Manchester City midfielder David Silva still believes his side can retain the title, but is aware that they can’t afford further slip ups, the Guardian reports.
The Spanish midfielder struggled to find his best form at the start of the season, but has looked more like himself recently and it is no surprise that with this, his team have slowly begun to pick up as well.
The victory at the Emirates on Sunday, albeit against 10 men, was the Citizens’ sixth victory in their last seven league games, and Silva is confident of overhauling the seven point gap behind leaders Manchester United at the top of the Premier League.
“In the last few games it’s not that we’ve improved particularly,” he said.
“It’s just that we’ve had that touch of fortune which maybe we weren’t getting earlier on, like in the United game, when they scored a lucky goal in the last minute.
“We have to take our path and win all of our games, and hope that they fail in one.
“If we keep fighting, we hope that they will falter, so we just have to continue as we are. The league is still there to be won.”
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City will take hope from their achievements last season where they were eight points adrift of United with just six games to go, but managed to claw their way back to win the title on goal difference with Sergio Aguero’s famous last minute strike against QPR.
The prospect of a long and ultimately debilitating injuring list, is one that every club in the Premier League will have to deal with at some point this term. But after a season in which they found themselves with the most atrocious injury record in the division, it appears that Manchester United are looking to take things into their own hands.
Work is well under way at the Red Devils’ Carrington training ground to develop a new £13million, state-of-the-art medical facility, in partnership with Japanese technology giant Toshiba. According to The Telegraph, the facility’s remit is to produce quicker and more private injury diagnosis on site, rather than rely on nearby hospitals in the region, encompassing MRI scanners and the like to boot.
But such was the damning nature of last season’s injury statistics, the timing of this development, set to open before the end of the year, doesn’t seem to be a coincidence.
Last season saw United pick up 39 injuries that lasted for duration of two weeks or more. The Premier League average is around 20. With United already suffering a defensive injury crisis at the start of the season – in which Michael Carrick had to play centre half – that would have most other teams baulking, the new facility couldn’t open fast enough.
Although United’s training ground remains one of the most advanced facilities in the country, 12 years have since passed since Carrington’s opening and in the world of medical advancement and sports science, that’s quite a long time. There’s nothing more to suggest that the current facelift to their medical department is anything more than an upgrade, rather than a dramatic reinvention.
But this isn’t the first time that United, or indeed the realms of English football, have come under fire for their track record with injury and injury prevention.
When Owen Hargreaves ended his injury-ravaged spell at United and moved to rivals Manchester City in 2011, he aimed a parting shot at the medical staff at his former club. Hargreaves made a series of startling claims, suggesting that the prolotherapy injections he was administered for his tendinitis issues equated to ‘guinea pig’ treatment. But perhaps more concerning, was the claim that he was made to star his final game against Wolves, when he made the medical staff well aware of a hamstring complaint. A hamstring that subsequently gave way after five minutes.
Of course, Hargreaves’ chronic knee issues are an extremely rare and difficult problem to manage, but it certainly gave an interesting insight into the medical travails at United.
Because similarly with Hargreaves, the long-term and often terrible injuries such as the knee ligament damage that Nemaja Vidic suffered last season, are relatively rare. A club can do little to prevent someone breaking their leg or the chronic bowel condition that Darren Fletcher has fought back from. But the majority of their 39 ‘significant’ problems, weren’t a series of cruciate ligament ruptures; they were muscles strains and pulls.
According to the Daily Mail, this is something that the Fergie has not been best pleased with and is perhaps an area in which both his side and several others in the country, could do well to improve on.
Dutch fitness coach Raymond Verheijen, famous to most on these shores as the former assistant to the late former Wales boss, Gary Speed, has been an outspoken critic of English training regimes. But his pedigree within the game goes a lot further than his work with the Welsh national side, and he’s been employed by Frank Rijkaard during his time at Barcelona, Guus Hiddink during his spell with Chelsea and a host of international tournaments with the Netherlands, Russia and South Korea respectively. He believes that many clubs are failing in the preparation of their training and that by overworking players and ignoring their previous injury records, they are catalysing disaster.
Indeed, Verheijen points to the change in his countryman Arjen Robben’s fortunes when he switched Real Madrid to Bayern Munich, following a reputation as something of a ‘man of glass’, during his time with Chelsea.
