Spain should come in strong at the World Cup (Photo: Juan Flor/AS)
Spain’s 6-1 win over Argentina in the last international break before the World Cup remembered people of how strong they could be. After a miserable campaign in Brazil last time out and a round of 16 elimination in the UEFA Euro in 2016, Julen Lopetegui’s mission was to rebuild and keep the national team progressing.
Having worked with the U19, U20 and U21’s of the Spanish national team, Lopetegui already had in mind what was expected from him and the whole philosophy that he should apply into his side. During his time as the youth level’s manager, Lopetegui won the U19 and U20 Euros in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
After eight years with Vicente Del Bosque, the man responsible for taking Spain back to highest level, what they needed was a young manager with fresh ideas. Lopetegui seems the perfect fit, as he already have experience in the national side, interesting coaching methods and mostly important, an eye on the future.
Why an eye on the future is so important? Spain’s generation that won three major titles in four years is already coming to an end. Xabi Alonso has retired, Iker Casillas is on his way too and Andres Iniesta is not the same. Replacing a generation of so many talented players, in what was one of the best national teams ever, is not an easy job. Lopetegui’s mission with Spain is by far more than just winning games. He needs to replace players that were so important and whose legacies are big.
The current generation of young Spanish players is promissing, but not so much comparing to the one they are replacing. Marco Asensio is showing potential to be one of the best midfielders in the world, Saul Niguez is another one on his way to become special and Suso is finally turning into the player we expected him to be. Thiago Alcantara is one of the Spanish players entering into his prime, something could really take benefit of. Isco, Dani Carvajal and Rodrigo are other examples too.
Lopetegui is an already experienced manager in dealing with young players. His time with the youth teams was extremely successful and his time at Porto was also known for that. During his time at the Estádio do Dragão he gave debuts Rúben Neves, a player that has also become the youngest captain in Champions League history, and helped devoleping André Silva and Oliver Torres.
It wouldn’t be surprising if we see Lopetegui doing something similar from what Gareth Southgate has been trying with England. During his tenure, Southgate has given debuts to Joe Gomez, Jordan Pickford, Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Cook, players that were familiar faces in England’s youth teams. With promising players in Spain’s U21 such as Dani Ceballos and Carlos Soler playing constantly, we should see some young and fresh faces in Spain’s team soon.
Mixing experienced faces that have been playing with the national team for years, together with young players that are on the transition from the youth teams, may be Lopetegui biggest challenge while managing Spain.
What should we expect from Spain in the World Cup?
An identity is a big part of any football team. In international level, we don’t see this very often, with the biggest reason being the lack of a consistent run of games. It takes time to build an identity with a national team. Germany started their process years ago and it brought them results, England are trying to do the same, but Spain already have an established identity for years.
With the Tiki-Taka really popular in Spain thanks to Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona back in the day, the core of players of Spain’s national team was made from Barcelona players. It made sense to play in a similar way and it worked effectively, with Spain winning two Euros and a World Cup in a space of four years.
However, any style of play needs to change and improve. As I said many times in this blog, the philosophy can remain the same but that are a few things in football that need constant change and modernisation.
While watching Spain’s win over Argentina, it became clear that Julen Lopetegui’s side has been trying to modernize. The quick passing works effectively and the high line makes the pitch smaller for the opposition, making the team’s chances of creating a scoring opportunity much easier. There were moments that Spain pressed really high and intensively.
If you have a chance, just take a look at the build-up for Isco’s second goal. Spain got the ball back after pressing Argentina really high and exchanging quick passes shortly after. It was a perfect team goal and just highlights how Lopetegui is improving Spain’s style of play with modern football while keeping the same philosophy of moving the ball and keeping possession.
Refreshing a style of play that has been in use for so many years is a risky move, especially considering that international football doesn’t come very often. However, Lopetegui is doing it incredibly well and it’s paying off. We should see a renovated Spain come the World Cup and a brand of football that will be extremely entertaining.
A mix of experience and youth will be valuable if Lopetegui’s side wants to be successful. With the likes of Sérgio Ramos and Sergio Busquets, who were in South Africa in 2010, Spain have quality, experience and talent all mixed together.
There is still doubt if they will be able to perform at the big stage again, especially after miserable performances in the last World Cup and in the Euros in 2016. However, the signs they’ve shown through Lopetegui’s reign so far are encouraging and something to build on for the future years.
When thinking about the big favourites to win in the summer, Spain is a national team that is often forgotten. However, the talent and pedigree available to them, together with a manager that has done really well so far and a style of play that has been working effectively, make Spain a strong contender for the World Cup.
The desolation in Arsene’s face has become an ever present expression in recent times (Photo: Getty Images)
Three Premier League titles, one of them unbeaten. Seven FA Cup, the most won by a single manager. Three times Premier League manager of the season, a Champions League final appearance and one of the man responsible for bringing the English football to another level. It’s a high profile CV, no doubt about that. What Arsene Wenger has done for both Arsenal and football is remarkable, and he will be forever marked for this.
However, if you want to destroy a legacy you’ve taken 22 years to build, just ask Arsene Wenger on how to do it.
It may be a bold statement to make but, in my view, this is totally the case. The ending for Arsene’s history at Arsenal is inevitable: He is going to leave with a bad atmosphere. Since the unbeaten season, Arsenal was never able to compete with the big guns for the title. Yes, they came close in some ocasions, but they were never able to get over the finishing line.
There are a couple of reasons for this. Of course, as everybody knows, the board at the Emirates are often criticised and are under pressure most of the time. The decisions made by Ivan Gazidis and owner Stan Kroenke are usually not taken well by the fans and they are absolutely right.
Since the likes of Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry left Arsenal, the story was always repeated. When you lose important players, it takes time to rebuild, not just in football, but in any team sports. Of course, selling a big player gives the club funds to move forward. And this is the biggest story for Arsenal’s recent fortunes: Every time they had taken a step forward, at some point, they would take two steps back.
