REACTION TO ARSENAL FROM MANCHESTER UNITED VS ARSENAL (3-2)

  In what could turn out to be the biggest bottlejob Arsenal have produced in the Premier league under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal were effectively rolled over by a Manchester United team missing a number of key men, one that had no natural central defender and a number of inexperienced players in the XI. You look at the teams on paper and it was almost a no brainer to go for an Arsenal win but for those of us that have been following this club for long enough, we all know of the x-factor of this club which is the ability to produce bottlejobs literally from thin air.

  Starting with the lineup yesterday, we were supposed to be lined up as a 4-2-3-1 and I guess defend in a 4-4-2 as we have been doing for a while now but however, due to the personnel involved yesterday, we effectively had a 4-2-4 and left the 2 in the midfield pivot with a sea of space to cover which left us basically crying out to be counter-attacked and that turned out to be the case with the 3 goals conceded coming from effective and quick transitions by United and fairplay to them for how well they ended up playing but I feel we really did basically play into their hands. There was an interview recently where Olivier Giroud said we are our own worst enemies and its hard to disagree based on this evidence.

  It is very easy to point at players and say "You know that Aaron Ramsey guy is shit you know, Barca robbed us for Alexis, Walcott is a pub player etc". The fact is looking back today after removing myself from the flood of emotions that came after the match, I realised that our squad is full of what I call niche players. These are players that thrive either only with a certain type of player next to them or within a particular gameplan/system basically. I'm a big Aaron Ramsey fan (and yes I know he was terrible yesterday even lucky not to be sent off) but its clear he is one of these niche players. Think of Aaron at the peak of his powers, you see him receive the ball in the second phase of play, make a clever pass to advance the move, arrive later from midfield to finish the move. Notice I said second phase, as its quite obvious Aaron is not suited to being in charge of the first phase of play as he is not what you would describe as a controller thus meaning he has to be partnered with someone ready and able to do that job as we saw was the case when he was partnered with Mikel Arteta. Francis Coquelin and Mathieu Flamini are nowhere near this ilk thus its no suprise Ramsey struggles beside any of them. They (like Ramsey) long to have a distributor beside who is happy to receive the ball from the defence and effectively play passes in between the opposition's lines to the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez to allow them attack the opposition's defence and thus create chances/take shots. Speaking about that defensive midfield position, I wrote about the importance of the position a while back on this site Here. I personally feel that in order to move forward though, we need a defensive midfielder in that deep lying playmaker ilk to take charge of the first phase of play because in a team like Arsenal we are going to have more of the ball than our opponents in at least 70% of the games we are involved with which makes the first phase of play very very important. Quite frankly it is mind boggling that we do not have such a player in the squad and that has to be another string to the "Wenger Out" movement's bow. The jury is still out for Mohammed El Nenny as from what we've seen, he is seen at the same level as Mathieu Flamini which is worrying. Although, El Nenny's cameo yesterday was a bright spot in the whole disaster.

  Now, Theo Walcott, my goodness, his performance yesterday would be the outcome of an experiment to create a diabolical performance in a lab. He had just 17 touches, lost the ball 10 times and made only 6 passes, also didn't take any shots. However, is there anything that was suprising in all honesty? Theo is limited and is the definition of a niche player. What he is good at, he is quite good at but offers nothing much more. Theo is good at attacking space and latching on to through passes and slotting home but he doesn't offer more. The fact he is our top earner is quite shocking but again surely this has to be on the manager because we all know his limits. In the 12/13 season, The team was built to service his strengths and he delivered 21 goals in that season. However, I feel there is no way him or in fact Giroud should be first choice at this club if we are to reach where we want to be.

  

  Now, there's a feeling from a large number of Arsenal fans that if Cazorla was fit, everything would be alright based on our 2015 form. I really disagree because I feel that front 6 of Coquelin-Cazorla Ramsey-Ozil-Alexis Walcott was flawed because the midfield pivot could not function without a central midfielder out wide (anyone who disagrees should watch and compare our 2 matches against Bayern Munchen) which then forces us to need our left winger and centre forward to be outlets and from close inspection, Alexis doesn't seem to instinctually want to be an outlet and then Walcott, my previous paragraph is enough for his case. It was just a system that just didn't seem sustainable at all as it just could not cope with injury or loss of form to any of those players as without Cazorla, we could not build, without Coquelin we could not defend, without Ramsey, the pivot was exposed. To be fair that team sort of has the feel of a patch job. Ultimately again, you have to feel that we need more investment for where we are trying to reach in European Football.