“What they did [with Robben] was reduce his training volume and all of a sudden, he was not injured anymore. The question is, ‘Was he a player of glass or was he trained by coaches of glass? Robben and all the other explosive players like Robin van Persie, when they make an action they use more energy than other players.
“If they train the same volume as the other players their energy expenditure is twice as high as the other players. So you have to reduce the training volume by 50 per cent, which is what Bayern Munich did with his programme.”
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Verheijen’s ideology is that fatigue due to overtraining, is the cause of many muscle related injuries and that a player’s injury history, style of play and body composition, should all be considered when devising a training routine. His methods, coined with a typically Dutch phrase in Periodisation, can be controversial and his claim that 80% of injuries could be nullified by doing so, are open to scrutiny. But his beliefs certainly offer some food for thought.
Because the facilities of a medical facility are only as good as the methods in which they are being utilised. Some have suggested that the influx of investment at United can bring their facilities up to a par with AC Milan’s fabled Milanello complex. But Milanello is more a laboratory, than just a series of expensive medical instruments. It’s there to prevent injury, to achieve ultimate physical performance, in complete tandem with managerial selection.
Manchester United will be looking to scratch something of a very irritating itch indeed, when their new medical facility opens. But the ethos needs to be centred around preventing injury – not just addressing it.
Do you believe anything can be done to stop the incessant flow of injuries at Old Trafford? Just bad luck or something a little deeper? Let me know how you feel on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me what you think.
Newcastle will turn their attention to West Ham striker Modibo Maiga, if they fail to land Loic Remy, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
The Marseille man remains Alan Pardew’s first-choice January target as he looks to strengthen his attacking options, but a deal is far from being concluded.
This may force the Magpies to look for alternatives, and Maiga is thought to be seen as the ideal back-up option.
The Mali international has been a bit-part player since his summer move to Upton Park, with Sam Allardyce appearing to prefer the likes of Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole.
With the Hammers tracking a number of January targets, including Nicolas Anelka, it is thought that they may be willing to cash in on Maiga to raise funds.
This has alerted Newcastle, who came close to signing him last year, only for issues surrounding his medical at the club to scupper the move.
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Should they fail to reach a deal with the London club, the St James’ Park outfit will look toward Saint Etienne’s Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang or West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie.
With current first-choice striker Demba Ba looking likely to leave, Newcastle are short on attacking options, making a goal scorer top priority during January.
Tottenham will be doing all they possibly to maintain their position in the top four this coming Saturday.
AVB’s charges will be looking to continue their rich vein of form as they sparkled in their 4-0 boxing day victory over Aston Villa.
The lunchtime kick off on Wearside though does give Sunderland an opportunity so continue their mini revival of late. A win against the Premier League champions last time out a notable scalp.
It was their third win in their last four outings and came as an extremely welcome relief for the Black Cats as they have managed to haul themselves away from the relegation zone putting a 7 point buffer in place.
The feel good factor is starting to come back at the Stadium of Light with the run of late masking the frustrations of the supporters just under a month ago.
Tottenham may be able to halt this festive cheer with their attacking disposal, and Gareth Bale looks ready to wreak havoc again.
Just one defeat in seven has been based upon have a resolute defence. They have not conceded and three and remain above Everton.
Sunderland will be without Danny Rose who is on a season long loan is ineligible to play against his parent club. Phil Baardsley could slot in on or Colback could move back from midfield. John O’ Shea missed out boxing day and could return too.
Clint Dempsey and Tom Huddlestone could return after groin and knee injuries respectively. Benoit Assou Ekotto could make his long awaited comeback too after a knee injury. Scott Parker may also be ready for his first start of the season, after recovering from his Achilles problem. Moussa Dembele could return (hip) despite coming off against Aston Villa.
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Andre Villas Boas’s side have scored in every away game this season and remain the only side to do this. They will hope for more of the same come Saturday.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham
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Somewhere in the negotiations to secure Carlo Ancelotti as Real Madrid’s latest manager, President Florentino Perez would have used the good nature between his club and PSG to try and create a barrier between the French club and Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG have been one of the leaders in the hunt for Ronaldo’s signature, along with former club Manchester United. The Paris club can afford Ronaldo and, they need Ronaldo as their building to superpower status continues.
