Melbourne Heart skipper Simon Colosimo says reaching the A-League finals is the minimum requirement for the club in the 2011/12 season.The Heart finished eighth and six points outside the playoffs in their debut season, but Colosimo is confident an intense pre-season campaign will have the club in good shape come the season opener against Newcastle on October 8.
“We need to crawl before we walk, that means getting out there and cementing a finals spot as early as possible,” Colosimo said on Monday.
“Which position that is, hopefully we’ve got a few games up our sleeve to decide where we sit, but playing finals definitely is our number-one priority on the football field.”
Heart have lost a wealth of experience since last season with the retirements of former Socceroos’ John Aloisi and Josip Skoko, along with the departure of mercurial Dutchman Gerald Sibon.
Australian internationals Michael Beauchamp (Sydney) and Dean Heffernan (Perth) are also gone, leaving some room in the salary cap for coach John van ‘t Schip.
But Heart have been somewhat quiet in the transfer market during the off-season and are yet to announce a major signing.
They have been linked with former Melbourne Victory star Fred, who is plying his trade at MLS outfit DC United, and Ukrainian midfielder Yevhen Levchenko.
Even so, Colosimo believes opportunity will knock for a number of Heart’s emerging talents this season, just as it did for the likes of Aziz Behich, Adrian Zahra and Nick Kalmar in 2010/11.
“Our coaches and JVS especially don’t care where players come from, whether it may be State League Division 2, the Victorian Premier League or overseas,” Colosimo said.
“They come in and get the same opportunities as the guys sitting next to them, if they can perform they will play.”
One player Colosimo expects to make an impact is 18-year-old defender Brendan Hamill, who may find himself alongside the skipper in central defence after the departure of Beauchamp.
Hamill made 12 appearances last season and Colosimo has tipped big things ahead for the Sydney-born stopper.
“Brendan Hamill is a future Socceroo in the making, he’s going to be a superstar,” Colosimo said.
Wayne Rooney has apologised to the Manchester United fans for the manner of his new contract negotiations last month.
The England international, who says he would never sign for Manchester City, threatened to leave United because of their lack of ambition, before penning a lucrative new long-term deal.
He said:"I feel like I've apologised to the fans but everyone keeps saying that I haven't. If that's the case, then I apologise for my side of things.
"I've made my point clear since I signed my contract that I'm committed to this club for the long term. I want to be successful here. Everyone is saying that I was definitely going to Manchester City. Believe me if I had gone it wouldn't have been in England.
"I spoke with the manager and (chief executive) David Gill. They reassured me the club was moving forward and from that it took maybe two or three hours to negotiate my contract and sign it.
"It wasn't a distraction to my football because I haven't played that much but it was a distraction overall. I am just happy it is all over now. I want to put it behind me and look forward.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"Mentally I have been okay. Because the football has not been going well and other things have happened, everyone has put it down to not being mentally strong enough. But I am.
"Obviously the most important thing for me at the minute is to play and score goals."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The King is dead. Long live the King. As we pour over in great detail about the myriad of reasons behind Barcelona’s Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea, one thing has become abundantly clear – they lack a plan B. So is this the end of the Barcelona as we know it? Or is it simply just the dawning of a new era?
Barcelona have been a complete powerhouse in terms of both domination, success and substance the past three years, but as the excellent Jonathan Wilson recently pointed out, even the very best teams of their eras only tend to rule in three-year cycles. Barcelona have fallen foul of this one golden rule, a truism which lasts the ages.
So where has it all gone wrong this season for Barcelona? The league chase, and it was for the most part it was a chase, was undone by some indifferent away form earlier on in the season which immediately put them on the back foot. Most have pointed out the fact that Barca had their least intensive pre-season in recent memory this summer too, as they whored themselves around the US. By choosing to place commercial interests before footballing ones, they’ve ultimately paid the price as the season has entered its final and most crucial phase and they looked decidedly not only shorn of ideas against both Chelsea and Real Madrid, but of puff also.
Moving onto the pitch, this season has seen manager Pep Guardiola experiment with his tried and tested 4-3-3 formation and over recent months, in the big games in particular, has come to rely on a 3-4-3 formation, with Mascherano dropping back into a centre-back role and Alexis Sanchez leading the line with Lionel Messi dropping off him as a false nine, breaking from deep.
