The Theater of Nightmares...

       
         So, you all had a great weekend then? The weather was lovely, wasn't it? Many of us might've had a nice picnic. Or did you catch any new movie over the weekend? There were quite a few on TV this week, too. Watching "Just Dance" can be a great experience too, to relax. What else? Anything nice on TV? No, I have talked about that already. The weather? Nope, I've been through that as well.
   

          Okay, can't beat around the bushes any longer now. All of us saw what happened at Old Trafford this Sunday. It wasn't Chelsea's first defeat of the season that got the headlines, nor United's rolling juggernaut despite a less than commanding performance. The only thing the world media is talking about now, is THAT moment from Fernando Torres. As the commentator rightly said, you wouldn't wish that on anyone.Seriously. Not even on Emmanuel Adebayor. You can defend, saying all great players have crazy misses sometimes, but for someone who was finally finding some confidence after a marathon break, you just pray the miss doesn't prove to be catastrophic.

One didn't really want to look at Torres's face after that miss ! "Shattered" is the only word there...

                   Talking generally about the game, it was far more open than expected. With a bit better finishing from both sides, it could easily have been 6-5, or better,6-7! But, the Torres miss overshadowed rest of the game so much, that no one even talked about both of first two United goals being offside. Yes, United were the better team in the end, but can you imagine the same silence on refereeing standards, had Fergie's team been on the receiving end ? AVB knew that his team were just as much to blame though, as it was really a lesson from the Red Devils in finishing games off. Chelsea were creating dozens of chances in first half, and still United incredibly led 3-0 at half-time, with 3 shots on target. That's called ruthlessness. They aren't the 19-time Champions for nothing.

        But, what for me was one of the biggest decisions of the match, which can have a massive impact on Chelsea's season went almost unnoticed. Lampard, the legendary 20-goals-a-season-from-midfield Frank Lampard was substituted at half-time by Villas Boas for Anelka, a decision that paid dividends in just about 30 seconds! Had it been any of the former Chelsea managers still in the Blue's dugout, Torres or Sturridge would come off to make way for Anelka. AVB made his statement right there. No one is safe at Chelsea anymore without performing. And unlike most of his predecessors, he really means that. That's why Roman Abramovich took the massive gamble on this relatively inexperienced guy from Portugal. There are radical changes happening around at Stamford Bridge.In Game-play. In discipline. And most importantly, in the personnel. Earlier, no one would even dream if Resting (!) Terry and Lampard in the opening game of the Champions League. No one would start Daniel Sturridge against Manchester United in favour of Anelka or Malouda. Villas Boas is bold and fearless, there are distinct similarities with Mourinho there. The delicious  unpredictability in substitutions is back. The team that looked jaded and tired for much of last season, looks suddenly revitalised now.They are hungry, they are pacey, and they want to win. They might be 5 points off the pace already, but write Chelsea off at your own peril.

              Meanwhile, giving due credit to the devils, they were indeed magnificent. They may not have dominated the game, but when on a roll, Fergie's men are as merciless as a Genghis-khan or a Tamerlane.  Chelsea did threaten with a comeback. But even after Rooney doing his own version of the "Moscow-miss" and Berbatov showing his own prowess at missing chances-one-can't-miss, United ran out deserved, if not comfortable winners. 15 points, 21 goals, a goal difference of +17, all this from just 5 games, this United team are going to need some stopping from romping to another title.

Even with a Moscow-like miss, Rooney is far ahead of competition in this year's EPL!

                                       

         Just a word to all those Chelsea fans lashing out at Torres though, AVB is building something big here. And even if you find it hard to believe, Fernando Torres is the man much, much likely to lead his charge, rather than a Didier Drogba or a Nicolas Anelka, and at least for the time being, even Daniel Sturridge. The entire league is being sliced open like never before. Get ready for the ride with your seat-belts, for it's going to be far more bumpy and unpredictable than you can ever imagine!

Landing The Big Fish : Per Mertesacker

                    So friends, following my own post on Chelsea in the "Landing the Big Fish" series, we now move on to Arsenal. It's been a weird summer for the Gunners, with Arsene Wenger  signing as many as 5 players on the deadline day. Welcome Prathamesh Prasanna Bhanap, as he gives his opinion about exactly who among the new arrivals can fire Arsenal to their long-lost glory.