For United it’s slightly different. New manager David Moyes needs to set a marker for the start of his tenure with the club. It’s been said that the new financial deals for the club could help fund the move for the Portuguese, while conflicting statements suggest that the player could run down his contract with Real Madrid and move on free, securing himself a substantial signing-on bonus.
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It’s not really a matter of whether United need a player like Cristiano Ronaldo – who would say no to either him or Lionel Messi on the basis that they’re well-stocked or unable to accommodate them? It’s lunacy. Any club would be infinitely better with the Portuguese in their side. The real matter is that of the financial side of things, whether United can indeed afford to shell out on the player.
Such is Ronaldo’s contract situation at Madrid that it seems unlikely that Florentino Perez would be in a position to demand £80 million or above – at least beyond this summer. United were said to be in for Radamel Falcao – of which we don’t know how much is true – meaning they’d have had to pay somewhere in the region of £60million for the now Monaco forward; possible indicators as to how much flexibility the club would be willing to offer Moyes.
But from a purely football perspective, United have dropped off from their ability to match the very best in the Champions League. The signing of Robin van Persie did a lot to wrestle back the Premier League title from Manchester City, yet the squad as a whole could do nothing to force a place alongside the class of Bayern Munich, Dortmund or even PSG in Europe. There is also a case to be made that had the rest of the Premier League’s top clubs not been so inconsistent last season, United would certainly not have walked the title in the way they did. Something about parallels to Spain and Germany.
A move for Thiago is well within the boundaries of reasonable outlay, and the youngster will help to turn the club’s fortunes around on the European stage. Are United simply looking to make use of the convenience of the player’s buy-out clause? Not unless you believe the stories which say United were in for Thiago two summers ago. The club would even be a good fit for Gareth Bale, provided, in the unlikely event, Daniel Levy opts to enter negotiations with the United instead of Real Madrid.
But neither do quite as much as what Ronaldo would. It would send shock waves around Europe, much in the same way as Mario Goetze’s transfer from Dortmund to Bayern. Not necessarily as an implication that the German youngster is an equal to Ronaldo, but purely because of shock value.
There’s no doubt that Bayern are now the dominant power of European football. They possess the strongest squad, to such an extent that they’re barely flinching at the idea of losing a goal machine like Mario Gomez. They now have one of the best managers in the game today taking over from their treble-winning coach in Jupp Heynckes, all the while able to lure the majority of the world’s best to the Allianz Arena.
Wouldn’t it just be in the script if Ronaldo helped United to topple Bayern’s empire, if only for a short time, in the way he did for Real Madrid two seasons ago? The bedding-in period took some time, but eventually it become very much an even duel between Ronaldo and Messi in the Clasicos, sometimes with the Madrid forward bettering the Argentine.
For now, however, United are likely to look where there is a clear path to what they want, and that points towards Thiago. Ronaldo’s future isn’t any clearer now than it was when he announced his “unhappiness” at the start of last season. Stories emerging indicate that Florentino Perez has unearthed new confidence in his bid to keep the Portuguese at the Bernabeu, while follow-up stories point to an exit.
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United do need the player back at Old Trafford. Now that Alex Ferguson has moved on, there’s no way the club can try to mask the idea that they have fallen some way since their Champions League final appearance in 2011. It’s not that other players combining at the club couldn’t take United back to that level, but Ronaldo’s arrival would accelerate that leap forward considerably.
Do Manchester United need Ronaldo back at the club?
Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has called West Ham’s last gasp equaliser as “stupid” after the Black Cats were pegged back from a winning position for the third time this season.
The Belgian international produced one of the saves of the season denying Kevin Nolan in the first half.
But the ex-Newcastle man wasn’t to be stopped striking in injury time to leave the Wearsiders still winless having drawn all four Premier League fixtures.
Mignolet told the Sunderland Echo: “I was pretty pleased [with the save] at the time, it kept us in the game.
“However as a goalkeeper you are always frustrated to concede no matter when. When you get into stoppage time, you shouldn’t be conceding goals.
