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/

Video: Lionel Messi doing a Moonwalk?

Here's a great little video, it was made from the game PES2012. The game gives users the option to allow your players to do the moonwalk as one of their celebrations. And yes, its the whole moonwalk, check it out below, its rather funny!

The Rise of the 'Nine and a Half'

In his debut article for The Football Front, Nick Meredith tackles the rise of the contemporary 'Nine and a Half' position.

Wayne Rooney is on a hot streak. His goal against Chelsea brought his domestic tally for this season to 10 goals in 6 starts. Relishing his deeper-lying role in United’s fluid 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 cross, he is both creator in chief and predatory goalscorer for his high-flying side.

It wasn’t always this way, though. In the 2010/11 season he suffered an early dip of form before roaring back as United’s focal point. Alongside the lethal Javier Hernandez, Rooney bagged 11 goals and as many assists. In the season before that, (the 2009/10 season), things were again slightly different: instead of being his side’s main creative outlet, he was their main goalscorer, scoring 26 goals as United were pipped to the title.

So the eternal question springs up, as it often does. What IS Rooney? For people trying to slot him into a specific role, it's a nightmare. Is he a classic ‘Number 10?', creating chances for others and roaming deep into midfield? The 2010/11 season would seem to suggest so. But what about another wonderful season he had, in the 2009/10 season? This was arguably his best season, Rooney was often deployed as a lone striker and was the main goalscorer of the team. So is he a ‘Number 9?’, a powerful focal point for the attack and the side’s main goal threat? This season would seem to suggest, he is somewhere in between.

The ‘nine and a half’

This season, Rooney has been deployed in the withdrawn position he made his own last season, but he has added the goalscoring prowess of the 2009/10 season. Rooney has been drifting around behind a striker such as Danny Welbeck or Hernandez, he has found space in which to both create and score. He is equally a goalscorer and a creator. The usual roles don’t apply here. He is far too complete to be classed as either a ‘9’ or ‘10’. In fact, he slots into a much rarer role: the ‘nine and a half’.

The idea of a ‘nine and a half’ isn’t new – Marco Van Basten was arguably its greatest exponent – but very few have the talent to carry it off. Finding a player complete enough that he can both create and score is hard enough, and finding one who is good enough to fulfil the role to its full extent is rarer still. The role is becoming more and more prevalent nowadays. However, due to the increasing completeness of footballers. Decades ago, a footballer could excel at one thing and make it into a team. Since then, the successes of Rinus Michel’s ‘Total Football’, Arrigo Sacchi’s ‘Gli Immortali’ and now the current Barcelona sides, in which universality was and is still the key, it has shaped footballers into much more rounded athletes. Even a decade ago, strikers like Robbie Fowler – who is short, not creative, not strong and not quick – could thrive in the Premier League because of his wonderful finishing. Perhaps, now he wouldn’t even get a look in.

Players like Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Diego Forlan are all complete strikers and are excellent ‘nine and a half’s', on top of being truly world-class strikers. There are many 'nine and a half's' players in the modern game. In the Premier League alone, there are at least five – Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Luis Suarez. All five combine the twin talents of creativity and goalscoring. All of them are wonderful strikers, and are the Premier League’s best, which brings us onto the meat of this article.

The rise of the complete forward

Why are ‘nine and a half’s so effective? The simple answer could be their versatility, which of course, always make them an asset – for instance, Aguero has been used both playing off a main striker and as the main striker himself this season – but that is more to do with their worth to the team rather than their effectiveness on the pitch. In essence, the 9 ½‘s effectiveness is based around uncertainty. You have a variety of options to stop a forward, but realistically, you can only implement one. When faced with a striker who can do so much so well, how can you possibly defend against him?

Let’s compare Rooney to another top striker, say the ex-Inter poacher Samuel Eto’o. Both of them are wonderful players, but Eto’o, whilst a truly lethal finisher and one of the best strikers of the past decade, is clearly by no means a 9½. Creatively, he doesn’t have the vision and passing ability to be able to split the defence with an incisive through-ball or create a chance for another in such a way that real 9 ½s like Rooney or Messi can. What he does have is the aforementioned eye for goal, terrific movement and blistering pace. When faced with a pacey, clinical striker, the main worry for the defence is balls over the top and in behind the defence for him to chase, beating the defender with his pace in order to get in a one-on-one with the keeper. However, the easiest solution is for the defense to sit deep and allow the opposition to play in front of them, thus denying the striker space in behind for the rest of the team to roll balls through.

Try this with Rooney, though, and a whole new problem is opened up. A 9 ½ is equally happy to drop deep as he is up against a central defender, he can drop off and exploit the extra space that has opened up as a result. Whilst an opposition defence wouldn’t mind Eto’o doing this due to his creative skills being rather poor by comparison to the likes of Messi or Rooney, but allowing Rooney to do it would be suicide. With space and time on the ball and willing runners from midfield, Rooney can destroy any defence with ease.

So how DO you stop them?

