Liverpool Vs Manchester City: 2 - 2

EPL Matchday 2:

This game was expected to be a cracker of a match and it simply did not disappoint. Also, tactically this answered a few burning questions on how Liverpool and City have changed from the previous season and how this bodes for the remaining 37 games.

The starting lineups were some what surprising even if not unpredictable. The fact that Raheem Sterling hadn't been even approached for a loan and the decreasing impact of Stewart Downing even in Pre-Season told us that this was going to be his breakout season. We just didn't expect him to start so soon. Seb Coates came in over Daniel Agger, Carragher wasn't preferred due to his declining form and his incompatibility with Rodger's brand of possession football. Lucas Leiva started and was promptly injured and replaced by Jonjo Shelvey. Joe Allen started as well,but had to drop to a deeper role to cover for Lucas. Borini and Suarez started upfront.

Manchester City sprung quite a few surprises. Lescott and Silva could find place only on the bench with De Jong and Kolo Toure starting. Balotelli and Aguero started upfront assisted by Nasri who was almost in the hole, Milner providing precious little support from the right.

The formations were almost 4-1-2-3/4-3-3 for Liverpool and City in a weird 3-4-1-2. City's three man back line shuffle against Chelsea came across as the result of an injury. However, Mancini seems to have adopted it as his Plan B. Being an Italian, he surely must have noticed Napoli and The Italian team at the Euros being very successful with a three man defence. However, even if the idea may have had some merit, the personnel were simply not as required with Kolo Toure ill suited to such a role with Lescott on the bench.


Midfield Stalemate:

City had the element of surprise and lack of familiarity with a three man defence (a rarity in the PL apart from Wigan) and started well with the extra men leading to a higher defensive line. The game started well but even then it was obvious that this would be fought from the blanks with Nasri, Toure and De Jong cancelling out Shelvey, Gerrard and Allen who had to drop in to the holding role due to Lucas's injury. Samir Nasri provided some creativity with a through ball to Tevez who could only hit the post. But, barring this the midfield simply could not create.

Flanks:

Suarez, Borini, Sterling pressing Kompany, Toure, Milner, Zabaleta and Kolarov

This s where the action was. The classic dilemma of a team playing against a three man defence is for the wingers to cover the opposing wingers or the opposing wingbacks. Sterling (left) and Borini (right) got some slack due to the high defensive line that City kept and thus were able to track back against the wing backs and close them down while attacking when needed. Sterling was highly impressive in this regard with his boundless energy helping to close Milner down and attacking the very uncomfortable Kolo Toure when in possession.

With a 4-3-3 against  3-4-1-2, there was a 3 v 3 at the back, with Borini, Suarez and Sterling harrying and pressing Zabaleta, Kompany and Toure.

Liverpool's new found ball retention policy along with the ability to counter or break with surprising speed made a refreshing change from their time under Dalglish. Indeed as they grew into the game , they dominated for long periods in which City could just watch. Martin Skrtel's bullet header from a corner was just reward for their domination. City replied courtesy a defensive gaffe by Coates, who knocked the ball onto Toure's feet giving a bereft of ideas City team a foothold.

Substitutions:

After Substitutions, City revert to a 4 man defence

The customary Mancini 'push Toure up' by getting in a defensive midfielder was implemented with Jack Rodwell who sat deep with De Jong and was decent. Andre Marriner's decision to award a freekick was certainly ill deserved and Suarez took full advantage with a fantastic effort catapulting them into the lead. Mancini took off Milner for Silva but Liverpool continued to press forward. City looked clueless and were offered a lifeline by Martin Skrtrel's brain fade when he passed it to a calm Tevez instead of Reina going from hero to zero. Liverpool kept pressing but couldn't find a way through.

The 2-2 scoreline flattered City who were outplayed comfortably. However, this was a fight of two differing and new systems with City's three man back line and Pool's taste of possession football.

The conclusion ??

Mancini needs a libero type centre back ala Javi Martinez (off to Bayern,i'm afraid) if he'd like to continue this experiment. Liverpool need more time, however the signs are very encouraging. Also Joe Allen alongside Nuri Sahin/Lucas would make a fantastically technical midfield. If only Borini found his feet a bit quicker ...

