February 2012
11 posts
“As a team, we have a week’s break, but we have four of our team travelling...”
– Steve Cotterill
Tactical Change Saves the Samba Boys v....
Mano Menezes has done well to take the Dunga taste out of everyone’s mouth and pick more attacking sides, but his performance as manager has been noticeably shaky ever since he took over and the sides frighteningly terrible performance at Copa America (watch the matches if you’re debating this). One of the continuous hinderances to the seleçáo’s success, as also noticed by Zonal...
Weekend Recap
This weekend the true meaning of concentration and the amalgamating effect it has for a squad of 11 players was on display. Matches integral to title races across Europe were decided by who was more driven to their task. It was great to see the primacy of mental strength in an era where skill usually makes the difference, lets examine a few case studies.
AC Milan 1 - 1 Juventus:
Luca Antonini...
Wigan v Villa
Frustration.
A key element of McLeish’s tactical philosophy and a familiar feeling for Villa supporters this season.
Many supporters were livid when he was introduced as manager, this was understandable considering that he had sent a mediocre Birmingham side to the championship and then moved immediately to their crosstown enemy. I always resisted this negativity with cautious optimism,...
Jonás Gutiérrez
has drawn 61 fouls this season. Not a huge fan of statistics, but that is absolutely mental.
Athletic Bilbao v Lokomotiv Moscow: Muniain Makes...
Athletic Bilbao, the Northern club who’s cantera policy mandates that all of its players are eligible for Basque citizenship, were victorious today against a surprisingly strong Lokomotiv Moscow. This success will take the club to the Round of 16 against Manchester United. Ferguson’s side must be anticipating a hard fought tie after stumbling through to the next round against Ajax.
...
André Villa-Boas: Expectations are the Death of a...
Andre Villa Boas has taken the blame for Chelsea’s recent slump and his side’s inconsistent performance in Wednesday’s loss to Napoli. He has now been tipped for the sack with Chelsea only hovering around the Champions League places in the Premiership and looking likely to bow out of the competition early, but is he really to blame?
With unwieldy expectations of being the...
