Ticking to the tactical beat

Football and music are completely different beasts yet both have intriguing similarities. Each is an art form in its own right and involves structure, timing, rhythm and skill. They are further linked in my mind by the word metronome. In football terms this relatively new adjective relates to the central creative hub of the team - which I will go on to talk about in detail - and of course, the London electro pop group Metronomy. 

Throughout the decades since association football was conceived, the entire structure of the game has changed immeasurably with tactical formations and player positions being no exception. The first recognised tactical formation was called ‘the Pyramid’ and was created in Wales - Wrexham to be exact – and used by their victorious 1877-78 Welsh Cup winning team. This is widely acknowledged as the first time a British team made any serious attempt at defensive football. To see a line up including three half backs and five forwards in a 2-3-5 formation was completely revolutionary as up until then, customary formations were more likely to feature 7 or 8 attackers and 1 defender.

Formations and tactics developed and evolved further throughout the early part of the 20th
century with slight variations - most notably the ‘Metodo’ formation of the 1930's devised by then Italian national team coach Vittorio Pozzo. Heavily based on the 2-3-5 formation, this was slightly more defensive and arguably paved the way for Italy’s now world famous Catenaccio conceived by Nero Rocco at Triestina in 1947 and brought onto the world stage by Internazionale and their Franco-Argentine manager Helenio Herrera to vast acclaim in the 1960's. Pozzo's tactic involved flooding the midfield by withdrawing two forwards into advanced midfield positions creating a more balanced and defensively reliable format. This tactical framework is not entirely dissimilar to present day Barcelona's current style of play incorporating two 'true' defenders and up to 8 creative players at any one time.

Probably the most famous of the formations at this time would have been Herbert Chapman’s

pioneering W-M formation at Arsenal in the 1920's. Chapman enjoyed huge success with the North London club at this time and is credited with introducing the central defensive position to the modern game.

Herbert Chapmans W-M Formation

Brazil has long been a hot bed of tactical innovations and it was here that national team coach Flavio Costa takes recognition for creating one of the most widely recognised formations in world football, the 4-2-4. Acclaimed Hungarian coach Bela Guttman has to share credit for this formation, his work with the Honved team of the early 1950's giving birth to Ferenc Puskas and the Mighty Magyars Hungarian national team who took the world by storm and embarked on a 32 game unbeaten run - the longest international unbeaten record in history for 47 years until Spain surpassed it in 2009 - culminating in a 3-2 loss to West Germany in the 1954 FIFA World Cup.



From then, we have had tactical evolutions as opposed to revolutions such as the Dutch genius Rinus Michels 'Total Football' concept which is dependent on fluid and intelligent attacking footballers capable of interchanging into any of four forward positions at any given moment. In the modern game, the most widely used tactics centre around variations of several formations such as 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1.

As you can expect with the drastic and revolutionary tactical changes throughout history, we have seen new positions borne from these.

As mentioned, we've had the creation of the centre back position, the introduction of  Lothar Matthaus achieving huge success as a libero for Bayern Munich and Germany, Roberto Carlos and Cafu as the first offensive wing backs, Claude Makelele as a midfield anchor in 'The Makelele Role' for Real Madrid and Barcelona’s Argentine superstar Lionel Messi recreating attacking football in what is now widely referred to as the 'False 9' role.

The latest buzzword for a tactical position is a metronome. The dictionary definition of the word is 'a mechanical device which indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music by producing a clicking sound from a pendulum with an adjustable period of swing'. Transferring this musical nomenclature into football terms as you would expect in the current climate, begins with Barcelona. Xavi is the perfect example. A true footballing metronome has to have the ability to recycle possession quickly and effectively whilst remaining constantly in control and two steps ahead of the opposition.
At Euro 2012 Juventus’ midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo reappeared on the worlds stage as Italy’s version of a metronome ensuring one of the true greats of the modern game finished his international career at the very top. Pirlo was imperious in Poland & Ukraine at the European Championships - who can forgot that match winning Panenka penalty against England - and a far cry away from the player being thrown on the scrapheap by Milan 12 months ago, deemed to be way past his best. Now after playing in all bar one of Juventus’ 38 Serie A matches last season he stands as Scudetto winner once again - making a mockery of Milan's insistence that he was too injury prone. Pirlo's display against England in the Euro 2012 quarter finals seems to have piqued England manager Roy Hodgson's and several Premier League managers’ interest in this type of player. 

It's a position - or a style of position if you like - still relatively underused in the British game, however, there are three players in particular that I feel perform this most crucial role for their respective clubs.

What can you say about Paul Scholes that hasn't already been said? Arguably the finest English midfielder since Paul Gascoigne, the Salford born and bred midfielder is showing no sign of letting up as he approaches his 38th birthday. Described by Xavi in a 2011 article as 'the best midfield player of the last 15-20 years' - high praise indeed - Scholes has undergone somewhat of a transformation in the latter half of his career. Famed as a creative, goal scoring midfielder ala Andres Iniesta, he has understandably curbed this in his twilight years. He now occupies the 'Xavi' metronome role for Manchester United, the central creative hub upon which Manchester United operate. He is pivotal in ensuring Man Utd effectively recycles possession providing the platform upon which all offensive play is built. It is England's loss that Scholes retired from international football at the tender age of 29, just one year older than when Xavi won Euro 2008, the first leg of Spain's now historic treble).

Joe Allen. The poster boy for Team GB's Olympic football team. Allen shot to fame last year during Swanseas fantastic introduction to the English Premier League and has followed Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool this summer for the not insignificant transfer fee of £15m. Swansea were famously Barcelona-esque in their approach last year so it will be fascinating how Rodgers - and Joe Allen - go about changing the fabric of the Liverpool team. His partnership with Leon Britton last year was magnificent, their rhythmic passing a joy to watch and the key to Swansea's brilliant debut season. This year Allen will be partnered in the Liverpool midfield by the return from injury of Lucas Leiva. Lucas - a slightly more destructive player than Leon Britton - should allow Allen to stamp his authority all over Premier League midfields. Allen's pass accuracy last year of 90.3% - including a fantastic 84% success rate in the final third - is precisely what Liverpool require and for me, he has the potential to be the signing of the season.

