Another Boring Win But Yet Exciting Elsewhere In Serie A

Bologna vs Inter at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara always reminds me of the match on the second week of the 1997-98 season, an exciting thriller that ended 4-2 in Inter's favour. The match on Tuesday was anything but a thriller. Inter had possession, Bologna had possession but both teams hardly created much of note. Ivan Perisic was getting into good positions on the wing due to his pace but he was putting in bad crosses that created no danger at all for Bologna's defence. He had a great opportunity to give Inter the lead but he headed wide when it seem easier to score. It was evidently not his day. The closest Bologna came to scoring in the first half was through a mazy dribble from Alex Ferrari who beat a few players only to have his shot blocked.

In the first half, it had seemed that if he is not careful, Geoffrey Kondogbia would get sent off for collecting 2 yellow cards as a result of his repeated fouls but in the second half, it was his midfield partner, Felipe Melo who was sent off for collecting 2 yellow cards in 7 minutes. Inter reacted by playing better and scored the only goal of the game when Marcelo Brozovic's pass was not cut out by a Bologna defender and it went through to Adem Ljajic who set up his captain, Mauro Icardi for a simple tap in. There was no real danger to Inter's goal despite being down to 10 minutes until the last minute of the match, in injury time when a former product of Inter's youth set-up, Mattia Destro found himself in acres of space yards away from goal, volleyed at goal only to be denied by a splendid save by Samir Handanovic.

Once again, it was far from fluent Inter going forward but rock solid at the back and hard to penetrate. Ljajic made his first start and was the most vibrant and dangerous Inter attacker. Being objective, Icardi is a striker that thrives on supply. He is not a player that can create chances on his own like Ronaldo or Adriano did in the past. He is most dangerous in the box when chances are created for him. He is not in the same mould as Christian Vieri, Hernan Crespo or Diego Milito who could do something even with half a chance or out of nothing at all. A player that I feel is similar to Icardi would be Giampaolo Pazzini, another striker that relied a lot on the service he got to score. Pazzini, being an Italian was sold after a poor season while Icardi at the moment is the Inter captain and has kept his place in the starting line up so far. The Inter captain is struggling to score because Inter as a whole has struggled to create chances as an attacking outlet going forward. This is an area that Roberto Mancini has to fix and find the solution to because at the moment, Inter is relying on scrappy goals, mistakes and great goals to score.

Melo's sending off comes as no surprise to me as he has shown himself to be more interested in kicking his opponents than playing the ball. I still don't understand what Mancini sees in Melo. I can understand what he brings in terms of personality and character but in terms of his quality as a player, he is by no means like Claude Makelele, Patrick Viera, Roy Keane, Gennaro Gattuso or our very own club legend, Esteban Cambiasso. If he has been signed for the reason of injecting some personality and character into the team, then I feel Mancini should keep him as part of the squad and not as a starter as Gary Medel has superior quality as a defensive central midfielder. Medel is less prone to kicking his opponents as he reads the game well but yet isn't afraid to put himself about if he needs to.

This season, Serie A has been refreshing and interesting as there are more teams capable of winning the title. Teams have taken advantage of Juventus' struggles this season. It is refreshing to see an actual contest that could hopefully go down to the last day of the season instead of witnessing one side being the ultra dominant force, running away with the title. Juventus deserves credit for winning the last 4 Scudetti and for the unrelentless pace and high level of consistency set by them from the start to finish. The chasing pack in those seasons deserve criticism for not being consistent enough and being incapable of sustaining the intensity and pace to match Juventus. They deserve the criticism for bottling it. In my opinion, Napoli are flying at the moment, playing very good football and scoring lots of goals. They have never been goal shy but the difference is that I feel Maurizio Sarri is doing a good job to keep them grounded and added some steel into the team as well as getting the team to enjoy themselves on the pitch which is something they evidently did not do last season under Rafa Benitez. Roma, have started well in Italy but their struggles in Europe leaves some doubt in my mind on their ability to sustain their leadership. I feel Roma is missing some solidity in defence and are perhaps lacking in their ability to cope with pressure and seeing out games. They have done pretty well in Italy but got to improve in Europe. Their performances in Europe have had no effect on their form in Italy so far so let's see how they do as the season unfolds.

