Category Archives: Jonathan Wilson

Kissing and Biting

“Italy’s Mario Balotelli, he of the ‘why always me?’ undershirt, wants a kiss from the ‘the UK queen’—yes, that one—if he secures a victory against Costa Rica. The domino effect of that result would go like this: Italy will go on to beat Uruguay while England crushes Costa Rica by some outlandish score and, miracle of miracles, England qualifies for the next round on goal difference. From my brooding vantage—looking out at the low dark clouds gathered over the sceptred isle this morning—a little royal peck on the cheek doesn’t seem too much to ask for Mario’s compliance. He should go for more—but maybe not from the queen.” The Paris Review – Jonathan Wilson

Heart of Darkness (Lite)

“In 2009, the German director Werner Herzog published Conquest of the Useless, his account of the shooting of his movie Fitzcarraldo in Manaus, Brazil, and the surrounding Amazonian jungle. As a result, he was recently asked by FIFA to return to Manaus and referee the England vs. Italy game to be played there in June. What follows are excerpts from his diary as the game approaches.” 8by8 – Jonathan Wilson

Spain undone by their own revolution

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“It has been eight long years since Spain were last eliminated from a major international tournament. A 3-1 defeat to France in World Cup 2006 ensured Spain retained their status as Europe’s biggest bottlers, with no hint they were about to become the world’s most successful side — arguably in the game’s history. Amazingly, no fewer than seven players in the starting XI that day — Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas, David Villa and Fernando Torres — were in Spain’s squad for this World Cup, too. That summarises how Spain were simply too old, too tired. Nevertheless, some of the other names from the 2006 side indicate how far Spain have progressed. Mariano Pernia? Pablo Ibanez? They’d also been eliminated from Euro 2004 in embarrassing circumstances, against close rivals and hosts Portugal, failing to progress from the group stage.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Spain’s reign ends with a whimper after six years of dominance
“To watch the collapse of Spain, eliminated from the World Cup after a 2-0 defeat to Chile, was to be reminded of Hemingway’s comment on bankruptcy. The end came gradually, and then suddenly. Over the past couple of years, slight signs of vulnerability have appeared, in the 3-0 loss to Brazil in the 2013 Confederations Cup final and in surprising defeats in friendlies, which perhaps shouldn’t have been blamed as readily as they were on weariness brought on by the Spanish federation’s determination to flog its champions around the world in search of lucre. Players aged, hunger waned, doubts crept in.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Fearless Chile end Spain’s reign
“Chile supporters made the most of Rio — indeed, a ticket-less band of them literally invaded the Maracana stadium before the game, charging in through the press entrance in a bid to watch their team. On the morning of the game in the streets of Copacabana, when groups of Chileans ran into each other they would clap and shout out that they were going to send Spain back home — and they seemed to believe it. Such is the faith in the side led by electric little coach Jorge Sampaoli, who seems to run on batteries as he paces up and down the touchline.” ESPN – Tim Vickery

Mighty Spain Goes Out of the World Cup Meekly
“The chants at the game between Spain and Chile began slowly, first from one side of Estádio do Maracanã, then from the other. By the time the final minutes had ticked off the clock Wednesday, tens of thousands of fans had joined in. ‘El-im-in-a-do! El-im-in-a-do!’ — eliminated — said those fans, who were leaping so wildly in their red shirts that they made the stands look like a supersize swath of roiling scarlet cloth. But those fans were not wearing the red jerseys of Spain, the defending World Cup champion and two-time European champion. They were wearing the red shirts of Chile, which eliminated Spain from this tournament in the first round, after Spain had played two games. No past World Cup defending champion had been knocked out of the tournament so quickly.” NY Times

Painkillers, God, and America

“According to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s painkillers—more than 110 tons of addictive opiates every year. It must be a very painful place to live. How much of that pain has been caused by soccer? Not much, at least not to begin with: an unlikely and magnificent 1-0 victory over England in World Cup 1950 (held then as now in Brazil) featured a bunch of part-timers putting the boot to the ‘Kings of Football.’ It didn’t require so much as a baby aspirin.” The Paris Review – Jonathan Wilson

Lionel Messi relishes switch to 4-3-3, deals dagger to Bosnia-Herzegovina

“It was a win but far from a convincing one. For much of the 62 minutes between Argentina’s first goal and its second, Bosnia was the better side but it was undone first by a moment of ill-fortune and then by a scintillating goal from Lionel Messi. In the estimation of Alejandro Sabella, the Argentina coach, this was a 6/10 performance with plenty of room for improvement. Messi had had an awkward night. He didn’t play badly as such, but too often he was crowded out, too often forced deep by Bosnia’s pressing.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Out of Joint

“When I switched on last night’s World Cup opening ceremony, it first appeared that some São Paulo carnivalesque version of Macbeth was in production and Birnam wood was on its way to Dunsinane. A number of figures masquerading as trees were making their way around the field shaking their branches and twigs. But soon the trees had exotic birds for companions and then some children in white bounced on a trampoline while mechanical leaves unfolded and, of course, we were not in Scotland but a virtual rainforest, where the uncontacted tribe appeared to consist only of JLo, Pitbull, and Claudia Leitte. Luckily for them, the Amazonian jungle on display was the Disneyfied version, significantly denatured: there were no carnivorous plants in evidence or shamelessly sexual banana fronds.” The Paris Review – Jonathan Wilson

