Manchester United: an analysis of the spring kings
Federico Macheda scored twice in April 2009 to seize momentum for Man United in the title race, providing more evidence that Man United excel in the springtime (Flickr: miamiking22)
Manchester United look set to win their 19th league title this season, eclipsing Liverpool’s championship record.
The achievements of Man United over the last 18 years are the envy of every club. Such has been their dominance, it borders on the unexplained. How can a club accomplish such consistent success without ever coming close to being knocked off their perch?
The attractive versatility of Ashley Young
Ashley Young is often labelled a winger or second striker; he is far more than this (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Ashley Young’s decision not to sign a contract till the summer has proved to be a masterstroke for the England international. With only 15 months remaining on his current deal, he’s made himself a realistic option for England’s top clubs, namely Manchester United.
There are still those, however, who aren’t quite sure of what Ashley Young’s best role is. With pace as his most obvious strength, many feel he is best suited as a winger. Others will point to his performances this season as evidence of a player most comfortable behind a striker.
Liverpool fans must temper spending expectations
Liverpool owner John Henry will spend wisely, despite the wishes of Roy Evans (Flickr: Vietmoment)
“Long term” has proved to be the phrase of the season for everyone associated with Liverpool Football Club. New owners Tom Werner and in particular John Henry have stressed that they want to implement a lasting strategy to win trophies, rather than engage in carefree spending on the world’s best players.
So I was surprised to read this week that ex-manager Roy Evans has urged the new owners to splash their cash in the summer transfer window.
Marcelo’s reaction is hardly a foreign problem
The Mirror's John Cross was "appalled" by Marcelo's reaction, rather than Crouch's stupidity (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images Europe)
Cultural differences can cause confusion and misunderstanding in football. For instance, diving is seen as clever in Italy, whilst it is still disapproved of in England. English commentators in Champions League matches will often comment that “we don’t like seeing that,” but many of their foreign peers will not view an incident the same way.
There’s also a misconception that so-called ‘bad habits’ are prominent across the continent, but are absent in England. John Cross typified this belief in his Mirror column headlined “Why I was appalled by Marcelo’s reaction to Peter Crouch’s dismissal in Madrid.”
The foreign experiment hasn’t failed, Mr Hansen
Alan Hansen suggests Eriksson and Capello failed because they lacked the "English mentality"
With Fabio Capello looking likely to leave the England job after the 2012 European Championships, plenty have people have speculated as to who his successor might be.
Harry Redknapp is certainly the frontrunner, and in the Telegraph this week Alan Hansen gave his backing to the current Tottenham boss to take over because “he has probably taken Spurs as far as he can.”
Gareth Bale: stripping away the hype
Gareth Bale caused Maicon numerous problems, but teams have begun to neutralise him as the season's progressed (GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
One assist in twenty-six appearances. For a man named the “second best player in the world” by one prominent journalist, and supported for Player of the Year by many inside the game, Gareth Bale’s Premier League assists record, as a left midfielder, makes for surprise reading.
Seven league goals perhaps compensates for this, but he has provided as many goals for his team mates this season as David Bentley and Wayne Routledge, players deemed surplus to requirements at Tottenham. It’s admittedly a crude comparison; Bale undoubtedly is a better footballer than many of his solitary-assist peers, but the hype that surrounded him during the earlier part of the season has proved to be in part unjustified.
Hodgson failed at Liverpool, but not for reasons beyond his control (Flickr: nicksarebi)
As a Liverpool fan, it is perhaps a little surprising I haven’t written more about my club in 2 months of blogging on 5 Added Minutes. The reason probably is that after 6 and a half years of Rafael Benitez and Roy Hodgson, a period which saw Liverpool fans complain of being constantly misportrayed, the club is now being spoken of positively in the media under Kenny Dalglish. And rightly so, given the Reds have picked up more points than anyone else since the club legend took over.
Why Wilshere and Carroll should avoid Under-21 burn-out
Wilshere and Carroll are part of the senior squad, but should they represent the Under-21s too? (Flickr: Luke_Thigh_Stalker)
In a busy week of international football news and matches, one of the stories that emerged is the club v country fight for England’s young talents. This summer’s European Under-21 Championship has created a rift between the national team and Premier League clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, homes to eligible players Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll.
The clubs’ primary concern is player burnout; Wilshere and Carroll are set to be important players for their clubs next season, and the last thing they want is exhausted individuals underperforming. England and the FA argue the tournament is a worthwhile experience and good preparation for senior tournaments.
United-Sneijder rumours appear to defy logic
Sneijder had a good World Cup, but has he been impressive domestically? (Flickr: Globovisión)
A Sunday Mirror Exclusive claimed to reveal that Manchester United have renewed their interest in Netherlands and Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder, a man who has been hot property for the past 18 months.
The premise for the news is that Sir Alex Ferguson is seeking a long-term replacement for Paul Scholes, the 36 year old who may, according to the Mail, retire at the end of the season.
Arsenal were drawn with Barcelona for finishing second, but does their defeat change the expectations of English clubs failing to top their group? (Flickr: Shht!)
Before the second round of this season’s Champions League I published a post on the consequences for English clubs finishing second in their Champions League group. I was keen to contest the idea that finishing first puts clubs at a distinct advantage in the second round.
The results supported my belief; whilst English clubs never received a favourable draw based on pre-match odds after finishing second, the rates of progress to the quarter finals were almost identical for clubs finishing first (72%) and second (71%).
One of the problems with the original study was the small number of observations; on only 25 occasions had English clubs reached the knockout stages since the tournament’s format was changed in 2003, and only 7 of these clubs finished second. This made for debatable conclusions. I also did not test for statistical significance, though as pointed in the comments, the likelihood is that there was no difference between finishing first or second.
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