Another player with a 90.3% pass accuracy is another Spanish pass master - Mikel Arteta. Arteta unsurprisingly learnt his trade at the Nou Camp and arrived at Arsenal last summer after spells with PSG, Rangers, Real Socieded and Everton. Seen as a diamond within a end of transfer window panic splurge and a very un-Wengeresque signing in terms of age - £10m for a 29 year old - Arteta consistently shone for Arsenal last season. With the departure of Song to Barcelona this summer a lot of the midfield burden will be on Arteta as the creative force and the heartbeat of the Gunners midfield. A fantastic player who has steadily matured into one of the best passers in Europe, Arteta must surely be up there with one of the best current international players never to receive an international cap.

Chelsea and Manchester City are in my view, at their weakest in the central midfield position. Chelsea this season now have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking third. Further back however, they appear to be lacking the thread for the needle, if you like. Frank Lampard, Ramires and Raul Meireles are excellent footballers but none of them can be described as a metronome and are not notorious for intelligent passing or excelling in recycling possession quickly – a crucial aspect of the modern game. Similarly with Manchester City, the Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry axis doesn’t sit correctly as proven by Man City’s struggles to knit excellent defensive and attacking play at various stages of last season.

With the above in mind, it is curious in the extreme then, that the two clubs vying for the signature of Real Madrid’s young midfielder Nuri Sahin – Arsenal and Liverpool - are the two who arguably don't require his services. Sahin is a player of similar style to Joe Allen and Mikel Arteta and is certainly a player I feel could perform the metronome role at a top Premiership club.

Sahin is a 23 year old Turkish midfielder who made his name at Borussia Dortmund in Germany, Part of the now famous Dortmund team fashioned by Jurgen Klopp, Sahin shot to fame on loan at Feyenoord in the 2007/2008 season. Upon his return - and Klopps appointment in 2008 - Sahin was given a huge role in the team playing as the midfield metronome complementing the more defensive skills of Sven Bender.

The current Dortmund team has received more than a few plaudits, players such as Mats Hummels, Shinji Kagawa, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski helping them to a second league title in a row and are now considered household names. In season 2010/2011, Nuri Sahin was far and away the teams best player. Again the best word to describe him is as the heartbeat of the team and Dortmund hugely felt the impact of losing him to Madrid at the start of last season for the paltry sum of €10 million due to a clause in his contract at the Signal Iduna Park. As with Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira the season before, Los Merengues manager Jose Mourinho managed to get a fantastic and precocious Bundesliga talent for a knock down fee.

Sahin has seen very limited game time in Madrid - unable to oust Xabi Alonso in Madrids midfield is no embarrassment - and a loan move to England for the talented playmaker will surely fire him straight back to where he belongs, the top of the European game.

Read More

Man Utd - Class Of '99 Still To Be Upstaged

There was a tinge of irony in Alex Fergusons words following the maiden Monday Night Football feast of the season at Goodison Park. The old masters assertion of a game, in which Everton’s direct and powerful approach bulldozed a sluggish United side, was that they had lost out due to his side’s lack of finesse in front of goal. This came just a week on from Fergusons bold announcement that his 2012 set of attackers were as good as the treble winning class of 1999.

No one can deny that the idea of marrying Robin Van Persie with Wayne Rooney isn’t, atleast on paper, a tantalising prospect. The Dutchman has plundered 48 league goals in 55 games since January 1^st 2011. Only one player in the Premier League has netted more than half as many in that time. Wayne Rooney himself. In theory, tying up the two most lethal men in England presents United with a massive upper hand in their quest to regain the title from their nearby neighbours, especially with Sergio Aguero potentially facing a period of time on the sidelines.

The main point behind Fergusons comparison was the strength in depth that the addition of Van Persie now brings to Old Trafford. Behind the aforementioned front two, United can also call on Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez and to a lesser extent, Federico Macheda. The Scot compared this to the talent he hadait his disposal in the trophy laden 98/99 season, when regular front two Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke were backed up admirably by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham. The formidable foursome combined to net 76 goals in all competitions between them, so is it fair to compare the current crop with such a golden generation?

United response to a barren 97/98 season was to splash out over £12m on Aston Villa's Dwight Yorke. The previous season had seen Ferguson partner Cole and Sheringham in nearly all of their games and despite Cole netting an impressive 25 times, a lack of unpredictability and, crucially, pace, was cited as the main reason the Reds surrendered the title for the first time in 3 seasons, as well as a poor showing in Europe. The signing of Yorke reinvigorated their attack, and he and Cole struck up an instant and memorable double act. The Trinidad and Tobago international finished as top scorer with 29 strikes and Cole managed 24 himself. The memory of the two combining with such fluidity against Barcelona in the Champions League group stage was bettered only by their clinical display against Juventus in the semi final when both men netted in a thrilling 3-2 victory to book their place in the final. In addition to the fledgling partnership, Ferguson was also boosted by the continued emergence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The form of Uniteds main two limited him to just 17 starts in all competitions, however the Norwegians return of 18 goals endeared him as a fan favourite at Old Trafford and earned him the ‘Super Sub’ nickname that would stick until he retired. Teddy Sheringham was limited even further, starting just 11 times with a further 16 appearances from the bench, yet chipped in with 5 goals including one in the FA Cup Final against Newcastle and the all important equaliser against Bayern in the Champions League Final.

Fergie’s recent interview regarding the crop of 1999 included the line "I had Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the four best strikers in Europe". A bold assertion given this was an era when the likes of Ronaldo, Christian Vieri, Gabriel Batistuta and Raul still ruled the roost. While the four may not have been, individually, the best strikers in Europe at that time, collectively there were few better. As already mentioned, Cole and Yorke hit it off instantly, Solskjaer's searing pace from the bench always caused problems, and Sheringham's sharp footballing brain and clever movement was often utilized from the bench to unlock tight defences. It remains to be seen whether Robin Van Persie can have a similar input to this season as Yorke did upon signing 14 years ago. What is up for debate however is the strength of United’s other front men, and those operating behind the attack.