No one can delete what Arsene has done to Arsenal. He brought the club back to the top level. However, what he has done in recent times can also not be deleted and in football, what really matters is what the club is doing at the moment. It has been 14 years since Arsenal won the title. Since then, the club left for a new home, a new generation of players came in and Arsenal are still stuck in the same place.
Sure that all this is not entirely Wenger’s fault. If anything, the job he has done considering the funds and players available to him in the past is remarkable. He managed to keep the club playing Champions League football every season. However, the Premier League became the richest league in the world and Arsenal had the funds to get players, so they could move forward.
This was the intention when they bought Mesut Ozil for a record fee in 2013, and Alexis Sanchez in 2014. With both, that are arguably world-class players, Arsene had a core to move forward and build his team around. And, despite the investment, Arsenal were still not able to compete.
Every time Arsenal came close of mounting a serious title challenge, they collapsed. Every year they had an excuse: Injuries, playing multiple times a week, bad refereeing. However, the main problem was the manager who run out of ideas to keep the team going. It happened in 2013/14, when Manchester City won the league, and in 2015/16 when Arsenal were the only team competing with Leicester at the top.
A playing style that was once effective and capable of destroying teams is now old-fashioned and retrograde. In football, refreshement in terms of tactical system is totally required. You can’t win with the same tactical system played 15 years ago. It’s true that the philosophy can be the same, but that are certain areas that needs innovation and improvement.
We are now in an era that fast-paced football is what win things. Think about Chelsea last season and how they were able to catch teams off guard with a quick counter-attack, pressuring the opponent to give the ball back. This season is Manchester City, a team that keeps the ball most of the time, but are still effective due to the quick exchanging of passes between the players and their ability to recognize where the teammates are.
We can use examples of a quick paced attacking football in other leagues too. In Italy, Napoli are the team of the moment, playing a high pressing, offensive minded football that at the same time is solid and effective. In Germany, Bayern are a side that has an extraordinary controlling ability, most of that due to their ability of winning the ball and playing fast in the right moments.
Wenger’s stubbornness is the main answer on why Arsenal can’t move on. He keeps playing the same style of football that got him nowhere in 14 years. The comfort zone holds him back, as well as the men in control at Arsenal. However, the argument of playing regular Champions League football cannot be used anymore.
If we compare to the other Top 5 sides in the Premier League, the gap between them and Arsenal is enourmous. They have seen other teams progressing and getting to a point where they can compete for silverware, while they are unable to grow themselves.
Three years ago, if we said that Liverpool could be able to win the Premier League, we would probably sound ridiculous. However, they made a remarkable progress under Jurgen Klopp and they are moving towards the right direction. All of this because they came out of the comfort zone and made themselves open for a challenge.
In a short space of time, Arsene Wenger was able to destroy a legacy that he took years to build. He should have left years ago and leave the club in a good situation for his successor to continue building around his legacy. While Wenger brought back the winning mentality to Arsenal, he was also able to destroy it after a long period without big trophies.
The fans have turned against him, protests are now frequent and don’t matter how well the team play, if Wenger’s still the manager, the fans will be unhappy. Everyone has realised that Wenger’s time to leave has arrived long ago, the only person who doesn’t see this is Arsene.
His stubbornness is dragging the club down, going from a big force in England, to a mediocre side that can fight for European qualification. It’s crazy to think that two years ago, the Champions League was something that Arsenal took for granted, we all knew that they would be in it. Right now, it would be a miracle if they could get into it.
If Arsenal are to change, despite being late, it’s totally necessary. The days of stability under Wenger are long over. It’s downfall from here.
A few names are being mentioned, with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Thierry Henry, Paulo Fonseca and Brendan Rodgers linked with Arsenal. They need a young mentality and fresh ideas to take the club forward after years of going back. Right now, they can’t attract the big names of the managerial scenario, something that would be completely different some years ago.
As I said before, no one can erase what Wenger has done to Arsenal. Whatever way this saga ends, Wenger will still be regarded as one the greatest characters in English football’s history. However, he could have left as a hero. But, at this moment, he will leave as a villain.
The FA Cup has always been a magical competition. Yes, I know this is a cliché but it’s completely true. Every season we have a different magical and motivational story that makes the FA Cup magic. The FA Cup without magic is not the same, but don’t worry, this season won’t be different and surely we’ll see a FA Cup story.
Last season was remarkable in this matter as we’ve seen two non-league teams reaching the round of 16. Sutton United, a club based in South London and playing in the National League, were knocked out by Arsenal after losing 2-0 in their own ground, but their journey before playing the Premier League giants is quite impressive. In the third round they knocked out AFC Wimbledon in the replay, winning 3-1 away. In the fourth round they won against another high division club after beating Leeds.
This match was and will be forever marked by a rather unusual incident. Sutton goalkeeper Wayne Shaw was caught by a camera while eating a pie in Sutton’s bench. Of course, Shaw was sacked by the club after breaching FA’s betting rules but it doesn’t make the incident less excepcional.
The biggest story of the FA Cup was indeed Lincoln City. The now League Two was fighting for promotion to the Football League and made an impressive and unforgettable journey to the quarter-finals. On their way to making the 6th round, they beat two Championship teams in Ipswich and Brighton, before winning away at Premier League Burnley. These three wins got them a trip to the Emirates but once again, they weren’t able to cope with the talent in Arsenal’s disposal.
Anyway, this season will surely not be different and we’ll see some surprises here and there. Despite this season’s fourth round not having any non-league clubs, it’s also clear that there are underdogs playing against pretty big opposition looking to cause some upset. Now we take a look at four games that might end up having a surprising ending.
Yeovil Town v Manchester United
Darren Way’s Yeovil looking to cause an upset against Manchester United (Photo: Getty)
This is probably the most interesting game of this whole round. This has everything to be a special tie. A League Two club with an inspirational story against one of the biggest clubs in the world. It sounds like something else.
