Whatever happened to the magic number nine?

Kevin F(r)iend’s decision to dismiss the hormonally-deficient Jay Spearing for a firm, but ever-so-slightly reckless challenge on Moussa Dembélé was emblematic of the turning tides within domestic football. Slowly but surely the firm tackle is being eradicated from the English game, consigned to the same fate as hooliganism and the libero – relegation to the historical archives.

With the aforementioned tackle all but eliminated from existence, the ever-expanding list of anachronisms has set its sight on another unfortunate victim. And this time, it’s aimed its crosshair at something sacred.

A glance at the current list of Premier League top-scorers reveals one chilling, unsettling development. Of the nine players that have scored seven goals or more, not one can call the number nine shirt his own.

Since the introduction of shirt numbers in 1928, the ninth number, number nine, has been interwoven with the act of scoring goals. Irrespective of duties outside the box, the traditional occupant of said shirt has only really had to concern himself with one duty – the most wonderful duty of them all – sticking the ball in the back of the net (and doing it on a more frequent basis than his team-mates).

As a child of the 1990s, the number nine, for me, is synonymous with the likes of Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer, Andy Cole and countless other goal-merchants. Eleven is reserved for pacy wide-players, ten is the domain of creative-types that may be fortunate enough to post double-digit figures and nine is saved for the one-in-two, twenty-goal-a-season men. It’s just how it is.

However, as Bob Dylan prophesised, the times are a-changin’. Of last season’s fourteen highest-scorers in the Premier League, a mere 36% possessed the sacrosanct shirt number. This season we’re on course for an even more meagre proportion than that.

Still not convinced? A quick look at the current top seven will surely change your mind.

Let’s start with league leaders Manchester City. For all the accusations levelled at Sheikh Mansour’s play-thing childhood club – of distorting the market, of creating a new brand of mercenary, of wilfully employing Garry Cook, want to know what their biggest football crime is? It’s having the unspeakable temerity to possess four world-class strikers and to still find themselves without an occupant for their number nine shirt. It’s a fucking disgrace.

Their noisy neighbours? Even more culpable. United, have taken the active step of denying their number nine, last season’s joint-top Premier League goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov, from repeating his feats of last term. One league start and four measly substitute appearances have yielded a grand total of zero goals. It’s a fucking disgrace.

Tottenham? Here’s one we can’t really pin on ‘Arry. Despite having the clinical edge over Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor, Tottenham’s numero nueve, Roman Pavlyuchenko, flits perpetually between hot, cold, spectacular and non-existent, all while instructing his agent to moan to the Russian press on a bi-monthly basis. It’s a fucking disgrace.

Chelsea and Liverpool? Messrs Torres and Carroll, with their respective goalscoring records of five from 35 and 23 respectively, are in possession of scoring ratios that would make Robert Huth blush. It’s a fucking disgrace.

And last but not least Newcastle. They’re like Manchester City (see: above), but instead of four world-class forwards, Alan Pardew has three mediocre strikers, two Ameobi brothers and one Alan Smith. For a club that likes to harp on about Wor Jackie and Alan Shearer, it’s a particularly appropriate (fucking) disgrace.

You see people, De La Soul got it wrong. Three isn’t the magic number, nine is. Playgrounds around the world (with the possible exception of Ghanaian ones) aren’t proliferated with pre-pubescents imitating number threes – I, for one,  did not spend my formative years pretending to be Bjørn Tore Kvarme (although I must add that my sense of defensive positional discipline was equally as lax as the hapless Norwegian).

This season we could quite feasibly see a man sporting the number 45 on his back win the Premier League golden boot, in an act which would constitute the worst number nine-related crime the Premier League has seen since Chelsea issued the holy number to Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz. And surely that would be the biggest fucking disgrace of them all.

The margins are fine…but that’s no excuse

Not for the first time, Liverpool have finished a game with an all-too familiar feeling of what could’ve been. Profligacy, valiant defending and bad luck have combined again to cost them more precious Premier League points.

Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing were both denied by the post, an erroneous offside decision deprived Luis Suárez of a perfectly legitimate goal, and the careful positioning of Mark Schwarzer prevented Andy Carroll from grabbing his sixth goal in a red shirt.

According to Opta statistics, Liverpool have now hit the woodwork more than any other Premier League this term (12). And Stewart Downing, who is yet to notch his first goal or assist for the club, has been denied by the woodwork on more occasions (3) than another other Premier League player.

