Tag Archives: Champions League

The Vital 2 Players Spurs Must Sign

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Tottenham, as ‘Appy ‘Arry Redknapp hasn’t been shy of telling us over the course of this term, have been competitive at the right end of the Premier League table this season. However, despite the impressive run to the Champions League quarter-finals and the ongoing battle for 4th place in the Premier League, you can’t help but feel that Spurs are just one or two players away from actually putting up a genuine fight for the league title.

Nobody could deny that Tottenham have acquitted themselves admirably in the Champions League, in the club’s first foray into Europe’s premier club competition since 1961/2, they have surprised everyone by not only topping a group that included reigning European champions, Inter, but by then knocking out current leaders of Serie A, AC Milan in the second round. The problem for Spurs has been maintaining momentum in the Premier League.

Redknapp’s men are currently in 5th place, just 4 points behind Manchester City, with a game in hand, and it seems the battle for 4th between the Londoners and the Mancunians will go to the wire as it did last season. But Tottenham could, and perhaps should at this stage, have been comfortably in the Champions League places and looking ahead to the battle for 1st, if they had earned better results in recent games against Wolves (Draw), Blackpool (Loss) and West Ham (Draw).

Another 4th placed finish will be great for Spurs, especially considering money-bags Man City’s superior resources, but to make that next step to becoming title contenders, Spurs need to tweak their squad slightly, with a couple of choice additions. It’s well established that Spurs’ strikers have, in the Premier League, under-performed this season, with just 11 goals between them and while the signing of creative maestro Rafael Van der Vaart has, in its own way, perhaps made things more difficult for the strikers, with Redknapp adopting a 4-5-1 system earlier in the season, this is no real excuse for the forwards’ profligacy.

Equally, there have been overt problems at centre-back for Tottenham this season. Spurs have, for large parts of this season, seen an inconsistent selection in the centre-half pairing. On paper, Spurs have great options in central defense, with Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, William Gallas, Michael Dawson, Sebastien Bassong and Younes Kaboul to call on; but in practice, injuries to Woodgate, King, Kaboul and Dawson, and Redknapp’s lack of confidence in Bassong have made centre-back something of a problem position for Tottenham. As Spurs cannot rely on the fitness of a large proportion of their central defenders, it must be a priority to bring in a top quality centre-back to try and add reliability and consistency to the back line.

So, here they are, the two players I think could give Tottenham that extra edge and push Spurs towards a genuine attack on the Premier League title in 2011/12.

Edinson Cavani – Striker – Palermo (on loan at Napoli) – 24 years of age – 23 caps for Uruguay

Cavani is a Uruguayan goal-scoring machine who has notched 22 goals in 30 Serie A appearances this season. Blessed with shooting ability in both feet and a keen eye for goal, Cavani is also a mobile striker whose positional sense would fit perfectly with the flowing, precise football that Tottenham play (when Crouch isn’t in the team).

At 24, Cavani has the right blend of youth and experience and the thought of a natural goal-scorer like him playing off passes from Tottenham’s creative and attacking midfield is one that most Spurs fans would relish. Tottenham have already made clear that for the right striker, they are willing to pay big money (the bid for Rossi in January was for over £20m), so the high fee, expected to be around £20million, should not be a stumbling block.

Per Mertesacker – Centre-Back – Werder Bremen – 26 years of age – 73 caps for Germany

Mertesacker’s contract with Bremen is up in 2012, so the German outfit are looking to cash in on the giant centre-back this summer while they can still command a decent transfer fee. Spurs would have to pay around £8.5million, but this would certainly not be a problem for ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Levy.

The commanding centre-back, who at just 26 has already won 73 caps for Germany since making his debut in 2004, has been with Bremen for 5 years. He is a solid, dependable and assured centre-half, with an excellent goal-scoring record for a defender (around 1 goal every 10/11 games) and a great deal of experience on the highest stage (he has played in the Champions League, as well as World Cups 2006 and 2010 and the 2008 European Championships).

I appreciate that some people will be suspect of the fact that neither of these players has played in England before, and this is a valid concern, such signings always carry that element of risk, but to me, the quality and experience of these players suggests, at the very least, that will not be over-awed by the Premier League or its fast and physical style. Equally, Cavani does not have Champions League experience, but his performances (49 goals in 99 games in the last 3 seasons) in one of the best leagues in the world against teams considered to be experts in defensive play are surely proof enough of his quality.

Other options are, of course, available from England and abroad and it may well turn out that Harry Redknapp doesn’t consider either of these players as suitable recruits for Spurs, but in my opinion the addition of these two internationals to Tottenham’s starting line-up would provide them with an added guile and all-round quality in the shape of Cavani and an assured, reliable and experienced defender in Mertesacker, who together could help the club move forward in 2012.