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“After the game you always reflect on the goals you concede rather than the saves you have made. I feel like the rest of the lads that if we had defended like we had for the rest of the game, we wouldn’t have conceded such a stupid goal.”
For a man whose power wields an awful lot of influence upon his club’s fate and fortunes, there remains something wonderfully understated about Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy.
While it is the Spurs supremo’s decisions that have played a very large part in shaping the current set-up of the club that we look at today, supporters have often been left very much in the periphery of understanding why these decisions were made.
Of course, it’s bordering on the naïve to expect the Tottenham hierarchy to disclose the logic behind every decision, both footballing and business based. Fans both support and respect the job that Levy has done during his time in North London and at times, it’s very easy to take the astuteness of Spurs’ financial acumen for granted.
Although while there’s nothing to overtly criticise about the club’s slick and silent style of business, can there be something a little disconcerting about the lack of noise that radiates out from the corridors of power at White Hart Lane?
A whirl around the giddy and often surreal environment that is the digital domain of the Tottenham Hotspur support online, can be a colourful environment at the best of times. But come the opening of the Premier League transfer window, it almost takes on a life of its own. Yet the talk and debate isn’t always just on what players might make their way to the club.
The focus all too often seems to switch concurrently with gentle guess-timation upon the club’s finances. Again, this isn’t a critique against the club living within their means, in fact it’s quite the opposite – Levy should be commended on his stringent financial principles.
But while announcing to the world the exact amount of money you’re happy to allocate to your manager might affect your standing in the transfer market, it wouldn’t hurt to let fans know it’s there every now and then.
Earlier this year, Manchester United chief executive David Gill publicly reassured supporters that the club have money to spend and that moves were already being made to move the club on in terms of transfer recruitment. Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis has been very vocal over the past two transfer windows in informing fans (albeit suspectly) that there’s money there to be spent. This isn’t particularly Daniel Levy’s style.
It’s difficult to pre-empt such a statistic as fact given the issues with undisclosed fees, signing-on amounts and agents fees, but Tottenham’s transfer expenditure this summer was set around the £59,800,000 mark. Their income from transfer revenue? Again, it’s difficult to determine, but that also winds up to around the £59,000,000.
Just a strange coincidence, or perhaps a suggestion that Spurs couldn’t spend more than what they earned during the summer? The truth is we simply don’t know. But with reports continuously circling that Villas-Boas can expect a near on £20million war chest from Levy in January, would it really do that much harm to simply go on record in saying that the money’s there to back the manager?
Some have suggested the information may have been deliberately leaked to the press, which isn’t out the boundaries of reality. It certainly seems a strange way of doing things, though.
And in terms of managerial communications, the Spurs board have also been oddly curious in their recent wall of silence. We’ve heard all the stories, counter-stories and conspiracies as to why Harry Redknapp left the club in June. What’s now done is done. But the explanation from the club itself amounted to:
“This is not a decision the Board and I [Levy] have taken lightly. Harry arrived at the club at a time when his experience and approach was exactly what was needed,” before going on to thank the now QPR boss.
Considering the gravitas of that decision and the implications a change of management can have upon a club, that’s hardly offering the paying supporter much in the way of an explanation. Whether you’re pro-Redknapp, pro-AVB or despise both of them, it’s not unfair to demand a little more in the way of an explanation.
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Even this season, while the club should be commended for the way in which it has vigorously defended the use of the ‘Y-word’ by the home support, there’s not been much in the way of public support towards Andre Villas-Boas. Now tweeting after every match day cuddling up to the manager only to sack him, a la Tony Fernandes, is hardly going to happen in N17.
But considering how much he let the Portuguese down in the summer, would a bit of public backing from Levy have really gone a miss? If the sporadic news reports suggesting Villas-Boas’ job has been on the line at several points this season have been complete rubbish, how hard would it have been for Levy to have come out and publicly slammed them into the ground? Tabloid fodder it may be, but it goes a fair way to forming public opinion, one that Villas-Boas could have done without getting any sourer.
Credit must be given where it’s due and after several seasons of what has sometimes felt like archaic lines of communications with the fans, the club is slowly learning. The Spurs Official Twitter feed has been more active than it ever has been, keeping fans abreast of team news and club developments as soon as it happens. It’s a good start, but it can’t end there.
