Who will win La Liga this season?Posted by Sid LoweAs the
minutes ticked away on Sunday night's late game between Atltico
Madrid and Sevilla, the visiting bench crept closer and closer to
the pitch. Every Sevilla substitute was standing; the manager and
coaches too, excited, tense, pleading for the final whistle to go,
waiting for that explosion of joy.
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on Rosell's resignation
Each time Atltico attacked they paused, nervous; each time the
ball was sent up the other end, they could feel it getting nearer.
Soon, they were practically on the pitch. And when at last the
final whistle went, they really were. Leaping up, they embraced,
punched the air and ran toward their exhausted club mates.
You would think they had won the World Cup, not a league game
against Atltico Madrid. But the reaction said much; there could be
few greater compliments for Atltico and few greater results for
Sevilla.
"Teams celebrate drawing against us now," Atltico fullback
Filipe Luis said, saying it all. "I congratulated [Atltico manager
Diego] Simeone out of humility and admiration," Sevilla's coach
Unai Emery beamed. This was a big result for Sevilla; it would have
been a big result for anyone. In 11 games at the Caldern this
season, only one team had managed to secure a draw, still less a
victory. And that was Barcelona.
In 20 league matches, Atltico have won 16, drawn three and lost
just one. With twenty minutes to go, Atltico were one up and
provisional leaders of the league, out on their own at the top for
the first time in 17 years -- back when they won the league and cup
double. Won 17, drawn two and lost one. But then a penalty,
committed by Juanfran and scored by Ivan Rakitic, made it 1-1.
Just as it was a compliment that Barcelona adapted their game to
protect themselves against Atltico the week before, there must have
been something strangely satisfying in seeing Sevilla so happy.
Above all, though, there must have been something frustrating. Just
before Atltico's game had started, Barcelona's had ended. Down on
the east coast, they had drawn 1-1 to Levante. Their year-long run
at the top of the table could have come to an end; so too had
Atltico's 17-year wait to lead the league alone.
And so at the news conference, the questions came in. Did you
get it wrong? Why did you sit back and not look for the second
goal? How will this affect the team? How costly could those points
be? How disappointed are you? What have you said to pick the
players up?
All the inquisitors headed in the same direction:
disappointment, lost opportunity, sadness. Simeone headed in the
other direction: satisfaction, security. He was smiling. A brave
face perhaps, but a smiling face. This was Sevilla. Why should this
affect our morale? We're happy. Fifty-one points after 20 games is
an extraordinary record and a draw against Sevilla is a good
result, one that allows us to remain in a privileged position.
Of course, he was right.Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty ImagesDiego
Simeone's work in keeping Atletico near the Liga summit has been
nothing short of remarkable. But do they have enough to win?
Atltico's position is a privileged one. Few seriously
anticipated this at the start of the season. Simeone least of all:
he has described winning the league as "impossible" and insisted
repeatedly on the inequality in Spain. After the Barcelona game he
noted with a grin that the two teams were similar -- except for the
small matter of "400 million euros extra a year" in the budget.
Now, they stand level at the top of the table as the second half of
the season begins.
But now there are three. Atltico are not the only team whose
position is a privileged one. First, Atltico and Barcelona drew
with each other. Then, they drew with Sevilla and Levante
respectively. Meanwhile, Real Madrid beat Espanyol 1-0 and Betis
5-0. Suddenly, everything has changed. In seven days, Real Madrid
have clawed back four points the pair. There is just one point in
it. Barcelona have 51 points, Atltico have 51 and Madrid, 50.
With 18 games to go, there is little margin for error; every
point dropped will appear a disaster, every advantage conceded
potentially fatal. The three teams are more or less on course for
another record-breaking season. Not least because if they are to
win the league, they have to be.
"One hundred points might not be enough," Tata Martino said.
One hundred points is the record, reached in each of the past
two seasons, first by Madrid and then by Barcelona. In each of the
past four seasons, the champions have been able to lose a maximum
of two games. This season, Atltico and Barcelona have lost one
each, Madrid two. In the past four seasons, the champions could
drop points just six, six, eight and seven times: four draws and
two defeats over the past two seasons, six draws and two defeats
the season before, and six draws and one defeat the season before
that. So far, the three contenders have dropped points four times a
piece. Josep Lago/AFP/Getty ImagesReal Madrid's variety of
goalscorers could be enough for Los Blancos to win their 33rd Liga
trophy.
Simeone says that the second half of the season will be harder
for Atltico. In part, he is trying to prevent the euphoria from
infecting his team, but he also has a point: as he suggested, now
that teams have watched them, there is less surprise. Sevilla's
success -- and their reaction to it -- suggested that more teams
may be satisfied to seek a draw, defending Atltico and denying them
the chance to play directly and on the counter-attack. Atltico are
relentless, hard to live with and supremely competitive but of the
three, they are the side with the least attacking variety.
Atltico also do not have a squad as big as Madrid's or
Barcelona's, and while Simeone insists that they are not tired at
all, there have been fewer rotations and fatigue could yet be an
issue. They are still in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Injuries will be harder to assimilate too, should they arrive. And
Diego Costa is yet to score in 2014.