Lady Luck may not be shining upon the Anfield side, but Liverpool are also failing to create their own luck. Suárez remains Liverpool’s most vibrant and enterprising attacking threat, but his failure to convert a larger proportion of chances that fall his way (he managed five shots at Craven Cottage but failed to beat Schwarzer) is becoming increasingly worrying – particularly when his strike partner is still suffering from particularly prominent teething problems (in Suárez’s defence, he was marshalled superbly by Brede Hangeland, who provided a masterclass in how to deal with the effervescent Uruguayan).

Although Carroll’s movement, touch and heading accuracy were all greatly improved this evening, manager Kenny Dalglish still cannot rely on a steady stream of goals from his record signing. Despite incremental flashes of his undeniable potential, there is no doubt that his presence in Liverpool’s starting XI alters the side’s approach.

The slick, interchanging passing game that Liverpool used towards the tail end of last season – indeed the style that was so wonderfully evident during the corresponding fixture last term – is clearly harder to deploy in the presence of the former Newcastle United man.

Carroll did receive the ball at his feet with greater frequency than in previous outings, but it was clear from the early stages of the match that his lack of pace and acceleration prevented him from latching onto carefully angled passes from the likes of Luis Suárez and exploiting the space between Fulham’s centre-back and full-backs.

With Spurs destroying all teams that come before with their blistering mix of pace and power, Chelsea intermittently resembling Andre Villas-Boas’ utopic vision and Arsenal making up for their abysmal early-season form, Liverpool simply cannot afford to concede more ground in the race for a Champions League spot. Kenny Dalglish’s men are clearly a work in progress, but time really isn’t on their side if they wish to claim that vital fourth-place finish.

There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando

Torres celebrates after scoring against Manchester United in 2009

It is indeed with a heavy heart and a frown upon my face that I write this blog entry.  Upon waking up this morning, I was greeted with the news that Chelsea had reignited their interest in my beloved Fernando Torres. Liverpool swiftly issued a statement saying that Torres was not for sale at any price. However, rumours have emerged that Liverpool’s number nine has asked the club’s hierarchy to consider offers from the London club.

The Spaniard’s future came under heavy scrutiny last summer after Liverpool’s dismal 09/10 campaign, but a mooted move away from L4 failed to materialise and Torres committed to another season at Anfield. I personally felt at the time that the intense speculation and conjecture surrounding his future had been exacerbated by the media, and was immensely pleased when he reiterated his love for and commitment to the club.

There are several reasons why Torres has endeared himself so emphatically to the club’s supporters. His signing in the summer of 2007 was a huge signal of intent, and marked the first time since Michael Owen’s early ‘00s peak that the side had a genuinely world-class striker within their ranks.

The former Rojiblanco man took to the English game like a duck to water, an assertion ably supported by his absolutely phenomenal goalscoring record. At the time of writing, Torres has scored 81 goals in 141 appearances for Liverpool, managing to break a frankly ridiculous range of club records along the way.

The Spaniard has been important off the pitch too. For the last two seasons, Torres was the most popular surname printed on replica shirts worldwide. The fresh-faced 26-year-old is an extremely marketable man, a fact confirmed by former manager Rafael Benitez, who once said:

“”He’s a nice boy and the fans love him. He is a good representative for the club and a good example for many people.

“Women (in Asia) go crazy for him. Thanks to him Liverpool has become much bigger in Asia. He’s the cornerstone for our sponsor.”

What I love most about Torres though, is how refreshingly loyal he is when compared to the plethora of Premier League mercenaries and primadonnas. Despite growing up roughly 1,300 miles away from Anfield, Torres appears to love and ‘get’ the club just as much as the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

He has immersed himself in the life and culture of the city and club, and spoke of how proud he would be if his children speak “English and Scouse”. His tribute to those who lost their lives at Hillsborough in 1989 after scoring against Blackburn in April 2009, and his ‘we’ve won it five times’ hand gesture to the crowd after scoring against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the same season are also indicative of his love for and understanding of the club.

As an avid and passionate supporter of the club since the age of seven, I have seen my fair share of heroes exit the club. Indeed, I vividly remember crying my eyes out when Steve McManaman left for Real Madrid, and coming very close to doing so again when Gerard Houllier sold God to Leeds United (a sale that still irks me to this day). The sale of Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009 is probably the most recent transfer that managed to evoke similar sentiments.

However, such sadness would be trumped and then some if the boy from Fuenlabrada decides to part ways with the club.

Please don’t go Fernando.

