Amid all this summer’s transfer talk one of the few big money moves to actually happen has been the $20M+ transfer of Peter Crouch from Liverpool to FA Cup holders Portsmouth. Taken at face value the intent would seem to be to play Crouch in attack alongside former West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe.
The press has been quick to label the pair as a “little and large” combination. The little and large arrangement appeals to a number of sensibilities as it seems to match the best of two of the most common type forwards – the big fellow who is good in the air and the wee speedy striker with a nose for knock downs and an eye for a half chance.
But such combos appear to have fallen out of favour and instead many of the most successful Premiership scoring partnerships over the last few seasons have been made up of a striker and a midfielder - Van Nistelrooy and Scholes; Henry and Pires; Torres and Gerrard; Drogba and Lampard.
Nevertheless strike partnerships such as Quinn/Phillips (Sunderland), Heskey/Owen (Liverpool) and Dublin/Vassell (Aston Villa) have shown that a pairing of a big man and wee man along with the right supporting cast can sometimes deliver goals.
But when it comes down to ranking big and small pairings no combo has yet bettered the Kevin Keegan and John Toshack partnership from the Liverpool team of the seventies. Keegan and Toshack is still regarded as the consummate “little and large” strike partnership although as the years have gone by there has been a tendency to think only in terms of long balls pumped forward for the big strong Toshack to knock on for the speedy and nimble Keegan.
There was a lot more to the duo than balls thumped forward looking for Toshack to make contact. Keegan’s prodigious work rate and unselfish running created all sorts of problems for defenders who had become use to marking relatively static target men while Toshack was an intelligent reader of the game who was rarely given sufficient credit for his anticipation and touch.
Encouraging for Portsmouth fans is the fact that Peter Crouch’s only double figure scoring season in the Premiership (12 goals) was in 04/05 when he combined with “little” Kevin Phillips. It also marked Phillips last good Premiership season (10) although Southampton was relegated.
Both Crouch and Defoe have had trouble holding down regular staring spots at their previous clubs with over a third of their Premiership appearances coming as substitutes. Defoe has been the most productive scorer of the two and has also racked up 50% more Premiership appearances than Crouch despite being a year younger – 26 to Crouch’s 27.
Sixteen of Defoe’s 69 Premiership goals in 225 appearances have come off the bench and his 33 helpers reinforce his reputation as a striker who who is sometimes overly focused on his own exploits. Defoe’s best Premiership season for goals came in 2006/07 when he notched a dozen but he has finished two other seasons in double figures.
Crouch has 38 Premiership goals to his credit in 149 appearances although his 5 goals as a substitute seem to contradict the widely held opinion of him as a goalscoring “super-sub”.
In linking Crouch and Defoe Portsmouth boss Harry Rednapp is looking to improve Portsmouth’s goal output knowing that if his club is to improve further then more goals are necessary. In their five Premiership seasons Portsmouth’s scoring has ranged from a low of 37 (miracle escape year) to a high of 48 last season.
The best season return from a single player came from Yakubu with 13 in 04/05 and their two top goal scorers have never broken twenty between them in the five seasons - the best performance was in 2003/04 with Yakubu 11 and Sheringham 9.
Strangely that total was matched last season with Benjani collecting 12 goals and Defoe 8 but these two crossed transfer paths during the January transfer window and never did play together. For Harry Rednapp a change in preferred tactics may also be in order – especially at home.
Although last season Portsmouth finished a best ever 8th in the Premiership Pompey’s home form slipped and four single goal losses and eight draws at home meant a goal here and there might have meant a realistic challenge to fifth place Everton.
Rednapp’s favoured formation was the lone striker and although these tactics worked to Portsmouth’s advantage away from home it often backfired at home. Twenty-four goals in nineteen home games is far from prestigious but it becomes anemic when you consider that 17 goals came in only 4 games (against Reading, Birmingham, Bolton and Derby).
If Portsmouth is become a consistent top six finisher then not only do Crouch and Defoe have to become a dependable source for goals but Rednapp needs to make sure that more goals at one end are not negated at the other. Portsmouth need to find a way to service and support two strikers while keeping the midfield from being overrun and the defense from conceding more goals.
Quarter Final Netherlands vs. Russia Preview - Guus Hiddink is looking to continue his fantastic run at major tournaments. He took the Netherlands and South Korea to the last four at World Cups in 1998 and 2002 and Australia to the last sixteen two summers ago in Germany. If he can take his young Russian side to the last four at Euro 2008 it will be a match for any of his previous achievements.
To reach the semi final Russia has to beat the Netherlands and players that Hiddink has more than a passing knowledge of. The teams have reached this stage in very different ways but both could be regarded as surprises based on their preliminary qualifying performances.
Russia seemed to have lost their chance when they lost away to Israel after hitting the post late in the game and then conceding a devastating winner to Israel only seconds later. They were left having to beat Andorra in their last game and praying for a win by Croatia at Wembley.
Despite having already qualified Croatia did beat England and Russia stumbled to a 1-0 win against tiny Andorra. Eighteen goals in twelve games was not overly impressive considering that the group included the likes of Andorra and Estonia. First and third place Croatia and England scored considerably more goals.
The Netherlands qualified as runners up to Romania and only a point ahead of Bulgaria. However, the one point gap is not a fair reflection of the degree of difficulty as the Dutch wrapped up a qualifying spot with two games to go.
But a lacks of goals was a common connection between Russia and Netherlands. The Dutch only scored fifteen goals in 12 games and struggled to 1-0 wins over Luxembourg twice.