The Spanish Moneyball

No football enthusiast is unaware of the magic La Liga has created in the recent past. With clubs like
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona grabbing eyeballs the world over and the el Classico turning into one of the most awaited football fixtures on the planet. And not just this, these clubs are turning on the heat at the world stage, making it to the Semis of the biggest club championships in history. Other Spanish clubs like Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao were also in the final four of the Europa League. A glittering road ahead for Spanish football? Think again…

The Premier League remains the most debt heavy league in the world but atleast it’s economic model  is more favourable to all clubs ,with it’s multi billion TV deal with Sky being distributed fairly equally.However ,the La Liga TV deals are signed separately  with Madrid and Barcelona getting the lion’s share and thus sustaining their wild finances. Barcelona and Real Madrid make up €1.2 billion (£1 billion/$1.7 billion) of the debt alone, though they also take in half of the €600 million (£520 million/$862 million) the Spanish league generates in overall TV revenue each year.
Clubs such as Rayo Vallecano,Granada and Real Malloraca have been in and out of administration for so long that their financial model is inherently unstable.Matches are scheduled at odd times for the remaining clubs so that Madrid and Barcelona can have the world watch their El Classicos and marvel at the most expensive players money can buy without noticing the incredible dysfunctionality that has brought them to Spain.Contrast this with the Bundesliga,where Bayern Munich lent Borussia Dortmund money to stave off administration.With the Financial Fair Play looming large,it remains to be seen what is the way forward.
While clubs like Barca and Real are raising the bar in terms of football quality, their finances are
in deep trouble. They have a combined debt of 11,617 million euros which is far more than their
revenue of 929 million. This affects the overall economy of Spain where we have 23% of the
population unemployed.

Not only the Spanish economy, but smaller clubs in La Liga also feel the heat. The remaining from
the top 5 have had to sell their star players to reduce their debts. And this transfer pressure is clearly
visible in the points table. Barca was behind Real by a narrow margin of 4 points. But the No. 3 team,
Valencia were 39 points behind the champs. These two clubs are buying the big players form all
other leagues to strengthen their squad. You can look at Ronaldo and Fabregas from the EPL, Kaka
and Ibrahimovic from Serie A, Shain from Bundesliga.

This summer, Real and Barcelona have spent more money on players for their B teams than half
of the league has on players for their first teams. The new path for players in Spain now seems
to be either be a part of the big two or leave Spain altogether. And you can look at a lot of recent
examples. Cazorola departed to Arsenal, Michu from Rayo to Swansea City, Mata departed form
Valencia to Chelsea. The trend is obvious. The effects, far reaching. Spanish league is now turning
into a two horse chariot. As these two keep on getting better, the remaining struggle just to stay on
solid ground.

The travails of Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez is one of those divisive figures that seem to abound in football. This article shall endeavour to gain some insight and put things into perspective.
The Uruguayan has had a rough senior career,with successes being punctuated by suspensions and other problems. However, here we shall discuss only the footballing side of things. He moved to Holland from Uruguay's Nacional aged 19 and joined Groningen(Robben's old club). With the completion of his footballing education in Holland, Suarez could be thought of as having assimilated the European technicality and the South American flair as well. Due to his performances, he was soon picked up by Ajax becoming a pivotal figure and scored over 100 goals for the club over the course of three seasons. Liverpool desperately needed to bolster their frontline and signed him for €26.5 million (£22.8 million) while he was in the middle of a suspension for biting PSV's Otnam Bakkal on the shoulder. His new club was reeling in 12th place and even a top 10 finish looked beyond them. However, along with Kenny Dalglish,he managed to help them finish sixth.
Suarez is an attacker that is reliant on trickery and believes in creating his own shot. He can play on the wing and as a central striker. While at Ajax, he was deployed in a central role where he excelled benefitting from some excellent support and his bag of tricks. The Eredivise is however very different from the Premier League. The Dutch system focusses on technical football rather than the English 'hug the touchline valencia style and cross to to a Carroll style striker'. Dutch players are therefore more well rounded as is evidenced by players like Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and even Robin Van Persie. Suarez is thus not very suited to the English style where shorter players generally are deployed as wingers. At Liverpool, Suarez has been known for being a handful for any defender but having hit the post more times than any other player in recent memory, the question asks itself : Would Liverpool be better off with a conventional striker/goal poacher in his place ??

