Wednesday 28 September 2011

What Would You Do With Carlos Tevez?


Last night, Carlos Tevez shocked everyone involved with football when he refused to come on as a substitute for Manchester City.

The former Manchester City captain was called upon by manager Roberto Mancini to warm up and ready himself to come on as a second half substitute against Bayern Munich whilst 2-0 down against the German giants in Munich. However, last seasons joint Premier League Golden Boot winner simply replied "No." to his manager, and sent the Italian into a fit of rage. Mancini was already less than impressed when starting striker Edin Dzeko had pulled a strop after he was brought off for defensive midfielder Nigel De Jong 10 minutes into the second half. 

Mancini said in an interview after the game;
"If we want to improve as a team, Carlos can't play with us. With me, he is finished. If I have my way he will be out. He's finished with me. He [Tevez] refuses to go in. He refused to come on the pitch. What I said to Carlos stays between me, him and the team but I'm really disappointed because it's Carlos."

 Since last night however, Carlos Tevez has denied claims he refused to play, citing confusion among the bench as to why he didn't come on. He issued the following statement;

"In Munich on Tuesday I was warmed up and ready to play. This is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen. But I wish to state that I never refused to play. There was some confusion on the bench and I believe my position may have been misunderstood. Going forward I am ready to play when required and to fulfil my obligations."

I interviewed Andy Morris, a notorious Manchester City fan for his opinions on the dramatic events of last night in Munich.


  Q - When you heard what Carlos Tevez did last night, what was your initial response?

AM:To be honest I was nothing more than disappointed. I know there are a lot of City fans who have become rather more vexed by the whole thing but this is Tevez and so none of us should be surprised. Its simply the final act of a very strange, and childish man who never likes anywhere but somewhere else. His loyalty has been questioned from the minute he signed on at City, just as it was at United, West Ham and Corinthians. If I could sum my feelings up then I would probably say 'Meh!'


Q - Do you think its all been blown out of proportion due to him wanting to leave throughout the summer and not getting his wish?

AM: If you get a chance to watch the penalty he took against Wigan I think you can tell he cared not a jot about the club. His heart hasnt been in it for a very long time. Lets remember that he had to be forced onto the open top bus for the parade of the clubs first trophy in 35 years (threatened with club fines etc) and he was, at the time club captain. For anyone who wanted to see the signs they were there. I suspect Mancini saw them but others wanted, perhaps needed a big payday if Tevez were to leave.

Q - Tevez has been below par this season and it looks clear he doesn't want to be involved. Would you have been picking him this season?

AM: He hasn't wanted to be at City for most of his tenure, no surprises in him asking for a move and less of a surprise that no club wanted to take a massive risk of perhaps £75m in transfer fee and wages. Especially when he has already stated that it is his desire to retire in 3-4 years. Because of that he never moved on but for me he should have been stripped of a squad number as well as the captaincy. Harsh perhaps but what does he bring to the club as the 4th choice striker other than negativity?

Q - How would you have dealt with the situation during the summer? Would you have held out for the money City did or would you have been looking to get rid?

AM: It's pretty clear now that the Corinthians bid was never a real bid. As soon as City wanted proof of funds they pulled in their oars. In fact the offer was made at the request of Kia Joorabchian who used to own the club. The simple truth is that nobody wants to buy him. City wont give him away so he should be put out to pasture for the next three years.

Q - What would you do with Carlos Tevez now after his actions last night?

AM: I just wish we had an owner with the financial clout to sack him, retain his registration and then go through every court available for the next few years chasing him for every penny that the club is likely to lose on their investment in him, imagine how cathartic that would be. (are you reading this Sheikh Mansour?)