  

  Now, this season, Honestly, I feel like the dream of winning the Premier League in this season that has done everything to spoonfeed us the title is gone and ultimately I do not feel that there is any case to defend Wenger's position because it is literally the definition of insanity. I would love nothing more than to eat the words I just typed and drown myself in alcohol and joy in May but ultimately I feel we should at least review the situation in the summer even if we do win the league. I think questions have to asked about where we are trying to reach in the game and what steps we are taking to reach that point. However, we have a board with hardly anyone who is a footballing man that can try to hold Wenger accountable and try to shepherd the club to where we want. Ultimately, I feel that Arsene is someone right now who would rather not do anything than risk making a mistake. Look at our transfer business and team construction over the past few years and you see that Wenger has essentially stumbled upon things by accident, the current squad agrees with that, the likes of Coquelin and Bellerin support that notion in the sense that they have done well but let's be honest, no one would have counted on them when planning for the season and rightly so. It becomes a case that maybe the wrong signings like Santos, Gervinho, Park, Squillacci, Podolski and Arshavin have scarred him and this is a job where any ounce of cowardice should not be entertained. We are actually trapped in a vicious cycle of do well, hope for the investment to push us, Wenger lets us down, we bottle in a key period and around and around we go. It’s quite sad. However, it should be noted that with the kind of board we have, Wenger leaving could leave us off worse as he virtually does everything in the club. Maybe we should consider bringing in a Director of football but I guess my point is things should be looked at at least at the end of the season because at the end of the day, it’s the fans that are left to suffer.

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WHAT IS GOING ON AT CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB?

Over the past 5 months this question has been asked repeatedly, punctuated by shocking performances from the champions of England. The giants of South-West London had fallen, suddenly and abruptly, seemingly without warning. This article does not aim to give a clear answer to the problems at Chelsea Football Club as that would take more insight and time than I currently possess.

The 2015/2016 season for Chelsea fans has been in many ways a lucid, immensely saddening nightmare. In isolation its been a horrendous season for England’s most successful club over the last decade, but add that to the fact that they are reigning champions and you get an even bleaker picture. Practically everything that could go wrong this season has done so (bar a league double over Arsenal, yay small victories). Those two victories over an opponent that hasn’t seriously threatened us in a league match since the dark days of AVB stand our only consolation.

A shocking preseason showing (Losses to Fiorentina, NY Red Bulls etc.) coupled with a largely underwhelming transfer window (Papy Freaking Djilobodji and the John Stone debacle) prior to the season that should have ushered in a new Chelsea dynasty should have sent alarm bells ringing but they didn’t. The manager at the time sent veiled shots at the board for not buying to strengthen the team significantly, as other rivals had done, City being at the foremost of this. Instead we started the season with no marquee signings and a squad of first team players who had without needed competition for places had grown complacent. What we then saw at Chelsea over the next couple of months was hard to quantify.

The rot seemed to pervade every area of the first team; the defense that won the league the year before capitulated spectacularly, conceding 5 goals in the first two games. Whilst Ivanovic and co. showed us the true meaning of a horror show, Fabregas and Matic (two immense performers last season) proceeded to play at levels so low rumors of dressing room spats and mutiny became commonplace.  Diego Costa (unreal loss of form and concentration), Falcao (mostly injured, baffling signing) and Loic Remy (bit of injury and poor form) all played their part in the early season debacles, some more obviously than others but culpable nonetheless. Pedro showed early flashes after being signed but ended up fizzling out spectacularly. Willian (a player I have admittedly bashed online for being a waste of space) has been the only consistently above average player at the club this season, some posit that seeing the signing of fellow right-winger Pedro boosted him to give match winning performances.

The next player to be assessed gets his own little paragraph and you can already guess whom. Eden “No Show This Season” Hazard, the mercurial, supremely talented Belgian who won all there was to win domestically last season. A player so lauded that his manager thought it fit to infamously compare his season with that of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. As I write this blog post Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 30 goals this season, pretty amazing numbers from the prolific Portuguese, especially when compared to the solitary goal for Chelsea’s Belgian wunderkind (Penalty versus MK Dons). A full dive into what exactly Eden Hazard has done wrong this season would require numerous pages but for brevity’s sake I’ll be succinct. HE HAS BEEN UTTER POO. Poo enough to let the club and fans down as the champions fell into the most unlikely of relegation battles.

