@Stoychers

It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Marouane Fellaini. ...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:59:15 -0400

It’s been a whirlwind of a season for Marouane Fellaini. Following a fabulous start to the 2012/13 campaign with Everton FC, which included a goal and man of the match performance against Manchester United, followed by a goal in the game against Aston Villa, he was summoned for duty with the Belgian National Football Team.

Ordinarily this wouldn’t have been viewed as any sort of problem, but away from the deathly stare of David Moyes, Fellaini obviously felt comfortable enough to send out an SOS call to Europe’s elite football clubs. The fuzzy haired Belgian naturally felt this was an opportunity to top a number of Persian Prince’s and Eastern Block Oligarch’s Christmas shopping lists. It is a common mistake made by so many footballers when on international duty and an understandable one at that. Unfortunately this story and the publicity surrounding it, is even less surprising given it involves a Belgian international.

Many in this instance could point toward the case of Marc Goossens, former team doctor of the Belgian national side, who had reported childish behaviour amongst the Belgian squad and subsequently resigned from his post, largely playing into the belief that these pampered prima-donna bad-boys had something of a behavioural malfunction and perhaps, this had also factored into the national team’s results of that time period.

I don’t completely buy into this stigma of bad behaviour, and I cite the imperious attitude of Vincent Kompany and the idealistic football nature of Tottenham Hotspur recruit, Jan Vertonghen as my casework in this argument.

Marouane Fellaini is also a player who has rustled few feathers in his time as a professional footballer and behaved impeccably under the guise of David Moyes. His willingness to play to his versatile ways has seen him deployed both in midfield and as a forward at Goodison Park and led many to question what his best position actually is. He really is that good in both positions.

His start to the 2012/13 season, partnering Nikica Jelavić, has seen him grow in stature. Drifting out to the left hand side of the pitch to act as a target man, his ability to bring the ball down to his feet and link so excellently with Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar, has raised yet more eyebrows and perhaps this time, Fellaini is willing to push his move through.

Upon returning from international duty, Moyes privately dressed down Fellaini. The interesting thing here is, Moyes would likely sell Fellaini to a club of his choosing, if they paid the transfer fee required, as he has done so often in the past. Moyes, simply put, will have been more angered in the way the Belgian had gone about voicing his discontent. Whilst his cries weren’t of the magnitude of say Joleon Lescott’s time at the club, they will most certainly have been heard.

Despite this misunderstanding, Fellaini started the game against Newcastle United on Monday Night and had yet another fantastic 90 minutes. His hold-up play was untouchable at times and Mike Williamson struggled to compete with the Belgian behemoth in the air, instead allowing Fellaini to seize control and force him to play the ball with his back to goal.

His willingness to knuckle back down to work with Everton and focus on his performance both individually and collectively within the team goes a long way to dispelling the myths publicly bestowed on this Belgian generation. Moyes must also take huge credit in refocusing his star man.

If the money talks, Fellaini will likely walk, but until then, Fellaini will remain a driven individual and a focal point of this Everton side.

Twitter: @Stoychers

A dull England performance. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard...

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:44:03 -0400

A dull England performance. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard paired in central midfield. Young talented prospects played out of position in a befuddling 4-4-2. Believe it or not, this is a story of September 2012 and not of ten years ago.

England 1, Ukraine 1, was the final score before a three-quarter capacity filled, brass band tooting, Wembley crowd. The joy of Roy has now worn off and the polyfilled plaster of a 5-0 win over lowly Moldova has already begun to crack.

Firstly, I must make this perfectly clear, I am of Ukrainian descent. My grandfather was born in Lviv, Ukraine, then the USSR and though I feel stronger ties to my Italian heritage, I naturally have a soft spot for the yellow and blue section of the eastern block (forgive my extensive confusing family tree if you can).

Whilst I am willing to give the Ukrainian side credit, Yevhen Konoplyanka in particular, was outstanding and provided plenty of purposeful running both with and without the football, I must also be very critical of the way England both shaped up and then played in that formation, allowing Ukraine the ability to expose them.

I’ll start with the unfamiliar central defensive pair of Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka. Both men now command starting places at Everton and Manchester City, both are of the mature age of 30 years old and between the two, they have accumulated 65 England caps. A sad indictment indeed when neither man has the composure, confidence or positivity to move out of the back line with the football at their feet and force movement from the Ukrainian midfield.

