Saturday, August 29, 2009

LIVE FROM EUROPE


This fall Sam Bean will be traveling to Europe to go to pubs, party, have Eurotrip like experiences, and, most of all, attend as many football matches as possible. As part of this trip I will post regularly about the games I attend and anything else that might be interesting. My first game will probably be September 26, Fulham vs. Arsenal. So check back here for live game reports and just plain entertainment.
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Arsenal vs. Man Utd. - Post Game Man Utd. Thoughts


The Positives: Man utd. won the game. How exactly? I have no freaking clue. They were outclassed and outplayed. They held possession of the ball at times but did absolutely nothing going forward with it most of the time. They simply lacked the creativity to break down the Arsenal defense. Yet they won. They gutted out a performance and with help from the referee and help from quite possibly the most embarrassing footballer in history they won a match they had no right to win.


This match does show Man Utd.'s experience. They found a way to win which is really what counts in this game.

The Negatives: They were not good at all. And I don't see this being just a one time thing. Yes, they were missing Ferdinand, but their problems weren't really defensive. Offensively they just had no creativity. Nani and Valencia on the wings provide athleticism and technique but they lack a footballing brain. They can beat a man with speed and dribbling but they have trouble with the killer pass and moving off the ball to the most dangerous spot. Against the top four that's just not going to do it. The midfield of fletcher and Carrick was also extremely lacking in the offensive threat. Fletcher worked hard and did his job but Carrick is not a player who is going to create chances. I don't see what Sir Alex is thinking with a midfield partnering of those two. With his lineup it kind of seemed like he was playing for the draw.

What we really saw today was what the loss of Ronaldo really means to Man Utd. As much as I hate and despise him and wish him the very worst he is a hell of a football player. He provides creativity and flair that the current workmanlike squad of Man Utd. needs. There's no doubt in my mind that the presence of Ronaldo on the pitch today would have vastly changed the game. Instead, Rooney lacked service and their entire offensive threat just seemed dead. Hoof after Hoof from defenders to forward which the Arsenal defense tidily cleaned up.

What this means going forward:
Man Utd. do not have a squad to win the Premier league or the Champions League. They lack the attacking prowess and just the overall talent this year. Against the top sides in Europe Man utd. may be able to stay in the game because of the hard work that the players will put in defensively but they just don't have the attacking prowess to win. They desperately need Anderson on the pitch. Whatever feud is going on between him and Fergie desperately needs to be resolved because while he is not a world beater, he does provide the attacking flair and creativity that Man Utd. so desperately need. Right now I see Man Utd. battling it out with Man City for third in the Premier League behind Chelsea and Arsenal.


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Arsenal vs. Man utd. - post game thoughts about Arsenal


Sam Bean checking in for my first post. I'm the resident Arsenal fan and well that puts me in not the best mood today.

We completely dominated Manure today only to find a way to lose. In a game that saw us without our captain and midfield maestro, Cesc Fabregas, we still managed to control the game pretty much from start to finish. The Arsenal back four played very well today. Gallas and Vermaelan were quite tidy in defense with Vermaelan showing great anticipation in defense. He's definitely adapted quite quickly to the premier league. Sagna and clichy were both very good in defense and sagna was quite good going forward. However, clichy has been less than stellar going forward. His crossing was terrible today and has been pretty poor as far as I can remember. For a wing back who likes getting forward as much as he does it really is a concern. Especially since the Arsenal attack is not centered around whipping balls in the box but more on finding that killer ball and slotting in runners his attacking play is really quite worrying.



The midfield today consisted of Song and Denilson in more of a holding role with Diaby pushing forward. Denilson did a great job covering the passing lanes and Song put in strong tackles and did well. However, the two of them still lacking in their forward play. I can recall at least four times where they gave the ball away in their own half and at least once where Denilson gave the ball away right outside his own 18. That has to improve if Arsenal is going to win things this year.

As for Diaby. Well there's nothing to say other then he was absolutely maddening and should not show his face in an Arsenal 11 for a long time. That is not to say that he played badly. In fact, he was dangerous getting forward for much of the game. However, his inexplicable decision to head the ball into his own net while under absolutely no pressure cannot be forgiven. What on earth he was thinking at the time nobody will no. However, he gave the game away. On top of that, just minutes later, he was in on goal from about 14 yds and just rolled it wide, showing absolutely no composure. While Aaron Ramsey was largely ineffective when he came on I would rather see him in the starting 11 at this point than Diaby. At least he won't head the ball into his own net. After today I can't stand to see him on the pitch.