There was no hint of the type of football we have seen over the last two weeks from either of these sides. Goals have flowed from the Dutch through devastating counter attacks executed at speed combined with lethal finishing.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has led the attack magnificently while Sneijder and van der Vaart who have generally operated just behind him have both enjoyed spectacular tournaments.
The defense has confounded critics having only conceded one goal to date. Based on their three performances and pedigree the Dutch come into this game as strong favourites.
Few would have thought that Russia would be in this position after an opening game loss to Spain. But the 4-1 scoreline was not a fair reflection of the play. Russia was severely punished (particularly by David Villa) for some sloppy defensive play while they were unable to take advantage of some less than stellar defending by Spain. In truth the game could have finished 5-3 or 5-4.
Since then Hiddink has tinkered with his back four (or back two as the full backs push forward) but has remained commited to Russia playing an aggressive, attacking and entertaining form of football. The return of Arshavin for the third game against Swede and his performance garnered the headlines but there were a number of other fine performances that day that bode well for the fixture against Netherlands.
Denis Kolodin has settled down at the centre of the Russian defence after a disasterous start against Spain. Zhirkov playing has a left back (he can play anyplace on the left side) is a fantastic player to watch while the other full back Anyukov seems to spend more time in the opposition penalty area than his own. In midfield Semak, Zyryanov and Bilyaletdinov have all caught the eye.
However, Russia does seem to missing a reliable striker. Roman Pavlyuchenko came on to score twice against England in Moscow and has scored twice at Euro 2008 but he does not score enough given the chances that come his way.
Referee: Lubos Michel, assistants: Roman Slysko, Martin Balko (all Slovakia), fourth official: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Netherland 1-3 Russia (After extra time) I know it’s not new or original but I’m going to say it anyway “the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming.” And in the process they are playing some fantastic football. We got to see an additional 30 minutes of it today but in truth Russia was so far ahead of the Netherlands that it should not have needed extra time.
The Dutch that had being so lethal in the group stage was blunted by a Russian midfield of Zyryanov, Semak and Semshov but this performance had nothing to do with negating Dutch strengths. It was about Russia playing to their own strengths.
And their strengths where a pleasure to behold. No frightened through football here. Composure on the ball, constantly working hard to provide an option to teammates in possession, beautifully timed runs and craftily struck passes. It was all on display and you were left wanting more. The only thing that was missing was a ruthless streak in front of goal during the first 90 minutes.
Russia took the initiative right from the kickoff and had the Netherlands on the back foot for most of the first half. It to the Dutch almost half an hour to mount any kind of sustained pressure and ironically it nearly cost them a goal. Russia was able to counter attack and the end result was a magnificent save by Edwin van der Sar from an Andrei Arshavin (does he remind anyone else of Michael Ladrup?) shot. The Dutch goalkeeper was called into action again shortly after and made another fine save this time after a long-range effort from center back Kolodin.
As half time drew near there was some encouragement for Dutch fans as Russia started togive away the ball more frequently. Nevertheless half time arrived without a goal. But within 10 minutes of the restart Russia was a goal up. Russia had been relentless in attacking down the left side and this time the ball was fed out to Semak alone on the left wing.
He swung in an inviting cross and Pavlyuchenko timed his run beautifully to beat the Dutch marker and Russia was a goal up. The Dutch were forced to push forward but Russia looked like the team more likely to score on the counter. But despite numerous chances and as the game appeared to to be entering the closing stages there was still only a one goal separating the teams.
The most consistent threat from the Netherlands had come from set pieces and from a free kick out on the left side they scored the goal that forced extra time. A deliciously inviting cross from Sneijder was swung in, Ignashevich was caught on the wrong side of Ruud van Nistelrooy and the Real Madrid striker stooped low to head home.
It was a goal that must’ve brought contradictory feelings to the neutrals watching. On one hand a Russian win that was truly deserved had been hauled from their grasp; conversely we had another 30 minutes of wonderful football to look forward to.
In the past Russian teams would have folded in the face of such adversity and injustice but not this one. They continued to dominate the extra 30 minutes and not surprisingly it was Arshavin who finally killed the Netherlands off.
He set up the winner for substitute Torbinski and then administered the coup de grace as he drilled the ball through the legs of Edwin van der Sar. A deserved win for Russia and the Netherlands again prove the early accolades to be premature.
Note: As the media jump on the Arshavin bandwagon regular readers of the blog will not be surprised at his impact. Back in the fall(?) I think it was craigy_f who first brought him to everyone’s attention when Zenit St. Petersburg played Everton in the UEFA Cup.
Comment of the Day “Much has been made of Van Basten's Holland rediscovering the joys of total football, but that is misleading. Yes, they are fluid and good to watch, but they are a more direct, counter-attacking side than their forebears of 30 years ago. Russia, arguably, given their commitment to attack, are rather closer in ethos to Michels' side, but the resemblance is largely superficial.
For one thing, neither side operates with a libero; for another, neither plays in the 4-3-3 (or, more accurately, 1-3-3-3) shape Johan Cruyff always insisted was essential for total football.
The context, equally, is very different. Part of the reason for the impact of Michels' and Lobaonvskyi's sides were that they were pressing and playing an aggressive offside trap in an era when nobody else was.
Everybody presses now. In their commitment to fluidity Russia and the Netherlands can probably claim to play a form of the game as close to total football as is possible in the modern age, but it should not be forgotten that for Russia that means pursuing their own tradition as much as adapting their approach to suit the heritage of their manager.” – Jonathan Wilson.