The negative and laboured play from the defensive pair allowed Ukraine to retain an organised shape and meant for England to have any attacking impetus from the back four, they had to look to Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines for width and movement to allow Gerrard and Lampard space. This forward movement from Johnson and Baines played right into the hands of Oleh Blokhin’s team. Konoplyanka and Yarmolenko proved to be great focal points of the Ukrainian counter attack and time after time, Johnson and Baines were caught out of position with vast amounts of space left to be exposed in behind them.

With no natural deep-lying midfielder around to plug the gaps or to even dictate the tempo of the game in possession, Lescott and Jagielka were left overloaded and were forced to pull themselves into wider areas against, faster, quicker, more technically able players. I would go as far as to say that the choice of using Lampard and Gerrard together in midfield, and overlooking Michael Carrick was nothing short of foolish.

Carrick’s assurance in the midfield spot, would have also allowed for more gumption from either Lampard or Gerrard, dependent on Hodgson’s preference. You only have to look at Anatoliy Tymoschuk’s performance yesterday evening, who for large parts of the game, kept Tom Cleverley boxed out of the game. Yes, Cleverley did find nice pockets of space for the chances at goal but these were largely down to the failures of Khacheridi and Rakitskiy, and not the Bayern Munich man, who remained imperious throughout the 90 minutes.

Cleverley, who it must be noted was played out of position in Hodgson’s starting line-up, was crowded out of the midfield by Tymoshchuk. The Bradford raised midfielder (yet another area of relevance to me) was used as a scapegoat for England’s performance and scoreline yesterday evening, yet little was said of his apparent misplacement in the line-up.

For all Cleverley’s improvements and qualities in central midfield, surely Hodgson must take some flak for playing the 23 year old Manchester United midfielder completely out of position, especially in a game of such high importance. Cleverley isn’t of the Kaka, Riquelme, Sheringham or indeed Rooney mould, so perhaps people should move on and find a new scapegoat and instead interrogate Hodgson, who in his eighth game in charge of England, shows no sign of progressing this group further than any of his failed predecessors.

A multi-million pound infrastructure is now in place. St...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 08:22:27 -0400

A multi-million pound infrastructure is now in place. St George’s Park, or SGP as the Twitterverse have coined, is a dream realised by The FA. The tour given to Martin Keown for BBC’s Football Focus had many a football coach and fan running to his or her’s social media account to talk buoyantly of their amazement of this seismic construction of sporting excellence.

For many, St George’s Park has come generation’s too late. When Gérard Houllier and Arsène Wenger took to the British shores and spoke of the famed French institution, Clairefontaine, at which the likes of Anelka, Gallas, Henry, et al had been moulded, many pointed the finger at the FA and demanded action and demanded improvement.

After political and administrative bureaucracy was completed, work belatedly began on St George’s Park and despite this archaic wait, one must surely be impressed. State of the art pitches, sport science laboratories and aquatic recovery tanks. This sporting establishment is well versed in the most cutting edge of technologies and sciences.

So what of its uses? The FA believes that St Georges Park will inspire and facilitate the learning of a new generation of coaches and will help improve the state of grass roots football through a new culture of change. This will in turn produce a better, more technically capable footballer, and the carbon copying of the Spanish National Football Team and Pep Guardiola’s blueprint for FC Barcelona can begin on English soil.

Whilst on the surface this may seem plausible, it is unlikely to have such an effect unless some changes are made within the FA itself. For many, the cost of climbing the FA learning path is financially exhausting. £840 to do a UEFA B course, coincidentally my next foot on the coaching ladder, at your local learning facility. Any aspirations to do that course at St Georges Park, as a residential course, will set you back a cool £2275.

Why would a coach fork out the additional money in the current financial climate we live in? Why would the FA set the cost of their coaching and refereeing courses inside this new think-tank so high? If anything, they’re turning coaches away from the facility, instead of drawing them into it. Is this just a closed shop facility to pander to the egocentric England international footballer and give the likes of Terry, Lampard, etc, extra mileage or is it a facility intent on striking a change in footballing culture from a coaching and playing standpoint?

Whilst the structure of this modern, state of the art facility screams out in terms of high quality, the people behind the structure continue to lay the wrong foundations. The FA need to do much more to improve the situation of the men and women, the boys and girls, who want an education in coaching and refereeing, or instead risk disenfranchising those very people, more so than they have ever done before.

Twitter: @Stoychers

Back in July I wrote about the growing influence of the back...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 06:59:14 -0400

Back in July I wrote about the growing influence of the back three and how this progressive utilisation of defensive players had now infiltrated its way into the blood and thunder of the English Premier League.

