...City’s negative tactics show a lack of ambition

If Manchester City have any kind of serious ambition, they need to show it in their on-field tactics rather than their marketing campaigns. City played three holding midfielders last night, and although Yaya Toure was played higher up the pitch he’s not the sort of player to provide a spark capable of creating goals through top defenders, even if City thought so when they handed him an annual wage larger than the GDP of most developing countries. City could hardly have wished for a better time to play United, who of course had injuries and players recovering from a virus, but Roberto Mancini showed at best caution, and more likely nerves.

Is there any situation in which he would be daring enough to play a two-striker system? Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor could be an effective combination because of their different attributes. I’m not saying he has to play an English ‘big man, little man’ tactic of playing long balls for the Togolese to nod down, because that could be seen as dated and is not the traditional Italian way (although Don Fabio likes a big man), but City at present merely rely on Tevez, a player who could not win a regular first-team place at United, to supply the magic and goals to surpass their Manchester rivals on the pitch and in the league. This is reflected in the stat that City have not won without Tevez in the league for two years.

Early on in the season, I wrote that I couldn’t see where City’s creativity was going to come from. They proved me wrong to an extent in that James Milner started to play in the middle and showed that he has the football brain to create. I also said that I doubted David Silva’s ability to deal with the physical nature of English football, but he showed that his touch and passing are so accurate that he can avoid the 50/50 situation less technically gifted players may find themselves in more often. Why did Mancini not play either of these two at the head of a midfield three rather than putting three bruisers in there? Surely two is enough.

Beebop and Rocksteady are fine, but every midfield needs a Krang.

...confident Germany devoured by hungry Spain

Germany’s confidence and willingness to attack played into Spanish hands as Vicente Del Bosque’s team relished facing a positive side for the first time in the competition. Instead of tasting revenge Joachim Low’s side were devoured without mercy.

Until last night Spain had only faced sides whose mission was to stop them playing, before considering trying to win the game themselves. Last night, however, it was Spain who changed to a 4-2-3-1 system to mirror Germany. This may have looked like a sign of weakness, but that was not how it translated on the pitch.

Germany’s defence played higher up than Switzerland, Paraguay et al as they sought goals and retribution for the European Championship defeat two years ago, leaving space for Spain to probe. Sure enough Andres Iniesta, the man identified in yesterday’s piece as Spain’s main threat with the ball at his feet, isolated the poor, defenceless Philipp Lahm and got to the byline on more than one occasion.

Germany’s counter attacking pace had seen off Argentina’s defective full-backs with ease, but Joan Capdevila and Sergio Ramos’ energy on the flanks meant that Lucas Podolski and Piotr Trochowski were denied space, leaving Miroslav Klose short of supply. Without the service to continue his composed finishing streak Klose suddenly looked sluggish and immobile, a key reason why he played second fiddle to Evica Olic at Bayern Munich last season.

Then there was the midfield. The tenacity of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Kadira had been able to break down the rushed passing of England’s ‘star’ midfielders but here they faced a glut of players oozing class and composure on the ball. Passes into space, triangles, round-the-corner, you name it. Germany also found a fired-up Xabi Alonso snapping into the challenge to compliment the more reserved style of Xavi and Sergio Busquests, showing his Premier League experience but sometimes being penalised unfairly for doing so.

Germany tried to make a game of it, but Spain simply did not let them do so, keeping the ball in deep positions in the first half. They tightened the screw after the break, almost setting up camp in German territory and showing a more direct manner. This game was decided by a set piece of course, but you feel that had Carles Puyol not powered his header home Spain would have found another way through at some point.

As one-sided a 1-0 victory as you may see for a good while, Spain looked composed in the later stages despite the knowledge that one attack was all it would take for Germany to achieve parity. Their confidence comes from the knowledge that they possess technically the best midfield in the competition, capable of holding the ball between them without being affected by the knowledge that they were on the brink of a first World Cup final.

Germany were brave and continued to try to play the attacking game that had previously brought them so many goals and so much success. But if you give Spain space, they will pass you to pieces. Last night Germany were like helpless, bite-sized Tapas; merely an entrada as Spain saved themselves for the main course: the World Cup final in Johannesburg on Sunday.

...Spain must find balance to match Germany’s equilibrium

If, as expected, Fernando Torres is finally dropped tonight, Spain will be forced to crowd the midfield and fit a lot of talented central midfielders into a system that prevents them tripping over each others’ toes. There have many smooth, round pegs, but some must quickly adapt to square holes if Spain are to overcome Germany’s balanced side.

While Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets have sat deep in a 4-4-2 it has forced Xavi, their best passer of a ball, to play further up the pitch (out of place) in a position that requires the pace and width he doesn’t offer. When they have switched to a 4-3-3 with Xavi moving into central midfield, David Villa has played on the left leaving the out-of-sorts Fernando Torres as the (so far rather blunt) point of attack. If Cesc Fabregas is the man to come in, after impressing in his cameo against Paraguay, where does he fit?

Another problem is that of Spain’s starting midfield four so far only Andres Iniesta has the necessary attributes to beat a man. Busquets, Xavi and Alonso are excellent passers of the ball but they lack the pace or dribbling skills get in behind defences, as shown by the fact that Switzerland managed to squeeze them out in their opening fixture despite being without the ball for long periods.

Germany, meanwhile, have a player for each position of their finely oiled 4-2-3-1 system. Sami Khedira sits, Bastian Schweinsteiger is, well, everywhere at once it seems, while Mesut Ozil has the creativity to play behind the front three, the ability to beat a man and a sharp eye for goal, as demonstrated with a great strike against Ghana. Lucas Podolski offers genuine width on the left, Miroslav Klose is happy to sit on the last man and usually they have Thomas Muller’s energy down the right.

But Muller isn’t playing, and herein lies Germany’s weakness in tonight’s game: an unfamiliar face in a settled starting eleven. It is here where Joachim Low will earn his corn. The choices? Another gamble on the youth policy that has worked so well so far and the selection of the talented but inexperienced young Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos, or the more experienced Piotr Trochowski, who is the more natural winger.

I personally would pick Kroos. He has already been earmarked for the number 10 shirt at Bayern Munich and is held in higher regard than Muller by many within the club. Despite his 20 years he has already made an impact at Munich and on loan at Leverkusen. During his debut for Munich, coming off the bench for the last 18 minutes, he provided two assists. On his UEFA cup debut he came on for nine minutes, made one and scored with the last kick of the game. Oh, and those three assists were all for a certain Mr Klose.

Put simply both teams needs to make changes for tonight’s game, and these decisions may well determine who plays the Netherlands in Johannesburg on Sunday. Germany’s change is forced because of Muller’s two yellow cards, whereas Torres’ form means Vicente del Bosque’s hand is forced for a different reason. If Spain can find a balance, they have the players to beat Germany, whose equilibrium depends on how well their new right winger adapts.

...smug Suarez sets awful example - should the rules be changed?

The behaviour and subsequent delight of Luis Suarez in the match against Ghana was shambolic and set a terrible precedent to youngsters watching the World Cup. He should be ashamed of the fact that his intentional handball is the reason that Ghana were knocked out of the tournament. Instead he is unrepentant and has gleefully claimed his act is the new ‘Hand of God’.

Thierry Henry’s behaviour in the World Cup qualifying play-off against the Republic of Ireland was a similarly instinctive piece of gamesmanship, but at least Henry had the dignity to apologise. He realised that his behaviour was wrong, whereas Suarez seems to think he is a national hero.

Suarez’s tears as he walked off the pitch were not borne from shame, as his celebrations when Asamoah Gyan missed his penalty with the last kick of extra-time revealed. The rules should now be changed to prevent children all across the world from imitating his behaviour and/or thinking it is ok to do so in the future.

At present, Suarez’s behaviour is not technically cheating. It is a straight red card and a penalty offence. Fortunately this kind of incident is rare as most people’s instinct is to try and defend a shot with any part of their body but the arm, but it may not be after this World Cup.

People may see the light punishment handed out by FIFA, who declined to extend Suarez’s one-match ban, weigh this negative against the positive, which is that Uruguay ultimately went though to the semi-final of the World Cup, and think that may be a worthwhile exchange.

The only alternative punishment for a blatant handball rather than a penalty would be to award a goal. For this to happen the referee would have to be absolutely sure that a. the act was undisputedly intentional, b. that there is no way anyone else, including the goalkeeper, could have stopped the ball entering the goal had the handball not taken place and c. that the ball was definitely goal-bound in the first place.

In the heat of the moment, with the limited perspective of one referee and an often crowded penalty area, the three requirements alone would be too much for the judgement of one man. Therefore my suggestion is this: for the rules to be changed along with the introduction of technology.