Man-marking a dangerous player is a trick as old as football itself. Having a deep holding midfielder with strict man-marking instructions is all well and good, but unfortunately the 9 ½ is usually equal to it. If we take our case example of Rooney, he often drops even deeper thus, escaping the attentions of the deep midfielder or even leaving a gaping hole in front of the defence for others to exploit as the marker follows him (Fig. 1) . It could also lead to Rooney pushing up higher, forcing the midfielder to drop into the defence and leave a shortfall of numbers in midfield (Fig. 2).

Transparent positions show how each player started in the movement. Click to enlarge.

One final method could just be ignoring the 'nine and a half's' completely, and treating them like any other player. It goes without saying that this is an extremely risky gambit considering how most 9 ½s are such influential and talented players. Andre Villas-Boas arguably attempted this when his Chelsea side played against Manchester United, and achieved a partial success in that Rooney was relatively quiet compared to recent games. On the other hand, Rooney scored one goal, he hit the post, took five shots and won two dribbles. These stats are hardly calming, especially as its the opposition’s best striker.

So with most traditional methods useless, what could a manager use to stop a 9 ½? There are two possible solutions, one rather practical and another highly experimental. The first is to just set up with two deep holders, a 4-2-3-1 for instance. Uruguay did a variant of this in the World Cup, with their two destroyers, Diego Perez and Egidio Arevalo, solidly staying in front of their defence. If a 9 ½ ever tried dropping deep to find space, such as Holland’s Robin Van Persie did in their semi-final match, one of the two would track him. Van Persie was free to move as deep as he wanted, the other holding player remained in position sweeping in front of the defence (Fig. 3). In this case, this was complicated by the presence of Wesley Sneijder playing as a trequartista, though Uruguay got around that by fielding another solid central midfielder, Walter Gargano, ahead of the midfield pivot. Gargano was comfortable dropping in and helping out with the defensive legwork. Although Uruguay lost the game, it would be hard to blame the midfield holders for doing their job, or indeed to praise a relatively ineffective Van Persie. But the knock-on effect of this, of course, is that unless the midfield destroyers are very talented the team loses it's passing ability from the centre of the pitch, effecting fluidity as a result.

The second method involves using a zonal marking system in order to keep the 9 ½ tracked across the pitch without compromising shape. Instead of using a strict man-marker, when a 9 ½ tries moving deep or out of the man-marker’s comfortable range, he passes him onto a more advanced midfielder higher up the pitch. In theory, this would work perfectly. In practice, the move is extremely difficult to pull off, requiring exceptional teamwork and awareness on the pitch by the defenders.

How the 9 ½ role will develop remains to be seen, but as footballers get more and more well rounded, new ways of stopping 9 ½s will be developed. I mentioned at the start of this article that strikers are becoming less one-dimensional, but the same is also true of defenders. Nowadays cultured defenders like Gerard Pique, David Luiz and Thomas Vermaelen are becoming much more prevalent. With their ability to step out of defence and into midfield, they can track the deeper movements of strikers with more ease than ever before. This will only aid them in the constant tactical battle between defenders and strikers. As it is, finding cultured defenders is hard, and the ‘nine and a half’ continues to be one of the most potent weapons a manager can bring to bear on the field.

This article was written by Nick Meredith, you can find all of his work for The Football Front here. Make sure you follow him on Twitter too: @NTMeredith. Nick also runs the fantastic Dots & Crosses website too - http://dotsandcrosses.wordpress.com/

4-3-3 - it's Successes and Failings

The Football Front’s tactical expert Itsaballnotabomb evaluates the 4-3-3 system and its strengths and weaknesses.

The 4-3-3 has shot to fame recently. It was made famous by the Dutch sides of the 70’s and is synonymous with Total football, which was created in that period.

For a 4-3-3 to be effective each player must control his zone. Zonal marking is used for all positions, as it makes it easier to press effectively. The only time zonal marking isn’t used is when the ball is about to be put in the box, at this point the marking switches to man marking for obvious reasons.

There are many ways in which a 4-3-3 can be used because of its flexibility. Some sides such as Bolton under Sam Allardyce used it as a counter-attacking formation. The back 4 generally would stay back while the wingers would try to play off the target man striker, normally Kevin Davies. The wingers would also provide service to the target man through crosses. The wingers though would play more like wide midfielders and would happily track back into their own half, much like Mourinho’s Chelsea.

Another way it can be used is in a very attacking sense. Here, the wingers would normally stay forward with the striker. All 3 midfielders may also have the license to make forward runs and try and support the attacking trio. If the wingers are pushing more centrally, or playing as inverted forwards, this will often mean that the full backs will push high up the pitch and become wingers themselves. A great example of this is Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo last season, Marcelo's runs forward allowed Ronaldo to cut in on his right foot to great effect for Real Madrid.

With the front three it also makes pressing high up the pitch easier than with a 4-4-2 formation, purely because the 4-3-3 formation is naturally further forward than a 4-4-2. A great example of pressing is the Dutch side in the 1974 World Cup, although this would be hard to recreate now due to the change of the offside law. When pressing, the side will try to force the team inside as this is where the 4-3-3 has a numerical advantage; it will also stop a long ball straight up one of the flanks which can be potentially devastating as the full back can get out numbered if the midfield is not quick enough to cover.