YNWA

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FIVE Things I learned from watching Arsenal v Chelsea

Arsenal 3 – 1 Chelsea, 27^th December 2010

A rampant Arsenal finally ended their blue hoodoo, beating a lacklustre Chelsea for the first time since November 2008. Goals from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott during a scintillating ten-minute period secured three precious points for the Gunners, with Branislav Ivanovic’s 56^th minute header the only sour note for Arsene Wenger and his side.

Here are FIVE things I learned from watching Arsenal v Chelsea.

Arsenal’s prolific midfield
The omission of Maroune Chamakh from Arsenal’s starting line-up was a decision that utterly baffled me prior to the game. Chamakh’s conventional centre-forward attributes, namely his aerial ability and strength, have provided Arsenal with a Plan B this season and a more combative outlet up front. Given that Chelsea’s centre-back pairing of Terry and Ivanovic is one of the most physical in the league, a starting berth for Chamakh seemed to be the most logical choice. This belief was further vindicated after witnessing Robin van Persie drop extremely wide and extremely deep for large periods of the game prior to the game’s first goal.

However, Van Persie’s selection was clearly invoked to complement Arsenal’s greatest strength – their prolific midfield. Van Persie’s movement frequently created space for the likes of Fabregas and Samir Nasri to exploit.

All three Gunners’ goals were scored by players definable as midfielders; indeed eight different midfielders have all scored for Arsenal this season. Alex Song, the side’s designated anchorman, has now scored 5 goals in 21 outings this season.

Chelsea completely lost the midfield battle
Before the game much was made of Frank Lampard’s return to Chelsea’s starting line-up. Whilst the talismanic midfielder can blame his display on a lack of fitness, questions must be asked about his colleagues in the centre of the park. Michael Essien was strangely subdued, John Obi Mikel was utterly inept, and his replacement Ramires continued a one-man mission to look like the worst use of £18m the world has ever seen.

In addition to failing to contain Jack Wilshere and Cesc Fabregas, Essien played a part in two of Arsenal’s goals. The Ghanaian failed to close down Wilshere for the first goal, before cheaply giving away possession prior to the second goal.

A cornerstone of Chelsea’s success last season was their awesome supremacy, dominance and power in the middle of the park. Carlo Ancelotti will need to instil this determination and strength again if his side are to climb up the table.

Defensive woes
Chelsea’s last 10 games, in which the Blues have managed just two victories, has seen manager Carlo Ancelotti use five different centre-back pairings. Although the Stamford Bridge side have conceded the least number of goals in the Premier League, there is no doubt that this uncertainty in defence has contributed to their recent poor form.

Do Arsenal finally have the stones?
After watching their drab display at Old Trafford two weeks ago, I must confess that I was less than convinced about Arsenal’s ability to mount a serious title challenge. They looked overawed, outmuscled and out of their depth.

However, tonight they were determined, driven and in possession of the mental strength that has been missing over the past few years. It seems that Arsene Wenger has finally managed to marry his principles and policies with the belief needed to turn his side into serious contenders.

Where do they go from here?
Bearing in mind Chelsea’s unbelievable start to the season, it’s hard to tell whether their form over the last ten games is a mere blip, or symptomatic of a deep-rooted malaise.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a midfield featuring Frank Lampard and Michael Essien so easily overrun and outmuscled. The mistakes by Essien and Florent Malouda that lead to Arsenal’s second and third goals were so uncharacteristic of a side that have become a byword for efficiency and ruthlessness in recent times.

Chelsea’s success over the last five years has been rooted in their strength in depth. However, a look at their bench this evening highlighted the problems they will face if Roman Abramovich continues to tighten his purse strings.

Abramovich’s new found penchant for austerity and his uncharacteristic desire to turn Chelsea into a self-sufficient side meant that Ancelotti’s bench consisted mainly of unproven youngsters. Indeed four of the players warming Chelsea’s bench (van Aanholt, Bruma, McEachran and Kakuta) had only accumulated 13 Premier League appearances between them.

With Chelsea’s key men not getting any younger, Ancelotti will be hoping his big-name players remain injury-free for the rest of the season.

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Musings from El Clasico

Indiscipline
After stifling Barcelona in last season’s Champions League semi-final, many believed that Jose Mourinho would lead Real Madrid to a first Clasico win since their title-winning campaign of 2007/08.