You can follow Andy on Twitter @TheRealFBloke


So that is what a life long Manchester City fan would do with hero-to-zero Argentine Carlos Tevez but the question still remains. What will Roberto Mancini and Manchester City do with him.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Class of 92 vs Class of 2011 - Part 5/7

Paul Scholes' testimonial mosaic in August 2011

After the Champions League final at Wembley in May, the Manchester United fans who had made the journey down South and stayed beyond the final whistle would have seen Paul Scholes wondering around the pitch waving at the fans, seemingly saying 'goodbye'. After that game, it emerged that no less than 6 Barcelona players including Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Victor Valdes had drawn straws in the changing room just to earn the right to swap shirts with the Ginger Wizard after the event. Andres Iniesta came out on top in that encounter. 

Since his retirement during the summer, Manchester United were constantly linked with Wesley Sneijder as his replacement. As we all know, a move never materialised for the Dutch playmaker but a man from United's very own youth system seems to have stepped up to the plate with some top performances. Tom Cleverley spent last season on loan at Wigan Athletic and helped them to avoid relegation with some solid performances for the latics. This season however, he has stepped up into the first team with great assurance and been superb alongside Anderson in the centre of midfield. It seems that Cleverley has actively replaced Paul Scholes in the centre of midfield, so I compare the two of them in this piece despite their differing styles of play.

Central Midfielder vs Central Midfielder
Paul Scholes vs Thomas Cleverley

Paul Scholes Paul Scholes of Manchester United in action during his Testimonial Match between Manchester United and New York Cosmos at Old Trafford on August 5, 2011 in Manchester, England. 

Paul Scholes started off his career as a striker in the youth team banging in goals for fun. When he finally broke into the first team, he started playing as a shadow striker behind Eric Cantona scoring goals and getting assists, linking the play between midfield and striker. He then transformed his game even further to play as a central midfielder who made late runs into the box chipping in with goals. This is where he was arguably most successful for Manchester United, winning multiple Premier League's and trophies alongside Roy Keane in centre midfield. However as he got older, he found it harder to make those late runs and once again transformed his game - now becoming a deep lying playmaker using his amazing passing range to start attacks and link the midfield to the attack.

Thomas Cleverley has been a central midfielder throughout his short career so far, but has also been known to play on the wings too when needed. An all round midfielder, Cleverley is capable of passing, dribbling, crossing and even scoring making him an top asset to any team he's playing in.

So from one generation to the next, I see how these two all round midfielders compare.

PASSING

PS: Paul Scholes has often been called the best passer of a football in world football by his fellow professionals and pundits alike, leading to his nickname in the Manchester United dressing room "Sat Nav" due to his ability to get the ball to whatever destination he wanted to. Long range or short passes, his passing was second to none and by far one of his greatest strengths as a footballer.
GRADE: 10/10

TC: Thomas Cleverley's passing is also very good for a youngster, but he is much more known for his short, quick passes than his accurate long balls. He prefers to keep the ball on the floor and pass and move his way out of/in to situations, and while he is capable of playing a long range pass, it's not his greatest strength.
GRADE: 7/10

CREATIVITY

PS: Scholes' creativity was a large part of the reason he was able to play on for so long into his 30's. He had vision like nobody else and was able to make something out of nothing with a single swing of his boot, despite not being the most flash/skilful of players. He often came up with spectacular moments of creativity, such as his marvellous winning goal vs Barcelona in 2008 en route to Moscow.
GRADE: 9/10

TC: Cleverley's creativity is a big reason as to why Sir Alex Ferguson has such great faith in him making the step up from Youth Team > Wigan > Manchester United first team within 2 seasons. His quick interchanging of pass, ability to beat players with the ball and eye for a through ball make him one of the most creative central midfielders that Manchester United possess this season.
GRADE: 8/10

SHOOTING

PS: Scholes' shooting was what he was renowned for during the early part of his career. He was a goalscoring machine, regularly scoring 10+ goals  a season during the late 90's early 00's. He was capable of scoring with his left foot and his right foot whether it be 35 yards out or in the 6 yard box and it was one of his most feared weapons during his prime.
GRADE: 9/10

TC: Cleverley's shooting has never been his greatest asset as he's never really been known as a goalscoring midfielder. He is usually more of a link up man, getting assists and key passes. He did get 11 goals for Watford 2 seasons ago from centre midfield to show he was capable of scoring goals, but he only managed 4 goals for Wigan last season. He's a midfielder capable of scoring goals but it's not his greatest strength.
GRADE: 7/10