Liverpool last season

Last season, Suarez cut a forlorn figure more often than not. With his supporting cast including Stewart Downing,support was nonexistent. Also, Kenny Dalglish's tactics weren't the sort that focussed on patient build up through the middle and thus he was most often deployed as a winger cutting in goalside. When Carroll played, the play was eventually influenced and there was the temptation to lump it long which simply eliminates the need for Suarez.
Goals were hard to come by and he took it upon himself to do all he could. He looked comfortable when playing with Maxi Rodriguez and Bellamy who despite being coventional wingers aren't as one dimesional as Downing and Young. Indeed, too many times throughout it seemed like he thought he had to do it all himself, which lead to excessive pressure and poor decision making.
This could explain why he was just so plain unlucky. But, he was still Liverpool's brightest spark in the most creatively lacking 'Pool team in years.
Kenny Dalglish left (we'll come back to him in another article) and in came Brendan Rodgers. Rodgers is most famous for carrying a Swansea team forward using possession based football that was instilled in them by Roberto Martinez(the Wigan Manager). Rodgers's style is as British as can be with wingers being the creative sources much like Mourinho's Chelsea where the creativity came from Joe Cole and Robben on the flanks. However, he preaches possession which is certainly not a new idea to the faithful as the 80's side of Rush and Dalglish is remembered for playing a similar style which would explain their success in Europe.

Uruguay National team

Rodgers is the kind of manager who understands Suarez is at his best in a roaming role. Suarez's performances for the Uruguayan team offer further insight. He has performed better when playing with Edinson Cavani and Forlan in the hole. Cavani is the classic mix of the two strikers in the 4-4-2 , strong, tall and yet mobile. Deployed in a Napoli team that loves wingers/wingbacks and playing with a three man defence he is indeed a player who could adapt to most systems. Also with Forlan on the pitch,the creativity comes from the centre which is good for Suarez and his mazy diagonal runs. Rodgers understands all of this and thus has brought a more mobile, hard working striker in Fabio Borini who will surely mature into a better player. Also,  with Joe Allen being the midfield general, his movement will not go unnoticed anymore. With the rise of Raheem Sterling who seems to be a brilliant lad, Suarez will surely find some pressure off him as there are others capable of creating chances and he doesn't have to do it all on his own. Also,with greater possession, it can only help Suarez.

Liverpool against City

In conclusion, Liverpool may have benefited more from a goal poacher under Kenny Dalglish but under Rodgers, Suarez is primed and ready for a a better season than the last. If only Liverpool could find a No 10 or even Gaston Ramirez, they would be certainly a lot tougher to beat.

Jack Butland

Let me tell you a story. A young lad, born in Bristol on 10th March 1993, decides to play the beautiful
game. He starts with the local Jamie Shore Academy and moves to Birmingham at the age of 14. He commutes by train for three-times-a-week training session and completes him schoolwork en route.
Here he is graced with the Young Player of The Year Award for the year 2009-10. He makes it to all of
England’s national youth teams and is in the winning squad of the U-17 2010 Euro Championships.
He understands that playing regular matches will keep him in good shape and so he moves to a
League 2 club on loan just to gain more match practice. Playing in a particular game at Cheltenham
Town, he is watched by no less than 52 scouts. He is the first choice goal keeper for Team Great
Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Still wondering what is so special about this kid?

Well for starters, he is the youngest goalkeeper for the England National Squad at 19 years and 158
days, thrashing the previous 124 year old record by 64 days. And he achieved all this even before
playing for any of the top three divisions in England.

Meet Jack Butland, a star in the making. At 19 years his road to glory is attributed to a level head,
maturity well above his years and a lot of determination shown in front of the goal.

He decided to get regular games for the U-21 team rather than warming the bench in the senior
English Squad. He has shown great skills at the top level making him a potentially potent weapon in
the English armoury.

Debuted in 2011 while on loan, he ended his spell with 7 clean sheets from 12 matches. A 6 million
euros bid was made for him which Birmingham City declined saying it would take a “crazy” offer for
him to be sold.

No matter where he goes, great expectations await and hopefully his promising talents will see him through.

Great things are waiting for him just around the corner. We wish him all the best

Ross Barkley

Classy, clever and an uncanny ability to be at the right place at the right time. Let me introduce you
to Ross Barkley, England’s rising star who, at the age of 18, is already turning heads his way.