Danny Welbeck enjoyed a fruitful breakthrough season last year, netting 12 times and rounding it off with a decent showing in England’s ill-fated European Championship campaign. He is improving all the time, and showed enough last season to suggest he deserves his place at a top club for the time being. He is still raw however, and his performance on Monday night proved that playing as a wide man in Fergusons 4-3-3 formation renders him as almost anonymous. This is likely to be a problem, given that both Rooney and Van Persie are at there goalscoring best when played through the middle.

Similarly to how Welbeck broke through last season, Javier Hernandez was the surprise hit of 2010/2011, however he failed to replicate that again last year and despite matching Welbecks tally of 12 goals, he was often posted missing when given the chance to start big games. Ferguson will be expecting a big season from the little Mexican after he, citing fatigue, wangled a deal with Mexico to excuse him from Olympics duty this summer. He should arrive fresh into this campaign and, given his electric pace and the fact he is likely to start most games from the bench, the former Chivas man could be the player closest to filling the Solskjaer role of perennial super sub.

Wayne Rooney may be closer to Andy Cole in terms of the expectation to grab upwards of 25 goals this season; however he has the awareness of position and guile that compares well with Teddy Sheringham. Realistically, Rooney can do everything Sheringham could do, and more. He is likely to play a deeper role this season, with Van Persie utilised as an old fashioned number 9 in the same vein as he was last year at the Emirates. This could arguably bring out the best in both men. Rooney likes the freedom that the position of advanced number 10 brings him, allowing him to mix it in midfield and combine with the wide men around him.

A crucial point to remember in this comparison is that the 1999 attack was backed up by a fantastic midfield. Fergusons 4-4-2 of that time may seem prehistoric in today’s game,but the middle four from that season found the perfect balance between graft and guile, brains and brawn. Ryan Giggs and David Beckham were a thrilling contrast on the wings, the former ripping defences open with control and speed, see Arsenal in THAT semi final, and the latter whipping in deadly accurate crosses from deep positions and set pieces. Yorke and Cole benefited immensely from both, but it was United central midfielders who ran the show. 1998/1999 saw Roy Keane close to hitting his imperious best (he would reach his zenith in the following season) and Paul Scholes had now proved himself as one of the best of his kind in Europe. A seemingly flat four on paper would change shape dramatically when United were counter attacking, with both Scholes and Keane bursting to support, and often go beyond the strikers, Beckham coming inside to look for the angles and Giggs stretching the opposition with diagonal runs from the left. Ferguson was able to go with such a positive formation by relying on the colossal new signing Jaap Stam at the back. It did backfire on occasion, the chaotic defending against Barcelona twice in the Champions League group stages being a prime example, but when all were on their game it was a juggernaut that no team, domestically or at the time in Europe could handle.

Since then, Ferguson has adapted his tactics into a fluid 4-3-3 to fit in with changing European game. Remarkably, Giggs and Scholes remain a lasting link between the great side of 14 years ago, however both have adapted their game significantly since then, and may only feature sporadically in what will surely be their final season. Nani comes close to providing the same graceful directness from wide as Giggs did, albeit less consistently, and Antonio Valencia is closer to the Beckham model of winger whereby he relies on the quality of delivery rather than a box of tricks to beat a defence. Scholes still has sufficient quality to play at this level, as his cameo return in the last campaign proved, however he no longer has the legs for the late, blind side runs that he made his trademark. Unless United add another central midfielder to their ranks before the end of August, a Bastian Schweinsteiger or Esteban Cambiasso perhaps, they are in danger of being overrun in the middle when it comes to facing the rest of the top four sides. Lessons surely must have been learned from the last derby of the previous campaign, when a Yaya Toure inspired City powered their way into pole position for the title. There are worries too in defence. Patrice Evra is another year older and seemingly losing a yard of pace with every passing year, doubt surrounds whether Nemanja Vidic can recapture form after such a lengthy injury and both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones need perhaps another year of experience before they are fully ready. The signing of Van Persie alone will unlikely, in my eyes, be enough to win the title.

So much hope for this season therefore, depends on how quickly Shinji Kagawa can get up and running. On Monday night, there were plenty of signs to be optimistic. The little Japanese man probed between the lines of midfield and attack, bursting beyond the strikers when the opportunity arose and always looking to get his head up and move forward. There were echoes of the Paul Scholes of old in the way he cleverly always seemed ready to take a pass, and you get the feeling Wayne Rooney is going to love playing with him. An understanding between the two already seems to exist, so Ferguson may be tempted to keep them close together in a 4-2-3-1, where they can, along with Nani, offer plenty of spark and ammunition for Van Persie leading the line.

On paper, it looks glamorous and exciting, combining the two most lethal marksmen in the land with arguably one of the best the Bundesliga had to offer. However, the class of 99 may not have had the top billing names, but it will be a tall order for today’s crop to replicate the relationship and fluidity of that great side.

Read More

Don’t Believe The Hype – Three Stars Who Never Were

The swashbuckling displays of Brazil at these summers Olympic Games, and in particular, the new wave of young talent at their disposal, has set pulses racing around a European football society previously uninitiated with their talents. Scouts from the continents top clubs have nodded in approval too, with Oscar becoming the latest part of Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea reconstruction and Lucas Moura snubbing the advances of Manchester United to hop on to the PSG gravy train.
Such eye-catching displays at this level are, however, not always a prerequisite to cracking it at Europe’s top table. The Olympics, like the U20 World Cup and European Championships, are by their very nature development tournaments. Players come into these events often with little first team exposure to their names and are instantly thrust into a global spotlight. In the cases of Lionel Messi, Samuel Etoo and Andrea Pirlo, these early international forays proved to be just a glimpse of the talents we where going to become accustomed to.  