However, it is clear that the players at Mourinho’s disposal are nowhere near as disciplined as those who served under him at the San Siro.  Sergio Ramos and Sami Khedira (to name two) could not find the tactical rigidity and stability that were the hallmarks of the likes of Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso and Lucio last season.

Xavi was the chief benefactor of such indiscipline, and he fully exploited the failures of Khedira and Alonso to track his uncustomary runs into the box.

Prior to his dismissal, Ramos was found wanting on several occasions, and it was his mistakes that lead to Pedro’s goal and David Villa’s second strike.

Off the ball
Whilst Barcelona are simply mesmeric on the ball, it is their fervent desire to win the ball back when out of possession that sets them apart from any other team on the planet. Their hunger and willpower to regain possession, even when several goals up, was unrelenting. Real Madrid were never afforded the chance to settle on the ball.

High and dry
Although Mourinho made several tactical errors, the decision to employ such a high defensive line will surely be the one he rues the most. The logic behind the decision, in order to exert greater pressure on Barcelona’s attacking players, was clearly understandable. However, Barcelona’s unbelievable patience and unerring ability to construct perfect angles and thread the eye of the needle meant that Iker Casillas was left woefully over-exposed on multiple occasions.

Stability
Real Madrid’s starting line-up featured seven players who had joined the club during or after the summer of 2009. By contrast, Barcelona’s starting XI featured just one such player (David Villa), and it clearly showed. The typically telepathic understanding exhibited by the Blaugrana emphatically extolled the virtues of continuity over drastic change, evolution over revolution.

Harry Redknapp’s Summer Diary – 2010

[Dated 27th June 2010]

Dear Diary,

Gordon Bennett! Although the lino clearly got it wrong yesterday, you’ve gotta say we looked poor.

No Aaron, no Michael, no Peter, no Ledley and taking off Jermain early – what was Fabio thinking? He’s treated poor Michael like a ghost, you gotta feel for the lad. What was he thinking taking him to South Africa and not playing him, especially after the boy cancelled his summer holiday with the missus.

Those Germans were fantastic though, weren’t they? Vorsprung durch technik and all that? The boy Ozil was triffic, looks like a top, top player. I’m not gonna say I wouldn’t like to see the lad at White Hart Lane because I’d be lying if I did. Will have to see what Joey Jordan’s got to say about the boy when I go home.

Mind you, I’ve seen a fair few exciting young players this month. That young, blonde lad who plays at the back for Denmark looks like a top, top player. I’m not gonna say I wouldn’t like to see him at White Hart Lane because I’d be lying if I did (especially with Ledley’s knees being in a right two’n’eight).

Despite our performances, I’ve had an absolutely triffic time in South Africa this month. Sandra packed the Wii in my suitcase, so lovely Gabby Logan come over the hotel a few times for a bit of Mario Kart and a bit of ‘nunchuk fun’ if you know what I mean. Also managed to bump into Wilson after Honduras got knocked out, the boy doesn’t speak a word of the Queens but my word can he knock ‘em back. Had to call it a night after he challenged me and Garth Crooks to a swordfight in the little boys’ room. I dropped Heurelho a text the other day, the pointy-eared mug sent me a text back saying that Dunga wouldn’t let him meet me. Bloody foreigners…

Went out in Cape Town yesterday with Ledley’s bird and a few of the other WAGs (Garth had to stay in ‘cause he had the shits), needed to get some factor 50 and some sandals. Managed to pick up a lovely little tribal negligee for the missus, as well as pair of vuvuzelas for Jamie and Louise. Little Luka’s been getting the hump lately about not going to the World Cup, so I got him a vuvuzela’n’all.

Anyway, gotta go now, have to phone my agent back. Apparently someone from the FA contacted him to see if I would be interested in a job…

[Please note that this is a spoof series and doesn’t represent the actual views of Harry Redknapp]
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An open letter to Alex Monteath…

Dear Mr. Monteath,

Yesterday you bashfully, yet nonchalantly, stated that Didier Drogba is a superior footballer to Fernando Torres. As promised, I have compiled a collection of facts and statistics that would support the assertion that Torres is indeed the better footballer. The following points would seem to suggest that you may be incorrect in your assumption.

Unlike tiresome Gerrard v Lampard arguments which often lead to Chelsea fans stating ‘how many Premier League medals has Gerrard won?’ (a question which does nothing to taint the merits of Steven Gerrard as a footballer, or indeed exacerbate Frank Lampard’s individual footballing qualities), we shall leave out domestic trophy hauls from this argument, as they serve to highlight the merits of the team, not necessarily the player.