Fiorentina have played good football but seem to have something missing in their side. They have been punished lately for not finishing chances and have conceded goals on the counter attack to lose games. You can say they might not have the rub of the green in their favour but you could also argue that they have not actually created their own luck and have only themselves to blame. They are only a couple of points off the top so they are still in with a shout but they got to start finishing better while being mindful and solid in defence. Mancini has built an Inter team that bullies and is physical. It is not attractive but the solidity at the back has helped keep clean sheets and eke out points. It is far from the complete or finished Inter side as it is a team with a lot of newcomers over the summer. This Inter team is a team that has not fully gel yet. I can only hope as a fan, that Inter will play better in the near future because it has been boring to watch so far. I find it odd that Mancini would build a team to be physical when he was an attacker that had creativity and skill as a player. He played for teams that played good football and yet is building a team that relies on its physique and defensive strength. Perhaps his earlier experiences of not winning while playing good football has shaped his ideology to be as such today.

I will not discount Juventus just yet but it will require an almighty collapse from the leading pack as well as great powers of recovery from Juventus to win their fifth Scudetti in a row. Overall, I hope we witness an exciting Serie A title race that is won by the team that plays the best football.

Tactical Draw

In my analysis of the Manchester derby, I had noted that Manchester United entered the derby with a squad that was more stable on paper and had more options available to them compared to Manchester City. United were only missing Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair while City were missing Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy (maybe someone else too but I have forgotten the name of the player or if indeed they had one or two more absentees). I knew for certain David De Gea, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney would start. There could be changes in the other positions. It would be between Matteo Darmian and Antonio Valencia at right back, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind at left back, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick in centre midfield, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata on the right wing and Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini as the attacking midfielder. I felt only at right wing was it about 80-90% certain that Mata would start. For the other positions, it was more 50-50 in terms of selection. In the end, Valencia was selected at right back, Rojo at left back, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger in centre midfield, Mata as expected on the right wing and Herrera as attacking midfielder.

I was delighted that especially Aguero was missing as he has been a thorn in the sight of United fans since he joined City. He almost always finds the net against United. Silva would also be a big miss as I rate him higher than Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne. Going into the derby, I knew City had quality but I felt this match would be their first real test of squad depth. They had trashed Bournemouth at home the previous Saturday but with all due respect, the newly promoted side has struggled this season and it was no surprise. City then beat Sevilla in the Champions League but had to struggle for it. If that much space was afforded to De Bruyne, he would certainly make no mistake to score the winner. Sterling was easily handled by United and especially Valencia last season in both matches against Liverpool so it was wise to start with the Ecuadorian. Moreover, Darmian had a nightmare against Arsenal so that counted against the Italian. I had watched De Bruyne in some matches last season for Wolfsburg. He is good but not good enough for the price that City had to pay to sign him. I felt he was over-rated. Wilfried Bony, who was standing in for Aguero, is a different type of player and this would be the first big and real test for him. He did well at Swansea City but replicating that form for City is a different matter after all this is not the City of old, this is the new mega bucks City with much higher expectations and ambitions.

I had thought that Louis Van Gaal might try and replicate the same strategy that he used last season to get a resounding win against City at Old Trafford which would mean the inclusion of Blind at left back and Fellaini supporting Rooney but that was not to be. Van Gaal chose to pick based on form. Since he has taken charge, Van Gaal has not shown much tendency in changing his starting selection as long as it is doing well and they stay injury or suspension-free which is a contrast to Sir Alex who would save players for certain matches and rotate to use players with characteristics best suited to take on certain opponents. Different managers, different methods. As long as we win, all is well haha.

On to the match then, from the start, it was tight, tense and cautious. There was an air of fear, the fear of losing, the fear of making a mistake. No-one wanted to lose. In the first half, City had 4 attempts on goal and I can't even remember one. The only one I remembered was a scuffed effort from Yaya Toure. They had more corners too and had the taller, physically bigger players to cause more of a threat but none of the corners caused much of a threat. Sterling was well-shackled by Valencia and De Bruyne likewise by Rojo. City found it tough to cope with Martial who had to be fouled to be taken down. United had 0 attempts on goal and 0 shots on goal, the latter is similar of City. It was irritating to see Mata and Schweinsteiger choosing to needle a ball through instead of going for goal from range when in space. Take a shot! It could go over, go wide, hit the post, hit the bar, it might go into the back of the net cleanly or via a deflection, the keeper might fumble it, the keeper might tip it out for a corner or at the very least the keeper would save it but at least take a shot!