Yeovil’s manager Darren Way had his playing career ended after a terrible car accident nearly 10 years ago and since then, he has been involved with the managerial scenario. Way was part of Yeovil’s coaching team that won promotion to the Championship in 2013 and was appointed as manager in 2015.
Since Way’s appointment, Yeovil hasn’t been able to fight for promotion but the club sees this tie as the perfect opportunity to put them back in the picture, remind people they are still here. Way has put images of Wembley and Wayne Rooney all over the club’s training ground and also hired a football pyschologist to help the players mentally in the build-up for this game.
Way also have a soft place for Manchester United in his heart. After the car accident he suffered, Yeovil gave Way a testimonial match against an United XI with Sir Alex Ferguson on the stands, a man that has been helping Way since his career ended. Sir Alex along with John Terry helped the club prepare for this game with conference calls, trying to give Yeovil an insight of what Manchester United will do.
On the other hand, Manchester United can see this opportunity as the right time to give a debut to new signing Alexis Sanchez, after his swap move from Arsenal. Mourinho isn’t usually the type of guy who’s victim of an upset and he will do everything he can to win this game. I expect Manchester United to put a strong team to play at Huish Park, something that can be really special for Yeovil’s players and fans.
Notts County v Swansea City
Kevin Nolan hoping to show his managerial skills against a Premier League side (Photo: Getty)
This tie will not look appealling to many people but somehow it caught my eye. Again, a League Two club against a Premier League one. Notts County are flying high in the fourth tier, sitting in 2nd at the table. Swansea, however, are bottom of the Premier League despite winning against Liverpool on Monday. Two teams in opposite ends of the table in their respective leagues. Sounds good.
Notts County have a really nice history, being the oldest professional club in existence and also playing the opening match of the Juventus Stadium. The reason for playing Juventus is because the Italian’s shirts are based on the white and black stripes of Notts County.
The Nottingham club are now managed by former West Ham and Bolton midfielder Kevin Nolan. He was appointed as player/manager in January 2017 and guided the club to a safe that season and is hoping to get promoted in this one.
This is the perfect opportunity for Nolan to show his managerial talent. When a League Two club play against Premier League opposition, they always have something to prove, show that football is game that everything can happen and Nolan is hoping to take this opportunity to prove himself in the dugout.
The Magpies have a few well known names in their squad and this can help them cause a big upset in this fixture. The most notable name is former Manchester United and England international Alan Smith, who has been playing at the club since 2014. Other names include former Newcastle and Crystal Palace striker Shola Ameobi, who was Nolan’s teammate at Tyneside and Jorge Grant, who’s on loan from rival Nottingham Forest and is having a terrific season, scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances.
This game is surely one to look for.
Peterborough United v Leicester City
Claude Puel hoping for a good cup run and end Leicester’s winless FA Cup history (Photo: Getty)
A tie between a League One and Premier League clubs, and both have a nice FA Cup history. Leicester never won the competition, being runners-up four times and Claude Puel is hoping to change that as soon as possible.
A good cup would do a whole lot of good to Leicester, a club that since winning the Premier League in 2016 has been inconsistent, having three managers during this period. Leicester stand a chance of winning the FA Cup and they should do everything to avoid a possible surprise in this tie.
Peterborough, on the other hand, reached the quarter-finals once in the 1963/64 season, their furthest run in the FA Cup. In that year, they knocked out Arsenal and Swansea City before falling against Chelsea.
To reach the fourth round of this year’s competition, The Posh knocked out Aston Villa at Villa Park, scoring two goals in the dying embers of the match. Talking about the opposition, Leicester managed to knock out Jamie Vardy’s former club Fleetwood Town after a replay at King Power Stadium.
Something that really stands out at Peterborough is the youth talent available at the club. The most notable one is the Portuguese midfielder Leonardo da Silva Lopes, who has drawn comparisions to George Best by Peterborough’s director of football Barry Fry. Other quality players include striker Jack Mariott, who has scored 23 goals this season, and former Newcastle attacker Marcus Maddison, who has scored nine goals and contributed to 20 assists this season.
Cardiff City v Manchester City
Neil Warnock’s Cardiff won’t make it easy for Manchester City (Photo: Getty)
Lastly, it’s Cardiff taking Premier League leaders Manchester City. City has been the victim of the FA Cup magic in several ocasions, most notably against Wigan in 2013 final. At that time, Wigan were fighting against relegation in the Premier League and won their first FA Cup with a stoppage time goal from Ben Watson.
This time, however, City will be likely to avoid another disappointment, having lost just one game in their domestic season.
As for Cardiff, they are on a terrific rise under Neil Warnock. Since his appointment in October 2016, Cardiff managed to survive comfortably in the Championship and are fighting for promotion this season, sitting 3rd in the table, two points behind 2nd placed Derby County.
Cardiff has a nice record in the FA Cup, being winners in 1928 and reaching the finals in 1925 and 2008, in the last occasion losing 1-0 against Portsmouth.
Manchester City are hungry for success and they will go after every chance to get it. Yes, this can be a tricky fixture for them, especially against an experienced manager like Neil Warnock, but they will do everything they can to get more and more success.
As for Cardiff, they will take this fixture seriously enough to make it hard for Manchester City. They have to show they are good enough for the Premier League, especially with a promotion on the cards for the Bluebirds.
Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace is the perfect match (Photo: Crystal Palace FC)
Stability is a word that is commonly used all around the world, in all jobs and in the life of all people. In football is no different, and Crystal Palace have been in the search for this in many years. It may sound boring to be stuck in the same mid-table place, but it’s also not pleasant to see your team fighting against relegation every season. Stability is something that the majority of Crystal Palace fans are crying for.