For the sake of argument, let us start on the understanding that both players in question operate as traditional number nines for their teams; unlike for example, players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi (to name but two), both Torres and Drogba are conventional, centre-forwards, who operate as lone strikers, and act as the chief goalscorers for their respective clubs.

To start with, let us compare the goalscoring tallies of the two players during their time in England. The strikers’ goalscoring rates are in brackets next to the tallies. Due to the embryonic stage of the current Premier League season, I have only included the tallies for each of the duo’s full seasons in England.

Fernando Torres
33 in 46 (1 in every 1.4 games)
17 in 38 (1 in every 2.2 games)
22 in 32 (1 in every 1.5 games)
Overall: 72 in 116 (1 in every 1.6 games)

Didier Drogba
16 in 41 (1 in every 2.6 games)
16 in 41 (1 in every 2.6 games)
33 in 60 (1 in every 1.8 games)
15 in 32 (1 in every 2.1 games)
14 in 42 (1 in every 3 games)
37 in 44 (1 in 1.2 games)
Overall: 131 in 260 (Just over 1 in every 2 games)

So what is clear from these respective tallies thus far, is that Torres is clearly the more prolific centre-forward. During four of his six seasons in England, Drogba has ended up with tallies of 16 goals or less, a return that could be deemed as unsatisfactory for a leading club’s main centre-forward.

In addition to this, we can deduce that Fernando Torres scores at a rate of 2 goals in every 3 games, whilst Didier Drogba scores at the inferior rate of 1 goal in every 2 games (a rate that is considered to be a respectable rate for most centre-forwards).

In the pantheon of Premier League forwards, Drogba’s strike-rate does not compare as favourably as that of his Spanish counterpart. A barometer of gauging Drogba and Torres’s goalscoring abilities against those of Premier League greats of yore is by seeing how quickly the pair reached 50 Premier League goals. The following list denotes the number of games it took certain players to reach 50 goals in the Premier League:

65  – Andy Cole
66  – Alan Shearer
68  – Ruud van Nistelrooy
72 – Fernando Torres (1 goal in every 1.44 games)
83  – Kevin Phillips
83  – Thierry Henry
87  – Ian Wright
88  – Robbie Fowler
94  – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
94  – Teddy Sheringham
96  – Les Ferdinand
97  – Matthew Le Tissier
98  – Michael Owen
106  – Didier Drogba (1 goal in every 2.12 games)
108  – Emmanuel Adebayor

Again, this list does not support your argument that Drogba is the better goalscorer. Fernando Torres is fourth on this list, whilst Drogba is 13^th. Statistically, Fernando Torres is a much better goalscorer than Didier Drogba. We must also take into consideration the fact that Torres does not take any of Liverpool’s penalties or free-kicks, whilst Drogba is frequently on set-piece and spot-kick duty for Chelsea.

I do appreciate that Didier Drogba is a world-class centre-forward; he is a truly gifted footballer, and is certainly amongst the top 20 footballers in the world today. However, as a goalscorer, I feel that he pales in comparison to my beloved Fernando Torres.

Yours sincerely,

Zarif Rasul

Are Spurs capable of mixing it in the Champions League?

Spurs? In the Champions League?
Following their hard-fought victory at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, Spurs increased their chances of grabbing that elusive fourth spot in this season’s Premier League. The significance of Niko Kranjčar’s late thunderbolt cannot be understated; for the first time since 2004/05, there is a genuine chance of a team outside of the traditional “big four” finishing in one of the Champions League spots. With Liverpool in the midst of Rafael Benitez’s annus horribilis, Manchester City unable to find any consistency and Aston Villa experiencing their now annual post-New Year slump, Harry Redknapp’s side look best poised to clinch that final Champions League spot.

Having finished within a lasagne’s forkful of Champions League qualification in 2006 under Martin Jol, Spurs fans can now genuinely get excited at the possibility of playing in Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 1962. Whilst not having the decorated European history of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, it mustn’t be forgotten that Spurs were the first British club to celebrate European success, triumphing in the 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup, as well as winning the inaugural UEFA Cup in 1973. Despite runs in the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League) over the last few seasons, it is fair to say that the perpetually underachieving Lilywhites are relatively inexperienced at the top level of European football. Making the step up to Champions League football is a big transition, and there is no doubt that Spurs’ fans and players alike are eagerly anticipating locking horns with some of Europe’s finest. However, should they finish in fourth, are Spurs capable of mixing it in the Champions League?

