Everton forward Kevin Mirallas has played down hopes of the club challenging for a Champions league place this season, claiming ‘there is still a long way to go’, reports Sky Sports.
David Moyes’ side continued their fantastic start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Goodison Park, which saw them climb to second place in the Premier League table, just three points behind leaders Chelsea.
And summer signing Mirallas has started to make a significant impact on the team’s form, scoring his first goal for the club in the previous weeks 3-0 win at Swansea, before providing two assists against the Saints.
The Belgian international is loving life on Merseyside so far, but is keen to play down the expectation his new side could be in the same position come May.
“Before I signed, I was looking at the Europa League being a more realistic ambition,” he told the Liverpool Daily Post.
“But certainly now as the season has got underway, we have got a good crop of players here and are playing some really nice football.
“It’s fantastic that we are second and our ambition now has to be to stay up there and put pressure on those around us. It’s a long season though and there’s a long way to go, so we’ll have to see what happens.”
Mirallas has also admitted to being surprised at how quickly he has settled at Goodison Park.
“It’s going a lot better than I could have hoped for. The settling in period has been a lot shorter than I thought it was going to be.
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“That’s because of various reasons. My team-mates are really cool with me, they have been great with me. They talk to me a lot and support me a lot. The other big factor is that I’ve spent a lot more time on the field and played in more games than I thought I might have done at first.
“I’m still not quite there physically. I still need a good run of games to be 100 per cent fit. I had a chat with the manager when I first came here and he was fully aware that I hadn’t a full pre-season because I’d had a problem with my knee. I’m trying to catch up on that by playing games,” he added.
Exploring new tactical concepts is becoming something of the norm amongst modern football managers. The days of teams being set out in the same old humdrum formations are long gone, the agenda now revolving on opponents having to second guess their own plan of action in order to gain the upper hand on field. Evolution has all but consigned the popular 4-4-2 to the history books in favour of the contemporary 4-3-3 ushered in during the early part of the millennium.
In the last two or three years the methodology surrounding tactics has altered significantly with managers now beginning to take a more in-depth, analytical approach. Manchester City, in particular, have benefitted from Roberto Mancini’s willingness to experiment with new strategies, the Italian introducing a functional model that has transformed the clubs fortunes during his two-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.
Of course many will contend the level of success during Mancini’s short reign is derived from the deep pockets of the clubs owners and, while that has indisputably played a part, overhauling a tactical framework that was in disarray during predecessor Mark Hughes’ reign proved just as crucial. The system he implemented was a relatively straight forward but vastly effective 4-2-3-1 that works on a double pivot of two disciplined holding midfielders, giving the players in advanced positions the freedom to attack in swarms and out number the opposition all the while retaining a sense of defensive stability.
So prevalent has this setup become that even England, famed for their persistence with the bog standard 4-4-2, started to adopt it prior to and during Euro 2012. The beauty of the system is that it allowed City to quickly transform into two banks of four when possession was surrendered thus preventing teams from hitting them on a counter attack. The ability to fluidly adapt their shape to changing circumstances throughout a game ultimately proved to be a fundamental component of their Premier League title success. 93 goals scored and only 29 conceded in 38 games. That tells its own story.
With that in mind Mancini’s decision to all but trash 4-4-2 as his secondary formation and utilise an unfamiliar 3-5-2, voguish in his native Italy, seems rather ill-considered. Dragging the players from the comfort zone of their current modus operandi has the potential to disrupt the flow of City’s play as has been the case on a number of occasions this season, namely the games against Liverpool and Real Madrid.
Both highlighted the flaws that come with using the 3-5-2 as City were left horribly exposed both out wide and at the back. The latter, in particular, saw Mancini’s plan to utilise the wing back system backfire spectacularly. Gael Clichy and Maicon, two players comfortable working as a defensive unit, proved incapable of managing an unfamiliar advanced role, offering up too much space to Madrid’s attacking wingers subsequently stretching the three man defence, pulling them out of position and causing a fatal imbalance in the defensive structure. Two of the goals conceded came down the right and were consequence of poor positioning.
Similarly against Liverpool the congestion in midfield stifled City’s creative players, while the central striker remained isolated in the final third allowing the opposition to easily steal possession and launch a counter attack when the ball is played forward or crossed into the penalty area. Still, despite the adverse results of his early season experiment, Mancini harbours aspirations of making the 3-5-2 work. It doesn’t bear thinking about the ramifications should he press the formation into service against Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United.