Barcelona overcame the absence of Leo Messi and had been playing
extremely well of late but the Levante game revealed some familiar
weaknesses: 50 percent of the goals they have conceded have come
from set plays while in the absence of Andres Iniesta and Neymar,
injured against Getafe and likely to be out for three weeks, they
lacked a touch of incisiveness to undo tight, deep-lying
defences.
Meanwhile, among Real fans, the euphoria is growing. They are
unbeaten since Xabi Alonso returned, Cristiano Ronaldo has finally
won the Ballon d'Or, youth teamer Jes is pushing for a place in the
side with talent and temperament while Luka Modric is emerging as
arguably the outstanding midfielder in the league. They have now
gone six games without conceding, too, and Raphael Varane is
nearing full fitness. The 5-0 victory over Betis was also a glimpse
of their depth of talent: five goals, five different scorers. Josep
Lago/AFP/Getty ImagesLuka Modric has quietly emerged as an
instrumental figure for Real Madrid, yet another intangible in the
title race.
The performances have not always been as good as the stats
suggests and that run of clean sheets needs to be contextualised:
Betis, Espanyol and Celta in the league, Espanyol and Osasuna in
the Copa del Rey. Celta, in particular, departed the Bernabu
wondering how they didnt score. But there is a security and a
confidence about Madrid now that is partly born of getting a second
opportunity. From five points behind and virtually out of it to
just one and maybe even favourites in barely a week.
There are 18 games left and it could barely be more balanced.
Barcelona must go to Madrid, Madrid must go to Atltico and Atltico
must go to Barcelona. When it comes to the final few weeks,
Madrid's run-in looks the easiest but what position will they be in
when those games come around?
Predicting where points will be won and lost is fraught with
risk but some games really stick out, with Sevilla, Real Sociedad
and Athletic Bilbao likely to play a big part:
Week 22: Madrid at Athletic Bilbao. Week 23: Barcelona at
Sevilla, Villarreal at Madrid. Week 25: Atltico at Real Sociedad.
And week 26: Atltico Madrid versus Real Madrid.
Then there's the small matter of Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in
Week 29, followed by more intrigue. Week 30: Madrid at Sevilla.
Week 31: Atltico at Athletic. Week 32: Atltico vs. Villarreal and
Madrid at Sevilla. Week 34: Barcelona vs. Athletic. Week 35:
Villarreal-Barcelona and Valencia-Atltico.
And then, on the final day of the season: Barcelona against
Atltico. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty ImagesIt might be significant
to the title race that Atletico Madrid and Barcelona face off in La
Liga's final round of games.
First, a mischievous question: What if those two, Madrid's great
rivals, go into the final minutes of the final match of the season
drawing and knowing that a draw between them gives Real Madrid the
title? More to the point, what if the prize is still shining before
both of them? It is possible. And that is the most extraordinary
thing of all.
It has been a decade since a team not named Real or Barcelona
won the league. Valencia were the last "other" winners. You have to
go back seven years to the most recent time anyone else was a
genuine candidate, when Sevilla were agonisingly close in
2006-07.
Since then, the gap has gotten only wider. For the past five
years the distance between the team in third and the title winners
has been 24, 29, 25, 28 and 17 points. Atltico have done something
astonishing in an era defined by huge economic inequality,
something that their manager insisted was impossible: They have
made themselves contenders and given us the most exciting, tense
and demanding title race in years. Jovetic proving to be City's
third wheelPosted by Richard JollyGettyImagesStevan Jovetic is back
at full fitness, but will he get in the team?It is a medical
mystery. How does a stomach bug develop into a hamstring problem?
If the answer is elusive so, too, has been Manchester City summer
signing Stevan Jovetic, who succumbed in such a strange way that,
when sidelined by illness, he developed an injury and only returned
six weeks later.
If it seems rather odd, then so, too, does the Montenegrins City
career. It is never an encouraging sign when a players peak for his
employers comes in a friendly. Rewind to July: Jovetic made an
auspicious start to life in City colours, creating two goals as
they raced into a 5-0 lead in preseason against AC Milan.
Six months on, the only other real illustrations of his quality
have come for Montenegro, in a valiant attempt to take a country
with the population of 620,000 to the World Cup. Jovetic -- who was
among Serie As most accomplished attackers, who Rafa Benitez wanted
to take to Liverpool as a teenager, who interested Arsenal and
Juventus last summer, and who cost City 22 million pounds -- has
been conspicuous by his absence.
The lesser-spotted striker made a belated reappearance as a
replacement in City's Capital One Cup tie at West Ham on Tuesday.
By default, it has become his competition. Two of his three starts
have come in the junior domestic cup, even if the last, at
Newcastle in October, spanned only 10 minutes. So have both of his
goals, during his nondescript display in the 5-0 thrashing of
Wigan. The only other game he started, the 0-0 draw at Stoke in
September, seemed a culture shock for Jovetic and manager Manuel
Pellegrini alike.
And, barring a couple of forgettable cameos, that is the full
ledger of his time at City. Jovetic has had as many starts as
injuries. If the latter are inherently unfortunate, the amount of
time the Montenegrin has spent sidelined seems suspicious, not
least to City.