Attacking wise Arsenal played well but still lacked the final killer ball. That can probably be attributed in part to the absence of Fabregas. However, the play from the attacking players was still not what is needed for a title run.

Van Persie's link up play today was not terrible but certainly far from professional. Too many times he tried to take on the defender with his back to goal. Wenger insists on utilizing him as a central lone striker with two wingers, a position for which Van Persie is not well suited.

Arshavin's goal was an absolute moment of brilliance. An absolute rip that saw Arsenal get the goal they deserved. He also almost assisted Van Persie with another great run. However, beyond those moments, Arshavin was not a strong influence on the game. His off the ball movement was fine and he was good in his moments but at times he disappeared from the game. He has yet to find the form that he displayed after his transfer last year. If Arsenal are going to challenge he's going to need to find that form.

Lastly there was Eboue. When he was involved in the play he was good. Defensively he was solid against nani but playing as a right winger he really needed to provide something going forward. Unfortunately he did not provide a whole lot going forward. A solid performance from the man without many errors but also without much production.

What this means for Arsenal going forward:
To start I think Arsenal should have been playing with their best 11. That means Eboue should not have been on the right wing. He definitely should be fourth choice behind Bendtner, Walcott and Van Persie (I'll touch on that later). I'd rather see Wilshere against some of the lesser clubs as well. Eboue doesn't provide the attacking prowess that is needed with a three man attacking front. Secondly, Van Persie cannot play alone in the center. He doesn't have the off the ball movement required for that position and prefers to try to turn far to much. Eduardo is far better for that position. He has the finishing necessary for that position and makes the killer runs that makes the passing of the midfielders so dangerous.

There are positives to take away from the game. Defensively, Arsenal have been beyond solid. Vermaelen has been a revelation and his partnership with Gallas is only improving with each game. Song has certainly stepped into the hard tackling midfielder role and his partnership with Denilson is defensively very solid. For once, it is Arsenal's attacking that is the question mark at the moment.

I do not see the question mark lasting much longer. With Fabregas on the pitch today I am sure that Arsenal would have taken the points. For one, the idiot, Diaby, would not have been on the pitch and Arsenal would not have lacked the final killer ball who's absence plagued so many of Arsenal's attacks. Rosicky also looks to return in a couple weeks. Can he stay fit? unlikely. But his contributions in any game will certainly ratchet up the quality of the squad. Imagine an 11 of

Almunia
Sagna Vermaelen Gallas Clichy
Song Denilson
Cesc
Rosicky Arshavin
Eduardo

That's a side that could take down any European 11. The magic that could be created by that side is what I will dream about tonight.

Sam Bean

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Liverpool vs Bolton recap


Liverpool came from behind twice to be 3-2 victors in what was a extremely ugly game, made all the more ugly by my inability to find a good English online stream for the game. Every time I got a working stream it was soon shut down by whoever polices the Internet (i blame it's creator, Al Gore).

Highlights after the jump!


Anyways Liverpool went down early to a set piece, which is very worrying. Benitez has long been criticized in the press for Zonal Marking system, yet i have never agreed or thought much of this criticism. Today the problem from the corner was the second ball back across the goal, and it was again the second ball that Bolton feasted upon to find their second early in the second half. Liverpool's defensive line did not challenge enough for the second ball and we were punished both times. Thankfully, our backline was rarely troubled other than from those instances and another free kick from Taylor, that Reina had to make a worldy save on. I am sure Rafa will drill into the players what he is trying to do defending set-pieces and he will work it out.

On the offensive side, our goals were impressive and we created a lot of chances in the first half, and if Torres was in any form whatsoever he would have finished one or two of them. Glen Johnson capped off the half for Liverpool with a very well taken goal. He has been a revelation at right back this season, and him chipping in with goals from the right back spot is worth much more than 18 mil. He is the answer for teams who park the bus, he gets down the right with aplomb and importantly opens up space for Gerrard Kuyt and Torres to work. He is so gifted that he draws two defenders to him every time he has the ball, helping the rest of the team. If you look at Torres' goal today, it was made possible by Johnson making a run down the right and drawing a defender away from the middle, enabling Kuyt to chest the ball down to a on-rushing Torres to control and put it in the back of the net. Johnson also was instrumental on the third goal, providing the cross for Torres to play a "lovely cushioned header for Gerrrrrardddddddddddddddddddddd". Gerrard you beauty what a finish.

