“With the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 done and dusted, here are five things we’ve learned…” ESPN
Five lessons from Europe
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Tag Archives: Manchester United
What Pundits Get Wrong About Goalkeeping, Part I: The Near Post
“I know I promised fun-filled clangers, but those will have to wait while I tackle something a bit more serious: the persistent misunderstanding of goalkeeping by well-paid pundits, commentators, and other assorted football experts. I say this without malice or snobbery. None of them actually were goalkeepers, and so it makes sense that they all, be it Andy Gray (once upon a time), Craig Burley, or Jamie Redknapp, tend to trot out well-worn cliches in absence of more in-depth knowledge.” The Goalkeepers’ Union
Man United, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs: The 5 La Liga Superstars Your Club Should Sign
“Borja Valero. Midfielder – Villarreal – Pass-master, dead-ball wizard, no hair. In an alternate universe, a happy Borja Valero is the king-pin playmaker in the centre of West Brom’s midfield, guiding the Baggies towards a top six finish and all the footballer-lusting floozies the squad could ever need. Unfortunately, the real world is largely a sucky one which is why Valero couldn’t be tempted back to the West Midlands, last summer, after a loan spell with Mallorca after the apparent horrors suffered in England in the 2008-2009 season and WBA are facing relegation. And maybe one or two nights too many for the players with just naughty magazines for company. …” Sabotage Times
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are EPL MOTD video highlights for February 12, 2011” The 90th Minute
Man Utd 2-1 Man City: Rooney wondergoal
“City started well but United grew into the contest, and Wayne Rooney’s astonishing overhead kick settled the game. Sir Alex Ferguson went with his 4-5-1 system, dropping Dimitar Berbatov to play Rooney upfront alone. Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans were out so Chris Smalling started. Michael Carrick was the central midfielder left out. Roberto Mancini left out Edin Dzeko to play Carlos Tevez alone upfront. James Milner played in Nigel de Jong’s position, and Aleksandar Kolarov started on the left. Joleon Lescott was chosen over Kolo Toure.” Zonal Marking
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
Laurent Koscielny is reaping the benefits of risk
“Even in an eventful summer in France, there was perhaps one transfer which caused the most surprise; that of Laurent Koscielny. Kosicelny made his move from the relative modesty of FC Lorient to the vibrancy and tradition of Arsenal for a fee of £8.5m rising to £10m in 2010; a fee which seems perfectly normally in today’s climate if only Koscielny hadn’t spent just the one season in the country’s top-flight. Cue plenty of back-slapping, man-hugs and lame-cool guy handshakes from those who brokered the move on Lorient’s side.” Arsenal Column
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 5, 2011. The full edition of Match Of The Day (all matches in one highlight) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Vitesse 1 –1 Feyenoord: By all means no winners here
“The teams ranked 14 and 15 in the Eredivisie before the kick-off went into this game knowing that, after wins by both Excelsior and VVV, a loss today would bring them close to the relegation play-offs. Unfortunately this insecurity shone through the start of the match with both teams clearly lacking confidence.” 11 tegen 11
Ajax 2 – 0 De Graafschap: The ugly game explained
“Frank de Boer’s Ajax faced newly promoted side De Graafschap at home in a must-win match to keep up with title contenders PSV and Twente. They ultimately succeeded in their goal of winning three points, but the style of play did not please the home crowd at all as a lot of simple passes were misplaced and De Graafschap proved more stern opposition than most Ajax supporters had expected. Let’s dive into the tactics of this match to find out why Ajax never succeeded to turn on the style…” 11 tegen 11
Wolves 2-1 Man United: poor defending from set-pieces costs United their unbeaten record
“Manchester United lost in the league for the first time this season. Mick McCarthy made two changes. David Jones and David Edwards made way for Jamie O’Hara and Nenad Milijas. Sir Alex Ferguson’s right side of his defence changed – Rafael in for John O’Shea, whilst Jonny Evans was a late replacement for Rio Ferdinand. All the goals here came in an action-packed first half. It was not a particularly ‘tactical’ contest – United were 4-4-2, Wolves were 4-4-1-1 with Jamie O’Hara just off Kevin Doyle. Both sides played their natural game, and didn’t particularly look to change things throughout.” Zonal Marking
European Football Weekend’s Danny Last: ‘I can ask for two beers in 12 languages’