Prediction Update Not many picked Turkey while a good number of you had Croatia reaching the semi final. I have a feeling that the prediction league is going to be very close at the conclusion of the quarter finals.
Romania took an ultra-extra
cagey approach to this vital match trying to ensure that they didn’t offer Netherlands
a chance to counter attack. By the end of the ninety minutes they had won the
battle but had categorically lost the war.
The safety first approach
worked in the first half as the Netherlands were forced to build their attacks rather
than benefitting from the super quick passing that had caused Italy and France
so much trouble.
However, Netherlands did
have chances with the best falling to Robben but he shot wide with only Lobont
to beat. Boulahrouz of all players was enjoying far too much space when
attacking down the Dutch right and more might have come from a couple of his raids.
Romania’s passing was
inconsistent with far too many sloppy passes or players being caught in
possession. Early in the second half any thoughts Romania may have harboured
about holding back and then pushing for a late winner were crushed when their
sloppy play infected the back four.
The Romanian defence
allowed Afellay to chase down an errant Robben cross completely unmolested. The
Dutch midfielder played the ball back into the box and again the defence failed
to deal with it. This time the ball found Huntelaar and Romania was in trouble.
Needing to up the tempo
Romania was unable to change gears as their passing deteriorated under the
pressure of now having to chase the game. Maruis Niculae who started in place
of his namesake Daniel was a willing front runner but sorely lacking the skills
to bother the Dutch defence.
Mutu was a sporadic
presence as the two received virtually no support from the midfield. The replacement of Maruis by Daniel made no
difference as the Dutch continued to deal with any Romanian threat with a
minimum amount of trouble.
Another goal from the
Dutch, this one from Robin van Persie, only served to highlight the gulf
between these two teams on the day.
Romania go home and leave thinking
of what might have been if only Buffon had been a split second slower or even
a fraction of a second quicker. But even then the game against the Netherlands offered up a second
chance to Romania and they bottled it.
France 0-2 Italy The share of the play
might have been even but Italy should have had France dead and buried before
half time. French supporters can look to the penalty kick awarded against Eric
Abidal and the red card he received as the turning point in this game but there
ominous signs before that moment for
France.
The injury to Franck
Ribery early in the game was another blow to France but even a fully fit Ribery
for ninety minutes would not have mitigated the problems caused by a porous
central defence and a ponderous in midfield.
The lead up to the penalty
decision was a microcosm of France’s early problems. A free kick in the centre circle
was played to Pirlo. With no pressure on him Pirlo had time to look up and clip
a 35-yard pass over the head of Abidal and onto the toe of Toni. Abidal attempted
a tackle was never going to finish up as anything but a dead-cert penalty kick.
Toni was giving the French
defence fits before Abidal’s sending off and he continued after the dismissal.
Grosso also hit the post from a free kick and Perrotta came close to breaking
through. French coach Raymond Domenech’s
decision to withdraw substitute Nasri (he had replaced Ribery) shortly after Abidal’s
red card will be a source of heated discussion amongst French fans. A more fateful
decision was perhaps taken before kick off in opting to deputize full back
Abidal as a centre back.
You can certainly argue
about the merits of centre backs Jean-Alain Boumsong and Sébastien Squillaci. But asking a regular full back to play centre
half when Domenech had two specialist centre-backs available begs the question
why did he bother picking Boumsong and Squillaci to start with?
Daniele
De Rossi’s deflected free kick was the clincher and put the game well beyond
10-man France. De Rossi was excellent throughout and his performance was a
reminder of Donadoni’s mistake in not playing the Roma midfielder against
Netherlands in the first game.
Comment of the Day
"That is the happiest
I have ever been after a match in which I didn't score," Ruud van Nistelrooy
after Holland beat France 4-1.
Prediction Update
LHJS, Sounderfan, knvoetbal
all recorded 100% scores is predicting the outcome of Group B. Sounderfan is
the only poster with a 100% record at the conclusion of the first two groups.
He leads everyone by at least two points.
This will make it six consecutive appearances for Netherlands at the European Championship finals. They won the tournament twenty years ago in Germany, made it to another four semi-finals (76, 92, 00, and 04) and lost at the quarter final stage in 1996.
How they qualified The Dutch relied on their wonderful home record in Euro qualifying that has seen them go unbeaten since losing to Luxembourg in 1963. Six wins and a draw in Group G extended the Dutch streak to 41 games without a loss over the last forty-five years.
Both losses in Group G came away from home with the set back against Belarus coming after qualification had been guaranteed. The Netherlands finished three points behind Romania (the other loss) and one ahead of Bulgaria. Robin van Persie scored four times for the Dutch.
The Coach Regarded by many as the greatest centre forward of all time Marco van Basten made sure that there was long pause between his injury enforced retirement and his return to the game as a coach.
The appointment as the national team coach after Euro 2004 was his first senior position after working with youth players at Ajax. After the tournament in Switzerland and Austria, van Basten will take over the coaching reins at Ajax and will be replaced by veteran Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk.
Key Players The conclusion of the tournament will see the Netherland’s most capped player goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar retire from the international arena. Captain of the Dutch team van der Sar is coming off of a European-Premiership double and his performances in qualifying kept the Ditch goals against to only five in twelve games.
Rafael van der Vaart is the pulse of Hamburg of the Bundesliga and if given the chance by van Basten his midfield promptings and an eye for a long range shot could prove valuable to the Netherlands.
With the likes of Robin van Persie, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink you would think goals would flow freely but a return of only fifteen goals in twelve qualifying games tells a different story.