The Football Diaries’ European Stat Attack

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With a week of entertaining, surprising and extraordinary games for the English teams in Europe behind us, it’s time to get out your trainspotter’s pad, don that kagoul and get your nerd on – it’s the Football Diaries’ much-anticipated, widely-admired and utterly essential European Stat Attack.

AC Milan 0-0 TOTTENHAM

Sandro won all eight of the tackles that he attempted vs Milan on Wednesday. Only four players have won more in a CL game this term.

The stat above is representative of the excellent progress being made by Brazil’s former Under-20 captain Sandro at Tottenham. Having only arrived in England in September, the strong midfielder has shown real class and defensive astuteness in the games against Milan. His form is such that Tom Huddlestone will have a real battle on his hands to reclaim his place when he returns from his long lay-off.

Tottenham Hotspur have never lost at home in the Champions League/European Cup (including qualifiers), winning seven times and drawing twice.

‘Arry’s Spurs have an excellent record at home in the Champions League and it’s no surprise when you consider Tottenham’s all-time results in Europe’s top club competition.  Indeed, in all European competition Spurs have played 70 games at White Hart Lane, won 54 and only lost 3. Still, if Barcelona come calling in the quarter-finals, I doubt they’ll be too worried about that.

Barcelona 3-1 ARSENAL

Since Opta started analysing all Champions League games in 2003, Arsenal are the only team ever to record zero shots in a match.

Deary me, what a night for Arsenal fans. Despite the Gooners drawing 1-1 at one stage, and going through on aggregate at that point, Wenger’s men failed to have any shots on target. It summed up their night that it took a Barcelona own-goal by Sergio Busquets to allow Arsenal back into the game on 53 minutes, but some mesmerising play, a dodgy decision and two goals later – Arsenal were out 4-3.

Arsenal made 119 passes on Tuesday; compared to a total of 724 by Barcelona.

The pre-eminence of Barcelona on the European football scene is succinctly demonstrated in this stat. Against a team vying for the Premier League title with a reputation for classy, flowing football that can tear teams apart, Barcelona were completely and utterly dominant. For all of Wenger’s excuses about a dodgy sending off, Arsenal deserved nothing from a game in which the top 10 passers all played in blue and red. Who can stop the Catalonian juggernaut?

SC Braga 1-0 LIVERPOOL

Excl. qualifiers, Braga have won all 5 of the European games they’ve scored in this term, keeping a clean sheet each time.

While many in England took for granted a positive result for Liverpool in their match against unfancied Braga of Portugal, the stats backed the Portuguese side, who finished 2nd in last season’s Primeira Liga. It probably benefited Braga that they are largely an unknown quantity and their supposedly shock win against Dalglish’s Reds sets up an interesting return leg inLiverpool.

Liverpool have conceded just 5 goals in 13 European matches this term (including qualifiers).

It’s not all doom an gloom for Kopites though, their own record in Europe this season, while not sensational, had been built on a very solid defense. Conceding only just over 1 goal every 3 games, King Kenny’s side will fancy their chances of over-turning their first leg deficit at Anfield, with a new strike-force ready to punish any Portuguese errors.

Dynamo Kiev 2-0 MANCHESTER CITY

Man City have now only won 1 of their last 9 European away games (excluding qualifiers).

Although the conditions in Kiev, it was -6ºC, won’t have suited City, particularly their newly-shorn snood squad, they will have hoped for better than a 2-0 loss to the Ukrainian giants. However, when you look at the stats, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that Mancini’s men failed to get a result; City’s results in Europe away from home will need to improve if they want to win the Europa League this year.

Man City have only lost 2 games at home all season, 3-0 to Arsenal and 2-1 to Everton.

Fortunately for City fans, the flip side of their poor away form is their excellent home form. Having suffered only two defeats at the City of Manchester Stadium this term, both of which were in the earlier part of the season, City will go into their tricky second leg against Kiev with confidence that they can come back from their first leg loss to register the resounding victory they need to take them to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Phew, that’s quite enough nerd-alerting for now, but for more barefaced stattage, rumours, thoughts and theories, follow me onTwitter: @footballdiaries

5 Things I Learned About Football This Week

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Another week has passed in the unpredictable world of Association Football, so what has gone on this week, and what has the world’s favourite sport taught us?  Let’s look back now and pass a sage eye over the comings-and-goings and the to-ings-and-fro-ings in the soon-to-be regular feature, 5 Things I Learned About Football This Week.