The board of the West London club had to react to this immense slide didn’t they? They surely did and in pure Chelsea fashion too; Jose Mourinho was sacked. This being a decision that characterizes the quick-fix mentality that has enraged fans and critics alike for years. To fix symptoms and largely ignore the larger issues while enraging fans is what Chelsea’s board seems to do best. It is well known that Chelsea is not a particularly well-run establishment, a club with no clear plan for the talented youngsters in the academy or those out on loan. The emergence of young stars like Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Hector Bellerin at Chelsea’s London rivals this season make the club’s failure to truly utilize the verve of youth all the more disappointing for fans.

 Constant changing of managers has also meant no real lasting strategy in acquiring stars for the first team as well. For Chelsea to move forward a total rethink of the club’s power structure is absolutely necessary. I highly doubt we will be able to attract top managers who will be ok with being hamstrung in the transfer window as Jose was in his last season. I wonder what would persuade a top manager to sign on to a project that is notorious for taking the players’ side when things go south. Things really aren’t looking up for the boys from SW6.

The article was to end on a high note, as Chelsea is unbeaten under interim manager Guus Hiddink and recently trounced MK Dons 5-1 in the FA Cup. Alas the often-despicable Chelsea board have struck again, John Terry is being allowed to leave the club. Now there are not enough swear words available to fully describe how the majority of the fan base (myself included) feel about this abysmal decision. As with legends before him the club captain will be disgracefully ushered out of the team when he still has so much to give. Granted Terry is 35 and nowhere near his peak but his ability to lead and influence others around him can’t be understated. Chelsea fans are deflated, the season continues to disappoint and daunting matches (PSG, City and United) are on the horizon. I hope to write again at the end of this season, to determine the exact level of disaster this season has turned out to be. Till then COME ON YOU BLUES.

*Header image sourced from http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/24539-2/

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LIVERPOOL FANS HAVE REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC WITH KLOPP, BUT SHOULD BE WARY IF THINGS TURN SOUR

With the arrival of Jurgen Klopp Liverpool have made their biggest signing at the time of the deal since Fernando Torres in 2007. No doubt about this, the Fenway Sports Group have made a massive statement with the appointment of the charismatic German. Klopp and the Kop look a match made in heaven, his passion and style fits with the fans and what Liverpool want to achieve. However Liverpool fans have to be careful not to be left disappointed again if things don't go as expected. 

Firstly, Liverpool fans have been talking of top four finish this season and challenging for the title next season. It's easier said than done. Liverpool currently have the 5th best squad in league. Normally for a team to finish above general expectations you need at least two of three to happen. 1) Have a manager who's better than those with better squads (Liverpool probably have a better manager than some of their top 4 managers), (2) You have to have certain players playing at the absolute peak of their powers (Luis Suarez 13/14) and (3) A fellow rival having a poor season (Man Utd 13/14). Liverpool have number 1. As of right now nobody is helping in regards number 2, and number 3 Chelsea are doing well to help with that, and in all honesty you do expect Chelsea to start pushing towards the top 4 places at some point except they pull off a Dortmund and have a vastly poor season. 

In regards to Dortmund comes the second and more important point. Dortmund spent the majority of last season flirting with relegation before finally getting themselves to a still disappointing 7th. Robert Lewandowski would be a massive loss for any team, especially when you couple that with injuries and poor form from certain players. But isn't that the exact same thing that happened to Rodgers in 14/15 and in a more difficult league? Make no mistake, this is no comparism between Rodgers and Klopp. It's a thorough examination of the chances of Klopp being the new Wenger in the negative aspects Arsenal fans criticize him for. 

The similarities between Wenger and Klopp are too much to overlook

Arsenal fans complain of Wenger's insistence on certain players in certain positions (Mertasacker, Arteta = Kehl, Immobile), stubbornness to change style (4-2-3-1 and passing philosophy for Arsenal, 4-2-3-1 and high press from Dortmund), constant sale of key players to rivals which diminishes their chances of success (Van persie, Nasri see Götze & Lewandowski). Add that to the fact that Wenger also has to deal with injuries to key players every season (Wilshere, Van Persie see Reus, Gundogan) and you can see the similarities. Wenger inspite of all these problems managed to finish in UCL places each time. Klopp couldn't do that in his final season. 

