Signings to beat the drop – Swansea, Fulham

Posted by

0

Swansea and Fulham have each replaced their manager by now after poor results saw them fighting relegation rather than contenting for European places. The transfer window gave a chance to refresh their squads, but will they improve?

Swansea chose not to exercise their option to recall Ki Sung-Yueng from his loan at Sunderland, having opted to sign the more direct Jonjo Shelvey over the summer. At the time I expected this was a precursor to the sale of Michu, yet Shelvey replaced the departed South Korea international and the team need the Spain international back.

This season their plan A of dominance in possession hasn’t worked so well. That’s partly because of the tiring Europa League and the loss of Michu, who struggled for fitness even before he was ruled out due to injury. He offered everything in attack in their League Cup winning season, providing energy for pressing, an aerial threat, and composure to both finish and produce a final ball in attacking situations.

Without him Swansea have the power and finishing of Wilfried Bony and the pace of Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer in attack. But the Swans have struggled to make use of their possession and link their attack to midfield in the absence of Michu, who dropped back to link up play regularly.

Shelvey as their attacking hub brings a range of long passing and can shoot powerfully from range, but the nimble Routledge and Dyer could create more one-on-ones and more space to make use of their touch and agility, compensating for their slight frames, if they had Ki as a more technically adept pivot to combine with than the less patient Shelvey.

The smaller attackers need quick movement of the ball between teammates to thrive, and I think the neat touch and close control of Ki would offer more in tandem with Jonathan De Guzman than the Englishman, and I’m surprised they let him stay at table-climbing Sunderland.

The late additions of two Championship attackers who struggled to impress in the Premier League, in Marvin Emnes (does he have the finishing to make use of his pace?) and David N’Gog (does he have talent as well as athleticism?) gave an impression of panic even before the sacking of Michael Laudrup. Hopefully Michu will be back soon enough to halt the Swans’ descent.

Fulham have allowed Dimitar Berbatov to leave, replacing a player with just six months on his contract – an obvious incentive to ‘play for himself’ – with Kostas Mitroglou, a marquee signing who has already impressed in the Champions league with Olympiakos. He comes with great pedigree but the team has looked anything but healthy earlier in the season, which will make it harder to adapt.

The decay of Fulham from Europa League runners-up to bottom of the table has been slow, but coincides with a rising average age of their squad. A desire to rein in spending, perhaps linked to Mohamed Al-Fayed’s plans to sell the club, meant that spending on transfer fees with commensurately long contracts for established players has been minimal.

Instead it has been loans and shorter-term deals for older players, with the team yet to reap the rewards of promising youth team under Huw Jennings. Summer arrival Fernando Amorebieta has looked error prone amid the fast pace of the Premier League without talisman Brede Hangeland, injured for much of the season. Johnny Heitinga, if fit, will at least bring more agility to a centre-back partnership, while the emergence of Dan Burn represents hope.

However, it’s in midfield that the Cottages of looked most toothless. If tenacious pair Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker or the gifted Giorgos Karagounis were younger, I would expect them to control matches through their traditionally high energy levels, but Fulham are often penned back into their own half with no outlet. Their pacey attackers (Dejagah, Rodallega, Bent) have been out of favour and the team have lacked players capable of threatening at transitions.

Despite their respective goal threat from in the box and from distance respectively, Clint Dempsey and Pajtim Kasami won’t help them in this respect, while talented Alex Kacaniklic and new signing Larnell Cole lack experience. Unless Rene Meulensteen gets Dejagah, Kacaniklic, or Cole working the flanks like Damien Duff once could, I feel their hopes are pinned on Lewis Holtby giving the commanding performances seen for Schalke.

As a Tottenham fan, I hoped for this transfer as soon as rumours spread that he (and Etienne Capoue, who I also hoped would go to Fulham), were out of favour. William Kvist did well to help Denmark qualify for Euro 2012 but could not do the same for World Cup 2014, while Stuttgart have fallen to 13th in the Bundesliga. Ryan Tunnicliffe is yet to make a Premier League appearance.

But Holtby offers the energy in both attack and defence that could help his side win and keep the ball high up the pitch and supply Mitroglou. And you expect he would retain a much even temper than their previous target Ravel Morrison.

How England could suffer and how Roy Hodgson could win in Ukraine

Posted by

0

Ukraine are formidable opponents having gone unbeaten in eight matches, winning seven of these. Mykhaylo Fomenko’s side have gained momentum ahead of Tuesday’s match with away victories against Group H rivals Poland (3-1) then Montenegro (4-0) since his appointment.

The home side’s main attacking threat from open play comes from their wide forwards Yevhen Konoplyanka on the left and Andriy Yarmolenko on the right, each of whom look to cut inside and move the ball onto their stronger foot.

The two could play either side of versatile support forward Roman Zozulya and a hard-working striker, either Marko Devic or Yevhen Seleznyov. If the hosts limit their attacking ambition a third central midfielder could be named with only one up front.

Experienced anchor man Anatoliy Tymoshchuk was partnered by Edmar in Friday’s 9-0 demolition of San Marino. Denys Harmash is out through injury, but holder Taras Stepanenko or the versatile Ruslan Rotan are other options.

The home side attack through the wide forwards and of the two, Konoplyanka is quicker to cut inside and gave his side the lead with a powerful strike the last time England stood off him, but he also possesses excellent close control and offers the prospect of combinations with his Dnipro teammate Zozulya.