Brazil 3-1 Croatia

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World Cup 2014: group stage, day 1
“The World Cup opener was an exciting game, with Croatia taking an early lead and playing well throughout – Brazil were flattered by the two goal-victory. Crossing. The key feature of the match, and a rather surprising one, was the frequency of crossing. That wasn’t something we expected – Brazil usually field inverted wingers cutting inside to shoot, whereas Croatia hold the ball for long positions in central midfield. But in the first half, both sides crossed the ball regularly. One obvious cause was the format of Brazil’s attackers. Oscar is usually central, with Neymar left and Hulk right. But Scolari changed this completely, with Oscar wide-right, Hulk wide-left and Neymar playing as a support striker, effectively an inside-left. This was probably because Scolari knew Croatia lack a recognised holding midfielder, using two silky passers in that zone instead – so he knew Neymar would get plenty of space between the lines.” Zonal Marking

World Cup Tactical Analysis: Brazil 3-1 Croatia
“The curtain raiser to the grandest tournament of the year took place on the 12th of June at Sao Paulo, with the hosts and hot favourites Brazil taking on Croatia. With all the feverish build up to this game, many were expecting a Brazil romp, but things didn’t really go as planned, as Croatia coach Niko Kovac set his team up to make things very difficult for the Brazilians. Thankfully, the game didn’t suffer as a spectacle, with both teams fighting hard and playing with a great intensity to ensure a positive start to the tournament.” Outside of the Boot

Croatia seething after bitter defeat
“Hysteria — there’s no better word to describe how the morning after the night before looks in Croatia. The Vatreni lost 3-1 to Brazil in the World Cup opener despite putting on a decent performance and, for the vast majority of those who cared to express their opinion, there is no doubt whatsoever who was to blame for the defeat. Referee Yuichi Nishimura is the name’s on everyone’s lips — barely anyone opted for a rational analysis of how Croatia played, instead focusing on the Japanese’s officiating of the match. The Croatia press was incandescent with rage as each media outlet dissected the evening.” ESPN

Neymar makes his mark but like Brazil fails to convince against Croatia
“He was the first Brazilian to score (at the right end) at the World Cup, the first Brazilian to be booked in the World Cup and he also scored a decisive penalty. He trotted round in a corona of attention, always demanding the ball, taking every corner and free-kick, the demands of his country that he should win them the World Cup apparently loud in his ears. Yet this wasn’t a convincing performance, either from Neymar or Brazil.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Relief for Brazil after flawed victory
“Brazil’s World Cup is one of the most ineptly organized major sporting events in history. It might yet prove to be the worst. Its inconveniences have been overshadowed only by its tragedies. Construction workers have died. Stadiums and infrastructure are incomplete. The field in Manaus, a first-order criminal folly, looks like something a beer league wouldn’t play on. The airports and streets are overwhelmed. (If you have a friend in Brazil and you want to know what he’s up to right now, he’s waiting in some kind of line.) Officials have warned visitors not to be out after midnight, that roving bands of muggers have been invading restaurants, that street violence is as inevitable as the sunshine. Long before the start of Thursday’s kickoff between Brazil and Croatia, the concessions at Arena de Sao Paulo had run out of food, the wireless had gone down and the too-few elevators weren’t working properly. Eighteen minutes after the first whistle, a large bank of lights went out.” ESPN

Soccer Morning – June 13th 1:31:13 (Video)

Kickoff

“Jonathan Wilson, from London: ‘All the new thinking is about loss. In this it resembles all the old thinking.’ That’s Robert Hass, in the opening of his great poem ‘Meditation at Lagunitas.’ The lines resonate: earlier this week, before departing for the World Cup in Brazil, the U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who is German, asserted, ‘We cannot win the World Cup,’ and it didn’t go down well. At least one pundit suggested that he should ‘get out of America.’” The Paris Review – Jonathan Wilson

World Cup 2014: age begins to tarnish Ivory Coast’s golden generation

“Fate has not been helpful to Ivory Coast at World Cups. In 2006, as the so-called golden generation first emerged, they were drawn in an impossible group with Argentina, Holland and Serbia-Montenegro, lost their first two games and were out almost before they had begun. Four years later, they lost to Brazil, drew with Portugal and, although they beat North Korea, went out as Brazil and Portugal played out a goalless draw. The tournament has been rather kinder on this occasion but the truth is that time has probably been called in the last-chance saloon, and the Ivorians are outside on the pavement wondering if there is anywhere else still open.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

World Cup 2014: Rio horror show or a samba sensation?

“Last time the World Cup was held in Brazil, in 1950, it was designed as the propaganda centre-piece of Getúlio Vargas’s Estado Novo, the concrete sweep of the Maracanã, a modernist wonder that would be reflected in Oscar Niemeyer’s designs for the new capital, Brasília. Football, though, can be delightfully unpredictable and rather than consecrating the new Brazilian state, the World Cup offered a national disaster – ‘our Hiroshima’, as the playwright Nelson Rodrigues tastelessly put it – as Brazil, needing only a draw in the final game to seal the title, were beaten by Uruguay.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson’s All-time Eleven

“The editor of The Blizzard football magazine and author of multiple books about football including, Behind the Curtain, Inverting the Pyramid and Anatomy of England.” Club Med – Jonathan Wilson

From euphoria to reality: Bosnia face questions before World Cup bow

“Saturday’s friendly against Ivory Coast brought a 2-1 win for Bosnia-Herzegovina, two more goals for Edin Dzeko, a glimpse of how they could play without two strikers and perhaps a resolution to the ongoing question at the back of midfield, but the overwhelming conclusion from St Louis, Missouri, was that Ivory Coast are a shambles and need a major improvement over the next 10 days if they are not to go out of the World Cup in the group stage for the third tournament in a row.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Tactician’s Corner: Atlético runs out of steam in heartbreaking CL loss to Real Madrid