Converting mid-game has the potential to cause a high level of confusion across the field as the players attempt to make the transition between formations and put City on the back foot, especially if Mancini wants to use it to see out a game. Against an attacking 4-2-3-1, as we’ve seen against Liverpool and Madrid when they conceded in the latter stages, they will struggle to negate the threat of an advanced wide midfield if they don’t have a wingback capable of fulfilling both his defensive and attacking duties, further enhancing the chances of the opposition snatching a late goal and changing the complexion of a game in their favour.
City have already dropped four points from winning positions this season, drew three of their five games and failed to keep a clean sheet giving a clear indication that Mancini’s continuous use of the 3-5-2 to snuff out the opposition threat clearly isn’t having the desired effect. That is in large part down to his team selection and the personnel available to him, primarily in defence.
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As mentioned before Maicon does not have the stamina, mobility or positional awareness to carry out the dual role of a wing-back, while Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov aren’t fully acquainted with the fundamentals of the position. Centrally Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott is a more than capable partnership on its own accord but throwing a third body in, for instance Matija Nastasic or Pablo Zabaleta, destabilises the status quo and causes a breakdown in communication.
Furthermore, when the three central defenders are yanked out wide to cover both the holding midfielders are forced to drop back and fill in, consequently leaving bigger gaps in the middle of the park for the opposition to exploit. It also proves why Mancini tried to fervently to sign Daniele De Rossi from Roma in the summer given his expertise in the role.
All that being said, managers should be commended for endeavouring to introduce new tactics and ideas as the game continues its evolution but picking their moments when do to do is crucial. At the current time Mancini’s obsession with teams second guessing his intentions is causing him to deploy his new pet formation at the wrong times and it has cost City in the opening weeks of the campaign. Their ultimate goal for the new term is to successfully defend their Premier League crown and keep rivals United under their jurisdiction. To do that he needs to abide by the formula that brought the clubs first top-flight crown since 1968 and pick the right moments to integrate his new system. Otherwise, aspirations of a second title winning season in succession will have to be put on ice.
Alan Hutton has thanked Real Mallorca for giving the Scotsman a new lease of life, reports The Sun.
Hutton claims that he was “wasting away” during his spell at Villa Park and that he was frozen out by current manager Paul Lambert when he took over as manager in the summer.
The defender saw his Villa hell end as he secured a deal away from the struggling Midlands club in January, after they agreed to loan the former Tottenham player to Spanish club Real Mallorca.
” I can savour these times more because of the frustrations I’ve been through. I was training with the kids at Villa and thought ‘What am I doing here?’ said Hutton.
” To go from doing nothing at Villa, feeling as if I was wasting away, to be playing Real Madrid the next minute, makes it more special.” he added.
The Scottish defender faces Gareth Bale at Hampden tonight and admits that his run of first team games has saved his International career.
“When I was joining up with the Scotland squad I knew it was getting to the stage in the season where, if I wasn’t playing for my club, I couldn’t expect to turn up and play for my country, so I knew I had to do something,” said Hutton.
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Hutton will be hoping to fare better than he did against Ronaldo and co last weekend as his Real Mallorca side went down 5-2 away at Real Madrid.
Swansea City midfielder Leon Britton is adamant that he can still earn his place within the England set up, despite being 30 years old.
Britton feels he has now adapted to the Premier League and if he can keep up his good form then he can earn international recognition in a similar manner to 31-year-old Everton midfielder Leon Osman.
The Swansea ace is now looking to make an impression on Roy Hodgson and believes that if he is delivering for his club it does not matter what age he is.
Osman was the third oldest debutant since 1954 when he pulled on the Three Lions shirt on Wednesday night, and Britton feels this is encouraging for players such as himself.
“The manager is showing if you are playing well in the Premier League, he will pick you, whether you are Leon Osman at 31 or Raheem Sterling at 17,” Britton told Alan Brazil’s Breakfast show on talkSPORT.
“It gives everyone hope out there that it is never too late or it is never too early. If you are playing well week in, week out in the Premier League there are people watching the games and there is always an opportunity.
“I’ll never give up, I’ll try and do well for Swansea and if something comes from that then I’ll be absolutely over the moon.”
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Leon Britton will be looking to consolidate his bright start in the Premier League at St James’ Park this weekend, when his Swansea side take on Newcastle United.
All four of the Spanish entrants of this season’s Champions League have made it through to the knockout round. All three of the German participants have advanced (as well as all of the Bundesliga’s representatives in the Europa League). Yet England are only two from four.
The Premier League title race is said to be over following Manchester United’s 2-0 over Everton on the weekend. A 12-point gap and as good as done. In February. Whichever way you want to paint it, that’s devastating for the top flight of English football. It’s exactly the same state La Liga are in at the moment, with Atletico 12-points off Barcelona, who were once again impressive in their 6-1 win over Getafe on Sunday.