“Ask Danny Last, editor of European Football Weekends, whether he thinks Fernando Torres will be a success for Chelsea and you’ll most likely be greeted with a blank stare and disinterested mumbles. But ask him about football stadiums in Romania or fan culture in Turkey and the response couldn’t be more different. Like a frog in a pond or Jose Mourinho in a press conference, Danny is at home when he speaks about football travel culture. It is his passion and for many years it has taken over his life.” Football Nomad
English Premier League Video Highlights
“Below are video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 1, 2011, February 2, 2011.” The 90th Minute, The 90th Minute
Inter 3-2 Palermo: a game of two halves
“2-0 down at half-time, Leonardo gave Giampaolo Pazzini his Inter debut and the game changed dramatically. Leonardo made various changes to his side, but kept the 4-3-1-2 shape he’s used since taking over as manager. Diego Milito returned upfront, Coutinho started as a trequartista. Delio Rossi used his usual 4-3-2-1 system with his expected eleven players – there can’t be many more consistent starting XIs in Europe than Palermo’s.” Zonal Marking
Heerenveen 1 –4 Groningen: A tale of the centre-backs
“Groningen beat Heerenveen for the second time this season. Not only does this mean a second victory over their main rivals after previously beating them 1-0 at home, it also means a second victory of Pieter Huistra over his predecessor Ron Jans. Three important points for Groningen as they maintain their current fourth spot in the Eredivisie which would guarantee Europa League football next season.” 11 tegen 11
Southampton 1-2 Manchester United: Ferguson’s switch back to a system with width turns game
“Manchester United yet again came back from an awful first half display to take the win. Nigel Adkins was without key playmaker Adam Lallana, so went for a fluid 4-3-1-2 / 4-3-3 system. Sir Alex Ferguson made numerous changes, and he also lined up with a 4-3-1-2.” Zonal Marking
Alex Ferguson Homesick Blues
“Arsene’s on the TV, moanin’ in the microphone,
I’m on the cell phone, talkin’ like a megaphone.
The man in the black shirt, flag out, played off-
side; I got a red top, I wanna knock his fade off.” Run of Play
Arsenal turn up the style and add tactical steel as well
“Arsenal are winning over their doubters – and they are doing it in typical style. Match of the Day pundit and former Liverpool defender, Alan Hansen, has perennially shrugged off Arsenal’s title chances but now sees them as Manchester United’s closest challengers.” Arsenal Column
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the EPL matches on January 22, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (with all highlights together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Birmingham 1-1 Aston Villa: a scrappy goal each
“Another tight second city derby ended with a 1-1 draw after an entertaining game. Alex McLeish used a 4-4-1-1 system, giving a debut to David Bentley on the right of midfield. Liam Ridgewell moved into the centre of defence in place of Scott Dann, so David Murphy came in at left-back. Matt Derbyshire started upfront alone.” Zonal Marking
Tottenham 0-0 Manchester United: goalkeepers rarely tested
“A contest that never really took off. Harry Redknapp played the usual 4-4-1-1. Peter Crouch was preferred to Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko, whilst Wilson Palacios got the nod over Jermaine Jenas.” Zonal Marking
Dalglish cannot refresh Liverpool yet
“If the past is another country, then Liverpool Football Club appear keen to emigrate. At a stroke, they have been taken back to 1990 and their last league title, to 1988 and one of the finest footballing sides this country has even seen and to 1986, when a grinning player-manager scored the goal that won Division 1 to set up a historic double.” ESPN
FA Cup Third Round Weekend 3: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool
“If there is one thing that the last few weeks of Roy Hodgson’s time in charge of Liverpool Football Club became notable for, it was the mass of contradiction that enveloped it. Hodgson was the wrong man for the job at the wrong time, but the hysteria that seemed to engulf the club as the team failed to find any consistency (they neither lost nor won more than two successive matches under his stewardship) ensured that rational discussion was, broadly speaking, the first casualty of the debate that ensued. By the time of Hodgson’s inevitable sacking (and let’s not start chasing down the the alley of that most misleading of football clichés, ‘by mutual consent’, here), it was reaching the level of something approaching collective psychosis amongst Liverpool supporters.” twohundredpercent
Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool – English FA Cup
The 90th Minute
United invincible — so far
“Manchester United’s Tuesday night victory over Stoke City epitomized its season so far. The Red Devils managed just two shots on target, yet recorded a 2-1 victory. This season has rarely seen them hit top form, but they’ve still managed to consistently pick up results in the classic winning-without-playing-well formula — the mark of potential champions. Incredibly, they also remain the only unbeaten team after half of the season, with 12 wins and eight draws.” ESPN
El Tel, SirAlex and Barca: What If?