This change has hit Barcelona hard in two ways. Firstly, they’ve lost a lot of fluidity and pace to their passing game. Far too often now, they’ve struggled against lowlier opposition which have been willing to sit back and soak up pressure. They’ve struggled to carve open teams on the break with the regularity that they used to. In short, they’re simply not moving the ball as quickly now.
Secondly, the change in formation now means that they lack a focal point to their attack. I still maintain that the best Barcelona side, collectively, that I have seen is the 2008/9 vintage, with Samuel Eto’o leading the line from the front. It offered them a different, more direct dimension to their game and they always had a ‘get-out’ ball if they needed to chase a result.
The 3-4-3 formation has worked in patches, but it heaps far too much creative responsibility onto Lionel Messi, who has, to put it politely, carried this team for months now, so his lacklustre displays in the recent run of fixtures is somewhat understandable.
The formation works on the understanding that goals come from a number of different positions, but at key junctures in the season, aside from Messi, Alexis Sanchez and at a stretch, Xavi, few others have stepped up to the plate and played their part.
Pedro for instance, an integral cog in the Barcelona machine these part two years or so has just three league goals this season compared to 13 in 10/11 and 12 in 09/10. David Villa managed to bag 18 goals last term, but has just five in the league this campaign, after being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a broken leg in December. Andres Iniesta struck eight times last season but has scored just twice this year and while Cesc Fabregas has contributed nine goals in the league, he has faded terribly since the turn of the year as he gets to grips with a more tactical, patient approach to the game at his new/old club.
A lot of emphasis in the aftermath of the two results against Chelsea has been placed on the absence of Villa, perhaps too much in my eyes. Whether Guardiola would have pursued with the 3-4-3 so vigorously had the Spanish international not been ruled out through injury for the rest of the season, we will never know, but to say certain results this season would have been different had he been present is a lesson in futility if ever there was one.
Lest we forget, before we conveniently gloss over the facts in the pursuit of an excuse, Villa was starting to be marginalised to an extent prior to his injury. Rumours of a bust-up with both Guardiola and Messi refused to go away and he simply wasn’t the nailed on starter he’d been the previous season.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
What Barcelona do unquestionably miss in his absence, though, is that directness. Villa is not on a par with Eto’o in that regard, but he has not been raised and indoctrinated into the Barca way, and as such, he isn’t afraid to have a pop from outside the box from time to time. Against Chelsea, aswell as the fluidity and pace to their play that was missing, Barcelona could also often been found guilty of trying to pass the ball into the net, which is somewhat reminiscent of Arsenal a few years back. In essence, they gave into the worst excesses of tiki-taka; passing for passing’s sake, with no penetration in sight.
That is not to say that this Barcelona side is beyond repair, far from it. They are still quite simply a juggernaut of European football, but they’ve been overworked and fell short of their best form at a crucial time in the season. However, the club require at least two significant signings in the summer, for the current squad is unbalanced in key areas.
The story that the club have prioritised Gareth Bale as the club’s top transfer target in the summer is both intriguing and wholly understandable. Bale’s directness and pace could add something extra to the side as they seek a long-term replacement for Eric Abidal, although I would argue that they require reinforcements elsewhere first.
Carles Puyol has creaked terribly these last few months, and while the thought of the club purchasing a recognised and specialised centre-back may be nothing short of blasphemous, Thiago Silva and Nicolas N’Koulou have been mooted as targets for a reason and to put it quite frankly, they need to add some height and strength to their side, particularly at the back. Guardiola has been short of cover at the back ever since he was forced to sell Dmytro Chygrynskiy back to Shakhtar Donetsk at a huge loss to help pay off some of the club’s sizeable debt in 2010 and it’s an area that requires addressing.
Up front too, they require an out-and-out centre forward of genuine class, but one that’s prepared not to be involved every game of the season. Both Fernando Llorente and Edinson Cavani would fit into Barca’s pressing style off the ball, much more so than Zlatan Ibrahmovic did and the clinical but lazy Falcao ever could. The sight of Seydou Keita coming on as a make-shift striker in the closing stages against Chelsea tells you that Guardiola is probably as aware as anyone of his team’s shortcomings in this area now.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Prophecies of their demise have been laughably premature. The pedestal that we all placed them on has almost gleefully been knocked out from underneath them by some with proclomations that Barcelona were never really that good after all, that it was all the Emperor’s New Clothes and that they’d all seen this day coming a mile off. It’s all complete and utter poppycock of course, but that won’t stop the hypocrisy of some.