Tottenham are a superbly run club, but you can’t help but feel that their PR skills leave a lot to be desired. It’s not a major gripe, it’s not something that’s going to affect how the team plays its football and it’s not going to define the grander plans and future of the club. But it’d certainly help put the fans’ minds at rest – a difference that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Swansea recorded their first win in six Premier League games with goals from Pablo Hernandez and Michu enough to see off Wigan at the Liberty Stadium.
The Spanish duo scored within two minutes of each other in the second half to stop the rot for Michael Laudrup’s side and prolong the misery of the visitors who find themselves in familiar territory at the wrong end of the table. Roberto Martinez will be cursing his sides luck after Arouna Kone was denied a late equaliser by the offside flag.
It leaves the Latics without a top-flight win since 25th August although they will be wondering how they didn’t leave South Wales with at least a point to show for their efforts.
Clear goalscoring opportunities were few and far between during a tedious first half with Michu going closest for the home side with a volley that sailed narrowly wide in the 18th minute. Jonathan de Guzman then curled wide from 20-yards before Michel Vorm denied Shaun Maloney from close range at the other end.
Thankfully the second half provided more entertainment value for the supporters and they were treated to three goals in four minutes just after the hour mark. Firstly Hernandez was on hand to break the deadlock in the 65th minute and notch his first Swans goal, scoring with a low effort after fine work from Wayne Routledge.
Two minutes later and Michu had doubled the home sides lead, taking advantage of some lax Wigan defending to head home unmarked from a corner. Emmerson Boyce then set up a tantalising final 20 minutes with an outrageous flicked effort that caught Vorm out in the Swansea goal.
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Wigan thought they’d snatched a point only for Kone’s effort to be chalked off for offside before goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi was sensationally denied by Vorm at the death after meeting a corner with a firm header.
The summer transfer window may have only just slammed shut but we at Football FanCast are already looking forward to it’s winter counterpart.And although Arsenal spent around £80million during the off-season – the fourth most of any Premier League side – there are still a number of issues Arsene Wenger has to address via the transfer market in January.Admittedly, the winter window is never the best time to resolve lingering issues; few clubs are willing to spend big and the majority of players available are usually short of form. But if the Gunners gaffer intends to improve his club’sÂtitle credentials and all-round efficiency, it’s an opportunity he can’t pass by.So without further ado, here’s FOUR transfer dilemmas Arsene Wenger must resolve when the market reopens.
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Decide the fate of Joel Campbell
After netting this sensational strike against Manchester United in the Champions League amid a loan spell with Olympiacos last season:
//www.youtube.com/embed/nloqftNzgYM?rel=0
…in addition to bagging a goal for Costa Rica at the World Cup:
Many expected young winger-forward Joel Campbell to be utilised in a cameo role by Arsene Wenger this season. Thus far however, he’s been granted a token substitute outing in the Community Shield and seen just 16 minutes’ worth of Premier League action. That’s in no small part due to Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck joining the Emirates ranks over the summer, whilst Theo Walcott’s planned return from injury within the next few weeks will further exacerbate the situation. The 22 year-old is desperate for first team football; Campbell’s agent claims he wanted to move to either Roma or AC Milan this summer:
Wenger must grant that wish in January. Either Campbell has the potential to become a future star for Arsenal, and thus needs to gain experience through a loan spell in the Premier League, or he’s surplus to requirements and should be sold whilst interest in the South American is high.
Sign a low-cost centre-back
Arsene Wenger has around £30million to spend in January according to the Daily Mail, and a decent portion of that must be devoted to signing a centre-back.
We’re only five games into the Premier League season and Arsenal have already hit the limits of their defensive depth, with Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Nacho Monreal and Calum Chambers all recently undergoing spells on the sidelines.
But this issue has existed for some time, namely since the sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona in the summer.
There are a few decent options out there; Winston Reid for example, who was linked with an Emirates switch last January, has shown a remarkable consistency since West Ham returned to the Premier League in 2012.