Great Euro Memory With losses to the home nations at both the 1974 and 1978 World Cups fresh in the memory the Dutch finally won a major championship when they beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in the European Championship Final of 1988. No one who saw Marco van Basten’s goal will ever forget it – a classic.
Synopsis Many fans second favourite country in big tournaments based on the quality of the football they consistently deliver… up until the last couple of years that is. However, the Netherlands only have the 1988 European Championship to show for all their efforts hence the reason for Marco van Basten’s more pragmatic approach over the last few seasons.
The back four looks to be little more than competent while the midfield may turn out to be light weight. One of the big name forwards (that is not necessarily a reference to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink) has to be provided with quality service and hit a hot streak of form if the Dutch hope make it out of this GROUP OF DEATH let alone reach the last four.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying Slotted into Group 9 alongside Scotland, Norway, Macedonia FYR, and Iceland.
Romania qualified for the finals in 1984, 1996 and 2000. They were knocked out by Hungary in a replayed quarter final in 1972.
How they qualified Romania’s only loss came against Bulgaria after qualification had been secured. Romania won Group G and finished three points better than the Netherlands and four better than Bulgaria. Adrian Mutu was their leading scorer with six goals.
The Coach Victor Piturca played most of his football for Steaua Bucharest and was part of the 1986 European Cup winning side. He was in charge of Romania during the qualifying stages for the 2000 European championships but was fired seven months before the tournament finals after a dispute over the distribution of bonus payments to players. He was recalled as the national team manager to replace Anghel Iordanescu in December 2004.
Key Players There are lots of very good players in this squad but Adrian Mutu who has resurrected his career with Fiorentina after a disastrous spell with Chelsea is the main man for Romania. Mutu often plays in tandem with pacey forward Ciprian Marica who moved to Stuttgart from Shakhtar Donetsk for big money last summer but a return of two goals from 28 appearances (13 as substitute) was poor.
Cristian Chivu made an impressive debut at Euro 2000 as a teenage left back before moving to a central defensive position. But lately Chivu has been providing defensive cover in midfield for the national team and has not looked out of place. Steaua Bucharest stopper Dorin Goian adds some steel at the back but can also pop up with goals at set pieces.
Great Euro Memory Romania failed to win a game at the finals in 1984 and 1996 and the first two games at Euro 2000 only brought a draw and a loss. Facing England in the final game of Group A play in Charleroi Romania needed a win to qualify as runners-up to Portugal while England needed only a draw to progress.
Alan Shearer opened England’s account from the penalty spot just before half time to tie the game at 1-1 after Cristian Chivu has put Romania into the lead. Michael Owen then popped up to give England an unexpected half time lead but right after the break Munteanu leveled the score.
With time running out Philip Neville fouled Moldovan in the penalty area and Ganea struck home the winner from the spot. Italy beat Romania 2-0 in the quarter final through goals from Totti and Inzaghi.
Synopsis This will be Romania’s first appearance at a major final since 2000 but this squad is a very good emerging side that must be cursing its luck after being drawn in the GROUP OF DEATH. However, Romania may be the banana skin that upsets one or even two of the other three teams. This is a side whose chances of making it out of the group should not be underestimated.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying Drawn in Group 7 with Austria, France, Serbia, Lithuania and Faroe Islands.
Another bumper week for blog participation - thanks again to everyone who participates by reading or posting.
Mr. Red Devil - Now that Man Utd have won the EPL (with 2 matches to go) and will play in the FA Cup Final, do you see Carrick's transfer fee as being justified?
His play throughout the season was consistently very good and he was a valuable part of the 1st team, so I believe he was well worth the 14m-18m pounds. I know you were wary of that amount at the time of the transfer, so I just wanted to get your current views.
Bobby – He had some good games but he rarely looked like a £18 million footballer. Spurs paid £10.9 million Berbatov, different positions but who go better value? I noted that SAF was complaining that Chelsea had inflated the market by paying £27 million Michael Essien. From what I’ve seen Chelsea got a better deal paying what they did for Essien than United did for Carrick. And now we have Owen “£20 million” to look forward to.
Bmax14 - I went to my first USL game yesterday and I was actually kind of impressed with the atmosphere and reasonable quality of play. In your opinion, where would USL 1st division compare in quality to England's leagues? Would it be League 2? And MLS, my impression is that a good MLS team would be comparable to a mid-table Championship team. What would you say? I'm trying to get more into US football this year to accommodate my summer fix since there is no WC or Euro to watch. I know I can't expect the EPL but I don't think MLS (or even USL) is the absolute worst football in the world either.
Bobby – I gave up comparing leagues and came to the conclusion that it was a pointless exercise. We know that some MLS players can make it the Premiership while others would struggle to hold a starting spot in League 2 or even the conference. I think what that tells us is that the MLS has some very good players but it is lacking in depth. Because Europe has more leagues and teams playing at the professional level, players are more liable to find their natural level with teams that match their skills and abilities. This is how I look at it numerically with 10 being fantastic and 1 being poor it might line up something like this over a starting eleven. MLS – 3 nines, 2 sevens, 3 fives, 2 threes and 1 one. Championship – 1 nine, 1 seven, 3 sixes, 2 fives, 3 fours and 1 two. MLS has a wider range of skills on the team while the Championship would be much more tightly grouped.
RINGO - This week’s trivia. Which team used to play home games at Annfield? And which team plays home games at St.James Park?
Bobby – Trick question you ####. Stirling Albion and Exeter City. Did you ever post the answers to last week’s questions?
