A reflection on England..

Lizo Johnson gives The Football Front his thoughts on England's recent form

A lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon that England have started poorly in their World Cup
qualifying campaign. I think its been alright. Not, in my opinion, anywhere near as bad as the British
media have been making out, but at the same time it’s hardly been an explosive start. The win at
Moldova was an early peak. It promised too much. Raised the expectation of fans, which was
already through the roof, to heights England could never have reached. An early goal set England
up for a demolition that was put into perspective by Ukraine’s 1-1 draw there a couple of weeks
back. This coupled with the friendly win over Italy set England up for the fall. Inconsistency has
been our Achilles heel for a while now, and it came back to haunt us at Wembley with Ukraine the
visitors. Ukraine aren’t a bad side, but especially at home England should be chewing up sides like
them and spitting them out. Instead we witnessed a very average performance and England were
eventually held to a 1-1 draw at home by a side ranked 42nd in the world. Whilst I don’t particularly
agree with many of the rankings (Portugal are currently ranked 3rd) I do feel that it is close to being
representative of the gap in quality between England and Ukraine. It was three points we should’ve
taken but didn’t, yet that point could be vital when it comes to the final reckoning.

Next up were San Marino. Lets be honest, they’re a bit of a joke. I’m genuinely surprised the
players can motivate themselves to go out and play a game of football when they haven’t scored an
international goal since 2008. Since then they’ve lost 10-0 (Poland) 7-0 (Slovakia and Czech Republic)
8-0 (Hungary and Finland) and the standout thrashing, 11-0 (Holland). Had England not beaten
San Marino it would have been an embarrassment of the biggest proportions imaginable but they
still had to go out and get a result, which they did. But then came worst performance of England’s
qualifying so far: a 1-1 draw away to Poland. However, let’s not get it confused, it was a poor almost
chanceless display from Hodgson’s men. But we must take heart from the fact that England got
a point when they didn’t really deserve one. A win for Poland would not have flattered them, yet
England ended up with a point towards their total.

We’re actually a lot better at getting results than we like to think, regardless of the performance.
We’ve won nine out of our last 13 matches, but every post match report seems to be filled with
pessimism. Do journalists not realise what is going on? Its a vicious circle, as Gary Neville eluded to
not so long ago: England players are lacking confidence because they’re scared of how they’ll look
in the public eye if they make a mistake. Players without confidence struggle to play well, its not
rocket science. Yet they are then continually slaughtered in newspapers after average matches. But
then everyone loves to brand England as ‘boring’ and ‘disappointing’, for some reason its infectious.
Everyone puts on a tone of mock surprise when England bring out a top performance. We love to
set the bar a bit higher than England are likely to be able to reach. It’s not that the media don’t want
England to do well, journalists just seem to encourage negative opinions of them too often, and
we wallow in it. Almost enjoy it. It’s almost as if so many journalists have taken the same approach
when writing on England that for the next it’s just easiest to take the same. Our attitude to England
is to always look for and exaggerate the negatives, something that’s only going to put more pressure
on players to succeed, its counterproductive. Players begin to feel like if they’re not on an eight out
of ten they’re going to be slaughtered in the press. This is proven every two years at international
competition; where England never seem to quite reach the expectation of fans. We’ve been there or
there abouts for at least ten years (Euro 2008 aside), but whenever it comes down to the business
end of the competition we fall and end up not seriously competing for the trophy.

This isn’t to say I think people shouldn’t discuss England’s performance if it is genuinely poor, I’m not
saying that they should be invincible from any criticism. But it seems that fans perception of what
constitutes a poor performance is altered once the international break comes around. If Manchester
United play a match against a team like Stoke, play poorly yet still manage to claim a point then they
are heralded champions because of their ability to produce points from unlikely situations. Yet when
you put England in the same position, the same fans have a completely different opinion.

The reality is England are top of their group, which is where they should be, and that’s where they
should finish. They have too much quality in their ranks to not finish there. But at the moment
they’re where they always are, apparently doing just a bit less than what is expected of them.

This article was written by Lizo Johnson. You can follow on Twitter: @LizoJohnson

Phil Jones – One season, two different stories

Once a upon a time, Fabio Capello was asked to compare Phil Jones to a past player, in his position. Capello responded with Two great centre backs of the game, Baresi and Hierro. 

Putting Jones and Baresi in the same sentence, seems utterly stupid. Even if journalists forced the comparison out of him. At the time when Capello made the comparison, Jones was flying for England and Man United, people reluctantly saw the comparisons between Jones and Baresi. But a majority of people thought, ‘you know what, what the hell? The lad is 19 and hasn’t even had a full top season for England let alone Man United. Let’s not get carried away.’ 

While now, if someone came up to you and said Phil Jones is in the same ilk as Baresi and Heirro. You’d probably laugh at the person, and think they were a complete idiot.

What happened to Phil Jones?

 

In the first half of the season he was on fire. He was glistening at Man United. He made his big transfer to United appear like simple a procedure for a teenager. At times Jones was dominating for Man United and even England. He was providing penetration, creativity and solidity in his play. 