At all times in the 4-3-3 one of the midfielders will sit in front of the defence to form a defensive triangle and a midfield triangle. Defensively this is a very solid formation and can be hard to break down as each position is well covered by another player. The midfield diamond also allows a side to keep possession easily, especially if there is a numerical advantage in midfield. A great example of this in recent times is Barcelona. The midfield switches positions and rotates, constantly making space for a pass, Messi also joins in from his traditional striking position and adds another man to the midfield, making it even easier to maintain possession. This is especially effective against teams who play two in the middle. (see diagram above.)

A weakness of the 4-3-3 is the demands that it puts on the side. If a side is not well drilled it can be easily picked apart, especially if the pressing is poor. The flanks can also be easily exposed by a cross field ball as it can leave a 2 on 1 situation with the fullback and opposition winger. But this can be reduced if the winger is prepared to track back and follow the full back. But the flip side of this is that it can make the striker isolated.

The striker in this formation has a very demanding role as well. Not only has he got the responsibility of scoring goals but the striker also needs to be able to hold the ball up. The striker also needs the technical proficiency to drop into the midfield and then have the ability to pick a pass. More crucially, if the centre forward does not link the midfield with the attack the side can become predictable and very easy to defend against. Arsene Wenger found this out a couple of seasons ago when Robin Van Persie got injured. A good number 10 needs to have all the attributes needed to play up front in a 4-3-3. Unfortunately for Wenger he had no replacement for the striker and Arsenal's goal scoring and form dipped considerably.

All in all, the 4-3-3 can be a very attacking or defensive formation and its flexibility is one of the reasons why it's gaining more popularity in recent times. However, the high demands on the players and the technical ability needed, can often mean that lesser sides struggle to get success from the 4-3-3.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog – itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

Things you may like to read

4-4-2- its failings and it's former successes

The Contemporary 4-2-3-1 and its modern popularity

England’s new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? – Part Two

The contemporary 4-2-3-1 and its modern popularity

The Football Front’s writer Itsaballnotabomb evaluates the 4-2-3-1.

So over to our tactical expert.

The 4-2-3-1 was reportedly created in Spain by Josep Guardiola’s mentor Juanma Lillo. Lillo created the formation in the early 1990′s for his side at the time, Cultural Leonesa. But even he believes that someone might have created it before die to a variation of a 4-4-2.

The popularity of the formation was seen in the last World Cup where only mad dogs and Englishmen chose not to play the formation. So why has it become so popular? One formation is never inexplicably better than another, the 4-4-2 will not always lose to a 4-3-3. However, formations become fashionable, like any other trail of thought, and so gets played more, even if it does not necessarily fit into a clubs philosophy or playing staff.

One of the positives of a 4-2-3-1 is the defensive cover it provides, especially centrally. This is because the 2 holding midfield players or the double pivot, tend not to go forward as much. Therefore, if the opposition counter attacks, there will still be 5 players back, even if one of the full backs has pushed forward.

Another use of the double pivot is that it prevents the classic number 10 role or the playmaking role just behind the striker. With the two defensive midfielders there, it can be almost impossible for the attacking midfielder to find space and create due to the player being doubled up on.

As with any 2 midfield players though, one is usually more attack minded than the other and there can be a lot of variants in the way in which these two players set up, although one normally has a creative role than the other. For example, Real Madrid last season used the 4-2-3-1 fairly successfully. The Madrid club used Xabi Alonso and either Lassana Diarra or Sami Khedira. Xabi Alonso played as a deep-lying playmaker to great effect, whilst the other player played simple passes but closed down more aggressively and put more tackles in.

The front 4 in the 4-2-3-1 can also provide the side with great flexibility up front. The attacking midfielders can be set up in a narrow formation where essentially all of them play as Trequartistas, the width in this set-up will be provided by the full backs. The formation can also be played with traditional wingers, or with inside forwards who would cut in towards the goal, in this case, the wingers will yet again will have the duty of providing width.

With the 6 defensive players behind them the attacking four have a lot of freedom and may also change positions with each other through-out the match. This can create confusion for the oppositions defence, especially if they use man marking.

As with any formation that has a player behind the striker, there is a lot of pressure on that player to try and create for the other players, especially the striker. If this player plays well, which is more easily done against a 4-4-2 than a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 due to the space between the defence and midfield which I explained here. l, the team will function a lot better. Mezut Ozil has proved himself to be one of the best players in this position because of his great movement off the ball and eye for a defence splitting pass, shown by his performances for Germany and Real Madrid last year.

One problem which often happens with a 4-2-3-1 is that there is not a link between the 6 at the back and the 4 up front. Often the six do not support the attacking players, just leaving them to try and score whilst they leave the six to try and defend. These sides often lack fluidity and the opposition can find it very easy to defend unless the other side counter attacks efficiently.

Another problem that can happen is if the wingers or wide attacking midfield players do not track back. This can lead to a 2 v 1 situation with the full backs which can also happen in a 4-3-3 which I explained here.

