Selling Stars: Arsenal's Loose Grip

Despite not being an Arsenal fan myself I am an avid Premier League enthusiast and therefore have taken an interest in the latest changing of events happening at Arsenal Football Club. A large turn around in playing and coaching staff shows not only a shift in where club sees itself but also how we see it.

Breaking the Curse: How England Can Win a Penalty Shootout

England went into these European Championships with expectations at an all time low. A managerial change, stories of divisions amongst the players and controversy in squad selection culminated in England kicking off their first group game against France with few expecting them to qualify for the knockout stages. As the tournament progressed and England ground out results with resolute defending and counter attacking football, the constant harping about low expectations and little pressure ironically saw the expectations of the country tentatively lift until many believed England could overwhelm Italy and overcome the curse of the quarter final that has plagued them since 1996.

As a country however, we diluted our own failings as a team and overestimated the few strengths we had. We threw caution to the wind in a way only expectant England fans can, and dismissed the Italians as an ageing group of players lacking creativity, typical defensive solidity and a predatory strike force. However for 120 minutes in Kiev, none of this mattered. England were knocked out of Euro 2012 by the majesty of Andrea Pirlo and the ‘lottery’ of the penalty shootout.

England vs Italy: All Pain No Gain

So we lost on penalties. Who saw that coming? Admit it, when Ricardo Montolivo missed his spot kick we all thought for a split second that this could really be the moment we banish that penalty voodoo that has haunted us through eight different contests reduced to penalties, only winning once.

Euro 2012: Fantasy Football Tips and Tactics

The Euros are fast approaching. The squads have now been confirmed, and pre-tournament prattle is sweeping the nation, dominating the topic of conversation from schoolyards to pub gardens.

Controversial questions are being asked of various selection policies, and to pick one at complete random, it appears that Stewart Downing’s inclusion in the England squad has become a hot topic of debate. Personally, I feel that this statement represents the biggest oxymoron since the inception of the ‘Democratic People's Republic of Korea’. Words like ‘controversy’ and ‘debate’ imply that there is more than one logical opinion to be held. There isn’t. Stewart Downing isn’t that good at playing football for Liverpool. He has produced one assist (against Oldham) and no goals all season. Chances are, therefore, that the trend will continue into the European Championships, and that he won’t be that good at playing football for England.

Expect the Unexpected that you were Expecting...

 Much like Englebert Humperdink, England started off the evening in a relatively positive and impressive manner. The geriatric crooner had enjoyed the same kind of hype as his footballing compatriots with talks of ‘no expectations’ but more ‘pleasant surprises’ in a way to make our horizons seem less bleak.

The Countdown to History: Our Verdict on the Playoff Final

This Saturday the world of football prepares itself for a showdown of monumental proportions and far reaching consequences. A game the victory of which means more to both clubs that any other single match in world football. Step aside Chelsea and Bayern Munich as this Saturday's "Day of Destiny" belongs to West Ham and Blackpool.
The Championship playoff is a fixture like none other as the rewards bring not only promotion and glory, but possible survival as a football club. The game is often referred to as "the richest game in world football" with a £40million windfall up for grabs, and with 2 of the Championship's biggest teams set to contest the showpiece final, there's sure to be fireworks. Let us take a closer look at the 2 teams vying to reach the holy grail of English football.

Bayern Munich vs Chelsea Preview: All Thriller, No Filler



The end's not near, it's here. The UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea marks the culmination of the European season, as the competition draws to its annual conclusion at 7.45PM this Saturday. It ain't going quietly. Some 62,000 fans will pack out the Fußball Arena München for the 2012 showpiece finale, a figure likely to be dwarfed by the number of fans tuning in to televisions worldwide (estimated viewing figures for the 2011 final were "in excess of 300 million" according to UEFA spokesman Kimmo Bellmann). From Brazil to Beijing, the world will be watching this weekend. Don't believe the hype? We've barely scratched the surface.

The Myth of the Messiah

A great scholar, perhaps it was Paul Merson, once wrote, "And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay, Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away". It was perhaps the erudite Merse's most eloquent moment; a scathing critique of the transient nature of human power, a damning warning to those proclaimed an untouchable messiah. The demise of  Kenny Dalglish is just the latest in a long line of fallen kings scattered across the landscape of professional football. King Kenny? Acrimoniously departed having led Liverpool to a decidedly unregal 8th place. King Kev? His comeback was more 5ive than Aragorn. Marlon King? He's really, really rubbish.

ENGLAND SQUAD SHOCK....it isn't that shocking

So the England squad for the European Championships has been announced and I have to say it looks set to be the most under-whelming England squad that we have taken to an international tournament in the last 30 years.