Arsenal - The team on the verge of extinction or maybe on the brink of evolution. Every pre-season fixtures were a joy to watch, goals scored without the help from the stewardship of the team....everyone doubting 'The Professor' were happy to see their team performing well, even though they knew that this was an end to the days of the Barca boy & the new-found French midfield dictator.....!!

A few transfer made up which included Gervinho, Jenkinson, and two Barca youths were good, but not replacing the players which went out.

Per Mertesacker can add some much-needed steel to Arsenal's back-four

A sketchy start to the season. Starting with a draw and a loss was okay considering there are still 36 matches to go and Wenger bringing in reinforcements.....but when....?

There were doubts in fans minds about the Premiership...the team was good but not good enough for the honours....best players abandoning the ship.....this had happened before, the leadership of number 14 taken by number 4. So, everyone expected it to happen again in the form of 10,14,19 or maybe a 16......just like a fairy tale!

But....as every fairy tale has a devil, this one had too....not 1 but a whole team of 11....none other than Manchester United.

Arsenal recorded a loss of 2-8 in the premiership on the 125th year in the making. Fans started to exit the doors of Arsenal FC from their hearts. Questions arose regarding the professor's tactics and his ability to spend in the market.....along came the last day of the transfer season....next morning, news came out that Arsenal FC made 5 deals at the last moment snatching up Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, Park Chu-Young, Andre Santos & Yossi Benayoun. Now the team was looking complete.

The scoreline 8-2 told about two things-

1. The '2' said that attack is capable of breaking the UEFA Champions league finalists' defenses.

2. The '8' said that defense is far worse than required to survive in the premiership.

This led Arsenal to their best signing in the market in the form of Per Mertesacker.... Defense being a constant problem in the 6-year trophy drought was to be solved by this man.....pairing up with Thomas Vermaelen, this would be one of the top defenses in the country.

Technical Attributes of Per Mertesacker-

A 6ft 6in tower with ability to defend on ground and also in the air which was pretty much required by 'The Gunners'. A perfect candidate to pick while taking an Indirect free-kick or a corner. Reads the game well. Has a commanding influence in the defense. Immense physical presence. The most interesting thing is, he has been booked only twice in three years -1 yellow & 1 red- for his former club Werder Bremen which is creditable considering the competition from oncoming strikers.

The Giant defender also has an excellent disciplinary record

His Statistics-

Has significant experience at both club and international level, enjoying eight seasons in the German top flight -five with Werder Bremen and three with Hannover 96- making 221 league appearances in total and finding the net 19 times along with an experience of 53 matches in Europe. Influential member of the national team reaching the Semi-final of 2006 and 2010 World Cups and to the final of the 2008 Euro. Has won 75 caps for the country scoring 1 goal.

Per Mertesacker, along with other signings has given Arsenal a ray of new hope, as everyone is ready to put the 8-2 game behind themselves and regain the long lost glory....Football is a funny game.....who knows, maybe there is a reincarnation of 'The Invincibles' in the making....!!

Written by -

Prathamesh Prasanna Bhanap

Landing The Big Fish : Juan Mata

           
              It was all turning out to be so familiar. Trying to somehow scrape past a minnow, with that straight-line passing and the slow and mundane build-up play, that seemed to have become a characteristic. Ever since that infamous collapse against Sunderland last season, Chelsea fans had been craving for something exciting. And then, he arrived. In just the 26 minutes of his debut, Juan Mata showed the Blues what they had been missing. It was that finesse, that trickery, that magic that hadn't been seen at Stamford Bridge, perhaps since the days of legendary Gianfranco Zola. It might be precocious to say this, but Mata could just turn out to be the missing piece in Chelsea's jigsaw.
              It's been no secret that Roman Abramovic wants Chelsea to play with flair. As fortunes had it, Zola had left Chelsea for his native Caligari just a week before Roman bought the club. Abramovich did his best to get him back to London. Legends even say, Roman tried to buy the entire Caligari club to facilitate Zola's transfer back to Chelsea, but Zola would not budge on his promise given to his home club. Whatever might be the truth, Zola didn't return, and Chelsea have never had such an artist to thrill the crowds ever since.