Barcelona are still the team of our times, after all, Jose Mourinho isn’t known to deal in prolonged spells of brilliance, rather short staccato-like periods of all out Blitzkrieg. Perhaps Guardiola tampered and tinkered with something which didn’t need fixing all that much in the first place in the pursuit of more flexibility, but the fact that this Barcelona side is constantly evolving is a positive thing rather than a stick that can be used to beat it with. The Barcelona you see this season is not the same as last season, and it most certainly won’t be the same as next year. A terrifying prospect.
Nevertheless, with a couple of key signings in central positions next season, Barcelona will still be somewhere close to the force that we’ve all come to recognise, and losing out on retaining both the league and Champions League titles inside a week will have hurt them dreadfully. They now have the hunger back, something to aim for and they are no longer the ones people are looking to knock down and depose, they are the leaders of the chasing pack, and that is an ominous thought for Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid before he even contemplates resting on his laurels in the summer, content that the last Clasico helped deliver a knockout blow.
Sweden will err on the side of caution and rest captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic for their Euro 2012 qualifier against Moldova in Chisinau on Friday.Ibrahimovic, who helped AC Milan capture their first Serie A title in seven years this season, has been plagued by tendon problems in his right foot that have not healed as expected.
The 29-year-old was forced to play with painkilling injections for much of the 2010/2011 season.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren said there would be ‘a risk for a backlash’ should Ibrahimovic play in Friday’s game.
“If Zlatan were to play on Friday, we would have wanted to see his foot better today,” Hamren said.
“That’s not the case so we’ve had a chat about it together. There’s a risk of a setback if he plays on Friday and then both qualifiers would be in danger.”
Ibrahimovic is hopeful of being fit to play in their home qualifier against neighbours Finland on Tuesday.
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has called on the club's fans to back his side to the hilt in tonight's Premier League clash with Birmingham City.
The Potters have slipped into relegation danger after a run of poor results, although Pulis believes a series of refereeing errors have not helped his team's cause.
Stoke have lost five successive matches in all competitions and Pulis is determined to end that dismal sequence, telling The Sentinel:"After the Manchester United game (Gary Neville's non-sending off) there was a lot of disappointment and people being vocal.
"Then after the Everton game (Tuncay's disallowed goal) there was a lot of disbelief and a lot of things were said.
"But on Saturday (Lee Cattermole's handball on the line) there was complete silence and that shows how much these decisions can affect the dressing room.
"I will be getting into the players but we also need the fans right behind us.
"What's happened over the last few weeks has galvanised the club. It's brought everybody back to the reality that to get through this we have to be as one.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"Maybe we'd got a bit complacent, but this will liven everybody up because we're in a scrap. What we've got to do, as a club and as a crowd, is roll our sleeves up and start picking up points.
"I think supporters have a right to stand up for their club. They pay good money to watch their team and have every right to complain about some of the decisions we've received."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
At first they were almost a novelty. Foreign players in the top flight were deemed a little out of place, unlikely to fit in with the English game and were not expected to last. Before too long, however, the merry band of eleven overseas imports that began the inaugural weekend of the Premier League back in 1992 began to grow and before long captured the public imagination.
Witness Jurgen Klinsmann’s goal celebration and Eric Cantona’s collar – school kids all over the country took to these foreign stars in the way they would in future years with ‘Pokemon’ and ‘Gogos’. These stars were a fascinating commodity.
I’d earmark the transfer of Dennis Bergkamp as a tipping point for the widespread introduction of the overseas player. Whereas Cantona and Klinsmann were both in English football to re-ignite floundering careers, the Dutchman’s move to Highbury was a case of a genuine world class player moving into English football when other top leagues were available.
But since the major influx sparked by the moves made by Bergkamp and Middlesbrough’s Juninho, what has been the impact on football in this country?
Diving, club disloyalty, badge kissing, exorbitant wages and ridiculous fashion accessories are some of the clichéd suggestions when the foreign legion is mentioned in relation to the Premier League.