Wigan Athletic, Swansea City and Manchester City all used a back three last season on occasion throughout the season and in yesterday’s Community Shield, Roberto Mancini pressed ahead with his pre-season methods to use the system of play in the English football calendar’s curtain raiser at Villa Park.

Vincent Kompany, the lynchpin of the Manchester City defence assumed the role of the central defender, flanked to the right and left by utility man Pablo Zabaleta and Stefan Savić in a back three yesterday, with James Milner and Aleksandar Kolarov deployed as wing-backs in this new look unit of Mancini’s.

The growing resurgence of the back three can be seen first hand in Mancini’s native Italy, where over half of the league’s sides had last season opted to at some point deploy a back three. Similarily, the Nazionale side used a back three in their Euro 2012 opener against Spain. Its growing and differing use has provided fans of Serie A with a plethora of tactical battles up and down the boot legged country.

The back three itself can be used in a variety of forms and yesterday’s use of the back three was very much different to the back three used by Mancini in January, when City reverted to a back three against neighbours Manchester United in an FA Cup tie.

The back three used here was a widely spaced back three, with Nigel de Jong expected to play a little closer to Kompany to provide him with defensive support in the centre, should possession be lost by City higher up the field and leave the Citizens short at the back during transition.

Milner and Kolarov, the wing backs, covered some extraordinary ground on the attack and isolated the Chelsea defensive players in 1v1 areas, allowing them to beat their man, suck out an additional defender and provide the onrushing gauntlet of attacking City arsenal with a high quality of delivery into the box. Sergio Agüero was particularly wasteful in front of goal yesterday, perhaps still living in the dream land of a Martin Tyler voiced orgasm.

The difficulty City may face however, would be in finding suitable players to flank Kompany in the centre of defence. For all Stefan Savić’s effort, he remains a weak component in the Manchester City squad, let alone the starting eleven. Whilst his withdrawal at half-time may have been because of his first half booking and his subsequent luck in finding himself still on the pitch following a number of mistimed tackles, it was also evidence Savić doesn’t have the necessary intelligence to play football in this system and at the top level of the game.

Joleon Lescott, who did not play yesterday, would be one player who will continue to excel under Mancini, and must surely be one of the men who will be plying his trade alongside Kompany but the other man at this moment remains a mystery. Anyone from Zabaleta, Richards or Clichy could fill the void or perhaps Jack Rodwell will be the reinforcement needed?

Rodwell has played much of his football as a central midfielder but many see his long term future as a ball-playing centre back. Could the capture of Rodwell see him filling the defensive gap or is Daniel Agger still the main target for Mancini’s defensive trio? Time will tell what Mancini’s plans are but a year of playing alongside the formidable Vincent Kompany would undoubtedly be a great education for Rodwell.

The Brazilian Olympic Team enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Belarus...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:26:12 -0400

The Brazilian Olympic Team enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Belarus yesterday afternoon at Old Trafford, as they surged through to the tournaments quarter final in London. With two wins from two games, you’d think there’d be much to celebrate but for this Brazil team, great expectations exist. This team is not only expected to claim Olympic gold but the far greater feat of winning in style.

Still opting to play two deep lying midfielders in the form of Rômulo and Sandro, yesterday, Brazil seemed more intent on playing the ball sideways and backwards in an attempt to control the game at a slower tempo, than dish the ball forward at pace.

The use of the two midfielders still smacks of Dunga’s disciplinarian tactics of 2010 and whilst it provides Brazil with the necessary protection needed when their full-backs kick into full flight, perhaps against lesser nations, it would be more fruitful for Brazil to instead play with more freedom?

Contrary to popular opinion, results and winning are still the most important aspect of the Selecao, but when allowed to, they can excite the entire world with free-flowing sexy football we know they’re capable of, released from the Menezes’ tactical restraints.

Rômulo for instance, completed a staggering 95.5% pass succession rate yesterday afternoon (85 of 89 passes), yet as I watched him control the game, I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what job that left Sandro? Sandro was rendered useless by the sheer accuracy and professionalism of Rômulo’s passing range accuracy, it gave Brazil the freedom to instead deploy a player further up the field, yet it took until the remaining twenty-five minutes of the game for Menezes to replace Tottenham Hotspur’s Sandro with the Santos number ten, Ganso.

Rômulo’s performance was nothing short of flawless and when a deep lying central midfielder can pass with such success, and deliver a performance so sure of all the attributes which define his role, it really does allow Menezes to field a more cultured midfielder ahead of him.

