Tom Whitson, Tipster at Sports Betting Day - Best Bookmakers and Betting Sites

The Importance of Full-Backs in the Modern Game

Tom Whitson — Sun, 03 Nov 2013 17:45:25 +0000

Nowadays, the role of a full-back is not an easy one. There are a few main criterias which every good modern full-back should possess.
Firstly, they obviously have to be solid defensively and back up their centre-halves against the strikers. Moreover, many teams now play with three up top – so a full-back always has a defensive job to do against these modern day quick wingers. Secondly, full-backs are becoming increasingly important going forward.
If you watch any good team – a prime example is Barcelona – the full-backs are constantly overlapping the winger and supporting the forwards. Having said this, this feature of adventurous full-backs is normally only found in teams which keep the ball well, as if a team which struggle to keep the ball have two attacking full-backs then they will be extremely vulnerable on the counter. The role of turning defence into attack is one which the full-backs share with holding midfielders. Therefore, to be able to bomb up and down the pitch, full-backs need to have a good engine.
The versatile role of full-backs is being utilised more in the English game now, but Italian teams have made flying wing-backs their trademark. Most Italian clubs play with three centre-halves, and two wing-backs – including the likes of Asamoah (Juventus), Lulic (Lazio), Armero (Napoli), Candreva (Lazio), Lichtsteiner (Juventus) and more. The Italian national-team often plays with these attacking full-backs also. Therefore, it is clear that wing-backs’ attributes are being utilised nowadays.
However, the true home of the attacking full-backs is Brazil. Brazil created the wing-back, and even have their own name for the pair – ‘laterals’ – which gives an impression of not only width, but also depth (up the pitch.) In many Brazilian teams – the full-backs don’t even need to defend!
This season however, Liverpool have adopted this ‘lateral’ full-back, which has brought about relative success – offering pace and presence going forward and back through the likes of Johnson, Enrique, Cissokho – who are all formidable at their best. Injury forced Liverpool to play Cissokho and Flanagan against Arsenal, which was part of the reason they lost – but their two first-choice full-backs are important when both fit. This has lead Liverpool to 3rd in the league, compared to finishing 7th last year.
Certainly this year there is a clear correlation in the English Premier League between the quality of full-backs and their club’s position in the league. The top three involves Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool (already mentioned.) Arsenal and Chelsea have one of the bests full-back partnerships in the league, no doubt. Chelsea’s first choice of Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic are one of the best in the league defensively, conceding the third least this year – just 8 goals in 10 games.
However, Chelsea’s two full-backs are less crucial going forward, understandable looking at their prowess on the wings. Arsenal’s two first choice full-backs of Gibbs and Sagna are good defensively, conceding one more than Chelsea’s 8. However, their importance going forward is clear. With so many of Arsenal’s wingers out – Podolski, Walcott, Chamberlain, Gnabry – Arsenal have been forced to play central midfielders on the wings – mainly Cazorla, Ozil, Wilshere, and Rosicky. Although this does have advantages, as seen against Liverpool recently with the crisp, fluid movement and passing, it offers Arsenal less width going forward, so Gibbs and Sagna are important in overlapping and putting in crosses for the in-form Giroud.

On the odd occasion that Sagna does manage to put in a good cross, Arsenal often score, this is especially important in the big games (Giroud vs Tottenham, Cazorla vs Liverpool (both came from Sagna crosses.) However, Gibbs and Cazorla deserve a special mention for their work down the left hand side. The need and presence of attacking qualities in a full-back is clear when Monreal has frequently played left-wing as a substitute this year.
However, in my opinion one group of the best two full-backs in the league is owned by Everton – Baines and Coleman – who are essential in going forward, and extremely strong and comfortable on the ball in defense. Again, the relationship between Baines and Pienaar along the left-hand side is commendable.
On the other hand, another piece of evidence which proves the importance of full-backs is Tottenham. Blessed with a skilled squad – their two full-backs are poor in my opinion. Walker is a poor decision maker, and is poor defensively, and part of a reason for his poor form this year is because he has no competition.
On the other side, Danny Rose is never really going to make it as a good professional footballer, and with Assou-Ekotto on loan to QPR, Vertonghen is wasted at left-back. This, combined with the fact that all Tottenham’s wingers like to cut inside – Townsend, Sigurdsson, Lamela etc, means that there is not enough quality overlapping for Tottenham, and a reason for their lack of goals this year, even with such a talented front line.
Full-backs are becoming even more crucial in modern football, and their importance is clear when they are contributing to their teams success, or in some cases a reason their team is not thriving. However, I doubt that there will ever be a pair of full-backs which can contend with the Brazilian ‘lateral’ full-backs – Dani Alves, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Marcelo, and almost any Brazilian ‘lateral.’
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Why Cabaye's Signing may Prove to be as Fruitful as Arteta's