Another interesting thing i thought about whilst writing this article was quality of teams that actually pursued Klopp. The German was available during the summer and in his defence only the Real Madrid job was available but he wasn't even in the reckoning for that with names like Paco Jemez of Rayo making it. Yes, people would say Madrid wanted a Spanish coach but surely if Klopp was part of the crème de la crème of managers in Europe he would have surely made it to the shortlist. In 2013, after making it to the Champions league final, almost every top club were looking for new managers, Real Madrid, Barca, Bayern, Chelsea, Man City, Juventus, Man Utd, PSG. Klopp could have gotten anyone of choice at the time, but he decided to stay and said at the time "I promise that everything will work out in the end. We are building a new team, a new pressing machine." He failed to live up to that promise as he finished 19 points behind Bayern in 13/14 and at the end of his reign he was offered jobs as coach of Mexico, Marseille, RB Leipzig, Milan & Liverpool (see the change in quality of teams). 

Yes, Klopp won the Bundesliga twice but Bayern until 13/14 had been not won back to back titles since 05/06. Inconsistency allowed teams like Wolfsburg, Stuggart to win titles. Jupp Heynckes was in a rebuilding process from the LVG in 11/12 and when he finally got it right in 12/13 he blew a Dortmund team that contained (Gotze & Lewandowski) away by 25 points, beat them in the cup & UCL final. Sure Dortmund won many hearts that year (2013), but people forget they escaped Malaga in extremely controversial circumstances and faced a Real Madrid side that was at war against itself. (You see similarities to what was said earlier? Poor form from better teams helping out).

The last issue with Klopp is his philosophy. Don't get it twisted. Klopp's philosophy at it's best is simply football heaven. He explains it below: 
This system won hearts and made Dortmund feared

The problem with such football is that it is hugely energy sapping and tiresome and after a while the players become unable to continue mentally and physically as seen with injuries and laboured performances the Dortmund players had last season. Soccerbants expert Ore Yusuf also made note of this a while ago. 




A joy to watch but hard too sustain with injuries and constant change of players 

"Gegenpressing" as Klopp calls it is something that could work at Liverpool. It was evident in large spells in the 13/14 season, but when the injuries and tiredness starts kicking in both club & manager have found it hard to cope. Liverpool capitulated in 13/14. Klopp resorted to long balls and crosses when teams counter pressed or ceded them possession to them. Exact same thing that was evident when he was initially trying to instill his philosophy at Dortmund. In essence Klopp took Dortmund from a low point to the pinnacle of European football and left them right where he met them (Similar to Wenger now? Picked Arsenal from sleeping giants to champions and Arsenal could be said to be sleeping giants again). For those thinking the problem was with the players, notice how Thomas Tuchel has Dortmund playing quality football again with a different style. 

In all, Klopp is a brilliant acquisition from Liverpool and the charisma, motivation and quality of football he brings would surely push Liverpool far and would probably meet expectations of UCL football during the 3 years he signed up for, but would he be able to use his aura & philosophy to galvanise Liverpool to the title like he and their fans expect in 4 years? That's a different story when you consider the tiring nature his style brings. 

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NEW TACTICAL TRENDS THAT MIGHT HAVE GONE UNDER THE RADAR A BIT POST 2012

The game of football is forever evolving as no gameplan or philosophy in football (or indeed any other sport) can ever be full-proof which is why the tactical battles between managers are forever interesting. This piece focuses on two major tactical developments which I feel the game has seen quite recently (post 2012 to give a specific timeframe).

A NEW MEANS OF CONTROL:

Between 2009 and 2012, most systems employed by managers (of essentially the bigger teams who had the quality) stemmed from being able to control games via players who were able to either hasten or calm the pace and intensity of a game depending on what the coach required (controllers). Majority (if not all) of the controllers in football play as central midfielders [be that as central defensive midfielders (playing as deep lying playmakers when in possession), orthodox central midfielders or central attacking midfielders/number 10s].

This time period was utterly dominated by Spain internationally and Barcelona at club level and is known to some as the tiki-taka era which was built upon slick and accurate passing coupled with elusive and effective movements all stemming from the midfield. Barcelona while employing the 4-3-3 formation with Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta had arguably (if not truly) the best 3 players at controlling a game and it is no coincidence that these 3 along with Xabi Alonso (another elite controller) formed the midfield of the Spanish national team which was also totally dominant at the time and went on to win the World Cup in 2010. They hardly blew teams away in that tournament in terms of scoring lots of goals but most of the time were able to keep their opponents at arm’s length throughout the course of the game with them hardly getting time on the ball. They employed a 4-2-3-1 formation for most of the tournament with a Busquets-Alonso pivot. Xavi in an advanced role in front of them with Iniesta as a wide playmaker from the right and Pedro from the left offering them an outlet by attacking space and making runs to stretch teams [in order to afford the likes of Xavi and Iniesta more space] as well as get into goalscoring positions himself . That pivot dominated the deep areas of midfield and helped the Spaniards sustain pressure by easily recycling possession till gaps appeared which also minimized the opportunity for opposition teams to launch counter attacks against them.