It was even stevens in the first half. Some would argue that United shaded it while others felt that City shaded it. I felt it was even with neither side dominating and both defences on top. Neither Joe Hart nor David De Gea were troubled and who had thought of that at the start of the match. United started the second half better and had greater supremacy in the game but once again failed to capitalise on it. They hardly created anything of note and hardly threatened Hart in goal. Chris Smalling came close with a header that went agonisingly wide, Schneiderlin threw himself at it but failed to connect. There were calls for a penalty as well when Herrera was fouled by Sterling but the referee awarded a corner. It did look to me like it was a penalty. Lingard who came on as a substitute produced a magnificient volley with the ball dropped over his shoulder by Martial but his effort crashed against the crossbar. Smalling then had a snap shot that was palmed wide by Hart. These were the only chances created. At the other end, the closest City got to scoring was when Nicolas Otamendi was just about blocked out by Rooney as he came close to meeting a free kick by Aleksandar Kolarov. It was fair to say that United dominated the second half but didn't take enough shots at goal or create enough chances to score and win.

Van Gaal may argue that Smalling should have taken at least one of the chances that came his way but those were created through set pieces not through open play. The first one was far from a free header and the second one he had to take it quickly. Maybe the only criticism would be that he should have hit the second chance harder. Lingard's was something that was created out of nothing. In the end it was 0-0 draw, a bore draw for neutrals but an irritating one for United. Both defences came out on top. It was doubly annoying because City were there for the taking but United didn't take the chance. Any victory against a foe or hated rival is worth many times more.

What we witnessed yesterday was the other side of Van Gaal's methodical football. It frustrates and annoys when victory is not achieved especially in a match like the one yesterday when we knew United could have won it if they had pushed harder and sustained the pressure for longer. To be fair, perhaps in the later parts of the match, the players were getting tired as most of them had played in Moscow in midweek. Just like it was in Moscow, United hardly created much in the first half and got better in the second half and again when in supremacy, they can't sustain the pressure long enough to score more than one goal. In yesterday's case, they couldn't even get a goal. It was also irritating to see players looking to try and thread a beautiful pass through instead of taking the risk and going for goal themselves. It's things like this that leads a man or woman to pull his or her hair and go mental. There were instances in the second half where good crosses were put in but except for Rooney there was no-one else in the box. No-one was making a late run into the box, no-one was anticipating for the cross to come to them. Contrast that to the late run made by Herrera to score United's second against Everton last Saturday. More of the latter please!

I felt the choice of substitutions was wrong as well. Of course, if Lingard had scored and United had won, it would be heralded as a great substitution. If he had scored, maybe he would have played with greater confidence but the truth was he didn't make much of an impact. I am not Van Gaal or a qualified coach for that matter but if I may give my 2 cents worth as a fan, I would have brought on Fellaini earlier when we were in the ascendancy in place of Herrera not Schweinsteiger. Get him to play closer to the goal, be a handful for City's defenders to allow Rooney and Martial more space to operate in. Keep Mata on to deliver crosses for Fellaini. It worked last season, it could have worked again yesterday. Schweinsteiger can't last 90 minutes anymore so I would have brought Carrick on later. One bad game doesn't make Carrick into a poor player. Another option would be to bring on Memphis for Herrera, put him on the left and push Martial to play on the shoulders of City's defenders. Get Rooney to drop deep to play the ball in for Martial or Memphis from the left. That's just my 2 cents worth though. I can't say for sure if those changes were made, we would have won but you never know.