Tom Whitson — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:11:03 +0000

When Arteta was signed on deadline day in a panic buy by Arsene Wenger, the signing seemed a few years too late, and underwheled initially. However, gradually, Arteta has become a firm fan favourite, and is deeply missed in the Arsenal midfield when absent, which is unfortunately becoming more frequent nowadays.
This links on to why Wenger is interested in Cabaye, other than his nationality. Arteta is older than Cabaye, and although Arteta was initially underwhelming, Wenger discovered a holding position which highlighted Arteta’s defensive abilities as well as his attacking prowess.
Cabaye is very similar in this aspect, and will probably be used in a rotation with Arteta, in a holding position. This is why Wenger believes Arsenal do not need a defensive midfielder like Gustavo, because he will have two similar players rotating a well-taught position which mostly does the job, but is slighly susceptible against the likes of Manchester United, which would actually offer Arsenal something more going forward than the likes of Gustavo, especially against teams whic sit back against Arsenal. (Which enables the holding player (Arteta, Cabaye?) to push slightly further forward, and into a position Ramsey normally plays – a box to box player.
Therefore, although Cabaye may underwhelm initially, Arsenal fans should know that the signing will prove to be fruitful. However, don’t forget the fact that Arsenal still need a world-class striker, defensive midfielder, world-class attacking midfielder, centre-back, and world class winger. (In my opinion.)
A side note: If I was Wenger this transfer window I would’ve bought:
WC Striker – Higuain. (Was available, worth the extra money, fans believed he was coming, and was perfect, also wanted to come.)
Defensive midfielder – De Rossi. Available at 12 million, as Roma need to shift players from the wage-bill, and Arsenal have freed up roughly 500k’s worth of wages, so De Rossi’s would only take up a fifth of that, and boy is he worth it;dirty, ruthless, and a good passer.
Attacking midfielder – Kagawa. A bit of an odd choice I know, but I have loved Kagawa long-time. In his first year at United, he was played out of position, rather than in his deadly centre-forward position. You’d need a lot of money and wages to push off Dortmund if United were prepared to sell (unlikely), but Arsenal have that, and Kagawa would blossom under Wenger.
World class winger – Erik Lamela. Somehow Roma are prepared to sell him to Tottenham? So surely he’d prefer Champions League football?! Seems so foolish not to hijack this bid, I’ve been saying Lamela to Arsenal would be perfect for a while, and he’d fit in so well, and is going to be world-class.
Centre-back – Sakho. PSG are prepared to sell (probably to Milan), and he’s french, so he’d do well. Would play a lot due to injuries and could develop with Koscielny as a French World Cup pairing which plays in Brazil, perfect for Sakho, as he hasn’t played much for club nor country as regularly as he would’ve liked.
Then again, maybe it’s harder done than said. Then again, look at Chelsea and Man City.
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Why Bernard May Choose Porto Over Arsenal

Tom Whitson — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 16:28:06 +0000