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“Finals don’t often come down to pretty football, especially those that go into extra time. That doesn’t mean the tactical battles are any less compelling, as Real Madrid’s 4-1 win in the Champions League final over Atlético showed. Both managers made strange decisions in their starting lineups. Diego Costa, supposedly fit after his horse-placenta hamstring treatment, didn’t even last 10 minutes for Atlético, while Sami Khedira played a rather ineffective hour in just his third appearance for Real since recovering from a serious knee injury.” SI

Atlético reaches its breaking point as Real Madrid claims La Decima
“It turns out there was a breaking point for Diego Simeone’s magnificent Atlético Madrid side, and it came with 10 minutes of extra-time remaining. The club had won La Liga and was within two minutes of winning a first ever Champions League. Even after conceding to Sergio Ramos, there was still a chance it could cling on through extra-time for penalties, but once Gareth Bale had headed Real Madrid into the lead, it collapsed — physically and emotionally shattered. Marcelo’s late drive and Cristiano Ronaldo’s even later penalty added an unrepresentative one-sidedness to the scoreline, but there was no shame in defeat.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid (aet): Tactical Analysis | Game changing substitutions from Carlo Ancelotti
“The Champions League is always a very exciting competition, but this season provided a few more edge of the seat encounters than most others. After a season of incredible football from many teams across Europe, we got to the final in Lisbon last night, which like almost every other game in this season, was exciting from start to finish. Atletico as always, worked had, fought till the end, and made things very difficult for the opposition, but at the end of the day, the sheer determination and energy from Real made the difference, as the Galacticos 2.0 made history by reaching La Decima.” Outside of the Boot

Sizing up the Real vs. Atletico tactical battle
“Big clubs have a nasty habit of ruining their little city rivals’ celebrations. When Everton finished above Liverpool for the first time in years back in 2005, beating them to the final Champions League spot, the Reds went out and won the European Cup. When Manchester City’s 35-year wait for a major trophy ended with their 2011 FA Cup final win, Manchester United clinched the Premier League title on the same day.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Know Your Enemy: Ghana winger Andre Ayew

“For Andre Ayew to exhibit weariness when talking about his career is understandable, considering the status of his father — brilliant Marseille and Ghana attacking midfielder Abedi Pele. ‘What my father achieved in Ghana is huge,’ Ayew said. ‘He brought a lot to the country. I’m very proud of what he has done, but this doesn’t have any bearing on my game. Sometimes people may make useless comparisons. I suppose it’s normal, but I had to learn to live with that. Some people thought that maybe I would take the ball and dribble past ten players then score. There was a huge expectation.'” SI – Jonathan Wilson

England’s performance at Italia 90 World Cup is venerated too much

“Perhaps, given England’s perceived lack of success, it’s only natural that we should hark always back to 1990, that we should be forever trying to recapture what made that tournament so compelling. Yet it is a little odd. It doesn’t take much of an examination of England’s World Cup record to see how fine the margins sometimes are. In the last eight World Cups, England have reached the last eight (in 1982, the second phase comprised four three-team groups; so for the purposes of this stat I’ve counted the teams who finished second in those groups as losing quarter-finalists) on five occasions. Put like that, England’s World Cup record doesn’t sound too bad – in fact, only Brazil and (West) Germany can beat it.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

World Cup 2014: Super Eagles can be the best of Africa

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“If there has been a consistent theme in these World Cup columns – and there has been at least one, honest – it is that the Ivory Coast are not as good as people think. Given they have vied with Egypt as the best African team of this century but have a much higher global recognition factor because so many of their players play in the major western European leagues, that’s perhaps understandable – but support for them goes against the evidence of the last Africa Cup of Nations. In South Africa, the Ivorians looked what they are: an ageing squad. Yaya Toure, of course, remains an exceptional player and his influence can still turn games, but with Didier Drogba now 36, he is increasingly having to do it alone.” Betting – Jonathan Wilson

Manuel Pellegrini should get credit he deserves if Manchester City win title

“Assuming Manchester City earn the point they need against West Ham United on Sunday, this will be Manuel Pellegrini‘s first league title since collecting the Clausura with River Plate in Argentina in 2003. There will be those who suggest he has won it almost by default, merely by not falling over as Chelsea and Liverpool suffered unexpected setbacks, but winning titles is often as much about that as it is about the glamorous wins in the landmark games.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Despite its inescapable past, Bosnia-Herzegovina writes new chapter

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Oct. 15, 2013
“In the shadows next to the airfield, eight men huddled behind piles of snow: a soldier and seven soccer players. Or at least they had once been soccer players. This was February 1993, and league football hadn’t been played in Sarajevo for well over a year. The siege of Sarajevo, which would last four years, had begun in April ’92, one month after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia. The battle to control the new capital was the centerpiece of a civil war among ethnic Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) that would take nearly 100,000 lives. In these times there was no prospect of even a casual outdoor kick-around.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

The Question: is this the end for tiki-taka?

