Negative tactics in Champions League

 

Two supposed super-powers of Europe faced daunting first legs away from home in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Both would have hoped for better results, yet neither were helped by their negative selections in personnel and tactics which invited the home sides to prosper.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the tie between Manchester United and reigning European champions, Bayern Munich was settled by Pep Guardiola's decison to not play an out and out striker, and instead select Thomas Muller upfront in a false nine role with ball handlers behind in an attempt to pass around Manchester United and eventually breakdown the United defence.

The improved defensive display by United was due to the fact that Munich did not play to the weakness of either Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, which is pace that scares them. Whilst Bayern had all the possession, United took the lead and it was only the introduction of Mandzukic that supplied Bayern with the impetus to score their equaliser.

Bayern have a vital away goal, and on paper should progess to the semi-finals due to their formidable home form, yet that is in domestic competitions. The last time they faced an English side in a knockout fixture at home, they lost 2-0 to Arsenal but thanks to a 3-1 first leg victory went through on away goals.

Chelsea also scored an away goal, however due to some inept goalkeeping and defending, they conspired to concede three goals to a Paris St-Germain team that were flattered by the 3-1 scoreline.  Chelsea also started the match without a recognised striker on the field, with Andre Schurrle leading the line yet the Schurrle's best form this season has come from the right wing and inside to the field; his hat-trick at Fulham can attest to that.

So why did Jose Mourinho not start either Fernando Torres or Demba Ba? Mourinho would have started Samuel Eto'o had he been fit, as the Cameroonian can lead the line well, timing runs and press up the field.  Schurrle was meant to press from the front yet could not forcing Oscar, Wilian and Eden Hazard to do more work in midfield.

Mourinho has clearly lost faith in Torres whose two year malaise is seemingly never-ending and Ba has shown little of the form that warranted a move from Newcastle to West London. Tellingly, Chelsea had little of the ball in the final third and their away goal came from a penalty converted by Hazard. 

Whilst the deficit of 3-1 is not insurmountable, as the victory over Napoli in the Champions League triumph of 2012 can attest to, Chelsea have certainly made the task more of an uphill challenge for themselves. 

Yet why such negativity, such attempts are trying to avoid the worst case scenario and invites the home team to gain momentum.  United could have had two goals before Vidic's set piece header and been 3-0 up.  Last season, Borussia Dortmund demolished Real Madrid in the first leg at home and winning the tie seemingly.

The old adage of having the second leg at home, is possibly a myth. You cannot be eliminated after the first leg, but the tie could well be over.  Chelsea will hope their pedigree will hold them in good stead nonetheless.

Follow me @JamieGarwood

England v France review

England have not had a great record in opening games of the European Championships; they have failed to win on numerous occasions.  Even Euro 1996 on home soil started with a less than thrilling 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

Monday night they opened Euro 2012 with the daunting task of playing France in Donetsk, Ukraine.  Following two 1-0 friendly wins, it was also Roy Hodgson's first competitive fixture as England manager.  Since being appointed 42 days previously, Hodgson has had little time to prepare the team due to Chelsea's Champions League exploits, mounting injuries and even Wayne Rooney's suspension for the first two games means continuity has been amiss.

However, England performed well drawing 1-1 with the ever improving French team who are being steered by Laurent Blanc and extended their unbeaten run to 22 games.

England took the lead on the half hour when Joleon Lescott headed in a free-kick, yet the lead did not last long as Samir Nasri replied on 39 minutes fizzing a shot by clubmate Joe Hart, who maybe should have covered his near post better.  One rule of goalkeeping, never be beaten at your near post.

With the group England are in, having the France game first was a blessing.  You can focus all your efforts on that one game, to garner a positive result and England did enough with potency to maybe snatch a win; James Milner had a glorious chance in the first 15 minutes when he rounded Hugo Lloris and with the goal at his mercy could only slice wide. Admittedly, the ball was on his weaker left foot yet the ball should have been tucked away easily.

