Category Archives: Football Manager

A chance is a chance is a chance?

“Before we dive deep into soccermetrics territory to aim for a method to assign different value to different chances created during a football match, let’s take a big step back in time. Back to our early childhood, the school yard… I’m pretty sure that the majority of us have enjoyed playing marbles at that time. Not just the fun of playing the simple one-on-one game, but also the trickery trade that came with it. There were those guys (or girls) you looked up against, who always had the biggest and most shiny marbles of all, making your bunch look pale and insignificant.” 11 tegen 11

Sergio Batista and the Sharpening of Long Knives

Sergio Batista
“We’re one week into the Copa América, and if nothing else it’s proven correct those who made pre-tournament predictions that it would be the most closely-fought Copa in a long time. For the first time ever, both Argentina and Brazil failed to win their opening matches. It must be said that not enough credit was given to the two sides who foiled them in those games; Venezuela in the case of the holders Brazil, and Bolivia in the case of hosts Argentina.” In Bed With Maradona

Critics attack ‘disastrous’ Brazil after they scrape Paraguay draw
“Perhaps Dunga wasn’t so bad after all. He may have been pragmatic and have refused to pick the public’s favourites, but at least he won games. Brazil, after underwhelming in a 0-0 against a Venezuela team that, after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Ecuador, improbably tops Copa América’s Group B, were highly fortunate to scrape a 2-2 draw against Paraguay. Two thirds of the way through the group stage, none of the seeds have yet won a game and, amid all the grumbling about Argentina’s form, the one consolation for the hosts has been that Brazil have been even worse than they have.” Guardian

Can Argentina salvage their Copa America hopes?
“We’re one week into the Copa América, and if nothing else, it’s shown that those who predicted that this would be the most closely-fought Copa in living memory, have been proven correct. For the first time ever, both Argentina and Brazil failed to win their opening matches. It must be said that not enough credit was given to the two sides who foiled them in those games; Venezuela in the case of the holders Brazil, and Bolivia against the hosts Argentina.” World Soccer

Brazil 2-2 Paraguay: Brazil snatch the draw
“Mano Menezes ditched the “European” 4-2-3-1, went for a Dunga-style compromise system, then ended up with 4-2-2-2… He dropped Robinho from his starting line-up, favouring Jadson who played much narrower on the right, as he has done in previous friendlies. Gerardo Martino went for the 4-4-2 / 4-3-3 hybrid that he often favoured at last summer’s World Cup. Roque Santa Cruz played on the right, and made diagonal runs to a centre-forward position.” Zonal Marking

Set-pieces dominate the first week of the Copa

“For a tournament often hailed for its flair and unpredictability, the Copa America has clearly been lacking excitement. So far, the goals per game count stands at a pathetic eight, from seven matches. That gives a goals per game rate of just 1.14 – roughly half the goals per game rate of last summer’s World Cup, where the figure was 2.27. There have been three 0-0s, and only Chile have scored more than once.” Zonal Marking

Argentina 0-0 Colombia: another goalless draw
“The third 0-0 from seven Copa America games so far, as Argentina again struggled. Sergio Batista made one change from the opening day 0-0 against Bolivia. Marcos Rojo dropped out, with Pablo Zabaleta coming in on the right. Javier Zanetti moved to the left. Hernan Dario Gomez also made a single change, bringing in Carlos Sanchez for Gutavo Bolivar, a straight swap in midfield. Argentina had much of the play but failed to create enough chances to get the breakthrough, a common feature of this tournament. Colombia sat back and played on the break, and deserved their point.” Zonal Marking

Chile 2-1 Mexico: Borghi’s change in formation prompts Chile’s comeback

“Chile recovered from 1-0 down to record a 2-1 victory in an excellent contest. Claudio Borghi lined up with a 3-4-1-2 formation containing various players who are familiar from last year’s World Cup, and there were no major selection surprises. Like Costa Rica, Mexico are competing with an Olympic squad in this tournament, and assistant manager Luis Fernando Tena is in charge. He played a 3-5-2, with Giovani dos Santos just behind Rafael Marquez Lugo, not to be confused with the more established Rafael Marquez.” Zonal Marking

Copa América 2011: Chile Rely on Set-Pieces to Get Victory
“Chile embarked on their journey for a first Copa America trophy against a weakened Mexico side. With last month’s Gold Cup Mexico’s main international competition of the summer, a mostly under-22 side make up the Copa America squad for the tournament invitees. This meant that Chile, with the likes of potentially Barcelona bound Alexis Sánchez, as well as Humberto Suazo and Matías Fernández, were clear favorites. Meanwhile Giovanni dos Santos – Tottenham-loanee and spectacular goal-scorer in the Gold Cup final – the main player of note for the Mexicans.” the elastico