United and City - The Dust Settles

Ferguson is "shredding his legacy at every turn", said the Guardian. "After three seasons of papering over the cracks, it seems most United fans are awaiting the moment that the fault lines tracing a veiny path across Old Trafford are exposed". A new dominant force is expected, a glittering empire to replace the burning ruins of the old. It is the dogged belief that football works in cycles; that there is a clear break from one age to the next, each epoch defined by the dominance of one, and only one, side. Yet is such a simplistic narrative, so appealing to hacks everywhere, necessarily the most accurate? I say this not to belittle Manchester City's achievement, and do not deny that they deserve this title and look set to add many more to it. I say this because sometimes in the midst of hysteria the truth can get a little lost. Predicting the future and belittling the past is not so much impossible as simply pseduo-science. The Guardian quote? It came in 2006, Ferguson's shredded legacy just about to create the most successful period in United's history.

The Kids Are Alright...

As the end of the domestic season looms it’s time to look beyond Manchester and to Poland and Ukraine. Newly appointed ‘Uncle Roy’ has a tough few days of decision making before the 16^th May when his squad is announced. However, who the hell is he going to take!?

FA Cup Preview: Its importance to the two sides

At the moment, everyone involved in Liverpool Football Club seems to have hit the same crossroad that all owners of a Mercedes SLK arrive at. They have invested in something which is overpriced and underperforming, and as such there are two possible avenues to go down. The first option sees the owner show humility, as he humbly jacks in his Mercedes for a Mazda MX-5. The second owner chooses the path of denial, cruising round in his Merc seemingly unaware that everyone else on the road is laughing at him. From the Suarez case, to their lackluster form in the league, Liverpool seem to have chosen the ultra-defensive path. What better way then for Liverpool FC to add fuel to the fire of denial than to win their second trophy of the season?

Our Premier League XIs of 2011/12

It was down to a whisker, but Stewart just missed out

So it's that time of the season. We all cast a nostalgic eye back across the thousands of hours of Premier League football that has been played in this most remarkable of seasons. Recall the effortless brilliance of luxurious Spanish playmakers. Remind ourselves of the breathtaking tactical efficiency that sprouted in the most unexpected corners of South Wales. Awaken long forgotten memories of Welshmen, Dutchmen and the occasional Englishman bestriding our overblown, and often overrated, behemoth of a division and attempt to decide which of these sporting giants make our team of the season. And conclude, as we do every year, that there really are no good right backs in English football.

Hodgson's Zenith

Two and a half months after the resignation of Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson has been named as the new England manger. He has been appointed to arguably the most prestigious, prominent and respected jobs in world football but in accepting the position he has agreed to shoulder the always heavy, occasionally crippling burden of expectations, hopes and dreams the England fans will undoubtedly bestow upon him. His appointment surprised many in the football world, probably none more so than Harry Redknapp who has been the media, players and fans almost unanimous choice throughout the selection process. But is Roy Hodgson really the man to end England’s 46 year wait to win a major tournament?

Man City vs Man Utd Preview: Fantasy Football

Last night the latest episode of HBO's gripping, wildly successful fantasy series was released. It is a story of political intrigue; the power of words as great as the might of the arm, a scrabble for glory which descends to mad desperation. Blood is shed as heroes rise and fall, loyalty and sanity the loftiest virtues as all around lose their heads. Perhaps we should view tonight's game as the latest installment, albeit with hyperbole, subtext and fanaticism that make it far fetched even alongside a fantasy world of dragons and magic. Manchester City play Manchester United for the title. A Game of Thrones, indeed.

Barcelona vs. Chelsea Review: Stranger than Fiction

Whilst football has never been a sport to stick to the script, at times the second leg of Chelsea vs. Barcelona was beggared belief. The West Londoners secured a 3-2 aggregate win in the semi-final with a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp on Tuesday, sealing their progression to the Champions League final. The scoreline does not even begin to tell the full story. Chelsea were the victims of statistical annihilation at the hands of their Catalan opponents – Barcelona shared just 17.5% possession with Chelsea in the second leg, eclipsing even the 70% possession they achieved at Stamford Bridge. Individually, the figures are even more dizzying. Xavi completed 169 passes over the course of 90 minutes – Raul Meireles managed just 22. Barcelona's passing 'carousel' famously left Sir Alex Ferguson's head in a spin after the 2009 Champions League Final, as the genius of Xavi and Iniesta bewitched the Manchester United midfield. On Tuesday, it seems, the spell was broken.

