Do Barcelona need Alex Song?

Tom Moseley questions if Barcelona need Alex Song.

Alex Song had a great season for Arsenal last year, you can't really deny that. He can still improve, as I still feel he can be sloppy on the ball and be a bit lazy when getting back, but no one's perfect, right? You should credit where credit is due, and Alex Song deserves credit, he was a key player for Arsenal last year, which is a good thing, until rumours start circulating. One of the main transfer rumours, behind the on-going sagas of Van Persie and Luka Modric, is the rumour that Barcelona want Alex Song, want him they might, but do they need him?

Lets think about who Barcelona currently have occupying their midfield, some of the best midfielder in the world, no question about it. Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets and Javier Mascherano, who has recently signed a new deal at the club, now, that's some line-up, would Alex Song really fit in?

I personally think he would, I'm not saying he's a guaranteed starter, but I think the club may see Macherano as more of a centre-back/sweeper now, as last season he made 38 appearnces at centre-back compared to 2 in midfield. Then I think they also prefer to push Fabregas and Iniesta forward into more attacking roles, which again you can see as Fabregas spent only 11 of his 33 games last season in centre-midfield and Iniesta spent 16 of his 35 games there, which only leaves Xavi as the primary centre-midfielder, with Busqets operating deeper. So, he would get games, not as much as he would at Arsenal, but he would get games.

Now, lets move on to the player in question, Alex Song. He should certainly fit into the Barcelona style of play, as it's not too different to how Arsenal play, with the emphasis on possession and 'keeping the ball on the deck'. Which, as we saw from Song last season, he can do, with an average 60 passes per game last season, in all competitions, and a pass success of 83.8%, which could be better,  but then his frequent attempts at 'Hollywood Passes' could be partly to blame for it being relativey low. However, you can complain about his Hollywood Passes being a waste of possession when something simpler was on (like I do) or you can think they were also extremely valuable to his team, as he seemed to have good chemistry with Van Persie, with the two always on the same wavelength, leading to some great goals by Van Persie, because of Songs exquisite passes. He got 11 assists in 34 games last season for Arsenal, a great record, providing the bit of creativity they needed after Fabregas' departure last year. He also finished the season with the most accurate through balls per game, with 0.7, a great achievement, as he despite being more advance than previous years, he is still playing a much more conservative position to someone like David Silva, who finished in 2nd place. Along side this, he also finished with 1.4 key passes per game, another great feat for a more defensive midfielder.

However, I don't think it should be all praise for the Cameroon international. Defensively, stat-wise, he is pretty great, with 2.9 tackles per game and 1.9 interceptions per game, however, I do think he could improve a lot. I think he gives away the ball too easily, with what looks like half hearted passes, or he doesn't track back (quick?) enough, leading to gaps in the Arsenal midfield. If he didn't have the disciplined Arteta next to him, they would have been punished a lot more times than they were and I can't see them being too happy with this at Barcelona, as there is quite a lot of emphasis on the high-pressing, so he couldn't get caught out doing this. However, you could turn that on its head and say he would be more disciplined with a more creative player next to him, like he was with Fabregas. So, I do feel there are aspects of his game that need improving, but they're not things to do with ability, more mentality, which can be better.

What would it mean to Arsenal if he left? I've seen lots of tweets from Arsenal fans on my timeline about this rumour over the past week or so, and the reactions don't seem to be very mixed! The majority of fans don't want him to leave, they think it would be taking a backwards step, even after signing Cazorla. Then, a few others say cash in, he's replaceable. I personally am on the fence. I think he is important, and it wouldn't be great to sell one of your key-players, especially to a team who you want to be competing with. However, I do think he's replaceable, because he does have his faults, so they could cash in, sign someone else and do just as well. It's a tough one, I think it's less about him leaving and more about who would be joining that would help me decide. For example, sell him and sign Yann M'Vila, definitely, he's a couple of years younger and can do the job just as well, but if the replacement wasn't quite as good, I'd be less willing to cash in. It all comes down to how highly you rate Alex Song, because as I've said, he's good, but not brilliant.

So, do they need him?

I think a good point to take into consideration when answering this question is they've just sold Seydou Keita, who could defend and attack and had a bit more physical prowess than their other players, sounds a bit like Alex Song doesn't it? So in signing Song, they would have another player who could do this, who would be extremely useful to them and only 24 years of age.

However, you also have to think Barcelona like to promote their own players and have named their 25 man squad, things can change, but they might prefer it if they didn't, and then give one of their younger players a chance in the role, like Sergi Samper or Sergio Roberto, two La Masia graduates and carry on 'The Barca Way'.

To answer the question, do they need him? Not necessarily. But he would make them stronger, as well as offering something different.   