Recent transfer news has been dominated by the young Brazilian, Bernard, who looks certain to leave Atletico Mineiro for Europe, after a fine season, in which he won the Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League.)
However, the destination awaiting the winger remains undecided. For the past few weeks, Arsenal has appeared to be his next club, but speculation has died down, and it is now clear that Bernard has offers from Shaktar Donetsk, Porto, Arsenal, and ‘one other English club’ – according to the player’s agent, Adriano Spadotto. Spadotto also went on to say that ‘Bernard has a great interest in joining Porto.’
Although offers from the likes of Arsenal and possibly Liverpool/Tottenham are on the table, it is understandable, to me, why Bernard is attracted to the Portuguese giants who won the league last year.
This leads me on to one reason; Porto win silverware, a lot. They managed to clinch the league from under the noses of the unlucky Benfica last year, even though Benfica players were celebrating a few weeks before the end of the season. At the start of a career, the young Bernard (just 20), would love to pick up some silverware, which heaps the pressure off the rest of his career, as he will already have a nice collection of medals after 3 years or so at Porto. It is well documented, however, that Arsenal haven’t won anything in the last 8 years, the complete opposite of Porto, really.
Secondly, recently, Bernard’s agent has claimed that Hulk has told Bernard that ‘a move to Porto would be a better place at this stage in his career.’ Which leads on to a key reason why Porto would suit the Brazilian to a tee. Porto are well known to be excellent at developing South American footballers: James Rodriguez, Falcao, Hulk, and more recently Jackson Martinez, Iturbe, Kelvin, and Danilo. Berard would join a team already full of Brazilians; right-back Danilo, right winger Kelvin, Fernando the holding midfielder, and Porto’s left back are all Brazilian, and would help Bernard settle down in Europe, which is something previous Brazilians have struggled with; even Ronaldinho. Bernard will also not have to learn a new language if he does move to Porto, making his move into Europe even easier, and less stressful than it would be. Not to mention the style of football and culture being similar in Portugal and Brazil, making his transition even easier.
This is also World Cup Year, and Porto would develop Bernard as a player and a man in this year before the finals in Brazil, something which Wenger may not do; as he has little experience with Brazilians (look at Andre Santos, chortle.) Linking to this, Bernard is also reportedly worried about game-time at Arsenal, and would certainly be one of, if not the, main man at Porto, what with the departure of James Rodriguez and Moutinho. This would develop Bernard to a huge extent, and Hulk’s comment about Porto being a good stepping stone is also something which, no doubt, Bernard would’ve considered. Nearly all the South Americans I mentioned have left Porto for a lot of money, and Bernard may hope that after 3 years or so, he will be sold on for big money to one of Europe’s elite, a club which Bernard’s agent puts Arsenal in, therefore making Bernard worried about game time in the year before the most important of his life (so far.)

It is for this reason, that Bernard will probably be sold in 4 years, for double the amount of money he was bought for (look at Porto’s transfer profit!) that Wenger should be looking to buy Bernard now, rather than regretting it in a couple of years, Wenger needs to be more decisive, and convince the Brazilian flair-player that Arsenal would be a good as choice as Porto.
If all goes to plan, Bernard would hope to be in Portugal soon, enjoying better weather that in London, playing week-in-week-out, winning a trophy or two, and developing hugely just in time for the World Cup in a team in which he is just on the fringes; a substitute.
Therefore, do not be surprised to see Bernard joining Porto, as it would be the best choice for his career in this moment in time, but do not be surprised to see Wenger (at PSG?), or any other world-class teams in a bidding war for the 20 year old mercurial in a few years, eventually being sold for double Atletico Mineiro’s asking price of £20 million today.
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Arsenal Angle – Higuain vs Suarez and the Latest

Tom Whitson — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 18:57:34 +0000