Since the club got promoted back to the Premier League in 2012/13, Palace have had six permanent managers, including the likes of Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew and most recently, Frank De Boer. We all know that changes of managers can help players, but this is not a guarantee. Changing managers most of the times means changing ideas and players usually take time to adapt to a different style of play.
The closest Palace came from the so-wanted consistency was under Alan Pardew. Before the former Newcastle man took over in 2014/15, Palace only managed to win three league games in 20. At the end of the season, Pardew guided Palace to a 10th placed finish, their best in the Premier League era. After a disastrous 2016, Pardew left the club after almost two years.
This season, Frank De Boer was sent packing from Selhurst Park after just five games, four of them in the Premier League. Crystal Palace at that point were not able to win a single point and also unable to score a goal, but it was understandable. For a team used to play a direct, physical and counter-attacking football, the transition to a complete different style can take time but, at some point, pays off.
De Boer showed in his first few games in the dugout what he had in mind for Palace. Some people say he tried to turn Palace into the Dutch Total Football team. At Ajax, De Boer played a fluid and possession based style that clearly worked out, winning four league titles in row in six seasons.
Frank De Boer became the manager with shortest managerial spell in the Premier League (Photo: Sky Sports)
Something to keep in mind when speaking of De Boer’s tenure at Crystal Palace is that the squad was basically built by former managers, players that on paper, are suited to a different footballing approach. One transfer window isn’t enough to build a squad with players of choice, although Palace already had good technicians in Yohan Cabaye and Luka Milivojevic.
I spoke to Jim Daly, formerly of football.london and ESPN, and host of the Five Year Plan, a Palace podcast which is one of the biggest club podcasts in England. Jim told:
I think Frank De Boer needed to learn about the Premier League, needed to learn how to manage games in the Premier League, needed to become tactically a bit more aware. I think that would’ve come, he would’ve learn those things through more games.
Obviously four league games and one cup game is not a lot of time at all and actually, at his last game at Burnley when we lost 1-0, we really should’ve won, we were all over them. I remember coming away from that game thinking: “Okay, I think he is starting to learn now”. We played much better, a lot more organised and I thought he might have been turning the corner at that point. Of course, the next day, he was fired.
When the dutchman got the sack, Palace made it clear they wanted one man and one man only. Born in Croydon, a Palace fan and experienced manager who did the trick of saving a club from relegation previously. A perfect match isn’t it? One day after De Boer’s departure, the club announced Roy Hodgson.
Being involved with the managerial scenario since 1976, Roy is often remembered for his rather unsuccessful spell as England manager, which lasted four years. With The Three Lions, Roy’s side got knocked out on the group stage in Brazil and later followed a disappointing elimination to Iceland in the Euros.
He is way to long in the tooth, he is too experienced, he has been through all this too many times to care about what happened with England, Jim said.
If anything, everytime he talks about England, he is very proud about the fact he got to manage his country.
I think that in football, managers and players, mostly, they look forward. They never look back. Because they can get bogged down in nostalgia and it can stop you from pushing forward.
This was the main thing for Roy: Look forward. Palace came knocking on his door knowing that he was unsuccessful with England, but that was Crystal Palace not England. Jim said that Roy felt Palace was the place for him to be, and this is exactly the case.
I’ve said it before, it’s the perfect match. Roy Hodgson started his lackluster playing career at Palace, before going down the leagues. If anything, Roy sees this jobs as an opportunity to getting back to the roots, helping a club that have always had a meaning to him. Palace was the right place to him move forward and this is proving to be right.
Since his arrival at South London, Palace are 8th in the Premier League by recent form, including a run of just one defeat in 13 games, with a great game against Manchester City that ended in a 0-0 draw. Making Roy’s impact even more clearer, since he took over, Palace’s defence is the 5th best in the league. Since his appointment, Palace have conceded 16 goals in as many games, a huge improvement compared to the 17 conceded under Frank De Boer.
Certainly that improvement on the defensive side has a touch of Roy’s player management. Talking with Jim, he said that one of the main changes made by Roy was getting players believing in themselves again, being more organised on the pitch and working hard on the training ground. Danny Murphy told on Match of the Day how Roy demands in the training. He pushes the players to their limits and as for Palace, it’s definitely playing off.
Players improving
Bakary Sako is arguably the player who took the most of Roy’s taking over. Signed from Wolves on a free transfer in 2015, the former Saint-Etienne man had a prolific season in the Championship and appeared to be a player that would improve Palace with pace and strength.
Despite dealing with injuries in his time at Croydon, missing 20 games in total, Sako wasn’t given a chance to prove himself under previous managers. Last season, the Mali international played only seven times in the Premier League, a tally he has doubled this season.
Another number that stands out are his goals. In the seven games he’s played in the Premier League under Roy Hodgson, Bakary Sako matched his goal total for Palace in the whole of the two previous seasons. Despite starting just five games, Sako is Palace’s top scorer this season in all competitions.
This recent and big improvement by Sako is not an accident. Here is what Jim had to say about him:
Sako is the perfect example of a Roy player getting confidence. He kinda believes he is better than he is, he is a sort of decent Championship winger/striker, but he plays like he thinks he is Ronaldinho and it works. He has scored in the last few games, was brilliant against Burnley in the weekend and it all comes from this big self-confidence and clearly Roy helped getting it into him.
Yes, Sako may not be the best winger in the Premier League and not even in the Championship but, as Jim said, this is what Roy does with players. He gets them believing in themselves and as an attacking player, if he gets a bit confidence, he can get going and have a big impact.
On Palace’s last game against Burnley, which ended in a 1-0 for Roy’s side, Sako gave Palace the winner, taking the ball on the left and making a great run inside before putting it away. Despite from scoring the goal, Sako helped Palace pressure Burnley from the front and pay back the trust given by Roy.
Another thing that stands out for Palace in this recent run is their defence. I’ve already said it, they are the 5th best defence in the Premier League since Roy came in. Maybe the biggest answer for this is that Roy got his players ready, do the job whenever they are called upon. That’s been the case with Crystal Palace’s defenders.