Neophyte - Why is Mark Hughes always associated with being the heir apparent to the ManU. throne? With Keane showing promise why is everyone so hot on Hughes? If SAF were to retire today I can think of a couple of others I would rather see as Gaffer than Hughes. I like Steve Coppell if I had to choose right now. How about you?
Bobby – It is standard practice to link former players with managerial and coaching jobs at their old clubs. History has proven that there is a better chance that someone will be hired who has a connection with a club than otherwise. So it makes some sense. What Mark Hughes has over the other names that pop up is European and International experience as a manager.
Rwonfootball - What is the point of the EPL suing YouTube? YouTube gives the league free publicity, so they really shouldn't be complaining.
Bobby – Simple, why would you allow someone to give away for free, something that someone else would pay for. The EPL doesn’t need free publicity nor does it want it. It wants money.
Henry14 - Q1 What is the problem with Tyneside club, do you think it’s the board, or the club in my opinion is not as big as it claims to be? Q2 If $60m we put for Berbatov do you see Tottenham selling him Q3 What do you think of Lori Cana, I am of the information that he is definitely be one of Wenger's signings. Again Bobby, Amy Lawrence on a talk show said that Wenger has been given $100m pounds as part of 80m pound transfer budget they agreed on with the creditors up to 2009 and she sees certain that Eto’o is on the cards. Personally l feel Eto’o and Henry are mutually exclusive in the same team, even if Wenger has this amount of money do you see him coming to Arsenal
Bobby – 1. In business terms Newcastle United is an underperforming asset and has been for decades. When you see that sort of situation there is only one person to blame – the Chairman and in-turn the directors. 2. If Spurs sell Berbatov the fans will be livid and rightfully so. With the new TV deal kicking and as long as the player is happy there would not appear to be any reason why Spurs would have to sell. 3. To be perfectly honest I don’t think I have ever watched him play – I certainly wasn’t aware of him. Apparently he is a defensive midfield player and so I can’t see why Arsenal would go after him. 4. I just can’t understand why Barcelona would choose to sell Eto’o. So until someone comes up with a good reason I am expecting him to stay at the Nou Camp.
BigWave - I know this is a minor thing but now that Man United has won the Premiership title can the new guy on the Fox Soccer Report stop referring to the Reds as "Man U?" All football fans know that is not a proper term.
Bobby – We have that in common. Referring to Man. Utd. as Man U has driven me crazy for years. In fact if my wife wants to bug me she will ask “is that Man U on television?” However, the reference has become so commonly used that I have accepted that nothing is going to change.
Henry14 - How you rate Torres among forwards, do you think he is the Darren Bent group of players. Is Hunterlaar for real, is he not like Kezman?
Bobby – He is far better player than Darren Bent. The problem with comparing Hunterlaar with Kezman is that for every Kezman there is a Van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay. Who knows how differently it might have turned out for Kezman if he had joined a team that gave him a regular spot in the starting eleven.
Rob's Rabble - I wonder did you see Jorge Valdano's comments on the Liverpool Chelsea Champions League game. If not, check out The Guardian's website. Basically he compared it to watching #### on a stick. As an Arsenal fan, I have to agree somewhat that Benitez and Mourinho are strangling a lot of the skill level out of the game. The sad thing is that you could say that Arsenal actually made it to the CL final last year playing the same way. Hard to see what the solution is, but I have to say I would rather watch ties like Milan Man U over the Liverpool Chelsea ones every time.
Bobby – It was a terrible game of football but it had me on the edge of my seat.
Foxcube - Q1, given his failure to defend the title, how likely do you think now is JM to be asked to quit in the summer, if Abramovich would risk losing a couple of key players? What's your reckoning on what the owner wants the club to be like? Playing beautifully? Or a team to win at all cost, the more trophies the merrier? Q2, Can you name the three transfer targets Sir Alex alluded to? Or to rephrase it, if you were ManU manager, who'd be your top three recruits? Q3, Could you also name the three most needed positions/candidates for Liverpool and Arsenal? Q4, Is Tottenham faring better than you expected at the beginning of the season? If they can keep Berbatov, will they be among the top 4 challengers next season, including, imo, Arsenal, Everton, and Aston Villa?
Bobby – 1. I think Mourinho will be gone before the new season starts. As for what Abramovich wants – my guess is wonderful flowing football. 2. There are a number of targets that have been mentioned already – Hargreaves, Berbatov, Bales, Nani (Sporting Lisbon). I think he will be on the look out for a couple of midfielders – it would be a dangerous game to bank on Giggs and Scholes producing a repeat of this season’s form next year. United also need a striker. 3. Liverpool – a reliable and mobile 20 a season goal scorer, a first class left sided midfielder and cover at centre back although Benitez might have a couple of youngsters who can step up. Arsenal – another option on the right side of midfield, a dominating centre – both Toure and Gallas lack the couple of inches that Sol Campbell gave Arsenal – and a new goalkeeper. Lehmann’s antics wore thin a long time ago. 4. Tottenham exceeded my expectations as far as entertainment value was concerned but I think they will finish close to where I picked back in August. The FSR and the blog will be pulling out the predictions in the next week or so. Even with Berbatov I can’t see any team cracking the top four.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - Bobby, are league teams still contractually obligated to enter it (the Carling Cup)?
Bobby – I believe so.
RINGO - Having seen the way Chelsea’s season has ground to a halt, I do not think it is possible to win all four trophies.....Which makes the achievements of the "Lisbon Lions" all the more remarkable! And with the 40th anniversary of their great triumph approaching.....good topic for a blog?!
