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“I saw someone recently criticising Joe Allen for not playing risk passes. Unbelievable; so-called pundits who don’t know the dynamics of a team and how it functions,” countered Rodgers.

He rapped by displaying a scowl etched across his face. He was less than pleased with someone challenging the maestro behind his aims and who shares his objectives: some sort of total footballing excellence mirroring Holland in the 90s and The Dream Team of Barcelona in the present day.
It is no use uninteresting you with any more of the praise that is frequently firing on all cylinders of the media, which is for an entirely different article. No article can possibly quote them all in less than a 5000-word report. Plus, no writer physically has the energy to bash on at a keyboard at such time-consuming length, quoting all of the airs the graces granted by Brendan Rodgers to enchant Allen in the future, if not place a burden on him to perform the wizardry that brought him to Liverpool, and, judging by his overly supportive words, then a serious amount more.

The first signing of the Rodgers era cost £15million and a hefty chunk of heart-shaped cherry pie, therefore it was perhaps a no-brainer for Joe Allen to decide on committing to a match made in heaven- a perfect fit- over loyalty to boy-hood club Swansea. Understandable of how desperate his recently resigned boss was to seal the move, he satisfied his attempts.
As if to hold hands with his spiritual partner, they embarked on a journey to the Anfield ranch upon the chief’s appointment to the ever-changing managerial post at Liverpool, evoking the image of the two Of Mice And Men characters roaming fields together for work during an economic downturn that is the cause of mass concern at morbid unemployment there, nearly annually. It’s all relative to the displaced Allen and Rodgers dually trotting down the river Mersey, seeking to increase their salaries by fulfilling the vacant void.
They now adhere to alter the mindset of a stagnating club failing to progress under reinvigorating- before inevitably faltering- past regimes. The setting of the famous novel was in the Great Depression, which one could infer bares comparison to their hopes of prosperity and effectively living off of the early 1900’s American proverbial “fatta’ the lan’”, in a sceptical world of football. In that particular narrative, the protagonists, much like at the present Liverpool, differentiate, although they are both influential at equal measures. You could argue that Joe Allen personifies Lenny, a migrant worker, who has the physical suitability to put into practice the brains of his astute friend, football’s equivalent to George: Brendan Rodgers.
Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law
If one player reflects the new Liverpool way and embodies the sort of desirable attributes sought to bring Liverpool back into the ascendancy of club football, it is Joe Allen. He has the palatable raw ability to keep the ball in a holding role, which is how Paul Scholes has managed to compete at the highest level for such a prolonged career, but Joe Allen needs firepower ahead of him so that his work can be converted into goals. In abolishing the 4 British recruits that were over-rated and over-valued 18 months ago, Rodgers sets his sights on clearing the murky waters left by the dethroned king, Kenny Dalglish.
Now, Brendan Rodgers has a whole different mindset to Dalglish, as the transition continues for the better. His methods to establish continuity of ball-withholding and to keep the love-sick Liverpool fans buoyant by the new ideas have, though, lead to people in football putting lacklustre form down to over-passing, without posing an adequate threat to score in advanced positions. The flack was aimed at the man at the centre of operating how the new-look Liverpool team plays.
For intents and purposes, a look at his recent passing statistics at home to Reading confirms that Allen favours safe passes to keep Liverpool moving. Out of his total 63 passes, a massive 18 were sent backwards and a further 12 were ‘square’ to the left and right. All of his passes going in directions other than forward were completed, contributing towards a staggering 95% pass success rate overall, second best in the league on an average of 94% per game. That means Allen totalled 32 forward passes in 90 minutes; a considerable amount, but still Shearer suggested that he did not lay off enough risky forward passes. Needless to say, he failed to complete several of his attack-minded ploys. He chose not to advance the play 31 times when he should have, in Shearer’s eyes. Rodgers’ opposing viewpoint would denote that Allen expertly kept the ball on 31 occasions. It’s very much a matter of opinion.

‘Caution’ and ‘prudence’ are key words. There is a fine line between each in the modern game. However, it seems absurd to claim that the sort of football that the Liverpool boss instructs his team to play from the touchline- complete with typical, swift punching actions in gesticulation- blights the advance of attacks Rodgers’ belief seems more concrete than Shearer’s purport, given that it is factitiously proven that passing short, sideways or backwards results in higher possession percentages than going forward. Besides, how can any side, Barcelona or not, aim to progress up the pitch and penetrate efficiently without having the football?
The single best way to keep the ball is by retaining possession in short and swift passing patterns. Allen keeps the flow of play in fluid motion, which his manager will endlessly preach. While possession doesn’t necessarily mean the amount of passes a team make and Liverpool can’t exactly be compared to their extravagant heights, Barcelona, arguably the most effective in the club game, have accumulated superior possession over teams which continue to be taught a lesson in keep-ball this season which is rather unmanageable to withstand.