When Ganso finally did take to the field, he was so unsure of his positioning and role within the side, he failed to find his feet in the game. Whilst this may be a deeply faceted problem with Ganso, what with contract negotiations dragging on in his native Brazil and his stuttering search for form following his intrepid injury problems, Menezes must surely shoulder some blame and instead look to motivate the Santos maestro and maximise his potential in the remaining group game.

Had Ganso been introduced to the game earlier, he would have stood a stronger chance of feeling his way into the game and alongside Oscar, found a greater level of success in unlocking the Belarusian defensive line. With such control of the game, Ganso has the skills to deliver on these objectives, if Menezes picks him and motivates him.

Whilst Brazil will undoubtedly be buoyed by their start to the Olympic football competition, there will always remain room for improvement for this young group of players.

In the summer of 2014, Mano Menezes will face a pressure like no...

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 03:49:05 -0400

In the summer of 2014, Mano Menezes will face a pressure like no other. His Brazilian National Team will play in the World Cup as the home nation.

Despite holding a record five world cup victories to their name, the Selecao of present are far from favourites and as comparisons between the great Brazil team of 1970 and the Spain team of 2012 continue, Menezes faces a challenge of greatest vast than Ganso’s wage demands.

Perhaps the answer to “How strong will the Brazil of 2014 be?” is to be discovered this July and August under the British drizzle at this year’s 2012 London Olympics.

Menezes’s Olympic squad boasts a series of Selecao regulars and many would be right to point out that this team will not be far off the team which will kick-start the opening fixture in Rio de Janeiro in two years time.

The Olympic squad, boasting the likes of Paris St-Germain stopper Thiago Silva, Santos starlet Neymar, as well as FC Porto’s power-forward Hulk, possesses all the right ingredients to go the whole distance and claim Olympic gold. Much of this Selecao squad will be looking to add the gold medal to their collections, as much as they will be trying their hardest to pin down a starting berth in the World Cup starting eleven.

The big battle for places has perhaps already come and gone in the fight for the traditional number 10 role. Whilst Paulo Henrique Ganso had been hotly tipped to be the heir to Kaka’s throne, it is Internacional’s Oscar who is now being groomed for the prestigious trequartista role. Having been capped 6 times under Menezes, it seems Oscar is now the man to fill Kaka’s void.

If you really wanted to read between the lines, you could also look at the decision from Brazil to hand Oscar the number 10 shirt for the tournament, whilst Ganso wears the number 16.

Having already claimed the U-20 World Cup with Brazil in Colombia last year, Oscar will now be looking to claim his first major prize as a full international and he has all the credentials to do so, and I point to his dazzling hat-trick in the U-20 final against Portugal as proof of what this young playmaker is capable of.

Oscar is also the subject of a staggering bid from Chelsea, and looks destined to be on the move this summer, with Chelsea perhaps pre-empting what is to come with a record Brazilian transfer fee lodged for the Internacional star.

Oscar could indeed be the man to make this great team sing from the hymn sheet in the forthcoming weeks and with the dynamism of Damião, Hulk and Neymar ahead of him in attack, it is of little surprise Chelsea have moved so swiftly to tie the youngster down to a contract, perhaps looking for Oscar to be the delivery man to their very own front three of Hazard, Mata and Torres.

With the capture of Shinji Kagawa and a move for Everton’s...

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:56:29 -0400

With the capture of Shinji Kagawa and a move for Everton’s Leighton Baines constantly doing the rounds on the rumour mill, many Manchester United fans will be anxious to see how their side will line-up for the 2012/13 season. Will Sir Alex Ferguson stick by his 4-4-2 or will he revert back to the 4-5-1?

The forgotten option of employing a back three in a 3-5-2 may appear alien to Manchester United fans, and perhaps even to Ferguson himself, but maybe this could be the key to United’s future success?

Wigan Athletic, Swansea City and Manchester City were the only teams to adopt a back three at any stage of the 2011/12 campaign in England. Manchester City incidentally, used the system against Manchester United in their FA Cup tie back in January of 2012. Swansea City also used the system against United at the Liberty Stadium back in November of 2011 and were on the end of narrow 1-0 defeat to United, whilst Wigan defeated United in the closing months of last season. The system certainly does have its converts.

Gary Neville noted on Monday Night Football last year that he is a big fan of the system as it provides teams who press high up the field a great advantage of hitting their opposition on the counter attack in transition. Surely a trait fit for the Manchester United style of football?