“Everyone knows the impact that Johan Cruyff had footballing philosophy of Barcelona. But what if there had been another totemic figure present at the Camp Nou? What if El Tel had decided to depart a season early? Alex Dimond, ladies and gentlemen.” In Bed With Maradona
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 1, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (which features all matches together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Carrick, Revisited
“Michael Carrick is one of my favourite footballers around. I sometimes joke that he’s the Geordie Guardiola, then I realise that Guardiola may have been the Catalan Carrick. I like alliterations. Anyways, he’s come in for a huge amount of stick over the years, and I’ve felt the need to defend him on numerous occasions, not least to my fellow Manchester United supporters.” crimes against humility
Ghostgoal’s Premiership Preview
“I wanted to do some sort of preview of the forthcoming Premiership season here at Ghostgoal but really wasn’t sure how to go about it. I was especially unsure as to whether anybody wanted to trawl through my thoughts on clubs that I hadn’t followed in pre-season and didn’t really have a feel for the mood amongst the fan base. The brilliant solution – for me anyway – was to ask bloggers, websites, fans & fanzines of all the sides concerned to help me out and build some sort of picture of where everyone was at. It has been a task complicated by a transfer window that doesn’t shut until nearly 3 weeks after the season has begun and also by the time delay in compiling the preview – apologies to Damian, for example, the Villa fan who gave his views on the eve of Martin O’Neill’s dramatic walkout!” Ghost Goal
Manchester United 1-0 Arsenal: Clever Park header sends United back to the top
“Manchester United came out on top in a game where neither side played their best football. Sir Alex Ferguson sacrificed Dimitar Berbatov to go with a 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 formation. Paul Scholes was not fit enough to make the squad, so the side essentially picked itself after the decision about formation. Arsene Wenger kept the usual 4-2-3-1 shape. Cesc Fabregas was only fit for the bench, and Tomas Rosicky was picked ahead of Robin van Persie in the central attacking midfield role.” Zonal Marking
Fear and loathing in Bury
“It’s Christmas. A time for reflection of what this time of the year means to us all. A time for families to come together and enjoy each others company. A time for peace and goodwill to all men. Is it heck! It’s about having a few beers, and parties night after night. Well that is what has been on the agenda this week for GTC Media’s equivalent of TinTin and Snowy, Danny Last and myself.” The Ball Is Round
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on December 4, 2010. If a link is unavailable, it will be added later.” The 90th Minute
Will Arsenal Win A Trophy In The 2010-11 Season?
“It’s been several years since the Gunners won a trophy but will this season be any different? Arsenal are still alive in all competitions (Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, EPL) and below is a closer look at their chances in each one.” The 90th Minute
Premier League chalkboard analysis
“Manchester United’s new-look forward line, Arsenal’s pressing, Blackpool’s corners and Rafael da Silva’s tackling” (Guardian)
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are links to Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on November 27, 2010. The full episode of MOTD can be viewed here (contains all matches).” (The 90th Minute)
Striker Crisis?