Yet again, as with any formation there are positives and negatives. What the coach needs to do, is choose the best formation so that he can contain the side he is playing against and also exploit them. He also needs to pick the best formation for his players and his club. For example, you cannot imagine anyone playing any thing else than 3 in midfield at Barcelona as it does not suit their passing style.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog - itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

Things you may like to read

4-4-2- its failings and it's former successes

Is there a right or wrong way to play football?

England’s new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? – Part Two

4-4-2- its failings and it's former successes

In his debut article for The Football Front, Itsaballnotabomb explains the strengths and weaknesses of the 4-4-2 formation.

The 4-4-2, arguably the most famous and most popular formation of the last 20 years. However, it is now falling out of favour.

For any manager in the 1980’s or 1990’s, especially in England, the notion of this formation 'falling out of favour' would be laughed at. Almost every side, whether it would be the national team or a club. They would play a 4- 4-2 of some variant. The only real exceptions to this idea were the Dutch and the clubs that they had influenced, most notably Barcelona, who had been transformed by Johan Cruyff.

The simplicity of the formation was loved by players and managers alike. It created partnerships in the formation. The partnerships included both centre backs, then the full backs linking with the wingers, the two central midfielders (one would normally hold his position while the other drove into the box) and the two strikers (traditionally a player good in the air and the other striker was quick and could finish). These partnerships are written into the folk-lore of English football and are still talked about today. The likes of Shearer and Sutton or SAS, Pallister and Bruce, Beckham and Neville and Yorke and Cole are all fondly remembered by British fans.

The 4-4-2 remained dominant in international competitions and for club sides in Europe until late into the last decade. Barcelona and Spain destroyed the 4-4-2, first in Euro 2008, where Spain picked apart the opposition by keeping possession with one touch passes and good technique. And then in Rome in the Champions League Final where Manchester United chased shadows against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and lost 2-0.

The problem with the 4-4-2 against a team playing a 4-3-3 system is that you simply have less people in midfield. It is therefore harder to control that area of the pitch thus making it difficult to keep possession. As shown in the diagram above, if player 1 has the ball, either one of the midfielders will try to pressure him and win the ball back, if they do this successfully, player 2 or 3 for the green team will then be free and a simple pass can be completed to that player. It is essentially like playing piggy-in-the-middle with the two central midfielders.

One way to get around this is if the two central midfielders of the other side sit deep or don’t press, although this allows the deep lying midfielder on the other team a lot of time and space which can still cause problems.

Another problematic aspect of the 4-4-2 system is that if a striker on the opposing side drops off between the midfield and the defence and no-one tracks him he will be allowed the space and time to shoot or pick a pass. However, if one of the centre backs follows him, it can lead to a 1 on 1 and a large hole in the defence to exploit, especially if the other striker has pace, this gap can be easily exploited. Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp did this to great effect with Arsenal in the early 2000’s.

But if a defensive midfielder, as he would be in a 4-3-3, is sitting in front of the defence it makes the opposition striker dropping off the defence far easier to deal with, as the marking duties can easily be switched.

The 4-4-2 though can still be a useful formation. The natural width in a 4-4-2 allows a side to stretch teams. This can be done with direct passing towards the flanks. As shown in the diagram above, when the cross comes in from the wing there can be up to 4 people in the box, which can be extremely difficult to defend against. Manchester United have used this tactic extremely often in recent years. United would play a long ball out to Valencia/ Beckham, who then wait for the midfielders to make their runs and then any decent ball into the box can lead to a good goal scoring opportunity.

Another advantage of this formation is the ability for the front two to link up easily. This can also be exploited with a long pass, this time instead of out wide, it would be fired directly at one of the strikers. One of the strikers, usually the one who is better in the air, would then flick the ball on, whilst the other striker, usually the quicker of the two, would try to get on the end of it and exploit the space behind the defence, leading to a clear chance on goal.

Tacticians are claiming the 4-4-2 is on the decline. This isn’t true, formations go in and out of fashion quickly; the 4-4-2 has just become another victim of this cycle. For a defensive or counter-attacking side the 4-4-2 still provides the side with plenty of attacking options going forward. Also if the space between the midfield and defence is minimal and the side is willing to sit back and let the opposition have possession, it can still be a useful formation.

This article was written by Itsaballnotabomb, you can follow him on Twitter at - @ballnotabomb

You can find more of his work on his blog - itsaballnotabomb.wordpress.com

Things you may like to read

Is there a right or wrong way to play football?

The Eternal Struggle

Aston Villa and Alex McLeish – A marriage destined to fail

Addressing the Balance

Arguably, the English Premier League is best league in the world. It’s an incredibly competitive league where the quality is great throughout and the game is played with a great tempo and physicality.

But, there has been something of a moral panic in England in the past few years. There has been a consistent worry about the number of English players playing for the elite clubs in England. To many observers of the game, there is simply not enough English players representing the top four clubs.

The common hypothesis is that as the Premier League has got wealthier the number of English players in the league has rapidly declined. Perhaps it’s agreeable that domestic football has become more international. But the question is, how does England fare to other nations such as Italy and Spain in terms of the number of nationals of the particular country representing their top four clubs?