Arsenal have been linked with Higuian for some time now, and if twitter is anything to go by, has actually signed for Arsenal over 15 times in the last few weeks.
Despite this, recently, Real Madrid president, Perez, claimed the club had recieved no bid from Arsenal for the Argentine forward, who scored 16 goals last season, where games where evenly distributed with Karim Benzema. (11 goals.)
Higuian, therefore, is a well known goal-poacher, and prolific finisher, something which Arsenal had almost been crying out for last season. Higuain would be available at around £25 million, and would be a reliable, and excellent player for the gunners in the coming years, as Higuian is still only 25, so has many years left in him. If I were Wenger, I would stop dithering about over a few million, and just sign Higuian, he would be one of the finishing touches which would turn Arsenal into title contenders once again.
A slightly more recent rumour, is the Luis Suarez one. Arsenal fans are divided on whether they want to see the Uruguayan at their club next year, some say that his sheer brilliance outweighs his nutty streak, and others saying he would disgrace all that is great about the mentality and discipline of Arsenal players, and make the club look bad. One thing which is not in doubt, is his talent, grabbing 23 goals last year, and a handful of assists. Suarez would also fit in nicely at Arsenal, as he suits their style of play, and definitely ticks the ‘eye for a pass’ category.
However, Suarez would be considerably more expensive than Higuian, and there are doubts over whether he’d be happy to join Arsenal, or whether Liverpool would be happy to sell, probably preferring a move to Bayern or Real Madrid. The Suarez transfer seems much less likely to happen than the Higuian one, but I reckon Suarez is worth the additional 15 million or so, and that Wenger may be able to put a lid on his antics. Rumours of an Arsenal bid, however, in order to rush Madrid to sell Higuain are pointless, and would make Wenger, and the club look bad, and if this is the case, then many Arsenal fans will be disgusted by the measures Wenger will take in order to save a few million.
Either way, Arsenal are in desperate need of a world-class striker, and both these players fit that category. Sign one, Wenger, and Arsenal are half-way there to being title contenders, sign them both, and oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.
Conclusion and Latest:
Both of these players would help transform Arsenal to world class again, but with recent rumours that Higuian is close to signing for Napoli, Arsenal have switched their attention to Suarez.
Even there, Liverpool have refused two offers (possibly more), so far, for the Uruguyuan. However, if Higuian is close to Napoli, then Real Madrid will surely go for Suarez, so Wenger has to show an air of decisevness which has previously evaded him so far this summer, if he is to sign Suarez or Higuian, and give Arsenal the world-class striker they have been yearning for since RVP, and previously Henry, left.
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Why Rooney Won't be Too Bad for Arsenal and Why Fans Need to Put the Past Behind Them

Tom Whitson — Sun, 26 May 2013 19:52:07 +0000

Amidst Wayne Rooney’s anxiety to get out of Manchester he has been linked with many clubs, including rivals Arsenal (who of course sold Manchester United Robin Van Persie.) However, this rumour shocked many Arsenal fans, and angered a few too, and one can see why.
Firstly, one reason why this signing seems highly unlikely is because of the wages Rooney is on at United, and the wages Walcott, Arsenal’s highest paid player, is on at Arsenal. The difference between 100k a week Walcott and Rooney is supposedly around an extra 100 or so thousand, and throughout Arsenal’s history; no player has ever been paid this kind of money, not even King Henry.
Secondly, although Arsenal were stupid enough to sell a world class striker to (kind of) rivals, United, I doubt that United would be so foolish. Rooney’s class is undisputed, and if one thing’s for sure; Moyes will not want a rival to be enjoying this. This is why a move abroad seems more likely, despite the fact that Wayne Rooney has only just grasped the English language.
All things aside, even if Rooney did part United for 4th placed Arsenal, the signing of a world-class striker may not please most Arsenal fans. Rooney, throughout his career, has taken pleasure in winding up Arsenal fans, diving, cheating, mocking, etcetera. Rooney even ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run by diving!
However, although some Arsenal fans may have been apprehensive at the dawn of this rumour, a few are having second thoughts.
Rooney is a world class striker, something which Arsenal have been gasping for since Van Persie left them last year, or even since Bergkamp and Henry left the club, some would argue. And therefore, Rooney would surely improve the Arsenal team, and with the fantastic service with the likes of fellow Englishman Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, and Spanish midfielder Cazorla, Rooney would excel.If Arsenal fans really want to end their trophy drought, any bitterness may be put to one side for this reason.
Another, slightly less important, and slightly petty reason, is that taking Rooney off Manchester United could quench the Arsenal’s fans thirst for revenge, after the Van Persie saga.
Overall, although Rooney hasn’t really pleased Arsenal fans, if Rooney would want to move to Arsenal; where he could be a main man again, since his occasional isolation in the United team this year, this main-man role could be what Rooney is looking for, and Arsenal fans should be prepared to put the past behind them, and possibly welcome a world class player.
Then again, I highly doubt Rooney will want to come to Arsenal, and I highly doubt Arsenal would pay his wages, and I highly doubt Moyes would relinquish him to rivals, but if possible, a world-class finisher is just what Arsenal need, especially when it is rumoured that both Arsenal targets Higuian and Jovetic may be joining Juventus.
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Carlos Vela: Why it didn't Work Out at Arsenal for El Bombardero