The problem here is that Manchester United are coasting, rather than destroying. They’ll win the league title this year, provided something miraculous doesn’t happen, but not necessarily because they’re the conquerors of a league in its prime. The quality of Premier League football has taken a massive nosedive in recent seasons. Ahead of their Champions League group tie against Real Madrid, Manchester United haven’t been able to face a team of the quality of the Spanish champions.
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And let’s not get too bogged down with how poor Real Madrid have been this season. They were pathetic in their 1-0 loss away to Granada last week, a loss which came via a Cristiano Ronaldo own goal and where Madrid only registered their first shot on target just after the hour-mark. In contrast, Ronaldo was at his very best this past Saturday night, scoring three goals, the first of which was sensational, inside 60 minutes as Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1.
Xabi Alonso was out of the line-up, so was Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil. Kaka came in and did a very professional job amid talk that he would likely be one of the first names out the door in the summer. And yet you feel that games such as that and the wins over Valencia and Getafe in recent weeks have been showcases of the tension inside the Bernabeu rising towards this two-legged tie against Manchester United.
Real Madrid have already outplayed Barcelona this year. They’ve had to battle against opposition like Borussia Dortmund, who beat Madrid in Germany earlier in the season, and managed to emerge from a Champions League group which could have been much trickier than it actually was.
Manchester United, you feel, haven’t been hardened in the same way Madrid have this season. This is very much a title-winning squad at Old Trafford this season, but they haven’t had to do much. They advanced out of their Champions League group without much hassle, despite being troubled on occasion by teams like Galatasaray and Braga. The Premier League, however, hasn’t been a test for them. United haven’t had to deal with at least two teams who are equal or better in quality than they are. Sure, teams like Newcastle and Norwich have given them games this season, but you feel United only really looked weak in the opening weekend against Everton, who have now dropped off since the start of the campaign.
It’s not that Manchester United may not be good enough to overcome Real Madrid, it’s that you wonder how prepared they are mentally. Not only that, Madrid have nothing else to play for this year, other than the Copa del Rey. All the focus is on this competition for the La Liga champions. The Bernabeu will become a fortress, the best players in the squad have played to their optimum since the turn of the year, Mourinho wants to go out on a high, and after 10 years of failure in Europe, Madrid are hungry for the holy grail of their tenth European cup.
It gives a greater insight as to the state of the Premier League now than what it was four or five years ago. And that’s not to say English football is in a bad way, but it’s that the Premier League is not as strong as it once was. Yes, clubs like Bayern, Barcelona and obviously Real Madrid under Mourinho have either risen up or dominated UEFA’s elite competition, but it’s the sense that English clubs have dropped off, rather than remained at the zenith and welcomed those from the continent who have been able to raise their game that little bit further.
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Alex Ferguson wanted to get the job done this past weekend against Everton when the opportunity was there. United won and have now probably sealed the title, however it didn’t seem like a game where silverware was on the line. Of course, there are many more games left and the cushion of an almighty points gap at the top. But if United remain in cruise control going into the glamour tie of this round of Champions League games, their perceived strength will be washed away without mercy. Nothing yet this season has prepared them for Real Madrid at their very best.
Monday morning could have been the most bitter and unbearable ‘morning after’ in a long time for Arsenal fans had Newcastle found a way to equalise at St James’ Park. Actually it would have seemed quite appropriate for Arsenal to hit that self-destruct button in the manner in which they had done so many times over the years. In contrast, celebrations were befitting, not just because it’s the Champions League – Arsenal supporters understand there is a long way to go before the team can genuinely challenge the best in Europe for that trophy. But the importance of finishing fourth this season is that it holds significance over the long term and short term for Arsenal. This summer should be seen as the marker for change.
I get it, from the outside it’s very easy to mock Arsenal for the way they celebrated. But who wouldn’t have done the same? Tottenham certainly. Everton. Manchester City celebrated their first trip into the Champions League because they knew it would be an important step. Moreover, for Arsenal it just went to showcase how big this rivalry with Tottenham has become in recent seasons.
That’s a part of the problem. Tottenham have put together their best points total in a Premier League season and have fallen just one point behind Arsenal; credit to them for making up the ground. But then what about Arsenal? Yes, the club have regressed. It would have been easy to comment on Tottenham’s best points total still being too short to overcome Arsenal, but this is a place and a situation Arsenal fans surely don’t want to be in again. For the second season a row, the call was far too close.