Palace have the second most injuries in the Premier League, with eight. From these eight, four of them are defenders, most notably Scott Dann and Mamadou Sakho, probably Palace’s best centre-back duo. With Dann out indefinetely and Sakho only scheduled to return in February, the injuries left Roy with James Tomkins, Martin Kelly and Damien Delaney as centre-back options.
Despite not being starters by any means, these players are doing a great job. Tomkins and Kelly started together in the last two games and Palace ended up winning both, games that considering the league table, Palace were underdogs.
Wilfried Zaha didn’t get to see much of De Boer, being injured in the whole tenure of the dutchman. However, Zaha has been one of the most influential players under Roy Hodgson.
So far this season, Zaha have scored four goals, including an important one against Chelsea at Selhurst Park, Palace’s first Premier League win of the season back in October. With his goals this season, Zaha bettered all of his Palace seasons since rejoining the club from Manchester United, apart from the last, where he scored seven times.
With pretty much half of the season left, Zaha can have is best goalscoring season in his career at Palace, being the main attacking threat in the team. With pace, skill and physicality, Zaha can lead Palace to their best times in recent history. Also, Zaha is adored by the fans, another reason why he’s always been brilliant in South London.
What Palace expect moving forward?
January will have a big impact in the rest of Palace’s season (Photo: Press Association)
After turning Palace’s fortunes around, all Roy needs to do is keep going. Keep growing the confidence of the players and working hard, then all will come.
Injuries have been a thorn in the side for Palace this season and it won’t be surprising to see Palace active in the rest of the transfer window. Recently, Roy Hodgson said the club would be ideally looking at signing four players and according to reports, a striker and goalkeepers are the priority.
Steve Parish was in the last episode of Jim’s podcast and told what was the plan for the club in the transfer window:
The striker thing is well documented, but the striker market is unbelievably difficult. Everybody is out there looking for one. It isn’t the force of your will that gets these things done, and we have to bring the right characters as well.
Everyone is looking for first-teamers in January. If we’re sitting in our boardroom then Swansea and Southampton will be talking about the same players in many respects.
People know about the odd player we’re linked to, and you pretty much get offered every player.
Jim also told me that Palace planned to do a major shake-up in the squad, but the club changed their stance due to Roy’s incredible turnaround. But we still can expect the club to make some bussiness due to high number of injuries to important players, with Scott Dann, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jeffrey Schlupp as examples.
The main name linked with Crystal Palace is West Ham forward Diafra Sakho, who saw game time limited recently. Other forward names that are being discussed by the media are Kouma Babacar, playing his trade in Fiorentina, and there is rumoured interest in Liverpool’s Danny Ings.
The goalkeeper is another position that Palace may be looking to strength, with only Wayne Hennessey and Julian Speroni as first-teamers. According to swedish paper Expressen, Palace are interest in Copenhagen’s goalkeeper and Sweden international Robin Olsen.
As for the expectations from the fans, Jim told me that all Palace supporters want is stability.
As Roy not being a long-term prospect, all he can do is put Palace in confortable situation to his successor. With Palace now in 12th, keep the good run going is vital to stay up in a season that they looked to be destined for the Championship. Stability is the key word for Palace fans and what Roy has been able to do so far gives them big hopes of that.
Gabriel Coelho
PS: Huge shout-out to Jim Daly for helping me with this piece. His insight on Crystal Palace and Roy Hodgson was vital to give life into this. I’ll leave his links down below:
Liverpool ended City’s 30 games unbeaten run in a famous win at Anfield (Photo: Liverpool FC)
Manchester City’s hopes of an unbeaten season finally came to an extraordinary and electric end. It was meant to be this way.
The best two attacking teams in the league going against each other. Two teams that don’t settle for other thing, they attack don’t matter what. Everybody knows if there’s a way to beat Liverpool is frustrating them by playing men behind the ball. Guardiola knew it but his philosophy is totally the opposing.
This was the reason that this game is the best of the Premier League season. Liverpool knew the only way to beat Manchester City was playing football, attack them, irritate them, being annoying. And City knew their way too, but Liverpool were so much better, from start to finish.
They pressed right from the first whistle and this was the way of beating City. They hate being pressed, they hate being attacked. It’s known how Guardiola always sets up his teams to play from the back, patiently creating space and putting bodies forward. This ended up being City’s mistake, they were stubborn and this cost them the game.
Pressing City’s build-up was one of Liverpool’s main weapons to win the battle
The shape on the picture above was often seen during the match. Liverpool’s three attackers positioned in a line, to make sure they have a player wherever City passed the ball. Also, midfielders went forward to help with the pressing and often positioning as a block, covering almost every space available to Manchester City.
The tenacity that Liverpool players pressed the ball and managed to complete their task was unbelieavable. Many people questioned Klopp for rotating the team so often, but yesterday it paid off. Despite winning the tactical battle, Liverpool only did it because they had a lot more legs than City. They didn’t took the foot off in any minute.
Liverpool were consistent in their midfield shape through the game
Again, Liverpool pressing Manchester City’s building up. In the picture, the midfielders positioned in a block, protecting the spaces that City could have used to move forward and make the transition. Mané dropped into the midfield area, trying to cover Kevin De Bruyne, who ofter drives the ball in City’s counter-attack, with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino blocking the options that Fernandinho had backwards.
This ended up in Mané’s goal. Klopp is known for the pressing but the players need commitment and concentration to do that and, yesterday, they were spot on.
Jürgen Klopp told Sky Sports: “We played pressing from another planet. It looked like they were insecure but it was our first press that was really brilliant.”
I mentioned it before, Liverpool were brilliant and outrun Manchester City. They made Manchester City look insecure, shaky and average for a big part of the game.