Tom Whitson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:08:26 +0000

Mexican forward Carlos Vela, formerly of Arsenal, has been superb this season for Real Sociedad in La Liga, scoring 13 goals, and getting 9 assists. (As well as 9 yellow cards.)
Vela played 29 games for Arsenal in between loans to West Brom, Osasuna, and Real Sociedad, before joining La Liga’s fourth best side permanently.
During Vela’s stay at Arsenal he showed off his superb talent, associating himself with a scoop chip, which I myself saw live many a time. His first coming in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United, which is a game I was at. (Search ‘Carlos Vela amazing goal’ on YouTube).
From then on, I took a liking to Vela, he was unbelievably talented, had the touch of an angel, and was a good finisher also. After a number of good appearances in the Carling Cup, Vela only managed to get a couple of sub appearances in the Premier League, in which he didn’t perform as well.
However, in his moves to Spanish clubs, he played like he did in the Carling Cup, still scoring that trademark chip whenever possible, and attempting it even if it wasn’t.
Vela is now doing so well at Sociedad, and his failure at Arsenal was due to one main reason. The Mexican is far too lightweight. He found it easy in the Carling Cup against some 18 year old shoe-maker from Barnsley, but simply couldn’t deal with a 6 foot German monster looming over him on a cold night in Stoke, compared to the slightly hotter Mexico where he was born.
In Spain, the play is so very different to in England, where the defenders are less physical, and the build up play is less direct. This means Vela can thrive, and run at players, as well as using his good technical ability to play good passes (shown by his 9 assists so far this season.) However, in England he simply wasn’t given the time, nor the space.
Arsenal still hold a buy-back clause in Vela, of about 3 million, but do not expect that to be activated, because Wenger knows that Vela will never succeed in England. This is part of the reason Wenger played Vela at left-wing in any Premier League game, as most wingers can afford to be lightweight, and flimsy. But, Vela is not a left-winger, he is a striker, who can sometimes play as a right-winger, cutting inside. Playing at a smaller club like Real Sociedad also gives him more freedom, and the more fluid front lines in Spanish teams allow for him to move from winger to striker and back again during a match.
It is a great pity that Vela will only ever succeed in a country like Spain or Portugal, where the play is more technical, which suits Vela to a tee, as he is one of my favourite players, and although happy to see him helping Real Sociedad to a Champions League spot, I’d love him to be doing the same for Arsenal.
Still, El Bombardero is only 24, which is still below Wenger’s 29 year old cut off point, and maybe if Vela’s good form continues, it won’t matter that he’s a little lightweight, and maybe he will return to play in red again? I hope so. But don’t put your house on it. Or your cat.
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Dark Horses for the 2014 World Cup

Tom Whitson — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:16:36 +0000

It seems like only yesterday that Tshabalala was rocketing one into the top right corner in South Africa to score the first goal of the 2010 World Cup. Three years have passed, however, and the biggest sporting event in the world is only around the corner.
Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Holland, France, Italy, Portugal, and even England are a handful of the countries which are favourites to take that shiny gold trophy back to their capital. However, what about Mexico, Belgium, Chile, Nigeria et al?
Here are a few dark horses for the 2014 World Cup who I believe could go far, or even win the whole kaboodle.

A squad boasting an array of talents. Solid at the back there’s Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, and Jan Verthongen, not to mention the slowest player in the world, bar Mertesacker; Van Buyten. It doesn’t stop there, this Premier League Belgium combination continues with the likes of Moussa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas, and the in-form Romelu Lukaku, as well as Benteke! Stir in the likes of Axel Witsel, and Thibaut Courtois, and that’s not a bad team at all.
Up to date, this Belgium side have been unable to properly gel, and have lacked a fully fledged goalscorer. However. This season Romelu Lukaku, the Chelsea loanee, has scored 13 goals, as has Christian Benteke for Villa. Surely, if Belgium’s key problem up until now was that they could carve out an opportunity from anywhere, but just weren’t clinical enough, and now they have two strikers who have scored a bunch of goals this season, then they must be contenders? The only problem is that both these strikers are fairly young, and consistency is hard to come by if you’re young.
Nonetheless, add a good goalkeeper, a solid defence, a creative midfield, and a possibly clinical attack and you’ve got a remedy for success, surely? Only time will tell, but definitely do not rule out this young, prosperous side.
Current Position in Qualifying: Sitting atop group A on 16 points lie Belgium, along with joint top side Croatia – who are also another dark horse who always do well at major competitions.

