… Van Gaal has never been a “template” manager, someone who brings an identical approach to different sides. He’s often used 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 as his first-choice formations. The question then, is simple. Why is he so keen to play a 3-4-1-2 at Manchester United? The latter part of the formation makes most […]
Archive | 2014
FPL App – FPL Manager
FPL Manager – The Ultimate Fantasy Premier League App. Click here to download the app from the App Store. The unrivaled Fantasy Football app for players of the official Barclays Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Makes managing your team on the go a breeze and ensures you’ll never forget to make those last minute transfers […]
Fantasy Football 2014
I am terrible at football. I misplace passes, bottle tackles and shoot with unfailing comedic flair, and the only thundering volley I have ever scored (an arcing, swerving, unstoppable beauty) found the back of my own team’s net. From the comfort of my armchair, however, I play a solid game of fantasy football. …As […]
The Transfer Market Food Chain
After a World Cup’s worth of transfer speculation, Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward typically felt the need to offer some headline-creating words of his own. “Our financial position allows us to do things in the transfer market that most other clubs cannot do,” he said last week. It was quite a statement, especially […]
How the Hummels hole nearly sank Germany
…Easily the most modern defender at Löw’s disposal, Hummels could probably try his hand at playing midfield for the right team. The Dortmund defender is comfortable on the ball, boasts an excellent eye for a long pass, and loves to bound forward whenever the opportunity arises. He started out as a striker in Bayern Munich’s […]
Germany v Ghana: Kevin-Prince Boateng out to settle a score – again
… In 2010 it was a foul on Chelsea’s Michael Ballack in the FA Cup final that made Boateng, then playing for Portsmouth, public enemy No1 in Germany. The national captain was consequently ruled out of South Africa 2010 with ankle-ligament damage and never played for Germany again. In 2014 it is not Boateng’s actions but his […]
Things are going to change. Eras end with defeats
It was a long walk out of the Maracanã and a quiet one too. From the dressing room to the door, Spain’s players had to weave their way out. Most of them walked the route in silence, passing by in front of the media, eyes down. They had just produced the country’s worst performance at the World […]
Gerrard walks alone
…Brendan Rodgers had made a good stab at a case for the defining moment of this campaign not to be that infamous stumble against Chelsea. The Liverpool manager tried to argue that an offside call against Raheem Sterling at the Etihad on Boxing Day was somehow more pivotal. But it was obvious early on, as […]
For Manchester United, a season that nobody expected
Rio Ferdinand was sitting in the near-deserted part of a Yokohama, Japan, hotel reserved for Manchester United’s team. Security guards stopped Japanese fans who had slipped into lifts aiming to reach where they thought the players would be, while an 18-year-old called Adnan Januzaj wandered around in one of Ferdinand’s branded “5” caps, wondering […]
Rodgers’ tweaks key to Liverpool’s success
Brendan Rodgers’s tactical tinkering has been crucial to Liverpool’s fast starts to games. Liverpool have an excellent starting XI but not great strength in depth, so this was a genuine challenge. (Eds note: without Henderson and Sturrdige) Rodgers was expected to return to a 4-3-3 in Sturridge’s absence, but instead he persevered with a shape […]
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