The FA have tried to minimise the issue. This season, the Premier League has implemented the home grown rule. The rule demands that each team must enlist at least eight ‘homegrown players’ in their official squad list. But homegrown players can include foreign players who have been lived in England since their early teens. So some argue, the homegrown rule is perhaps flawed.

For the analysis, there has been a comparison between the number of nationals used by England in contrast to the number of nationals used by Spain and Italy. This will put a measure to the degree of England’s concern with the number of English players representing the top four.

The teams chosen for the analysis are the English, Spanish and Italian top four of 2009/10 season. This therefore means the teams analysed are the clubs who originally participated in the Champions League this season.

The statistics are based on players who have made appearances for the teams in any of the four competitions (National Cup, League, Europe, League Cup) during the 2011/11 season.

England

Team	No. of players	No. ENG players	% of ENG players	No. of players representing in Europe	No. of ENG players representing in Europe	% of ENG players representing in Europe
Chelsea	30	8	26%	25	7	28%
Man United	28	9	32%	26	8	32%
Arsenal	31	6	19%	25	5	20%
Tottenham	32	13	40%	23	6	26%
Total	121	36	29%	99	26	26%

One could argue it’s alarming that only one team in England’s top four has a double figure representation of English players. Tottenham clearly have a higher representation of English players compared to the other teams in the top four. In comparison to their North London rivals Arsenal, there is a gulf in difference. Only six players have been of English origin for Arsenal this season. To many, this is an incredibly disturbing statistic.

However, the Champions of England, Manchester United, had the highest domestic bias out of all the top four teams in Europe. So it could be viewed as good that United made it to the Champions League Final this season as they had the highest representation of English players.

Spain

Team	No. of players	No. ESP players	% of ESP players	No. of players representing in Europe	No. of ESP players representing in Europe	% of ESP players represnting in Euroope
Barcelona	32	21	65%	26	15	57%
R. Madrid	33	17	51%	26	11	42%
Valencia	28	15	53%	26	14	53%
Sevilla	28	12	42%	26	11	42%
Total	121	65	53%	104	51	49%

There is a frightening difference between England and Spain. All the Spanish teams in the top four were in double figures in regards to the number of Spanish players used. Even Sevilla, the team with the lowest domestic bias, still has a far greater figure than any of the English top four. This demonstrates how poorly English players are being represented in the elite positions of the Premier League.

Furthermore, for Barcelona, Valencia and Real Madrid, more than 50% of the players who appeared for them this season were Spanish. With the English teams analysed, there was not a single team who had anywhere near 50% of their players being English.

Barcelona deserves special praise. They have dominated Europe and Spain with a sensational domestic bias. Real Madrid’s domestic bias is 51% while Barcelona’s domestic bias is 65%. This demonstrates the wide gap between the rivals.

Italy

Team	No. of players	No. ITA players	% of ITA players	No. of players representing in Europe	No. of ITA players representing in Europe	% of ITA players represnting in Euroope
Inter	30	7	23%	29	8	27%
Roma	28	12	40%	26	10	38%
Milan	32	16	50%	23	11	47%
Sampdoria	29	18	62%	29	18	62%
Total	116	50	43%	107	47	43%

Even when comparing the domestic bias in Italy, England is severely lagging behind. 50% of the players used for the Serie A champions Milan were Italian, while only a mere 32% of Manchester United players, for example, were English.

The likes of Roma, Milan and Sampdoria have a higher or very similar domestic bias to Tottenham (the team with highest domestic bias for the English teams analysed) This vividly proves not only in Spain but even in Italy, the top English teams are not representing English players as much as the other nations are representing their nationals.

But perhaps, Sampdoria are evidence that too many nationals can be an issue. In the 2009/10 season, Sampdoria finished 4^th. While in the following season, they finished 17^th and were relegated. This season they had a 62% domestic bias. One could argue that Sampdoria are proof you need a balance between the amount of nationals and foreign players.

Out of all the Spanish and Italian teams analysed, one team had a domestic bias which is even worse than some Premier League clubs - Inter Milan only fielded seven Italian players this season. Only Arsenal had a poorer domestic bias. Furthermore, when Inter won the Champions League in 2010, there was not a single Italian player in their starting eleven for the final. Perhaps this is a worry for Italian football. It could suggest that Italian footballers are becoming over-looked. However arch rivals, Milan are proof that this is not the case. After all, they were highly successful this season and they used 16 Italian players.

The statistics prove two things. Firstly, that English players are not given a sufficient chance on the largest club football stage. While in contrast, it could also suggest that English players are not good enough to play at the top of club football. Perhaps one would have to agree with this as if the English players were good enough to play on the top level, they would play. The simple fact there are only a handful of English players representing England’s top teams clearly indicates that a majority of the English players are simply not good enough and there are better players from different nationalities.