Fast forward four years to Spain’s first game in World Cup 2014 and that same pivot was employed by Del Bosque and was ruthlessly exposed by the Netherlands (who they faced in the World Cup 2010 final). It was a top tactical performance from Louis Van Gaal’s side in terms of how they pressed Busquets and Alonso in deep areas in midfield and as such the Spanish were unable to be quite settled in possession while led to the Dutch winning the ball high up the pitch and they were able to turn defence into attack very quickly with Arjen Robben putting in a truly eye catching performance on and off the ball. This match was a bit similar to what we had seen happen to the then mighty Barcelona against Bayern Munchen in the 2012/2013 season [although there were issues with Barcelona such as the health of then manager Tito Villanova (R.I.P.) as well as the injury to their talisman Lionel Messi]. In the same tournament, we saw Italy look lacklustre as well while having Pirlo and Veratti at the heart of their midfield and weren’t able to deal with the energy Costa Rica and Uruguay showed. In the aftermath of that, we have now seen top teams try to strike a balance by having a bit more energy and drive introduced into the midfield. Barcelona did it by introducing Ivan Rakitic to their midfield on their way to a treble last season even managers known for their love of possession football such as Guardiola (with the recent signing of Arturo Vidal onto his Bayern Munchen team), Wenger (his use of Aaron Ramsey there from early 2013), Brendan Rodgers (with Jordan Henderson) and more. The introduction of such players has also helped knit the defensive and attacking sides of a team together in a better way as these box to box type players receive from the defensive players on the team and feed the attackers more often than not (usually after carrying the ball a sizeable distance at times and some also have a knack of arriving from deep to finish moves off like Rakitic did in the last Champions league final). Such an approach also has a downside as build up play might be a bit messy and less measured compared with having an engine room filled with controllers. This issue has then in most cases been counteracted by managers putting players who are a naturally central attacking midfielders (number 10s) on one the wings to make play less erratic. This then leaves the full back playing behind such a “false” winger have the added responsibility of providing the width on that side as these false wingers are usually given the license to roam infield to get more involved in play and create chances. It’s also difficult for opposing full backs to track such players as they aren’t sure whether to track them infield or just let them go. This usually means that the winger on the opposite flank is usually minimally involved in build-up play and focuses more on off the ball movement as outlets. It also should be noted that there are a few players who play on the wing nowadays that are a perfect blend between playmaker and outlet such as the great Lionel Messi and to a lesser degree Eden Hazard (last season especially).

THE RISE OF THE PLAYMAKING CENTRE FORWARD:

I think the easiest way to drive home this point is how Real Madrid went from preferring Gonzalo Higuain (although slightly) to Karim Benzema to sending Higuain out of the club to make Benzema undoubted first choice despite the Argentine having the superior goal/games ratio and came out a better team.

In a short space of time, we’ve seen the typical prima punta type frontmen like Falcao, Higuain etc in the top teams who like to play on the shoulder of the last defender in search for through balls in behind the defence to go through on goal and score give way to the more technically gifted strikers who are adept as target men (holding the ball up to allow other players move up the pitch to get involved in play) as well as being able to create chances for their teammates while also being able to score goals themselves and even run channels/make runs to create space for other players. To many, Benzema is more or less the best of such centre forwards presently along with Luis Suarez although the Uruguayan is rated higher based him being deadlier in front of goal and being more energetic than the Frenchman.

The sudden demand for this type of centre forward could be attributed to the fact that most top teams now operate with just one centre forward in order to avoid being overpowered in midfield where many teams employ 3 players now and this means that that target man ability in strikers has become more important as when the ball goes up to the striker, he has to be able to hold it on his own while waiting for support to arrive especially now where teams employ counterattacking tactics at least once in a while and without such a striker, moves will more often than not break down and lead to a team being under relentless pressure. This development has also led to wide players being the main source of goals in a good number of teams. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Arjen Robben and Marco Reus are the main goal getters for their teams and start in wide positions which shows how widespread this tactical trend is becoming because it is harder for opponents to defend against as the Centre forward can keep centre backs busy and as such allow these players drift into goal-scoring positions undetected by making well-timed “out to in” runs in between full back and centre back most times. A run that Cristiano Ronaldo (who but for a certain Messi is undoubtedly the best goalscorer in the game at the moment) has mastered to perfection. Such runs are found by sharp passes/flicks from these playmaking forwards when they have their back to goal or have dropped deep to get more involved and allow runners from deep get ahead of them. The rise to prominence of such players has more or less put to bed the idea that “Centre forwards must only be judged by goals” that many people seemed to go by up until recently. Of course, such players are still required to score goals (as both Suarez and Benzema do) but nowadays goalscoring is definitely not the only thing that makes a top striker.