Building on the momentum gained in these tournaments is often a key factor. Leo Messi came off the back of scooping the Player of the Tournament gong at the 2005 U20 World Cup to starring for Barcelona in pre-season, forcing himself into the first team for his breakthrough season. Sergio Aguero blasted 6 goals on his way the Golden Shoe two years later, setting the tone for a season in which he would fill the void left by Fernando Torres, scoring 27 times for Atletico Madrid. Lost momentum is often an impossible thing to regain, especially in the sink or swim environment of the European game. This, coupled with injuries, bad career decisions and over anxious media hype can all be a contributory factor in a player’s decline, something the following three players can all resonate with, with very different reasons.

Eddie Johnson

The accepted narrative positions Johnson, now 28, as the what might have been man of US soccer. While the States recent success at World Cup level proves that they are no longer members of the football backwater, the one ingredient they still strive towards is the development of a top class centre forward. Clint Dempseys recent form at Fulham proved he has an eye for goal, and Brian McBride was always a capable player in his days in England, but a big, bustling, Drogba-esque finisher that would be ready made for the European game has eluded them. One possible reason being simply that in the US, the strong and the fast are pushed into American Football from an early age and thus lost to the world of soccer.

Eddie Johnson looked the man to buck this trend when he burst onto the scene at the turn of the decade. The youngest player ever to sign with Major League Soccer, it was his stunning form at youth level for the USA national side that first caught the attention. He blasted his way to 23 goals in 25 U-17 appearances before scooping the Golden Shoe at the World Youth Championships of 2003. Success continued at senior level, with a goal on his debut followed up by a hat trick in his second appearance against Panama. After 7 goals in his first 6 competitive matches, the USA had found their striker.

Along the line however, Johnsons career, and life, began to unravel. Talk of a big money move to Benfica never materialised, leading to a frustrating last two seasons with Kansas. When he finally did win his big move to Fulham in 2008, a club well known for being kind to U.S. players,  he was a disaster. Johnson never scored for the Cottagers and was loaned out to both Cardiff and Preston North End in the Championship, as well as a temporary stay at Greece’s Aris Thessaloniki. When his contract with Fulham expired last summer, he’d tallied just seven goals in three-and-a-half years abroad. During this time, his cousin and close friend had died suddenly, affecting Johnson immensely. This coupled with a troubled marriage severely dented the big strikers confidence. The aggressive, confident way he would run at defenders was gone, leaving behind an unsure and tentative figure. He scored the last of his 12 international goals in 2008 and now appears to be firmly out of coach Jurgen Klinsmanns plans. A return to MLS last year with Seattle Sounders, away from the glare of the Premiership has brought about an upturn in fortune for the player, and there is hope yet that Johnson can force his way back into the reckoning for the World Cup in Brazil, he will be 30 and at what should be the peak of his powers. It does however seem that the opportunity has passed for Johnson, and the wait for the USA for there number 9 goes on.

Ismail Matar

Including Matar in this list may be slightly harsh on the player, given the strength of his scoring record at his club Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates. Since his early days, the little playmaker had always been a precocious talent, who forced the world to sit up and take notice. And the question asked by many ever since he was named MVP at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship was whether he was good enough to play in Europe.

Matar won the Golden Ball at that particular tournament, eclipsing future stars such as Barcelona idol and Spain’s World Cup winner Andres Iniesta and Brazil and Villarreal striker Nilmar. All this was achieved despite the UAE only going as far as the quarter-finals. Matar joined the likes of Argentina legend Diego Maradona as winners of the award, but initial talk of stardom never materialized into a move to a big club in the same way the it did for the South American idol.

Matar did go abroad, but only a few hundred miles away to Doha on a brief loan spell when Qatar’s Al Sadd sought his services for their 2009 Crown Prince Cup quarter-final with Doha rivals Al Ahli. In that match, he came off the bench with 20 minutes gone and his side down 2-0, a man short and staring defeat in the face. Matar’s formidable and indefatigable presence saw Al Sadd eventually emerge winners on penalties after the match ended 3-3 at the end of extra time thanks to an assist and a spectacular goal from the Emirati.

There have been offers, with a a bumper five year contract at Al-Wahda not set to expire until 2015, and with the player enjoying near biblical status in his native land, it’s unlikely that he will be seduced by the lure of European football as his career enters its peak. Similar to Matt Le Tissier at Southampton, he has put his own loyalty above the glamour of playing in the big leagues, and seems more than content with his decision.

 

Nii Lamptey

Perhaps the most famous ‘could have been’ of them all, the name Nii Lamptey has become synonymous with young super-talents that succumb to the pressure and are unable to live up the high expectations placed upon them by managers, media and fans. One of the driving forces behind the Ghanaian youth teams that was hugely successful on the international stage in the early nineties. Ghana won the U17 World Cup in 1991, the African Cup of Nations U20 Edition in 1993, finished runners up in the U21 World Cup in 1993 and grabbed a bronze medal during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Despite the presence of talents such as Juan Sebastian Veron, Josep Guardiola and Allesandro Del Piero at these tournaments, Lamptey was the one deemed the greatest of them all. Having watched him star in these tournaments, Pele himself declared the 15 year old as “my natural successor”.

His fast feet, speed of thought, and clever interplay with team-mates made him an attractive target for European clubs. Dutch coach Aad de Mos signed Lamptey as a 15-year-old and brought him to Belgian giants R.S.C. Anderlecht. Just to ram home how exceptional a talent he was deemed back then, the age limit rules in Belgium were changed specifically to allow him to debut at the age of 16 for Anderlecht. Two successful seasons in Belgium won him a move to PSV. In a highly successful side, Lamptey continued to drive home is glowing reputation as a superstar in the making, and the assumption was he would soon be on his way with another big move.