Perhaps the dearth of English players at the higher end of the Premier League I could provide an explanation to why English players are viciously over priced. In past few years the asking price for English players has risen beyond belief. The prices could be inflated due to the fact there are not many English players at the elite clubs. Therefore meaning that English players who are credible for the elite clubs are often rare, thus explaining their inflated price. Furthermore, one could even argue the new home –grown rule in Europe and in the Premier League has further inflated the price of English players. It is depressing but the nationality of a player can often inflate the price.

However, more has to be done to improve English players. After all, managers pick the players on terms of their ability. If an English player is good enough, he will play in the team. It is simple as that. But a majority of the time, English players are falling short at the higher end of club football. English clubs need to further invest in their academy’s and look to develop the players technical levels. The clubs need to take more of an interest and a more active role on the grass roots level. The English kids of tomorrow need to be instilled with a structured philosophy of how the game should be played and why it should be played in such a way. This will develop the youngsters understanding and reading of the game.

The stats prove England are lagging behind their rivals, and they have reacted far too slowly to the problem. In England’s top four, there is almost certainly one Spanish or Italian player per team. Yet in Italy and Spain there aren’t any English players in their top four sides.

The English clubs need to take a far more proactive role in their attempts to make the English players more suited for the elite clubs in England. But sadly, as the stats prove, the Spanish and Italian players are streaks ahead of the English players at this moment of time.

This piece was first published on Back Page Football

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The Eternal Struggle

The hardest thing to do in football is win your domestic league. You can hide from no one. You must play everyone else in the competition twice home and away. You do not have the luxury of knocking a team out of the running permanently after one meeting. You must perform consistently week in and week out just as every Champion before you has done.

However in the land of Spain, there is a manager nown as the Special One. His managerial post is that of the World’s biggest club, Real Madrid. Perhaps being at the World’s biggest club it therefore means there are greater expectations.

However, Mourinho’s objective remains simple: beat Barcelona.

Many bloggers, writers, pundits, journalists and fans have speculated on how you beat Barcelona over a 90 minute match or a two legged affair.

But none of us dare to answer the question: ‘how do you beat them in a league campaign?’

Florentino Perèz had to come up with a plan in which to do so, he initiated the plan of bringing Josè Mourinho to Los Blancos. This was then fo

llowed with the signings of Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Angel Dì Maria and Ricardo Carvalho. These new Galacticos saw Real Madrid crowned as the Copa Del Rey Champions for the first time since 1993. They reached the Champions league semi finals for the first time since 2003 and they finished with a stunning 92 points along

with being the division’s top scorers with 105 goals.

The only problem was Barcelona were better.

So now Mourinho’s reign as Real Madrid boss is a year old. He has said his teams improve in his second season in charge. His second season at Porto saw him lift the Champions League trophy as well as finish as domestic champions. At Chelsea, his second season saw him win the Premiership in an even more dominant fashion than the first. While with Inter Milan his second season resulted in 3 trophies for Inter and this includes a Champions League trophy.

So here comes lucky number 2 for Jose.

But how can he best Barca over the course of 38 games? He has started his manoeuvres in the transfer window, with the removal of general manager Jorge Valdano. This probably is sufficient evidence to suggest that Jose Mourinho will have more say in club arrivals in comparison to any other Real coach in the past. Real have already sealed the signatures of the Turkish pair Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop. Emmanuel Adebayor is expected to follow soon and make his loan move from Manchester City permanent.

With Gonzalo Higuaìn and Karim Benzema in the ranks Adebayor may play the role of super sub should Real be chasing a game. He showed in his loan spell that he can start games and score goals in the absence of the first choice strikers.

The only two statistics Real Madrid trumped Barcelona in were; goals scored and aerial duels. Barcelona were not even in the La Liga’s top 6 in the latter statistic. Scoring goals and aerial duels are the first two things you will read on Adebayor’s CV/Internet dating description. He is by no means a big signing like Beckham, Ronaldo, or Zidane. He is a squad player, of the calibre like Solskjaer for Man Utd or Kalou for Chelsea. If Real Madrid want the La Liga title back, Adebayor is a must.

With Hamit Altintop, Real have purchased a right sided player rich in technique who can play at full back or on the wing. Like Adebayor we won’t see him start ahead of other attacking midfielders like Ozil, Ronaldo or Dì Maria. But we will see him here and there and he will give Real Madrid more attacking options on a wider level in every sense of the word. Given Sergio Ramos is Real Madrid’s most booked player of all time we can expect to see Hamit fill in at right back once or twice as well. There is one other reason why he can help Real Madrid win the league. This:

A rumour that appears to be gathering truth is the one surrounding the Brazilian wonderkid Neymar. Real Madrid revealed last week they were close to signing him back in 2005. But contractual issues prevented Neymar putting pen to paper. Since then Neymar has played his football with Santos in Brazil. His tricks, flamboyant style and his mask helped him score 24 goals in all competitions this season. The 19 year old is a player well ahead of his time.

It is expected Neymar will become a Galactico after the Copa Libertadores final. This signing will be more for the future one would imagine. But, if he does sign, he will certainly help Real Madrid in their pursuit of the Catalans.