Forget for a moment what the immediate future may bring off the back of another top four finish, the fact of the matter is that Arsenal and Spurs were not competing for a title; Arsenal have been reduced to fighting for a qualifying position in the Champions League. To reiterate, Arsenal don’t want to be in that position again.
It will act as a wakeup call for Arsenal. The experience of Champions League football is engrained in this club, so too is the mentality of winning trophies; although it would be fair to say that aspect has been a little lost on the club’s hierarchy in recent years. The club need to move on from selling their best players every summer. Sure, Tottenham do the same, but it has played a vital role in closing the gap between both clubs.
For Arsenal, the winning mentality over their local rivals has also been lost, or at least chipped away from what it used to be. The 4-4 draw at the Emirates in 2008 can arguably be seen as the turning point. From then on, Tottenham have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates, have regularly taken all three points at White Hart Lane and even offered a scare when a man light during this past season’s 5-2 result. It draws necessary and valid comparisons with the rivalry between Atletico and Real Madrid. It’s a set a fixtures that used to be fairly routine for the traditionally bigger club. For the Premier League rivals, Arsenal have allowed themselves to fall down from the heights of title challengers to those in the race for the top four. It doesn’t matter that Spurs have won a trophy, been to two finals, finished in the top four (twice, technically), and risen up the standings in the market in order to compete for some of the best names available. Likewise in Spain, it shouldn’t matter that since 2010 Atletico have won more trophies than Real. The difference here is that Real will be mindful of keeping their distance. There may be a one-off title race involving both sides from Madrid, but it won’t last.
Arsenal have come out on top on yet another occasion in which they opted to play with fire. Tottenham won’t sit back this summer because they can’t really afford to. Arsenal, however, have a history on being quite content with what they have – and that is what has brought about a new dimension to this rivalry. It’s about being a football club first. There might be criticisms for the way in which Tottenham conduct their business in the market, but you still look to them as a club who want to progress for football reasons and not those which are deemed secondary.
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Maybe you can put together a valid argument that Arsenal had to endure these past few seasons because of the move to the Emirates. The important factor here, and the reason why Arsenal celebrated in such a manner is that many view this as the end of a difficult cycle.
Pepe Reina’s agent has dismissed speculation linking the Spaniard with a move away from Anfield, reports Sky Sports.
Reina has long been one of Liverpool’s stand out performers since he joined the club from Villereal back in 2005.
However, Reina endured his worst spell of form at Liverpool during last season, making several mistakes in a campaign that saw the Reds record their worst ever Premier League finish.
Unfortunately, not much has changed under new manager Brendan Rodgers, as Reina has dropped three clangers already this season in the home matches against Manchester City, Hearts and Arsenal.
This has led to rumours Rodgers is looking to replace the Spaniard with Dutchman Michael Vorm, who performed exceptionally for Rodgers at Swansea last season.
However, Reina’s agent Manuel Garcia Quilon has moved quickly to dismiss the speculation, claiming the 30-year-old will soon be back to his best.
“He is not having an easy time. The team has not started the season well and liability is falling on him,” he said.
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“But this will end when he returns to form. He has four years to run on his contract and rumours of leaving Liverpool
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin has accepted his time away from the German top flight could have gone much better.
The playmaker decided to leave Borussia Dortmund to join Real Madrid back in 2011, before making a loan move to Premier League outfit Liverpool earlier this season.
Sahin is still contracted to Real but is currently on an 18-month loan spell back at Dortmund, after spells at the Santiago Bernabeu and Anfield.
The 24-year-old has admitted he enjoyed working under Madrid boss Jose Mourinho but has accepted his time away from Germany did not go as he would have wished.
He told Sport Bild: “It was an honour to work with Mourinho. He was always honest to me and treated me fairly. He always said everything to me in private.
“From the outside, people will perhaps say that I failed abroad. It was simply not meant to be, though, and I also played my part in it.”
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Mario Balotelli’s name has been trending all over social media in recent weeks based on his poor performance, but is beginning to gather positive comments thanks to his goal against Swansea and most recently, for an amazingly huge act of kindness towards a Liverpool fan.
Jack Gandy, an 11-year-old Reds fan, along with his father climbed the wall at Melwood to watch Balotelli along with the squad in training as he recalls one of the most touching stories about the under-fire Italian striker you may ever hear.
Jack’s father, Lee, said “We just couldn’t believe it, he’s such a nice person. Jack’s a massive, massive Liverpool fan. He can tell you anything about every player.
“He broke up for half term last week and we went to watch them train over the wall at Melwood on Friday.
“Mario went to the far side and was doing longshots and we were watching him ping them in.