But by the end of the season, Jones had been forgotten by some. And Yes, did go to the Euros, but his role in the team was a merely as a bit part sub. At the start of the season, many thought he’d be a certain starter for England by then. While at the end of the season, people pondered if he was actually good enough to be in the squad.

So what went wrong for Phil jones? Or did anything actually go terribly wrong, or are people overreacting?

I have compared Jones’ stats from last season between August to December ( the first half of the season) and January to May (the second half of the season).

Stats via EPL Index

Green =best, Red = worst

Let’s start off with the defensive stats. On the whole, in terms of tackles, ground duals and aerial duals, in the first half of the season (August – Dec), his win percentage was better than in the second half of the season. The defensive solidity in the first of the season maybe comes down to Jones being more fit, focused and confident.  

However, to be fair to Jones, the decline in percentage, isn’t that much at all. So you can’t say his defending declined severely. But one most consider in the first half of the season, Jones played in a more offensive role. He played central midfield and often right back during the first half of the season. While in the second half, he played mostly right back and centre back. Perhaps that explains why he won more tackles, ground duals and aerial duals more often per a game (in terms of minutes) than in the August – December period. 

My last point on the defensive stats of Jones, it is interesting that the only stat which Jones severely declined from August to May was interceptions. I think this factor is due to Jones lacking in focus in the second half of the season. As its clear, if Jones was a wee bit sharper, he would read the game in a more active way, meaning his interception rate would be close to the first half of the season. But another point to consider is because Jones played in a more defensive role in the second half of the season, as opposed to playing in midfield, the need to intercept is far lower in the defensive third. While in Midfield, the ball is often lose due to United’s aggressive pressing game, meaning there is more balls to intercept.

In terms of passing stats, I feel this will indicate Jones positional play far more clinically than his defensive stats, but generally, passing stats show how tidy, composed and useful he is on the ball.

Firstly, and quite obviously Jones has made far less in the second half of the season. This could be the consequences of Jones playing fewer games in the second half of the season. And it could also be due to Jones playing far less in the middle of the park. 

Another decline in the passing sector was Jones long ball passing and the accuracy of it. I imagine this was due to Jones playing more often at centre back and right back. In those positions Sir Alex Ferguson likes his defence to predominantly build from the back rather than kick it long to the strikers. But that doesn’t particularly explain why his long ball accuracy declined. Perhaps it declined due to tiredness and a lack of fitness in the final phases of last season. I do feel this tiredness has led to a decrease in Jones’ focus when making passes, especially long passes.

 What’s interesting is although Jones has played in far more defensive roles in the second half of the season, his final third passes and accuracy did not declined by much at all. But moving onto chances created, Jones created far less in the second half of the season. Again, I feel this is the consequence of Jones playing in a far more defensive role. However, Jones created more clear cut chances in the second half of the season. This is the consequence of Jones making more runs from deep, thus having more space to exploit. 

Ok, so why did Phil Jones become anonymous and even forgotten in the second half of the season?

The answer to that is simple but varied.

 The stats for me demonstrate Jones became anonymous due to injuries, playing out of position and tiredness. Although Jones played in more of his natural position (a defensive role) in the second half of the season, he lacked the confidence and energy to make the penetrative runs which made him catch everyone’s eye.

Although Jones stats did in overall decline in the second half of the season, I don’t think the stats in the second half of the seas are that bad. Especially considering his age and it’s was first season at Man United. I think in some respects, he overachieved in the first half of the season and often overachievement brings greater expectations on Phil Jones to sustain his form and improve it even further.

However, as I said, Jones stats aren’t bad at all. With time, Phil Jones could be one of the best centre backs in the Premier League. The anonymity he currently faces, could help him progress under the radar.

Which league dominates the UEFA Champions League?

Themba Sweet analyses who has been dominating the Champions League.

Last season I noticed an increasing feeling on social media platforms and amongst the tv pundits, that La Liga is the best performing league playing in the UEFA Champions League. Now in the past few years with Barcelona dominating, it can be understood. Yet if you took a look at Real Madrid’s past few years in the UCL, you’d notice that they were rather disappointing. I decided to go back into the record books and see which league really does dominate the Champions League.

As a kid growing up in the early 90’s, Serie A was the dominant force in Europe. It was clear to see in this competition too, with a Serie A club involved in every final for 7 straight years: 1992-1998.