Perhaps Pellegrinis most pertinent comment was: I always believe
that a player cannot do it unless he feels he can do it. It was a
hint that comebacks are not postponed for physical reasons.
Fiorentina fans nicknamed Jovetic Il Bua for his low pain
threshold, and he has appeared to lack confidence in his fragile
frame.
At least when he sat out the entirety of the 2010-11 season,
there was a legitimate explanation: He had an anterior cruciate
ligament injury. At City, where lesser problems have pockmarked his
campaign, he has veered between forgotten man and curiosity since
October, appearing an expensive irrelevance.PA PhotosManchester
City have a number of players who have got them goals.It is
probably only the extraordinarily prolific form of Sergio Aguero,
Edin Dzeko and Alvaro Negredo -- 60 goals between them and counting
-- that has saved Jovetic from being bracketed alongside Erik
Lamela and Marouane Fellaini among the seasons worst signings.
Jovetic is also among the strangest, particularly when a
combination of considerable wages and a sizable fee are factored
into the equation. City boast a surfeit of riches in the striking
department. If the intention was to assemble a quartet with
different attributes, defender Micah Richards outlined their
various qualities thus: Sergio has pace and power. Edin is a good
finisher and good in the air. Negredo runs around like a man
possessed and is a great finisher. And Jovetic has skill and
technique.
The question from the start, however, was where a natural No. 10
could figure. Pellegrini is not alone in believing top clubs need
four high-class forwards, but he began his reign describing Dzeko
as the first choice. If that was a psychological ploy to placate an
unsettled player, Negredo soon displaced him from the side. Then
there is Aguero, who Pellegrini feels trails only Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo in the global pecking order.
In short, Jovetic was signed to understudy an automatic choice,
and the suspicion is the money could have been better spent
elsewhere. High-quality cover for Vincent Kompany would have
helped, and City may yet regret not possessing a classier deputy to
Yaya Toure and Fernandinho; another attacker, even if necessary for
the sake of numbers, could have been a lesser priority.
Indeed, Jovetic's ill-timed absence proved there are
alternatives even when the marksman supreme is missing. When Aguero
limped off against Arsenal in December, there were questions about
whether Negredo and Dzeko, the two target men, could play together.
They were answered emphatically when a calf injury kept the
Argentine out: In one three-game spell, the Spaniard and the
Bosnian scored 11 goals between them.
Moreover, with Jovetic unavailable, Pellegrini unearthed another
option: Four of Citys six goals against Arsenal came with David
Silva floating around behind Negredo in a 4-2-3-1 formation. When
Silva, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas are all fit, it allows the
Chilean to incorporate another flair player, seemingly without
rendering them less potent; with the same shape, they won 3-2 at
Bayern Munich and scored twice in a half-hour at Fulham.
City were scarcely impeded by Jovetics litany of problems --
they won 17 of the last 20 games he missed and cruised past the
100-goal barrier with his contributing only two. And so, though
finally fit again, the fourth forward looks to be a third wheel.
Because the answer to the Twitter question #WheresJovetic may be
simple: on the bench.Explaining the Logic of Manchester United's
Move for Juan MataBy Rob Dawson , Manchester United Correspondent
Jan 23, 2014
There are a select group of players that could fit into any
team. If they became available, itwould cause a mad scramble from
Europe's top clubs to sign them.You know who they are. Regardless
of needs or finances, every club on the planet is interested in
signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They are so good that
they would make any team better.Manchester United aren't signing
Ronaldo or Messi, but the premise is still the same with their
pursuitof Juan Mata. The Manchester Evening News reports that the
club have submitted a 40 millionbid for the Chelsea midfielder.Mata
won't fill United's key need in the centre of midfield, but there's
a debate to be had about whether he's so good that it doesn't
matter.
Alex Livesey/Getty Images United needed a central midfielder in
2012 too, but instead, Sir Alex Ferguson pushed the boat out to
sign a striker in Robin van Persieand an aging one at that, as he
was 29 when he arrived from Arsenal.Ferguson didn't address
United's most pressing need, but his team still won the Premier
League title and Van Persie played a big role.It's similar to
Arsenal signing Mesut Ozil in the summer. It was thought they
needed a striker and a holding midfielder, but they broke their
transfer record to sign another attacking midfielder.Arsene Wenger
already had Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Jack
Wilshere, Santi Cazorla, Serge Gnabry, Theo Walcott and Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain. That didn't matter to Wenger, though. Ozil was,
in his opinion, so good that he could overlook Arsenal's key needs.
Sitting atop the Premier League in January, his decision has been
vindicated.
Matt Dunham/Associated Press Moyes hinted in the summer that he
didn't enter the race for Ozil because he wasn't the type of player
United needed. But Mata and Ozil, while not identical, have similar
styles and qualities.So what has changed?Ultimately, it's down to
results. Transition or not, there will have been few voices in the
boardroom or in the stands worried that United could finish as low
as seventh in Moyes' first season.Out of the title race, the FA
Cup, the Capital One Cup and with only an outside chance of winning
the Champions League, Moyes must finish in the top four to maintain
any measure of respectability in his first year.A United side that
can include Mata are better equipped to do that.
Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press He is undoubtedly a quality
footballer. He won Chelsea's Player of the Year award two years in
a row and, at 25, is reaching his peak. For now, we can overlook
where he's going to play when Wayne Rooney and Van Persie are fit
given Moyes' preference for his variation of 4-4-2.If his arrival
is the start of Moyes' major rebuild that will stretch into next
summer, Mata's arrival could be inspired. A team which includes
him, Rooney and Van Persie will almost certainly create and score
goals.However, it's unlikely Mata will be able to cover all the
cracks. And Moyes still needs a midfielder.Can Cabaye replicate his
Newcastle excellence elsewhere?Posted by Michael CoxANDREW
YATES/AFP/Getty ImagesYohan Cabaye has been superb for Newcastle
but how many other clubs could give him such freedom to excel?For a
midsized Premier League club -- one of those clubs good enough to
have top-class international footballers, but not so good that
they're cup-tied for European competition -- it's a bad month for
your star performers to be hitting the headlines. The Premier
League's big clubs are circling and in the midst of the most
unpredictable title race for years, one key signing could be
crucial.
For "midsized club" read Newcastle United, and for "star
performer" read Yohan Cabaye. The Frenchman is the division's
in-form midfielder, contributing five goals in his past seven games
at the perfect time to place himself prominently in the shop
window.
Ordinarily in these situations, there's a debate about whether
the player is actually angling for a transfer, or if he's happy to
stay put. Last year's equivalent was Everton left-back Leighton
Baines, who probably fancied a move to Manchester United but
nevertheless remained professional and committed throughout the
transfer speculation, meaning we never had explicit proof he was
interested in leaving.
With Cabaye, it's different. Following interest from Arsenal
earlier in the campaign, he ruled himself out of contention for
Newcastle's matches against Manchester City and West Ham, with Alan
Pardew admitting that Cabaye "had his head turned by the bid."
The transfer didn't materialise and Cabaye slotted back into the
Newcastle side with few problems. But things have changed since
then: Newcastle are performing better than expected, Cabaye has a
crucial role in the side and he might consider staying until the
end of the season, considering this is a World Cup year.
Nevertheless, it's difficult to believe Cabaye has no interest in a
transfer. Now 28 years old -- but in a sense only now emerging as a
genuinely top-class footballer -- he won't have many more chances
to join a major club.
The destination? Manchester United have been linked, while PSG
remain interested. There are few Premier League teams who
categorically don't need another central midfielder, especially
given Cabaye's ability to play as both a deep-lying passer and a
more advanced No. 10. Given his natural aggression -- which can
stray across the line into recklessness, it must be said -- he
could also play a destructive role alongside a more cultured
playmaker.
On a personal level, though, Cabaye's versatility might become a
hindrance. He spent the majority of his first two campaigns at
Newcastle alongside Cheick Tiote in the engine room. When he first
met Pardew, Cabaye asked his prospective manager how he wanted
Newcastle to play, aware that the Magpies had been playing
relatively simple football. "With you, it will change," promised
Pardew. He wanted Cabaye to boss the midfield and impose a passing
game.
Only in the final eight matches of Cabaye's debut campaign was
he used in a more advanced role: behind the main striker, a
position he played a further four times last season. But when
Cabaye first played that position, Newcastle's wide players were
usually Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa -- extremely skillful attacking
talents, but hardly disciplined defensive workers. Cabaye was
probably, on average, Newcastle's fourth most advanced player.Ian
MacNicol/AFP/Getty ImagesAlan Pardew has made the most of Cabaye
but few clubs will be looking to build around the Frenchman in the
same way.
This season, Pardew has formatted his side in a completely
different fashion. The wide players are no longer a converted
forward and an attack-minded dribbler, but instead a hardworking
natural wide man in Yoann Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko, a box-to-box
midfielder moved out to the right. Newcastle's defensive discipline
is extremely impressive, particularly in the way the midfield
protects the back four and squeezes the play in the middle.
"We just try to find a position for [Cabaye] where he is most
effective," Pardew explained earlier this month. "Sometimes, it is
a deeper position, depending on the opposition. Sometimes it is a
higher position and against Arsenal, we went for the higher
position. West Brom might be slightly different." In other words,
he generally uses Cabaye higher up against good opposition, and
deeper when Newcastle can afford to play an extra attacker.
But Cabaye's performances in the advanced position have
encouraged Pardew to install him there as his default strategy.
Further forward, Cabaye remains crucial in applying Newcastle's
defensive pressure. Alongside the surprisingly disciplined Loic
Remy, he presses the opposition centre-backs, then drops back into
midfield to ensure Newcastle aren't overrun in that zone. His
performance in this respect was crucial throughout Newcastle's 1-0
win at Old Trafford -- he helped Newcastle win possession and
retain it, while also motoring forward to score the game's only
goal.
Pardew is all too happy to acknowledge the reason for Cabaye's
good form. "He has an almost free role in the team in the No. 10
[position]," Pardew said after Cabaye's two goals at West Ham on
Saturday. "I thought he was a class act all day, he's added goals
to his game. He has been a big player for us. He helped us get a
nice rhythm in midfield, which worked well."