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A PROTOTYPE OF 2014? RODGERS IS GOING BACK TO TAKE LIVERPOOL FORWARD

The 2013/2014 will was fill Liverpool fans with joy but ultimately disappointment. With 3 games to go, the reds only needed 7 points to win their first league title in 24 years. However an untimely slip and a naive display at Selhurst park left the reds with 4 points from the final 3 games and eventually failed to win the league title. The 2014/2015 season was the complete antithesis of the 2013/2014. Bar a period between February and early April, Liverpool were dreadful and the season finished an unpoetic way as Liverpool were demolished 6-1 away at Stoke on Steven Gerrard's last game for the club. The aim or feeling around the club is a return to the 2013/2014 season in terms of style of play and mentality. Obviously that is almost impossible to do, but recent signs and signings seem to be headed towards that direction. Firstly, players have come and gone in these past 2 years. Raheem Sterling, Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson, all played prominent roles in that 13/14 season, but the biggest absentees are talismatic captain Steven Gerrard and in my opinion the best striker in world football in the shape of Luis Suarez. Those two players can never be replaced. They arguably had the biggest impact than any other member of the squad. Gerrard has been replaced with James Milner(experienced versatile head), Emre Can (DLP) & Jordan Henderson (as captain), depending on the view point you take. Luis Suarez has been replaced, shamefully by Mario Balotelli and now Christain Benteke. Both signings in terms of style of play, are nothing to what Suarez is like. Both signings show obvious difference in what Liverpool play, and what they actually play. We can only hope the latter signing doesn't turn out like the former. Raheem Sterling left Liverpool under a cloud and in the eyes of many Liverpool supporters, good riddance to bad rubbish. His antics from December onwards were quite disgraceful. Jordan Ibe is the one many look to replace Sterling. Personally, i feel Ibe, can go on to be as good or even better than Raheem, he just needs to work on some parts of his game. Roberto Firmino is an interesting prospect. He comes into the club similar to the way Suarez came. He was known, but what he actually could do wasn't all that known, and comes in with a hefty fee, but less than another of club's signing . What the Brazilian does would be interesting to see. Nathiel Clyne is an instant upgrade on the Glen Johnson. The signings of summer 2014 weren't all that great, in fact, only Adam Lallana, Alberto Moreno & to a lesser extent Lazar Markovic & Dejan Lovren offer hope of showing the potential on which they were brought into the club for. Now that we've spoken about the players, let's talk about the systems. In that 2013/2014, Liverpool played many systems like Brendon Rodgers likes, but two systems really strike this writer. The 4-3-3 and the 4-4-2 diamond. 

The 4-3-3 above  is self explanatory. The few problems this could have is, Sturridge never really performed the wide role as good as Suarez the few times they exchanged roles during games. Milner replaces Gerrard in midfield, but Milner isn't a DLP and although Jordan Henderson has played that role in a few preseason matches, this system would leave an already suspect defence even more open to danger. 

For the 4-4-2 diamond, gives Liverpool more balance, as a proper DLP in Emre Can is played but the problem is, one attacking player has to be left out and for reasons of price tag (Firmino & Benteke) and well known ability (Sturridge & Coutinho), it's hard to pick on. A diamond requires the forwards to  spread wide to pin opposing full backs, back and allow the 10 to slot into the forward position. Based on this, Firmino & Sturridge are best forwards in such situations. However Coutinho isn't one to get into the box, the same reason Rodgers preferred, Sterling as the 10 in 13/14. Firmino would be the best option for the 10, but that now lives a spot in the forward line. Divork Origi could fill that position but you don't see him as anything more than a squad player. 

Other successful systems under Rodgers such as the 4-2-3-1 (in 13/14) and the 3-4-2-1 (in 14/15) could/would most definitely be used over the course of the season. However in my opinion, the 4-3-3 would serve Liverpool more, when everyone is fully fit. Replicating the 13/14 season is almost impossible, but with the signings, rapid counter attacks and high intense pressing all returned in preseason and with Rodgers in the last chance saloon, expect, some beautiful football from Liverpool once again. 