Brazil 0-0 Venezuela: Brazil fail to impress

“Mano Menezes’ first competitive game as Brazil manager ended with a poor 0-0 draw against a resilient Venezuela side. Menezes played his expected side, which meant Ganso playing as the playmaker behind a front three. Cesar Farias named a solid 4-4-2 side, with La Liga duo Nicolas Fedor and Jose Rondon upfront. Brazil dominated possession, of course, and in the first ten minutes of the game looked like they were going to run riot. The longer Venezuela went without conceding, however, the more confidence the underdogs had, and the better they defended.” Zonal Marking

Seleção Draw Blank Against Venezuela in Copa América
“As opening gambits go, it was far from convincing. Having watched their most bitter of rivals stutter against Bolivia (a result which was reported with considerable verve in Brazil) the seleção met Venezuela, hoping to put down an early marker in the competition. A year after being knocked out of the World Cup with barely a whimper of protest, opportunity hung heavy in the La Plata air; this was the moment for Brazil to shake off the dust, to reintroduce itself to the world. A team rich in youthful vim and logic-defying hair styles marched onto the pitch. Mano Menezes looked on sagely as Neymar, Ganso et al. took their starting positions. The stage was set. And then… nothing.” Snap Kaka A Pop

Colombia 1-0 Costa Rica: Ramos goal beats ten man Costa Rica

The Lady and The Unicorn, Domenico Zampieri
“Colombia squeezed past Costa Rica in a poor game. Hernan Dario Gomez surprisingly left out Cristian Zapata, sticking with the partnership of Luis Parea and Mario Yepes at the back. Hugo Rodallega was also on the bench. Costa Rica are participating in this tournament with an Olympic squad, so the majority of players are under 23, and the XI was unrecognisable from the side which contested the Gold Cup.” Zonal Marking

Palermo – Pretty In Pink?

“After a promising start to the 2010/11 season, when their exciting young team appeared to be mounting a serious challenge for a Champions League place, Palermo hit the buffers in February, suffering what their irascible president Maurizio Zamparini called a “black-out”, as they lost six matches in a row, including a devastating 7-0 home defeat to a rampant Udinese. The campaign had been going so well with the youthful talents of the Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore and Slovenian midfielder Josip Ilicic to the fore, ably supported by the attacking full-backs Federico Balzaretti and Mattia Cassani.” Swiss Ramble

FC Krasnodar 2-2 Anzhi Makhachkala

“Big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala have fallen seven points behind table-toppers CSKA Moscow after the Dagestani side could only draw 2-2 with fellow 2011 surprise package FC Krasnodar. Round 16 of the Russian Premier League’s 2011 season concluded with two of this year’s surprise packages coming together. Like city rivals Kuban, whom Krasnodar faced in the top-flight’s first ever non-Moscow derby last weekend, the home side were flying high in the table, and knew a win here could see them go sixth in a league of 16 teams.” Defensive Midfielder

Brazil 3-0 Chile: Dunga prevails over Bielsa in the tactical contest of the tournament

“A fascinating game of two vastly different styles – with one clear winner. Brazil were without both Felipe Melo and Elano through injury, and so Dunga chose Dani Alves on the right of midfield, with Ramires in a deeper, left-sided role. The rest of the team was as expected.” Zonal Marking

Using the TPI to Set Realistic Expectations at Aston Villa

“Plenty has been written about the unreasonable expectations of Aston Villa’s management team and some of their supporters since they began their search for a new manager. Chris Nee wrote a great piece at Two Footed Tackle, detailing Villa’s history in the Premier League. He makes the case that their “expectations may not have been unrealistic fifteen or even ten years ago, and maybe they haven’t changed. But football has.” Simon Clancy wrote in the NY Times Goal blog of the recent management carousel at the club which was kept alive by the appointment of Alex McLeish given that some fans don’t want him. I even spilled some digital ink on the topic, identifying several Aston Villa managers as large over-performers when it comes to the expectations set by the club’s transfer expenditures.” Pay As You Play

Santos 2-1 Peñarol: greater attacking variety gives Santos the Copa Libertadores

“After a goalless first leg, goals from Neymar and Danilo gave Santos their first Copa Libertadores for nearly 50 years. Muricy Ramalho made a few changes from the first leg, including a significantly different back four. Danilo dropped back from the midfield to become a right-back, whilst Leo started at left-back, and Edu Dracena returned at centre-back. Ganso had recovered from injury to take Danilo’s place in midfield.” Zonal Marking