Barcelona vs Chelsea Preview II

One week in football is a long time. Last Wednesday Barcelona were invincible, unplayable and certainties to be the first team in the Champions League era to retain the trophy. All the talk was of Messi set to tear the frail old Chelsea team to shreds with the magnificence he’s been showing all season, and the Chelsea team whos season had had 'more dips than a Doritos factory' would once again fall short in Europe’s elite competition.

However Di Matteo and the Chelsea old guard had other ideas and they pulled off what few believed they could when this fixture was drawn. Much has been made of the tactical ‘masterclass’ Di Matteo employed, making the game as compact as possible allowing no space or time for the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and Messi to express themselves. Ramires was rightly lauded for his heroic performance in nullifying the threat of Dani Alves on the right wing, and John Terry had one of his finest games in a Chelsea shirt.

Despite all this, it’s fair to say Barcelona’s finishing was woeful. For a team renowned for being ruthless in front of goal, they lacked any sort of killer instinct and Chelsea were able to ride their luck to give themselves the perfect platform to reach the Champions League Final on the 19^th May in Munich. But the job is only half done and Barcelona are arguably still favourites to progress. So how do Chelsea go about stopping one of the greatest teams in football history in their own back yard?

The Battle for Football's Soul

I’m not a fan of Formula One at the best of times. Supporting the bunch of lower league chancers that I do, it’s simply asking too much of me to sit through more than one mind-numbingly tedious and ultimately dissatisfying sporting event a weekend. Indeed, the uproar accompanying our motor-racing cousins’ refusal to boycott Bahrain while the Arab nation literally slaughters its citizens in the street reminds us of all that is wrong with the ‘sport’; a dead-eyed focus on hard cash at the expense of spectacle, not to mention morality. Yet before we in the footballing family cast the first stone, let us examine what this debacle calls to mind about our own sport. Football is the most popular sport in the world. Its reach into the hearts and minds of billions across the globe make it a frighteningly powerful tool. Its refusal to use this power for good, however, is utterly shameful.

Chelsea vs Barcelona Preview: Right Team, Wrong Time?

They’re at it again. This is it. The big one. The one we’ve all been waiting for. Except that it isn’t really – not by a long shot. Chelsea have had something of an indifferent season, with more dips than a Doritos factory. Just under two months ago the club were unfancied to advance further than the last-16 of the competition, having capitulated to a 3-1 defeat against Napoli in the first leg. Tomorrow, Chelsea take on Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, the first time the clubs have been drawn against each other since the Catalans won the acrimonious meeting between the teams at the same stage in 2009.

The Anfield Siege

Liverpool’s FA cup semi final victory over Everton, although vital for the success of their season is by no means a panacea for Dalglish. Liverpool’s campaign has been riddled with controversy from the Suarez affair to racism in the stands, and this has left the reputation of the historically respected club in tatters.

A View from the Bridge

After seeing the majestic Mark Nicholls put two past a quality Coventry City side in the 97-98 season aged 7, I became smitten with Chelsea. As both Nicholls and myself moved onwards and upwards (a solitary appearance for Partick Thistle and Moulsford School Colts A midfield general respectively) we saw Chelsea consistently flirt with the top three and even lift a Cup Winners’ Cup and an FA Cup. They were exciting times at the Bridge, with the flair of Zola complemented by the ladder-esque qualities of Flo, built on French concrete in the gravelly form of Desailly and Leboeuf. Today, I sit here thinking not lovingly of Ramires’ athletic ability or Mata’s technical mastery as I would have Mario Melchiot’s, but instead pine for a Chelsea of a by-gone era.  

Lear, Mufasa, and now Ledley: the latest tragedy to befall a great King.

Let me start by expressing my familial love for Ledley King. In my lifetime, amidst sulking Bulgarians and downright backstabbing Englishmen, the boy from the academy has been the bedrock of the football team which has seen the investment of far too much of my time and emotion. Recently however, as much as I attempt to suppress such thoughts, I have began to wonder if the King has lost his touch.

Earthquakes, Wizards and Galaxies- The weird but wonderful world of Soccer in America

As a band, singer, actress or writer your greatness is rarely truly accepted around the world until you have had success in America. Success in America could leave you set for life with no pressure of really making an effort on your next record, film or book because there are enough people there who will support you and always keep your career afloat. Many have come and gone and very few have succeeded with Adele most recently being an exception (whats all that about!?!).