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OVERRATED AND OVERPRICED? JAMES RODRIGUEZ IS NOW A CULT HERO AND IMPORTANT COG AT MADRID

When James Rodriguez lite up the world cup in Brazil with dazzling performances, won the golden boot at the tournament, add that to the fact he played for lowly Monaco you just knew he was on his way to superstardom and glamour. What  club suited his superstardom amd glamour? Real Madrid. Before the tournament ended rumours of a potential move to Madrid sufficed. He added fuel to the fire when he said he would jump straight at the opportunity to join Real. I wrote (see article here https://soccerbants.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/james-rodriguez-a-talent-but-not-worth-it-yet/  at the time about how he was a talent but due to his world cup exploits, his achievements with Monaco and the price from which he moved from Porto the previous year, he would be valued at €90m. It was no surprise really when he moved for he 5th highest transfer in world football for €80m. Was he worth it at the time? No. However, Madrid wanted him, €80m was the price Monaco wanted and Florentino Perez paid. 

World football went crazy, about how he wasn't worth it. How he was overpriced, overrated, how he was only bought to sell shirts (mind you he regained his transfer fee in shirt sales in a week) a one-tournament wonder (as Graeme Souness said on Sky). More trouble came out when story came out that Angel Di Maria had asked to leave Madrid. For some reason world football and some Madrid fans attacked James, saying he was at fault. Others criticized Florentino Perez of selling his "engine" for another car part, alluding to how Makelele left in 2003. This i found baffling, considering Di Maria left on his own accord, after the club refused to up his contract to €10m a year which only 2 people at the club earned/earn above that (Casillas & Ronaldo). 

James on the other hand, made a great start to life in a Madrid shirt, scoring on his debut after coming off the bench against Atletico Madrid in a 1-1 draw. After that game he never looked back. Scoring spectacular goals, delivering assits and causing trouble for opposition and adding  intricacy to Madrid's play all while playing in a withdrawn role from his favorite number 10 position. He worked his socks of always running, helping in winning the ball back and creating chances for the BBC. Either as a right winger or the aforementioned midfield. James was sublime. By early November many Madrid fans have falling in love with him and forgotten about Di Maria. 

When James got injured in early February against Sevilla, you could sense the fear in some quarters. He has basically carried Madrid through January. He was out for 3 months and the next game against Atletico Madrid, his loss was felt as Madrid labored to create anything in a 4-0 drubbing. That was the case of most of the games James missed. There was talk among Madrid fans that Isco should start ahead of James when everyone was fit. This I found baffling again, cause although Isco is a wonderful talent, he is not as good as James. This was seen in the clasico right before James returned. Isco was impressive, but Madrid lacked that extra bite James would have certainly brought along. His first game back brought about 2 assists in a 60-minute cameo in the 9-1 annihilation of Granada. Normally players need time to get their sharpness back, but he took no time & was even better than when he got injured. The BBC looked better as well. 

If there is one criticism this writer may have on the Colombian is that, he is too reliant on his left foot. Granted that, that left foot, probably has one of the best accuray on it at Madrid, as this free kick demonstrates https://vine.co/v/egY3iXF52bD . However, a time would come when defenders would try to force him onto his right, which would become a problem. Although he does have the tendency to deliver a lovely outside foot cross or shot (Atletico 1st leg UCL). Either way, with 17 assists altogether, and 16 from his left foot, my point is proven. 

With Rafa Benitez now in charge & a change to a 4-2-3-1 system touted, it opens up his real position, the number 10 role. However reports in Spain say James would still not be given that position, as Bale or Benzema are being looked at for that role. If this is true, we're looking at the possibility of James being pushed out of position to the flanks. 

His season may not have been rewarded with success, however with 17 goals, 17 assists, stunning goals and scintillating displays James Rodriguez has won over the hearts of Madrid fans, made them forget about Di Maria and become a vital component in the team & arguably Madrid's best player this past season. 

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RAFA BENITEZ: AN APPOINTMENT CRAZY ENOUGH THAT JUST MIGHT WORK OR BACKFIRE TERRIBLY

Rafa Benitez has been officially made the coach fo Real Madrid. This is without doubt is an underwhelming appointment. As much as most Madrid fans would  like to b positive, initially and deep down they know it's not what they wanted. Most wanted Carlo to stay, few others like myself (as stated extensively here http://soccerbants.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/thank-you-for-la-decima-but-truth-be.html) wanted Carlo out. Sacking a manager and appointing a new manager is a 2-way thing, and i think Florentino Perez has gotten 50% of the job right. 