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“People are unhappy. They’re unhappy at teams like Bayern Munich who keep the ball, preserving possession and looking to pass opponents into submission, and they’re unhappy at teams like Chelsea who defend deep, allow opponents to have the ball and try to pick them off on the break. People, over the past fortnight, have declared themselves bored by – and opposed to – both proactive and reactive football. That’s not actually as contradictory as it sounds. We live in an age of extremes. When Barcelona first started to play tiki-taka under Pep Guardiola, they began to achieve unprecedented levels of possession. For the first time probably since Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan almost two decades previously, there was a new philosophy about.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Why ‘tiki-taka’ was not to blame for Bayern’s loss
“For some reason, narratives need to be dumbed down and simplified, while judgments must be sweeping and absolute. Bayern are humiliated over two legs by Real Madrid and it becomes a case of the “end of tiki-taka”: evidence of the futility of wanting to keep possession at all costs. It’s the triumph of athleticism over skill, destruction over creation, pragmatism over idealism, simple over baroque, the rumpled suit, down-home country gentleman ways of Carlo Ancelotti versus the skinny-tie, urban metrosexual over-sophistication of Pep Guardiola.” ESPN (Video)

Verzweifelt und Verflixt
“On the way to work this morning I’d be stuck in traffic, and and after fiddling a bit with the car’s in-built MP3 player I’d randomly spin the control to a random track. It would land on the Tyrolean folk group Die Ursprung Buam – and a typically foot-tapping ditty called Verzweifelt und verflixt – crudely translated, ‘desperate and confounded’. These two words would sum up my mood completely having witnessed FC Bayern being torn apart by Real Madrid in what had been billed as another night of glory at the Allianz Arena, where my dreams of seeing Bayern in another Champions’ League final would turn into ninety minutes of sheer hell I would never be able to get back.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Bayern Munich 0-4 Real Madrid: Tactical Analysis | Set Pieces & lack of penetration
“This is the time of the year when the going gets tough, and the teams that eventually go on to claim the honours in May, really take their game to a different level. The Champions League semi final is a match that needs not only preparation and hard work in training, but also a bit of luck, and some performances that are at another level. Last season, Lewandowski stole the show against Real, and Bayern’s collective brilliance was too much for Barcelona. This season though, the tables have been turned on Bayern Munich, as Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, executed a devastating counter attacking plan to leave Bayern on the wrong end of a 5-0 aggregate score line. Guardiola’s possession based approach, which has certainly had it’s day, now looks like a bit outmoded.” Outside of the Boot

Real Madrid Slam the Door on Bayern Munich
“The three, three chief weapons of the Spanish inquisition are speed, set piece headers, Cristiano free kicks, and … and I think it’s probably time to stop the extended Monty Python metaphor. But, rest assured, I could go on and include things like how Luka Modric is developing into the evolutionary Xavi right before our eyes, or how Angel di Maria has once again been asked to change positions and roles and managed it with total aplomb.” Grantland

Know Your Enemy: Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer

“Success came early to Manuel Neuer, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that he was only 2 when he was given his first ball. He was born and grew up in Gelsenkirchen, attending the Gesamtschule Berger Feld, a school that has become famous for the number of footballers it has produced. Neuer was a classmate of Mesut Ozil — which added a frisson when he saved a penalty from Ozil while playing for Bayern Munich against Arsenal in the Champions League this season.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

San Lorenzo look to divine alignment to help break Copa Libertadores duck

“These are unexpectedly heady times for San Lorenzo. They are the Argentinian champions, and Wednesday night’s 1-0 over Grêmio in the first leg of their last-16 tie took them a step closer to winning the Copa Libertadores for the first time. There’s a long way to go yet, but this is a ferociously competitive side blessed with an exceptional young forward in Ángel Correa and, moreover, they are playing with a self-belief that defies rational explanation.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

David Moyes unable to adapt quick enough to fit at Manchester United

“On Sunday, an Everton fan dressed as the Grim Reaper, an inflatable scythe in his hand, sat behind the manager’s bench at Goodison Park. For David Moyes, the symbolism was all too apt. His Manchester United team proceeded to put in a lifeless display, being comfortably dispatched 2-0 by the Everton side he used to manage to confirm there is no mathematical chance of the Red Devils qualifying for the Champions League. That it should be the club he stabilized in the Premier League to inflict the fatal blow felt cruel, but it was indicative of how this season has gone for Moyes, who was unceremoniously axed by Manchester United Tuesday morning.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Champions League: Real Madrid strikes, holds firm in win over Bayer

“Fabio Coentrao was excellent at left back, keeping Arjen Robben relatively quiet and getting forward well to link with Cristiano Ronaldo. Right back Daniel Carvajal dealt superbly with Franck Ribery, and Karim Benzema led the line with great intelligence, but for Real Madrid this was a victory rooted in defensive discipline. As ever Xabi Alonso was a mode of calm, sitting just in front of the back four, but the key for Madrid was Modric.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Raheem Sterling and Liverpool Style Can Provide World Cup Template for England

“Raheem Sterling is a player whose sense of adventure and willingness to try the unusual brings a sense of glee. No neutral fan could watch him running with abandon at the Norwich City defence on Sunday and not feel a warm glow, while his goal against Manchester City, nonchalantly sending Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany to chase an imaginary foe, was breathtaking. There is something very special about those rare, still moments in football, when the goal suddenly emerges before a player and you know he has to score—those moments of potential fulfillment when the goal is inevitable.” Bleacher Report – Jonathan Wilson

Argentina fret over form of Lionel Messi and fitness of Fernando Gago

Boca Juniors' midfielder Fernando Gago
“Football is always, ultimately, about compromise. Everything had been looking rosy for Argentina, who had qualified for the World Cup – for once – with games to spare and the sense of a cohesive team coming together, but then the injuries began. When the draw is made, the World Cup exists in a world of perfect possibility and you imagine every player at peak form and fitness, but it is never like that, and the job of a manager is always to balance the idea with what is possible.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Hillsborough anniversary: You’ll Never Walk Alone