Although the Champions League was rebranded in 1992, it didn’t resemble the current tournament until the 1997-98 season. This was the first season where teams could enter the UCL without the need to win their league.  In my research I aim to see which league is consistently in the final KO rounds of the UCL and if 1 league has more than 1 team, they get more than 1 point. So to keep everything as fair as possible, here were my guidelines for this test:

• I’ve taken the date range from 1997/98 – 2011/12
• I consider teams in the QF stage and onwards only (final KO rounds)
• 1 point per team
• I’ve only taken into account the top leagues:
• EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Primeira Liga, Eredevisie

Quarter-final stage

So let’s see who really does dominate the Champions League as we know it. The consensus seems to be La Liga, but let’s see who’s dominated the past 15 years of the QF stage:Over the past 15 seasons, the English Premier League has been an ever-present in the quarter-final stage. Aside from that, they’ve made a total of 32 appearances at this stage. This is more important since it is a reflection of the strength of the league. An example is the 2007/08 & 2008/09 seasons which both had 4 EPL teams reach the QF stage. That’s 8 appearances in the QF over 2 years for the EPL. No other league has had 4 teams from their league in the QF at this stage, yet the EPL managed it in 2 consecutive seasons. La Liga trails in this regard with 27 appearances over 15 seasons.

Semi-final stage

It has to be said that the QF stage of the Champions League has been dominated by the EPL teams for nearly 2 decades, but if we think about the Semi-Finals over the past few years, one team springs to mind – Barcelona. An ever-present for half a decade in the semi’s, and possibly the main reason many believe La Liga to be stronger in Europe. It’s quite true though. The last time Barca failed to reach the SF stage was 6 seasons back. They are clearly the best team in Europe based on UEFA coefficients. But what about the rest of La Liga?

Even though the past 6 seasons saw 11 appearances by EPL teams in the semi’s against the 9 from La Liga, the Spanish league pips the Premier League since the EPL made most of their SF appearances in the past few years. 

One of the most striking facts one can take from this table is the gulf between the EPL/La Liga teams when compared against the rest of the European Leagues. None of the other leagues have made 10 appearances at this stage, yet the EPL & La Liga might make their 19^th & 20^th appearance this season if more than 1 team reaches the SF. It speaks volumes as to why many foreign players are choosing the EPL & La Liga over Bundesliga & especially Serie A. There seems to be more chance of glory in those 2 leagues.

Having said that, there has been a Bundesliga team in the semi’s for the past 3 seasons. Italy’s last appearance in the semi’s – 2009/10. In fact, out of the past 15 seasons, a Serie A team has only been present in 7 of those 15 tournaments at this stage. And what of the Eredivisie? 1 appearance in the semi’s in 15 seasons? It’s little wonder that the youth of Ajax choose to move to the giants of Europe.

Of all of these numbers & figures, the 3 year stretch by the EPL between 2006 & 2009, has to be the most impressive. 3 EPL teams reached the semi’s 3 years in a row. 9 appearances in 3 seasons.

La Liga takes the prize for the best semi-finalists, edging out the EPL for now at least.

Finals

It’s very easy to count who has won the most titles over 15 years, but dominance doesn’t always result in titles. Chelsea vs Barcelona/Bayern last season. The dominant team didn’t win. Simply reaching the finals is a massive achievement. Things can go wrong within the game, but reaching the final is no accident. Having said that, which league has had the most appearances in the Final since 1997/98?

The EPL slightly edges La Liga, having made 9 appearances in the finals over 15 years. The graph roughly states that there’s currently over a 50% chance that a team from the EPL will reach the finals. However, if you look at their run before 2004, you’ll notice the stark contrast. Simply 1 final before 2004 – the famous 1999 victory from Manchester United. It clearly shows how far the EPL has come over the past decade. Over the past 8 seasons, there have been 8 appearances in the finals by an EPL team. That is ridiculously good. In comparison, the past 8 seasons have seen 3 finals from La Liga teams (all 3 appearances from Barcelona). La Liga had more of a presence in the finals in the years building up to the 2002 Galacticos victory.

Winners

La Liga has taken more UCL titles than any other league in Europe. Currently sitting on a 75% chance of victory if a La Liga team reaches the final. All 6 of the La Liga titles have been won by either Real Madrid or Barcelona, whereas 3 of the 4 EPL titles have been won by different teams. A shock to the Bundesliga (recently rewarded with 4 UCL spots) is their success rate over the past 15 seasons. 1 title (Bayern Munich). Even more worrying for the rest of Europe is that there have been no winners over the past 8 years other than Serie A, La Liga & EPL. A total domination of titles shared amongst 3 leagues.

Bear in mind that all of these stats are taken from the 1997/98 season – 2011/12. The reason is that 1997/98 was the first season to invite other teams apart from the league winners. This means we can grade the league and not just 1 team from the league (as pre-1997/98 tournaments were structured). Since UEFA have invited more than just 1 EPL team into the UCL, I would venture to say that they have dominated. Using the tables above, we can take the following info:

 This is a table based on presence – basically, who was there in the final stages over a period of 15 years. There has been more of a presence in the final stages by EPL teams rather than La Liga. The difference is that the La Liga teams go on to win the trophy when reaching the final. Well 6 out of 8 times, that is. At the end of the season, the winners are always remembered & rightfully so. Hopefully this article shows that the EPL, in recent years, has been the league to go consistently further than others in this competition. It also shows the vast gap between EPL & La Liga teams when compared to the rest of Europe.