England’s centre-back pairing have rarely played together, while Kyle Walker’s focus has been diverted away from the pitch, and both their concentration and protection from midfield will be required to prevent Konoplyanka from picking up the ball in space and finding a teammate in the box.

The powerful Yarmolenko however poses the greater goal threat of the two, having struck double figures in his past three seasons at Dynamo Kiev, and has the finishing ability and power to break into the penalty area if left one-on-one against a defence dragged out of position. Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge’s injuries and Danny Welbeck suspension undoubtedly hurt the England attack but James Milner’s defensive work-rate will help double up on him.

England currently top the group with two home games left and a point would see Ukraine take second place due to their superior goal difference and head-to-head record against Montenegro. Ahead of a group-deciding penultimate round that sees the pair host Montenegro and Poland respectively, each side appears to lose more in defeat than gain in victory.

If either side show ambition however, the hosts defence appear more vulnerable when dealing with pace on the counter-attack.

ukraine-england-10-09-2013Giant centre-back Yevhen Khacheridi poses a threat from set pieces but is slow on the turn, though Yaroslav Rakitskiy is more mobile. Left-back Vyacheslav Shevchuk only became first choice at Shakhtar Donetsk following the departure of Razvan Rat offers and offers a comparatively minor in attack – he has often been replaced by versatile midfielder Oleh Husyev for that purpose.

Three Lions’ target-man Rickie Lambert demands attention when he drops back to link up play as has the passing range to pose a threat. If he can drag either centre-back out of position, space will open up for the pacey Theo Walcott to run at goal ahead of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jack Wilshere, each capable of through balls.

Tymoshchuk would hope to have sufficient positional awareness to prevent this threat, but Walcott’s recent positioning alongside Olivier Giroud at Arsenal gives him increased familiarity with this situation.

Again in a daunting away fixture in Eastern Europe against an on-form side shortly after the start of the season, the stage could be set for arguably the fastest player in the world to match his stunning hat-trick against Croatia in 2008.

Croatia’s attacking midfielders had been on form and the Slaven Bilic’s side had gone nine matches unbeaten in normal time, inflicting two defeats against the Three Lions with Steve McLaren at the helm.

Then, as now, an aging former Bayern Munich player in Niko Kovac (then 36, with Tymoshchuk currently 34) was required to hold in midfield behind a set of heralded attackers, but his defence proved unable to cope with the Arsenal youngster’s pace.

While many of the England’s attacking options are unavailable, in Walcott’s pace Roy Hodgson may still possess the weapon needed to pick apart the home side just as they threaten to upset the Three Lions.

If Tottenham sell Gareth Bale…

Posted by

0

“We have a great relationship,” Bale told the Evening Standard regarding Andre Villas-Boas - 19/07/13

“We have a great relationship,” Bale told the Evening Standard regarding Andre Villas-Boas – 19/07/13

Supporters are right to fear the sale of their star player.

The departure of a player the team previously relied on entails the loss not only of the unique talents brought to the side, but also a lengthy period of adjustment and a likely loss of form.

It could herald a loss of commercial opportunities along with the ability to attract other talented players, in a much wider loss of momentum.

A sale in circumstances where the club is perceived to lack control over the situation reveals the club’s comparative weakness, financial or otherwise, and further obstacles to the club’s progress.

But that’s not the situation Tottenham find themselves in with Gareth Bale, their double Player of the Year Award-winning superstar.

The Wales international scored 21 of their 66 Premier League goals last season, including five winning goals from six matches in a run of form that almost single-handedly kept them in the running for both the Champions League places and the Europa League.

However, he is contracted until June 2016, and therefore cannot yet blackmail the club with the threat of leaving the club for nothing. There won’t be a repeat of Sol Campbell’s move to Arsenal.

If used wisely, that time could allow the club to ascend to the ranks of Champions League clubs and attract the sort of players with the ability to replace his contribution.

He also enjoys a good relationship with manager Andre Villas-Boas, who moulded him from versatile left winger into to a central or right-sided attacker with heightened influence and the means to prove his goalscoring prowess to the world.

With the 24-year-old’s expected future improvement and marketability adding to the commercial package he brings to his club, the suggested pricetags touted for a timely sale orchestrated by the shrewd chairman Daniel Levy lie in excess of £50 million.

If the move occurs early in a transfer-window, that money would allow AVB to replicate his contribution by using the close season to train up a less pricy acquisition with similar or related talents, such as left-footed speedsters Angel Di Maria, Arjen Robben, or Hulk.

Not quite the same mixture of physical power (from the former two) or the same (slightly impetuous) commitment to defending (from the latter two), but a fearsome threat coming off the right flank from each.

And the rebound from the loss of playmaker Luka Modric was swift as the quite different Moussa Dembele replaced the Croatia international’s penetrating range of passing with his own penetrating range of powerful dribbles through the heart of midfield.

In the absence of any positive consequences, even the negatives could be mitigated.

And such positive consequences could include the financing of the marquee striker White Hart Lane seems to be lacking, if one hasn’t been found already.

Just as Juventus were bested in Serie A for 3 consecutive seaspms before a run of 4 from 5 on-pitch titles followed the sale of Zinedine Zidane – and concurrent acquisitions of Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved – Tottenham could replace their star, improve their core, and head to the top.

Selling Gareth Bale for an inflated fee might not be so bad.