“Many questions were raised when Jay Bothroyd received a call up to England’s National team for the friendly against France. Isn’t there someone else playing in the Premier League that would be more worthy of a call-up? Is a player playing in the second tier good enough for an International team as highly ranked as England? There are many blogs that have gone into the positives and negatives of Bothroyd’s call up, that is not the question I wanted to look at. Fabio Capello has himself questioned the number of English players playing at the highest level, limiting the pool of players he can pick his squad from. Does Capello have a point? If not who are the strikers playing in the Premier League that Capello could call on and are other countries suffering the same fate?” (gib football show)
Rangers 0-1 Manchester United: Rangers’ five-man defence works…up to a point
“A late Wayne Rooney penalty meant United eventually found a way past Rangers’ back five. Walter Smith’s tactics had worked well so far in the competition, but he was without two key members of his usual five – Madjid Bougherra and Sasa Papac. He was also dealt an injury blow when Kyle Lafferty broke a bone in his hand the day before the game, so Vladimir Weiss played on the left.” (Zonal Marking)
Mastering the holding midfielder position
“Manchester City’s decision to start the recent derby game with a midfield of Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Yaya Touré was an extreme example of how much the ‘holding midfielder’ has become a part of the football scene. More than half of the teams in the World Cup used formations with two holding players, and it is just as common to see the same pattern in Leagues One and Two. Not bad for a position that Leeds United legend Johnny Giles describes as ‘a myth’.” (WSC)
Premier League chalkboard analysis
“Last week, we looked at how Birmingham’s pressing of Manchester City’s centre-backs at goal-kicks forced Joe Hart to kick the ball long, losing possession on every occasion. Against Fulham, the situation was changed with the introduction of Jô. He offered more of an aerial presence in the City attack, despite being positioned on the left wing. The majority of Hart’s kicks were sent towards the left-hand side, where six of the long balls were won by the Brazilian striker. This chalkboard compares Hart’s distribution in the Birmingham game to the Fulham game, showing how the presence of Jô helps City win possession high up the pitch.” (Guardian)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are Match Of The Day highlights for all the EPL matches on November 20, 2010. If there’s not a link available for a match, it will be updated shortly. The full edition of MOTD (which includes all matches) can be viewed here.” (The 90th Minute)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the Premier League matches on November 13, 2010. (The 90th Minute)
Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United: Villa move into commanding position but United hit back
“A poor first half followed by an entertaining second half, and a characteristically improbable comeback from United. Villa had an injury crisis in midfield, starting Barry Bannan and Jonathan Hogg in the centre. Gabriel Agbonlahor came in upfront, with Ashley Young just behind.” (Zonal Marking)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are video highlights for the Premier League matches on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. If a match doesn’t have a link, it’s not yet available but should be added soon.” (The 90th Minute)
Manchester City 0-0 Manchester United: dull game with no drive from the centre of midfield
“A disappointing match that produced very few goalscoring chances. Roberto Mancini went with his usual 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 system. Mario Balotelli was suspended so James Milner came in, with David Silva switching to the left. Sir Alex Ferguson went with his one-striker formation, seeking to match City in midfield by playing Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. Nani was on the right with Ji-Sung Park on the left. Rafael continued at right-back.” (Zonal Marking)
Match of the Midweek: Manchester City 0-0 Manchester United
“Perhaps it was ‘The Curse Of ITV’ returning to haunt us again. Last night, they showed a documentary about football in Manchester which examined, through the eyes of Eric Cantona, the current and historical state of the rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United. The two clubs have had their fair share of drama from the matches between them in recent years, so perhaps it was understandable that ITV should choose to schedule this match at this time. Other corners of the press had, after all, also been been building the match up in a wearyingly predictable manner.” (twohundredpercent)
Highly-anticipated match offers little for most to cheer about
“Few Manchester derbies have ever been so hyped; few have ever been so disappointing. It was a game that yielded just one chance of note: the free-kick that Carlos Tevez curved toward the top corner after 35 minutes. The effort lacked pace, though, and Edwin van der Sar was able to make a simple enough diving save. And while most were probably bored rigid, Sir Alex Ferguson could congratulate himself on a job well done.” (SI)
Coaching badges: The Grassroots Coach
“In the third instalment of an intermittent series of interviews about coaching badges and the standard of coaching in the United Kingdom, Football Further spoke to Pavl Williams, a Level 2 coach working towards his UEFA ‘B’ licence. Pavl has been coaching youngsters of varying ages since 2004 and is (amongst other things) currently working with elite local players aged 6-16 at Manchester United’s Carrington training centre. He is also the editor of Better Football, a coaching website that offers advice and learning resources for developing better coaches.” (Football Further)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on November 6, 2010. You can watch the full episode of MOTD here (contains all matches).” (The 90th Minute)
Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
On Loyalty
“Read, if you haven’t, my new Slate piece on Wayne Rooney, which is less ROONEY CONTRACT PANIC than a look at how the notion that he’s some kind of half-formed man-child, or an eternal adolescent, has clustered around his career. The gist is that for all the (sometimes justified) criticism he’s received for being immature or childish, what’s really infuriated his fans this year is that he’s acted too much like an adult, particularly in taking a view of his career that didn’t simply give everything up to the greatness of Manchester United.” (Run of Play)
Man U’s Man-Child
“The biggest star on the world’s biggest soccer team has the eyes of a mercenary and the face of a little boy. Athletes who become famous at an early age always seem younger than they are, and Wayne Rooney—who burst onto the world stage at 16, signed with Manchester United at 18, and now, at 25, is comfortably the second-most-recognizable English soccer player on earth—has to all appearances become lodged in semi-adolescence, as if time tried to swallow him and couldn’t get him all the way down.” (Slate)
The battle of Wayne
“One day in 2004, Wayne Rooney was doing what he usually does when he isn’t playing football: watching TV. At the time he was breaking with Everton, the club his clan had always supported. Sky TV was reading out text messages from viewers who called him a rat, a greedy traitor, and so on. Watching at home, Rooney grew fed up. He texted the programme himself: ‘I left because the club was doing my head in – Wayne Rooney.’” (FI – Simon Kuper)
Valencia 3-0 Rangers – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
“Two goals from Roberto Saldado were the difference as Valencia cruised past Rangers in Champions League. Soldado’s goals came in the 33rd minute and 71st minute while Alberto Costa added the final goal in the 90th minute. It’s a tough loss for Rangers who need to finish strong to move into the knockout stage.” (The 90th Minute)
Bursaspor 0-3 Manchester United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Marking)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights For Saturday, October 30, 2010
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on October 30, 2010. The full edition of Match Of The Day (which includes all the matches) can be found here.” (The 90th Minute)
Wayne’s World spins on its axis to an Old Trafford second coming
“It’s not often you can proclaim a stoic full back like Gary Neville a visionary, a man ahead of his time, but in an interview in March of this year – yes, a full seven months ago – the Manchester United veteran painted a picture. Displaying the prescience of a man who’d made a living from reading tea leaves all his life, he painted a future dilemma Wayne Rooney might face.” (Tribune)
The Rooney Saga A Little Historical Perspective
“Following Rooney Week earlier in October, when the Manchester United forward went from publicly requesting a move away from Old Trafford to signing a new five-year contract at the club within the space of 72 hours, the fallout from those days’ events lingers on. Rooney is likely to be out of first team action for longer than expected with an ankle injury – sustained after a training-ground tackle from Paul Scholes – that was evidently much easier to diagnose than the one his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, alleged the player was already carrying, a verdict that Rooney contested. For as long as the forward is injured he will be unable to break a scoring record that stands at no goals at club level from open play since 30th March.” (twohundredpercent)
FC Uniteds FA Cup Dilemma
“When the dust settled after a weekend of FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round matches that were watched by over 40,000 people, one tie from the First Round draw stood out from the rest: Rochdale vs FC United of Manchester. It could hardly more apposite that FCUM earned their first appearance in the competition proper of the FA Cup in this of all months. The name of Manchester United has been dragged through the mud by the Wayne Rooney transfer debacle – an event that may have woken many up to the colossal lack of soul at the heart of Premier League football. The protest, meanwhile, goes on at Gigg Lane but such success brings new debates to be had for a club that is a protest against much of what is wrong with modern football.” (twohundredpercent)
An Honest & Thorough Inquiry into EPL Truths
“With several matches played, the dark haze clouding our view of football in England has finally started to disperse. Now, with the crystal clear light of the holiest of truths, we set upon the most divine of inquisitive expeditions. We turn a deciphering eye upon the UK, helping you to distinguish the verdad santisima from the deceptive half-truths mulling about. Let us begin.” (futfanatico)
Werder’s defense still an issue
“Some goals Werder Bremen conceded in the 4-0 drubbing at Internazionale last month were so soft that Italian football paper Gazzetta dello Sport rechristened the team ‘Werder Crema.’ It was a charitable assessment; Gazzetta easily could have reached for a stronger Italian word.” (SI)
Panathinaikos 0-0 Rubin Kazan: little invention from attackers and a good result for neither
“A disappointing match in which both sides’ shooting ability deserted them.