Cheers.

Author: Themba Sweet

Twitter: @thembasweet

Site: http://footiecall.blogspot.com/

You can find more of Themba's work here

Just How Good is Scott Parker?

Now, if you ask 10 people who in their view is the best signing of the Premier League 2011/12 season, 3 out of the 10 people would probably say Scott Parker.

I’ve always been a bit confused by this. Firstly, I don’t think Scott Parker has been that amazing for Tottenham. Yes, he’s been very tidy and solid for Spurs. But has he really been the best signing of last season? I’m unsure, especially considering the impact Sergio Aguero had on Man City.

But let me be clear. I don’t hate Scott Parker. I do think he is a very good DM, perhaps one of the best in the Premier League. He can pass, tackle and retain the ball sensationally. While his personality makes him extremely likeable too. Parker is tenacious, determined and selfless in his pursuit to win. I just feel he is a bit overrated, that’s all.

But how does Tottenham’s Scott Parker match up with other leading defensive mids in the Premier League?

Stats via EPL Index

Defensive Stats:

Key: Green = Best, Orange= second best & Red =Worst

Without a shadow of a doubt, having fantastic defensive stats is imperative for a top class defensive mid. It kind of goes without saying. But Parker’s defensive stats, are decent. But they are by no means amazing, but they aren’t poor either.

In terms of tackles won, Parker sits right in the middle out of the players analysed. One of Parker’s strengths is his tackling and it does reflect in the stats. But he is by no means the best tackler in the Premier League. Lucas Levia had the best tackle win percentage, he won an impressive 76.47% of his tackles.  It’s interesting the player with the worse tackling win percentage is Tiote. I feel for such a solid, mobile and imposing midfielder, Tiote should be winning far more tackles. Looking at Tiote’s stats generally, they aren’t impressive. Perhaps this is why clubs such as United and Chelsea have cooled off interest in the £20million rated man.

One of the parts of Parker’s game which I feel is often underrated is his reading of the game. If you watch him closely, you can tell he read the game very astutely.  Parker may look like a bull in a china shop, but I feel he often gets away with this thanks to his good understanding of the game. He can roam out of position, pick up the ball and move it on for his team within a matter of seconds. Parker made the most interceptions out of the players analysed, by quite a bit too. What I find intriguing is that the top three interceptors are the English lads, Parker, Carrick and Barry. This little stat tell us, that in certain positions, English players really do understand their role and do have a football understanding. Sometimes English players are portrayed as clueless footballers whose best abilities are their courage.

One defensive area where Parker lags behind is aerial duals. The other defensive mids are far comfortable in winning balls in the air.  But there are other aspects to Parker’s defensive games which isn’t that great either. Parker has made the most defensive errors out of the players analysed, this correlates with the number of times he has been disposed too. The number of times Parker has been dispossessed has surprised me. I always felt one of the strengths of Parker’s game was his ability to retain the ball, but obviously, he is either spending too long on the ball or opposition are closing him down quickly as they know he’s not the fastest nor the most agile of players. But what’s incredibly impressive is how Gareth Barry, in 34 games was only been dispossessed 17 times. Faurlin only played 20 times, yet he lost the ball nearly double the amount of the Man City man. Barry may not be everyone’s favourite footballer (to hell, no one really likes him), but he certainly is very tidy and does the job in a disciplined manner.

Attacking and Passing

Now, the attacking abilities of a defensive mid are not that vital as say as a winger, striker or an attacking midfielder. But, it does give an indication on how well rounded the player is and how influential he is.

In terms of passing, Scott Parker has seen a lot of the ball. It does show how influential he has been for Spurs. But, what I find more interesting is the accuracy of Parker’s passing, the England international’s pass accuracy was 90%. It was the best alongside United’s Michael Carrick. Without a doubt one of the strengths of Parker’s game is his ability to pass accurately. This is of course, is very vital if you’re a defensive midfielder, as one of your roles is to link the defence to the midfield.

Parker v Rest

Parker v Sandro

Key- Green = Best, Red = Worse

Now, this is an intriguing comparison, due to both playing for Spurs and both being defensive midfielders. By the end of the season, Redknapp often played both players, but Sandro was utilised in a more defensive role than Parker. But looking at the defensive stats, Sandro dominates Parker. The Brazilian has a better Aerial win percentage, a better ground dual percentage and a better tackle percentage too. But both players seem to have a weakness in retaining the ball. This maybe a concern to Spurs, as losing the ball in the central areas of the pitch, is catastrophic especially with Spurs being a dynamic attacking side. For me, Sandro looks the more comfortable in defensive mid, he has the ability to not only keep it simple, but he does the basics well enough.

Parker v English Lads

This is a hard one. Parker, Barry and Carrick are players of very different styles. In some respects, one of the three (Carrick ) is arguably England’s best passer, while another (Barry) is probably England’s best keep it simple player and the other one, Parker is probably the most comfortable in attacking and defending.