Bobby – They say records are made to be broken but Celtic’s haul in ’67 will take some beating. A couple of days ago I was thinking of the spring of 1967. Scotland beat World Champions England at Wembley, Celtic became the first northern European side to win the European Cup, Rangers were beaten by Bayern Munich in the final of the Cup Winners Cup in extra time and Kilmarnock reached the semi final of the Fairs Cities Cup before going out to Leeds United. We will never see the likes again!
Venti_vidi_vici -Now that the fourth season of the Abramovich era at Chelsea is coming to a close, is it safe to say that one still cannot buy happiness or success?
If Mourinho’s last two seasons at Porto are to be defined as successful because of the trophies he collected, how successful, would you say, were his first (and maybe only) three seasons at Chelsea?
It looks like Gary Neville, Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard are all getting married on June 16 next month, and John Terry’s big day is the day before. That must have something to do with fixture congestion, right!? Did you receive an invitation to any of them?
In your personal opinion, why did Tim Howard not feature in the match versus his former employer, Man Utd, last week?
Congratulations are in order for Man Utd for accomplishing what, a year ago, appeared to be mission impossible and dethroning Chelsea. At the beginning of the season did anyone predict the EPL trophy going back to Old Trafford?
Bobby – The reality is that is next to impossible to have success in football without money. The thing that Abramovich brought to Chelsea was an almost unlimited supply of money – something we have never seen before. I don’t believe that two Premiership titles and assorted other hardware can be looked upon as failure. June 16 – I think there is a Gold Cup game that day. Tim Howard – I have no idea but was there not an arrangement made with one of Scott Parker’s moves? As for predicting Manchester United as the premiership champions at the start of the season – out of over 70 predictions that were received on the blog I believe only four selected United as the winners. I will have the full details next week.
Wigan’s Dave Whelan claims that six clubs are ready to sue the Premiership over the West Ham ruling.
Bojan Krkic – remember the name says Jonathan Wilson.
Alyson Rudd on Steve Heighway’s reasons for quitting his post as head of Liverpool’s Youth Academy.
James Lawton on Wednesday’s Champions League game.
And now to the weekend action coming up.
Without any doubt the match of the weekend takes place at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid and Sevilla will slug it out with the winner designated as the main challenger to Barcelona with five games left.
Real were successful in appealing David Beckham’s yellow card for time wasting last week. He can now continue his attempt to leave the Bernabeu with at least one medal to show for his four year stay. The last two matches Beckham has set up defender Sergio Ramos for two goals and the big defender will be looking for more of the same when he faces his old club.
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is also enjoying a productive streak and has rattled in seven goals in the last eight league games. Sevilla’s Freddie Kanoute leads all scorers in Spain with 20 goals, two ahead of the Dutchman. Madrid has only beaten Sevilla once in their last five meetings although Sevilla’s away record of 5-5-6 is hardly intimidating.
In a week when Manchester United and Chelsea’s dreams of a treble (yes, Chelsea can still win three trophies but one would be the Carling Cup) have been shattered Sevilla are now the one club in Europe that retains the hope of completing a treble.
Based on league positions Barcelona’s trip to San Sebastian to play second from bottom Real Sociedad looks a certain away win. However, the side that came within a whisker of winning La Liga in 2003 has recently shown signs of life. With six games left Sociedad are three points from safety but Celta Vigo, Levante and Athletic Bilbao can all be caught. The Basque side has picked up nearly half of their 27 points over the last seven games and they have won their last three home games.
Sociedad may be the lowest scorers in La Liga with only 23 goals but they give relatively few away at the back – only thirty-eight in 32 games. Eleven of their seventeen losses have come by one goal and the other six by two. In other words this is a team which has yet to be blown out and is equipped to push the league leaders particularly when you consider Barcelona’s relatively poor away form.
Bottom of the table Gimnastic can improve their chances of staying up when they play fellow strugglers Levante.
Manchester United has a chance to banish the Champions League (and the City) blues when they visit City of Manchester Stadium to play Manchester City. City is a side that is redefining the word futile as it relates to goal scoring. It is now seven games since City has scored at home and that already exceeds the old record of five games set by Everton eight seasons ago. If City misfires again they will also set a new record for the lowest number of goals scored by a home team in the English top flight. Sunderland and Woolwich Arsenal jointly hold the record of 11 goals and to date City has scored ten.
In all likelihood Chelsea will need to beat Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday if they want to take maintain any hope of retaining their Premiership title. For Arsenal and Arsene Wenger a win would mean a first over a Jose Mourinho led Chelsea side but it might also mean that Manchester United will arrive for Wednesday’s match at Stamford Bridge as Premiership champions.
At the other end of the table and with the order of desperation in brackets – the higher the number the least desperate the club’s position – it is Wigan (6) vs. Middlesbrough (3), Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United (5), West Ham (2) vs. Bolton, Fulham (4) vs. Liverpool and on Monday Charlton (1) vs. Tottenham. Although at the start of the season I picked Fulham, Charlton and Watford to go down I can see the Cottagers surviving at the expense of West Ham. Given the ridiculous decision to fine West Ham rather than docking points such an outcome would only be delayed justice.
While the battle rages to maintain a Premiership position, the final three Premiership play off spots will be decided on Sunday. Birmingham and Sunderland are both automatically promoted and will sort out who will go up as Championship Champions while Derby County will finish third. After that five clubs are fighting for the other three spots. The teams in contention with position, opposition, points and goal difference in brackets are: West Brom (4, Barnsley, 73, 19) Wolves (5, Leicester, 73, 0) Southampton (6, Southend, 72, 21) Stoke (7, QPR, 72, 21) and Preston (8, Birmingham, 71, 10).