Tactical Observations and Talking Points of the 2010/11 Bundesliga Season

“While the Bundesliga may not necessarily be known for the tactical nous of Seria A it has become increasingly more aware of modern trends and more and more coaches are putting an emphasis on the tactical aspect of the game. This season saw several bold moves being made by coaches throughout the league. Whether it was deviating from the norm or taking a risk in their approach, there were several tactical talking points or trends of interest. Here are some of the more noteworthy tactical observations of the 2010/11 Bundesliga Season.” Bundesliga Fanatic

United States 2-0 Jamaica: US dominate centre

“A deflected strike from Jermaine Jones and a cool Clint Dempsey finish put the US into the semi-finals of the Gold Cup. Bob Bradley left out Chris Wondolowski and Landon Donovan, bringing in Sacha Kljestan behind Jozy Altidore, and Alejandro Bedoya on the right. He was dealt an early blow with Altidore’s injury, meaning Juan Agudelo had to replace him upfront.” Zonal Marking

Real Madrid And Financial Fair Play

José Mourinho
“So in his first season as Real Madrid manager José Mourinho justified his much vaunted reputation as a winning manager, but the problem is that his team only added the Copa del Rey to the trophy cabinet. This was just a consolation prize for the most successful club in Spanish history, especially as their eternal rivals Barcelona won the two competitions that really mattered, namely La Liga (for the third season in a row) and the Champions League, when they out-passed (and out-classed) Manchester United.” Swiss Ramble

A football revolution

“Every tiny aspect of a football match can now be recorded and scrutinised. FT Weekend Magazine commissioned artist Giles Revell to create a series of images of the recent Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United, using exclusive data extracted from the game by the analysis company Prozone” FT – Simon Kuper

Denmark 2-1 Cameroon: Cameroon’s lopsided shape plays into the hands of Rommedahl

“A game unlike any that had gone before it in this tournament – this was open, exciting, frantic and stretched. Denmark narrowly deserved the win, Cameroon are slightly unfortunate to be out so early, but are no great loss to the tournament.” Zonal Marking

Fair Play For Fenway?

“UEFA Financial Fair Play. A phrase that has been used in recent times by even the most lay of football fans. But what is it? And does it matter for LFC? This article attempts to keep things extremely simple but at the same time demystify UFFP and explain how it impacts Liverpool Football Club.” The Tomkins Times

ZM’s European Team of the Season 2010/11

Horatius Cocles Defending the Bridge, Charles Le Brun
“A self-explanatory list of eleven starters, and eleven substitutes.” Zonal Marking

Swansea City Back In The Big Time

“After nearly thirty years Wales once again has a representative in the top tier of English football, following Swansea City’s thrilling 4-2 win in the Championship play-off final against Reading. Not only was this a terrific achievement in its own right, but it also represented a massive turnaround for the Swans, who came close to going out of business less than ten years ago.” Swiss Ramble

Who is the true top scorer of the Eredivisie? Introducing a weighted goal scorer metric

“The question posted in the title of this article seems to deserve a rather simple and straightforward answer, doesn’t it? Compile a simple list of the amount of goals scored by each player and, voilà… N.E.C.’s Björn Vleminckx managed to score 23 goals during the past Eredivisie season, outscoring ADO’s Dimitry Bulykin by two goals and the Belgian striker is rewarded with the trophy.” 11 tegen 11

Liverpool FC Transfers: Centre Back Scouting Stats

“Liverpool FC Transfers are the talk of twitter at the moment with the transfer window now in full swing and, shockingly, with Liverpool FC completing its first piece of business of the summer, it promises to be a summer to remember. However a major talking point has been of the pursuit of Blackburn Rovers’ young central defender, Phil Jones. We’ll be looking at Phil Jones’ stats a little later on in this article. First up we’ll be comparing the renowned defenders from the top three and also comparing them to Liverpool’s centre backs, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel. We’ll then look at the central defenders that are more likely to be available for transfer.” Anfield Index

Wigan Athletic’s Unlikely Survival

“As Wigan’s fans watched their overjoyed players celebrate the narrow escape from relegation on the last day of the season by first soaking their manager Roberto Martinez in champagne, then throwing the Spaniard into the air, their emotions were surely a mixture of delight and relief. After all, Wigan had been written-off by all and sundry for the majority of a campaign that had started disastrously with two thumping great home defeats, 4-0 to newly promoted Blackpool and 6-0 to reigning champions Chelsea.” Swiss Ramble

Sweden 5-0 Finland: Ibrahimovic off the bench to score a hattrick as Finland are demolished