1. If you’re going to make predictions, get ready to take the flack when  they don’t come true

I was wrong. I admit it. On Wednesday, before Arsenal’s victory over Barcelona, I got up on my high horse and loudly proclaimed that the Gunners would not beat Barca – in fact I gave 5 reasons in explanation of my supposedly water-tight theory. Oh dear. Arsenal won 2-1; cue laughter, vitriol, abuse, mickey-taking and all the other fully-deserved comments you might expect.

I have to admit, it was fair enough – you raise your head above the parapet, you’re going to get shot and I accept the flood of comments. I’d just like to share a few of my favourites with you though:

“Hahahaha arsenal beat Barcelona so you are wrong hahahahahahahaha”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Give me five reason WHY “ARSENAL” won. To tell you what? I have never been prouder to be a fan of “THE GUNNERS”.

“would u like to put some tomato ketchup on on your boots…make it more enjoyable to eat?….”

I like the succinct nature of the first comment; short, to the point and accurate.  All I kept thinking about when looking at the second comment was the use of speech marks… if that is their “REAL NAME”.

And as for the final effort, I don’t understand it, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean it’s not bizarrely brilliant.  They’re all classics, I’m sure you’ll agree, so thank you all. Anyway, to summarise, Arsenal did it, they beat Barca. Well done.  (But they’ll get turned over at the Camp Nou!)

2. A 59-year-old Scotsman with glasses is harder than a 33-year-old Italian athlete

Everybody in football had something to say following the ugly incidents in the San Siro on Tuesday between AC Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso and Spurs’ Assistant Coach Joe Jordan; but amid the disgust and head-shaking at Gattuso’s outbursts, there was another running theme… Joe Jordanwould have Gattuso in an actual fight. Now, as terrifying as the sight of the toothless Glaswegian, nick-named ‘Jaws’, was in 1978, and even if he’d maintained that aggression, Jordan would surely struggle against a 33-year-old Italian bulldog with a blood-lust?

But, on the other hand, maybe Graeme Souness (Prediction: Jordan win within 5 mins) and Henry Winter (Prediction: Jordan win within 90 seconds) are right; perhaps Jordan could take that little upstart Gattuso? After all, if he gets in early, it might just take one swift blow to the muzzle to end the contest…

But enough of all this talk of disgraceful violence, let’s just hope they can sort their problems, Glasgow Kiss and make up… oops.

3. The FA Cup hasn’t lost its unique charm

Every year we find football writers anxiously wringing their hands as the FA Cup’s latter rounds approach once more. Oh, how can the competition continue when the big teams don’t care, they put out a third-string side, they care more about the Champions League and the Premier League, oh, what is happening to the world’s greatest cup competition? Blah blah blah.

Firstly, the FA Cup competition is not the exclusive preserve of the Big Four/Five/Six, there are plenty of games to play before that final in May – and every one offers the opportunity for a spectacular result, be it an unexpected mauling, an extraordinary come-back, or the most heralded of all, a giant-killing.

Secondly, only in the FA Cup do we see match-ups like the one witnessed yesterday at Old Trafford – Alex Ferguson’s mighty United took on Essex’s finest, Crawley Town of the Blue Square Premier. Despite being 93 places below their illustrious opponents, Crawley were brilliant. They gave a fantastic account of themselves, should have had a draw and earned the club £1million in TV rights – a great day for a small club and something which highlights the positives of the competition.

The FA Cup will never lose its special ability to shock and entertain and instead of worrying for its future, let’s embrace what’s great about it and continue enjoying games like yesterday’s.

4. Never have Aaron Lennon and Peter Crouch as your two post-match interviewees

5 foot 5 and 6 foot 7 – enough said.

5 foot 5 and 6 foot 7 – enough said.

5. UEFA have an interesting view of what constitutes an ‘overpriced’ ticket

While we live in the age of the billionaire-owner and the mega-rich player, we the fans are, unfortunately, somewhat more limited in our means. This hasn’t stopped UEFA from announcing that for general sale tickets at this season’s Champions League final at Wembley , the cheapest price you can expect to pay is a staggering £150, PLUS an inexplicable £26 ‘administration fee’.

Hilariously, UEFA spokesman Giorgio Marchetti explained UEFA’s ‘generosity’ as follows “We don’t think that the Champions League final is overpriced. We do not want to squeeze every single penny out of the market.” He went on to explain that the £26 administration fee was in place because there are “costs involved”– presumably then the tickets are printed in gold leaf and couriered to fans by super-sonic jet-bike?

With this announcement, the price of the cheapest ticket for a Champions League final has almost doubled in just 2 years – when Manchester United lost to Barcelona in Rome 2009, a category three ticket was a relatively paltry £80. With the money already being pumped into football at every turn by the game’s dedicated fans, this level of pricing is a slap in the face and an unacceptable imposition by UEFA.