However, will any club of a higher standing than Newcastle play
Cabaye as their No. 10? No. Would Manchester United pick him there,
instead of Wayne Rooney or Shinji Kagawa? Would PSG play him there,
and change their system? Would Arsenal sideline Mesut Ozil? The
answer to these questions is obvious. Cabaye would be brought back
into a deeper role.
In that position, Cabaye is a very different player. In his
early days at Newcastle, he read an interview with Andres Iniesta,
who explained how Xavi Hernandez was furious if he touched the ball
fewer than 100 times in a match. Cabaye adopted that approach and
therefore started to play a similar, reliable passing game to Xavi:
offer, receive, pass. "For me, Xavi is the best player in the
world," he once said.
As that type of player, a passing midfielder with a combative
edge, Cabaye could still prove useful elsewhere. He could certainly
contribute to title-winning sides, in a deeper role and with less
creative freedom.
But this, the Newcastle 2013-14 era Cabaye with an advanced role
helping to destroy, create and score goals, is probably the best
we'll ever see of the Frenchman in an individual sense. "He's in an
environment where he's got pole position," outlines Pardew. "You
don't always get that. You can get lost at some clubs." His current
manager is hardly impartial, but he's probably right. Cabaye must
choose between individual prominence at Newcastle and success as a
less flashy player elsewhere.
Jermaine Jenas, one of Cabaye's predecessors in Newcastle's
midfield, memorably once said playing for the club was akin to
"living in a goldfish bowl." If we're sticking with the fish theme,
Cabaye now faces the classic dilemma about his favoured size of
pond. Arsenal's Stingy Defence Can Win Them a League TitleBy James
Dudko Jan 20, 2014
Matt Dunham/Associated Press All those who have ever said
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger ignores the defensive side of the
game are choking on those words this season.It is a stingy defence
that has Wenger's current side at the top of the English Premier
League. If they win the league crown, that same defence will be the
reason why.The Gunners kept another clean sheet last Saturday. A
2-0 win over Fulham marked the 10th time Arsenal have held an
opponent scoreless in the EPL this season.Wenger's men have
surrendered the fewest goals in the league this term. Their
defensive excellence is the defining feature of their success so
far.There are many reasons for this newfound solidity. The most
obvious is that Wenger has patiently assembled a group of talented
defenders.Towering centre-back Per Mertesacker continues to make a
mockery of his critics. His obvious lack of pace has yet to
undermine the Gunners. It is also more than compensated for by
precision tackling, excellent positional sense and a natural air of
authority.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press Mertesacker is the standout
performer at the heart of the EPL's best defence. In the opinion of
this writer, Mertesacker is by some distance the best defender in
the league this season. But if he is leading the way, veteran
full-back Bacary Sagna is a close second.Sagna's return to form has
made a resolute defence even stronger. At peak fitness, Sagan knows
no equal at his position. He is a complete defender, equally
formidable on the ground and in the air.Like Mertesacker, Sagna has
confounded the naysayersthose who felt he was finished after a
subpar 2012/13 season. Never mind that Sagna broke both his legs in
the previous campaign and could not realistically be expected to
immediately return to his best.Those who wrote off Sagna after his
injury problems were clearly afflicted with what will now forever
be known as "Aaron Ramsey syndrome."While Sagna has simply reverted
to type, left-back Kieran Gibbs has made rapid progress. The young
defender is now more assured and accomplished at the back.
Sang Tan/Associated Press Not many get past underrated left-back
Kieran Gibbs. There is a composure to how Gibbs plays and that
command of his emotions is letting his natural athleticism take
over.The final member of the meanest back four in the land serves
as a reminder of the dangers of doubting Wenger's ability in the
transfer market.When Laurent Koscielny joined the club in 2010,
more than a few eyebrows were raised. Wenger had snared him from
French club FC Lorient after just a single season of Ligue 1
football.But after enduring more than his share of rocky moments,
Koscielny has become almost as important to the Arsenal cause as
Mertesacker.What has made Koscielny better this season is curbing
his reckless habits. In the past, he has gotten into trouble by
needlessly lunging into challenges.Now he is noticeably calmer. It
has changed how he approaches his role along the Arsenal back
line.While Mertesacker steps out to make the highlight-worthy
contributions, it is Koscielny who acts as janitor, sweeping up
anything that still gets through.Via smart transfer business, faith
in the promise of youth and relying on an old war horse, Wenger has
created a perfectly complementary back four.The Gunners now have
the ideal blend of pace, intelligence, vocal leadership, calmness
and tenacity. Every member of this defence relies on the other for
balance.A steady back line has certainly helped those immediately
in front and behind it. For the latter, goalkeeper Wojciech
Szczesny has experienced a career rebirth.Szczesny is no longer the
careless youth who seemed to save calamitous errors for key moments
in games. While he has still not completely shed his cavalier ways,
there is no denying Szczesny is better than he was a year ago.Like
Gibbs, a touch of calmness has allowed Szczesny's physical gifts to
shine.Of course, Szczesny and those in front of him also get by
with more than a little help from their friends. That help starts
with players like Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini.Wenger uses
either of these hardened veterans to shield the defence. This is a
familiar tactic from a manager so many have wrongly claimed ignores
defensive realities.Gilberto Silva was the buffer between defence
and midfield during Wenger's best period at Arsenal. Before him,
Frenchman Emmanuel Petit was a de facto third centre-back.While
supplementing his back four with a deep-lying midfielder is
familiar stuff from Wenger, Arsenal's team approach to defending is
new.It's at this point where the Wenger critics would have you
believe that anything good about Arsenal this season is due
entirely to assistant manager Steve Bould.While this narrative is
incredibly insultingnot too much utterly wrongone noticeable
difference has emerged since Bould became Wenger's second in
command.