As mentioned before scoring goals for Real was not a problem, defending them wasn’t too big of a problem either. After all, they only concede 33 goals in last seasons La Liga campaign. It’s a better defensive record than Manchester United. The only team who had a better defensive record in the Spanish League was....well, you know who it was. Barcelona conceded only 22 goals last season. This is the kind of defence Mourinho will be looking to build. At right back he now has Altintop as along with Alvaro Arbeloa and yellow card collector Sergio Ramos. At the core of Madrid’s defence they have Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe and Raùl Albiol. Behind these high class defenders is the Spanish captain Iker Casillas. So the obvious area in which Jose will look to tighten up his back line is at left back.

Marcelo has just enjoyed his best season at the Bernabeu in terms of goals scored and matches played. He does however lack some position awareness which Sky’s Graham Hunter stated the only solution was to equip him with a Tom Tom sat nav device. Even then he is a liability. Given the attacking talent Real possess and the further quality they may purchase do they really need a full back of this nature? They probably don’t, at least not as a regular first team player. If Real want a left back who can gallop up the left hand side without neglecting his defensive duties maybe they should take a closer look at Gael Clichy. Arsenal appear to be willing to sell the highly rated Frenchman.

Hypothetically Real Madrid can win the league with these arrivals and affordable departures:

Arrivals:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City)

Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund)

Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich)

Neymar (Santos)

Gael Clichy (Arsenal)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Departures:

Esteban Granero

Kakà

Ezequiel Garay

Fernando Gago

Lassana Diarra

Jerzy Dudek

Must stay:

Ricardo Carvalho

Sami Khedira

Karim Benzema

Sergio Canales

The latter two lists are players that have been speculated to leave. Obviously the rest of the squad is a ‘must stay.’

Only time will tell if Real can trump the team which many call the greatest club side of all time.

However, Jose Mourinho is like a virus, he grows stronger over time so does his teams. Dì Maria, Ozil, Alonso, Ramos and the great Cristiano Ronaldo will all improve next season. I won’t say all this will result in Real Madrid once again becoming La Liga Champions but it will give them a very good chance.

If you were to ask me do I THINK Madrid could win the La Liga title? I would have to say yes.

Below is my Madrid XI with players Mourinho has at his disposal.

This piece was written by Kevin Leonard, you can follow him on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Away Goals too.

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Andrea Pirlo – A true legend of the game

There is current wave of euphoria in the red half of the great City of Milan this summer. The fans of the Rossoneri are currently basking in the glory of their clubs first Scudetto since 2004. Their most famous fan Silvio Berlusconi will of course be buoyed by this joyous season and will carry a great big Colgate smile into his campaign for re-election as Italy’s Prime minister. As we all know when Silvio Berlusconi smiles the sun shines in Italy.

However in AC Milan’s final training session of the season there was an air of sadness. Tears were being shed all round by the new Champions of Italy.

When grown men such as Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso are wiping their moist eyes it is for a very good reason. The reason is the training session was also a fair well to Andrea Pirlo. He announced his departure from the San Siro on the 18^th of May and we now know he will join Juventus. His team mates applauded him, they were all itching to hug him and console the man who had been such a leader for them on the pitch. Inzaghi threw a comforting arm around his team mate and walked with him as he left the training pitch for the last time, sobbing into his hand as he did it.

There was no doubt it was an emotional day in the Milan camp. The departure of Andrea Pirlo signals a new beginning for AC Milan and draws the curtain on an era which saw the Rossoneri reach 3 Champions League finals in 5 years becoming European Champions twice. Today is very much the day of Barcelona, they are the new dynasty of Europe. They are the side that we all admire and are never surprised to see in the Champions League final.

From the 2002/03 season to the 2006/07 season however, that team was AC Milan. Whilst the strikers in that time changed frequently featuring the likes of Shevchenko, Crespo, Inzaghi and Tomasson the midfield was consistent throughout. Milan adopted a diamond shape with Gattuso as the aggressive holding midfielder, Seedorf the smooth passer that would use his wit to beat many a defender. Kaka at the head behind the strikers, running at defenders and scoring goals that will live in the memory forever and of course the man who pulled the strings of everything Milan did: Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo symbolised the Milan side of this time, passing the ball round with seeming ease, always finding a team mate and jogging about the pitch as if he owned it. As all great midfielders do, he chipped in with a goal every now and then. Often from a dead ball situation, he was the master at scoring a free kick to the left of the box between 20 and 25 yards from the goal. Pirlo was what Xavi is for Barcelona right now. The Italian’s stats indicate this too.

During the 02/03 season, in which AC Milan won the Champions League. Pirlo completed an amazing 2093 passes. A stat which averages 90 successful passes per game. In the season of their next European triumph (06/07) Pirlo spent a staggering 2782 minutes on the pitch, the most of any Milan player that season. That along with the 32 goals in 284 appearances earned Andrea the nick name: The Metronome.

Now at the tender age of 32 and with the emergence of a new generation of Milan midfielders (the likes of Flamini, Boateng, Van Bommel etc.) Andrea has called it a day with the side he joined in 2001. It has been a magnificent 10 years which will earn him his place in Milan folklore along with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Marko Van Basten, Cesare and Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard and Filippo Inzaghi.