Juan Mata has had an instant impact at Cheslea!

                Not that Chelsea's game has been boring and dull. When on song, they play football to mechanical perfection. But, organisation has always been prioritized to a free-roaming approach. Yes, they are a joy to watch when on fire. Didier Drogba bulldozing through the entire defenses, the famed long-rangers from Lamps or Essien, the relentless runs by Ashley Cole. But when the opposition decides to  park their bus  in front of goal, Chelsea don't have a Special player, who can pick the locks, or at least they didn't have one till now. Scolari moaned about his failure in pursuit of Robinho, or not having retained Arjen Robben, precisely for the same reason.

             Let's face it, almost every big club has one. Barcelona have Messi. Period. Real have Ronaldo, Manchester City have David Silva. Manchester United may not have one such in particular, but their ever-revolving front-line of Young, Rooney, Chicharito and Nani more than compensates for it, as some EPL clubs have already witnessed to their own peril. Chelsea didn't even need one till two seasons back, when Drogba was literally bullying every defense into submission, and Lampard was popping up from anywhere to slot in goal-after-goal. But cracks appeared in the Armour last season, when Drogba was hit by  malaria, and Lampard was lost to injuries. Both haven't yet looked the same, even after returning. Villas Boas had spotted the over-dependence on the few personnel, which has been the downfall of so many Chelsea managers. And, it's been evident in his transfer policy. Apart from Mata, Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu and Thiabaut Courtois, all regarded to be  the best of upcoming talents were signed. Best part was, Romeu and Lukaku weren't loaned out straightaway to some un-pronounceable foreign clubs, a fate incurred by so many  of Chelsea's young signings.

Mata has already impressed the Blues faithfuls, with some classy football..

           
         Focusing on Mata, the diminutive Spaniard looked to pretty-much home right from the start. He ran, he dribbled, he chipped, he crossed, he tricked and Stamford Bridge was on it's feet in no time. Chelsea have got a real superstar in the making. Even David Silva, arguably the play-maker in the league at the moment, took almost half-a-season to adjust to the English game. It might not be widely known, but Juan Mata was a product of Real Madrid's youth setup (Yes, they Do have a youth system! ) . But, after shining for their B team, Mata and his parents demanded a contract with the senior team. Real refused, choosing to sign Royston Drenthe (yeah, the same one who was struggling to find a club few days ago!) instead. Valencia were waiting in the wings to pounce, and Mata hasn't disappointed since. He was the sole reason Valencia weren't plunged into an unknown darkness of failure, even after departures of two majestic Davids to Barcelona and Manchester City. It was a writing on the wall that he'd follow them to bigger clubs. Within days of signing for Chelsea, he looks to have upstaged Malouda, the French veteran, for the role on the left flank.

               If given proper time to gel, Mata could just be the man to unlock Fernando Torres's 50-million-pounds-worth potential. El Nino is still craving for the defence-splitting through balls that Gerrard and Benayoun could provide him, as Chelsea try to break from their routine of launching the ball to Drogba and let him do the rest. Early signs suggest AVB will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, which means Mata will be playing out wide on the left, rather than centrally, although a prospect of a super-fast Mata-Torres-Sturridge forward-line is fascinating for the Blue supporters.


                     The era appears to be changing at Chelsea. The veterans like Drogba, Malouda and Anelka are no longer guaranteed starters, and with the emergence of McEachran and Romeu, Frank Lampard could find himself added to that list soon.And Juan Mata promises to be the star of Chelsea's attempt at a revolution. Even with a huge clash against a rampant-looking defending Champions looming large, times have hardly been more exciting to be a Chelsea fan !

Landing The Big Fish : Stewart Downing

                     Following the Manchester United post in the "Landing the Big Fish" Series, we move onto Liverpool for this one. We welcome Sriram Viswanathan for this great piece, as he talks about King Kenny's most valuable deal this summer in his own witty style.
 