His contract is up at the end of the season, meaning he’ll likely be available for a pittance, and the 26 year-old would fit the hierarchy of Arsenal’s squad well. Here’s a look at the 2013 Hammer of the Year in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/vhYZjrgfBsA?rel=0
Another candidate is FC Basel’s Fabian Schar, who was once again linked with a move to north London over the weekend:
Whoscored.com rated the 22 year-old as the best defender in the Champions League last season, as detailed below:
And the Swiss international’s World Cup performances weren’t too bad either, making eight interceptions during two outings at Brazil 2014. In a similar vein of thought to Winston Reid, Schar won’t immediately command a place in Arsenal’s starting XI over Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.
Finding a physical midfielder
To the delight of Arsenal fans who have been aware of this issue for several years, Arsene Wenger revealed last week that he wants to add a physically imposing midfielder to his squad:
The Gunners currently boast great quality and depth in the middle of the park, but with Aaron Ramsey the only regular midfielder who measures in at over 6 foot, a lack of variation in that department is costing Arsenal valuable points against big teams.
The north Londoners were linked to Southampton star Morgan Schneiderlin over the summer and could revisit the France international in January. His form has been nothing short of incredible this season, as detailed below:
…and typified by this curler against Newcastle:
//www.youtube.com/embed/anRtvwoN4iI?rel=0
But rated at around £30million and recently declaring he’s happy at St. Mary’s, the 24 year-old may prove too rich for Wenger’s blood.
Highly-rated Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho remains an alternative, having recently rejected a new contract with the Portuguese side, but The Metro believe he’ll still cost around £24million.
Nigel de Jong remains a cheaper solution, with the shin-crushing Dutchman’s contract at AC Milan set to expire in the summer, but recent speculation suggests he’s about to sign a new deal.
Sami Khedira’s contract will enter it’s final six months in January too, yet the Real Madrid star’s wage demands were highlighted as a potential stumbling block over the summer.
Thus, in classic Wenger style, signing an athletically gifted holding midfielder will likely have to wait until the summer.
Reduce the wage bill
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For the first time in over a decade, Arsenal’s wage bill now surpasses Chelsea’s, which is completely ridiculous considering where both sides are likely to finish in the Premier League table this season.
Arsene Wenger needs to shift some deadwood in January and one prime candidate for the transfer scrapheap is wide man Lukas Podolski.
The German international is a useful member of the Emirates squad but first team opportunities are likely to dry up in January when Olivier Giroud returns from injury, freeing Danny Welbeck to act as cover for Alexis Sanchez on the right-hand side. Theo Walcott will be back in action soon too.
The 29 year-old’s salary is at £3million per-annum according to recent reports and this money could be better spent in other areas, particularly the defence. Here’s a look at Podolski in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/xfB7id7N_g0?rel=0
It could be worth parting company with Santi Cazorla too; the 29 year-old is a fantastic technical talent but he lost form last year and the Gunners are already privy to a wealth of quality and depth in midfield.
He was strongly linked to Atletico Madrid this summer and currently on £80k per-week, the Spaniard’s departure would significantly reduce Arsenal’s wage bill. Cazorla is a real talent however, here’s a look at some of his silkiest skills in an Arsenal jersey:
Everyone loves Fantasy Football, it dominates our thoughts the closer we get to a new Premier League season, we can spend hours pouring over the information before we settle on our side. A key component of this is picking players that will score goals in positions that don’t normally rely upon them, such as a goalscoring centre-half or full-back. With this in mind, do we overrate goalscoring defenders? Ando do we let them off lightly when it becomes to their defensive deficiencies because they happen to be good at finding the back of the net? Fantasy Football has a lot to answer for….
I’m a sucker for goalscoring defenders may I just say begin with. My fantasy football teams at school always, always included Everton’s David Unsworth (45 goals in 445 games) and Leicester’s Matt Elliott (70 goals in 589 games), with the occasional nod to Julian Dicks (55 goals in 379 games). They were invaluable, the poorness of the defences they played in was completely counter-acted by the points they’d get me for their inevitable solid five-goal a season return. Heck, I even had Gary Cahill (21 goals in 234 games) and Mats Hummels (17 goals in 162 games) in my Euro 2012 side until injury cruelly robbed me of the former, while the other never bloody scored.
The short but simple fact is that everyone loves a goalscoring defender. We love the unexpected nature of their forward forays up the pitch. We love the fact that because they can clear the ball a whopping great distance means, this all of a sudden qualifies them as a free-kick expert. However, does this mean that we shy away from criticising them for doing the job that they are actually paid to do, which is defend?