Torres' second goal for me was very encouraging, he looked like the Torres we know and love. Once Kuyt created the chance beautifully for Torres, he still had a lot of work to do, but coolly took the ball and slotted in into the left hand corner, giving the keeper no chance. The third goal was always going to come after that, from who else then Stevie G. Brilliant strike from Gerrard, and after being man marked out of the first half, he improved greatly in the second half and was everywhere, helping create the Torres goal, and of course rescuing Liverpool from God knows what in the press.

Speaking of the press, headlines tomorrow will read "Lucky Liverpool see of Bolton" and go on to talk about how we didn't deserve to win and if Bolton wasn't reduced to ten men we would have never scored and won. But obviously, tomorrow the papers will also read, "United show class of champions to beat Arsenal". United won 2-1 at home off of a dubious penalty won and converted by Rooney, an extremely lucky save from Foster and the most ridiculous own goal i have ever seen by Diaby, in short, they were certainly saved by luck and didn't deserve any of that game. Of course, Liverpool had their share of luck to win, however, I don't think anybody would have bet against Liverpool winning the game at the half when it was 1-1. Liverpool were always good money for the score, and could have felt a bit slighted after going down 2-1. Thankfully, justice was restored and the Red's came out on top. Here's hoping this return to winning ways puts us in the right frame of mind going into the break, and we can come back out in two weeks against Burnsley and get a win.

Liverpool 3 - Bolton 2 Highlights

YNWA

Colin Britton

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Friday, August 28, 2009

US MNT thoughts


After what was a very successful summer, the MNT is back for two important WCQ. I wanted to talk about the starting XI I would like to see for the qualifiers. It features Tim Howard in goal, a standout for Everton and the USMNT alike for some time now. Howard is a legend, and has to be one of the top 5 keepers in the world, his selection is a no-doubter. Johnathon Spector, for me, gets the nod at right back, he has been getting more consistent time for West Ham and certainly had a coming out party in the Confed Cup. Two of Dempsey's three goals were from Spector crosses. Both were early balls into the box which were finished off superbly, but the quality of the crosses took me by surprise. I didn't know the MNT had such a player in its ranks. In the center of the park is the duo of Chad Marshall, and Jay Demerit. Both had great showings for the MNT over the summer, Chad at the Gold Cup and Demerit of course at the Confed Cup. Of course we will be without Gooch for the El Salvador match, but Marshal should be able to deputize without problem. One thing that worries me for the future is Gooch not getting time with AC Milan, if he doesn't get time we might be significantly worse off in the center of the defense come 2010, he needs regular time. On the left it would be Carlos Bocanegra, who has struggled somewhat in his role there recently. He was certainty caught out of position for Mexico's winner at the Azteca, but had Donoven not had swine flu nobody would have noticed. He needs time at LB because he is the best option we have there right now. The wings of the team pick themselves, Dempsey and Donovan, both showing great form for their respective clubs, and both coming off very impressive summers. They are our playmakers, and both will be in free roles, cutting inside and generally troubling the opposition. Against poorer sides like El Salvador, our fullbacks will provide enough width to support the attack, Spector in particular, so Donoven and Demspey cutting inside a lot will not be a problem. Against stronger sides we like to play a counter attacking style anyway, so width is less important than pace and skill. Up front you can't look beyond Davies and Altidore. Great summers for both of them, Davies in particular came into his own. His finish against Mexico was top class, reminded me of a young Michael Owen (when he was scoring with Liverpool, not riding the bench at United). Altidore impress at the weekend and scored a good goal midweek. The main problems for Altidore are consistency, his first touch, and finding out what his playing style will be. He has the build for a classic target man, in the mold of a Heskey, or Shearer. Yet he also has the pace and shows flashes of the technical ability to be a pacy striker, always on the shoulder of the last defender, like a young (read: YOUNG) Michael Owen. For me, he has all the attributes to be a complete striker, in the mold of a Torres or a Henry minus some natural technical ability. It just depends on weather or not he can shoulder the hype, improve his technical ability, and stay consistent and relatively injury free. Thus far he has lived up to his reputation, and hopefully it can continue. I left the middle of the pitch for last because it is the most important. The first name on the teamsheet if I was Bob Bradley behind Howard is Michael Bradley, and not just because he is my son. Bradley is the most important player to this team, a tireless worker in the middle of the field, capable of distributing the ball to Donavan and Demspey, as well as playing through balls into the strikers. Also he is a great defender with an deserving, and perhaps unfortunate, reputation as a hard tackler, the reason why he is carded so much, ref's are looking for it. His partner in the midfield should be Benny Feilhaber for both these games and 2010 WC. Feilhaber's qualities are obvious, he has a great range of passing along with an excellent ability to keep possession. He is also an under-rated defender, perhaps even by his Coach. Benny should be our quarterback, dictating the play like Pirlo has done for Italy, and like Xabi Alonso (sob) used to do for Liverpool. A player like Benny is vital to what this US team should be trying to do. With his excellent range of passing, he will rarely have to venture far into the opponents half, dictating the play while as the same time providing cover against a counter. He enables Bradley to push upfield while we have possession, get into the box, and score goals, as well as having the ability to provide perfect through balls to the pacy forwards while on the counter. He is much more valuable to the team than Clark is, Clark is a good player to have, he moves around a lot and breaks up play, but is a liability on the ball. Mike Bradley cannot venture as far upfield because he needs to dictate play, and when Clark does have the ball, Mike still cannot get upfield because he needs to stay back and protect against the inevitable counter attack once the ball leaves Clark's foot. Players like Bradley need to be able to do what they do best, and what Mike does best is be a box to box midfielder, defending on one and while scoring goals on the other. Here's to two wins (hopefully) and a Benny Bradley partnership in the middle.
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Liverpool vs Bolton