In the book “Pep Confidential”, written by Marti Perarnau (great read), Guardiola said some words towards Jürgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund: “They’re like a steamroller, unstoppable. They are completely focused for 90 minutes, waiting for you to mess up a pass so that they can set their sprinters on you.”
Yesterday Liverpool were like that, pressure after pressure, going after every ball.
it’s no accident that Klopp is the manager that defeated Guardiola more times in his career. Pep’s teams usually struggle against Jürgen Klopp.
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Liverpool often used this triangle shaping when they were pressing. It really was pressing from another planet as Klopp said. In the same way they had players to annoy City playing from the back, they forced City to the wide areas and make their job easier on the counter-attack.
Klopp’s side had a lot of good counter-attacking opportunities using this shape to win the ball back. They didn’t necessarely they recovered the ball and started playing instantly, but often slowed City down and made them restart the build-up.
Last point that was huge for Liverpool winning the battle was second balls. They were at all of them. It’s a big part of Klopp’s play, winning the ball quicker, playing quick. It worked wonderfully in this game.
Liverpool scored two goals from second balls and in both, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the man responsible for them. The former Arsenal man was outstanding, looking a totally different player under Klopp. Many thought it would be difficult for Ox to step into Coutinho’s shoes in the midfield, but he didn’t feel the pressure at all. He was powerful, showed a lot of desire and was possibly one of the most influential players at Liverpool’s style of play.
The picture above showed what Liverpool did in the second balls. They always had men positioned to get the ball back. In this case, they had three, with Lovren, Wijnaldum and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Liverpool showed what they are capable of and their win against Manchester City was good for football. City won’t go unbeaten in the season and apart from that, the match was exciting and electric from start to finish. It’s worth mentioning that Liverpool did that without Van Dijk, their best defender, and Phil Coutinho, who was their star player.
The Premier League situation will not change. Manchester City will still win the league, they are too good to do anything other than winning it. They are the best team in the league and probably in the world, and rightfully so. However, the good thing is that they can be beaten and Liverpool did it in a brilliant manner.
It was the match of the season and that will hardly change.
It’s over, at least a big part of Liverpool fans can say that with some happiness. The story of speculations, newspapers talking nonsense for a big part of the season and faked injuries is over. Philippe Coutinho had his wish granted and got his dream move to Barcelona, becoming the second most expensive player of all time, being sold for £142m.
Honestly, I can say this transfer was good for both sides. Barcelona got their man and Liverpool got the money they wanted, after holding the deal in the summer transfer window. Besides of the great player Coutinho is and the fact that he was adored by many Liverpool fans, we can say Coutinho was never the most decisive player in his five years at Merseyside. He played alongside Suarez, Gerrard and now with Salah and Mané, players who usually deliever in big moments. Not that Coutinho didn’t, but he went missing in many big occasions in his time at Liverpool.
The brazilian leaves Liverpool, after a whole season of speculation (Photo: Getty Images)
At the start of the season, Liverpool showed that they can get results without Coutinho. In fact, in stats shown by Sky Sports, Liverpool have won more games when Coutinho wasn’t playing. When he didn’t play, The Reds won 71% of their 14 games, compared to just 44% when he was on the field. It’s obvious that when Coutinho played, the midfield got more creativity and magic, but these qualities can be found in other players and this is how Liverpool think and hope to reinvest the money received from the transfer.
As I said before, Coutinho is a great player and possesses an ability hard to find, but he is also a player that can be replaced. The main name mentioned by the Liverpool Echo is Thomas Lemar. Despite Sky Sports claiming Liverpool won’t go for him, The Echo says he is top of the list to replace Coutinho. Lemar’s season has not been the greatest so far, with only four goals and four assists, but last season he was influential in Monaco’s title campaing, scoring nine goals and contributing with 11 assists.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Thomas Lemar is the main name to replace Coutinho, with Draxler and Brandt as options (Photo: Getty Images)
Other names mentioned are Julian Draxler and Julian Brandt, a player that interested Liverpool last season. Both, similarly to Coutinho, can play in midfield or as wingers. Draxler started 17 games for PSG this season, scoring seven goals and making four assists. The german is also known by Klopp, having played in the Bundesliga for Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg, being a player with similar playing of Coutinho.
Now going back to the transfer itself. The way Barcelona and the media, especially the spanish, behave in the whole journey was a disgrace. We saw Nike, Barcelona’s kit supplier, announcing Coutinho before he joined and newspapers creating stories through the whole season. After all that, we even heard Barcelona players speaking about Coutinho in public, something that can be seen as an illegal practice, once Liverpool didn’t give them permission to talk about Coutinho in the way they did and try to convince him to join them.
Many people questioned Liverpool about selling Coutinho midway through the season. There are a few differences that made Liverpool sell Coutinho now. Firstly, they got the wanted money, something that didn’t happened in the summer and held the transfer back. And also, Coutinho made it clear he wanted to leave now and, despite all eforts, Liverpool were not able to convince him to stay.
Anyway, this whole situation shows the power the player has compared to the club. Through the whole season, Klopp and Liverpool made it very clear that Coutinho was an important player and he wouldn’t leave. However, we saw that at the end, the player power prevail and that no player can be bigger than the club, as Klopp says in a declaration regarding the transfer on Liverpool’s website:
Philippe was insistent with me, the owners and even his teammates this was a move he was desperate to make happen. Despite that, we managed to keep the player here beyond the summer window, hoping that we would be able to persuade him to stay and be part of what we are looking to do.
I can tell the Liverpool supporters that we, as a club, have done everything within our means to convince Philippe that remaining part of LFC was as attractive as moving to Spain, but he is 100 per cent certain his future – and that of his family – belongs at Barcelona. It is his dream and I am now convinced there is nothing left at our disposal to change his mind.
Of course, it is totally understandable that supporters will be disappointed; this is always the case when you have to say goodbye to someone special. But, as hard as it is sometimes to accept, it is part of life and part of football – individuals have their own dreams and their own goals and objectives in life.