On the continent, this is a system being used by many of Europe’s juggernauts. FC Barcelona under Guardiola, Athletic Bilbao under Bielsa and Ajax Amsterdam under De Boer are all teams who have adopted this system and all three of those clubs have outplayed Manchester United in recent encounters and indeed recorded victories over them. So not only is it a popular system, it can at times be United’s kryptonite.

So onto the system itself and if United could adopt it. Firstly, we must look at the personnel and in United’s case, they already have all the necessary tools to employ the said 3-5-2.

In Vidic, Ferdinand, Smalling, Jones and Evans, they have five centre backs that possess all the necessary traits. They have competition for places, youth, experience, pace and intellect and United’s Rene Maulesteen would have no troubles in organising this array of talent into a tightly knit back three.

The options available at wing-back would mean Antonio Valencia would now be a sure-fire starter on the right side, though the club may see considerable growth in both Rafael and Fabio in this system, as the two would be encouraged to play further up the field. The addition of Baines and use of him as a left wing-back would likely give United the best two crossers of a ball in the league, with Valencia starting on the opposite flank, whilst Evra is also more than capable of playing on the left hand side.

Where central midfield may have been a cause for concern for United over the past 12 months for many fans, a trio of Carrick, Cleverley and Kagawa would surely whet the appetite. If Cleverley can remain injury free following his Olympic campaign and Kagawa can settle early enough into the United family, which I’m undoubtedly sure he can, this midfield trio has all the dynamism, tenacity and flair needed to stifle, frustrate and frighten opponents Europe-wide.

In attack, United would have the option of playing their crown jewel in Rooney with either Hernandez or Welbeck, alternatively using Young or Nani as traditional number 10’s. Young, who played this role under Hodgson for England, is no stranger to the role and perhaps United could garner the necessary consistency required from the Portuguese attacker, under the proviso he signs a new contract with the club, else instead utilise the talents of Nick Powell or even promote rising starlet Will Keane.

Whilst it may be unlikely that United would promote the use of the 3-5-2, it would be somewhat foolish of Ferguson and company to completely rule out the possibility of its use, as it could be hugely beneficial to this group of talented players.

If John Terry and Anton Ferdinand’s on field verbal...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 05:27:55 -0400

If John Terry and Anton Ferdinand’s on field verbal altercation was something for all of football to be ashamed of, then Clarke Carlisle is the entire opposite.

BBC3’s “Is Football Racist?” which aired yesterday evening, was a strongly resourced, thought provoking, perfectly narrated piece of television. Clarke Carlisle should be lauded for his efforts into researching the truths about racism, which exist not only within football but within society, and showed how the two have at times become reflective of one another.

For me, the most notable incision came from Ava Vidal, a female comedian and patron of the Show Racism the Red Card charity. Ava argued that football was all encompassing, in regards to age, race, colour and creed, so why was it not doing more to break boundaries and be pro-active in its efforts to counter racism, instead of being reactive to events, such as the recent Suarez/Evra and Terry/Ferdinand cases.

The Premier League is a multi-billion dollar brand, so questions must surely be asked of its chairman, Richard Scudamore, who would seemingly rather explore commercial opportunities for a 39th game across the globe than stand up and tackle the many issues of racism which undoubtedly exist within the game.

The FA has reacted when necessary but more must be done by the Premier League itself, as this has steadfastly become the face of football on British shores. As the leading league in world soccer, the Premier League has the platform, the figureheads, the financial capabilities and indeed the authority, to tackle this horrific disease.

Clarke, on his travels, encountered instances of xenophobic scouting networks, international footballers scared of speaking out, at the risk of hampering their careers and sourced John Barnes for information on the bewildering low level of black managers presently represented in England’s 92 football league clubs.

I would like to thank Clarke Carlisle personally, for unveiling in this film, much of the ‘covert’ racism which evidently exists in football and I would implore the Premier League to do something about it and tackle the issue head on, rather than wait for another case to rear its ugly head.

Twitter: @Stoychers

Victory at Euro 2008, the World Cup 2010 and now Euro 2012. A...

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 03:46:45 -0400

Victory at Euro 2008, the World Cup 2010 and now Euro 2012. A feat that many will argue solidifies Spain as the greatest international team in the history of the sport. So, what’s there to complain about?