Strength
It seems hard to believe that less than eighteen months ago, Spurs were sat at the foot of the Premier League table with only two points from eight games. The miraculous turnaround in fortunes that has occurred since Harry Redknapp took over the White Hart Lane hot-seat has highlighted the strength of Spurs’ squad and Redknapp’s managerial abilities. Having come within a place of Champions League football twice under Martin Jol, it can be said that Spurs have been building a team ready for the challenges of top level European football for quite a while now.

Since the arrival of ‘Arry, Spurs have demonstrated their ability to take their game to the next level. This season alone Spurs have comfortably dispatched of fourth-place rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as providing scintillating displays in the 5-1 and 9-1 thrashings of Hull City and Wigan Athletic respectively. Players such as the likes of Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon have stepped up to the plate and fully demonstrated their previously unfulfilled potential, with Defoe already having the most prolific season of his career so far.

Spurs have demonstrated that they have strength in depth, a key component of any top side. Whilst Liverpool have stuttered as a result of Fernando Torres’ continued absences and Steven Gerrard’s loss of form, Spurs have admirably shrugged aside the injuries of key men such as Luka Modrić , Aaron Lennon and Ledley King to continue their assault on the top four. It’s this sort of resilience and strength, previously uncharacteristic of Spurs, which hints at the fact that they may be ready for Champions League football. The fact that they have also managed to juggle their Premier League campaign with an FA Cup run (they are the only top-six side apart from Chelsea still left in it) suggests that Spurs’ current squad possess the quality, depth and mental strength to compete on more than one front.

Away day blues
It has indeed been a very long time since Spurs experienced the bright lights of top-level European football (38 years to be precise), and the nature of said level of football has undoubtedly changed since then. The current standard of Champions League football is considered by many to be the best in the world, and Spurs will have to up their game if they are to succeed within it.

There is a dearth of players with decent Champions League experience in Spurs’ squad, with Heurelho Gomes, Peter Crouch and the on-loan Eidur Gudjohnsen being the only players to have really done so. If Spurs do qualify for Europe, then it is absolutely essential that they address this; otherwise it is certain that their inexperienced shortcomings will be exposed by Europe’s finest. With all honesty, how many Spurs fans would feel confident about Sebastien Bassong and Benoît Assou-Ekotto being assigned the duty of trying to shackle the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Eto’o?

Whilst Spurs may be about to break the “big” four’s stranglehold on the Champions League spots, their performances against these teams haven’t really improved. Embarrassingly, Spurs have not beaten Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United away from White Hart Lane in a staggering 66 attempts. Spurs’ current Premier League positioning seems to mask their inability to compete against truly top teams. If Spurs cannot win at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge, then what chance do they have of winning at the Nou Camp or the San Siro?

Man-manager
Whilst every man and his dog is aware of the predicament that Spurs found themselves in when ‘Arry arrived, it really is impressive when you consider the progress and development this Spurs side has made since October 2008. Undoubtedly in possession of a talented, yet underachieving squad, Spurs’ success since then owes a great deal to the work of Mr. Redknapp and his managerial style.

It is undeniable that Harry Redknapp is a fantastic man-manager, gifted with the ability to produce the best from his players. Upon arrival at Spurs it was clear that he in was possession of a squad comprised of gifted individuals that Juande Ramos had failed to suitably manage; Spurs’ results immediately after Redknapp took over the helm, including THAT draw at the Emirates and a last-gasp win over the then unbeaten Liverpool illustrate this. Since then Redknapp has drawn upon his expertise to produce consistency from his team, as well as coaxing good performances from players who had previously been written-off or overlooked, such as the likes of Gareth Bale and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Redknapp is also noted for his ability to nurture and blood young players; indeed it was Redknapp who oversaw the West Ham Academy “graduation” of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Jermaine Defoe and Michael Carrick. His ability to nurture and motivate players is probably only second to Sir Alex Ferguson in the Premier League, and there are very few managers who would be able to fire up and inspire their players with quite the same impact as Redknapp. Portsmouth’s triumphant FA Cup run of 2008 is testament to this.

Underdog
In spite of the good work he has achieved in his career up to this point, making the step up to managing a team in the Champions League may prove to be a huge challenge for Harry Redknapp. Redknapp’s European jaunts have been very limited thus far, with his continental experience restricted to West Ham’s Intertoto Cup triumph of 1999/2000 (and subsequent two-round foray into the UEFA Cup) and a handful of games in charge of both Portsmouth and Spurs’ UEFA Cup campaigns last season.