“A service marking the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster has ended with the crowd uniting to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. The song has long been associated with Liverpool Football Club and has also come to symbolise the families’ campaign for justice. The tribute was led by singer Gerry Marsden, with 96 balloons released, one for each of the people who lost their lives.”
YouTube: BBC – Hillsborough anniversary: You’ll Never Walk Alone, Bells rung to mark anniversary
Guardian: Families and fans mark 25 years since the Hillsborough disaster (Video)
Independent: Hillsborough disaster anniversary: 25th anniversary of tragedy that claimed lives of ‘The 96’ marked as nearly 25,000 attend Anfield service (Video)
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SI: 25 years later, Hillsborough disaster resonates more than ever – Jonathan Wilson
YouTube: HILLSBOROUGH DISASTER LIVE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE DAY 1989
YouTube: Hillsborough – Searching for the Truth (2012) | Part 1, Part 2
NYT: When a Game Turned Into a Disaster
ESPN: HILLSBOROUGH Directed by Daniel Gordon

Know Your Enemy: Ghana’s Kwadwo Asamoah

“In the career of Kwadwo Asamoah is written a parable of the tactical history of African football. When he emerged, making his international debut in 2006 when he was just 17, he was hailed as the first great Ghanaian playmaker since Abedi Pele. Until a decade or so ago, West Africa specialized in technically gifted attacking midfielders or second strikers – as well as Pele, there were the likes of Ni’i Lamptey, Theophile Abega, Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu, players who dropped deep from the front line and had the patience and skill to hold the ball up, wait for a runner and deliver the pass.” SI – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

Champions League semi-finals: how last four teams compare

“Can Atlético Madrid last the pace? Will Pep Guardiola’s tinkering harm Bayern Munich’s hopes? Does José Mourinho have the right gameplan and will Real Madrid’s forward line be too strong for everyone? Here we analyse all four teams” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Jose Mourinho provides special touch as Chelsea makes CL semifinals

“All through the second half, there was a sense of pressure mounting, of Paris St-Germain’s belief ebbing and Chelsea’s correspondingly swelling. And then, with four minutes remaining, a Cesar Azpilicueta shot scudded across the box and was deflected into the path of Demba Ba, who forced the ball over the line from six yards. It was Chelsea’s day to reach the Champions League semifinals, doing so via away-goal tiebreaker after a 3-3 aggregate draw. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but it didn’t matter. Off went Jose Mourinho charging down the touchline as he had 10 years ago at Old Trafford when he announced himself to the English game with his exuberant celebration of Porto’s late winner over Manchester United in the last 16 of the Champions League.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

André Schürrle withdrawal allows PSG’s potent trio to dominate Chelsea

“The general consensus was that José Mourinho had erred on playing André Schürrle as a false nine on Wednesday night, yet it was after he had gone off to be replaced by Fernando Torres that Paris Saint-Germain scored twice. That’s a simplistic way of looking at things, and Torres had barely been on the field when David Luiz conceded a needless free-kick and then put through his own goal to give PSG the lead, but it does tally with Mourinho’s post-match claim that Chelsea had ‘controlled’ the game until Torres came on because of the way Schürrle kept ‘dropping deep’.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

Know Your Enemy: Portugal left back Fabio Coentrao

“Fabio Coentrao was 13 when he joined his local club, Rio Ave. He soon developed as a quick and direct winger, a player with technical ability but also a certain rawness. He made his first-team debut at 16, and by 18 had established himself as a regular for his hometown club, then playing in the Portuguese second division, and earned the nickname the ‘Figo of the Caxinas.’ Rio Ave narrowly missed out on promotion that season but a decent run in the Portuguese Cup brought Coentrao to national attention, particularly when he scored with a 30-yard drive in a 2-1 defeat to Sporting, one of the three traditional giants of the Portuguese game.” SI – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

The Question: have football teams lost the art of defending?

“There were 42 goals in the Premier League at the weekend, a bumper crop that, with 16 more in five midweek games, took the average goals per game this season to 2.73. With Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge in devastating form, Manchester City hammering teams all over the place and Fulham shipping hatfuls every week, this has felt like a season of glut.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City: United forced to change shape within ten minutes

“Manchester City recorded a comfortable victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. David Moyes named Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley in the same team for the first time, with Danny Welbeck returning to the side. Rio Ferdinand was fit enough to return at the back. Manuel Pellegrini went for Edin Dzeko ahead of Alvaro Negredo, and Gael Clichy ahead of Aleksandar Kolarov. City started brilliantly, and probably should have won the game within the first 25 minutes.” Zonal Marking

Manchester United disheveled again in 3-0 loss to rivals City
“The Stretford End was in fine voice again — in the past month it’s probably been as consistently noisy as it has been for a couple of decades — but this is a volume born of defiance. One again Manchester United was outclassed in a big game, for the second time in a month left to contemplate a 3-0 defeat to local rivals, either of which could go on to win the Premier League title.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Ukrainian ultras put aside differences in demonstration of solidarity

“Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian league should have restarted with Shakhtar Donetsk’s trip to the capital to face Dynamo Kyiv. For obvious reasons, the programme that weekend and the following one was postponed, but the ultras of the two clubs met anyway. Given they are the bitterest of rivals, that would normally be cause for concern, but on this occasion all that happened was a football match.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Know Your Enemy: Germany midfielder Toni Kroos

“Over the next three months, SI.com will profile two valuable, but perhaps undervalued, under-the-radar players on each of the U.S. men’s national team’s Group G opponents at this summer’s World Cup. As a result, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Asamoah Gyan will make way for their lesser-heralded teammates in this space. The first in the Know Your Enemy series is Germany midfielder Toni Kroos.” SI – Jonathan Wilson (Video)