Michael Regan/Getty Images Steve Bould and Arsene Wenger have
worked together to craft a renewed commitment to defensive
solidity. Simply put, there is a more ordered, recognizable
structure to the way Arsenal defend. While they press more from the
front, they also drop greater numbers behind the ball in deeper
areas.It is a balanced approach to stifling teams at both ends of
the pitch. In previous seasons, Arsenal's approach to defending
could be dubbed the "headless chickens strategy."Everything was
chaotic and seemed to rely on brilliant individual play to negate
attacks. Now this team defends more as a unit. It is not just at
the tactical level, but also at a psychological one.A key word that
describes Arsenal's defensive renaissance, which really started in
the latter stages of last season, is accountability.Players,
especially those of the forward-thinking variety, are held
accountable for the successes and failures in defence. When Arsenal
bested Aston Villa 2-1 on January 13th, they conceded because of a
casual and ill-advised piece of play from Santi Cazorla.No sooner
had Villains striker Christian Benteke headed into an empty net
that Mertesacker was roaring his disapproval in Cazorla's
direction.That was unlikely to be the last of it. It is easy to
imagine to Mertesacker and the other members of his defence taking
Cazorla to task after the game.
Michael Regan/Getty Images Attack-minded players like Santi
Cazorla are held accountable for their role in Arsenal's defensive
shape. That establishes a culture that lets every member of the
team know they are responsible for the defensive record. It is a
mindset Arsenal have needed for a while.It doesn't matter if Lionel
Messi performs a triple somersault over Mertesacker's head followed
by the Karate Kid crane-kick to burst the net at the Emirates
Stadium.Every goal conceded should be taken as an affront to a
proud back four and a team committed to defensive integrity.Some
bright spark is already typing in the comments section about
Manchester City's six-goal salvo against Arsenal in mid-December.
While that was alarming, the Gunners have stood firm more than they
have relented this season.They held Liverpool, with their awesome
strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, scoreless
back in November. At the start of September, they blanked Tottenham
Hotspur, who had spent the deficit of a small country beefing up
their squad.In late December, Arsenal weren't breached by a Chelsea
squad containing enough attacking midfielders and supporting
strikers to form their own feeder club.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Arsenal have thwarted some of
the EPL's best strikers this season. It is also important to
remember that a poor defence is one likely to collapse against even
mediocre opposition. Arsenal blanked Fulham last Saturday, but they
conceded three to largely the same team in the same fixture last
season.While Wenger has always valued defending more than his
critics have claimed, solidity at the back is not the first thing
you associate with one of the pioneers of attractive and daring
attacking football.However, this defence-led Arsenal is a different
animal. While they can still produce classy combination play, if
the Gunners do win this EPL title, it will be via graft and
defensive resolve.It is a reality that almost casts them in the
role of spoilers next to City's free-scoring beauty and Chelsea's
individualist power.With the way Arsenal's back four is leading a
team committed to defence, the Gunners could spoil their way to
Wenger's fourth league title.Time for Man United to replace Nemanja
Vidic?Posted by Michael CoxWhen judging a footballer's probable
impact over the next couple of seasons, there are certain rules you
must never break. The longer you follow English football, the more
reluctant you are to break them. Here are three:
1. Never judge a player exclusively on his performance in a
major international tournament. Individuals regularly impress in a
couple of big games in a particular role within a certain system
but fail to replicate that performance over the course of a whole,
50-game domestic season.
2. Never assume a player has severed ties with his club. Whether
it's handing in a transfer request, publicly stating he doesn't
believe the club is ambitious enough, getting a ban for racial
abuse or repeatedly letting down his club because of petulance,
it's no barrier. The player will return, and as soon as he scores,
he'll be cheered.
3: Never, ever write off Manchester United or any of their
players. Over the past two decades, every time you thought Sir Alex
Ferguson's side was dead and buried, it came back to prove you
wrong. Down 1-0 going into stoppage time in a European Cup final?
No problem. Twelve points behind in a title race? Don't count your
chickens.
- Mitten: A curious pessimism at Old Trafford- Okwonga: Worrying
lack of guile- Darke: United lost their fighting spirit- Burley:
Year off good for United?- Extra Time: Will Rooney leave this
summer?
There were moments when health problems seemed to have ended
Paul Scholes' career as a top-class footballer. He came back
stronger. Ryan Giggs' declining pace meant he wasn't the winger of
old. He adapted and became a central midfielder. Michael Carrick
fell out of favour a couple of years ago but returned to the
starting XI and is the club's reigning Players' Player of the
Year.
Yet Rule 3 might need a rethink. It was always obvious that the
famous, never-say-die spirit owed much to Ferguson, and David Moyes
doesn't seem able to replicate that atmosphere. Is it now
acceptable to break the third rule?