While Liverpool haven’t yet mastered how to maintain possession for long periods of time, evident in performances barely reaching over 50% of possession, when Liverpool have played at their compelling best in Brendan’s tenure, so has Allen, who is at the centre of all that is promising at the club. Additionally, he offers a promise. The promise of a Welshman orchestrating the centre of the pitch, allowing more direct attacking players capable of changing a game space and time for which to exploit starts the Kop frothing at the mouth in appreciation and anticipation at what is patiently mounting in the final third.
Where do Liverpool falter if they have a player so comfortably assured with the ball at his talented feet, and crucially at the heart of every move? It conceives as the million dollar question. Well, Luis Suarez could be given his share of blame, partly culpable for missing chances that leave all quarters of football followers scratching their head far too often. He should score these goal-bound opportunites, for he is an undeniably accomplished footballer, yet only Robin Van Persie has hit the frame of the goal more times than Suarez’s 9 this season. Another answer could be the lack of service received from his teammates.
Allen is carrying this Liverpool side; not just in terms of attacking dexterity. His immense qualities in regaining the ball are an indication of his all-round sterling abilities. Joe Allen is hardly an insignificant push-over in the context of defensive duties, having won the ball 60 times; more than any other Premier League player this season. This is incredibly undermining of the pundits who neglect him, concerning his height that is inferior to the average midfielder, yet he makes up for this defensive deficiency in his nimbleness in making interceptions and dispossessing the opponents. It is a shame that Allen’s contributions towards cutting out attacks are expected to go unmentioned, as that side of the game will not be associated to the slightly built 5′ 6″ Welsh player of the year.
Doubt Joe Allen at your peril, but he has to play out a season of underachievement before he can be degraded by the media to the degree of the pitiless lambasting encountered by Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing last season. He is by no means as poor as those rudimentary under-performers. He will scarcely be disregarded by the manager to boot. Allen is incomprehensibly Rodgers’ main man, starting as many games as any Liverpool player this season. Don’t expect that to change. In a way, Brendan Rodgers will all too predictably stick with his love match, relied upon for assisting the dynamic advanced play synonymous to Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard, whatever happens in his reign.
Lenny and George dream of prosperity. It is just within their grasp, if Liverpool’s prize assets can provide the goods.
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Let’s gander the survival stats of sides with less than 40 points: Only 9 teams in 4 seasons have retained their premier status with less than the 40 point mark; and 6 sides from 2009 to 2011 finishing on unflattering points had gone on to be relegated in proceeding seasons. since 39 points last season escape relegation by 2 points, in 15th place. Take into account the insignificant strengths of those weathering the measle gust of a storm in their opening 6 games back in the big time and you start to feel for expectant Eastenders.
West Ham’s misfiring strikers are yet to score. They are isolated and cut lonely figures. The midfield is overly bypassed, over-run and out-run. Balls are lofted over-head to sizeable targetmen. The be all and end all of leathering it downfield at every opportunity of late highlights an over-reliance on Kevin Nolan, perhaps a main beneficiary of the basic, one-dimensional system. He breaks forward from an whatever there is of a promising attacking role to reach a long punt nodded down to him by centre forwards Carlton Cole or Andy Carroll, whatever that may be- more likely a bouncing ball amongst the scrambling aftermath. To counter, once Nolan is marked, what threat do the East-end club pose?
Like Kenny Dalglish beginning a new era at Liverpool last season, The Hammers have invested in a striker and a winger in the shape of Andy Carroll and, record-signing, Matt Jarvis from a Championship-bound club. A play set up a cross into the box and a header; simple. If it was just that simple to work a goal every time using directness, Liverpool would have topped the league last season and Andy Carroll would have won the golden boot. It didn’t work out to be quite honest. Andy Carroll failed to live up to his billing and Stewart Downing, of course, achieved the astounding fete of not mustering an assist, or a goal in the whole campaign. The same principles go for West Ham, reliant on crosses, which prove to be unsuccessful.

A wake-up call received by their optimistic owners 5 years ago alarmed the Irons as a club that the dreamy visions of salvation were a long way away. Hammers’ support rightly feels let down and humiliated by senseless promises broken by Eggert Magnusson. In reality, the Hammers’ ambiguous finances had been evaluated wrongly, without a plan. The icelandic consortium sold and left the darkness of turmoil.
Still, the players maybe will be ultimately booed off at the end of impending losses, yet only managers get sacked, not players after all. As a club’s fairing represents entirely all of its exponents, the board are partly culpable for causing reverts to long-ball merchants.