From a creative and passing perspective, Carrick edges Barry and Parker. Carrick made the most passes and had the best pass accuracy. From a defensive perspective, it’s very close again too. But looking at the stats, I feel Carrick is the most comfortable defensively. Out of the three, he had the best win percentage for aerial duals, ground duals and came second best for interceptions. Carrick may not be the most dominating of midfielders, but for me he’s more rounded than Barry and Parker. Some may argue, Carrick isn’t a defensive mid, I firmly believe he is. Of course, he isn’t a typical defensive midfielder. He is one, like Parker, who joins attacks when the momentum is with his side. It does surprise me how Carrick is under used by England.  If England are really determined to keep the ball, Carrick must be utilised. He is someone who keeps things ticking in midfield, and off the ball he can win his fair share of duals too. But with the same token I can see why England managers have chosen Barry and Parker. Both lads add reliability, grit and drive to England. Look at Barry, he rarely loses the ball. While Parker, reads the game sensationally well, something that is crucial for international football.

Conclusion

Image via WhoScored

So, just how good is Scott Parker?

Well, he certainly is a good footballer. He is a player most teams wouldn’t mind having knocking about. But is he the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League?

The answer to that is no.

In my eyes and in the eyes of the stats, he isn’t even the best English defensive midfielder either. One could easily argue, Barry or Carrick are better defensive midfielders. If had to choose between the three, I would pick Carrick.

The reason why Parker is rated, respected and admired so highly is because of his style of play. He is tireless, determined and visibly hungry to win, not only that he has got some good technical abilities.

I think Scott Parker is a top defensive midfielder, but he is by no means the best in the Premier League.

But that leads me to the question, who is the best defensive mid in the Premier League? For me, (and again like most things, it comes down to personal taste) I think Lucas Levia is the best defensive mid in the Premier League. As the stats show, he is the most well rounded and I feel his linking up play is fantastic too.

While for Scott Parker, he is proof that, you are never too old to fulfil your potential. I feel some of the hype towards Parker is over the top. I think he is a good footballer, but by no means the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League. The UK press and fans probably love him, as he typifies the idyllic English player. He is courageous, selfless and passionate. But the reality is, he just another good defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

Euro 2012 Review

Team of the competition

Spain – This was an odd competition for Spain. It was the first time they had to continuously defend their playing style. But again their system was beautiful, effective and un-containable. There was no complacency, arrogance or underestimation from Spain during Euro 2012, they played each game with complete focus and a great worth ethic, something their system demands immensely. Although Spain haven’t really changed their playing style, they have improved. In the 2010 World Cup they scored 8 whilst conceding 2. But in the Euros they scored 12 and only conceded once. It’s pretty impressive considering in the World Cup they played a game extra and for most of the games in Euro 2012, they played with no striker.

Overachievers of Euro 2012

Portugal – Now this one is hard to pick. Especially considering there aren’t that many teams in the Euros, and the Euros is only 6 games long. It basically means your often out before you even know it.

But Portugal have impressed me quite a lot. Although they started off with a slow and rather lacklustre performance against Germany, they really grew in strength as the competition progressed. It comes as no surprise, but once Cristiano Ronaldo found his feet, Portugal shifted into another gear. After Portugal’s dismal qualifying campaign for the Euros and their poor World Cup in 2010, most thought they’d go out in the group stages, especially being in the Germany, Holland group. Instead, they marched on all the way to the semi finals and took Spain right to the end.

Underachievers of Euro 2012

Easy. Holland.

They were bad. So bad. They had a campaign what one would easily define as a ‘nightmare campaign.’ It started off badly and finished badly. They didn’t even pick up a single point. You’ve got to remember, this is the same team who made the World Cup final in 2010. Holland had a complete shocker. Holland were like that kid who did really well in their 11 plus but when they did their end of year tests, they failed. Miserably. ( You probably wont get that joke if your over 21, sorry.)

Player of Euro 2012

This is a tough one. But for me it’s Andrea Pirlo. Prior to this tournament only those who follow Serie A would remember and be aware of just how he’s been. But now, the whole of Europe and the world know that he is still classy as ever. He was a catalyst of everything that Italy did. He kept the team ticking over, whilst when he played as a deep lying creator,  he played great intelligent long balls to Balotelli and Cassano. When he played higher up the pitch, Pirlo didn’t look out of his depth at all. He threaded in so many fantastic through balls from the edge of the box and was a constant danger to the opposition. His free kick against Croatia was just glorious, a real demonstration of his technical abilities. While his penalty was unforgettable. He took the tension of the night and cut it with a pin so coolly and composedly. Just genius.

Best Young Player

Mario Balotelli

I often feel Balotelli’s abilities are a bit underrated simply because he is an idiot. But he gave a mature, composed and determined showing over the Euros for Italy. He lead the line brilliantly, he kept the ball well with his strength and created space with his quick feet and trickery. But what impressed me the most about Balotelli during this competition was his intelligent runs, he continuously broke offside traps and used his smart movement to open up goal scoring opportunities for himself. You could tell Spain were wary of this, whenever he got the ball, he was surrounded by three Spanish players, who would restrict his space and movement. At times, I did think Balotelli was a bit wasteful in front of goal. But the reality is, at 21 years of age, leading the line for a nation like Italy is mightily impressive and the fact they got to the final shows just how good he is, when he focuses.