Sure, Benitez is a Madrid boy, born and raised in the city, played for Castilla, managed Castilla and worked under Vicente Del Bosque. Sure Benitez did really well to win 2 Ligas and the uefa cup at Valencia and also the champions league at Liverpool. 

However, Benitez has been nicking a living since that famous night in Istanbul and his whole career has been based on those successes, which were 10 years ago and more. Benitez hasn't even managed in the champions league is 2009 (managed 1 group game for Chelsea in 2012). His record at Valencia is impressive but most of that squad was a squad that went contested back to Champions leaghe finals in 2000 & 2001. It's easy to see that, the Valencia squad then was strong enough at home and in Europe. At Liverpool, Istanbul was a glorious night, but if it wasn't for steven Gerrard, Liverpool would have been knocked out in the group stage. The final itself can also be viewed as down to Milan relaxing. It should also be noted he was the same manager that blew a 10-point lead (Man utd had 2 games in hand however) in 09. He started Liverpool's mediocre period by finishing 7th in 2010. His record at Inter was poor, winning the 2 easiest competitions (super cup and CWC) following the reign of Jose Mourinho. Regardless the manager Chelsea would have expected to win the Europa league in 2013 after getting knocked out in the group stage. Napoli deservedly won the Coppa Italia of 2014, but needless to say, they should be in and around that tournament every year. Jose Mourinho once called him the lucky one, to a certain degree he is.

Benitez is also somewhat egoistic. He had issues with Gerrard and Torres at Liverpool over playing positions and minutes afforded on the pitch. He had issues with the Inter squad as he was never really liked by the them post-Mourinho (similar situation for Madrid in this case). At Chelsea there was the problem with John Terry and not him not being able to play twice a week. Funny how Terry played every minute of the 38 premier league games this season. Benitez likes his ways to always be done, no matter what. At Madrid, the players are always treated above others. Safe to see  we'll watch this space for a bust up between Benitez and most senior players,Ramos, Ronaldo, Casillas, especially given the way the former 2 loved Ancelotti dearly. Also, given the way, those players brought an rumored ultimatum to Perez about choosing between Mou or them, it's clear something will have to give. 

Speaking of Senor Florentino, he is another control freak. Benitez generally has had problems with his owners, especially with things related to transfers. It happened at Valencia, it happened at Liverpool, it happened at Inter. His relationship with the president was good, but Benitez did speak about his disappointment in a lack of investment in the summer of 2014. Florentino Perez hardly gives any manager supreme power, he gave it to Mourinho and we all saw the way that ended. I doubt he'll give such to Benitez. Here another rift path looks set especially with the way Florentino has 90% of the say in transfers. 

Tactically Benitez is good enough. Although he has the tag of being defensive, he isn't. His teams score goals. Liverpool scored 119 goals in 07-08 in all competitions, Napoli scored 104 goals combined over the last 2 serie A seasons. They conceded 54 goals in 2014/2015. Doesn't look to defensive that. Napoli fans complained about how he was stubborn to change his 4-2-3-1 system no matter how many times he was found out. He used the system in each and every league game in his 2 years at Napoli. 

Benitez is a good manager, no doubt about it, he has never failed to win a trophy any where he has been, despite the situation, be it financially, hate from fans or his own players, or being against the odds, he has always succeeded. He will prepares for games articulately and to the very last detail, using videos and specific detail. He plans his team on a game to game basis and based on the opponents. He will also utilise castilla properly and make use of the entire squad due to his die hard habit of squad rotation which keeps the players fresh at the business end of the season. However those attributes are extremely similar to that of Unai Emery at Sevilla, who I sincerely wanted to take the job. Emery is less experienced and hasn't managed a massive club like Madrid, but he betters Benitez in fact that he puts his arm round his players like Carlo did and is more of a manager. Benitez is extremely professional which can make the environment too strict and tense to work in. Emery also is more flexible as he is more that willing to change his systems. Benitez beat him to it simply by lack of experience in UCL and with a massive club and also by the fact that Benitez is a Madrid indigene. 

Only time will tell if Florentino Perez was right to appoint Benitez. Benitez has career is that of deception. He always succeeds and also has issues that people hold against him. Benitez will either be successful for the length of his tenure (hopefully for the good of Madrid) or be that manager that is fired in January or May 2016. It's going to make for interesting viewing, grab your popcorn. 

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