Are some players given the captaincy for the wrong reasons?

To many people, the ideal captain is a charismatic leader on and off the pitch. A player who sets the standard. An individual who can bring the team together. And a player who is a role model on and off the pitch.

But it seems more often than not, that these imperative values which are a hallmark of a successful captain, are being overlooked by other factors.

A common occurrence is that players are given the captains armband in a vain attempt by the club to keep the player committed for a little longer.

One can think of many clubs who have adopted this strategy. Look at Carlos Tevez at Manchester City. Look at Abel Taarabt at Queens Park Rangers. And maybe more controversially, look at Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal.

A majority of football fans have questioned whether these players are suitable for the armband. The Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, has been a hotly debated subject. Is he really a suitable individual for being a captain? Most think he isn’t. Carlos Tevez still hasn’t grasped the English language sufficiently. So this obviously hinders his influence on and off the pitch. As he cant get his message across to his fellow team mates. Perhaps a captain should clearly understand the language and can speak it sufficiently, so they can support and motivate their team mates.

Furthermore, with Tevez, it seems, from day one since he joined Manchester City. He has been unsettled and has been looking for a move elsewhere. Last season and the first half of this season, it seemed Tevez had his heart set on South America. Preferably Boca Juniors. However, now it seems the Argentine wants to move to Italy. This only emphasises the unsettled nature of Carlos Tevez. Surely, a captain should be an individual who stays loyal to the club, rather than angling for a move at every possible occasion. One must consider, captain Tevez even handed in a transfer request demanding to leave Manchester City earlier in the year. So much for the captains loyalty towards the cause.

Perhaps one would say, probably a Manchester City supporter that Tevez is a good captain. As he leads by example on the pitch. That is a fair point, too an extent. As Tevez has been the life beat of Manchester City in past two years. Everything centres around him. But Tevez has thrown strops on the pitch too. Earlier this season, Tevez threw a strop and showed his anger at being substituted. This is hardly the most suitable behaviour for your captain.

It seems Manchester City have made Carlos Tevez the captain as a method to keep the player contented and make him understand his importance to the team.

While Abel Taarabt, 21 of Q.P.R is another questionable captaincy appointment. The Moroccan international is a great player. But, he is a player who sadly, doesn’t like to pass and often has tantrums and disputes. Furthermore, the fact he is 21 and is the captain is alarming. Is it right a 21 year old is the captain of a Championship team? Perhaps it would be justified if the player had a better professional mentality. And didn’t clearly suggest that Q.P.R is a merely a stepping stone in his career.

A more controversial figure to question is Cesc Fabregas. Some argue, because of his experience and his professionalism on and off the pitch it makes him a good candidate for being the captain. However, there are serious question marks over Fabregas’ credentials as captain. Perhaps, Arsenal’s failings this season have made people ask more question of whether Fabregas is a good leader.

Football fans and especially Arsenal fans have a right to question him. The Arsenal players have lacked unity on the pitch. They team also does not seem to have any leadership on the pitch. The Gunners are missing a player who can settle the other players down and can support them. Just take the two Spurs results and the Newcastle results. For me, Fabregas may have the experience, talent and a nice personality. But he still isn’t captain material. He lacks the leadership mentality to galvanise his team mates.

However, the issue of giving the captaincy for the wrong reasons has been common for the past 10 years.

In 2003, Fernando Torres was made captain of Atletico Madrid. Torres at the time was only 19 years old. This was startling. It was startling simply because he was a teenager when he captained his side. Is that right? Surely a captain should be a player who has relative experience in the game. But of course, Torres is a world class striker, who At. Madrid were desperate to keep hold of. But is he captain material? When you think of Torres and the idea of him being captain it makes you chuckle. As today’s Torres is a bit of a stroppy striker who moaps around the pitch.

A common theme to all the players I have discussed, is that all these players have issues regarding their future. This emphasises the lengths some clubs will go to in order keep hold of their prized assets.

However, for all these examples discussed. One could easily argue that these players do lead by example on the pitch. As these players set the standard with their brilliant ability. However, the responsibly of being a captain extends to more than that.

It’s refreshing to know that in the Premier League and Europe that most players are given the captaincy for the right reasons. Take a look at Steven Gerrard, Carlos Puyol, Iker Cassias, Nemanja Vidic and perhaps even John Terry. All of these players are good examples of great captains and leaders.

But clubs are more desperate than ever to keep hold of their prized assets. A way in which the clubs feel they can cling onto these players is by giving the player the symbolic armband. And more clubs, be it small or large teams are now being tempted down this route, in a futile attempt maintain their star players.