The referee is by definition susceptible to human error and while technology cannot be used at all levels of the game it should be used when as much is at stake as it was in this incident. After Lampard’s goal that never was and Tevez’s goal that shouldn’t have been this is the third different major mistake that could and should have been easily resolved with a simple video replay.

It is almost as if the first World Cup in Africa is telling us that it is time for the game itself to move on as well. Listen up Mr Blatter.

...Queiroz ruined Ronaldo’s big day in the World Cup and the Champions League

It could be argued that Carlos Queiroz’s negative tactics ruined the biggest two matches of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career so far.

“Ask Queiroz”, said Ronaldo in a post-match interview when asked of Portugal’s tactics, literally spitting with rage after Portugal’s 1-0 loss to Spain on Tuesday. This echoed his reaction after the 2009 Champions League final when his repost to a similar question was “Ask Ferguson”, but maybe it was Carlos Queiroz who was again to blame.

Although Queiroz had left old Trafford after his second stint as Alex Ferguson’s assistant by the time Manchester United faced Barcelona in Rome, his legacy lived on in a cautious 4-5-1 formation. There is no doubt Queiroz’s defensive coaching helped to firm up the back line which played a large part in United’s Champions League victory in 2008, but there is a time, namely when chasing a must-win game, that caution must eventually be thrown to the wind to some extent.

It was demonstrated again on Tuesday that if when you go a goal down you don’t attack a side capable of keeping the ball, they will do just that. United beat Barcelona 1-0 over two legs thanks to superb defending in the semi-final in 2008, but they were never chasing the game. When Barca scored once, then twice in Rome a United side indoctrinated by Queiroz’s masterful defensive tactics didn’t change the formation and attack Barca just as Portugal didn’t attack Spain.

The man who suffered the most on both occasions, isolated up front on his own, was Ronaldo. The man who has changed countless games for club and country was not given the support he needed to get a sufficient amount of the ball to do so again, neither was he dropped into a deeper position from which he could exert a greater influence. It is easy to dislike the ‘winker’ with a penchant for short shorts, but on this occasion it is justifiable to feel a slight pang of sympathy.

In Rome it seemed like Ferguson, a man known for his cavalier tendencies, seemed as shackled as his players, nervous to abandon the Queiroz-influenced tactics that had got him so far, just as Queiroz himself only got Portugal so far in the World Cup. Ferguson suffered much post-match criticism for not reverted to the tried and tested attacking 4-4-2 that has brought him such success during his illustrious career.

I’m not claiming to be Garry Kasparov, and I have already covered this subject extensively in my Otto Rehhegal blog (check the archive), but when you line up defensively but are losing, and losing fairly (by two then three goals in United’s case), surely there is no harm in trying a more positive tactic.

Queiroz is obviously a master of the defensive game, as demonstrated by Portugal’s three clean sheets in the group stages, but his attacking tactics seem to lag some way behind, despite his side’s 7-0 victory over a pub side called ‘North Korea’. For this reason he makes a great assistant but as a manager against the best teams, such as Spain or Barcelona, his tactics only serve to stem the inevitable tide, much to the chagrin of Cristiano Ronaldo.

...World Cup black list – top 10 villains

"One chance, blew it. Nice one Robbie"

10. Lucio

A surprise inclusion, but included because of his dirty tricks: pulling shirts, trying to punch Drogba’s broken arm and the rest. Strong as a brick shithouse in the tackle, but when the roles are reversed he collapses like a shit brickhouse in a manner that would make Rivaldo blush.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo

You almost felt sorry for Ronaldo as he was starved of possession during the second half against Spain. Almost. However, Portugal progressed from the group stages despite Ronaldo, who scored just one fluky goal against a demoralised North Korea. Lacked his usual flair and end product.

8. Aaron Lennon

Much was expected of the pacy winger who impressed in qualifying. However the World Cup stage exposed the empty space in which his football brain is supposed to be. His erratic passing and crossing confused him as much as his team-mates and he was dropped after just one game.

7. Franck Ribery

Had an excellent season at Munich but was abject in South Africa. In his defence France were collectively awful, but if anyone could have provided a spark to reignite their tournament it was Ribery. A tournament to forget for the man Zidane once called the “jewel of French football”.

