Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tottenham second unit gifted AVB a comfortable night at Villa


There was nothing but only complaints from AVB in pre-match conference. There will be nothing but only praises from AVB for the performance of his second strings. Tottenham won all three games in the past six days, scoring eight goals while conceding none. If it was Gareth Bale who had carried them all the way to fifth place last season, AVB is determined to prove Tottenham is more than just a one-man team. The second unit has duly delivered in Villa Park, proving to their manager they are all ready to play a part for Tottenham. The most disappointing person on the night might be Emmanuel Adebayor, who would wonder when will his opportunity come.  

Brad Friedel
Friedel is no longer the starting goalkeeper for Spurs, but still remains in good shape.  Without Christian Benteke in the lineup, Aston Villa could not manage to test the former Villa goalkeeper much in the game. However, it was the American who reacted incredibly to deny Marc Albrighton's shot when the score was still 0-0. Not every 42 years old keeper is capable with this acrobatic save.  

Ezekiel Fryers
With Jan Vertonghen more established in the centreback position, Ezekiel Fryers would be the third choice left-back for AVB. Nevertheless, the former Manchester United defender still looks too raw for senior football. While he might be prepared physically, careless passes and needless fouls had limited his contribution on a night he would yearn to impress.

Vlad Chiriches
Nerves had got the better of Chiriches in his Tottenham debut. He looked a bit short of confidence and was not convincing in dealing with Libor Kozak, often being caught with unnecessary fouls. His sloppy clearance even nearly gifted Aston Villa the lead. Luckily, with the support of Friedel and Vertonghen, Chiriches could still finish the night celebrating the debut clean sheet.   

Sandro
Sandro shows he is up for the challenge to regain his starting position. Excellent ball control, measured passing, composed and calm, the more matured Sandro forms an impeccable partnership with fellow Paulinho and is the perfect defensive midfielder in AVB's high defensive line formation. It will not be long to see the Brazilian return to the regular starting XI.


Lewis Holtby
This might be the best performance of the versatile midfielder since arriving in January. The fans might have been impressed by Holtby's energy, but the German also showed the ability to play behind the striker. The return pass to Lamela in the first half demonstrated his court vision. Shortly after, he supplied Defoe with a well-placed lob pass to score the opening goal. Holtby capped his night with two more assists in the second half, completing the hat-trick in assists. Not as strong as Eriksen in creating spaces between the defending lines, Holtby might still yet be able to break into first-team, until he finds his most suitable position in White Hart Lane.     

Erik Lamela
Another promising performance from the skilful attacking midfielder. He nearly scored before interval after combining with Holtby brilliantly. Building more muscles will help him survive in Premier League, but playing Lamela on the right gives insufficient width to Tottenham, especially with Harry Kane and Ezekiel Fryers on the left this night. It might not be the most effective lineup to crack down a packed and organised defence.

Harry Kane
Playing in a less natural position and with limited support provided by Fryers, Harry Kane played with some nerves and was not particularly threatening on the left, though still showed glimpse of talents with the ability to hold up balls up front. The pass to Jermain Defoe before the end of first half was the best highlight for the young striker.
Jermain Defoe
He continued his unstoppable goalscoring form, also provided an assist to Nacer Chadli's first goal for Tottenham.  If anything is preventing Defoe to be Tottenham's first choice striker, unfortunately it will be his size. Having showed improvement in linking up attacking plays, what Defoe needs might be some luck in order to steal Robert Soldado's place.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

What has gone wrong for Moyes in the Derby?

The importance of derby would not have been undermined by David Moyes, having battled in Merseyside Derby during his reign at Everton, but is he ready yet to live up to the expectation at the Theatre of Dreams? Moyes did not give his supporters much confidence, leaving Etihad Stadium with an embarrassing 1-4 loss, which only reminds the fans the humiliating 1-6 defeat at home to City two years ago.

Two errors two goals
In tight contest at this level, one cannot afford even just one minor error. Manchester United made two merely in the first half and City made the most out of them.

Aleksandar Kolarov freed himself following a overlap run to support Samir Nasri, although Antonio Valencia could have clearly done better to track the Serbian's run. Sergio Aguero brilliantly guided Kolarov's cross to give City the lead. Then it was new arrival Marouane Fellaini letting go of his marking target during the corner and allow an easy tap-in for Yaya Toure.



Diminishing squad depth
Retirement of Paul Scholes was United's major loss this offseason. While they have made it up by acquiring Fellaini, The Red Devils have yet to demonstrate the strength of their bench this season. David Moyes has been relying on a core group of first-team players and has rotated the squad much less frequently than Sir Alex Ferguson.

Yet to see the upside of it, United suffered thoroughly against City. They lost Van Persie due to injury, once again prompted the doubts if he has been overloaded in training. Moyes then opted to rush Danny Welbeck back to the starting lineup following his knee injury, as Chicharito obviously is well short of match sharpness. Veterans like Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick had to play their third match in a week time. Both have seemed to struggle to catch up with City's pace and strength in the first half.
Kagawa (left) and Chicharito: itching to play
When Moyes was desperate for changes, Andersen, Shinji Kagawa and Nani are no longer the X-factor off the bench. Kagawa's performance has been disappointing so far, but Nani and Andersen have not been granted many opportunities by Moyes, so as Chicharito. Moyes may have to rethink about his selection policy. Otherwise, United will suffer further should injuries problem hit them amidst congested fixtures.

Missing fluidity in formation
Manchester United's attack has always been relying heavily on the flanks. However, the traditional 4-4-2 formation is no longer effective in modern football, which dominance in midfield is becoming increasingly important.

United fans would have expressed that playing only Fellaini and Carrick against Man City's midfield led by Yaya Toure was close to suicidal, when Sir Alex would have usually fielded at least three central midfielders. Also starting Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, two typical wingers, United looked very thin in central midfield, even with Rooney helping out occasionally.

City took full control of possession and never looked back, until Moyes introduced Tom Cleverley for Ashley Young and reverted back to 4-3-3, when United was able to see more of the ball and Fellaini was pushed further up to apply more physical pressure on Kompany and Nastasic.

There are still advantages in playing 4-4-2, especially with the quality of wingers United has, but Moyes has to be extra careful in choosing the right tactics and approach in the right occasion.

United needs the passionate Wayne
Any positives?
The Red Devils' supporters will be glad to welcome back Rooney's passion. Bothered by the transfer rumours around himself, Rooney was still able to be productive with his match jersey on, but looked rather "soft", as described by David Moyes. Undoubtedly a player rising in big occasion, Rooney appeared to have regained the fire in the derby.

Losing a derby in September is not quite the end of the world. Instead, it is the time for both players and staff to reflect what has gone wrong to leave them five points away from the top of the table. With 3 of the next 4 games playing at home, and the remaining one against the struggling Sunderland, the platform is set up for Moyes and his players to recover from the defeat. Although Pellegrini's side appears to be the stronger of the two at the moment, it is far from the time to concede the league title. After all, it is a game of marathon.