To answer this, I refer to Joachim Löw’s Germany. Following a crushing 4-1 victory over their long-time ‘nemesis’, Germany’s players immediately walked over to the fallen England players, offered their hands as a means of consolation and continued this process until all hands were shaken. Proud, yet respectful in victory.

Fast forward to their 2012 defeat to Italy in this year’s Euro 2012 Semi-Final and what transpired was something all too familiar. Handshakes from the German players, this time as a means of congratulations. Proud, yet dignified in defeat.

Personally, I use this as the benchmark of player behaviour. I feel much of it
is as instructed as it perhaps is inherent, but much of this behaviour perhaps comes following their sordid fracas with Argentina in 2006. Punches and kicks were thrown after the final whistle. The aftermath left a sour taste in many mouths and Löw likely felt it was necessary to never see this repeated.

So switching the focus back to Spain and we have three international tournament victories, success at club level for near enough the entire Barcelona and Real Madrid contingent, Champions League success for the likes of Mata and Torres but as soon as the final whistle blew this past Sunday, this group of undoubtedly gifted men, fell way short of the desired benchmark.

As Spain’s playing and coaching contingent flooded the field, leapt
into the crowds and completed laps of victory, Iker Casillas stood apart and met the benchmark singlehandedly. One man, the captain no less, walked over to the gathered and deflated Italians and shook every man’s hand, the rest of the team only following suit when UEFA’s medal precession was required. He was a proud man, respectful in victory.

Following their 1-1 draw with Italy in the Group C’s opener, Cesc Fabregas rushed to the press to complain about the state of the pitch. No respect given to how well Italy had played, simply an excuse offered to why they hadn’t secured victory. Undignified in near defeat, disrespectful in victory.

For all their success and ability, perhaps now it is time for Spain to fully respect their opponents and meet the desired benchmark for behaviour. Do this, and maybe then we will witness footballing perfection. If one man can do it, surely the rest can follow his lead.

In the aftermath of the Italy v England UEFA Euro 2012...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:29:43 -0400

In the aftermath of the Italy v England UEFA Euro 2012 Quarter-Final, focus inevitably fell at the grateful twinkle toes of Azzurri Regista, Andrea Pirlo.

The Juventus maestro delivered a stellar performance in Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, statistically out-passing the entire England midfield quartet of Gerrard Parker, Milner and Young. Pirlo’s 118 passes to the quartet’s 88 was roundly lauded by the English press.

Myself, I wasn’t exactly ‘knocked for six’ by this. For me, this had always been why Pirlo was so special and I was more surprised it had taken till Euro 2012 for the world to wake up and realise what a fantastic talent he indeed is. This was a man who featured in two Champions League Finals and a World Cup Final over a span of three years (05-07).

More surprising for me was the involvement of Bologna’s fantasista, Alessandro Diamanti. Replacing Antonio Cassano 12 minutes before Extra-Time, Diamanti was making his second appearance at Euro 2012 and he did not disappoint.

Thrust into the Nazionale pressure cooker, Diamanti was both dynamic and reliable across the Kiev turf. Nicknamed ‘The Wildman’ by his growing band of tifosi, Diamanti delivered a forty-some minute performance worthy of cementing his name in Prandelli’s next starting eleven.

With Montolivo yet to realise his full potential in the Azzurri blue, I wouldn’t write off Diamanti strong-arming his way into the side against Germany. His cameo appearances have provided Italy with some much needed gusto when they have looked out of ideas and whilst Diamanti may not have unlocked the fort door which England had barricaded shut, he certainly provided both fantastic delivery and a positive attitude toward goal as an alternative to the somewhat wasteful Balotelli.

In the penalty shootout, for sure Pirlo swung the balance back in Italy’s favour with his audacious panenka, but Diamanti’s winning penalty was every bit as enjoyable. ‘The Wildman’ has surely let Prandelli know that he is every bit as important to the cause.

History dictates that England v Sweden is always a difficult...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 10:18:52 -0400

History dictates that England v Sweden is always a difficult game to be excited by. A long history of draws pretty much pre-empt any hope of joy coming England’s way, yet like clockwork, the media circus swirled around Kiev before kick-off.

News of Andy Carroll’s inclusion in the starting eleven went viral and hopes were imminently pinned on the £35million Liverpool striker to make an impact. For me though, the eleven had a far more important inclusion, in the form of Manchester United hitman, Danny Welbeck.

Welbeck, 21, was starting his third consecutive game in an England shirt, following a goal against Belgium in England’s final warm-up game and an earnest performance in the Euro 2012 opener against France.