A cursory look back through Redknapp’s managerial CV will reveal that he is clearly a man who excels at overachieving with the underdog; his accomplishments with Bournemouth, West Ham and Portsmouth serve to illustrate this point. It can be argued that managing Spurs is his first post in charge of a “big club”, and as such he does not have prior experience of managing a club of such stature. The pressures and challenges of managing a “big club” differ greatly from the expectations that Redknapp has been used to for most his career and only time will tell whether or not he can handle this. The combined pressures he would face in 2010/11, should Tottenham reach the Champions League proper, would certainly dwarf any pressures he has faced before in his managerial career.

Is Owen Hargreaves a World Cup option for Fabio Capello?

With Sir Alex Ferguson hinting that Owen Hargreaves is set to make his long awaited (and oft-delayed) return from injury in Thursday’s reserve team derby match, questions have been asked again as to whether or not Fabio Capello should put the tousle-haired midfielder on the plane bound for South Africa this summer. Despite the fact that the ex-Bayern Munich man has not played any competitive football for 18 months, many feel that putting him in the 23 man squad is crucial if England are to stand a decent chance of winning the World Cup. With the midfielder’s chances of playing this season remaining slim, would it be worthwhile gamble to take him to the World Cup?

Anchorman
Whilst England’s fortunes have witnessed an impressive turnaround since the introduction of Fabio Capello as manager in December 2007, there are still are doubts over England’s ability to compete with the world’s best. As England prepare to face the likes of Spain, Argentina and Brazil, concerns have been expressed over the paucity of genuinely world-class English holding midfielders. Capello’s current preferred midfield line-up, with Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard in the middle, does not contain any players who particularly excel at protecting the back four. Whilst Barry does a good job of distributing the ball and creating play from a deep position in the centre of midfield, it can’t really be said with a great deal of conviction that one of his main strengths is marshalling the attacking threat of the opposition’s playmaker.

On the other hand, Owen Hargreaves (voted England’s Player of the Year following his tireless displays in the anchorman position during the 2006 World Cup) is viewed by many as the man best suited to nullifying the attacking threat posed by the likes of Messi, Kaká and Iniesta. In addition to adding an extra dimension of defensive safety, deploying the use of a dedicated midfield “destroyer” (i.e. Hargreaves), would diminish the defensive duties of Steven Gerrard, and in particular Frank Lampard, freeing them up to concentrate on the attacking side of the game. It is no coincidence that the goal threat possessed by the prolific Lampard is partially extinguished when forced to play in a deeper role for England; using Hargreaves in the holding position would allow Lampard to make more of his customary “late runs into the box” and exert a larger creative influence.

Versatility
With Glen Johnson only having recently returned from injury and Ashley Cole unlikely to feature again this season, there is a distinct possibility that England will start the World Cup without two fully-fit first choice full backs. Couple this with the dearth of quality replacement full backs and the limited squad size, and it appears that the inclusion of “versatile” players is a necessity. Aside from Aston Villa’s James Milner, Owen Hargreaves is the only other English player who can competently fill in across a range of positions, having comfortably played before at club and country level at both full back and defensive midfield. It is this “utility player”-esque quality of Hargreaves that provides one of the strongest arguments when deciding whether or not Manchester United’s number four should go to South Africa.

Crocked
Due to chronic patellar tendonitis, Hargreaves (now aged 29), was 27 the last time he played competitive football.  Included in Manchester United’s Champions League squad at the start of this season, Hargreaves was recently omitted from this squad in favour of rookie right-back Ritchie De Laet in a move that clearly demonstrated Ferguson’s doubts over Hargreaves’ ability to compete in the latter stages of the competition. With Ferguson also noting that “his recovery has been slow”, would it really be wise to take a player lacking competitive match practice and fitness to the world’s elite stage?

On several occasions Capello has stressed the importance of current form upon selecting his England squads – hence the seemingly perennial omission of Hargreaves’s club-mate Michael Owen. Capello is not one to allow his players rest upon their laurels and has shown that he is more than willing to wield the proverbial axe when players aren’t playing or are badly out of form. With only nine matches remaining in the Premier League season, it is highly unlikely that Hargreaves will be able to build full match fitness and form prior to the start of the World Cup.

It has also been suggested that part of the reason for Hargreaves’ long rehabilitation has been due to psychological concerns, as well as fitness issues. If Hargreaves is unable to handle the pressure of returning to play competitive club football, then surely he cannot be mentally strong enough to handle the pressure of a return to football on the world’s biggest stage.