It’s imperative that clubs try and avoid going down this route. Clubs must associate the captain’s armband with players who are the hallmark of a successful captain. Players who lead by example and represent the club superbly.

Certain clubs need to stop undermining the significant value of being the captain.

Things you may like to read

Why Arsenal's complacency and lack of professionalism has seriously hindered their chances this season - http://tiny.cc/y1tgc

Why Chelsea must drop Fernando Torres if they are to have any chance of success this season - http://tiny.cc/48chx

Just how good is Gary Cahill? - http://tiny.cc/q3lku

England's new 4-3-3 system, the platform for English success? Part Two - The Negatives

We have been taking a close look at England’s new 4-3-3 strategy. Last week, we discussed the positives of the strategy and what worked well in the two games against Ghana and Wales.

We talked about how dynamic England were and how progressive the side were. The team’s high pressing system suffocated their opponents, especially Wales. And the mixture of passing made England hard to deal with in both games.

Here’s the link to the first article regarding the positives of the system.

http://thefootballfront.blogspot.com/2011/04/englands-new-4-3-3-system-platform-for.html

Today, we will be looking at the negatives and the aspects of the system, which didn’t work well for England.

The negatives

Clearly, the system is only two games old and there are still areas which need to be worked on. Here are few errors which I saw in England’s games whilst playing with the 4-3-3.

Fabio Capello loves his central midfielders to control the game and the tempo. The new system gave England’s central midfielders more time on the ball. This led there to be more of a creative spark in the middle. This all well and good. But, England were finding it hard to thread through balls into the wingers and strikers. At times against both Wales and Ghana, England’s passing was static as they couldn’t see the pass or were unwilling to execute it. Again, this could boil down to the understanding between the players regarding the new strategy. As the development of understanding takes time, but as the team gets used to the system, the central midfielders will be receptive to the run of the strikers and can quickly and effectively thread the balls through. Although this sounds very technical, some argue, England lack the ability to pass progressively. But England have a great number of passers. The likes of Lampard, Gerrard and Wilshere can all be trusted to thread in brilliant balls to the strikers and midfielders.

Ghana recognised England’s dependence on their 3 central midfielders. It was clear that the central midfield was England’s main catalyst for attacks. The Ghana team quickly closed down Wilshere and James Milner. This meant, England at times were sloppy in their passing or were often caught in possession. And because England attempted to impose themselves onto the opposition, it therefore meant that Ghana could quickly counter and could ask serious questions of England’s high defensive line. Arguably, if England were playing against a more superior team, they would have punished England on the counter. As they would have been far more quicker and crisp in their passing and would have possibly had a number of clinical finishers to finish off the move.

This is a diagram of how Ghana stopped England's midfield from settling on the ball.

Here is a diagram of how England nearly conceded because of the high defensive line.

The game against Ghana was a game of two halves. And like most friendlies, the substitutions had a big impact on the balance of the game. England in the first half were expansive and were asking all the questions to Ghana. The team were effective through the middle and found a lot of joy on the right flank, thanks to great running and movement by Glen Johnson and Stuart Downing. Arguably, England’s crossing distribution was poor throughout the game. This is a fair point, especially in the first half. As England got to the Ghana by-line but failed to provide suitable crosses into the middle.

But, when Glen Johnson came off at half time. England lost their width. Arguably, this resulted in England losing their offensive nature in the second half. Against Wales, Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson symbolised England’s imposing nature by pressing high and allowing the wingers to play in a more central striking role. While the full backs attacked the byline and gave England solid width. This meant England had more bodies upfront and were more threatening. As there were a number of attacking options available. But when Glen Johnson came off against Ghana and Phil Jagielka took his place at right back, this encouraged Ghana’s fullbacks to venture into the England half. Arguably, having Jagielka at right back is undesirable. As Jagielka isn’t the fastest, nor does he have a good cross or the off the ball movement to be an offensive full back. Maybe if Micah Richards wasn’t injured he would have been far more effective at right back and maintained England’s width.

While on the other flank, Leighton Baines yet again failed to have the confidence to venture forward and provide fantastic crosses and passes. The reason why Baines is in the England team is because of his venturing forward and great distribution. It seemed Baines was unwilling to go forward in fear of making a mistake, it’s a shame. Had Baines had more confidence, he could have played a crucial role, providing for Andy Carroll. If Baines ask more questions of Pantsil, England would have been far more effective on the left hand side. However, it’s clear the Ghanaian management saw the lack of progress by Baines and demanded Ghana’s right back, John Pantsil to venture forward continuously. The venturing of Pantsil was a crucial reason to why England were hemmed into their own box in the second half.