TEAMWORK

PS: Paul Scholes was one of the biggest team players in the history of English top flight football. Never in the media spotlight and always quiet, however always there to back up his team-mates on the field of play. He often scored crucial goals for the club and shared defensive duties despite his status at the club as a legend. Even at the age of 36 he made some late runs into the box to try and get late goals.
GRADE: 8/10

TC: Thomas' teamwork is one of his great strengths and one of the greatest factors in his success at settling in to the first team with such ease. He's able to make his runs forward and communicate well with the team. He follows instructions well from the senior players in the side but isn't afraid to dish out instruction too. He's tactically aware too, making him a perfect midfielder for Manchester United.
GRADE: 8/10

DECISIONS

PS: Paul was regularly praised for his excellent decision making in high pressure situations for the club. He always knew when to make those runs into the box later on in his career (as shown vs Manchester City in April 2010) or when to take his time and find the perfect pass. His decision making and composure are two of the reasons that made him such a great footballer.
GRADE: 9/10

TC: Cleverley's decision making is usually good, although on occasion he can be found guilty of trying too hard to score the perfect goal. We often see him playing numerous one-two's with team-mates in and around the penalty area trying to carve out chances and although they do work sometimes (vs Man City in Aug 2011) they sometimes don't work and can leave United thinking they should have shot rather than tried to work it around the defence for the perfect finish.
GRADE: 7/10

TOTALS


PAUL SCHOLES - 45/50
TOM CLEVERLEY - 37/50


So unsurprisingly, Paul Scholes has come out on top comfortably in this battle of the United youth team graduates. Paul Scholes, as described by everyone who is anyone in the game as a world-class midfielder was without doubt one of the greatest midfielders in the history of football. Tom Cleverley has a massive gap to fill in that Manchester United midfield, but if he continues to develop and Manchester United can carry on their early season form I see no reason for him not to slowly fill that void as the years go on.

"There is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play. You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career."
 Zinedine Zidane - August 2010


Wednesday 14 September 2011

Benfica vs Manchester United - Match Preview

SL BENFICA VS MANCHESTER UNITED
KICK OFF - 19:45 BST 
VENUE - Estadio Da Luz, Lisbon
REFEREE - Damir Skomina [SVN]

PREVIEW

Benfica play host to Manchester United for the first time since 2006 in the opening fixture of the UEFA Champions League 2011/12 season. In that game in 2006, Manchester United came away as 0-1 winners - a solitary goal from Louis Saha the difference on that occasion. Manchester United come into this game fresh off their 200th away win in the Premier League, a 5-0 win at Bolton thanks to 3 goals from Wayne Rooney and a brace from Javier Hernandez. Benfica come into this game after a 2-1 win at home to Vitoria Guimaraes, with a brace from the penalty spot from Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo.

Last 3 Meetings
December 6 2006 (UCL) || Manchester United 3-1 Benfica 
September 26 2006 (UCL) || Benfica 0-1 Manchester United 
December 7 2005 (UCL) || Benfica 2-1 Manchester United

TEAM NEWS

Benfica are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 line up, although manager Jorge Jesus is known to chop and change his tactics depending on the match. Artur is expected to start in goal with the regular back four of Emerson, Garay, Luisao and Pereira in front of him. Javi Garcia is likely to shield the back four with summer signing Alex Witsel expected to play alongside him, but with some more attacking freedom. The front four ahead of them has multiple options but the most likely and most threatening (judging by this season) is Nolito, Aimar, Gaitan and Cardozo. Nolito has already scored 3 goals this season and is Benfica's top scorer in Europe.