Can we now, safely, write off some of Manchester United's older
players? Specifically, Nemanja Vidic?
United's generation gapMoyes needs to refresh the United squad
for two reasons: to improve the quality and to transform this into
his side, not Ferguson's. However, his isn't a particularly old
squad. Only six players are 30 years old or over: Giggs, Rio
Ferdinand, Vidic, Patrice Evra, Carrick and Robin van Persie.
Giggs' retirement will hardly be a shock while Carrick is
playing some of the best football of his career. Meanwhile, van
Persie -- among his injury problems this season -- has been
prolific at United. There's no major decision to make with this
trio, and the need for evolution comes in defence, where the
Ferdinand-Vidic-Evra axis, once the core of Europe's best defence,
is expiring.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty ImagesNemanja Vidic's decline
is now impossible for Man United to ignore.The three can no longer
play together regularly. With a combined age of 99, they lack the
mobility of their youth and need more time to recover between
matches. Moyes used Vidic-Ferdinand for his first five league games
but not once since. Injuries have played a part, but Moyes
understands their time is running out.
Moyes must choose whom to ditch carefully. Clearing out three of
United's most experienced players together would be extremely
dangerous, especially at such an uncertain time in the club's
history. At least one must remain for his leadership skills as much
as his on-pitch performance. Complicating matters is the fact that
all three have worn the captain's armband regularly in recent
years.
Of the three, it's increasingly difficult to make a case for
Vidic remaining, especially as his contract expires this
summer.
At his peak, the Serbian was the most dominant aerial
centre-back in Europe, but pace has always been his major weakness.
Fernando Torres famously exposed that a few years ago, but many
defenders struggled to contain Liverpool-era Torres. These things
happen.
Vidic has become less mobile, however. The two poor games he
experienced in an otherwise magnificent 2010-11 title-winning
campaign were when he struggled to turn and run quickly; since the
serious knee injury he suffered in late 2011, his pace has been
even more questionable. His performance on Sunday against Chelsea
was particularly worrying. There was the way Eden Hazard blazed
past the Serbian without a care -- but again, like the Torres
incidents, that's forgivable.
However, if a defender lacks speed, his positioning and
decision-making must be flawless. Chelsea's second goal was
curious. After the initial corner was cleared, the other eight
Manchester United outfielders who had been defending immediately
cleared the box while Vidic dawdled behind, more concerned with
fellow Serb Branislav Ivanovic.
Rafael is certainly culpable as well -- too keen to return to
his right-back spot rather than defend the second cross -- but
Vidic reacts too late to the danger. Samuel Eto'o is at the front
post, ready to pounce. Vidic's initial movement toward him is
delayed, and then he's not quick enough across the ground.
Later, there was his tackle on Hazard, which brought a straight
red card in stoppage time. It wasn't remotely a harsh decision; his
challenge was late, high and dangerous with no intent to play the
ball, no tactical attempt to break up an attack and simply an
attempt to hurt an opponent who had previously embarrassed
him.ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty ImagesVidic deserved his red card for
fouling Eden Hazard, a tackle that proved his loss of pace and lack
of mobility.Between the second goal and the red card, Vidic's
weaknesses were laid bare. Positioning himself yards behind the
rest of the defence suggests he's not confident in his mobility
while the Hazard challenge indicates someone aware of his
limitations against tricky opponents. His centre-back colleague
Ferdinand has similarly lost pace but has always been a superior
reader of the game, not nearly as prone to lapses in concentration
as the clich about him suggests, rarely diving into tackles and
being shown a red card just once in over a decade with United.
Meanwhile, Vidic's statistics from the past few seasons are
interesting. Since his injury, he completes only around two-thirds
as many tackles and interceptions as he did at his peak, though his
number of clearances have increased. Defensive statistics must be
treated with caution; a concern about Jaap Stam's tackling
statistics was a reason why Ferguson sold the Dutchman prematurely,
whereas Stam was still a fine defender and was simply reading the
game better. Nevertheless, Vidic's stats underline a change in
approach. He's become more reactive, which tallies with the
suspicion he needs to play deeper. That, in turn, affects the
position of the entire side.
Surplus to requirements?There is also a case for saying that
defenders in Vidic's mould -- at least, in his current guise -- are
increasingly anachronistic. Centre-backs need to be physically
strong and competent in the air but equally need to be mobile,
quick and capable of making the right decisions against tricky
opponents.
United have replacements. Jonny Evans has made a surprising
number of mistakes this season while Phil Jones and Chris Smalling
have both suffered from being played out of position. Nevertheless,
all three have demonstrated their quality in the past, and
considering that Moyes is insisting upon a long-term strategy with
regard to signings, that approach should apply to existing players
too.
These three centre-backs are not untested youngsters either,
with 361 United appearances between them. By the end of this
season, Evans will soon have played for United more than Eric
Cantona, Smalling more than Henning Berg. These are players ready
to take responsibility.
Yet for Vidic, the future is unclear. A move to Fiorentina has
been rumoured -- following Anderson there -- although it seems a
strange transfer from Fiorentina's perspective. Vincenzo Montella
likes mobile defenders who can play out from the back, and perhaps
the transfer is about making up for the fact that Fiorentina could
have had Vidic before United pounced in 2005-06; they effectively
had his signature but couldnt accommodate another non-EU
player.