Along with star man David Alaba, Austria are beginning to assemble a nice looking blend of promising young talent, similar to Belgium, and experienced players. Aleksander Dragovic, Marko Arnautovic, and David Alaba are all very young, and very good. The team is also balanced with what every good team needs – a good spine. With centre-back Emanuel Pogatetz, Shalke player Christian Fuchs, and striker Stefan Maierhofer who provide grit and experience.
Austria play nice football, and similarly to Belgium have a generally young team, although fairly unproven, who can do damage, it will be interesting to see how they do in Brazil if they get there.
Current Position in Qualifying: Thanks to a last gasp equaliser from Alaba against Ireland recently, Austria remain second in Group B, but; as do two other teams: Ireland, and Sweden, who are also strong. One things for sure, they’re not catching Germany, who are on 16 points in first, double Austria’s total.

Russia looked certain to go far in the Euros after an impressing start, but somehow didn’t manage to get out their group. However, equipped with new coach Fabio Capello (chortle) they could be set to do very well in 2014.
Russia rely on counter-attacks, started by Igor Denisov and the centralised, lazy, but extremely talented, Andriy Arshavin. They are also fairly prolific infront of goal, despite Kerzhakov not being able to finish his dinner at the Euros. Their only weakness is lapses in concentration defensively, which cost them silly goals in big games. Not to mention the game against Poland in the Euros!
Current Position in Qualifying: With a now prolific Kerzhakov, with 3 goals in qualifying and having won all their games in qualifying, Russia look set to qualify ahead of Israel and Portugal, who are level on 11 points; one behind Russia.

For the first time in a long while, Columbian football is shining bright. The team can count on European stars James Rodriguez of FC Porto, Fredy Guarin of Inter, and of course the one and only Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid to shine bright like the Columbian flag.
At the Copa America, Columbia showed some quality, but surprisingly tumbled out in the quarters to Peru. They will be happy to reach the quarters at the World Cup, and it’s possible.
With experience at the back in Milan defender Yepes and Zapata, as well as Perea (who is liable to mistakes) Columbia look fairly solid, and with a good goalkeeper. But going forward they are devastating, Falcao, Rodriguez, and striker Gutierrez are an elusive front three which could certainly cause Joleon Lescott a problem or two. However, lack of experience may be their undoing.
Current Position in Qualifying: Sitting third in South American qualification, on 19 points, Columbia have a very good chance of making the short trip to Brazil in 2014.
So there we go, four teams which may cause an upset in 2014, out of any of them, i’m keen on Belgium, but we’ll have to wait and see. Jeez, how long until next year, are we there yet?
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Arsenal No Longer Good Enough to Win with Their Game

Tom Whitson — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 18:01:30 +0000

Last night Bayern beat Arsenal comfortably at The Emirates in the first leg of the draw. Bayern haven’t conceded any goals from open play in 2013, lie on top of the Bundesliga easily, and have set countless records in Germany this season.
Arsenal, on the other hand, have been poor, out of every cup in England, with only the prestigious Champions League left. Realistically, Arsenal were never going to win the Champions League this year, especially after drawing world-beaters Bayern. But this 3-1 deficit is going to be almost impossible to overturn in Germany in three weeks time.
Recently, Michael Mancienne, the teenage English defender who currently plays for Hamburg, and who used to play for Chelsea, talked about Bayern. He said they were ‘too good for the Bundesliga’ and that they had very few weaknesses. He said, their only weakness is that Ribery and Robben do not track back, in fact in the first half Mandzukic had to track back for Ribery.
Now, Arsenal are simply not good enough to walk out every three days and play their game, and win. The quality of players since the Invincibles has dropped, and therefore, Arsenal must set about winning games differently.
Now, Arsenal must set out to play their game, but also stop the other team from playing. Ferguson, Mourinho, all the top managers have adapted and even ‘parking the bus’ worked for Mourinho against Barca for Inter. Wenger, however, has not adapted to stopping the other team playing.
Firstly, Bayern’s main strength is Ribery and Muller (Robben) on the wings. Wenger played Wilshere, Cazorla, Ramsey and Arteta in a 3-man midfield. This meant that one player would be supposedly playing on the right wing, and when Podolski came off, on the left. But none of them naturally play there, and therefore were reluctant to set up camp on the left hand side.
Bayern used this. Their out ball every single team was over to the left hand side, even when Podolski was on (as he doesn’t track back). Ribery played countless curled balls to an overlapping Lahm, and then to Robben, and this is how their third came about. Wenger should’ve seen this strength, or rather weakness, and adressed it. Chamberlain would’ve addressed this, he loves his tracking back.
Secondly, Kroos has been great this season, and has scored a few screamers. Wenger knows Lahm has a good cross on him, and knows Kroos has a wallop of a right foot. Therefore, he must put a man on Kroos on the edge of the box for every cross that comes in. This is how the first goal came about.
The motto is, Arsenal are no longer good enough to play their game alone, and win. They did not stop their opponents play, and were punished for being naive vs Bayern. Wenger needs to adapt like Ferguson, or be replaced. Football and Arsenal’s quality of players have moved on, Wenger’s tactics need to, also.
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Most Hated Players But Do They Care?