Manchester United are expected to name a strong side, but not their strongest due to their upcoming fixture at Old Trafford on Sunday against title challengers Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson has stated how important it is to win the opening fixture of the tournament to get off to a good start so a lot of experience will be in the side. David De Gea is almost certain to start between the sticks for the visitors, but the defence isn't so certain. With such versatility in the side now, plus some injuries it's difficult to predict. I expect Fabio to play at right back, with Smalling and Jones at centre half with either Evans or Evra at left back. The midfield is again difficult to choose due to upcoming fixtures and great choice. I expect Michael Carrick to replace the injured Tom Cleverley in central midfield along with Anderson, with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young to start on the wings. Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez should be allowed to continue their form and partnership to start up front in Portugal.


STATS

BENFICA
  • Summer signing Nolito has scored in each of his first 5 outings for Benfica.
  • Oscar Cardozo has scored 8 goals in his last 7 games for club and country.
  • Benfica have won three out of four of their opening league fixtures, drawing the other - scoring 9 and conceding 4.
  • Benfica need 1 more goal to reach 50 in the UEFA Champions League

MANCHESTER UNITED
  • Wayne Rooney has scored 8 league goals in 4 league games this season, more than every other Premier League team except Manchester City.
  • Manchester United have scored 18 goals and conceded just 3 in their opening 4 league games.
  • Manchester United didn't concede a single away goal in last seasons Champions League.
  • United's away record against Portuguese teams is - WD1 L4


PREDICTION

Due to the form of both sides I think it's going to be a close game, however I think the overall quality of the squads should see Manchester United come away victorious in this fixture. David De Gea kept another clean sheet at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, which will do him the world of good, but Oscar Cardozo is in fine form so I don't see that happening again.

BENFICA 1-3 MAN UTD
Cardozo || Rooney

                 Young

                Hernandez

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Class of 92 vs Class of 2011 - Part 4/7

Nicky Butt - Manchester United v Juventus - Gary Neville's Testimonial Match
Nicky Butt playing in Gary Neville's testimonial

Nicky Butt was a key figure in Manchester United's midfield throughout the 1990's starting as a key figure in the famous youth team of 1992 and then in the first team from the 95/96 Premier League season. During his time at Old Trafford he won 6 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cup winners medals and a UEFA Champions League trophy. 

After Paul Ince was sold to Inter Milan during the summer of 95, Nicky Butt was drafted in as the natural replacement to Ince alongside Roy Keane and chipped in with some crucial goals along the way. He was often however used as the replacement for Roy Keane if he got injured/suspended as the hard tackling midfielder. Butt was given the honour of being named in the PFA Team of the Year in the 97/98 season after filling in for Roy Keane who was injured for much of that season. 

Anderson joined Manchester United from Porto in 2007 for a reported fee of £20.4M at the tender age of 18. He signed as an attacking midfielder, capable of scoring goals and making magical runs. Since then though he's transformed his game into an all round central midfielder capable of those mazy runs but also content to sit deep and control the tempo of the game.

Central Midfielder vs Central Midfielder
Nicky Butt vs Anderson
 

Nicky Butt was capable of playing as both the enforcer in midfield and the man who made those late bursts into the box to chip in with some goals for the club. Anderson came to the club as a midfielder who made those late runs, but since his horrible knee injury in February 2010 he's transformed his game to become a playmaker who makes the game tick and controls the way Manchester United play (89% pass success rate this season shows he does this extremely well too).

Both capable of attacking and defending to a great level, we compare these two Manchester United No.8's as all round central midfielders to see who rules Mancunia.

PASSING

BUTT: Nicky Butt's passing was nothing spectacular to behold but he always got the job done. An accurate short passer of the ball and a decent passer over a longer range, Butt was always reliable when asked to retain possession for the team.
GRADE: 7/10

ANDO: Anderson's passing is possibly his greatest strength as a midfielder. Excellent accuracy in a short range pass and a fairly good long pass, Anderson's ability to dictate the tempo of a game from central midfield in unmatched in the current Manchester United team. 
GRADE: 9/10

STAMINA

BUTT: Nicky's stamina was always an asset to Manchester United during his years of service to the club. His ability to get from box-to-box to assist in attacks and then break up the opposition counter attacks was superb and often helped the club get vital points. 
GRADE: 9/10