It would be ludicrous to suggest that foreign imports have only had a negative impact on English football, so why are we so slow to laud the incredible product their introduction has created?
The world of football has moved on dramatically from the days of Michel Vonk and Tony Dorigo, and whilst we have every right as fans to be cynical about the role of the ever-deepening sea of imported players, there can be no doubt that the quality and intensity they have brought with them is remarkable.
[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]
Does the influx of non-English footballers hinder our national team? Several key media figures have in the past bemoaned the lack of opportunities afforded England’s brightest and best, but is this a fair reflection?
Was the English national team in a better position when the top flight was filled with home grown players in 1992 than it is now, with only a handful making it into each Premier League squad?
There most certainly is blame to be apportioned towards various bodies within English football for the consistent under-achievement on the world stage, but I have always found attaching so much flack to the transfer policies of Premier League clubs as simplistic and inaccurate.
The Bosman ruling, mixed with an expanded Champions League format and relaxed EU regulations on worker freedom of movement has meant that player fluidity has exploded in the last fifteen years. Combine this with the financial spending power of sides like Chelsea and Manchester City, and the rise in overseas talent arriving on these shores is inevitable.
Arguably, however, the higher number of foreign managers has had an even greater impact on the division than most of the players. Love them or hate them the roles of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho in crafting the tapestry of the league over the last 15 years has been absolutely huge.
Wenger, in particular was instrumental in bringing a higher level of professionalism to the game, improving player’s diets, ending the drinking culture at Arsenal, and securing a domestic double within two years of arriving at Highbury.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
From there, and with Manchester United also setting a bar of professionalism and excellence, the rest of the division has been forced to raise their game or risk being left behind.
But what is the legacy of this prolonged period of influx, and can it continue? The need for continued financing of bigger contracts and larger transfer fees has, everyone knows, forced several clubs into financial ruin. UEFA and FIFA are trying to push clubs towards more responsible spending and use of home grown talent. This is all well and good, but as Chelsea have shown, you can attempt to streamline and taper off spending on expensive players, but if results are not coming, there is, if you can locate the finances, only one option.
If reports are correct, it’s Manchester United and Liverpool who are currently fighting it out for Aston Villa wingman Ashley Young. One day Liverpool may be the favourites for acquiring the British youngster, the papers then report that Manchester United are in the driving seat. Regardless of who ends up with Young’s signature, it’s my firm belief that a move to Manchester would be the wrong choice for a player with a lot of potential.
At the moment Manchester United must appear to be a much more attractive prospect. They can offer Champion’s League football and a strong chance of winning trophies next season. They’ve had a successful season and will be looking to kick on again and pick up more silverware next year. Would you really bet against them adding another trophy to their collection in the near future?
It’s clear that Young’s ambitions involve winning trophies: “I’m an ambitious person who wants to win titles and leagues and cups and stuff. Hopefully I can do that. I think they say that players start to peak at 26 or 27, and I’m soon to be 26 so fingers crossed I can start peaking myself.”
Innuendo aside, given his aims, it may at first glance appear that Manchester United is the best possible destination for Young. There’s certainly a much higher chance that United will win silverware next season than Liverpool. But to engineer a move to Old Trafford with this motivation in mind would demonstrate a degree of short-sightedness on Young’s part.
Manchester United already have a wealth of wingers. Nani has been arguably the Player of the Season this year, despite what plaudits that have been unjustifiably lavished upon Gareth Bale this season. Down the other flank is Antonio Valencia whose pace and determination has won him a great number of fans this season. With Ryan ‘evergreen’ Giggs and the tireless Park Ji-Sung in tow, there’s a good argument to be made that Manchester United simply don’t need to purchase another winger this summer.
At Liverpool he’d be given ample opportunity to impress and with the Kop’s support would be nurtured into a star. At Manchester United he runs the risk of being a bit-part player who doesn’t get the game time to fulfil his potential. Young has spoken about his desire to ‘peak’ (ahem) and surely at this moment in time, with United’s squad the way it is, Liverpool offer him a better opportunity to do just that?
Winning trophies is one thing and that’s something that Liverpool will be able to offer Young in the future. More important for a professional footballer, however, is securing regular first-team football. For his sake and the sake of the English national team, I hope that Ashley Young makes the right decision.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Read more of Harry’s articles at This Is Futbol
Imogen Thomas Joins Paddy Power For a Champion Offer! They will refund losing Champions League Final bets if Man United lose the match Make your bets now!