England played with a definite defensive midset; once the goal was scored they like Chelsea did against Barcelona famously - set about having two banks of four when they did not have the ball making it difficult for France to get round them.  Yet this came back to bite them as they sat far too deep, inviting pressure and possession.  Nasri's goal came from a shot that was not shut down quickly enough, he had ample time (too much time at this level) to get the ball out from under his feet and blast the shot in.  A good accurate shot, Hart may have been blinded by bodies but the ball could maybe have been pushed round the post.

This was a shame as minutes previously, Hart pulled off a brilliant point blank save from Alou Diarra and he looked assured at other long-distance shots from Karim Benzema later, yet he nearly had egg on his face by a Franck Ribery in the second half when an opportunistic shot nearly sneaked in at Hart's near post; something you would not have expected.  Luckily, the curse of bad England keeper performances in tournament play did not appear.

The team England played was set out to flood the midfield and combat the creative influence of Nasri, Yohan Cabaye and Ribery who played with free licence behind Benzema.  England had Scott Parker and Milner play in holding roles, with captain Steven Gerrard just ahead hoping to give him room to roam and support Danny Welbeck up front, whilst Ashley Young and Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain patrolled the wings.

Teenager Chamberlain started off brightly, being direct and showing intent to attack the full backs, yet he petered out by the end and it was no surprise he was substituted, the picking up of a caution did not help his freedom.  Young did well and showed his experience, yet he was not helpful in linking up with Welbeck who ran tirelessly.  The front three at times seemed to be fighting on their own; one attack in the second half had Young on the left wing, with possession but only two targets near the area.  This can be considered a missed chance as France left a lot to be desired in their defensive scheme; Glen Johnson got a lot of joy down the right wing and Ashley Cole sometimes found himself of acres of room on the left wing - a sign that France play too narrow and too often down their left side with Patrice Evra overlapping Ribery.

There was hope that Gerrard would be talismanic during this tournament, due to being entrusted with the captaincy and not having to take turns of going forward with Frank Lampard (injured but clearly missed), Gerrard does not time his runs into the box like Lampard expertly does so, or like Cesc Fabregas did for Spain's goal against Italy on Sunday.  Gerrard at times looks laboured with his running, and got tired by the end.

Whilst England's defence was stout and solid, the French did not offer much though you expect the French to improve as the tournament go on.  However, both sides should be wary of the other sides in the group.  Ukraine and Sweden served up a great encounter as the co-hosts won 2-1.  Ukraine have the home support, play with a unity of a team and now have a folk hero scoring goals, Andrei Shevchenko scoring two well-taken headers to cancel out Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener.

Sweden who play England next on Friday 15th looked good in defence and Zlatan looked deadly at times, they will be a tough team for England to break down.  Something England will struggle to do so if they play the same team as expected; ultimately, England (like Sweden) need to win the game to consider reaching the quarter finals meaning the game could well be open as both teams seek a victory.  If the game is open, this could suit England with their pace up front.  A victory over Sweden would be welcome, as having to play Ukraine last and if a victory is needed then would be a tough task irrespective of the returning Wayne Rooney.

Harry or Hodgson

The news that on Sunday (29th April), the Football Association (FA) made an approach to West Bromich Albion to begin talks with their manager, Roy Hodgson about the vacant position of England manager came as some sort of surprise to many.  Even more so when it became knowledge that Hodgson was the only manager that they have approached.  This means that the FA will be holding no talks with any other available manager, most prominently Harry Redknapp, the bookmakers favourite and People's Choice for the role this summer at the European Championships.

Hodgson is a vastly experienced manager, in world football and with esteemed clubs across Europe.  Hodgson took a limited Switzerland side to the 1994 World Cup in USA where they made the first knockout round, beyond expectations.

It seems that Hodgson works against this brief at every club.  Exceed expectations.  At Fulham, he took the team to the Europa League final, most notably defeating Juventus 4-1 at home to win on aggregate; before they lost to a very good Atletico Madrid starring Diego Forlan in the final.  This came a season after he saved the club with a last day escape at Portsmouth. Yet this journey to that final gave Hodgson some cache and was given the chance at a big club in England, having previously managed Inter Milan in Italy.