“Sweden kept up their excellent record in 2012 qualifying with a convincing win over neighbours Finland. Zlatan Ibrahimovic hadn’t fully recovered from injury, so started on the bench – but came on after 25 minutes when Ola Toivonen picked up a knock. Erik Hamren only made one change from the 4-1 win over Moldova, as Emir Bajrami replaced Tobias Hysen on the left.” Zonal Marking

Sir Alex Ferguson Is No Follower Of Tactical Fashion

“In recent times, we’ve seen rise of tactical analysis in football, largely on the internet by the unqualified – some good, some bad. Most of them share, to an extent, a shared editorial stance on certain things. One such observation is a number of tactical ‘trends’ spotted in the game – examining how football tactics have changed, past strategies that are now outdated, and newer ones that may represent the future of the game.” SB Nation

English football needs a winter break

“It’s a debate that is slowly becoming a one-way argument. Sir Alex Ferguson wants it. So does Fabio Capello. But their cries for a winter break in the Premier League may never be answered – yet observation and statistics suggest they have a point. After England’s 2-2 draw with Switzerland on Saturday, Capello was quick to use fatigue as an excuse for his side’s under-performing and, in the process, dismissing the notion that his side simply aren’t good enough; ‘It is not the quality. We have got quality. The problem is the energy, not other things. We are not so fresh. It was difficult.'” Man Utd 24

Belgium 1-1 Turkey: a possession-based game finishes all square

“Two goals in the first quarter of the game gave Belgium and Turkey a point apiece. Georges Leekens shuffled his pack, bringing both Eden Hazard and Marvin Ogunjimi back into the side, amongst others, and used a 4-2-3-1 system. Guus Hiddink’s formation was more of a 4-1-2-3, with Selçuk Şahin deep ahead of his own back four. Kazim Kazim (aka Colin Kazim-Richards) surprisingly played as the lone striker, though he frequently came towards play as something of a false nine.” Zonal Marking

Brazil 0 – 0 Holland: Lessons from a useful friendly

“In what was beforehand regarded as a potential ‘unfriendly-like friendly’, Holland kept Brazil at 0-0 in a rather disappointing match, more so from the host’s perspective than from the guest’s. From a Dutch perspective, several interesting lessons were to be learned. For one, goal keeper Tim Krul made an impressive debut, keeping a clean sheet in the process.” 11 tegen 11

More questions than answers for Capello after Switzerland draw

“Two poor goals conceded and then a decent fightback, but it’s hard to draw many positive conclusions from England’s 2-2 draw with Switzerland.” Zonal Marking

Fabio Capello’s England fail to inspire confidence despite fightback
“Switzerland: England’s nemesis. Discuss. First the FA is wiped out at the court of Sepp Blatter, then two set-piece goals past a shambolic English defence lay the ground for an underwhelming 2-2 draw that casts doubt on their qualification for Euro 2012.” The Observer

Ancien regime of Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand holds England back
“The most hopeful words uttered on England’s behalf came from their youngest player, speaking in the buildup to Saturday’s draw with Switzerland. Jack Wilshere said how much he was looking forward to being joined in England’s midfield by Josh McEachran, Chelsea’s 18-year-old playmaker. Unfortunately for Wilshere, the man next to him as the match kicked off was Frank Lampard, McEachran’s clubmate, now only a couple of weeks away from his 33rd birthday.” Guardian

England 2 – 2 Switzerland
“England fought back from two goals down but still dropped two precious points against Switzerland as their bid to reach next summer’s European Championship finals stuttered. Switzerland profited from a pair of inexplicable errors from the normally solid Joe Hart to establish a two-goal cushion.” ESPN

Portugal 1-0 Norway: Portugal attack, Norway sit back, and Postiga gets the breakthrough

“Helder Postiga’s well-taken goal gave Portugal an important victory. Paulo Bento was without Ricardo Carvalho through injury, so Pepe was partnered by Bruno Alves. Joao Pereira came in at right-back, and the midfield trio was the three Ms. Egil Olsen played his usual 4-5-1 system, with the expected XI. John Carew was upfront, and Vadim Demidov came in at the back for his first start in the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.” Zonal Marking

La semaine en France: Week 38

Pascal Berenguer
“After 34 years in France’s top flight, during which they won five league titles, three Coupes de France, one Coupe de la Ligue and finished runners-up in the 2003-04 Champions League, Monaco were relegated to Ligue 2 following a 2-0 defeat by Lyon last Sunday.” Football Further