Best Manager

Vicente Del Bosque

This guy has got balls. When you’re Spain and you have three exceptionally talented forwards and you choose to predominantly play with no forwards, you have guts. Del Bosque did a fantastic job in coming up with an offensive plan to bypass the injury to Spain’s record goal scorer David Villa. The World Cup winning manager came up trumps with an extremely creative and gifted central midfield taking dominance. After his and Spain’s latest success, you’ve got start to consider if Vicente Del Bosque is one of the greatest managers ever. I mean he has won the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League and La Liga. No other manager has ever achieved that. He seems to have the ability to keep the players onside and to not allow the players to become complacent and revel on past glories.

Moment of the tournament

Wayne Rooney’s goal v Ukraine:

It was a glorious moment. The hero returned with a goal. A goal which allowed England to top the group. You couldn’t have scripted it.

I JOKE

My moment of the Euros was Aindry Shevchenko goals v Sweden.

It was like the nation and the player were craving for that moment for a life time. The sheer ecstasy from the player and fans was just unbelievable. For me, the Sheva goals rolled back the years. The 35 year old showed he really was the man who tore up Europe once for Milan. What topped off the moment was Ukraine ended up winning the game. The pride and glory of that moment was unforgettable.

Funny Moment

Keith Andrews being knocked over the ref:

Let the pictures do the talking.

Best Match

Sweden 2 – 3 England

This game was brilliant. It had twists, turns and tantrums. England were in complete control in the first half. They took Sweden by storm. But in the second half, Sweden sharpened up and in a 15 minute spell of dominance they turned the game round into their favour. But for the first time in a long time, England showed resilience, determination and persistence, it probably raised the hopes of some England fans too. This game was fantastic for another reason for England. That reason was, Theo Walcott. Everything he had improved on in the past year was demonstrated in that game. His final ball, finishing (call his goal luck or a fluke, whatever you want) and his defensive work. They all were on show in his cameo performance against Sweden. But the lasting impact of this game was the scorers for England. Andy Carroll, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck. All three were under the age of 24 and you could argue, they will play a key role for England in the future.

Best Group

Group A

This group was a certain surprise. Initially, I thought this group would be boring as listening to Mark Lawrenson co-commentating.  But this group had everything; it had hammerings, twists and utter confusion. It was like one of those parties you go to and before you go to the party your thinking, ‘oh why do I have to go to this? This will be shit. ‘But by the end you want to stay and you don’t want it to end. What makes me laugh about this group was at one stage Russia were certain to top the group. They hammered the Czechs and were rather unlucky to draw against Poland. Greece on the other hand was the complete opposite. They were utterly lacklustre in the opening two games and at one point, it looked like it was only a matter of time till someone put them out of their misery. However, against Russia, Greece took their chances and held on for dear life. It certainly was one of the moments of the tournament when Greece made it through. No one gave them a chance. No one. But somehow they dug deep and found it within themselves to through. What typifies just how crazy this group was, Czech Republic got hammered 4-1 in the opening game, yet they ended up topping the group. Insane.

Euro 2012 XI

 

Football Tweets of the week: 25/06

It's back! Ages and ages ago, you may remember we actually did have this feature running regularly a few months ago. But for one reason or another, we stopped, but it's back. Here are our best football tweets of this week! (Tweets are in no order, just randomly collected)

1.) Danny Murphy proves the idea of an intelligent footballer is a myth by signing for Blackburn. - @PickThatOneOut

2.) Papastathopoulos... Imagine having to pay for that on the back of your shirt. No wonder the Greeks are skint. - @pmblgz

3.) So Arsenal have signed Olivier Giroud? He's only 25. Why has he decided to end his career so early? - @FootballFunnys

4.) John Terry has asked if the 5th official [from the Ukraine -England game] can be a juror at his racism trial next month. Blind. - Opta_Joke

5.) Poor Van der Vaart. Once again, he finishes 4th and is sent packing from Europe! -@ShikharrC

6.) "Penalties are a lottery." Yes, if by that you mean England have a one in a million chance of winning. - @AltFootball

7.) Roy Hodgson is set for a test for drugs with UEFA. Officials became suspicious when they saw Milner was starting for England vs Italy. - @FootballFunnys 

8.) Steven must have had a sleepless night following England's defeat... - @RobCRoose

 9.) Against a tough Ukraine side, England will have to start ugly tonight... or Wayne Rooney as he's more commonly known. - @StupidFootball

10.) Where was this guy? (Tweeted after England's loss on penalties by Italy) - @AttackoftheKop

Be sure to follow all these guys on Twitter, you can follow us at @ReviewFootball

England and Italy… Rooney and Balotelli

Hello, I’m Callum Rivett, and welcome to my latest blog for The Football Front. This week it's the turn of the quarter finals to capture my fleeting glances, and what a quarter final it looks to be. 