6. Claudio Marchisio

The ‘playmaker’ in Italy’s dysfunctional 4-3-3, Marchisio was largely anonymous in all three of their appalling displays. Admittedly he lacks international experience, but Italy only played well when he was subbed against Paraguay. Why he was reinstated is a mystery to everyone but Marcello Lippi.

5. Alberto Gilardino

Scored a goal every other game for Fiorentina last season - 34 in 68 - but it was the disappointing Gilardino of his Milan days that stepped off the plane in South Africa. Has all the attributes to be a great target man but again disappointed for Italy when it mattered after a poor Euro 2008.

4. Fernando Torres

Perhaps a little harsh as he is still recovering from injury, but he has looked a shadow of his former self so far as Villa hogs the spotlight. Withdrawn after another anonymous display last night, the player who won Euro 2008 for Spain will be lucky if he starts the quarter-final against Paraguay.

3. Wayne Rooney

After his best season to date at United Rooney arrived at the World Cup with the expectations of a nation on his shoulders, and it showed. The Rooney we know simply didn’t turn up. His control, passing and positioning were all way off. Only came close to scoring once in four games.

2. Sani Kaita

His inexplicable attack on Vasilas Torosidis is perhaps the most needless red card in the history of the World Cup. With Nigeria leading 1-0 the pair chased a ball off the pitch and Kaita unnecessarily kicked out at the Greek, who of course fell dramatically to the deck. Greece went on to win 2-1.

1. Robert Green

Oh dear Robert. He fought so hard for his place only to make a mistake so bad it would make a junior school goalkeeper wince; a comical error that will blight the rest of his career and probably his life. England may still be in South Africa if they had beaten the USA and won Group C.

...Brazil’s transatlantic balance will win the World Cup

Yesterday Brazil played like two teams fused together; a physical, European-style rearguard of six formed a solid base from which their samba stars took Chile apart. Crucially (England, France and Italy take note), every man knew his role in a clearly defined system of play.

With England’s loose 4-4-2 and the hastily assembled 4-3-3 formations of Il Azzurri and Les Bleus, the players looked like they knew their starting shape but became amorphous as play became stretched. England in particular seemed to have no set style of play, although I’m sure this was not for lack of trying on behalf of Fabio Capello.

Despite the result yesterday Chile looked settled in a complex 3-3-1-3 system. Can you imagine the carnage if England were asked to play in this manner?! South American teams play 18 games in qualifying as opposed to 10 in Europe and this additional exposure to team-mates and tactics seems to be paying dividends in South Africa. Most people expected Brazil and Argentina to walk through the group stages but did they expect all three of Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay to progress?

Many of Brazil’s players made multiple transatlantic trips representing club and country during the qualifying campaign. As a result their play seems to be stuck half-way between Europe and South America. In footballing terms this is no bad place to be. Lucio and Maicon, for instance, will no doubt have been helped by the strict tactical discipline of Jose Mourinho, who will have taught them when and how to use their obvious flair when in possession, and how to press opponents whilst keeping the shape when without; raw talent refined by a cultured approach.

In attacking terms Brazil have the advantage of an abundance of technique and creativity, but they are also told to play in a certain way to make the most out it: Short, accurate passes on the deck combined with intelligent movement off the ball. The European teams mentioned above, now a mere footnote in the story of the 2010 World Cup, didn’t seem to have a defined style of play; they were neither patient nor exclusively direct. Unfortunately the ‘mix it up’ philosophy just doesn’t cut it in the knock-out stages of the World Cup.

Spain also play to their technical prowess, and are joint favourites with Brazil for good reason. In my opinion, however, Brazil will win it for three reasons. Firstly Fernando Torres is clearly not at his peak in a physical or a mental sense. David Villa is perhaps the best striker in the world at the moment but he needs Torres to come to life if Spain are to beat Brazil.

Secondly, Brazil as a team and as a nation ooze confidence and feel they have a right to win their sixth World Cup. Would Spanish fans, who have never tasted such a victory, feel comfortable taking massive World Cup replica trophies into tonight’s game with Portugal? Germany showed what confidence can do against a team who lack it, and Spain will feel pressure from a tense nation just as England did. I’m not saying Spain lack confidence, merely that Brazil have more of it.

The third reason is that bond of European brawn and South American beauty. Spain have a physical back-line but their ‘defensive’ midfielders are more creators than destroyers whereas Brazil’s are happy to sit. Italy won the World Cup because of their defence in 2006, and although I never thought it would be this way, I think Brazil will win it in 2010 for the same reason.