What makes Barcelona such a formidable team? – Part 1

“On Saturday night Barcelona beat Manchester United comfortably to secure their third Champions League victory in just 6 years, and their second under Pep Guardiola. The manner of the victory – against undoubtedly their biggest European rivals over the last 5 years – has left many in no doubt that this is a special team up there with the best in history. Even the traditionally insular English media had to hold their hands up and admit that Barcelona’s blueprint was the way forward, after seeing their nation’s top club humbled on home soil.” The Backwards Gooner – Part 1, Part 2

Three pivotal Euro 2012 clashes

“In football, there’s very little rest for the weary. After a long European club campaign, many top players are being called back into action for Euro 2012 qualifying matches on June 3, 4 and 7. There will be over 20 games, so which ones should you focus on? Here are our picks for the three matches with the most at stake as teams continue their quest to qualify for Poland and Ukraine.” ESPN

The 2010-2011 Season: Five tactical observations

Edwin van der Sar
“Despite being prefaced by a World Cup that was characterised by stodgy, unadventurous football and which produced the lowest goals-per-game ratio (2.27) since the notoriously defensive 1990 tournament (2.21), the 2010-11 European football season was generally a positive one for teams that sought to keep the ball on the deck and play an expansive game. Football Further examines some of the tactical trends that have emerged in the continent’s major leagues over the last 10 months.” Football Further

Arsenal’s Transfer Budget

“The end to the football season could not have come quickly enough for Arsenal fans, as their team once again failed to maintain its challenge for honours, falling away to a disappointing fourth place after being Manchester United’s main challengers for so many months. Those of a more artistic persuasion might well have reflected on the words of TS Eliot, ‘This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper’, while baseball aficionados might have opted for Yogi Berra’s classic, ‘It’s déjà vu all over again.’” Swiss Ramble

FC Barcelona: Culminating With a Dream

“This season has seen FC Barcelona reach what must surely be the pinnacle of the quite remarkable cycle of success that this team has enjoyed since the appointment of Pep Guardiola in 2008. Playing a style of football that is as effective as it is beautiful, Barcelona have mastered both patient passing when with the ball and relentlessly energetic pressing without, their beguiling proficiency seeing them repeatedly outclass the rest of Europe.” The Equaliser – Video

Style and Stylelessness
“Some last-minute thoughts . . . Last year I wrote something about styles and stylelessness in soccer, and I’m thinking about that again as the Champions League final approaches. Everyone knows, because fifty articles a day say so, that Barcelona has a very distinctive style of play. You can name it and describe it, and you can see clearly when other sides try to imitate it. Xavi may be the perfect embodiment of the style, but it’s bigger than he is, and everyone knows it. Whenever Victor Valdés starts a Barça possession not with an aimless punt but with a sharp clean pass to Piqué or Busquets, the crowd at Camp Nou cheers. ‘Even our keeper plays the Barça way!'” Run of Play

Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United: Barcelona are European Champions
“Goals from each of Barcelona’s front three gave Pep Guardiola’s side victory at Wembley. Sir Alex Ferguson named his recent ‘big game’ XI – which meant Javier Hernandez upfront with Wayne Rooney behind, and Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick in the centre of midfield. The biggest surprise was Dimitar Berbatov not even being on the bench. Guardiola was able to call on Eric Abidal at left-back, but not Carles Puyol at centre-back, so Javier Mascherano started in defence after all. The overall pattern was not completely different from the 2009 final. United enjoyed a good opening few minutes, but were then the poorer side for the rest of the contest.” Zonal Marking

Barcelona outclasses Man United with a performance for the ages
“Surely now the doubters have been won over: this Barcelona is one of the greatest teams there has ever been. In Pep Guardiola’s three seasons in charge Barca has twice won the Champions League, and it was denied a hat trick that would have placed it statistically alongside the Ajax and Bayern Munich sides of the seventies only by the combined might of Jose Mourinho and an Icelandic volcano.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Lionel Messi the little master offers timely reminder of the beautiful game as Barcelona thrill
“This was the sort of spellbinding performance from Barcelona, and particularly their wonderful Argentine magician, that makes even cynics fall back in love with football. Pass and move, move and score. Bewitching. For a sport dogged by negative headlines, the club season climaxed with a celebration of the sport’s oft-hidden virtues. The spotlight turns to Fifa today, and the judgment of the Ethics Committee on recent shenanigans, but here was a reminder of what the game should be about. Not greed. Just glory. Just a love of the ball’s company, a passion for guiding it past opponents.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

Brilliant Barcelona are a high point in football’s evolution
“In the buildup to this final, the BBC debated who was the greatest of all club football sides and settled on the Real Madrid team who won the first five European Cups from 1956 to 1960. There was unanimity in favour of Puskas, Di Stéfano and Gento: white-jerseyed enemies to the people of Catalonia. Study the tapes of those Real Madrid XIs and you see skill, exuberance, thrust and machismo; a regal confidence across the team. You also register a wholly different version of football in which possession is easily surrendered and defending often laissez-faire. The greatest of all Real’s early triumphs – the 7-3 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960 – was a goal avalanche impossible to imagine in a Champions League final today.” Guardian – Paul Hayward

