much further than the round of 16.
The problem is not the individual talent within the squad, it is the approach towards Champions League games.
In the Premier League most teams can be overwhelmed by City attacking from all angles, but at the top end of the game it just doesn’t work like that. City went on the offensive in Barcelona (albeit with a 4-4-2) last season in the round of 16 and but for Joe Hart could have been on the end of a hiding. The 4-2-3-1 system adopted by City is highly vulnerable to elite teams, heck it even got dismantled by Spurs!
The system is hard to get right. Mourinho uses the system and will no doubt testify to that. It is contingent on the three players behind the striker working hard defensively. That is probably why Jose let Juan Mata go, it wasn’t his lack of creative or goalscoring prowess, he just couldn’t play the defensive part of the role. Equally that is why Mourihno gets frustrated with Hazard, who as is the desire of a top end attacker, is not so keen on the mundane aspects of defensive tracking. The system can also leave full-backs horribly exposed, Exhibit A, Ivanovic.
At City the system has the benefit of fitting in all four main attacking players. However, when City used the 4-2-3-1 system at the tail end of last season, it was players like Milner and Navas who adapted well to the dual attacking/defensive requirement which the playing in the three behind the striker role demands. A failure of the three to work defensively leaves all kinds of spaces in and around the full-backs. The problem at City is exacerbated when the full-backs have a tendency to bomb forwards at every opportunity, and the holding two midfielders go walkabouts (that’s you Yaya).
I thought Barcelona were taking liberties playing a 4-3-3, with none of the stellar front three doing much in the way of defensive work. But Barca attackers were so good they got away with it. As for City, it is quite possible that with a good draw the team could progress to around the quarter-final point, but at some point an elite team will come into view and the failure to defend as a team and close a game down will bite once more.
Paul, Lymm
Dreaming of Guardiola at Arsenal
James (.)(.) Boobs Barkstriker ponders what the worst thing would be if Arsene was let go. Well I thought of every possible tragedy from the FA expulsion from FIFA to World War III to Queen Elizabeth finally dying, but not once did I imagine Arsenal relegated or going into administration, two of the worst things that could ever happen to Arsenal.
Something tells me James’ fears are seeing Arsenal finish in, say 7th position and/or not qualifying for Champions League after so many years in it. But wait… that sounds familiar. I know of a team who were in the same situation but are now top of the log, have won their 2 games in the CL group!
Back to my point now, I don’t give a sh** what could be the worst thing, because I believe the best thing will in actuality happen IF Wenger goes. Imagine this: we get Pep Guardiola in *and we must do absolutely everything in our power*, we finally get the players we’ve always wanted by bursting that kitty open and play the most scintillating football the world have ever seen. We win the quadruple and we go into delirium!
Do I hear some yawns and rumblings? Seriously though it is possible, okay maybe not the quadruple but the others very much so. Pep Guadiola is one of the best managers in the world. Why would he come to Arsenal? 1) Because they have the money (capability) to pay him, 2) He would love the challenge to manage in England and show the world the massive potential lying at Colney Road 3) Arsenal is similar in many ways to both Bayern and Barcelona in the playing philosophy and the foundation is there already.
Arsenal are a big club, we have the potential and the funds to progress further. With a Guardiola at the helm who knows what lofty heights we can reach!
Posab, ( Relax your titties man) Botswana
PS: this is better wet dream than Neville’s!
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