The Premiership is in Danger of Falling into European Shadows

Llorente celebrates against Manchester United
Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Since 2005, with the exception of the 2010 season, there has been a Premiership team in the final of the Champions League every year. Disappointingly, out of those six finals an English side has managed to win only twice, and one of those times was against another English team. Chelsea are England’s last dwindling hope of European glory this year, and to be honest unless Fernando Torres scores three hat-tricks, Petr Cech doesn’t flap his arms at any sight of danger and David Luiz doesn’t go back to an amicable working relationship with Sideshow Mel on The Simpsons, they’re going to be absolutely obliterated by the tremendously superior Catalans. 

Lies, Damn Lies and Football Statistics

I have a secret passion. A love that dare not speak its name. A lust so dark, so devious, so downright sickening that I have never til now made it public. After a long day at the office, I run home, up the stairs, close my curtains and double lock my door. My eyes dart around the room as the website loads, my face blushes, the photos of my friends and family on my wall stare out at me with dead-eyed condemnation. Finally, the release comes - I can gorge myself on football statistics until morning comes.

The Other Half: The Unreported World of Women in Football

Sian Massey Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

You’ve heard of the WAGs. Now meet the WIFs. Last week the BBC aired Sexism in Football, a documentary that put the spotlight firmly on the Women in Football (the WIFs). The organisation was founded five years ago, and yet their existence came as news to many. The WIF shave never actively sought publicity, and have received little attention from the national media since they were established. Up until now. Upfront and often uncomfortable, Sexism in Football showcases a series of interviews with prominent female members of the footballing community.

The Enigma of Mario

Occasionally in football, a player comes along who stands out from those around him. A player whose eccentricity and charismata earns admiration from fans of every football club across the country. A player who has an aura of mystique around them and is remembered long after he retires. Cantona embodied this, as did Gascoigne and of course George Best. But what made these players so special was that they displayed their charisma with a ball at their feet and used their imagination to dazzle on the football pitch.The potential for this sort of player arrived in the premiership in 2010 in the form of Mario Balotelli. There is not a single football fan in Britain who has not been captivated by what the young Italian has brought to the division both on and off the field. But while Best, Cantona and Gascoigne will be remembered foremost for their genius on the football field, Balotelli is in danger of being remembered for his roguery off it.

Play it from the back...

I feel as this is my first contribution to the Trequartistas blog I should just put it out there; I’m a Leeds fan. Quite possibly the zenith of the bittersweet football club, the ultimate marmite team. No matter who has donned the classic white strip from the delightful and legendary Bremner, Gray and Radebe, the likes of Hunter, Smith and Bowyer will plague my beloved club with its ‘Dirty Leeds’ stigma. By the time I realized I was a born ‘White’ Leeds had just been knocked out of the 2001 Champions League semi-final to Valencia, I never knew what I had missed.

A worried Spurs fan

Saturday morning’s game left much to be desired. Many Spurs fans will feel that a point at the stadium of light is nothing to be ashamed of, and i’d be inclined to agree. However, it is not the point that bothers me so much as the manner in which we got it.

De Gea. Was he worth it?

Photo: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

As my first article for this blog I am going to write about my beloved Manchester United. The season is nearly over and after today's displays it looks like Man U will clinch it. It’s been a weird season for Man U supporters; not having a lovely Tuesday or Wednesday 19.45 game to watch, it sadly has been Thursday 18.00 on Channel 5. I’m not a Champions League snob, but I have become accustomed to such a lifestyle. The constant threat from Eastlands has also been a huge worry.

Comedy of Errors

Wolves are down.

Now that we have that out of the way, the path is open to focus on who will be joining them in losing out in one of the most intriguing, infuriating and unpredictable relegation battles in living memory. The oddities at the top of the table have been well documented; the inconsistencies of 3 of the old "Big 4" coupled with the rise and fall of the big spending Manchester City and the incomprehensible continued success of the worst Man U squad of the modern era. Yet at the bottom the tale has been just as interesting. The old adage that only 40 points means safety has been disregarded as 5 staggeringly awful teams have slogged it out and, while it has been far from pretty, the mercurial inconsistencies of all of them have made it impossible not to watch their various implosions from behind the sofa.

The Trequartistas

The trequartista orchestrates. He pulls the strings. He sees the moves others don’t, makes the plays others can’t. He has creative license, he roams, he has no responsibility beyond bringing his occasional magic to bear. He is mercurial, he goes missing, he takes the blame. But he also brings romance to football, shining a light on what makes our game the beautiful one. It is these qualities we hope to bring to this blog; a sideways glance at the players, teams and stories that make football great. Like the trequartista, we may not deliver every time, but if we can be Roberto Baggio on some days, we hope you can forgive us being just Kevin Nolan on others.