Panathinaikos lined up with their now customary 4-2-3-1 system. Simao sat infront of the defence with Kostas Katsouranis playing a more energetic role, and linking up with Giorgos Karagonis. Luis Garcia started from the left and drifted into the centre, whilst on the other side, Stergos Marinos linked up with with Loukas Vyntra, the right-back.” (Zonal Marking)
Inter Milan 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
(The 90th Minute)
Twente 1 – 1 Werder Bremen: A self fulfilling prophecy for defensively tuned Twente
“Dutch champions FC Twente faced Werder Bremen at home for their third Champions League Group stage match tonight. This offered them a chance at revenge for both team’s match-up last season when the Germans knocked Twente out of the Europa League competition in the first knock-out stage. After winning 1-0 at home, Twente went on to lose the second tie 1-4.” (11 tegen 11)
UEFA Champions League Power Rankings After Matchday 3
“The Champions League is halfway through the group stage and the contenders to win the title have not really changed. Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern, and Real Madrid remain at the top. Other teams showing great form are Arsenal and Lyon who are both 3-0-0. The rankings are below and through October 21, 2010 and only include the top 8 (along with teams just missing the cut).” (The 90th Minute)
Love football, hate footballers
“If this week’s Wayne Rooney saga has done anything other than earn the Manchester United striker a huge pay rise and, presumably, an even huger grudge from his manager, it’s added yet another hammer blow to the wedge that is being driven relentlessly between players and supporters. The nutshell version of the story is that Rooney allegedly nailed a hooker, not-only-allegedly disgraced himself at the World Cup and allegedly briefed journalists that he wanted to leave United.” (twofootedtackle)
For a Break-Up [UPDATED]
“I, personally, have never been the type who dwells on heartache and tragedy. Others may whinge, but it’s never been my way. When a thing goes pear-shaped, you can either throw a bin through a window and steal a pair of trainers, or you can lift a pint to the good times and set about refactoring your tattoo situation.” (Run of Play)
Wayne Rooney, Manchester Uniter and Contempt
“Manchester United supporters have learnt a tough lesson this week. The fact that footballers are mercenaries may be common knowledge amongst fans of most clubs, but Manchester United, by virtue of their sheer scale, have been largely insulated from this. They have been able to hang on to the likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs for years and years, and have been afford one major luxury that is denied to almost every other club – they sell, by and large, only when they need to sell and they feel that a player is surplus to requirements. Comments to the effect that they are not matching the ambitions of a player (a deliberately ambiguous statement – ‘not matching ambitions’ can quite easily be extended in its interpretation to ‘not doubling my wages’) are not something that they are used to.” (twohundredpercent)
Why Wayne in White Would Be A Win Win Win
“If the average, cheese-brained, money-obsessed English footballer paid as much attention to becoming a better player as to the size of their bank balance, Ipod headphones and the press attaché’s tits then a heck of a lot more would have headed to the Spanish league in recent years than the brave few that have manfully taken the plunge in la Primera.” (Football 365)
Why isn’t Wayne Rooney the player we thought he’d become?