The lack of width by the full backs in the second half resulted in England playing far more narrow. The wingers Downing and Young had to come in a more central position to receive the ball. This often led to nothing significant occurring in terms of offensive attacks. As Ghana were quickly pressing England in the middle and England had no venturing full backs out wide, to stretch the play.

When Andy Carroll came off, another problem occurred. England by the 60^th minute were being dominated by Ghana, England didn’t have a forward who could win the ball in the air or hold the ball up. Jermaine Defoe is a great striker, but he was rather ineffectual. As England couldn’t get the ball to him. The team were unwilling to play the ball long to Defoe. As he couldn’t effectively hold up the ball. This resulted in Ghana winning the ball with great ease. Capello did try and maintain service for Defoe, by playing Young alongside him. But again, England were far too narrow and simply couldn’t get the English midfield to re-impose their tempo and their authority over the match. Perhaps, Jermaine Defoe could have been more flamboyant in his approach. Maybe he could have made wide runs or played on the shoulder of the fullback in an attempt to use his pace.

Conclusion

There is quite a lot of potential in England’s new system. The team look far more dynamic and unpredictable. But the team need to develop an intuition for the system and the strategy. Once the team fully knows the function of the tactic it could give England a huge amount of success, potentially.

It’s imperative that Capello finds his best 11 quickly. This will further speed the understanding of the strategy and the tactic. But it’s also vital that Capello tries to stick to this tactic and uses it against tough opponents. This will make the team more disciplined and have more confidence in themselves and the system they are using.

But one mustn’t get carried away. The tactic could make England fall flat on their faces against a superior opposition. Only time will tell if it could become the platform for English success. But Ghana proved if the opposition ask serious questions and look to exploit England’s high defensive line they can be vulnerable.

Next week – we will be looking at The best possible selection for the England 4-3-3 system.

Read last week’s feature here - http://thefootballfront.blogspot.com/2011/04/englands-new-4-3-3-system-platform-for.html

Things you may like to read

Why Fabio Capello should be embarrassed of his handling of the Rio Ferdinand captaincy issue - http://tiny.cc/x1wdy

Why Kevin Davies should be in contention for the England squad - http://tiny.cc/03xgm

Do the England players fear wearing the England jersey? - http://tiny.cc/3gg73

Why Fabio Capello’s should be embarrassed of his handling of the Rio Ferdinand captaincy issue.

Its been a while since ive written! University and life have made me a busy person. But I think I’m back.
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So, the unfavourable John Terry has replaced Rio Ferdinand as England captain. This decision frustrates most England fans. It annoys most fans because the one question everyone’s asking is, ‘What exactly has Rio Ferdinand done wrong to be stripped of the captaincy?’

It’s a very fair question. It would have been understandable had Ferdinand acted like a fool and had an affair with Capello’s wife or something like that. But Ferdinand has acted reasonably immaculately during his time as captain. It’s a complete injustice towards Rio Ferdinand.
During his short tenure as captain of England. Ferdinand hasn’t done much wrong. He has represented himself in a very respectable way and well mannered way. Not only does he possess great leadership skills on the pitch, but Rio Ferdinand also is an individual who is versatile and tries to connect with society. Ferdinand seems like a knowledgeable person, trying to break away from the stereotypes that all footballers are numb nuts. You only have to look at his variety of assets such as his magazine (#5 Magazine) and his music label company, surely this shows that he is intelligent and possess talents outside of the game.

Some argue, Rio Ferdinand doesn’t deserve to be England captain anyway. Due to his shady past. Yes, he has been involved with some funny business in the earlier parts of his career. But lets take this into perspective. Most England players are dodgy twats. That’s the honest truth. Most of the England squad have been involved in controversies or been in trouble with the law. Take Jack Wilshere , the guy is one of England’s brightest prospects and is quickly becoming a key player for England. Wilshere, 19, has already had encounters with the police and has even been briefly arrested. Its sad to see that most England players are often in the wrong place at the wrong time, or worse. Some are committing stupid acts, like shooting kids with guns, cheating and hitting people. But Rio Ferdinand continues to be a brilliant ambassador for England and Man United. He is widely respected in the world of football and respected outside the game too.

Rio Ferdinand is deeply upset about being stripped of the captaincy. And so he should be. Ferdinand has been humiliated by Capello. When John Terry was stripped of the captaincy it was seen as humiliating for John Terry. But he deserved it. However, its even more humiliating for Ferdinand. As he hasn’t done anything wrong to be stripped of the captaincy.

After re-appointing John Terry as captain, Capello labelled Terry’s time of being stripped of the captaincy as a ‘punishment.’ This completely undermines the value of Rio Ferdinand. Capello’s actions are basically saying, he doesn’t have faith in Ferdinand’s ability as a leader. It’s a sad state of affairs. As Capello has shown little respect towards Rio Ferdinand.