 This article was written by Tom Moseley, you can follow him on Twitter: @PlayedOfThePark .Check out his website too: http://playedoffthepark.net/

The Most Underrated Players in the Premier League - Part Two

If you missed Part One find it here.

So last week we revealed our top 10 to 6 of the most underrated Premier League players this season. We revealed that the likes of Wes Hoolahan, Stiliyan Petrov and others were having fantastic seasons without much recognition.

But today, we shall expose who we think has been the most underrated player of this season’s Premier League campaign.

Let’s get back to the countdown.

5.) Alex Song – Arsenal: Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey have really taken the spot light in Arsenal’s midfield this season. But Alex Song has been just as vital as the other two. Song’s fantastic protection of the back four and the midfield has helped Arsenal stay defensively solid. Indeed, Song has won the most tackles for Arsenal this season with 38 tackles. But what has been more impressive about Song’s game is his contribution going forward. One will recall it was Alex Song who floated the ball over to Van Persie for his exceptional volley versus Everton late last year. But this is just one of many examples. Song has been creating chances for Arsenal all season. Indeed, the Cameroonian International has created 23 chances, 3 less than Gervinho to put things into perspective. Furthermore, clear evidence of his offensive contribution is clear when one looks at how many times he has assisted for Arsenal this season in the Premier League. Song has assisted the joint most alongside Gervinho with 5 assists this season. Song’s defensive displays alongside his creativity have made him one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at the moment.

4.) Joe Allen – Swansea: Swansea have exceeded virtually everybody’s expectations. But Joe Allen has been indispensable to the Swans success this season. Allen’s tidiness on the ball typifies everything about Swansea’s keep ball philosophy. The Swansea midfielder has a passing accuracy of 90% this season and has made more accurate passes than Scott Parker, Alex Song and Charlie Adam. Allen’s creativity has been vital to Swansea this season. Allen has created 27 chances, the second highest for Swansea. Joe Allen’s role in Swansea’s midfield is invaluable, it’s clear he is the one who makes Swansea tick.

3.) Steven Fletcher – Wolves: Fletcher has been on fire this season. Especially on the road. Steven Fletcher has scored 9 goals this season. 6 of the 9 have come away from home this season. But more impressively he’s scored at Man United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. His abilities in scoring away at the bigger sides deserves a lot of praise. When a struggling team go to a top side, many of the struggling team’s players turn off or find themselves utterly ineffective. But it’s been the opposite for Fletcher. He has thrived in the big matches. What impresses me most about Fletcher is how clinical and how effective he is as a goal poacher. This season, Fletcher has had 13 shots on target, 9 of those 13 have been goals. His goal scoring prowess has given Wolves a real chance of surviving this season. However, in the future, one can see him playing for a more competitive Premier League side, as his consistency in getting goals speaks volumes.

2.) Danny Murphy – Fulham: Now, Danny Murphy’s abilities are often highlighted when Fulham play. But his effectiveness and attacking influence on Fulham is often understated. Firstly, Murphy has made 52 key passes which is the third highest amount of key passes in the division so far. Murphy in fact has made more key passes than David Silva, Nani, Modric and Mata. Furthermore, Danny Murphy has also created 56 chances for Fulham this season, assisting 5 times. His assist record is the highest at Fulham this season. At 34 years of age, Danny Murphy is a vital component to Fulham. His attacking influence at 34, demonstrates with age, his effectiveness has not declined severely. Murphy’s renowned for his tidiness and his passing has been fantastic too. Murphy has made the 10^th most accurate passes in the Premier League this season, with 1078 accurate passes.

1.) Alejandro Faurlin - QPR: The 25 year old Argentine has been incredibly impressive this season without many of us recognising. Faurlin has been instrumental to QPR this season. The Argentine has made the most passes for QPR this season with 1147 passes and has a decent passing accuracy of 81%. Offensively Faurlin has shown great competency too. The 25 year old has created 28 chances, which is the second highest for QPR this term. But Faurlin’s defensive work has been genuine top quality this season. Faurlin has won 68 tackles. Making him the most successful tackler in the Premier League. Faurlin is quickly becoming a very complete box to box midfielder. It’s a shame Faurlin is out for the season, as he was progressing so rapidly in the Premier League. But more crucially, his injury is and will continue to hurt QPR too, as Faurlin offers great solidity in the middle of the park. If Faurlin can recover from his injury and prove he can recapture his great form, it’s only a matter of time till he will be interesting many big clubs across Europe.

And there we have it, indeed, some of you will agree with a few, some will disagree. But that’s the beauty of football. We all read the beautiful game differently. But here’s a list of players who just missed out on this list;

The One's That Got Away..

Raul Meireles (Chelsea), Jack Rodwell (Everton), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Ryan Taylor (Newcastle) and Steve Morrison (Norwich City).

Part One

Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 26/01/12)