The club received big money from the move, making a profit of £133m. All Liverpool have to do now is reinvest the money smartly and bring more talent than what’s already available.
Coutinho leaves Liverpool having made 201 appearances, scoring 51 goals and became the brazilian with more goals in Premier League history. Liverpool is losing a big and key player for the team. We’ll miss his long range shooting, the passes to Salah, Mane and Firmino, the free-kick and magic, however, as I said before, no one is bigger than the club and Liverpool had to let him go.
Many raised their eyebrows when hearing the news that Liverpool had completed the £75m move for Virgil Van Dijk, from Southampton, making the dutchman the most expensive defender of all time. Many said that Liverpool could’ve signed someone better, that it was too much money. However, something that many people ignored is that Van Dijk was the man Klopp wanted, it was the man Liverpool were pursuing since July, it was Van Dijk or no one. And, after much persistence, he has arrived.
Van Dijk became the most expensive defender in football history, also The Reds’s club record (Photo: Liverpool FC)
Liverpool’s defence have been discussed and slated by the media and, I must say, it should. The Reds defensive line now are one of the best six in the league, just behind Tottenham, Burnley, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. The picture was totally different until the loss that ended up being a turning point in their season, a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham, at Wembley in November 22nd. After that, Liverpool are 16 games unbeaten, conceding just nine goals in the process, a significant improvement compared to the 24 conceded in the 16 matches previously.
Despite a big improvement, we’ve still seen lapses of their defensive fragilities, like in the 3-3 draw against Sevilla, a game that Liverpool had a three goal lead, and in the 3-3 draw against Arsenal, when they had a two goal advantage. To become a title winning team, these mistakes are often not acceptable, even if they are not frequent. Liverpool are close to become a top team, with explosive attacking power. However, the defensive fragilities shown through the season are holding Liverpool back. And it’s with this mentality that Van Dijk has arrived, to organize and stop Liverpool losing unnecessary points due to individual defensive mistakes.
It’s evident Van Dijk won’t fix Liverpool’s defense by himself, but it’s worth mentioning that the dutchman has been one of the best defenders in the league since his arrival from Celtic in 2015. In more than 60 Premier League games for Southampton, Van Dijk did not make a defensive error leading to goal, compared to Dejan Lovren’s three in the same period. Liverpool’s individual defensive errors were the main problem and Van Dijk is already proven as a more consistent player and less error prone than the defense Liverpool have now.
Captain at Southampton, it’s expected that Van Dijk be the commanding voice at Liverpool’s defense (Photo: Getty Images)
An important ability that the former Celtic man has shown in his time in England is the capacity of playing from the back. Van Dijk himself told Liverpool’s official website: ” I like to command the defensive line and have the ball as well. I like to play out from the back and be comfortable on the ball”. This quality is extremely important for Jürgen Klopp, because in many situations the centre-back will be the man responsible of starting the counter-attack when the team regains possesion.
Miracles in football don’t happen through just one man. However, Van Dijk has brought more quality than any other Liverpool defender at the moment. He was the man wanted by Klopp to command his defense. A leader, a vocal and imposing player. Only time will tell if Van Dijk is the solution, but the hopes are that looking back, this is one of the most succesfull transfers ever made by the club. The Dutch internation might make his debut in the Merseyside Derby, in the FA Cup , on January 5th.
Neil McGuiness, the man responsible of finding Van Dijk when he played for Groningen in Netherlands, spoke to BBC Sport: “I think he is in the top 10 centre-backs in the world – and I honestly believe he can go on to be a great at Liverpool”. McGuiness’s words are all what Liverpool fans hope to happen.
The defender is leading stats tables across the Premier League (Photo: Martin Rickett/ Getty)
When it comes to top class defenders in the Premier League, James Tarkowski will certainly not be the first that comes to your mind. However, the outstanding performances that the former Brentford star has been putting are slowly making him join the group of top class defenders.
Together with his centre-back partner Ben Mee, Tarkowski leads stats tables for almost every defensive atribute of the game, marking out his impact and contribution for Burnley. Sean Dyche’s side have conceded nine goals in as many games, making Burnley’s defence the 4th best in the competition, just behind Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle.
Justifying their solid defensive work, Burnley also leads the majority of defensive stats in the league. They have made 63 blocks, 318 clearances and 37 saves, more than any team in the Premier League. Also, The Clarets have made 121 interceptions this season, ranking them 4th in the league.
Tarkowski’s contribution to Burnley’s defensive record is impressive. He made 16 blocks, same amount as Ben Mee, 85 clearances, more than any other in the Premier League, and 56 headed clearances. His defensive stats are solid, proving that he is one of the most realiable defenders in the league.
In Burnley’s 1-0 win against Crystal Palace back in September, in which Tarkowski was man of the match, he proved how solid he’s been since the start of the season. He won five of seven aerial challenges against Christian Benteke, one the toughest strikers in the league. Also, he made 18 clearances and three blocks, all of them inside his own area, crucially performing these defense actions in key moments.
Tarkowski’s clearances against Crystal Palace
What can we take from all that?
For the team that makes the most defensive actions in the Premier League, Burnley are an outstanding defensive team. They have conceded just nine goals and as they stats show, they are excelent when defending, even when they’re on the back foot and allowing the opposition to have a go at them. James Tarkowski is in the center of all defensive actions made by Burnley, making him a reliable and one of the most underrated players on the Premier League.
The Champions League play-off draw took place today, August 4th and saw Liverpool taking on german side Hoffenheim. This tie have everything to be a special one, with Klopp returning to his native Germany and Roberto Firmino returning to the club that made him the player he is today.
Nevertheless, facing Hoffenheim is trickyer than many people think. They play football in a pretty interesting way and Liverpool could absolutely face problems against this side. In this article, I’ll give a quick insight of the threats Hoffenheim could give to the Reds and tell you their chances of getting through.