Regardless of his future, Vidic will be remembered as one of the
most dominant centre-backs in Premier League history, and his
partnership with Ferdinand is probably the best the division has
seen. But their combined peak was six years ago. It's time for
United to move on, and perhaps time for us to redefine the rules.
Zlatan, Tevez and the Most Successful Multi-League Strikers in
FootballBy Sam Pilger Jan 16, 2014
The concept of the one-club man appears to have been lost
forever in the modern game.It is increasingly likely players, and
especially strikers, will instead have shorter spells at clubs and
move more frequently to other clubs and countries.Here we rank the
world's best multi-league strikers currently playing today.The
criteria was they had to have played in at least three different
countries, and then they are ranked on the basis of the success
they have enjoyed throughout their careers.You simply cant compete
with Zlatan Ibrahimovic when it comes to the sheer volume and
quality of clubs he has passed through.Over the last fifteen years
the Swede has played for seven teams in five different countries
across Europe.But it is the size of the clubs Ibrahimovic has
starred for that really sets him apart from his
contemporaries.After beginning in his native Sweden with Malmo he
made his first move to Hollands biggest club Ajax where he won two
Dutch titles and a Dutch Cup between 2001 and 2004.Ibrahimovic also
boasts the complete set of having played for Italys three biggest
clubs, Juventus, Milan and Inter, where over the course of seven
seasons he won an incredible six Serie A titles.The striker left
Italy for a year with Barcelona in the 2009-10 season where he
collected a La Liga title.He is now currently playing in his fifth
country with Paris Saint-Germain where he won the French title last
season.Real Madrid must still be cursing themselves for allowing
the prolific Cameroon striker to slip through their grasp.Since
leaving Madrid, Etoo has become one of the best strikers in the
world with eight teams in four countries.He came through the youth
ranks at the Bernabeu, but only appeared for the first team three
times in three years as he was loaned out to Leganes, Espanyol and
Real Mallorca.In 2000 he made the move to Real Mallorca permanent
and proceeded to score 69 goals in the next four years and help
them win the Copa del Rey in 2003.Real Madrids great rivals
Barcelona lured him back to the Spanish mainland in 2004, where he
enjoyed his best years, scoring a total of 129 goals and winning
three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and another Copa del
Rey.In 2009 he moved to Italy to join Inter Milan and in just two
seasons his 53 goals helped win a Serie A title, two Italian Cups,
the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.Etoo moved to
Russia for a new challenge with Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011 and
though the goals continued to flow, it didnt bring him any more
trophies.Last summer Etoo arrived in England, the fourth country of
his career to play under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.On the eve of his
30th birthday Tevez has already crammed a lot into his trophy-laden
career, which has seen him play for six teams in four countries
across two continents.The Argentinian began at his beloved Boca
Juniors in 2001 and over the course of three years won the Primera
Division Apertura, the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental
Cup.In 2004 he moved across the border to Brazil to spend two years
at Corinthians, winning the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2005.After two
years in Brazil he moved to the Premier League with West Ham where
he had to battle against relegation, but earned himself a move to
Manchester United in the summer of 2007.In two seasons at Old
Trafford he won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, a
League Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson
before moving to their rivals Manchester City in 2009.Tevez enjoyed
his most prolific form at the Etihad stadium with 59 goals in 113
games, and helped City win the Premier League title in 2012, as
well as the FA Cup in 2011.Last year he moved to his fourth country
and began a so-far-successful spell with Juventus.One of the best
strikers of the last decade, the Ivorian has played for six
different teams in four countries over two continents.For the first
five years of his career Drogba was an unremarkable striker in
France for first Le Mans and then Guingamp.In the summer of 2003 he
earned a move to Marseille and began to be noticed by scoring 32
goals in 55 games.It persuaded Chelsea to pay a club record fee of
24 million for him in 2004, which heralded the start of an era of
unprecedented success for both Drogba and the South London
club.Together they won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups
and two League Cups. In Drogbas final game for Chelsea he helped
them beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League final in
2012.Drogba then had a brief spell in China with Shanghai Shenhua
before returning to Europe to join Galatasaray in Turkey.Last
season Drogba helped his new club win the Turkish league.The
Colombian striker has amassed nearly 200 career goals as he has
made his way through five clubs in five countries over two
continents since his professional debut fourteen years ago.He began
in his native Colombia with Lanceros Boyaca before moving to River
Plate aged only 15.In the Argentine capital he developed in to a
fine striker scoring 34 goals in 90 games, and helped win the
Argentine Primeria Division in 2008.In the summer of 2009 Falcao
moved to Europe to join Porto. The goals continued to flow there
with 41 in 51 games over two seasons, which saw him collect the
Portuguese title in 2011, the Portuguese Cup in 2010 and 2011, and
the UEFA Cup in 2011.In 2011 Falcao moved to Atletico Madrid where
his goal scoring feats of 52 goals in just 67 games saw him win the
UEFA Cup in 2012 and the Copa del Rey last season.Now acknowledged
as one of the leading strikers in the world, AS Monaco brought
Falcao to France last summer for a transfer fee of around 51
million.