Prized Possession for Barcelona: Champions League Title
“LONDON — With the fans at one end of Wembley Stadium singing and dancing, and those at the other sulking and leaving, the public-address announcer made the most obvious of proclamations: Barcelona was the winner of the Champions League.” NYT

Barca vs. Man United player grades
“Reviewing the individual performances in the 2011 Champions League final (players graded on a scale of 1-10)…” SI

Barcelona 3 – 1 Manchester United
“For the second time in three years, brilliant Barcelona denied Manchester United Champions League glory with a sensational performance at Wembley. Although United could take some small consolation from the knowledge they were more effective than that 2009 letdown in Rome and even managed to level Pedro’s first-half strike through Wayne Rooney, once again the better team won. On the ground where the Catalans lifted their first European Cup, Lionel Messi also laid his personal ghost to rest, scoring his first goal for Barcelona on English soil, belting home what proved to be the winner nine minutes into the second half.” ESPN

FC Barcelona 3-1 Manchester United – Extended Fox Sports Video Highlights
Extended Fox Sports video

FC Barcelona Trophy Celebrations After Winning 2011 UEFA Champions League
Video highlights of the trophy celebration by FC Barcelona on May 28, 2011

La semaine en France: Week 37

“You wait 56 years for a major trophy, and then two come along at once. Eight days after ending a 56-year wait to win the Coupe de France by beating Paris Saint-Germain at Stade de France, Lille ended a 57-year wait for the Ligue 1 championship following a 2-2 draw against the same opponents down the road at Parc des Princes.” Football Further

ADO 5 – 1 Groningen: First leg trashing fires ADO into Europe

“In a first leg of what many expected to be a tight affair, ADO trashed Groningen and went on to win 5-1, thereby virtually securing their win in this season’s Europa League qualification playoffs. Groningen conceded the midfield to ADO by playing a formation bordering on 4-2-4 against ADO’s compact 4-3-3. In turn, ADO played to their strength very well and consequently circulated the ball to the feet of wingers Kubik and Verhoek. In the end, a weak performance by Groningen goal keeper Luciano did the rest.” 11 tegen 11

Lessons from the 2009 final (part one)

“As this season’s Champions League final is a repeat of the final from 2009, it’s well worth taking a look at that contest before Saturday night’s game. The footage, if you’re interested, is available on YouTube here (with the following parts on the links down the right-hand side). Here are five conclusions from that match – five more (plus the usual preview) to come.” Zonal Marking

Lessons from the 2009 final (part two)
“A continuation of the earlier conclusions from the 2009 Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United. The majority of points are, of course, related to Manchester United’s tactics – since they lost that final, and have to put things right this time around.” Zonal Marking

Football Culture Clash: a debate with Paul Hayward

“On a flight back from Spain, a chance meeting with Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer for The Observer, led to a lengthy discussion on the cultural differences between the English and Spanish game. Our conversation took place in the aftermath of the Champions League semi finals that did little to enhance the reputation of La Liga in the eyes of the British press and public. With this Saturday`s Champions League final bringing our two footballing cultures together, Paul Hayward and I thought it would be interesting to continue our comparisons of attitudes and approaches to the sport via email and publish them here. Here`s the first couple of exchanges between Paul and I. Please join in the debate and check back later in the week when our focus turns to the big game between Manchester United and FC Barcelona at Wembley…” Guillem Balague, (2)

Have Bolton played ‘attractive football’ under Owen Coyle this season?

“Considering Bolton and Owen Coyle received an enormous amount of praise earlier in the season, it’s slightly strange to find them down in 14th place at the end of the Premier League season. 14th place doesn’t sound particularly bad, but having flirted with a Europa League place earlier this season, it represents an alarming drop in form in the second half of the season.” Zonal Marking

Liverpool’s Future Strategy

“If ever a football club’s season could be described as the proverbial ‘game of two halves’ that would be the one experienced by Liverpool fans this year. Following Roy Hodgson’s appointment as manager last July as the replacement for the popular Rafael Benitez, the Reds endured their worst league start in more than 50 years, falling into the relegation zone in October after a dismal home defeat to newly promoted Blackpool.” Swiss Ramble