“Jack was clapping him as he went to go in and Mario turned and waved. The next minute he came round the back of the goal, scooped up a ball and signed it, before passing it to Jack and then told him ‘you be good’.
“I said ‘thank you so much Mario’ and he turned round, put his thumb up and said ‘no problem’.”
This wasn’t it as he continued the events which took place after they once again spotted the 24-year-old leaving the training ground.
“All the fans were outside afterwards and Mario stopped his car and told the security guard to let Jack come over.
“We went up to his car and he said to Jack ‘you couldn’t get a picture up there, would you like one now?’
He put his hand up to him and I said to Jack ‘he wants to shake your hand!’. Mario held his hand and I took the picture. Jack’s just so made up.
“I had the Swansea game on the radio on Tuesday and when Mario scored Jack was jumping around his room.
“He loves Mario now, he keeps saying to me ‘he’s such a nice person’. He’s put such a big smile on his face.
“You see him on the pitch and he looks angry all the time but he was so nice with Jack, I just think people should know about him doing things like this.”
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Even though the transfer window has closed, that doesn’t mean that West Ham cannot get yet more business done. Sam Allardyce has shown a willingness to delve into the bargain basement in the past, with Carlton Cole a product of the freebie market, which could tempt him back in in the coming weeks.
Although the Hammers enjoyed a fine summer transfer window, a few more bodies could benefit their push for a top half finish, and there are a few tempting options out there for them.
In case ‘Big Sam’ hasn’t had time to scour the market, we at Football FanCast have been researching, and here are six free agents for the Irons to consider…
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CLICK ON RONALDINHO TO REVEAL THE SIX
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Jonas
Football – Stoke City v Valencia UEFA Europa League Second Round First Leg – Britannia Stadium, Stoke, England 11/12 – 16/2/12Jonas – Valencia Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ed Sykes
A Brazilian international who represented the Selecao as recently as two years ago available on a free transfer? A bit of a no brainer for West Ham if they can pull the deal off. The versatile forward can play as a lone frontman or in a withdrawn role and is only currently without a club after agreeing a contract termination with Valencia due to Spain’s strict non-EU player quotas.
At 30, his best days are not too far behind him, and with his mix of pace, power and technique he could be a wise addition for Sam Allardyce as he looks to produce a more ‘easy on the eye’ Hammers XI. Let’s face it, he can’t be any worse than Carlton Cole.
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Hugo Almeida
Football – Germany v Portugal – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group G – Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil – 16/6/14Hugo Almeida – PortugalMandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul ChildsEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
‘Big Hugo’ is actually a player West Ham tracked over the summer following his release from Besiktas. Wage issues were understood to have scuppered the deal, but the burly Portuguese striker may be more willing to relent on his demands now that the transfer window has closed.
With Andy Carroll out of action, Almeida would be a good stand-in, and he can certainly do a job at the top level at 30.
Sotiris Ninis
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Once the golden boy of Greek football, Ninis has endured a woeful few years which were capped with his release from Parma over the summer. The impish attacking midfielder has had his injury problems, but at just 24 he could be a big, big talent if he can be kept fit and firing.
After being dropped from Greece’s World Cup squad he has a point to prove, and he might add more guile to the Irons’ attack.
Ronaldinho
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It’s mad to think that the player dubbed the best on the planet less than ten years ago is now in the football wilderness. Everyone’s favourite buck-toothed trickster has bounced around the Brazilian top tier in recent seasons, but his time at Atletico Mineiro was brought to a close earlier this year, leaving him without a club.
The 34-year-old captained his country in 2013 and would certainly be a ‘wow’ signing for the Hammers if they could match his, almost certain, massive wage demands. A move to the MLS or Middle East is an option for ‘Ronny’, but it would be great to see such a star in the Premier League.
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Andrea Dossena
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A disappointing spell at Sunderland was brought to a close over the summer, leaving the former Liverpool left-back searching for a new employer. At 32, he could be a good back-up option for Aaron Cresswell and offer Sam Allardyce more depth as he sets about securing a top half finish.
Dossena impressed in Italy with Napoli and is adept in a 3-5-2 formation, which appears to be the new Premier League trend…
Anthony Reveillere
Football – France Training – London Colney – 10/11 – 15/11/10Anthony Reveillere – France during trainingMandatory Credit: Action Images / Steven Paston
Champions League experience and bags of ability, Reveillere is a decent right-back available on a free transfer. Joey O’Brien has long been a dependable option, but the Frenchman could well be an upgrade on the reliable full-back.
Napoli opted to release the 34-year-old recently, but he could well have a few good years left in the tank for West Ham to make use of.