The Manchester born forward, was steadfastly becoming the face of Roy Hodgson’s England and the spearhead of the England front line.

Welbeck started the game strongly, his movement both on and off the ball is a credit to the Manchester United youth system who blooded him, yet at half-time the hype machine had firmly lit a rocket under Andy Carroll, not too dissimilar to that of his astronomical transfer fee. Welbeck was the forgotten man and Carroll the English saviour.

There was no doubt that Carroll deserved credit. He had worked hard and done so at a frantic pace in the opening 45 minutes, notching a goal in the process but for all his effort and doggedness, Welbeck’s effortless guile was beginning to shine.

12 minutes from time, Welbeck scored what proved to be the winning goal, with a finish that was both planned and executed in supreme fashion and with Wayne Rooney’s suspension now at an end, fans, pundits and critics will all look to Hodgson for a decision on who Rooney will displace in the side.

The statistics for the game stack up in Welbeck’s favour, proving he was far more integral to the good play England displayed at times over his counterpart Carroll.

Welbeck’s passing completion rate for example stood at a mighty 96%, misplacing just one of his twenty-seven passes. This is of stark contrast to Carroll’s 56%, strong evidence of how well rounded Welbeck’s game has become and how key his champion like link-up play is.

Rooney will surely start, as Hodgson himself has implied, so Roy must now decide on who will make way for the boisterous number ten. For me, it’s a no-brainer.

Bert Van Marwijk is anything but your stereotypical Dutch coach....

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:54:23 -0400

Bert Van Marwijk is anything but your stereotypical Dutch coach. Where Rinus Michels wrote the blueprint to Oranje success, style and theory, Van Marwijk has scribbled over the top of it with a ghastly looking black marker.

From two games at the 2012 UEFA European Championship, the Netherlands have returned zero points and up until yesterday’s second half goal, were at that point the only team not to have found the back of the net in Poland and Ukraine.

This is a far cry from the expressive Dutch quality they undoubtedly possess in their present day squad. Robin Van Persie, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Luuk De Jong alone fired a net bulging 84 league goals between them in the 2011/12 season.

So what seems to be the problem? For many, you only have to cast your mind back two years to South Africa. Van Marwijk’s Oranje had reached the World Cup Final and yet many felt ashamed. Ashamed by the playing style which had got them there that is.

In Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel, Holland’s basis for all things football is to disrupt the opposition. The two deep lying central midfielders, with more yellows to their name than a Coldplay lyric, are the anti-establishment. Their inclusion has meant talents like Huntelaar and Van Der Vaart have been shackled to the bench, the padlock only to be unlocked when Van Marwijk feels desperation.

This is not the traditional Holland we all know, enjoy and respect. Many could probably excuse Van Marwijk for altering the national philosophy if he simply did not have the talent available to him but his squad selection suggests otherwise.

With just one game left in the tournament, and a favour from neighbours Germany required, it is imperative Van Marwijk sacrfices his own philosophy. Michels’s disciples are calling for his head already and it’d be of no surprise to see the Netherlands playing the Michels way come the World Cup qualifiers. Ajax Amsterdam’s Frank De Boer might have something to do with that.

When Sweden and Ukraine lined up against one another last night,...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:39:00 -0400

When Sweden and Ukraine lined up against one another last night, many largely expected to see the first 0-0 of the tournament. Whilst unflattering on paper, the BBC hardly did the game any favours. Sarcasm, a lack of seriousness and to a large extent arrogance emanated from messrs Lineker, Hansen and Shearer, whilst Dixon tried his upmost to buck the trend.

Ultimately, it set the game up for a pitfall but I couldn’t help but become
emotionally drawn into the impending duel between Zlatan Ibrahimović and Andriy Shevchenko.

Deep in the realms of Milan fandom, the pulses raced when the two stood opposite one another for the coin toss. Both men captaining their countries, both men with something to prove and I couldn’t help but feel the gauntlet had privately been thrown down.

“I am Milan’s finest ever striker,” was the message transmitted through my television when the two shook hands, Zlatan pompously avoiding eye contact as he did so. For me, the stage was set.

Whilst the first half was open and engaging, Martin Keown took to reading out loud from his big book of Zlatan clichés, from front to back… and then back to front again. The tireless effort into discrediting the great man continued into the second half until the big Swede then broke the deadlock to put Sweden a goal up, and place Ibra ahead in the Milan Capocannoniere Sweepstake.