When that move came, it took everyone by surprise, as big Ron Atkinson brought the then 19 year old to Aston Villa in the summer of 1994. Questions where asked why such a prodigious talent would take what was considered as a step down from playing in Europe with PSV to joining the perennial mid table Villa. Revelations would come out in later years that Lamptey had signed with a shady Italian sports management company. Naïve in his belief that the organization would  act in his best interest, he was effectively paraded round Europe to whatever club would give the biggest agents fee, taking advantage of his poor grasp of English and lack of parental support to advise him. Lamptey was never accustomed to the hustle and bustle of English football, and played just a handful of games for Villa before a similarly unhappy spell at Coventry. He then embarked on a nomadic existence across the world, turning up in Italy, Turkey, Argentina, Germany and Japan amongst others, never settling and never making anywhere near the impact his early talent had promised.

Lamptey's case is often cited as an example of the dangers of hyping a teenager too much, but it is far more complex than that. His talent was indisputable, however so were his demons. His childhood was horrific, abused by both parents, fleeing to Europe not so much for the riches but to get away from his childhood. Upon leaving England, he suffered the death of his first child at just two months old to an undiagnosed respiratory illness. Four years later, he lost another child to the same illness. On top of this, cross-tribal marriages had seen the little family he had left disown him.

And so his wanderings continued, to China and Dubai. Eventually, in 2006, he returned to Ghana, and won a league title with Kotoko in 2006. The win was however, tinged with sadness, as he knew he should have been in Germany at the time, playing for his country at the World Cup. He had not been capped by Ghana for 10 years at this point, he was still only 32.

Everywhere he went, Lamptey was plagued by bad luck. Injuries, greedy managers making money of his back and personal tragedy, Nii Lamptey has seen it all happen to him and his family. We exist in a time where, with the internet and wall to wall satellite TV coverage, it is very easy to overhype young talents. The tragic case of Nii Lamptey proves that sometimes there is nothing that can be done to save those lost to the game. Lampteys own theory behind his demise hints at dark forces at work, believing there may have been two spiritualist curses put on him, one because he left his Muslim team to go to Europe, the other because he chose a wife from what his own family deemed the ‘wrong race’. In a rare interview with the European press, he explained further.

“Things began to go wrong with my first international for Ghana, away to Togo in 1991. It was there. I can’t hide it. I was vomiting blood on the pitch. So it is there when people want your downfall. I know if it was me alone and people had left me to be the way God created me and wanted me to be, for sure I should have been playing for Madrid now.”

Read More

Ligue 1 Preview - Who won the league?

Ligue 1 Preview - Who won the league?

Poor Montpellier! Seems strange saying that about the reigning French champions however it's certainly justified. Just incase anyone is unaware, Paris St Germain didn't actually win the league last season and they arent actually the only team in France just now. The French champions - Montpellier, not PSG - have continued as they left off last season after claiming their first Ligue 1 crown by quietly going about their business in the media slipstream of the capital team's juggernaut. Manager Rene Girard deserves enormous credit for leading his team to glory, in the end finishing 3 points ahead of PSG's oil-powered Qatari billions. Since then PSG have obviously strengthened immeasurably with the signings of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan and the tireless Argentinian Ezequiel Lavezzi from Napoli. 

Ibrahimovic & Thiago Silva joined from AC Milan

Last seasons Ligue 2 champions, Bastia are joined in Ligue 1 by Troyes and Reims who finished second and third respectively. It will be interesting to see how Reims in particular cope in the top league after a 33 year absence which included liquidation - a far cry from the Reims of old who played a major part in developing French football's first golden generation of players in the 1950's including the prolific striker, Just Fontaine.


This season sees PSG and Montpellier qualifying for the Champions League group stages with Lille dropping into the play off round as a result of finishing 3rd in Ligue 1. Lyon and Marseille qualify for the Europa League group stage and third qualifying round as a result of winning the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue respectively. As Lyon also finished 4th, their Europa League spot goes to the team who finished 5th l4ast season, Bordeaux, who enter at the Play Off stage. Marseille will be joining them in the draw as they polished off Turkish SuperLiga side Eskisehirspor 3-0 at Stade Velodrome last night after gaining a crucial 1-1 draw in Turkey last week.


Today seen the announcement of the first French national squad since Euro 2012 and Didier Deschamps subsequent appointment as Les Blues boss. Details of the full squad can be found here : http://frenchfootballweekly.com/2012/08/09/deschamps-rings-the-changes/

Deschamps - Les Bleus new coach

Notable absentees include Jeremy Menez, Samir Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa and Yann M'Vila. Menez and Nasri are serving official two match bans for their conduct at Euro 2012 with Deschamps giving the strongest hint today that Ben Arfa and M'Vila will be undertaking a similar punishment.
The squad as a whole is pretty strong, especially in defence and central midfield. Players such as Yanga-Mbiwa, Raphael Varane of Real Madrid, Lille captain Rio Mavuba and 27 year old Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena deserve their place in this fairly youthful squad as a result of their form last season.


Montpellier Herault SC


This time last year no-one gave Montpellier a hope of winning Ligue 1. On a miniscule budget its nothing short of a miracle that they were able to put themselves in a position to not only challenge in the first place, but to actually keep that going and cross the finishing line in first place. It was a fantastic achievement for the club, and their crack at this seasons Champion's League is well deserved.

Similar to Lille last season, the expected vultures have been circling around the Stade de la Mosson but so far only Olivier Giroud has left to join Arsenal for a reported £12m. 
If Montpellier can hang onto last seasons other vital title winning cogs then they could well imitate Lille even further and consolidate themselves as a top Ligue 1 club. Players such as Younes Belhanda - a fantastically pacy attacking midfielder who looks to be finally realising his undoubted potential - the towering 23 year old centre half, Mapou Yanga-Mbwia and full back Hendi Bedimo who, prior to joining the Montpellier revolution had been something of a journeyman Ligue 2 fullback, were crucial to their success last season and they will look to keep most, if not all of them. Some well placed signings such as Anthony Mounier, who has joined from Nice will help them achieve this seasons ambitions.