Born on 5th Dec 1993 in Liverpool, Barkley joined Everton at the age of 11 and played for the club’s
youth teams. His Premier League debut was hauled by a tragic leg injury in an Under-19 fixture in
October 2010. He made his debut for Everton in the first game of the 2011-12 season with QPR.
His performances have been instrumental for his side. He has been on the radar for big clubs like
Chelsea and Manchester United. Currently he is under a four-and-a-half-year contract to Everton.

Having represented England in the U-16, U-17 and U-19 and U-21 levels,his first major
achievement came in the year 2009 when he captained the team to success in the Montaigu
Tournament. In the UEFA Euro U-17 Football Championship 2010, he was a part of the winning
squad who beat Spain 2-1 in the finals. He scored 2 goals in the tournament earning him admiring
glances from the bigger clubs.He was then called for England’s U-21 squad in 2011.

With Tim Cahill taking a trip to New York to play in the MLS, Barkley might get a spot to play as a
withdrawn striker at Goodison Park. Cahill has been a regular in the Everton playing squad and has
served his side well as an attacking midfielder. In his absence, Barkley might get his spot.

Moyes plans to let Barkley go out on loan after the transfer window closes if he is satisfied with the
strength of his side. He is rumoured to go on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for a month or so to gain
Championship experience. But whichever way you look at it, it seems a while before we see this
young star dawn the Everton blue take the Premier League by storm.
We hope to see that happen soon..

The Rooney-Persie-Kagawa Conundrum

Sir Alex Ferguson is a manager who has done it all.For more than two decades, he has built great teams and come up with brilliant alternatives when forced to dismatle them. However, one aspect of his brilliance is often overlookedhis tactical nous. From the classic British 4-4-2 that kept Cole, Yorke, Solksjaer, Sheringham satisfied to the almost 4-3-3 that utilised Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez and now to the 4-4-1-1, using a classic No 10. For over two seasons, Rooney has played this role and played it well. He scored over 25 goals last season and combined brilliantly with Welbeck as he did with Chicharito the previous season. However, he is not a classic No 10, as is apparent by the times when he looks overrun and off the pace, like in the recent game against Everton. What sets Rooney apart from some of the other great players of his generation is the fact that when he's not having a good game, he seems to go missing.

Manchester United's signings this season have certainly gotten tongues wagging. From Shinji Kagawa to Robin Van Persie, the forward line has been altered considerably. This, despite Rooney and Welbeck combining brilliantly in the previous season. Why so ? This article will endeavour to give a probable answer.

Everybody remarked how United didn't seem their best previous season, due to a shoddy midfield which had to be carried by Giggs and Scholes. However, their campaign in Europe was insightful in the extreme. The manner of United's defeat against Athletic Bilbao (an excellent team, who you'll be reading more of) was shocking. They were simply played off the pitch by a team that finished 6th in La Liga.Imagine, if it had been Barcelona or Madrid. Bilbao's relentless pressing and poor technical ability or rather one-dimesionality of most United players was ruthlessly exposed.

The two major signings have  been remarked upon:

Shinji Kagawa- United have been looking for a genuine No 10 for so long, it was hard not to see this coming. Maybe, it is no coincidence, that they were lookin at Wes Sneijder the previous season. Kagawa is an anomaly in England. Almost a David Silva like figure he can play centrally, on either flank and create and finish with aplomb. Part of a very exciting Borussia Dortmund team, he is certainly a fantastic signing.


Robin Van Persie- Robin Van Persie is a different kettle of fish altogether. He is the probably the only player in the world apart from a certain Messi that can turn scorer and creator with devastating effect. Like most Dutch players,he is fantastic on the ball, can pick a pass and score with audacity as evidenced by his finish against Fulham the other night. The fact that he can play the Sneijder role and the Huntelaar role with equal ease is certainly remarkable. Much like Rooney though, he has had his share of off field problems with disagreements with Van Marwjik at Feyenoord, injuries at Arsenal etc.

Kagawa as 10

Nick Powell- A promising English attacker, however his League two experience and young age would certainly combine in him not seeing much game time this season.
To analyse what can be done here we'll just make each of Kagawa, Van Persie and Rooney our no 10's here and see where the others stand:

1. Kagawa as 10: This is the dream match. He is one of those players that can be devastating as creator-in-chief. His awareness is very similar to Mesut Ozil as is evidenced by his penchant for finding space and dropping between the lines. Rooney or Van Persie would be the striker.Both could play only if one was shunted to the flank which would be Van Persie to the left, due to Valencia's meteoric rise. Seems like a strange waste of resources.