David Gold and David Sullivan signed Allardyce up to fill the void in the mangerial post. His devastatingly old-school visions oversaw mediocre teams, yet Sam Allardyce is the best manager to possibly be hoped for. Of those teams, he instilled desire sometimes omitted from sophisticated busy-bodies. It must be conceded. The ever cheerful Allardyce, basking in his uncelebrated glory, is the right man for the job. He wants his players to passionately play to the lengths of sacrificing passing.
I am in no way transpiring a resentful attack on long-ball tactics in a sport where it is so easy to jump to arbitrary generalisations. I am no critic of direct football. West Ham could do with targeting Stoke City’s rise to prominence as a blueprint for the future. The media deposit animosity sometimes where it is not due. To award credit where it is due, Stoke City are progressing into a solid unit pushing on from one season to the next and deserve acknowledgement for differing from the increasingly purist revolution. The Potters arrived onto the scene from relative obscurity by thriving in a fair, physical encounter, manufactured on the cheap in order to stay afloat on the biggest stage.
Alternatively, this could be considered as an apt time to move on. Teams in and around the mid-table, which Stoke have securely sealed a position in the past are improving. A 16th finish last season was Stoke City’s lowest ever in the division in their 4 seasons. Tiki Taka teams have a greater force to attract continental players than ever, with numerous scouts assigned with the roles of scouring the globe in search of continental players. Thus, better players. Increased revenue for Premier League clubs -TV pay going up 70%- means that clubs can spend abroad on.
West Ham’s resorting deployment of crash bang wollop won’t win many friends or the preference of talent. What West Ham do have is a man-manager who can hoard with a low budget.
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Is Roberto Mancini wavering towards taking every thrill and spill he has to contend with to heart? As passionate bosses go, they feel everything their respective team has to offer. It has been the infamous livelihood of Arsene Wenger for decades.
Picture The Scene
It was tied at 0-0. A sea of followers filled the seating of a modern-built stadium. Waves began to metaphorically crash into concrete hoardings, and flooded onto the pitch. Supportive chanting from the home section had descended into intense murmuring. Fiery foreboding quickly reached deafening decibels, which looked to disturb the home team and complimented the travellers. Tick. Times wears on. It scratches at the skin of success in the managers’ hands. Tick. The home team were urged and obliged to score against supposedly weaker opposition. They couldn’t, so they were on the verge of being transpired against by their own devotees. Tick.
Unsettled remarks began to rain on the suited figure from the faces of thunder up in the terraces above the ageing coach, as he strode back and forth. Another attack came to an end. He swung his arms relentlessly out of his pocket once again. Turning to face vast criticism aimed at his side’s lacklustre efforts, anxiety etched upon his face. He tended to be renowned for certain spite. He possessed a type of acid tongue. His next antagonistic remark would be timely, which was why the spotlight firmly shone straight at him. All gazes fixed in the same direction. Away from a usually unflappable nature, his vindictive side was well and truly unleashed. Turning his head once more, he cast his predator-esque, bulging eyes away from the game which he had all but given up hope on. All he could do was hope, pray and issue instructions to his oncoming substitute.
Man City and Arsenal fans, does this seem a familiar scenario at your ground?
Admittedly, that piece was rather a descriptive account of a typical saturday in the life of Arsene Wenger than Roberto Mancini in the current climate. However, both regularly have animated body language telling of disgruntled drivels running through the minds of two easily frustrated men. They are carbon copies of eachother. Men lauded with morbid pressure and a monkey of expectation on their backs. A scene as such signals pure, uncontrollable emotion.
Complaints in press conferences leading to Mancini and Wenger having been miss-treated and victimised by the media, plus referees most weeks, are proof that it all gets too much to handle. Dealing with a dreadful let down is hell breaking loose on football. The stresses of the game simply can’t be compared to work, school or even a relationship. Add the prospect of seeing your club triumph to the happiness equation and you add another dimension, to the lengths of a parallel fantasy world that the football world seems.
It’s a known fact that the prospect of football drives folk on in sometimes un-fulfilling life. More reason to find trials and tribulations on a never-ending, all-consuming, extravagant, rollercoaster ride more heart-felt – and this is just being a fan. You can only imagine how emotionally attached the people who do it for a living must grow.
Something with so much riding on the outcome means emotions running high. The result usually ends in a whim of confrontation. Wenger has had his share through the Premier League’s ages, totalling fines of around £55,500 for four threatening actions by UEFA and FA boards in his career, especially with one Sir Alex Ferguson. Mancini was caught up in one with Paul Lambert at the end of a League Cup tie this week. Tensions ran explicably high once more. Mancini’s increasingly afflicting feelings between Sir Alex Ferguson could spark something similiar to the touchline battles remember for when Arsenal used to compete with Manchester United for title honours.