“Wayne Rooney is a force of nature: a natural, swaggering, street footballer who used to play the game with the reckless abandon of the best player in the playground and who made the dimensions of the pitch seem to shrink whenever he received the ball. He retains all of these qualities, despite his current loss of form, but he only really got the credit his talent deserved in England when he started scoring goals.” (Football Further)
Wayne Rooney’s arch adviser heads for another big pay day
“Wayne Rooney plays for England in a summer tournament, then returns to gory tabloid stories exposing his alleged weakness for prostitutes. Further stories soon follow, that he has fallen out with his Scottish disciplinarian manager and wants a transfer. The manager denies any falling out, but complains that, despite all his club have done for the ‘boy’, Rooney’s ‘advisers’ say he wants a move.” (Guardian)
Alex Ferguson is not always right
“It seems to be a truth universally acknowledged that, when in want of a new club, a footballer rarely gets the better of Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager, we are told, is the right man to send players on their way. He knows when to protect his players, when to discipline them and when to dispense with them. When a player looks set to leave Old Trafford we are fed the usual line, that Ferguson sells players when it suits him but not when it suits them. Well, Wayne Rooney might just be proving that theory wrong.” (WSC)
Morality and Marlon King
“It’s easy and facile to suggest that morality has no place in football, that ultimately only results count, that money talks louder than ethics, and that fans don’t care anyway. The furore over the hiring of Marlon King by Coventry City aside, it’s obvious that morality, both of the general type and of a more specific version relating to football, is at the heart of most interesting discussions about football. Fans care passionately about the nebulous quality ‘fairness’, about the ‘right’ way to play, and even to which values their club should aspire. Almost everything that makes people angry and passionate about football is to do with some kind of morality. It’s just that they rarely care about what two (or three) consenting adults get up to in a hotel room (allegedly).” (Run of Play)
Wayne Rooney and Manchester Uniter: A Sign of the Times?
“They booed the home team off the pitch at the end of Saturday’s match at Old Trafford between Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion. For the fifth time in eight league matches this season, United had failed to win a league match and, although they remain unbeaten in the Premier League table and stay in the Champions League places for the time being, for Manchester United supporters that have been plumpened with almost two decades of unbroken success, this is what counts for underachievement. More troubling for supporters of the club, however, will be the apparent breakdown in the relationship between Sir Alex Ferguson and another of his employers’ most prized assets; Wayne Rooney.” (twohundredpercent)
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
“Pity the average Manchester United fan trying to make sense of the club’s annual financial results announced last week. On the one hand, they look great with record turnover of £286 million, operating profits climbing above £100 million for the first time and £164 million cash in the bank, but on the other hand they look terrible with a record loss of £84 million, disappointing revenue growth and a mountain of debt. No wonder chief executive David Gill admitted that the figures could be confusing, ‘These are very good results for the club with records here, there and everywhere, but they are complicated with non-cash items and exceptional once-off hits.'” (The Swiss Ramble)
How Manchester City Could Break Even
Robinho
“Just a week after Arsenal reported record profits of £56 million, the other side of the football finance spectrum was seen when Manchester City announced a massive loss of £121 million for the year ending 31 May 2010. This is not quite the worst loss ever reported in Premier League history – that dubious honour belongs to Chelsea, who lost £141 million in 2004/05, the first full year after the acquisition by their Russian benefactor Roman Abramovich. However, to put this into context, City’s deficit is more than the combined loss for every other team in the Premier League if you exclude Chelsea (or Liverpool).” (Swiss Ramble)
Premier League chalkboard analysis
“Chelsea’s defending, Rafael van der Vaart’s passing, Manchester United’s shooting and Liverpool’s predictability in the final third” (Guardian)
Valencia 0-1 Manchester United: 4-5-1 v 4-5-1 becomes 4-4-2 v 4-4-2, and United nick it late on
“Smash and grab – Javier Hernandez’s late goal settled a tight contest. Valencia were without Joaquin, so fielded a fluid Mata-Pablo-Dominguez trio behind Roberto Soldado, who started ahead of Aritz Aduriz. Jeremy Mathieu was preferred to Jordi Alba at left-back. Manchester United were without Wayne Rooney, which made it an easy decision to start with a 4-5-1 (indeed, it would have been interesting what Sir Alex Ferguson would have done if Rooney had been available. Michael Carrick and Anderson’s returns from injury were timed well in the absence of Paul Scholes, whilst Rio Ferdinand replaced Jonny Evans.” (Zonal Marking)
Cash City Rockers