Paris Saint German

Perennial under achievers, the countries biggest club are on the up after the high profile takeover by Qatari Sports Investments. They wasted no time in buying up some of the best domestic talent available in last years summer window such as Jeremy Menez, Blaise Matuidi and Kevin Gameiro. This was followed up by the marquee signing of Javier Pastore from Palermo and further supplemented in the winter window first by the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as coach and then the capture of experienced Brazilian trio Alex (Chelsea), Thiago Motta (Inter Milan) and Maxwell (Barcelona).

This summer, as mentioned above they have taken things to a whole new level with the signings from Serie A of Thiago Silva, Ibrahimovic and Lavezzi. Ibrahimovic in particular represents a sign of intent as the most high profile player to join a Ligue 1 club in many years. As usual, there are murmurs of discontent from outsiders regarding PSG's ability to meet the criteria for Uefa president Michel Platini's Financial Fair Play regulations, however it should be noted that PSG finished runners up to Montpellier last season and are not guaranteed to take the crown back to Paris this season for the first time since 1994 and indeed only the third time in their history.


Rudi Garcia

Lille won their first Ligue 1 title in 2011 and performed admirably last season to finish the season in 3rd position. Their star player has obviously been Eden Hazard - now of Chelsea - however much credit has to go the teams manager, Rudi Garcia. A fairly unspectacular playing career started at Lille in 1982 and finished at Corbeil-Essonnes at the age of 34. A brief spell as assistant manager at St Etienne led to taking over the hot seat in 2001. From there he spent 5 seasons at Ligue 2 club, Dijon and a solitary season at Le Mans before the relatively surprising appointment at Lille in 2008, taking over from Claude Puel. 




Lille Coach Rudi Garcia

At LOSC, Garcia has played a crucial role in developing a number of young talents who have since moved onto pastures new. Players such as Michel Bastos, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sow, Gervinho and most famously, Eden Hazard all worked under Garcia's Lille regime. His greatest talent for me, lies in not only developing these players but understanding where Lille stand in the grand scheme of things and ensuring a conveyor belt of talent to maintain momentum and stability. Last season's departure of Cabaye(Newcastle), Sow (Fenerbahce) and Gervinho (Arsenal) was mitigated by the capture of Benoit Pedretti, Joe Cole (loan), Nolan Roux and Dimitri Payet respectively. 
This season, the loss of Hazard has been somewhat cushioned - although not entirely, as any club in the world would feel the loss of such a prodigious talent - by the very astute captures of Marvin Martin from Sochaux and Salomon Kalou on a free transfer from Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether Garcia's Lille can fully recover from the blow of losing Hazard but with a brand new stadium and money in the bank, they have given themselves a fantastic platform to do just that.

Jeunes Talents



Arsenals Francis Coquelin

French football has historically been a ripe market for major European clubs to cherry pick the best talents that the illustrious Clairefontaine acamedy can produce and the current era is no different. In fact, you could argue that players are going abroad far earlier. Zinedine Zidane was 24 years old when he first left French shores swapping Bordeaux for Juventus. He already had over 200 domestic appearances under his belt at that point. A player of that quality would be lucky to stay in France past his teenage years these days. Players such as Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Francis Coquelin, to name three, all left France at barely 18 years old to join major European clubs, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal respectively.

The tide may be turning though, clubs such as Lyon are looking to their academies again due to the financial constraints of the global economic downturn. Players such as Alexandre Lacazette and Clement Grenier (both 21) are the future and this is heartening to see. Of the 18 Ligue 1 clubs, only PSG have a squad with an average age of 27 or older. Rennes are the youngest squad in the league with an average age of 23.5. When you compare this to the Eredivise however (oldest - Roda JC 25.6, youngest - AZ 22.1), Ligue 1 is still a fairly old league. Financial difficulties have bitten a lot harder in the Eredivise and with less TV revenue this is to be expected.

Raphael Varane

I mentioned Raphael Varane earlier in the blog and I feel he along with PSG's Mahamadou Sakho will have a huge role to play should France want to re-emerge as an international super power. If you look to the past, France - and indeed most successful international teams - have been built on a base which includes world class central defenders. From Roger Marche to Marius Tresor through to more recent players such as Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly and Lillian Thuram. When you compare these players to the French central defence at Euro 2012 - Adil Rami and Philip Mexes - it's clear to see that this is an area that could be improved upon. Provided both Varane and Sakho get game time at their clubs (something which could be in doubt) you would hope that both are in with a great shout of booking a starting berth for the World Cup in 2014.

This season, Ligue 1 will be shown live in the UK for the first time thanks to ESPN. It will be an incredibly entertaining league as always, and all eyes will be on PSG as they embark on what is being billed as a procession to the title. Do not discount Lille or indeed Montpellier either, or who knows, maybe we will have another surprise package for the third year on the trot.



Read More

Eredivise Preview - Can Ajax continue their resurgence?

Eredivise Preview - Can Ajax continue their resurgence?

As mentioned in our introductory blog on Monday, we don't tend to work to any strict structure at Tea & Busquets. We won't have a review blog out every Monday at 9am or a preview of the weekends action by lunchtime on a Friday. To be honest, we're too lazy for that.

What we can promise is that we will offer an at times unorthodox look at the football landscape. No subject or team will be deemed unworthy of blogging if there's a particular theme we have found interesting. If I find myself watching FC Lusitanos vs FC Santa Coloma in the Andorran Primera Divisió during the early house of a Saturday morning then you may see and hopefully read a blog about it the next day! 

This preview will take a look at the Eredivise and focus on what I see as the five major talking points surrounding the Dutch league this season. As Zenit's successful Uefa Cup season of 2007/2008 slipped off the UEFA coefficients this season, the Eredivise has leapfrogged the Russian Premier League into 7th place. The Eredivise has 1 automatic Champions League spot which goes to Ajax as champions. Feyenoord as runners up took the second spot in the third qualifying stage but unfortunately went down 1-0 at home to Dynamo Kiev last night ending their participation in this seasons competition. 

There are a further 5 Dutch clubs participating in the Europaa League for the 2012-2013 season including PSV and AZ Alkmaar. The other three, Vitesse, Twente and Heerenveen, have already 

started their campaigns and each can be considered favourites to progress through their ties this week to the final qualifying round.