The term ‘legend of the game’ may be thrown about a little too much these days. But I very much doubt anybody will disagree with you when using the term with Andrea Pirlo.

Juventus, you don’t know how lucky you are.

by Kevin Leonard, you can follow him on his Twitter - @megatronSTALIN, Kevin regularly writes for Away Goals too.

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Why Barcelona must win the Champions League on Saturday

To many football fans, Barcelona have been the best team on the planet by far. They have out played, out scored and mastered their opponents. It is no surprise that this special Barcelona side find themselves in yet another Champions League final.

The trophies Barcelona have accumulated in the past few seasons symbolise the level of dominance this team possess. In the past three seasons, they have consecutively won the La Liga. This is an incredibly impressive feat, especially since Real Madrid spend millions each year.

Furthermore, Barcelona have some of the best players in the world at their disposal. In this season’s Ballon d’Or, three of Barcelona players made the top three. Messi won the award, with Iniesta as the runner up, and Xavi in third place. This demonstrates the world class nature within the Barcelona’s squad.

Along with this, many of the Barcelona side have already won the Champions League and have even won the World Cup. In fact, eight Barcelona’s players have won the World Cup. This proves not only have some of the team members dominated club football, they have conquered international football too.

Some argue, the 5-0 hammering of Real Madrid in November, was proof that this team is one of the greatest 11 to ever grace a football pitch. This is debatable. But at the same time, one could thoroughly agree with this statement. After all, Barcelona dispatched some of the world’s toughest opponents with ease.

But if Barcelona want to cement the notion that they are the greatest ever, they have to win even more European silverware. This will prove that not only did the team dominate domestically, they dominated internationally, and the trophies in the cabinet prove it.

To be fair, Barcelona have been relatively successful in Europe in the past few years. This cannot be denied. After all, it was only two years ago since the team last picked up the European cup. But if this Barcelona side want to be the standout side of this era, they need even more European Cups. They need to be a band apart from their current rivals.

At the moment, Barcelona have only won three European Cup’s in their history. If this great Barcelona side want to prove their significance and dominance they need to join the elite European Clubs. The likes of Liverpool, AC Milan and Real Madrid: teams who have won the European Cup 5 times or more. The winning Champions League sides of Milan, Madrid and Liverpool are remembered because their great teams left an international legacy. Barcelona must leave an international legacy too.

It’s fair to say Barcelona are going through their glory days. They have unbelievable talent at their disposal and are winning major trophies yearly. But international dominance is incredibly hard to sustain. It takes a seriously great team to maintain European dominance. It’s no surprise it’s been 22 years since a team retained their European Cup.

But this gives even more ammunition to why Barcelona must capitalise on their current glory. It is incredibly tough to continually defend and challenge for the European cup. If Barcelona can capitalise on their European success, they will easily be viewed as one of the greatest teams ever.

Barcelona is a special club. They have the players, the fan base, the manager, the lovely football strategy. But if they are to bolster the notion that they are the greatest team ever, they must reinforce their dominance onto Europe more consistently.

This current Barcelona team needs to make this club an elite member of European Football.

They need sustain their dominance and put this club on par with Madrid, Liverpool and Milan.

Saturday the 28^th of May provides a great opportunity for this great Barcelona side to further reinforce their legacy.

History will tell you, European dominance is only for the greatest teams.

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How do Manchester United beat Barcelona – by Jamie Lindsay

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Sergio Busquets – the unsung hero of Barcelona’s supreme dominance - by ManUtd24

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The Manchester United XI for the Champions League final? – by Justin Mottershead

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Lessons from the 2009 final – by Michael Cox

Zonal Marking dissects the 2009 Champions League final. He highlights where Man United went wrong and where Barcelona was successful. The piece is structured well and is clear to understand. This piece effectively evaluates that night in Rome and it’s a must read for all.

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An odd Champions League statistic

The Champions League final looms ahead. Man United will face the enormous challenge of Barcelona in the final. It will be a fantastic spectacle.

But, a random stat has occurred to me.

Since Chelsea have competed in the European Cup (they made their debut appearance in the 2003/04 season.) Every team that has knocked Chelsea out has gone on to be a finalist in that year, or even gone on to win the trophy in the season of knocking them out.

Here's the evidence.

Year	Team	Victors become Finalist or Winners?
2004	Monaco (beat Chelsea in Semi’s)	Finalist
2005	Liverpool (beat Chelsea in Semi’s)	Winners
2006	Barcelona (beat Chelsea in last 16)	Winners
2007	Liverpool (beat Chelsea in Semi’s)	Finalist
2008	Man United (beat Chelsea in Final)	Winners
2009	Barcelona (Beat Chelsea in semi’s	Winners
2010	Inter (beat Chelsea last 16)	Winners
2011	Man United (beat Chelsea in ¼’s)	??

Its insane. Every team that has knocked them out has always gone onto the final. It’s been the case since 2004.

But, here’s another interesting point. The Semi Final’s is the stage where Chelsea most commonly get knocked out. 50% of their defeats have come in the semi final. They get so close, yet they are so far away.

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