Manchester United set one foot in the knockout phase of the Champions League this week with a professional performance from the club’s second string in Turkey against Bursaspor. United have yet to hit top gear so far this season, but another win at home maintained the Red Devils’ unbeaten start to their Premier League campaign.
The week has not been without controversy for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. Portuguese winger Nani hardly covered himself in glory with his contentious goal at Old Trafford last weekend, and Wayne Rooney was spotted breaking a few rules of nutrition on a boozy birthday holiday. Ferguson will be keen for a break from the media glare after the intensity of the last few weeks.
This week’s top blogs have jumped on stories linking some of United’s old guard with big money moves to the Middle East. There are also entries concerning the potential of some of the side’s rising stars and concerns expressed about the issue of player loyalty in the wake of Rooney’s contract renewal.
We also have the best of what the web has to offer.
Featured articles of the week
*
Will Nani ever fill the hole?
Is this the catalyst behind Manchester United’s title challenge?
WAG Weekly – Man United starlet scores a beauty!
A final pay day for United’s finest?
Manchester United stars set to cash in?
Ten things we have noticed from the Premier League this season
Smalling making big leaps at Manchester United
Manchester United starlet finally coming of age
Spurs, Liverpool, United…whose need for Real Madrid swoop is greater?
The Spanish solution to Arsenal and Manchester United’s pending problem
Is Wayne Rooney’s plight ultimately a blessing in disguise?
An important FACT that is lost on most Premier League players
*
Click here to see the Best MANCHESTER UNITED around the Web this week
Best of the Web
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Rio has the X-Factor- The Busby Way
Carrick’s return welcome but only if it lasts- United Rant
A Salute to Sir Alex- The United Religion
EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool vs. Man United – Transfer spending comparison: 1990-2010 – Liverpool Kop
Karel Poborsky: what could have been?- The Busby Way
Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton has stated that he is not interested in the vacant managerial post at Wolves, despite media speculation.
Hughton has been touted as a potential replacement for Mick McCarthy, but he has ruled himself out of the running due to his commitments at St Andrews.
“Anything like that is always very flattering,” he admitted to the Birmingham Mail.
“On the television I saw three names mentioned, so I presume that’s where it’s going and I just hope they pick the right person.
“I have a very challenging job to do here and I’ve got a group of lads who are desperate to do well this season and I’m desperate to guide them through.
“I’m desperate to guide this group of players out to the end, yes,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Alan Curbishley’s agent has confirmed that Wolves have approached his client and that an interview was forthcoming in the near future.
“They (Wolves) have said themselves they have invited him to see them,” Phil Smith is reported to have said in Mirror Football.
“That is what he will do and then we’ll see because I believe there is Alan, Steve Bruce, Neil Warnock and whoever else in the frame.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I’m not going to go into when it (the interview) is going to happen, other than to say it’s imminent,” he admitted.
Manchester United can take a step closer to the Premier League title at Old Trafford tomorrow in what could prove the decisive result. A 19th title will prove a record in English football and see Fergie finally deliver his promise some 20 odd years ago.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes Ferguson right to question breaks; the recipe of United’s success, while how the Red Devils can solve a problem like Lionel Messi.
We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week.
*
How United solve a problem like Lionel Messi
FIVE things we learnt from United’s CL stroll at Old Trafford
VIDEO: Busby, Shankly, Stein – Football Men Part 3
Is Fergie right to question breaks?
A £26m luxury that Manchester United could do without?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s £6m transfer steal
How many more hits can Manchester United take?
What has been the recipe to United’s season so far?
Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘Greatest XI’ of all time
Real Madrid look to hijack United’s late move
*Best of WEB*
Wingless Ferguson – United Rant
The man being tasked with stopping Lionel Messi and Barcelona – The Busby Way
Time For Ferguson To Make It Right Against Barcelona – The United Religion
Lose Against Chelsea And Be Damned To Finish Empty Handed – Red Flag Flying High
Ravel Morrison: when is enough… enough? –Stretford End
Should Chelsea Fans Fear Howard Webb Appointment? RoM
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Click on Miss Yespica below to see her in all her glory