Liverpool’s 2009/10 results underline the challenges Fenway face
“Under Hicks and Gillett, the Liverpool structure became more complex than in the days of the Moores family. There were two main UK holding companies; Kop Football (Holdings) Limited (‘KFH’) and its subsidiary Kop Football Limited (‘KF’) which in turn owned The Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited (‘LFAG’), the football club itself. KF was the entity that borrowed the vast majority of the money from the banks. At 31st July 2010 LFAG’s debt was limited to an inter-company loan to KF of £104.6m and bank loans and overdrafts totalling £37.7m.” the andersred blog

15 managerial appointments – the verdict

Rafael Benitez, Inter
“Back in August, ZM published a list of the 15 most intriguing managerial appointments of the summer. All were taking new jobs with speculation about how well they would fare. Some have done brilliantly, but more have been a disappointment, and an amazing number are no longer in their position. Here, then, is a summary of how each has performed.” Zonal Marking

Groningen 2 – 1 Heracles: Hard-fought battle decides EL play-off final ticket

“Groningen managed to claim a place in the final of this season’s Eredivisie play-offs by beating Heracles with the tiniest of margins: away goal difference. After a hard-fought battle, ending in a 3-2 home victory for Heracles, Groningen’s 2-1 win was just enough to secure a place in the final and to maintain hopes of playing in next season’s Europa League preliminaries.” 11 tegen 11

Manchester United v Blackpool – Tangerine Theatre of Dreams

“The final game of the season and the champions host Blackpool in what could be their last Premier League game. The outcome of this game alone will not necessarily control Blackpool’s destiny unless the Tangerines achieve the impossible and win at Old Trafford.” Tangerine Dreaming

Porto 1-0 Braga: Porto win Europa League

“Falcao’s trademark header just before half time gave Porto the UEFA Cup trophy. Andre Villas Boas named the side which could reasonably considered his first choice XI for this season, with one exception – Freddy Guarin started on the right of the midfield trio, when Fernando Belluschi has seen plenty of playing time in that position.” Zonal Marking

La semaine en France: Week 36

“Anyone who doubts the truth in the old adage that a week is a long time in football would do well to speak to the jubilant people of Lille. Seven days ago their team had gone 56 years without winning a trophy and were in danger of being overhauled in the league by Marseille. One week on, they are practically assured of their first Coupe de France and Ligue 1 double since 1946.” Football Further

Porto 3-2 Braga: Hulk dominates the game

“A great encounter with some terrific goals – Porto narrowly recorded an important victory. Porto lined up as expected, 4-3-3 with Fernando dropping deep ahead of his own defence, and Hulk and Silvestre Varela switching wings upfront.” Zonal Marking

Crossing is football’s greatest divide

“An interesting sub-context to this season has been the running battle between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fans to ‘prove’ who is the ‘better player’; Theo Walcott or Gareth Bale. Of course, such debates can only be subjective but Spurs currently have the bragging rights on this one as Bale is the PFA Player of the Year. However, if such awards were decided by numbers than intuitive feelings, then perhaps the outcome would have been closer, with arguably Theo Walcott nipping it ahead of the Welshman. (Although we do realise, statistics are not all-conclusive on their own and it is a matter of interpretation).” The Arsenal Column

Udinese Selling Their Way To The Top

Giampaolo Pozzo
“Following back-to-back victories against Lazio and Chievo Verona, Udinese stand on the brink of achieving the improbable dream of qualifying for the Champions League for only the second time in their history. They only need one more point to guarantee their entrance through the ‘gates of paradise’, as Europe’s flagship competition was described by their down-to-earth coach Francesco Guidolin, but the last game of the season is against this year’s champions Milan, so this objective is still far from a fait accompli.” Swiss Ramble

What To Expect Next Season? Hertha Berlin – A Tactical Examination and Season Review

“The last time Markus Babbel participated in the 1. Bundesliga he was in charge of VfB Stuttgart after a short stint there as a player following retirement. In November 2008 he replaced the outgoing Armin Veh. Veh had a poor first half of the season and left his side stranded in 11th place, closer to relegation than the top half they were accustomed to. Babbel came in and guided Stuttgart to a 3rd place finish and qualification for the Champions League after a quite remarkable Hinrunde. In fact, Stuttgart finished that season just 5 points behind champions Wolfsburg. It was a turnaround few expected.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Ajax 3-1 Twente: Ajax win title in last day drama

“Ajax needed to win to clinch the title, Twente needed just a draw – but Frank de Boer’s side emerged victorious. The Ajax manager named an unchanged 4-3-3 side from the one that beat Herenveen last weekend. Michel Preud’Homme’s selection was also unchanged from the previous weekend’s 4-0 thrashing of Willem II.” Zonal Marking