Liverpool came a calling and Hodgson understandably jumped at the opportunity, much like he will with the England job, yet Liverpool turned into a poisoned chalice of a job.  Hodgson struggled to gain rewards through his tactics and vision, there were chants from the crowds of boring football and a series of bad results ending with a home defeat to Wolves in early January 2011 led to the guillotine being dropped on Roy as he headed for the hills.

During a new takeover of the club by the Fenway group, Roy did not fit the bill as the head coach who installed Kop legend, Kenny Dalglish, as manager for the remainder of the season.  The new owners opened their chequebook for Dalglish, something they failed to for Hodgson who signed Joe Cole, a player who failed to impress or fit into the system behind Fernando Torres and in front of Steven Gerrard.

After Hodgson's departure, new signing Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll arrived in the January transfer window; then Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson in the summer.  Hodgson could have benefited from such signings, yet his pedigree deserved longer than 6 months in charge at a big job.

He shortly returned to management landing with the baggies in West Bromich Albion; a team he resuscitated surviving a nervy relegation battle with games to spare.  A solid summer signing players who work hard and gaining more out of players has led to a solid season, that will avoid the threat of relegation easily without moving up.  That must be a target for the club to break the top 10 next season, of course it would need Hodgson to remain at the Hawthorns, something that looks unlikely.

So why has Hodgson being picked over Redknapp?  A lot has been made of Redknapp's trial in early January for tax evasion, for which he was acquited from.  Since then and following Fabio Capello's resignation, it was expected that Redknapp would be told the England job was his come the end of the season.

Yet the FA have played the waiting game to see how both managers have fared.  In early January, Tottenham were knocking on the door of a title race, and looking assured in 3rd place 11 points clear of Arsenal.  Yet a disastrous last hour of the game away at Arsenal, going from 2-0 up to 5-2 down led to defeats against Manchester United, Everton and further dropped points away to Chelsea and Sunderland, and a crippling home defeat to Norwich.  Tottenham are battling for 4th now, they are ahead of Newcastle on goal difference, yet have an easier run-in with three winnable games - Bolton (A), Villa (A) and Fulham (H) - compared to the Toon Army who have to travel to Chelsea and play champions elect, Manchester City at home.

Yet the poor run of results for Tottenham following a 5-0 home victory over Newcastle, resulted in one win (Swansea 3-1 at home) in 9 games showed a bit of naivety on Redknapp's behalf.  For most of the season, he has an idea of a starting XI who have played or started most of the season.  In this day and age of quicker more intense play, the team could have done with squad rotation yet unfortunate injuries to Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and always niggled Aaron Lennon, has led to few players getting rest when it could have been afforded.  Also the requirement to give Ledley King a week off between games has actually  been counter-productive for continuity as King has actually looked slower this season than ever before as he fights father time.
Redknapp also let several squad players depart - Vedrun Corluka and Steven Pienaar left on loan to Dortmund and Everton respectively, yet Pienaar would have had a good run following Lennon's hamstring and his form at Everton has helped that side end the season in formidable form, assisting and scoring goals.  For Everton, Pienaar replaced Landon Donovan effortlessly.
Redknapp also trusts the starting XI too much failing to make substitutions or leaving them too late for any player to make an impact; also the lack of impact off the bench (sorry Jermain Defoe) might make this a mute point.
He has also not been helped by players such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale not living up to their own standards or thinking about next season's employment.  It goes without saying that if Tottenham fail to get Champions League football, those two players will depart.

Yet Redknapp also has too much of a personality for the job, of course he has a good relationship with the press but can he deal with the pressure of a whole nation.  In a knockout tournament, his tactics might get found out quickly, and he has to be able to keep a lot of egos happy in one dressing room.  Whilst the players may respect Redknapp, there is a difference between appreciating a man and listening to him.

Hodgson may garner as much respect, but he has a bit more tactical nous about him in relation to how other nations play football; England need a tactical mastermind for the European championships, not a cheerleader.