Vitesse dispatched of Lokomotiv Plokdiv in the second qualifying round with relative ease winning 7-5 on aggregate but may come unstuck at home to the oil-powered millions of Anzi Machakahla whom they are trailing 1-0 going into the third round second leg.

Steve McLaren's Twente team look like safely booking their passage into the final qualifying round after racking up straight forward wins against UE Santa of Andorra (9-0 on aggregate), FC Inter of Finland (6-1 on aggregate) and currently holding a 2-0 over Czech side Mlada Boleslav FC with the away leg coming up this midweek.

Heerenveen are the third and final Dutch club to have started their European adventure at this early stage of the season and should have very little trouble closing out the 4-0 advantage gained during their first leg at home to Rapid Bucharest.

De Boers magic touch

Ajax's title winning management team

The main focus of this seasons campaign will be on Frank De Boer's Ajax after a fantastic first 18 months in the ArenA hotseat. The rookie boss, along with his assistant Dennis Bergkamp, definitely channelled their 'Inner Cruijff' and led Ajax to back to back titles (and indeed their first title since season 2003/2004) for the first time since their reknowned all conquering European Cup winning side from 1994-1996 of which Frank was a major part of.

Much like the Ajax of old, the present day team play a progressive 4-3-3. Over the last 18 months since De Boer took charge they have lost some fairly major talents. Suarez of course is now at Liverpool, their international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg left for Roma and most recently, Jan Vertonghen has joined Spurs. Ajax have built up a strong reputation for developing and honing talent such as this, selling on for a profit and restarting the process again. This is proven by Ajax having an average squad age of 22.3, frightening when you consider how little game time English talents have had at this age. 

Last season was a breakthrough season for players such as Vurnon Anita and Nicolas Lodeiro who will be looking to firmly establish themselves as top international players. If they can hang onto their big names such as Christian Eriksen, Miralem Sulejmani (finally starting to live up to his potential) and Gregory Van Der Wiel then, along with a few well placed replacements they should be in with a more than decent chance of reclaiming the title for the third year running. 

Feyenoords re-emergence


The Dutch league has traditionally been won by the historic 'Big Three' of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Over the last couple of seasons this has been diluted by the success of AZ Alkmaar and FC Twente however the sudden and abrupt demise of Feyenoord was painful to see. Founded in 1908, Feyenoord have been famous for developing young talent and partaking in intense rivalry most famously with Ajax. They have won 14 Eredivise titles, 11 Dutch Cups, 1 European Cup (beating Celtic 2-1 after extra time) and 2 Uefa Cups. 

Feyenoords assistant manager

In summer 2010, Feyenoord had to release top talents such as Roy Makaay and Denny Landzaat as financial problems really started to take hold of the club. This catastrophic period culminated in their worst ever defeat, 10-0 vs PSV in November 2010. Forced to compete with the majority of their players coming from the U19 team, Feyenoord were in serious danger of being relegated. It took a €20m donation from a group of fans to settle the major debts and allow the club to start the slow rebuilding process. They eventually finished in 10th place, 9 points clear of the relegation zone.

With the debts stabilised, Feyenoord could focus on rebuilding. In came Ronald Koeman as manager with ex-captain Giovanni Van Bronckhorst as his assistant. Together they overseen a huge transformation, from the lows of that 10-0 loss to PSV 18 months earlier to finishing 2nd in the Eredivise last season and qualifying for the Champions League qualifiers. 

The loss of Ron Vlaar and Karim El Ahmadi to Aston Villa this season will be a blow, but as with Ajax, there are already a number of talented youngsters looking to make the step up. This season will be all about trying to maintain a level of consistency and stability that has sadly been lacking over the last couple of years. Talents such as 21 year old midfielder Jordie Clasie and 20 year old central defender Stefan De Vrij will be asked again to perform under a weight of expectation which belies their tender years. They, along with the majority of the enthusiastic young squad have shown that this will be treated as a fantastic opportunity rather than a financial necessity.

International underachievement (again)

For as long as I can remember the Netherlands national team has had a fantastic amount of talent, a ridiculous amount in fact when you consider just how small a country it is (a population of 16m compared to Germanys 82m). The majority of players have came through Ajax's much vaunted youth academy, the names trip off the tongue. Players such as Van Der Sar, Stam, Blind, Davids, Seedorf, Kluivert, Bergkamp & Overmars. In the current national set up Stekelenburg, Heitinga, Van Der Wiel, Nigel De Jong, Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar amongst others have all plied their trade in Amsterdam. These players have tended to leave the country very early and move to major European leagues. With the latest under achievement, and the emergence of a whole host of home-grown talent playing regularly in the Eredivise, now could be the time to unleash them on the world. The future of the national team should be focused around players such as Vurnon Anita, Jordie Clasie and Adam Maher. Young and hungry players who see playing for the national team as a great privilege rather than a distraction from club matters.

Dutch Wonderkids

Below I will take a look at 3 young talents within the Eredivisie capable of becoming household names in the coming years.


Vurnon Anita

An extremely versatile midfielder capable of playing anywhere across the back four but most at home in defensive midfield, Anita shot to prominence last season in Ajax's championship winning side. Given his chance by Frank De Boer as a defensive midfielder, he was able to perform this role to perfection for Ajax. Also capable of covering at centre half for Vertonghen's forward runs, he creates the base upon which players such as Eriksen and Theo Janssen can perform. Increasingly linked with a move to Newcastle, Anita is a young, hungry and as expected, technically excellent midfielder.


Luc Castaignos


Hyped from an early age, its hard to believe Castaignos is still only 19 years of age. Luc started his career at Feyenoord notching an impressive 16 goals from 29 starts in his 2 seasons at De Kuip. He sealed a dream move to Italian giants Inter Milan in 2011 for €4m - due to Feyenoords financial difficulties - but seen limited game time making only 6 appearances (5 from the bench) and scoring 1 goal. Now back in Holland with Steve McLaren's FC Twente, Castaignos will be looking to fulfil his undoubted potential as the player most capable of taking on the mantle of Dennis Bergkamp.