Rooney as 10

2. Rooney as 10: Van Persie as striker, kagawa on the left flank which is very threatening for Nani's future at the club. However, this would certainly be a waste of Kagawa's abilities and is not very probable.

3. Persie as 10: This is again not very possible, as Rooney may excel in a striking role, Kagawa will be underutilised.

Persie as 10

The first  alternative would make a lot more sense. What if  Ferguson wants  to revert to the classic 4-3-3 of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez ? Rather than his static 4-4-1-1 and slightly better 4-2-1-3, this would be a formation that could be the future. This would explain why no tough tackling midfielder has arrived at United.Kagawa could be a 10,and the front three could be Welbeck/Nani/Rooney/Young-Van Persie/Rooney/Chicharito-Valencia/Rooney. Kagawa  playing at the tip of the midfield triangle would be a big boost to United's creativity especially in Europe. Also,the reason for Van Persie's acquisition could be Ferguson's takeaway from the Euros with a False Nine and Van Persie is the falsest nine that England has ever seen. Also, a move to a possession oriented midfield would be helped by a striker dropping back and making an almost four man midfield which would be a great help in the Champions League. Italy had more possession than Spain for the first half of the Euro final, simply by having an extra man in midfield (even though that man came from a four man defence being cut to three). Van Persie's signing, for all the questions it raises, is still a brilliant signing. Also, this might be Alex Ferguson's last chance to build a European Cup winning team. Simply cannot wait to see what he comes up with. Comments and suggestions are welcome. I'd be happy to make any clarifications if needed. Cheers..

Paolo Maldini

There are few footballers that are classified as  legends while still playing. There are even fewer that command the universal respect and acclaim that a certain Paolo Maldini did.

Paolo Cesare Maldini, a one club man which says quite a bit in these days where professional footballers have little regard  for virtues such as loyalty. He spent his 25 seasons at AC Milan and enshrined his name in legend. Playing as a left/central defender,his grace and tactical nous ensured he remained relevant even into his 40's.

Maldini, the son of Cesare (another Milan stalwart), played his first game for the Rossoneri in January 1985 against Udinese, aged 16. He retired in May 2009 at the age of 40. Between 1988 and 2002 he picked up 126 caps for Italy (74 of them as captain) to become the Azzurri’s most-capped player until Fabio Cannavaro overtook him. Maldini won seven Scudetti, five European Cups and a whole host of other club and individual honours.. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever reached to winning the award, until Fabio Cannavaro, a fellow Italian won the award in 2006.


However, none of this even begins to describe the sheer charisma of the man. Not exactly an attacking full back, his composure on the ball was still incredible and he was rarely in discomfort, if ever.


The number three jersey lies retired at Milan, along with Franco Baresi's number six paying rich tribute to a footballer who was also a gentleman, elegant, dignified and graceful in the extreme. His average of 1 tackle per 1.8 games speaks volumes about his incredible positioning and tactical nous. Being part of Arrigo Sacchi's all conqueriing AC Milan squad, alongside Tassotti, Costacurta and Baresi, he learnt from the masters themselves. And it showed, in every single pass he played, in every interception he made, in every frightening winger he rendered ineffective and even in the way he carried himself.

This is not a glowing testimonial for the man, it is just an appreciation of the truth. And the truth is profoundly simple, Maldini was arguably the most elegant defender Italy has ever produced. Elegance is the only way to describe his free flowing style and graceful postioning and the incredibly well assessed tackle that he possessed. He was indeed an institution in himself. His longevity resulted in over 900 appearances for the Rossoneri with his last coming against Fiorentina at the San Siro in 2009, aged 41. He bowed out with the assured calm that we had come to expect of him.

His brilliant performances and dignified character ensured a larger than life persona that never grew larger than the game itself. A true legend ,leader and gentleman,he gave it all he could. As Del Piero said,"You really are number one. There are great players, and world-class players and then there are those players who go beyond that. Paolo is the perfect example of all of this""

For all those years we've marvelled at your talents and brilliance, all we'd like to say is Grazie, Paolo..