Forgiveness circulates. Confrontations can be forgiven with a handshake. What is less forgiving is a manager such as Wenger or Mancini persistently standing in a bolt straight position, arms folded. Why do they refuse to forgive and forget, when it’s considered that managers are classy for being a better man? These men are in no position to make friends in such a such a tough business.

It’s not only the two managers’ personalities pitch-side that are on a level. Contrastingly, as are the tactics; an integral part of being a Premier League coach. Wenger religiously pledges his faith in a cautious passing style unable to penetrate quickly. It’s highly a steady retention of possession without the threat of a cross. There are two sides to the possession game coin. One is over-passing to inadequate measures and the other; well, clinical.
The problem for Man City is that they near Arsenal’s levels of caution, with productive quality of pricey individuals seeing them play at a class above the Gunners. Without the hefty money bags making illustrious phenomenon aplenty available, crucially, City would not have the strength in depth to wins titles. Instead, they would have a team placed near Arsenal.
The team built by Mancini holds mighty zeal which helps to repay the gargantuan investment by Arabian billionaires. Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure provide an attitude based on battling to win.
Arsenal, however, have lacked the no-nonsense players which graced a formidable spine once upon a time. A stalwart back line assembled by Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn, including the physical presence of John Hartson, an old-fashioned centre forward, boosted 80s cup-winning exploits. No Gunners’ XI had ever dismantled anyone with sheer brutality ever since. Days of “1-0 to the Arsenal” are upon us. No. It’s more like either “run out 4-0 winners Arsenal” or “losing 1-0 no-show Arsenal”, opposition-depending. The results slogged out that are dubbed ‘title-winning games’ are definitely non-existent under the Wenger reign. The great Arsenal from the past had a rugged presence that has long disappeared.
Football may have moved on from the abyssal doldrums of a trip to the pub, win, lose or draw, but Wenger entered North London with a scientifically vigorous approach to a new regime. Groundbreaking research towards performance undertaken by Wenger at Negoya Grampas Eight in Japan by hailed Wenger with the title “Le Professour”. Inadvertently, he eradicated the type of aggressive players which marshalled the 1980s to early 90s era, ‘one for Arsenal and all for Arsenal’, were ordered out of Highbury, which called for cultured, if multilingual, products to revolutionise terribly irresponsible ranks.

Bruce Ricoh’s successor, Arsene Wenger, came to the fore with ideas of a rotatory system, meaning planted crops take years to grow. With it, Arsenal lost its soulful heart. Arsenal lost its will to win. Those days of credentials worthy of winning anyone are hidden away at the back of loyal Gunners’ minds. The reasons as to why will be touched on.
Wenger earned a reputation for spotting young talent and has retained a focus on developing a youth system, where his clubs develop young players instead of buying expensive, experienced ones. The results are that Arsenal fans scratch their heads at generations of prematurely graduated youngsters until they grow into the boots of their well-documented potential. He has faced criticism for sticking closely to his principles, with some commentators questioning his ambition to win trophies.
In terms of quality and also in relation to the league standings, the foundations built by Arsene 4 seasons into inheriting a well-knit team producing already prolific results corresponds with the first Man City side developed by Roberto Mancini.
Mancini’s was excessively brought to reach the next level, via the heavy moneybags of the Arabic billionaires behind an oil tycoon.
The future of Man City depends on the moves Mancini makes from now on. He may even have to resolve to the Wenger methods which cause concern, in light of Financial Fairplay regulations established by FIFA earlier this year, ruling a limit on net loss. Financial Fairplay could hinder City and their inflated spending in the long run if their trophy bids falter. Progression into a force to be reckoned with Europe’s elite in the bigger picture depends on Man City’s showing in the foreseeable future.
Arsenal reap the rewards of first-teamers’ values escalating by the sale of a host of bred footballers to have emerged to stardom. Instead of spending the cash, Arsenal’s scouting representatives scour the globe in hope of investing in blessed youngsters. With that process come fruitful finances, opposing success of the first team. Yes, Man City are frequently the ones cherry-picking names on the transfer market from Arsenal, but Man City could well be the ones having to sell want-out men hungry for trophies elsewhere to free up funds.
Currently, financial losses are at a minimum, following the grasp of the Premier League trophy and an FA Cup written into the history books to earn prize money. This season though, things have plummeted. Performances have contrasted- with not one win in 4 games- threaten to terminate City’s long-term hopes, which work hand in hand with short-term potency.
Conclusively, potential contenders for major honours need to generate cash and preserve their squad fairly to win silverware. Mancini can afford to spend big on marquee signings for now. If this recent drought in results prevails, he could become suspect to Arsene Wenger’s methods. City fans, fear the worst. The sign of times will be in Roberto Mancini’s expressions.
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