ANDO: Ando's stamina has never been his greatest strength, however it's never let him down. Always capable of completing the full 90 minutes, his boundless energy is one of the reasons he is often selected for the possession based games. It's also one of the reasons that the majority of his goals for United have been him running onto passes in the box to tap the ball in.
GRADE: 8/10

TEAMWORK

BUTT: Butt's teamwork ability was very good. He always had good communication with his team mates and was usually able to play his way out of trouble. He was also more than capable of filling in for other team mates when they were out of position and was always reliable to put in a good shift for the team.
GRADE: 8/10

ANDO: Ando's teamwork ability is a joy to behold when he's on form. He's capable of playing his way out of trouble with ease due to his excellent passing and also possesses the wherewithal to fill in gaps when defending and pick a pass rather than shoot when attacking. Sometimes, he could be accused of not being selfish enough hence his lowly goal tally in his 5 years at United so far. 
GRADE: 8/10

POSITIONING

BUTT: Nicky's positional sense was good, more so defensively than offensively though as seen by his lowly tally of 26 goals in 387 games for the club. He was more regularly enforced as a more defensive minded midfielder allowing Roy Keane to make those roaming runs from deep which probably justifies the tally, but he was never known as an attacking player anyway.
GRADE: 7/10

ANDO: Anderson has a knack of being in the right place at the right time for Manchester United it seems. He's often the man to make the interception of the ball when defending and then can set the team away on a counter attack. However as shown by his goals he likes to arrive late into the box - with half of his goals coming from his late runs and tapping them in.
GRADE: 8/10

CREATIVITY

BUTT: Nicky Butt was never regarded as a creative midfielder and that was probably because he wasn't the most creative of midfielders around. He usually kept his stuff basic and made sure the basics were exceptional before trying anything out of the ordinary. He very rarely pulled anything magical out of the bag and was much more of a "safety first" type of player".
GRADE: 6/10

ANDO: Anderson has truck loads of creativity and thankfully has begun showing it on a consistent basis this season. He's already showed it in glimpses in previous seasons (the trick pass vs Man City reserves, etc) but has been racking up the key passes this season and has got 1 assist to his name this season with a lovely lobbed pass to Welbeck to start off the massacre of Arsenal in the 8-2 win at Old Trafford.
GRADE: 9/10

Anderson magnificent trick pass vs Man City

TOTALS

NICKY BUTT - 37/50
ANDERSON - 42/50

So at this point in his Manchester United career, Anderson seems to be the better midfielder of the two. However, it's yet to be seen if with a key role in the team whether or not he can help lead Manchester United to a league title like Nicky Butt did in 95/96 when he replaced Paul Ince. Anderson has the creative ability in midfield to lead Manchester United to success this year, but it remains to be seen if he will do so.


Monday 5 September 2011

Class of 92 vs Class of 2011 - Part 3/7

Phil Neville Phil Neville in action during the Gary Neville Testimonial Match between Manchester United and Juventus at Old Trafford on May 24, 2011 in Manchester, England.
Phil Neville during his brother Gary's testimonial in May 2011

Phil Neville joined Manchester United as a schoolboy and was apart of the 'Fergie Fledglings'. One of the most versatile players of his generation, Phil was able to play all across the back four, holding midfield and even on the rarest occasion played wide midfield. His preferred position is right back, although he rarely played there for Manchester United due to his brothers dominance in that position.

During his years at Old Trafford, he won 6 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and a UEFA Champions League, having been an unused substitute in the legendary 1999 final. He moved to Everton in 2005 for £3.5M citing regular first team football as his reason for moving to Merseyside. He was appointed captain of Everton in January 2007 after David Weir left to join Rangers. He is still captain to this day.

Phil Jones made his Premier League debut for Blackburn Rovers vs Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park in March 2010. He signed for Manchester United on a 5-year-contract in a deal worth a reported £16.5M after he was set for a medical at rivals Liverpool before Sir Alex Ferguson stepped up his interest.