The Clash
“Last week was going so well for Arsenal fans. First, their youthful team thrashed North London neighbours, Spurs, in a glorious performance at White Hart Lane, driven forward by an inspirational display from young tyro Jack Wilshere, the poster boy for Arsenal’s strategy of developing players from their academy. Then, away from the pitch, the board announced a sparkling set of financial results that confirmed their status as the best-run club in the Premier League.” (The Swiss Ramble)
Premier League chalkboards analysis
“Gaël Clichy’s aerial struggles, Gareth Barry’s all-round display against Chelsea, Ashley Young’s lateral movement and Michael Essien’s shooting” (Guardian)
English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights For Saturday, September 25, 2010
“It was a busy day in the EPL with a few surprises including West Brom upsetting Arsenal at the Emirates. Other interesting results were Man City’s win over Chelsea and West Ham’s home victory over Tottenham.” (The 90th Minute)
Premier League chalkboards analysis
“This week we look at Cheick Tioté’s debut performance, Liverpool’s shooting, Ahmed Elmohamady’s tackling and Manchester City’s passing strategy” (Guardian)
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool: Berbatov x 3
“Manchester United threw away another two-goal lead – but a Dimitar Berbatov hattrick saved them. Sir Alex Ferguson went with a 4-4-2 – the first time he has done this in a ‘big’ game since Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over United last season. John O’Shea moved to right-back to replace Gary Neville. Roy Hodgson went for Fernando Torres upfront alone at the top of a compact side. Raul Meireles was the link player, with Steven Gerrard deeper in midfield. Joe Cole made his return on the left side of midfield.” (Zonal Minute)
Berbatov treble inspires United
“Sir Alex Ferguson was indebted to the “genius” of Dimitar Berbatov after the Bulgarian’s brilliant hat-trick floored Liverpool at Old Trafford. Every single member of the United side had need to thank Berbatov at the end after they had tossed away a two-goal advantage against Merseyside opposition for the second weekend running, only for the former Tottenham man to net the winner six minutes from time.” (ESPN)
Match Of The Week: Manchester United 3-2
“Manchester United vs Liverpool. Aon vs Standard Chartered. Nike vs Adidas. The warm, sticky smell of testosterone and hubris hangs large in the air this afternoon for this match, but all is not well at either Old Trafford or Anfield. Manchester United are still unbeaten since the start of the season, but they are a curiously unsatisfactory team this season so far.” (twohundredpercent)
Dimitar Berbatov’s hat-trick halts Liverpool’s spirited recovery
“Dimitar Berbatov has so far been taking personal responsibility for Manchester United’s Premier League campaign. Liverpool had come back to draw level after being 2-0 down but with five minutes left the striker climbed to meet a John O’Shea cross and head the winner. He has now scored in four of his club’s five league matches to date.” (Guardian)
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
(The 90th Minute)
German club fans set for boycott
Triumph of Death – Pieter Bruegel
“Two historic matches take place in the industrial heartlands of England and Germany this Sunday that throw into focus just how little Premier League fans have been able to influence boardroom change. Thousands of Liverpool supporters will make the trip to watch their team play Manchester United at Old Trafford, with large majorities of both sets of fans unhappy about the way their clubs have been run by their respective American owners. Over in Germany, thousands of Borussia Dortmund fans are similarly unhappy – with the major difference that they will not be travelling to watch their team take on Schalke in the Bundesliga.” (BBC)
Twente Enschede 2 – 2 Internazionale
“Rafael Benitez had an unconvincing beginning to his Inter Milan Champions league career as his side were held in Holland. Former Liverpool boss Benitez took over from Jose Mourinho, now with Real Madrid, but the Spaniard’s bid to retain the Champions League title won by his Portuguese predecessor did not get off to the best of starts even if there was a goal for Dutchman Wesley Sneijder in his home country.” (ESPN)
Barcelona 5 – 1 Panathinaikos
“A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona recovered from the shock of going a goal down against Panathinaikos to get their Champions League campaign off to a convincing start at Camp Nou. Panathinaikos took the lead against the run of play through Sidney Govou in the 20th minute but Barca hit back in merciless fashion to take a 3-1 lead by half-time through two goals from the irrepressible Messi and another from David Villa.” (ESPN)
Fergie’s gamble backfires in stalemate
“It is becoming an unfortunate habit. For the second time in four days, Manchester United were held to a potentially costly draw. For the second time in four days, Sir Alex Ferguson’s selection was questionable. Whereas the 3-3 at Everton was an early candidate for game of the season, this was the antithesis. Utterly devoid of incident, it was nonetheless a non-event that had significance. A failure to win perhaps the most winnable game in the group stage can have repercussions; so, too, can an inability to top the pool.” (ESPN)
Scissors Kick 