Luciano Narsingh

Narsingh was included in the Netherlands 36 man preliminary squad for Euro 2012 but failed to make the cut. Of Indian descent, Narsingh learned his trade at Heerenveen and was linked with Fulham earlier in the summer before securing a move to PSV. Capable of playing on both wings - but most potent on the right - the 21 year old will be keen to show this move hasn't came too early for him. 

Steve McLaren

Returned to Twente in January this year after wildly unsuccessful spells in charge of then German champs Wolfsburg and perennial English under-achievers Notts Forest. It was a surprise when McLaren left Twente for Wolfsburg in the first place, especially after taking them to an extremely unlikely 1st Eredivise title in their history in 2010. It will be interesting to see how he fares in his first full season back in the Twente hotseat.

Dutch football seems to suit Steve McLaren's style of management, especially the structure which allows him to be a first team coach with a technical director above him as opposed to the all in one style of management widely seen in England. McLaren will be hoping experienced players such as Denny Landzaat and the evergreen Sander Boschker can lead Twente's younger stars to a higher finish than the 6th place they achieved last year.

Read More

Introducing Tea and Busquets

Tea and Busquets (@teaandbusquets) is a football blog started up by Adam Thornton (@AdamThornton) and Scott Coulter (@ScottCoulter72) just prior to Euro 2012. Over the course of the coming season we will blog on whatever takes our fancy from the world of European football and beyond.

As hopefully indicated by the name of our blog we will attempt to inject a bit of humour into it as we believe football and blogging should first and foremost be about enjoyment. 

Our blog will be as fluid as the football we like to see so with that in mind there will be as little structure as possible and any strand of the game can and most probably will be covered on the site. We will look to blog around a few main but not exclusive themes such as match reviews, player profiles from past and present, up and coming youngsters and some in depth looks at tactical frameworks and innovations. We will also be introducing a weekly feature called the Friday Five, which kicked off last week with an Olympic special and can be read at http://teaandbusquets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/friday-five-alternative-players-to.html

This was followed up by a look at Arsenals latest Spanish recruit Santi Cazorla and the impact he may have on an Arsenal side looking to end a six year trophy drought. You can read this here - http://teaandbusquets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/player-profile-santi-cazorla.html

We enjoy watching and writing about football immensely and hope that this shows through in the blog. All comments, follows, retweets and mentions will be very much appreciated.

Thanks
T&B

Read More

Player Profile - Santi Cazorla

Birthday:                13th, December 1984 (27 years old)

Position                  Winger

National Team:         Spain

Club Team:             Arsenal

Height:                  1.68m (5.51 ft)

Weight:                 67kg

Home Town:           Llanera, Spain

Regular readers of tea and busquets over the Euros will know I have a slight (deep and passionate) passing interest in Arsenals latest Spanish recruit, Santi Cazorla. In our first blog (http://www.teaandbusquets.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/la-furia-roja-era-continues.html), I named him as my player of the season last year in La Liga so understandably Arsenal have significantly whetted my appetite for the new season with this acquisition. When you add in possibly my favourite two Dortmund players of the last two years, Nuri Sahin and Shinji Kagawa, pitching up in England (Sahin potentially on loan to Arsenal and Kagawa becoming Man Utd's latest Asian posterboy) then this season is already looking rather attractive.

Cazorla is not a rare breed of player in the current Spanish generation. He is very similar in style and physical stature to players such as Silva & Mata. Where he has not benefited is by plying his trade at two of Spains historically provincial clubs, Villarreal and Malaga. With that in mind, he has still managed to rack up 45 caps in the greatest Spanish team of all time which is no mean feat.

He moved to Malaga last summer for around 16m from Villarreal whose problems financially are well documented. Villarreal have famously played a Brazilesque 4-2-2-2 which Cazorla thrived in as he was able to stretch opponents with his superior pace and ball skills. Whilst Villarreal's subsequent relegation was not completely due to losing Santi, it has to be classed as one of the overriding factors.

Despite Malaga having a fantastic season last year and qualifying for the Champions League it looks like their Qatari owner, Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani, has decided to cease investment into the club causing financial turmoil, possible Spanish FA sanctions over mounting debts and unpaid wages and the threat of relegation. Arsenal have benefited greatly from this by picking up Cazorla for the fairly insignificant sum of 16m euros, if reports are true.

What type of player can Arsenal fans expect?

At Villareal and Malaga he has predominately played as a winger and has looked to use his pace and invention to cut inside and make things happen in the final third.  Spending more and more time as 'false 11' or as a central winger, at 27 years old he has taken a bit more time to truly fit into a position.  He is very much suited to The Gunners style of play and has a full range of weapons in his arsenal (pardon the pun). I would expect Wenger to utilise him as the Number 10 in Arsenal's take on 4-2-3-1. He never shirks his defensive tasks tracking runners very effectively and is more than happy in any position across the midfield. An exquisite touch and an innate ability to change direction single him out from his peers. Wingers are inconsistent by nature however this is one accusation that cannot be levied at Santi. Week in week out in La Liga last season (and for many of the previous 5) Cazorla was the best player on the park causing Sid Lowe to single him out as the signing of the season. He finished the season with 9 goals and 5 assists from 38 league appearances.

To me he now looks ready to move into a truly central attacking midfield position and become the fulcrum of Arsenals entire offensive set up. 

Make no mistake, while Cazorla may not be as well known as his illustrious La Rioja counterparts he is every bit as intelligent and sure of foot. Spanish midfielders are famed for 'seeing the picture before it has been painted' and Cazorla is no different. . He has more than enough ability to pick the locks of stuffy Premier League defences and provide the bullets for a much improved strike force now containing Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. With the addition of Sahin and possibly another defender (it is Arsenal after all), I can see Arsenal comfortably challenging for the automatic Champions League spots and hopefully beyond.

Read More