            England.

            Who thought England would finish top of the group with two wins and a draw against France? I certainly didn’t, and I think this is because the expectations had been lowered to the point that we thought we may not even get out of the group.

            We have avoided world champions Spain, which is welcome news to every English fan, but unfortunately face a tie with favourites Germany in the semi-final if we beat Italy. The Germans are, unsurprisingly, an efficient bunch, and have proved so by winning four out of four matches. Their only weakness could be their defence - an average Greek side scored two, albeit one from a penalty. 

            Roy Hodgson has built up a fantastic team spirit within the camp, and that can only have a positive effect. The Italians are nothing special, but then neither are we. Both sides are defensively minded, and will sit back and look to hit the opposition on the counter. 

            Those techniques are fine against opposition that like to attack and are a better side than yourself. But what we could be looking at is a match where the two sides are waiting for the other to attack, both sitting back, both scared of going forwards. 

            Then again, since it’s a quarter final and winner-takes-all match, we could have the most exciting and enthralling match of the tournament on our hands. Two very evenly matched sides, no big expectations, but with a team full of hard-working, classy players. We have Rooney; they have Balotelli. We have Hart; they have Buffon. 

            Both us and Italy boast world-class talents, but both have a loose fuse. Rooney and Balotelli can be either heroes or villains. Both have been sent off numerous times, but they have both scored numerous times. Balotelli is effectively the Italian Wayne Rooney. You can see the raw talent, the enthusiasm, but there is something else, something dark. A violent, idiotic side: Rooney’s kick against Montenegro, Balotelli’s sending off versus Arsenal, Rooney’s stamp on Carvalho, Balotelli and the bib. 

            Ultimately Balotelli is more idiotic than aggressive, and Rooney vice versa, but the talent there is undeniable. Under the guidance of Roberto Mancini, Super Mario can flourish to become a world-class talent, but only if Man City can control his wild side. He’s arrogant, but not in a moronic way. He gives 60% of his wages to charity, so it is obvious he is actually not as stupid as he makes out. 

            There is only one word that fully describes Mario Balotelli: entertaining. 

            These two will be the focal points for the media come Sunday, and they could hold the key to their country’s success. England will have to dominate Italy’s defence - which is weak - to win, and I believe that if we get to half-time at 0-0 then we have a superb chance to get to a semi-final, something that doesn’t come along that often. In fact, I wasn’t even born when England last got to the semis, but I know the story of that 1990 game against Germany. Gazza’s tears, Pearce’s penalty, Lineker’s 80th minute equaliser… 

            We have a real chance of making a semi-final. We are on the same level as Italy, and it should be a balanced match which whets the neutrals appetite, and drives both country’s supporters to the brink of despair and back again. 

            It’s tiring being an England fan: the heart-aches, the quarter final exits, the constant underachievement. 

            But now it’s different. Now there are no expectations. The nation believes, not expects.

Follow Callum on twitter: @CJRivett12. You can find more of Callum's work here.

What have we learnt so far in Euro 2012?

I’m Callum Rivett, and this week I’m reflecting on the current situation in the Euros. Twists and turns galore, we can expect plenty more exciting, intriguing and defensive football - and that’s just England! The Group of Death has lived up to its name, with no team guaranteed to go through approaching the last game of the group stage. A draw would send England through, Greece and the Czechs are in the last 16, Ireland and Sweden are out and in the remaining groups no one has already qualified. Should be an exciting round three then!

Spain need to be more direct

Everyone knows that Spain play some of the most attractive football on the planet (along with Barcelona) but sometimes lack the cutting edge. They have the tools needed with Torres, Llorente, Negredo and any midfielders they have, yet fail to utilise them enough. Spain pass the ball all the way up to the opposition box, pass it some more, then when they finally have the chance to shoot… they pass again. They try and walk the ball into the net. With the quality they have in midfield, there can be no harm in having a shot from outside the box once in a while. Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, Silva, we’ve seen them smash a few into the top corner before - why not have another go at it?

England have a real chance (only if we sort out our defence)

A draw against the best team in our group goes a long way to help us go far in this tournament, and the comeback victory over Sweden will certainly boost morale. We have Carroll and Welbeck who are now scoring, and Rooney is about to come back. Our squad is filled with youth with a sprinkling of experience, and only two players are arguably world-class -- Hart and Rooney. I’d say Hart is the most vital, he’s made quality saves throughout the qualifiers and the tournament, most notably from France’s Alou Diarra in the opening match. We would miss Hart so much if we didn’t have him.