Up in Scotland Rangers plays Celtic is a largely meaningless affair but try telling that to Old Firm fans! Kris Boyd will attempt to break his scoring duck against Celtic. Boyd may be a predator when he faces other sides, but up against Celtic his scoring powers evaporate.
MLS Champions Houston Dynamo are still looking to get their new season in gear and have only scored one goal in four games so far. They travel to Denver to play the Rapids who have only lost one in four games and have former Manchester United and City player Terry Cooke in fine form with three assists in four games. Panamanian striker Roberto Brown has two game winning goals and a red card in his three games so far – never a dull moment for him.
henry14 - Do you agree that Arsenal should look beyond Ljungberg and he also should look beyond Arsenal?
Bobby – I think Arsenal have looked beyond Ljunberg this year basically because they have had to because of his injuries. He is reputed to be on a wage of around $130,000 a week until 2009 so I am not sure that there are too many teams lining up to sign him. He is so reliant on his quick feet and late darting runs in behind defenders but he is not up to it – at present. Given that he will soon be turning 30 then it is a fair question whether or not he will ever regain that sharpness on a regular basis.
And now for this week’s questions. LosAngelesChelseaFan - Here’s another article that I thought made interesting reading. Terry Venables on training camps instead of friendlies. Do you have a view on it?
J3sUsD - I like to get your views on this past week’s friendlies especially the games between England and Spain and Mexico vs. United States. Were these meaningful results or were they just empty results?
Gongatore - What are the most important elements to take away from these two friendlies of last week? AND if you feel it appropriate.... Why can't the soccer media in this country address the real issues?
Bobby – I think Venables makes a very valid point and I think you will see more international managers opting for a get together rather than a “friendly”. (I would make the clubs a lot happier as well.) There is so much attention paid – even to friendlies - that you have to ask yourself what is really gained? The purpose of a friendly should be to allow a certain amount of experimentation by the manager and a chance to blood younger players. Now it is a case that every game has to be won or a crisis ensues. How stupid is it that the media and fans call for a manager’s head because a friendly is lost? Logically the only thing that really counts is results in major competitions and friendly’s should only be a means to an end. As for addressing the real issues – what are the real issues?
Henry14 - My first question is do you think the era of the goal poacher has gone, like the Ruuds and Inzaghi. If you look at the last ten years the best strikers have been all-round, like Henry, Sheva, Eto'o and Ronaldo. They could adapt to the different positions in games and give more to the team and you look at Fergie getting rid of Ruud while even Drogba and Eto'o now who are really good seem not to be out and out goal poachers. The other thing is l read about Harry Rednapp being linked with Spurs do you really see that happening and can you see Jol being sacked?
Bobby – I can see the point you are trying to make but you what about other examples?Emile Heskey has been regarded by a number of managers as a good all-round player – would you pick him over Ruud Van Nistelrooy? There will always be a place for goal poachers although most people will agree with you that Ronaldo is all-round.
The pressure is mounting on Martin Jol – increased expectations going into this season – but I think it would be foolish to fire him. As for ‘Arry taking over – I can’t see that happening. Harry seems quite particular about who he works with and who is calling the shots. I don’t think he would be comfortable at White Hart Lane.
spike24 - What do you think of Glen Little of Reading? He flies under the radar, almost nobody talks about him, yet he consistently makes the best left backs in the Premiership look completely foolish. He is an absolute magician with the ball. His ability to get down the line and fire in great crosses defies logic given his utter lack of pace, yet you never hear him mentioned. Any thoughts?
Bobby- I would agree that he has an utter lack of pace! But he doesn’t seem to give the ball away to often and plays his position well. I’m not sure I would place him in the magician class though.
Rodog - Here is a trivia question that I hope will last 24 hours. I grew up in Great Britain. I came to the US and played college soccer in the late 1980's- early 1990's. I am currently playing in the SPL (for the second time). I have played in the EPL. I recently earned my 50th cap (now 52) for my country. Who am I? Where am I currently playing? And what US college/university did I play for?
Bobby – Very good question. I have the answer (I think) but I will wait to see if anyone else can answer before the 24 hours are up.
Kirbym - What do you think are the chances of Tevez sticking with West Ham? I see that though he finds the English managing approach a bit cold, he says he is comfortable at WH (of course, I did read that in The Sun). Despite their struggles, this team is not a Watford--they're a talented side that has underperformed horribly. Should they avoid relegation, I can see them finishing much higher next season once they've regrouped mentally. Sordid implications of the third-party deal aside, I can see WH as being an attractive team for Tevez, more so than Mascharano. And it would be nice to see a fantastic player plying his trade somewhere other than the big 4.
Bobby – I read that the Actim Index currently ranks Tevez as the worst player in the Premiership. However, he seemed to give WH some jump in the second half against Watford and hammers fans can only hope that if he gets one goal he will get many.
AlexMorph - Not to kick a dead horse here, but with every article about England I keep reading the exact same thing: Lampard should be dropped for a more suitable partner to Gerrard. Admittedly, Lampard's form for England hasn't been great (and that could be the reason, who knows), but with his club form nearly impeccable clearly superior and his work rate at least equal, does all the criticism being laid on him make sense? Do you agree that dropping Lampard for someone else would actually change things? And why, if either, should Lampard be the one dropped?