In return to Chelsea, Didier Drogba as subdued as his new squad

“The return of Didier Drogba to Stamford Bridge dominated the build-up to the second leg of Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Galatasaray and, as it turned out, his emotional wander around the pitch dominated the game. As a contest, this was all but a non-event — the dominance Chelsea had shown in the first hour in the first leg was repeated and this time translated into a comfortable 2-0 victory on the night, 3-1 on aggregate.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

A pall is cast over a milestone victory for Bayern Munich

“Two goals in eight minutes either side of halftime, the first from Mario Mandzukic, the second from Bastian Schweinsteiger, were enough for Bayern Munich. This wasn’t one of its romps, when it seems it could put four or five past any opposition, but it was good enough to beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 and so extend Bayern’s unbeaten league run to an extraordinary 50 games.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Messi nears his peak to lift Barcelona, PSG rolls to CL quarterfinals

“There was controversy in Barcelona, but it made little difference to the outcome as the hosts beat Manchester City 2-1 to go through to the Champions League quarterfinals by a 4-1 aggregate. In Paris, meanwhile, PSG eased through, with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen completing a 6-1 aggregate margin.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Arsenal gains morale from Bayern Munch draw, but little else

“Arsenal went to Munich seeking the impossible. That didn’t happen but the club did achieve probably the best it could realistically have hoped for: a decent performance and a draw that might provide the sort of jolt of self-belief that galvanized it last season after a victory in Munich. Back then it took 26 points form its last 10 Premier League matches to pinch fourth place from Tottenham Hotspur. A similar run this season might clinch it the league title. In terms of the specifics of overturning the 2-0 first-leg deficit, though, Arsenal never came close.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Bayern Munich 1-1 Arsenal: Tactical Analysis
“Arsenal put in a commendable performance against Bayern Munich at the Emirates stadium, two weeks back, but came away with nothing and a difficult second leg at the Allianz Arena their only hope. They were buoyed by the fact that they emerged victorious there last season, but still found themselves knocked out. The English side once again put in a stellar performance, which didn’t necessarily make them the better side, but did earn them the plaudits. For Bayern, it wasn’t their usual dominating performance but they were more deserving of the victory. They go through to the next round, full of confidence, and the title of ‘favourites’ still very much in tact.” Outside of the Boot

Benfica remain major threat to Tottenham despite Nemanja Matic sale

Jorge Jesus
“Tottenham fans are not often grateful to Chelsea, particularly not where transfers are concerned, but on Thursday they can reflect that if Willian is not in their lineup, at least Nemanja Matic is not in Benfica’s. Or at least that’s the easy reading of it. Nobody would pretend that Matic is not a superb player or that he is not missed by Benfica, but the overall effect of selling him may have been beneficial.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

England renew continent’s oldest football rivalry with visit of Denmark

“England’s friendly against Denmark on Wednesday is not just the much-discussed final audition for players hopeful of forcing their way into Roy Hodgson’s squad for the World Cup, but also another episode in the oldest rivalry in international football – other than those between teams from Britain and Ireland. It was never, it must be admitted, a particularly ferocious rivalry, but England (representing Great Britain) did beat Denmark in the finals of both the 1908 and 1912 Olympics, while no continental European nation took football as seriously as Denmark did in the years up to the first world war.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Rooney deal hints of Man Utd desperation at position of surplus

“A year ago, Manchester United faced Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League. It drew 1-1 in Spain and then, for the return at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney was dropped. It was then that the rumors that Sir Alex Ferguson might be looking to get rid of him first began to take real shape. Twelve months on and United goes to Olympiakos for the last 16 of the Champions League with Rooney having just agreed to a hugely lucrative contract extension to 2019. The exact details remain unclear and although a headline figure of £300,000 a week has been reported – to begin when his existing deal expires in June 2015 – it seems his basic salary hasn’t changed much from the £240,000 he was on, with the remainder made up in bonuses and image rights.” SI

Fearing relegation, Fulham panics, turns to eccentric Magath

” If you think you’ve made a mistake, perhaps the best thing to do is to admit it and look to make amends as quickly as possible. But sacking a manager, then sacking his replacement 75 days later while getting rid of two other coaches you’d only just brought in, does look, as Rene Meulensteen said shortly after he’d been ousted from Fulham, like ‘pressing the panic button.’ Fulham lies at the bottom of the Premier League table, four points from safety with 12 games remaining, its fate in the hands of one of German football’s more controversial figures. Felix Magath won two doubles with Bayern Munich and then, astonishingly, he led Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title, yet nobody who played for him ever seems to have enjoyed the experience.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Book Reviews – Clough and tumble

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“Brian Clough, the greatest English manager never to manage England, old Big ‘Ead, mad as a box of frogs but brilliant with it, is without doubt one of the most interesting characters in football history. He is someone I have become a little bit obsessed with, if truth be told. The scale of his achievement with Derby and Nottingham Forest is matched only by the absurdity of some of his behaviour, the outlandishness of his outbursts, and the extraordinary pathos of his descent into alcoholism. In this piece, I have looked at two different books about Clough, stylistically different and yet complementary, to find out what we can learn about the green-tracksuited guru.” Put Niels In Goal

The Question: how can Arsenal’s tactics tame Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich?