Similarily for the co-hosts, Shevchenko was also taking his fair share of flak. Jokes of naming a stadium and square after him, were preceeded by Hansen’s best efforts to sarcastically denounce the great Ukrainian’s pace.

All of that was forgotten however when across a span of 7 minutes, Sheva hit a quick fire double to send the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv into raptures.

The former AC Milan gunner had proudly lifted his country on his back, secured three points for his nation, and lest we not forget, secured himself a more personal victory of the red and black variety.

Twitter: @Stoychers

Technically and tactically, you won’t have seen a better...

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:07:53 -0400

Technically and tactically, you won’t have seen a better game in the UEFA 2012 European Championship than the Group C game between Spain and Italy in Gdansk yesterday.

It had it all, an Italian back three with De Rossi filling the role of the Libero surrounded by a herd of Azzurri coloured Juventini, and a stacked Spanish midfield complete with false number 9, all whilst meshing the Catalan and Blanco styles under the bright red banner.

From Xavi to Pirlo, Fabregas to De Rossi, it wasn’t any wonder UEFA didn’t charge a congestion fee due to the sheer amount of midfielders named in the starting lineups, but despite this, the game was well contested and flowed with a real dynamism from box to box.

This was a far cry from the heavily anticipated camping at the edge of the box, which many expected of Italy, who instead gave Spain a thought provoking tactical offering. What surprises even more is that this was the first time the Azzurri had adopted this system under Prandelli, who proudly abandoned his own strategy to one which best suited his players.

The Azzurri threatened Iker Casillas’s goal on a number of occassions and although their back line was also tested, they looked the more credible goal threat. An early Cassano chance flashed across the goal and many Italian’s will have spilt their glass of Peroni when Thiago Motta’s late first half header went goalwards.

The second half saw even more of Prandelli’s daring Italian side, when Mario Balotelli dispossesed a troubled Sergio Ramos. Casually approaching a panicked Casillas, Balotelli had carved open the best chance of the game, only to be caught faltering under his own relaxed demeanor.

It was an error which saw Balotelli replaced by Udinese capocannoniere, Toto Di Natale and it didn’t take long for the Serie A bomber to have an impact. A primed goalscorer, ready to prove his worth, Di Natale latched onto a beautifully weighted through ball from Juventus regista Pirlo, and made absolutely no mistakes in finding the back of the net.

Following the goal, Italy somewhat abandoned the game plan. A lack of concentration from converted left wing-back Emanuele Giaccherini, saw Cesc Fabregas pounce onto a delicious ball around the corner from David Silva within 5 minutes of Di Natale’s opener.

The Azzurri however, remained strong for the remainder of the game and in the process restored some much needed faith and pride into the national team. This well earned point had finally returned smiles to the people of Italy and the team’s supporters.

Twitter: @Stoychers

In just hours, the 2012 UEFA European Championship is due to...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 08:51:11 -0400

In just hours, the 2012 UEFA European Championship is due to kick-start in Warsaw today, where co-hosts Poland play Greece.

Once all the typically underwhelming hoopla surrounding the opening ceremony finishes, we’ll probably begin to ponder why on earth UEFA insist on blowing large sums of money to see people ballet dance around the pitch with costumes on for half an hour. Then we’ll take a look at the two teams set to play in the opening fixture and probably wish we would have enjoyed the ballet dancing that little bit more.

For all the excitement which surrounds a major international tournament, we’re still going to have to endure 90 minutes of Poland v Greece, two teams who will hardly don their ballet shoes and metaphorically dance their way to a thrilling climax. The game really does have all the elements to capture the stigma of the prototypical ‘cagey opener’ tagline.

However, in Robert Lewandowski, Poland has a true superstar. Lewandowski, 23, has been a revelation in the Bundesliga for Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund and The White Eagles will be looking to him to kick-start their campaign this afternoon and dance to the tune of a nation in the process. Having struck a net blitzing 30 goals in 46 games for Dortmund last season, Poland will hope this kind of form doesn’t falter in Warsaw.

Having grabbed their place in the tournament off the back of their rights to host the tournament, Poland enter the competition as huge underdogs and will be hoping their home advantage plays its part. For the Poles to have any success in Euro 2012, they will need their support and their star man every step of the way.

Lining up opposite Greece’s formidable Sokratis Papastathopoulos, you can be assured a mesmeric ballet won’t be taking place in Warsaw. So, enjoy that opening ceremony whilst you can, because when the whistle blows, Fred and Ginger it ain’t.

Twitter: @Stoychers