Whilst Owen Hargreaves is undoubtedly a quality footballer, taking him to South Africa would represent a huge risk. There is no guarantee that he will be the same player he once was when he returns from injury, and sacrificing a full recovery for the sake of playing in this year’s World Cup may be damaging to the player in the long run. Indeed, Capello appears to have found a balanced midfield and unsettling this at such a crucial stage could be detrimental to the team. On this logic it seems probable that Hargreaves won’t be the only Owen watching the World Cup from the comfort of his own sofa.

Is it time for the use of video technology in football?

As the world of sport increasingly begins to embrace the advent of video technology, many calls have been made for football to jump upon the bandwagon. The recent media furore surrounding the Republic of Ireland’s contentious failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup finals appears to have provided fresh impetus for the introduction of video technology into football. With senior officials within FIFA and UEFA casting admiring glances towards the use  of ‘Hawk-Eye’ in both tennis and cricket, many believe it is now only a matter of time before similar methods are adopted in football. But would such a fundamental change help or hinder our beloved beautiful game?

High Stakes
With the likes of Messrs Wenger, Ferguson and Hughes all making calls for the inception of video technology, it is getting harder to ignore the clamour for the introduction of these methods. The increasing media scrutiny and interest within the game, coupled with the domineering financial influence and aspect of the sport means that the stakes are now higher than ever. Indeed, the price of failure is costlier than ever – a cursory glance at the perilous plights of Charlton Athletic, Norwich City and Southampton demonstrate how devastating the knock-on effects from Premier League relegation can be.

With the margins for error being so minimal these days, it is claimed that the use of video technology would eliminate the injustices attributable to poor offside, penalty and goal-line decisions once and for all. It is hard enough for downtrodden clubs to accept relegation from one tier to another, but that pill becomes so much harder to swallow when they believe that their fate has been determined by a culmination of fortuitous decisions going against them.

The frenetic, breakneck pace of the game (particularly in England) means that it can often be tricky for officials to keep up. For example, with what degree of certainty can a referee actually decide that a foul has occurred within the box when a breakaway counter-attack has occurred and he is a good 30 yards away? Similarly, when a ball is hoisted back into a congested penalty area following a set-piece, how can a linesman convincingly claim that an attacking player is or isn’t offside when he is a good 20 yards away on the touchline? Introducing video technology would help to alleviate these doubts.

Respect
The start of the 2008-2009 season heralded the introduction of the FA’s ‘Respect’ campaign, a move aimed at increasing player respect for match day officials. 17 months later, and even the most optimistic of FA officials would be hard pressed to say that the campaign has been a resounding success. The competitive and passionate nature of our sport means that players’ hearts often rule their heads during the course of a game. This is most prevalent when a hugely contested or erroneous decision goes against them; the treatment of Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø during Chelsea’s ill-fated Champions League semi-final match against Barcelona last season serves to illustrate this point.

Decisions would be a lot harder to protest when clear video evidence would prove a player wrong. In this instance, it seems almost certain that less ire and vitriol would be aimed at beleaguered officials.

Video Nasty
However, such motions for change have not been universally welcomed. Commentators have noted that the use of video technology has been a success in cricket, rugby and tennis due to the ‘stop-start’, broken-up nature of these sports; the fact that game-play in these sports is broken up means that the impact of video technology is not disruptive. Many detractors argue that the introduction of video technology into football would severely disturb the flow and pace of the game. This argument is particularly salient when considering the speed at which football is played in England, particularly at Premier League level. Critics believe that deploying video technology in football would ruin the sport as a spectacle. The frustration of having to wait for a minute or two whilst the referee waits for the fourth official to check video footage several times a match would certainly frustrate both players and fans alike.

Swings and Roundabouts
The evils of which video technology is supposed to rid football of aren’t new problems; they’re problems that have existed within football since the formation of the sport. Whilst players and managers will bemoan the misfortune of erroneous decisions that have gone against them, all teams benefit and suffer from poor decisions, and it is thought that such injustices ‘iron themselves out’ over the course of a season.

It is these perceived ‘injustices’ within the game that form the talking points for the rest of week whilst we wait for next Saturday to come! If video technology was to rid football of these issues of debate, then surely some of the magic of the game would be lost. And losing the essence, the spirit and the magic of this wonderful sport would surely be the biggest loss of them all.