With both Phil Neville and Phil Jones' versatility, it only seemed right to compare them in Part 3 of Class of 92 vs Class of 11.

Defender/Midfielder vs Defender/Midfielder
Phillip Neville vs Phil Jones


Phil Neville is regarded as one of the most versatile players of his generation at Manchester United along with John O'Shea as he is capable of playing all across the back four and in holding midfield. Naturally a full-back or holding midfielder. Phil Jones is naturally a centre back and holding midfielder, so we'll compare them as holding midfielders with some extra defensive attributes that aren't essential to being a holding midfielder.

MARKING


PN: Phil Neville's marking has always been top notch and that is one of the reasons he is so valuable in so many different positions. He has always been exceptional at marking players out of a game, but of course as he's got older he's lost pace and it's harder to stay tight now. His marking was always one of his greatest strengths.
GRADE: 8/10

PJ: Phil Jones's marking for a 19 year old defender is absolutely superb. During his very short Manchester United career so far, he's managed to keep Edin Dzeko and Jermain Defoe quiet. He's got the pace to keep up with a man and the power and dominance to go one for one with them too. With Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand alongside him in training too, he'll only get better.
GRADE: 8/10

TACKLING

PN: Neville's tackling was always at a satisfactory level, but was never anything out of this world - hence why he struggled to make it as first choice for Manchester United until the early 2000's. He was always seen as more of a back-up player for Manchester United, the type to fill in the gaps and did that well, but none of his attributes stood out as a shining light. He knew how to tackle, but all defenders should.
GRADE: 7/10

PJ: Jones' tackling was top notch and Ferguson stated that as one of the main reasons for signing the gifted defender. His performance last season at Ewood Park vs Manchester United was a joy to behold as he made some incredible tackles to deny Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.
GRADE: 8/10

POSITIONING

PN: Neville's positional sense was a huge asset to him as he was never the quickest of defenders. He always knew where he was on a football pitch and it helped him greatly when up against quicker opponents. He always knew how to mark the space well and his decision making was top notch.
GRADE: 8/10

PJ: Jones' positioning is very good for a young defender/midfielder as shown best during his performance against Manchester United last season at Ewood Park. He was always in a great position to clear the ball or stop the attack and has shown great promise in United colours too.
GRADE: 8/10

BRAVERY

PN: Younger Neville was always very brave when it came to defending and always showed great commitment and dedication to the cause. He made plenty of blocks during his Manchester United career and showed that he is more than willing to take one for the team when he was sent off vs Liverpool for handling on the line in the Merseyside derby.
GRADE: 8/10

PJ: Manchester United's new #4 has already proved his bravery in the opening 3 games of the season for his new club. Although United haven't been under too much pressure in any games so far he's made blocks and tackles that he had to be fully committed too. He also made a magnificent block to prevent Ryan Giggs in that game I keep mentioning at Ewood Park last season.
GRADE: 8/10

LEADERSHIP

PN: Phil Neville was never Manchester United captain, but was appointed Everton captain within 18 months of signing for the club. He's vocal and with plenty of experience obviously knows what he's talking about. He's not afraid to tell his team-mates if they need to pick up their performance, but he's also always encouraging to his team-mates. An excellent captain, who also once captained England (briefly).
GRADE: 9/10

PJ: Phil Jones has been described by many pundits and fans (myself included) as a future England captain and it's obvious why. In a team with captain Chris Samba beside him, he was always screaming instructions and encouragement to his team-mates and that has continued since his move to Old Trafford. His communication is superb and will only get better with age and confidence. 
GRADE: 8/10

TOTALS

PHIL NEVILLE - 40/50
PHIL JONES - 40/50

So at the age of 19, Phil Jones is just as good as Phil Neville. Considering his age and potential and the way the manager of his club and national team think of him, it's almost certain that Phil Jones will inevitably become an even better defender than he already is. He's got plenty of room for improvement which is only a scary thing for strikers who will come up against him in the next 10+ years.