The Taarabt Problem

Queens Park Rangers are back in the Premier League and have adapted to life pretty reasonably sitting on 12 points which after 10 games in a competitive division is not bad and considering they have lost 4-0 (on the opening day to Bolton - who are now below them) and 6-0 away to Fulham (again who are below them), it should be considered a marginal success.  They sit mid-table and right now there are three teams worse than them - Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn.

However, there remain two problems.  Their lack of firepower up front will come back to haunt them - I saw them dominant a Newcastle team at home but failed to find the net resulting in a goalless draw.  They drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa, again they dominated but required an own goal from the doyen Richard Dunne for that point.  And in the result of their season when they beat Chelsea 1-0 they needed a penalty (that was nearly saved) to win, and even after two Chelsea players were sent off, they were lucky to walk away with three points; as the nine men of Chelsea played much better.

Interestingly, Neil Warnock did a brave step.  During the second half knowing that Chelsea with two less men were winning the midfield battle - Lampard, Mikel, Miereles remained - he dragged off Adel Taarabt and put on Tommie Smith to stretch the field and hope Smith and Helguson could keep the ball for a long time.

Unfortunately, Taarabt's reaction to his substiution was followed by a typical hissy fit as he stomped down the tunnel to the changing room and did not sit and watch his teammates famous victory. 

At White Hart Lane, following a dominant first half display by the hosts that resulted in a 2-0 deficit Warnock again withdrew the Moroccan for Jay Bothroyd who did score the consolation.  Warnock must have done the change in the changing room to avoid another embarassing display of respect from his gifted midfielder.

Taarabt is finding how difficult it is to step up to the Premier League from the Championship is significant.  Much has been made of the glut of goals being scored in the EPL this season so far, but the defending is so much better at this pinnacle of our domestic game.  Taarabt has harder midfielders to push off, most are international players who watch the ball not the man and whilst Taarabt has the skill and audacity to attempt anything, he nevertheless remains a slight figure not strong enough to push off opposing players like a Paul Gascoigne and apart from the odd bit of inspiration he does not offer anything in terms of tracking back and defending to the team effort which asks a lot of Shaun Derry and Antoine Faurlin.

Yet I got to thinking of what would be the best formation for Warnock to adopt to allow the best of Taarabt, last season as they ran away with the Championship QPR for the most part played two strikers with Taarabt playing off of or behind them allowing him to pull strings and influence play.  This season, in an attempt to shut up shop and consolidate in an attempt to be a team difficult to break down and score against.

Currently the formation reads 4-2-1-2-1: with Taarabt the first individual in front of Derry and Faurlin and behind Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips with one of Helguson, Smith and Bothroyd the lone striker.

Taarabt has not been given the opportunity to play behind a two prong attack, perhaps the formation should be closer to the 3-5-2 which took off in the Balkans and Central Europe during the 1980s because it allows a central midfielder to play allowing the use of a playmaker or most talented player, giving him leash to play knowing that there are two players behind to fulfil defensive duties (Wilson 2010: 282-285).  This has not worked yet becasue Warnock has not tried it.

I would suggest a formation of 3-5-2: Young, Hall, Ferdinand; Derry, Faurlin, Barton, Wright-Phillips, Taarabt; Helguson, Bothroyd.  This would allow allow Taarabt to put some influence on the goal-scoring opportunites, he is not even providing assists to the front line.  By moving Taarabt to the left wing and coming in like say Thierry Henry, would allow him to be explosive and move Barton into the middle of the park where he would be intimidating to the opposition.  By having Taarabt be in the centre is inviting more physical midfielders to tackle him and frustrate him.

Obviously though, the players are getting certain results and once Taarabt departed Rangers did play better and scored the goal to make it 2-1 with a chance to equalise before Gareth Bale's sublime second goal to seal the 3-1 victory.

This is not the end of Taarabt, even though he restated his wish to leave in the January transfer window.  Yet unlike other mercurial wonders like Gascoigne and Matt Le Tissier who even on off days would provide something to the team morale, Taarabt is a confidence player and maybe one goal will change the tide and resurrect his season.