Players - Top Content

The Curious Case of Andrew Carroll

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:46:38 +0000

As a fixture of the XI:

Carroll has started 22 games (from a possible 41) in all competitions this season, 15 of those as Premier League games. In these games, he has scored just 4 goals, assisted a further 3, and hit the woodwork on 3 occasions. Mere inches make all the difference.

Of the 15 Premier League games in which he started, we picked up 28 points from the 45 available, winning 8 of the 15. That's 1.86 points per game. Football doesn't work like this, but it's nice to place yourself in a better position by fiction: A 1.86 points gain per game would put us currently on 56 points, in fourth place, two points behind third placed Arsenal. How does this differ from the games in which we start without Carroll? Without Carroll this points per game ratio drops dramatically to 1.13. Why is this? Coincidence? Do we play higher up with Carroll in the side as we can't avail of the option of pace? Do we pack the attacking midfield with more players to combat Carroll's lack of Suarez-styled agility and creativity? Does it avoid the ridiculous position in which we put Suarez, that of a lone striker? Is it because with Carroll in the side, the role of each player is more defined, as opposed to us just lumping players into recognisable positions, but without a definite role?

Of the seven cup games in which he started, we won all seven, but then so far we have essentially won all cup games, haven't we?

As a substitute:

Carroll has played the role of a used substitute on 16 occassions, leading to 278 minutes (plus 50 minutes of injury time, approx.) on the field, scoring two goals in the process. Only on 5 of the 16 occassions were we in a winning position where Carroll could be thrown in to ride the wave. Of the other 11, Carroll was used to salvage a point or stretch a draw to a fortunate win, failing each and every time. Why didn't Carroll start against QPR or Wigan recently when he had proved his worth in a functional system against Everton and Stoke is beyond me.

He scored two goals as a substitute, both in Cup games to extend an already comfortable lead.

Two other stats:

We've won one game in which Steven Gerrard has started in the Premier League this season. Every goal we've conceded was with Pepe Reina between the sticks. And neither of them are shit, so really stats are there to fuck with your head.

The question as needs to be asked:

As Kenny has said, is it time to "change our philosophies a wee bit", keep Andy and use him for all his strengths, or is it time to sell Andy, build the squad around Suarez, and admit that our transfer dealings since Suarez have been somewhat abysmal?

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Top 10 Forwards At FC Barcelona of All Time - M...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:56:37 +0000

Many world class forwards have graced the pitch for FC Barcelona.  Current "World's Best Player", Leo Messi, being one of several legends of the game that have put on the blaugrana shirt.  How do they rank compared to each other when taking into account their form while playing for the Catalan giants?  It's difficult to argue against Leo Messi as the number one player on the list, but after that, it may not be as clear.  This is my personal take on this (not so) simple task:

My top 10 list:

1. Messi - GOAT that he is.  209 goals, 87 assists.... and counting.  And still so many years left!!!!  Not even at 300 matches played yet, and he has the top spot on the FCB scorers list in his sight.  He is not only sure to get that record with many years left to play, he's sure to shatter the record cementing his name in FCB history for decades to come.

2. Cruyff - A legend of the game, only fitting that he falls behind only Messi.  An ability to create goals for others and score goals of his own accord.  He was a brilliant passer of the ball who also scored when it was there for him.  He played a similar role to what Messi is now playing for Barcelona, though Messi has shown he can create and score even more ruthlessly than Cruyff himself.... which is saying something.  That being said, outside of Messi, no other player that has played on the front line for this historic club can compare to Johan Cruyff.

3. Kubala - This Hungarian sensation still holds the record for most goals scored in a single La LIga match by a single player: 7.  He scored 194 goals in 256 matches. The Reason he gets 3rd in the list, above all others once you get passed the living legends of Messi and Cruyff, is due to the first full season he played for FCB, the 51/52 season: 39 goals in 28 matches!  An astonishing goal average.

4. Rivaldo - Some will call him a midfield player, I don't, as he truly played a forward position for FC Barcelona.  This was the first FC Barcelona player I remember being wow'ed by fully and emotionally. Part of that is because I was finally old enough to really understand what I was seeing, and part of it was because the guy was just so amazingly good.  His stats back up this selection, but his stats don't tell the story at all of how good he was.  Anyone who has seen his hat-trick on the final day of the 2000/2001 season against Valencia to win La Liga knows what a special player Rivaldo was for the club.  Number 4 on this list, and no regrets.

5. Cesar - He currently holds the record: 235 goals in official competitions to top our club list of goal scorers by a long shot..... at least until Messi catches him sometime next season. That took him 351 matches though, which is why he's not top of this particular list of mine.  If some of the players above him had 351 matches with the club, they too would have 235 goals or more.

(Side Note:  Kubala and Cesar in the 51/52 season combined for 68 goals in all competitions!  They won the league with a GD of +49 (30 game season).)