“Perhaps there is some encouragement to be drawn for Arsenal from the fact that last time they played Bayern Munich, they won. Perhaps there is some encouragement to be drawn from the thought that, last season, Bayern only beat them on away goals, that no side came as close to eliminating Bayern from the Champions League as they did. But then you think back to the first leg, to Bayern’s 3-1 win at the Emirates, and the gulf between the sides becomes obvious. Arsenal have improved since then, but so too have Bayern and, under Pep Guardiola, they are as tactically flexible as any side in Europe.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris is Premier League’s supreme sweeper-keeper

“There was a moment during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 win over Everton on Sunday when Steven Pienaar, drifting in from the left, sought out the run of Kevin Mirallas, cutting in from the right. He played what probably seemed a well-weighted through ball, only for a flash of orange to materialise to stifle the danger almost before it had gestated. The moment went largely unnoticed, particularly by comparison with the diving save he made from Leon Osman’s early drive, but this was Hugo Lloris at his best.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Carlos Tevez should be at his peak, but is destined for World Cup despair

“A vineyard near Mendoza, June 2011. The manager had just learned I was a journalist covering the Copa América and was determined to find out why I thought Argentina were underperforming – which is to say, she was determined to tell me why she thought they were underperforming. I suggested there was a superabundance of attacking talent, that maybe Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi couldn’t usefully play together. ‘Then we must drop Messi,’ she said.” Guardian -Jonathan Wilson

Team Focus: Belief at Sunderland Gathering Under Poyet

“About 20 years ago, I was drinking in a pub in West Jesmond when I was accosted at the bar by a grey-haired, grey-stubbled man who worked on the Hoppings, an annual fair that was held on the Town Moor in Newcastle each year. Learning I was from Sunderland, he sucked through the gaps in his teeth and shook his head slowly. ‘Sunderland,’ he said, ‘is what happened when they kicked the miserable people out of Newcastle.’ It may not be entirely fair, but it’s certainly true that optimism doesn’t come easily to Wearside.” Who Scored? – Jonathan Wilson

Ricardo Bochini’s long wait to become Argentina’s legend of la pausa

Ricardo Bochini, El Bocha
“With five minutes of the 1986 World Cup semi-final remaining and Argentina leading Belgium 2-0, Ricardo Bochini came on for Jorge Burruchaga. He was 32, and had been omitted from the squads in both 1978 and 1982. This time, though, Diego Maradona had demanded that he be picked. Those five minutes plus stoppage time would be the only World Cup football Bochini ever played. As he trotted on, Maradona ran over and shook his hand. ‘Maestro,’ he said, ‘we’ve been waiting for you’.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

In first coaching role, Seedorf faces daunting task at Milan

“After the news had broken that Clarence Seedorf was to be the new manager of AC Milan, the Curva Sud ultra group erected a banner outside the club’s old offices. Its message was simple: ‘Seedorf, no grazie.’ Given that it’s only two months since the ultras were confronting players over poor performances, there’s something unexpected and slightly touching about their on-going support for Massimiliano Allegri, who was dismissed following Sunday’s 4-3 defeat at Sassuolo after a little over three seasons in the job. The Curva Sud have been consistent in this, though, acknowledging the turmoil behind the scenes at the club, and releasing a statement in May in which they explicitly stated they didn’t want Seedorf or any other manager who lacked experience.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Barcelona, Atlético’s tactical clash ends in a stalemate

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“All season, it’s been impossible to separate Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. They’ve chugged along at the top of the table, trading blow for blow, and when they met in the Copa del Rey, they exchanged a pair of draws and Barcelona went through only on away goals. They couldn’t be separated on Saturday either, a tight goalless draw leaving Barcelona top of La Liga at the halfway point by virtue of having a goal difference five better than that of Atlético.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Barcelona: different styles but similar lack of invention upfront
“La Liga’s top of the table clash was intense and intriguing, but ultimately goalless. Diego Simeone named his expected side, with right-back Juanfran available after his suspension was overturned. Despite Lionel Messi’s return in midweek against Getafe, he wasn’t risked from the start – he joined Neymar on the bench, and Cesc Fabregas played as the false nine. A draw was a fair result – both sides’ gameplan was clear, but the defences came out on top.” Zonal Marking

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Barcelona: Tactical Analysis | Atletico’s Physicality versus Barca’s Passing
“The top 2 in Spain faced off for the first time in the league this season, in a clash that generated almost as much hype as most El Clasico’s. This season, Atletico have surprised one and all with their tremendous run in the league, staying 5 points clear of their city rivals Real for this long. Barcelona have been imperious, scoring almost at will, despite the absence of their talisman, Messi, and new acquisition Neymar. One of the meanest defences in the league was up against a free flowing attacking force, and it made for a great spectacle.” Outside of the Boot

Venezia’s woes threaten to make football a relic in city of rich history

The church bell tower which overlooks the Stadio Pierlugi Penzo, home of Union Venezia
“The rain runs down the grimy windows of the vaporetto. Somewhere through the murk is the church of San Giovanni Battista and then the gardens where the Biennale is based. A quarter of an hour after leaving San Marco, we arrive at Sant’Elena. The most obvious landmark as you leave the vaporetto station is the bell tower of the church, an imposing brick rectangle that frowned down on the low floodlights that nestle in its lea. This is the Stadio Pierlugi Penzo, the home of the third-flight side Union Venezia. It’s the second oldest stadium in Italy, and it looks it. Opposite the main stand – which, thank goodness, has a functioning roof – it’s not immediately clear where the dilapidated brickwork of the stadium ends and the 15th-century monastery begins. On another day there might be a ramshackle beauty to the Penzo, with the masts of boats in the harbour visible beyond the north stand and the bell tower looming to the south-east. But as the rain teems down, it’s a damp, grey place.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Manchester United, West Ham unable to escape FA Cup embarrassment