Bobby – The manager’s job is to put out the best functioning side. In the case of Lampard and Gerrard I don’t think either of them has consistently shown club form on the international stage so either or both should be on the chopping block. As stated elsewhere friendly games should be the forum for trying different formations but McClaren felt that he couldn’t afford to try something different against Spain – of course others will point out that McClaren only experiments in competitive games!
Gregz - What do you think about Alexandre Hleb and Mathieu Flamini? Are they good players that bring diversity to the Arsenal team or is it that they look good under Wenger's system.
Bobby – I watched Hleb play for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga before he moved to Arsenal and he is a terrific player. He plays on the edge and needs to be right on his game, otherwise he can look awful. I regard Flamini as the modern day Gilles Grimandi. Many wonder how he makes the team but Wenger has a lot of faith in him. Remember how well he played at left back last season when Cole and Clichy were out injured? His versatility does provide the manager with a number of options as we saw on Sunday when he came on for Justin Hoyte.
Henry14 - How do you feel the Reyes and Baptist issue will be resolved, it appears Madrid do not want to buy him and Baptista seems to be settling and l for one personally would choose Baptista, what do you see happening. One more thing l feel Ronaldo is saying to Madrid and Barca come and get me and l feel he might go next season.
Bobby – I can’t see Reyes returning to London. Reyes is very talented but plays in spurts and he never looked comfortable in the Premiership. Baptista is a player that provides a couple of options. When he moved to Sevilla from Brazil he was a defensive midfield player. On Sunday when Djourou went off, Silva dropped back to central defense and Baptista dropped back into midfield. Overall Baptista looks to be a better Premiership fit than Reyes.
A few things to chew over after another weekend of interesting performances and results around Europe.
This week Arsene Wenger will complete ten years in charge at Arsenal. Considering Wenger arrived to headlines of “Arsene who” and scurrilous gossip you would have to say he has not done to badly. As far as Arsenal fans are concerned, I would have to reckon that only the great Herbert Chapman would be considered along side Wenger. Chapman died prematurely while in charge at Highbury and never lived to see the full fruits of his labour.
However, what about the great managers who have been in charge of English clubs over the last 40 years or so? How will history rate Arsene Wenger against the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Brian Clough, Bob Paisley, Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Don Revie, Ron Greenwood and Bill Nicholson?
Taking trophies into consideration is one way to look at it but the transformation that Wenger brought to Arsenal in terms of the quality of the football has also to be considered I would think. Has their been a more entertaining side than Arsenal in recent memory?
Ronaldo turned 30 (he is younger than Ruud van Nistelrooy) last Friday and he should have at least another two or three seasons of goal scoring left in him. Should he just retire or should Fabio Capello find a place for him in the Real Madrid starting line-up? Alternatively, come January should he be looking for a change of scenery and if so where should that be?
Hernan Crespo seems to be settling in at Inter Milan. With three goals in two games over 5 days, Crespo seems to be one of the few consistent things about Inter. They sit top of Serie A but they do seem to enjoy making things difficult. Three goals down to Roma in the Italian Super Cup they then scored four to win in extra time. In the first Serie A game of the season, they led Fiorentina 3-0 before holding on for a 3-2 win then this past weekend they went one-step better. This time Inter led struggling Chievo by four before allowing the Verona side to score three times in the last 13 minutes to set up a storming finish.
It is early days in Spain but La Liga does appear to have to makings o####reat title race this season. Real Madrid took advantage of Barcelona and Valencia drawing at the Nou Camp while Atletico Madrid brought Sevilla’s great start to a grinding halt. Two goals in the last five minutes turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win for Madrid’s other side. Of course Sevilla will point out that they played a quarter of the game after having both Escude (46th minute) and Navarro (66th minute) sent off.
Next weekend Atletico travel to the Bernabeu for the Madrid derby. Atletico and Fernando Torres have horrible records against Real since Atletico returned to the top flight in the 2002/03 season.
Up in Scotland Celtic drew first blood as they increased their lead to seven points over Rangers. It looks as if a quick turnaround in fortune under Paul LeGuen is not going to happen. Do Rangers have any other option other than being patient and staying the course with LeGuen?
Finally, is there any club that has undergone a crazier September than Gretna? Gretna started the month at the top of the Scottish First Division but were soudly spanked 4-0 by Dundee at home before losing 3-2 to Ross County in the Scottish League Challenge Cup.
A mid-month top of the table clash with Livingstone ended in a 1-1 draw while last Wednesday Hibernian thrashed Gretna 6-0 in the CIS Cup. Saturday brought about a turn in fortune when they beat Partick Thistle by the same score and Gretna returned to the top of the Scottish League.
Daniel Finkelstein “The Fink Tank” on the Cole – Gallas swap and statistically which club got the best deal.
Mihir Bose on the West Ham Argentine transfer “coup” in last Thursday's Daily Telegraph. Bose wrote the definitive book on the aborted Sky takeover of Manchester United - "Manchester Unlimited".
Some more details on the upcoming “Panorama” program to be broadcast in the UK concerning corruption.
Neil Clark has a story in The Independent about Argentine clubs selling the rights to players to businesses.
Meanwhile Nick Townsend takes a bit of a different view.
Is Crouch one of the world’s great strikers as 11 goals in 14 England games would seem to indicate? Or is it a case of an awkward forward riding an international hot streak and that his ratio of slightly better than 2 goals in every 7 Premiership is a fairer reflection of his true worth?
Here is a list of the top 100 Premiership goalscorers to the end of August 2006. Crouch’s stats have inserted at the relevant level even though he has yet to break-in to the top 100 club. (The number attached to each player is their position in the all-time goals list as opposed to their goals to games ratio).