Germany are a force to be reckoned with

I predicted Germany to win the Euros not that long ago, and they look well on their way to fulfilling that prediction. A 1-0 win over Portugal then a 2-1 win against Holland that never really looked in doubt means they are sitting pretty, top of their group and it would take a shock Denmark win over the Germans and a Portugal win over the Dutch to send them home. To think that a talent like Mario Gotze is sitting on the bench is astonishing, and you can really see the strength in depth they have. Experienced veteran Miroslav Klose can come on if they are in need of a goal, and that is not a bad sub to make! I’m sticking with Germany to win it, they seem unstoppable at the moment.

Expect more shocks

Denmark 1 Holland 0. Russia and Poland being knocked out. Croatia snatching a draw against Italy. England winners? It could happen. All we know is that there will be plenty more shocks, upsets and early trips home for some. Ireland might even support England, but then again we have more chance of winning the Euros than them supporting us. Russia and Holland are already gone, which I’m shocked at, and so are Poland. One of Italy, Croatia and Spain are going out, , expect the unexpected. You never know in this game.

Follow Callum on twitter: @CJRivett12. You can find more of Callum's work here.

Why England don’t need Rooney

The Football Front's Christian Brown gives view on why England dont actually need Wayne Rooney.

If you were to say to most people following the Euros, ‘who would you hinge England’s hopes on?’ there is a very strong chance that the reply would be ‘Wayne Rooney’. I beg to differ. As controversial as it possibly sounds, I don’t even think Rooney should be there full stop, and there are several reasons to suggest this as well. 

Let’s start with the basics. His job, as a centre forward, is to score goals – correct? For Manchester United this is seemingly no problem at all. He finished the 2011/12 season with 27 league goals, which is a very impressive tally, regardless of which team you play for. For the national team however, his last goal was against Bulgaria in September 2011. That was some 10 months ago. For someone whose job it is to stick the ball in the back of the net, that is frankly appalling – especially for a striker who scores for fun for his club and receives 250 grand a week for his troubles.

Then there are his performances in the white shirt of England. Well, I use the term ‘performances’ very loosely. Watching Wayne Rooney play for England is like watching a seven year old who hasn’t yet learnt his positional sense. The seven year old can get away with it, as he is after all, only seven. Rooney’s 26. I’ve never seen such brainless running from any international player, ever. For some reason, he feels the need to be everywhere – including the left wing, right back and centre midfield. This is despite the fact his job is to be up front feeding off the service he will receive.

It causes numerous problems for the rest of the team, as suddenly when there is a chance to counter, Rooney’s beside the ball in his own half as opposed to being on the centre back’s shoulder and the attack swiftly breaks down. It also allows him to get angry, which is stupid given the high profile errors he’s made due to a lack of temperament. One low key example was against Montenegro at Wembley. Rooney inexplicably ‘tracked back’ 50 yards before clattering a Montenegrin from behind – and received a yellow card for his ‘team game’.

Say what you like about ‘oh it’s passion for the team’ or ‘oh it’s part of his game’ – no, it’s neither. It’s pathetic and stupid. It makes him a liability, and makes him suspect to do something ridiculous and get a card for it. Such as his most recent incident wearing the Three Lions, in which he booted Montenegrin defender Miodrag Dzudovic from behind in an apparent attempt to send him into orbit. Do that on the street and you’re looking at about 3 years in prison for assault.

 

There’s also the other red card incident which people seem only too happy to forget about, the 2006 World Cup quarter final against Portugal. You know the one, the game where he attempted to circumcise Ricardo Carvalho. A sending off which cost England massively, had they gone to extra time with 11 men there may not have even been the need to have a penalty shootout. But no, it’s all alright because it’s just passion and part of his game, isn’t it? Playing for Manchester United, he should know full well no-one remembers quarter finalists, only winners – and he put an end to any chances of us winning.

The Dzudvic incident showed how much of a farce UEFA are, as they decided to reduce his ban. Why they didn’t extend it is beyond me, and just about everyone else in the footballing world. They basically said assaulting someone is acceptable. What was even more of a farce is that Roy Hodgson still decided to take a player who may only play one game. England are in a very difficult group, and could well be booking flights to Gatwick by the time he is eligible to play – yet he goes anyway? Why?

What if Welbeck does well? Say he gets three goals in two games, and then all of a sudden he’s dropped for Rooney, and then like usual Rooney underperforms. How is that going to create a positive vibe in the England camp? The strikers know that no matter how well they do, after two games they’re effectively redundant. Just because Rooney is allegedly the third most paid player in the world? Or because he plays for Manchester United? Or because he was good at a tournament for England, EIGHT years ago? That gives him the right to be an automatic starter? No.

The whole thing is a running joke, and if England do manage to get through to the latter stages, they will shortly be going out as there is no doubt that Rooney will be tricked into unleashing his ‘passion’, make a stupid tackle and then watch his team capitulate with 10 men. But it’s alright, because it’s all for the game, isn’t it? He’s a shadow of what he was in Euro 2004, and should be watching the football on a hot beach somewhere – not in the England camp with a chance to play.

 This piece was written by Christian Brown, you can follow him on his Twitter - @Chris78901, Chris also writes for The Sports Pallet too. All of Chris' work is on his blog, 1-chris78901.