6. Eto'o - I love Eto'o.  What a pure scoring talent.  So athletic, such a deadly nose for goal.  If not for his knee injuries, he'd be well above his already amazing 130 goals in just 5 seasons played with FC Barcelona.  Many will put players like Ronaldinho and the other top Brazilian talent we've had above Eto'o, and I think that's a mistake (bar Rivaldo at number 4 of my list). If Eto'o were Brazilian, people would call him a legend, and he'd have at least 1 world cup as a top scorer golden boot in the tournament... but he's not Brazilian, so there you go.

7. Ronaldinho - Yes, Ronaldinho finally gets into my list AFTER Eto'o.  At his peak, he was legendary, no question.  Something about his last seasons, and his faults, keeps me from giving him a higher rank in my list.  Despite all he did for FC Barcelona, and has done in the game, I'm always left with a feeling of "what could have been" with him.  I feel he could have been in the greatest ever debates, but due to his own lack of effort and determination, he fell short.  The talent was there.

8. Suarez - Also from the "Kubala" era in the 50's at FC Barcelona, and went on to really make a name for himself at Inter in the 60's.  One of Spain's greatest players historically, and while much of that was once he had already moved on to play club football at Inter, there is no question that he was already on his way to being a great during his 6 or 7 seasons at FC Barcelona.  A powerful shot, play making ability, and intelligent team play mark his style on the pitch.

9. Ronaldo - I know it was only a single season for FC Barcelona, but what a season it was.  He's lower on the list than he might be for others that make up these lists due to the simple fact that it was only a single season at the club.  The power of this player, the will to score at all costs, the danger posed to the opposition's defenders was unmatched.  What a season it was.

10a. Stoichkov - This guy is about far more than just his goals, which only total about 80 or 90.  He was a Golden Ball winner for FC Barcelona, and brought amazing passion to the pitch (sometimes misguided in stomping a referee or some other naughty behavior).  He was a forward that also knew how to create for others.  He could play anywhere on the front line as well.

10b. Mariano Martin - If not for a knee injury that turned off the goal scoring far too early for this player, he would have been a legend and topped the club scoring charts. From the 41/42 season, he had 3 amazing seasons in which he scored over a goal a game with 71 goals in 66 games.  If not for that knee injury in the following season while playing for Catalonia in a friendly match... who knows what he would have done.

I know, that's a top 11.  I couldn't decide between the last two for that 10th spot, not wanting to leave either of them out of the list.  There are a ton of other players who could probably make it into that 10th spot as well.... but hey, that's my choice and I'm sticking to it.

Some notable absences from my list:
Maradona doesn't make my list. Injuries kept him from being at his best for us, and he left too quickly to go to Napoli.
Romario also doesn't make my list. Not enough time for me at the club. The only way short 1 or 2 season players make my list is if one of those seasons was an ultra special season, like Ronaldo.

Wayne Rooney: Midfielder

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:11:56 +0000

First of all, let me start off by saying I'm not happy. Not because Rooney is doing a bad job in his new role but because again he is the sacrificial lamb, so to speak. Back in 2008 he was shifted out to the lefthand side of midfield to accomodate Tevez and Ronaldo, this time I understand he's been moved there to add something extra to our midfield and on both (2008 and '11) occasions he's done decent jobs. We have a good strike force in Welbeck. Hernandez and Berbatov to cope without Rooney up top but that's not the point.

Let's face it, he's not a midfielder. He's a classic number 10, playing in the hole just behind the striker, linking play between the midfield and attack, while at the same time maintaining the same bullish defensive attribute that make him Wayne Rooney. A number of his attributes while playing in that free role are transferable to centre mid and arguably he's the best option we have right now I just can't help but think we rely on the lad too much.

Fair enough if his legs were going, numerous forwards have been pushed back into midfield in the twilight years of their careers, or if injury has meant a loss of pace (see Alan Smith). Rooney is the polar opposite of that though - he's only improving in his current role and if forced to play in midfield for the rest of this season I feel it might be detrimental to him, we need to cement his position now and build around that, the transitons have been done, this is our squad for the long haul and we know how Rooney fits into it.

Many people liken Rooney to Scholes, a claim I can't deny. They have some striking similarities but some major differences. Scholes didn't look out of place in his own half for the majority of games, he could read the game from there far better than Rooney can, you might argue that he could learn and that his passing is more than perfect for that role but the crux of it is, do you really want to see the most gifted English footballer of our generation sacrificed time and time again because of our squad's own short-comings?

By now Anderson should be bossing our midfield, he isn't. Carrick is used effectively only some of the time and Cleverley is too young and inexperienced to be burdened. With that being the case why, oh why haven't we dropped £40 million on a tempo-dictating, game-changing, world class central midfielder?

Do you really want to see our best player sacrificed until someone at the club has the nouse to go out and spend some serious cash?