“At this stage, for Premier League teams, the FA Cup doesn’t much matter — unless you lose, and even then, only if you lose in particular circumstances. It seems barely credible in the modern context of the competition that, 24 years ago, a late goal from the substitute Mark Robins in a third-round tie away at Nottingham Forest was credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s job at Manchester United. David Moyes, Ferguson’s successor, could have beaten Swansea City comfortably without it making much difference to his standing at Manchester United, but the defeat to Wilfried Bony’s last-minute goal amplified the general disgruntlement at Old Trafford.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Tactical review of 2013: Strike partners in crime are bad news for defenders

“For a decade or so, it seemed inconceivable that a top team could play with a pair of forwards and still prosper. Operate with two forwards, the logic ran, and you surrender control of the midfield. International football always lags behind club football when it comes to innovation, but even there, by Euro 2008, 4-2-3-1 had become the default. Yet this season, front pairings seem to have returned to fashion. When Manchester City pair Álvaro Negredo and Sergio Agüero, that is a strike duo: it’s true that they may not play exactly alongside each other at all times, but neither can it be argued that one is operating in an attacking midfield role, as would be required legitimately to describe the formation as 4-2-3-1. Liverpool, similarly, have used Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge to great effect. At Atlético Madrid, Diego Costa and David Villa have thrived, while the Paris Saint-Germain pair Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez are working well as a pairing for Juventus – although in a system that uses a back three rather than a back four.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson Part 1, The false nine is an accepted role but with different interpretations – Part 1

Tactical review of 2013: Strike partners in crime are bad news for defenders

“The return of the strike partnership. For a decade or so, it seemed inconceivable that a top team could play with a pair of forwards and still prosper. Operate with two forwards, the logic ran, and you surrender control of the midfield. International football always lags behind club football when it comes to innovation, but even there, by Euro 2008, 4-2-3-1 had become the default. Yet this season, front pairings seem to have returned to fashion. When Manchester City pair Álvaro Negredo and Sergio Agüero, that is a strike duo: it’s true that they may not play exactly alongside each other at all times, but neither can it be argued that one is operating in an attacking midfield role, as would be required legitimately to describe the formation as 4-2-3-1. Liverpool, similarly, have used Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge to great effect. At Atlético Madrid, Diego Costa and David Villa have thrived, while the Paris Saint-Germain pair Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani. Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez are working well as a pairing for Juventus – although in a system that uses a back three rather than a back four.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Football violence: a view from around the world

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Spartak Moscow fans displaying a Nazi flag during a game at Shinnik Yaroslavl.
“Brazil: violence around games on the rise. Brazil ends 2013 with a record in football violence deaths. It was a miracle that nobody died in the festival of thuggery that took place on 8 December at the Atlético Paranaense v Vasco de Gama match in Joinville, during the last round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, whose shocking images were beamed all around the world. That, however, did not prevent Brazilian football finishing its 2013 season with the saddest of milestones: the 30 deaths in football-related incidents this year is the highest number in the history of the game in the country. What’s more worrying is that fatal cases have been rising steadily in the past few years. …” Guardian

World Cup – and outbreak of supporter violence – link Brazil and Russia
“In six months’ time the World Cup will land in the home of joga bonito clad in a Fifa-approved wrapping of sun, sea and samba. But the dark side of the beautiful game in Brazil was in evidence earlier this month, when images of running battles between fans of Atlético Paranaense and Vasco da Gama shocked the watching world. The game was being held at a neutral ground in Joinville due to previous clashes between fans of the two clubs, but within 10 minutes Globo was broadcasting close-up footage of supporters repeatedly stamping on the heads of their rivals and chasing one another around the stadium bowl. Following a long interregnum, the fighting was eventually broken up by armed security firing rubber bullets into the crowds and an army helicopter landing on the pitch, but not before several fans were seriously injured.” Guardian

Questions surround Tottenham’s search for a new manager

Tim Sherwood Tottenham Hotspur
“There was a change of manager, a change of approach and a change of personnel, but no change of luck for Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs dominated long spells of Wednesday’s Capital One Cup quarter-final against West Ham United, but Tim Sherwood’s first game since replacing Andre Villas-Boas in a caretaker capacity ended in defeat. Sherwood, who had been in charge of the development squad, went back to basics, selecting an attacking 4-4-2 that included only two of the players who joined in the summer. For a time it seemed to work, with Spurs getting the ball wide and causing West Ham problems. But gradually West Ham stifled the home side and, although Emmanuel Adebayor volleyed Spurs into the lead after 66 minutes, West Ham continued to grow through the game. In the end, the key player was, unexpectedly, Modibo Maiga.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Tactics: inverting the triangle

“The designations given to formations rarely tell the whole story. For example, when does 4-4-2 become 4-4-1-1 become 4-2-3-1? And what if the right-sided forward tucks in to allow the right-back to overlap, but on the left the forward stays wide and the full-back sits back, sometimes shuffling into the middle to form a de facto back three. How would that be denoted?” World Soccer – Jonathan Wilson

Argentina all set for epic four-way tussle in final-day title cliffhanger

“Whatever else is wrong with domestic football in Argentina – and it is a lot – it does have the huge advantage of being extremely competitive. Going into the final weekend (although a number of teams are already finished) of the Torneo Inicial, the top four are separated by two points – and are playing each other.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Moyes firmly in Ferguson’s shadow as shaky Man Utd wins CL group

“The strangest thing about Manchester United this season has been the disparity between its European and its domestic form. A 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk — shaky as United was in the first half — ensured David Moyes’s side topped its Champions League group, but all that victory did was temporarily ease the pressure. And that, to an extent, is Moyes’s problem at the moment: the story, as was always likely, has become that of his struggle to replace Sir Alex Ferguson and every result, every performance, every utterance now is refracted through the prism of that narrative.” SI – Jonathan Wilson