                Exactly a year ago, the Red side of Merseyside was brimming with a sort of uneasy anticipation. They had the unenviable job welcoming a certain Paul Konchesy to Anfield. Also the fact that they considered Joe Cole their best signing, told their somewhat miserable story.

              Since then, an entire legacy has been wiped out. That of Roy Hodgeson. Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Raul Meireles, have all left the club. Raul Meireles, threatening to silence all the Hodgeson-critics by breaking into fine form, has moved to Chelsea in one of the more bizarre Deadline Day activities. AVB apparently spoke to him in Portuguese, and offered something King Kenny could not offer him ( A bit like Moyes not being able to offer Arteta Champions League football? ).

Can Downing be the new Kop-hero???

SIGNING OF THE SUMMER :

Certainly not Craig Bellamy. What the hell is he doing there? Oh well, anyways, in my book, the signing of the summer has certainly been Stewart Downing. Simply because he brings something new to the table. Liverpool needed someone on the right to make the game-changing runs, and now, as and when Gerrard returns, there will no doubt on where he will play. Under Rafa, he sometimes played on the right, and didn't do too well to be honest.

         Talking about other acquisitions, Charlie Adam is a Lucas Leiva 2.0, who is good at set-pieces. I would've let Spearing come into his own, rather than bring in Adam. Moving on, Kenny showed the Arsene Wenger in him, by signing Jordan Henderson. Decent signing, although I had also hailed Fernando Morientes as one. Remember him?

Sebastien Coates has come in, and will probably ensure that Carra is already negotiating with John W Henry on a possible place in the coaching staff this season. He apparently thought Luis Suarez is the manager at Liverpool, until he saw Kenny Dalglish.

           Looking more closely into the Downing move, he appeared in all 38 of Aston Villa's league games last season, which suggests he's likely to get more opportunities at Anfield than a certain Alberto Aquilani did. Even though he's primarily a left winger, he played on the Right-wing at Villa for large part of the last campaign, due to the excellent form of Ashley Young on the other flank. Liverpool haven't really had a world-class left-footer in the side for long time now. They had Albert Riera a couple of years back, but then, Riera is hardly what you call a World-class player. More of a Rafa Benitez rather than Kenny Dalglish, to be exact.

Stewart Downing can prove to be the most cunning piece of business by Dalglish this summer...

           Downing could also prove to be a valuable asset, should Kenny decide to play Andy Carroll (Liverpool's own version of the current Fernando Torres) in a traditional No. 9 position. He's an excellent crosser of the ball. In fact, the stats show he has completed more crosses in open play than any other player in the EPL over last 3 seasons. 135, to quote the exact figure. You don't need to be a genius to realize Carroll's best time at Newcastle was when they launched the ball from literally anywhere towards his monstrous frame.

         All in all, I think Stuart Downing is a great addition for the Kop. 19 million Pounds is an awful lot of money. But, Liverpool are buying a statistically reliable footballer for that amount. He may not be the most exciting buy, but certainly a solid and reliable one. For a club who passionately boasted about being the most successful club in English history till last year, this approach is certainly an interesting one.

But then, the times are certainly changing at Anfield, and for the good ! 




Written by-
Sriram Viswanathan

Landing the Big Fish : Ashley Young

     
            Friends, this week we're beginning a new Series titled "Landing the Big Fish" to discuss about all the Big acquisitions by the top European clubs, with the club's very own ardent fans explaining exactly who's their best buy of the summer and why.
          So for the very first post, we welcome Akash Nair, a die-hard Red Devil, as he talks about Fergie's summer dealings and who might end up as United's best buy this summer.
                                              

Ashley Young....the next United super-star in the making??

                                     

After  the mauling suffered at the hands of Barcelona at Wembley, plus the impending departures of some vital cogs of the first team, Manchester United FC needed some reinforcements…quickly.
The question was whether United had the money to invest and after  the circus by Rooney (the small matter of handing in a transfer request saying the club lacks ambition!!), this was going to be a summer which would clear some doubts.