According to the Premier League’s own player performance index, Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen was the 58th best player in the top flight last term. His season was interrupted by injury on ocassion, but he still managed to complete 29 league games, scoring six goals in the process. He made 29 clearances, 11 blocks and helped his side to 11 clean sheets during his time in the starting eleven. At the other end of the pitch, though, he finished the campaign with 37 shots, five crosses and one assist – not too bad at all for a centre-back it has to be said, certainly more than a lot of the deadwood currently at the club are capable of (I’m looking at you Park Chu-Young and Marouane Chamakh).
On the face of things it would seem like he had a very good season, would it not? However, Vermaelen has developed a worrying propensity to get dragged out of position, as was clearly in evidence during the 3-3 draw against Norwich last season at home, where he was quite frankly all over the place. He was far from his best throughout the course of the campaign, with partner Laurent Koscielny the superior partner for the most part.
Upon arriving in England, it was noted that at just 6ft tall, he looked a tad on the short side to be a commanding centre-half, but his aerial ability is one of his greatest strengths and plays a large part in his prowess in front of goal. To talk about Vermaelen in terms of criticism, he rarely comes in for any flak considering his poor positioning. He’s quick on the ground, mobile and decent on the ball, so anything that isn’t seen as a positive is conveniently glossed over.
Jonny Evans last season was the main beneficiary of Nemanja Vidic’s season-ending knee injury, going on to play 27 times for Manchester United as they were pipped to the post for the title by bitter rivals Manchester City. He has often been made out to be a scapegoat by many fans, yet he managed 30 blocks, 56 clearances and 16 clean sheets in less games than Vermaelen. The crucial difference is he doesn’t offer anything going forward and any mistake at the back is magnified tenfold, whereas with Vermaelen it is not.
We often gloss over the glaring weaknesses in a defender if they manage to chip in with the odd goal. John Arne Riise had an excellent first few years at Liverpool, but then spent his last two seasons trying to replicate his goal against Tottenham from 40 yards out every single time he crossed the halfway line. Matt Taylor suffers from a similar flaw. To call it frustrating to watch would be an understatement, yet at Fulham last season, shorn of his pace at 31 years of age, he looked a much better defender than his final couple of years at Anfield, but he had no goals in 40 appearances to show for it, despite his best efforts at breaking his duck.
Taye Taiwo managed to score 23 goals in 253 games at Marseille, where his job was to bound beyond the winger down the left-hand flank and he became a key part of their style of play. He then moved to AC Milan but struggled, as it seemed nobody actually checked first if he was any good at this defending lark before being farmed out to QPR on loan in the second half of last season. He’s full of energy, built like a tank but seems oddly unsure of where to actually stand when he’s on the back foot and is hugely susceptible to a ball played in behind him, a common occurrence for pacy full-backs these days.
Andreas Granqvist managed to bag 11 goals for Groningen in the Eredivise the year before last, but Wigan fans will remember a defender frightfully out of kilter with the pace of the top flight, yet AC Milan and Inter are rumoured to be interested in the Swede this summer after a decent first year at Genoa in Italy. It’s all about striking the right balance.
Ian Harte, Marco Materazzi, Daniel van Buyten, Naldo, Alex all made headlines for their goalscoring exploits in their respctive leagues over the years but they all have obvious flaws to their game. It’s when the goals become solely what they are remembered for that you start to worry and Vermaelen is in danger of falling into that trap.
The likes of Brazilian centre-half Juan, Sami Hyypia, Robert Huth, Sergio Ramos and Diego Lugano are all remembered for their defending first and foremost, with their attacking prowess just an added bonus, which is why they’re quite rightly regarded as superior players to the aforementioned list above, Vermaelen aside.
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It may not solely be the result of Fantasy Football, but something has become distorted along the way – goalscoring defenders are judged on their abilities further forward just as much as they are on their ability to stem an attack at the back and that’s a worrying trap to fall into. We should treat the goalscoring defender as a positive, they bring unexpected joy to the terraces and every side likes to have one in their side, but they have to be good enough defenders first, otherwise, that’s a slippery slope to head down.