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The Ever-Changing Mind Of Carlos Tevez

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:09:25 +0000

As it stands at 10:29PM on Sunday August 28th, Carlos Tevez is set to stay at Manchester City. Unlike the protracted sagas of others who have been wanting out of their respective clubs, no sufficient opportunity has arose for the current joint holder of the Premier League Golden Boot. Nearly on his way to Corinthians earlier in the summer, the Brazilian club did not have enough funds to appease City's demands for the mercurial Argentinian and thus the deal fell through. Other interested clubs such as Inter and Juventus were also unable to reach a deal to sign the player, with Inter looking to trim their wage bill and sell off some higher earners with Financial Fair Play in mind, whilst Tevez didn't fancy a move to a Juventus side very much in the state of redevelopment. And so here we are, Tevez has nowhere else to go and is set to stay - helped by the fact he has managed to persuade his estranged wife and their two daughters to move back to England... At least for the time being.

The real question now is how - or indeed where - Tevez fits into this new look City side. With the arrival and form of El Kun, plus the re-emergence of the Wolfsburg incarnation of Edin Dzeko, City have not missed Carlitos thus far, with the players seeming to relish the burden being more equally weighted, as opposed to how it was for a lot of the previous two seasons, where Tevez was expected to almost single-handedly win games for the team... In the final third at least anyways. Let's not forget Tevez's quality however, as he has proven his world class ability for Manchester City over the past few seasons, being an integral part of the reason as to why they are now in a position to challenge the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea for the Premier League title. 43 league goals from 63 appearances over the course of 09/10 and 10/11 since he arrived at City is an outstanding return, one which can't be matched by any other player in the Premier League during that period of time. With Tevez's goal return in the Premier League ahead of other world class forwards such as Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba et al.

Mancini has made it clear that Tevez still has a big role to play in his squad, acknowledging though that he is currently unfit after being allowed an extended holiday following the Copa America, therefore he has only played a bit-part role so far. Coming off the bench on just one occasion during the opening 3 games of the campaign, with little time to make an impact. The upcoming international break affords Carlitos time to work on his fitness ahead of the next set of games and whilst it's unlikely that Mancini will break up the blossoming partnership Agüero and Dzeko have formed during the last few weeks, with the Champions League approaching in the not too distant future, there will be plenty of opportunities for Tevez to gain minutes and to work himself back into favour of coach Mancini.

The way Mancini has set out his side so far, with the two strikers up front, is a system which can suit Carlitos, despite the form he has shown as more of a lone striker over the past few campaigns. Problems only tend to emerge when asking him to play out wide, where he has never looked at all comfortable. Not at United, not for Argentina and not for Manchester City during the few occasions last season where Mancini tried to accommodate Dzeko into the starting lineup, with Tevez pushed to the left for a short period of time in an experiment which didn't last too long before normal order was restored with Tevez leading the line. Fortunately for Tevez, it seems unlikely he would have to play in the wide areas for City this season, as the signing of Samir Nasri means that in the addition to David Silva, Mancini now has two wingers he has utmost faith in, faith which has also led to him dropping his previously favoured, but rather unadventurous three man midfield which often drew criticism from the neutrals for being too defensive minded and unambitious.

A lot is still up in the air though, because Tevez has proven himself quite problematic to handle and has the tendency to change his mind drastically as much as the Northern English weather, particularly with his advisor and friend Kia Joorabchian manipulating situations into how he sees fit. So as whilst it seems like Tevez is going to remain for the time being, whether or not he does in the long-term depends on a number of factors and possibly whether Corinthians are able to stump up the cash in January. If he does stay, City have a player who has never been anything but exceptional when on the pitch and a player who for all his issues has been probably the most significant signing in the rise of the new Manchester City. However if he does eventually decide to leave, then they now have the quality to do just fine without him.

(Here's my 10,000th post for you, Drae. Like you wanted! Ha)

Diego to Atletico Madrid?

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:22:32 +0000

Wolfsburg midfielder Diego has agreed personal terms with Atlético Madrid, the player's father and agent, Djair Ribas, has claimed. Ribas spent several hours in discussions with Atlético sporting director Jose Caminero in a bid to reach an agreement regarding the player's potential contract at the Spanish club. After leaving the meeting, which took place at the Vicente Calderon, Ribas revealed that personal terms have been agreed and called on the two clubs to come to an understanding: "The situation is like this: there is an agreement with the player, the only thing left is an agreement between Atlético and Wolfsburg".

Reports in Spain suggest Atlético will have to spend a fee of €10 million for Diego, who joined Wolfsburg from Juventus only last summer. The 26-year-old Brazil international has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Volkswagen Arena after falling out with coach Felix Magath despite having cost €15.5m, a club record transfer fee.

With Diego to arrive, Fran Merida (21) and Elias Mendes (26) are the midfielders to leave. Real Zaragoza (and Real Betis) are interested in loaning the Catalan playmaker, while the club still has no offers for the Brazilian.