The manager
Julian Nagelsmann, also called the mini-Mourinho, is the man who took Hoffenheim from relegation candidates to a Champions League side. He became the youngest manager in Bundesliga’s history, making his managerial debut aged 28. In his first season, he took Hoffenheim from 17th in the Bundesliga to safety, after winning 7 games of 14 remaining.
He started his managerial career after a big injury ended his playing career. Working under Thomas Tuchel at Augsburg, Nagelsmann took over Hoffenheim’s under-17 team and won the german title in the 2013/14 season. In 2016, after some games as an interim manager, Nagelsmann became the head coach of Hoffenheim.
Last season, Hoffenheim made a brilliant campaign. Until January, the german side were the only team unbeaten in Europe’s top 5 leagues and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in Hoffenheim’s history. The majority of people think this is overachievement, but Nagelsmann made Hoffenheim’s way into Europe’s top competition.
In the previous campaign, Nagelsmann used a 5-1-2-2, a formation that proved to be solid and versatille. With both central-midfielders drifting wide to create space and width, the defensive midfielder have power to protect both defense and the space in the middle. The wings-back also go very high in the pitch, trying to overload in the attack and increasing numbers, helping Hoffenheim break defenses down.
Players to look
Although Hoffenheim lost key players on Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy, both going to Bayern, they still have a squad with plenty of technical ability, something that is a big threat for Liverpool. We’ll take a look at some of this players.
Kerem Demirbay
Possibly, the biggest threat Hoffenheim possesses at the moment. Demirbay didn’t have a chance to shine while at Hamburg but he flourished at Hoffenheim, with 6 goals and 8 assists last season.
He is the most creative player on the side and all of Hoffenheim’s play will have a touch of him. He is a very skillful player and has the ability of driving the ball into spaces, something that might worry Liverpool. Also, his passing and vision are a key aspect of his game, as he averages 2 key passes per match. He has a really good passing range as well and impressive set-piece technique, making him the man Jurgen Klopp must stop.
Nadiem Amiri
Amiri is one of the most important players at Hoffenheim’s system. As they play possession football, the midfielders tend to be really important and Amiri is a really versatille midfielder.
He is responsable for the defense to attack transition and always drops into the spaces to receive the ball and drive it forward. Despite being a more attacking player, Amiri also has a big defensive contribution, making him one of the most important players of the team.
Just like Demirbay, Amiri also has the vision and quality of passing a midfielder needs to have. He made four assists last season and averaged one key pass per match. He is surely a player Jurgen Klopp needs to look at.
Andrej Kramaric
Most of you who follow the Premier League may remember this guy. Leicester broke their club record to bring the croatian to the Premier League in January 2015, but he only managed two goals and was sent to Hoffenheim on loan. After a successful loan spell, the german club bought him permanently and he was a key player for them last season.
He scored 20 goals and made 8 assists, becoming vital to Hoffenheim’s campaign. Despite being a striker, Kramaric is a player who eventually drops to the midfield and tends to be really creative. His passing and vision is really good, making him a bigger threat for Liverpool. He can start a quick counter-attack and Liverpool’s defenders must stop this guy somehow.
What to expect from this game?
Liverpool are obviously the favourites and I expect them to go through. They have better players in every area of the team and it would be a shock if Hoffenheim knocks them out. However, they are a dangerous team and Liverpool must be concentrated if they want to win this match.
Hoffenheim play a possession based football, something that Liverpool’s counterpressing is really good against. Of course, a tactical change could be on the cards, but Liverpool are the team that will dictate the way the game is played and they have a bigger pressure on their shoulder than Hoffenheim.
A left-back is a position that Liverpool seriously need improvement. Last season, Klopp was fortunate enough and didn’t have many problems in that position, with Milner doing a great job. However, with The Reds in the Champions League and looking to be strong contenders for the title, a left-back is something that Liverpool must go for.
A few days ago, was reported that Liverpool agreed a deal to sign Hull City’s and Scotland international Andrew Robertson, for a fee of £10m, including add-ons. The 23-year-old could turn out to be a bargain, but some doubt if he is capable of playing a big part in Liverpool’s season and in this article, I’ll analyse him and give my opinion if he is good enough for the job.
Style of play
Something that may called Klopp’s attention is Robertson’s attacking desire and that he could be a valuable player in Klopp’s style of play. The scot likes to overlap and with his pace and fairly good technical ability, he could be another attacking threat for Liverpool and add more in the team than Milner is doing.
For a defensive player, Robertson creates a fair amount of chances and has great passing, something that could turn out to be great for Liverpool. He also has good defensive awareness and is a though tackler, not affraid of putting himself on the ball’s way.
Stats
The former Dundee United player was important on Hull’s relegation campaign and arguably, was one of the side’s best players. He scored once and gave two assists in a side that was one of the least scoring teams in the league.
He managed to do 17 key passes in 33 appearances in the Premier League and created 19 chances across the campaign. He completed 920 passes, with an accuracy of 76%, which is less comparing to Marcos Alonso’s and Danny Rose’s.
In the defensive side, Robertson is a good player and could be improved working with Klopp. He won 36 tackles and completed 26 take-ons in the Premier League. He also had 59 interceptions, 15 blocks and didn’t make an error leading to a goal, an impressive stat considering he played in a relegated side. His defensive stats ranks him better than Danny Rose, who was in PFA’s team of the season, and Marcos Alonso, who won the title with Chelsea.
My thoughts
£10m doesn’t mean nothing for the Premier League sides, with the TV money and sponsorships. Liverpool are getting a pretty decent left-back, who could become one of the most important signings in Klopp’s era for a fee that is not significant at all.
Maybe Robertson won’t be able to make an impact right in his first season, but his stats and what I’ve seen him play show that he is a promissing and talented player, who could become a key part of a title contender Liverpool. He is an improvement and an option that Liverpool need to have, considering they are playing in the Champions League.
The Final Whistle 