This is Colin Britton here, resident Liverpool fan. Tomorrow the Red's will travel to the Reebok stadium to take on Bolton Wanderers. First off, the Red's obviously have not had the best of starts to the season, losing two of their first three, to Spurs and Villa, with a good victory at Stoke sandwiched between. For me, the Tottenham game was not a surprise, we hadn't been showing good form in the preseason and i figured we would start out a bit slow, especially away at White Hart Lane against some tough opposition. We played much better at Stoke our second game, resulting in a resounding win and confidence restored into our title challenge. Then came Villa at home, and fixture i assume we would win handily. Obviously that was not the case, early chances wasted by the Red's followed by two Villa goals before the break doomed the Red's to their second defeat in three games.

What all this means is that tomorrows game will be seen by the media and pundits as a must win. If Liverpool fail to take away three points then our season is surely over, we will be battling it out with Man City and Tottenham for fourth. Right? Of course this is wrong and those who will keep a level head will realize there are no do or die games before December at least, especially for a team of Liverpool's quality. Last year, United got 5 points from their first 4 games. That is correct, the champions got had five points at the stage we will be after the Bolton game. But last year there was nobody writing off their challenge at that point. My point is, have some faith, this year the teams are much more even, Spurs, Villa, City, and who knows maybe even Everton, will be taking points off the top four. Hell, even Burnsley beat United, but this has been lost with all the Rafa has lost the plot articles recently. So what I am saying is, even if Liverpool somehow lose tomorrow, it is still not the end of the world, the race will be much tighter this year and we will still be in with a shout come May.

As for tomorrow, i expect Rafa to stick with the much maligned Lucas in the center of the field, paired with Mascherano. In the back it will be the very impressive Glen Johnson out right, Carragher and Martin Skrtel center, and the equally impressive Emiliano Insua on the left. Kuyt, as ever, will be on the right wing, Yossi Benayoun will be out left, although it is troubling to see Albert Riera still on the bench, he had a very impressive summer and could be in for the start tomorrow, even though this might be the game where we will need Benayoun's creativity around the box, and Insua will provide the width down the left. This is opposed to the sort of game such as last weekend, where Insua could not get forward enough and we ended up lacking width in the final third, which is something Riera would have brought us. This game however, is crying out for Benayoun's creativity and skill. Up top we will have per usual Stevie Gerrard and Fernando Torres. this is a game where Gerrard and Torres need to get back to their best, a game which will be easily won if even one of them is on form, something that hasn't happened yet this year, not even in the Stoke game. Both have started the campaign somewhat slowly, even with Nando's two goal haul. If they can get back to form tomorrow morning then it will give us much more than the three points; it will give us back our belief that with a Gerrard and Torres machine firing on all cylinders we can win the title. Come on you RED's!!

Colin Britton


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Welcome

This is the official first post for the new blog, Footie in the USA. The blog will be run and penned by Colin Britton and Sam Bean. We will feature regular posts pertaining to soccer (or football), focusing on the English Premier League and the US Men's National Team. Stay tuned for more posts from both of the two authors.

Thanks for following.


Colin Britton, Sam Bean
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