Ajax 3 – 1 Twente: Eredivisie decided in fantastic final
“A home victory over title rivals Twente meant that Frank de Boer’s Ajax secured the 30th Eredivisie title in the club’s history. Both title contenders faced each other on the final match day with Ajax needing a win for the title. And just one week after losing the Dutch Cup final to Twente in overtime, Ajax managed a 3-1 win in a tight and very exciting match that was ultimately decided by small tactical adaptations, which become clear when comparing this match to the Cup final.” 11 tegen 11

We won it 30 times!
“I still can’t believe what happened yesterday. I woke up this morning and thought that I had a beautiful dream last night. But it’s not a dream. It’s reality. Ajax are champions of Holland. For the 30th time in their history. It’s actually too good to be true. When I watch videos of the boys celebrating it feels unreal. It’s a dream that came true.” World of Ajax

Lille 1-0 PSG: Lille win the French Cup with 89th minute goal

“Substitute Ludovic Obraniak netted a lucky/brilliant free-kick to secure Lille’s first major trophy since 1955. Rudi Garcia brought Moussa Sow back into the side upfront, and also selected Idrissa Gueye in the centre of midfield, in the usual fluid 4-1-2-3 shape.” Zonal Marking

La semaine en France: Weeks 34 and 35

“Marseille are bloodied but they are not beaten yet. Lille’s 2-1 victory at Saint-Etienne on Tuesday saw OM fall seven points off the pace in the title race, but the champions defeated Brest 3-0 the following day and will be just a point behind Lille the next time the league leaders take to the field if they win at Lorient on Sunday.” Football Further

Manchester City 1-0 Stoke: Man City clinch first trophy since 1976 after Toure strike

“Yaya Toure’s powerful shot 15 minutes from time gave Roberto Mancini’s men the victory. Mancini was able to call upon Carlos Tevez upfront, meaning Edin Dzeko dropped to the bench. Mario Balotelli started on the wing, and Aleksander Kolarov played over Pablo Zabaleta at left-back.” Zonal Marking

Lille’s French Revolution

Gervinho
“Although Lille’s faltering form in recent weeks has caused a few to doubt their ability to sustain their sparkling challenge in Ligue 1, this weekend’s victory over Nancy restored a four point lead at the top of the table. With just four games remaining until the end of the season, Les Dogues are well on course to win their first French title since 1954.” Swiss Ramble

Twente 3 – 2 Ajax: Overtime winner secures the Cup for Twente

“In a match that superseded all expectations, Twente claimed the victory with a dramatic overtime winning header by Janko to win the Dutch Cup for the third time in the club’s history. In contrast to what might have been derived from both team’s managers pre-match, when they stressed the importance of next week’s fixture deciding the Eredivisie title, both teams did not hold back and a true football fest was the result.” 11 tegen 11

Tottenham 1-1 Blackpool: Defoe strike cancels out Adam penalty

“Late drama saw both sides pick up a point at White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp left out Aaron Lennon, using Rafael van der Vaart on the right, and two strikers. Danny Rose made a rare start at left-back. Ian Holloway played his usual 4-3-3 formation. Sergei Kornilenko started as part of a front three, probably as he’d done well against Spurs earlier in the season. This was an open game with plenty of goalscoring chances. A draw was probably an accurate reflection of the balance of play, though neither goal seemed to owe much to tactics.” Zonal Marking

La semaine en France: Week 33

Kévin Gameiro
“The quota controversy that has dominated the French media agenda this week means that Marseille’s 1-1 draw at home to Auxerre last Sunday did not yield the level of scrutiny you might expect from an unscheduled setback for the reigning league champions.” Football Further

Twente – Ajax: A tactical preview of the Cup final

“In their third and fourth match up of this season, Twente and Ajax will meet in both the final of the Dutch Cup next Sunday and in what may be called the final of the Eredivisie on Sunday May 15. Both managers have already expressed themselves in clichés such as “the Cup is a very important prize” and “our next match is always the most important one”, but the general feeling is that this weekend’s Cup final is overshadowed by the importance of the Eredivisie title decider next week. And it’s not just the title that is decided, but both teams may even end up losing their Champions League ticket in the case of a loss next week, with PSV aiming to regain second place.” 11 tegen 11

John Obi Mikel’s mission — stop Rooney

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“Sir Alex Ferguson has made some astute transfer decisions in his 24-year spell at Old Trafford. Signing the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Cristiano Ronaldo has proved to be of huge benefit to Manchester United, while the manager has often released players at the right time, too — Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis were shocking departures, but none ever recreated the form he showed for the Red Devils.” ESPN

Off the ball movements

“Nice video of Barcelona’s off the ball movement here…” YouTube