Fabio Capello’s decision to run back to John Terry shows how naïve he is. It seems Capello is unaware of the potential consequences of his actions. The decision has the potential to unsettle the squad. Some players, may rue Capello’s decision to undermine Ferdinand and may deeply sympathise with Ferdinand. While others maybe stuck in the cross fire of awkwardness. Some players will be unsure of who to turn to, the ex captain or the reinstated captain. Furthermore, some players may not even look up to John Terry after his disgusting antics regarding Wayne Bridge’s former girlfriend.

You also have to remember, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand have to play alongside each other. Now, of course, Ferdinand is a true professional. And wont let it effect his game. But Capello’s naïve decision could have an impact on the relationship between the two players. Communication is crucial in football, especially in the heart of the defence. If both players fail to respect each other and maintain a healthy acquaintance, this could have a devastating effect on England’s performances.

But, yes, John Terry is a good leader, he leads by example on the pitch and has other great characteristics. But off the pitch he is a first class bastard. Fact. But for me, Terry lost his right to lead his nation. He lost that right when he was going to his mates house and was betraying his marriage and friendship. Why couldn’t Capello make John Terry a vice captain? Making him the full time captain is far too much of an extreme decision. This is because of the effects the decision has had on England. Firstly, Rio Ferdinand has been humiliated in the process. Secondly, John Terry in some respects isn’t favoured by players or fans. Thirdly, everyone thinks Terry deserved to lose his leadership of England after his horrible antics. Surely Fabio Capello should have considered this? Capello hasn’t received any good press or been praised for many decisions since the World Cup. Rash decisions like reinstating Terry will only add to a negative perception which is being built up around Capello.

Now, I don’t want to go down the route which most football commentators have gone down, saying, ‘oh Capello doesn’t understand because the issue of captaincy isn’t an issue in Italy.’ I think it’s a bit harsh on those who love, play and follow Italian football. For me, whatever, team you play for, being a captain is an honour. It’s a gesture which emphasises your leadership skills, the respect the players and staff have for you and your professionalism on and off the pitch. Arguably, Terry isn’t really respected by his team mates, some cant stand him because of his actions. But Capello hasn’t misunderstood the value of being captain because of culture in Italy. He has misunderstood the commercial and social side of being the England captain. Throughout the decades, the captain of the England national team is seen as a national treasure, a player which children aspire to be and an individual who has strong respectable values. After Terry’s saga, how many view him as a national treasure? How many companies want John Terry to be the main man in their adverts? How many children, or perhaps, how many adults want their children to aspire to John Terry? Not many. Now that he is captain, will any one turn around and fall in love with him again? Hell no.

John Terry had his chance, and he truly messed it up. But Capello is clearly disconnected from English football, as he cannot see the dislike that surrounds John Terry. How many times can you hear boo’s when John Terry touches the ball in every away game Chelsea have? This shows how much he is disliked by fans of Premier League teams. And a majority of England fans, support teams in England, who are more often than not going to boo John Terry.

Terry maybe a good leader, but the fans still play a crucial role in football. I bet most fans feel Terry doesn’t deserve to be the captain of England. Even though he has served his ‘punishment.’ But what does Capello except? John Terry has managed to stay clean and not play away from home for a whole year, so his reward is the England captaincy? Lets get real.

Over the past 8 months Capello has made some alienating decisions. He has made decisions which have confused the England squad players themselves and the fans. And in some respects, Capello’s poor decision making, is making the fans lose their patience and faith in him. Perhaps, the players are now questioning Capello’s credentials too.

For all the money Fabio Capello earns being England manager, I think he should spend a bit of that cash on communication courses. The boss seriously needs to learn how to handle intimate issues with care, he is far too ridged. And that is going to unsettle and make the players feel terribly undervalued. The fact he hadn’t spoken to Rio Ferdinand when he removed as captain his disgusting. It just emphasises his lack of common sense and respect towards an integral member of the England squad. A good coach is one who explains why you have to do something, rather than telling you to do it. Capello must get his ideas and thoughts clearly across to the players, or they these multi millionaire players will feel that Capello is looking down on them.

Rio Ferdinand deserves the respect from Fabio Capello to explain why he has been removed him as captain. The back pages of the newspapers should not inform Rio Ferdinand to why he has been removed as captain. After all, not many can deny that Ferdinand represented his country in a textbook manner

When John Terry was stripped of the captaincy in February 2010, it left a sour taste in the mouth of John Terry. And he deserved to taste it. Now over a year later, he has been reinstalled as captain.

But this time, it’s left a sour taste in the mouths of the every England fan.