The fans clearly wanted a midfielder(out of desperation) and a goalkeeper(out of necessity) and after numerous scouting reports,hard negotiations, some failed bids, countless spotting at airports and Bridgewater hospital and 2 months later we have a goalkeeper, a defender and a winger.

In David De Gea we have a 20-year old goalie with truckloads of potential, in Jones an inexperienced defender but a born leader ;a player who can marshal United’s and England’s defence for years to come, and in Young, we have an established Premier league winger. The best signing of the summer for me is Ashley Young.While DDG and Jones have lot of potential, whether they will fulfill it is another matter of fact. 

While much has been said about United’s need of a creative midfielder or a midfield destroyer,there is also a need for a left winger who can bomb down the flanks, put in crosses , cut inside and track back to help the fullback. This has been highlighted due to the fact that Ryan Giggs has become old now--old is an understatement—so much so that he is almost exclusively used in centre midfield by Ferguson as his pace has decreased. Some may argue that we have Nani or Park who can do the job in the left, but the fact is that none of them are primarily left footed.Nani tends to drift inside while deployed on the left forcing Wazza wide or Hernandez to run behind the fullback.

Technical  attributes of Ashley Young:

Young has searing pace, with a bucket-load of tricks to match. He's a great dribbler of the ball, who can tantalize the opposition. Even though being primarily right-footed, he has an excellent left-foot, which makes him an awesome "Inverted Winger" to have.Add to that his deadly Set-piece skills and pinpoint crossing, and you have a genuinely world-class winger in your ranks.

Mental attributes :

For a player who rose through the ranks at Watford offering to play without a contract just so that he can train, will and determination comes easily.
The desire to win is always there in a player who only has held the community shield aloft. 

Young is fast and deceptive, which is deadly attribute for someone who plays for a team known for super-fast counter attacks

                                             
The important thing for me is Young’s versatility.
He can play as left forward in a 4-3-3 ,as a second striker in a 4-4-1-1, on the right as well as the left wing, in the hole behind the front two in a 4-1-3-2.
This versatility opens the door for a revolving front 4 last seen during 07/08 season when the likes of Roo, Ronnie, Giggsy and Tevez  wreaked havoc.
Young was also employed by Gerrad Houllier in a more central role during his last season at Villa helping them to steer clear of relegation and also Fabio Capello’s England during the Euro 12 qualifying  campaign.
All this versatility won't be much visible during the initial stages of the campaign but it will be prominent during the latter stretches when games come thick and fast and injuries enter the picture.

If you still think he's not a Marquee signing United needed to formally replace the legendary Paul Scholes, just check out some of his stats in the English League.

• Ashley Young is10th on the list of all-time assist makers in the Premier League with 53 assists to his     name.
• In terms of assists per games, Ashley Young ranks 7th in Premier League history with 0.46 assists per game, behind Giggs, Bergkamp, Cantona, Fabregas, Henry & Beckham.
• Only Cesc Fabregas has more Premier League assists than Ashley Young since the 2006/07 season
• He has scored 62 goals and made 70 assist in 300 appearances in all competition.
• Ashley Young has scored 33 goals in the Premier League – 32 on his right foot, 1 on his left foot, 34.4% from outside the box & 37.5% from dead balls.
• From 07/08-10/11, Ashley Young has provided 30 dead ball league assists: 7.5 per year. #MUFC’s best Nani has averaged 4.25. Improvement.
• Young’s dead ball assist rate from the last 4 years of 7.5 per season is better than Beckham – who averaged 4.77 per season in his Man Utd career.
• He has only been sent off once in his premier league career.
•  Incidentally Young is also one of the most fouled players in the league, which creates more set piece opportunities  and also gets injured very rarely.

I m sure some United fans will still feel we could have done with an attacking midfielder in the moulds of Sneijder--- but that’s mainly from the need to match Barca after the dressing down they have given us last two times. It certainly would've added to the oomph factor, but the defeat was much more of a result of a midfield that was unable to initiate lightning fast counters which United are known for.And Young is much more likely to bring back those counters rather than a Sneijder or any such creative midfielder. 

Glory days are here to stay at Old Trafford. Let's just hope Ashley Young owns the left wing of United first team for years to come !!

Written by:

Akash R Nair