Tom Whitson — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 11:53:15 +0000

Robin Van Persie, Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo. These are a few players who are adored by their clubs’ fans, and hated by other club’s fans. But does the mentality of fans solely depend on whether the player plays for their club, or not?
Robin Van Persie is now disliked by a vast majority for betraying Arsenal for rival Manchester United, but whilst at the club, Van Persie was never perfect. Van Persie often got into measly fights, and last season RVP got into an arugument with his national counterpart; Tim Krul.
In the clash against Newcastle, he was seen waving at Krul in the most irritating way possible, after equalising after Ben Arfa’s goal. RVP accussed Krul of time-wasting, and there was a little spat in the tunnel at half-time, and then at the end of the game Van Persie told Krul he could “time waste now.” To Arsenal fans, RVP was seen as a hero for taunting Krul, and not being particularly nice.
Similarly, Liverpool fans adore Luis Suarez, because he winds up opposite managers, fans, and players. Although he is hated almost worldwide for his handball vs Ghana, and reputation for diving, I bet if he joined your club, you’d love him, because every fan loves seeing their player annoy another team’s fan.
Ronaldo, also is hated for his seemingly cocky attitude, but loved by most Madrid fans, for being brilliant, whilst annoying rival teams, and not just through his persistent goalscoring.
However, if any of these players joined your club, you’d turn a blind eye to the taunts on Krul, love the Luis Suarez dive infront of David Moyes, and love how Ronaldo gets on the wrong side of jealous counterparts.
Is it coincidence also, that a bunch of these players, are some of the best? It is almost as if they are given lee-way by other fans, because of how brilliant they are. For example, I don’t support Liverpool, dislike Suarez’s diving and cheating, but love him all the same, because he is technically brilliant.
Ultimately, these players don’t care if you hate them, they do care about their own fans though, and that’s all that matters.
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Why Benteke Must Prove He's not Part of the '6 Month Crew'

Tom Whitson — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 08:51:34 +0000

22 year old Belgian striker Christian Benteke has had a sparkling six months for Aston Villa. Amongst a poor team, has been the highlight every weekend, and this has attracted bigger Premier League names such as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, as good as he has been, there are countless amounts of players who have had a sensational six months in the past, and then gone downhill.
Firstly, Pappis Cisse. Last year Cisse helped Newcastle to their highest league finish in years, scoring a few crackers, that law-defying volley at Stamford bridge to name one, along the way.
The Senegalese striker was playing so well, he even attracted attention from Real Madrid! However, this season he has looked average, squandering chances last year he would’ve buried, and his confidence is lowering every game. Still a good player, but definitely part of the ‘6 month crew’ for the time being.
There are more, Jelavic also did very well in his first six-months at Everton, looking to be the missing link in their team. Goals have been few and far between since that 6 month period, and his hair looks worse as well.
The list goes on, even Gervinho looked decent last year for Arsenal.
Now, Benteke has a 20 million price tag slapped on him, and the way he’s playing, he looks worth it. However, the rest of the season will bring the answer as to whether he will join Jelavic and co in the ‘6 month crew.’ I think he’s good enough to simply be classed as ‘a good player,’ but only time will tell.
Michu, also has got to prove he is not a 6 month wonder.
The ‘6 month crew’ is a horrible trap to fall into, and very hard to get out of. I could spend all day listing its’ members, but these newbies to the Premier League have got to prove they can avoid this crew.
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