In my opinion, I felt Rojo was our Man Of The Match. He didn't put a foot or head wrong throughout the match. He was solid in his defending and proved my opinion of De Bruyne right. He even faced up to Toure and won the battle in one instance. The partnership of Smalling-Jones is blossoming and long may it continue (touchwood!). With their respective injury records, it would be wise of Van Gaal to rest one or both against Middlesbrough in the League Cup. Valencia had a great game at right back too. He kept Sterling quiet and was a threat going forward but unfortunately picked up an injury which should present a chance for Darmian to get back in the first team. Martial was our greatest threat going forward but I feel the players around him were hanging out too much. No-one was making off the ball runs into space to pull the opposition defenders apart for him to play them through or to create space for him to go for goal himself.

Van Gaal declared his satisfaction with United's display. In terms of effort, commitment and defensive display, I would agree with him but in terms of creating chances I wouldn't agree with him. As fans, we have to accept that United now play a methodical style of football which is perhaps better suited to European games and could serve us better in Europe. When we win in England, things are fine but this style can frustrate when we drop points because when the team starts playing with greater intensity and pace, it shows what they are capable of and what could have been possible, if only they played like that from the start or throughout the match. I do wonder in those times, what it would be like if Ryan Giggs was in-charge instead, but then again no-one has seen the future and there is no guarantee that Giggs would do as well as he did as a player. Not every ex-player or club legend will turn out to be like Pep Guardiola. It can be frustrating but keep calm and keep getting behind the team. Next we have got a home cup tie against Middlesbrough. In the last match against Ipswich Town, Van Gaal fielded a strong line-up. I hope Van Gaal would rotate his team against Middlesbrough but keep it strong enough to win and go through to the next round.

Irritating Draw

I was quite surprised that Louis Van Gaal had spoken about being contented with a point gained from Manchester United's 3rd Champions League group match against CSKA Moscow. I would have preferred all 3 to secure qualification early and hopefully top spot too in the group. This week and the match against CSKA was a test for the new United after a season without Champions League or any European football for that matter. It was a tough test as the journey from Manchester to Moscow was far and the weather conditions quite different to what the players would normally experience in England. Another challenge faced was the focus and concentration that was required of the team on this match and not to be distracted by the next one, which is a big game against Manchester City in the Manchester derby.

I was interested to see from the start on the squad Van Gaal would field and thankfully he did rotate a bit from Saturday's win over Everton but I was surprised he retained the midfield pairing of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin instead of rotating one with Michael Carrick. United started the match pretty well, holding on to good possession but it just didn't click for United in the final third as passes were misplaced or the United players were dispossessed or tackled well by CSKA Moscow. The home side on one of their first attacks forward then got a penalty for a silly handball by Anthony Martial (he's only human and developing as a youngster). David De Gea did well to save the penalty but United's defenders were too slow to respond to the second ball and that allowed CSKA to take the lead through Seydou Doumbia. United then lost a bit of composure as the passes got more erratic and they were not making any headway at all going forward. United didn't threaten at all in the first half. A lot of possession was kept but it was going nowhere but sideways and backwards.

In the second half, Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellaini and I had thought that United would immediately look to put in more crosses and lump long balls at Fellaini but it didn't quite happen. Slowly, United built a head of steam to increase the pressure and intensity of play and got the deserved equaliser through Martial with a diving header. United had a decent opportunity before the goal through Wayne Rooney but he headed straight at Igor Akinfeev. After the equaliser, United had the upper hand but didn't press hard and long enough to get a second goal. They tried but it wasn't enough. I am sure they could have done more but they didn't. I have noticed that in some matches when United have had to come back from a goal down (especially last season), they tend to struggle to get a second after getting the equaliser and fail to capitalise on the superiority and momentum they had build leading to the equaliser. This is an aspect the team has to improve to convert losses into draws and draws into wins.

Thankfully, Van Gaal did acknowledge that he was unhappy that United were passing too slowly in the first half. They did better in the second half but I feel they can do better. Rooney had a subdued game for his standard. He did decently but we expect more from him and we know he is capable of more. Martial was well marked by CSKA's Mario Fernandes and that was the first time since he was signed that I noticed someone shackle him so well but credit to him for not letting his head drop after conceding the penalty to go on and then score the equaliser. Herrera didn't have the same impact that he did in the match against Everton but did better in the second half. The result left me feeling irritated because I just feel they played within themselves and could have done more to score more.

Now that CSKA is out of the way, we can all focus on the Manchester derby. Although both sides played on the same day, it must be noted that City played at home while United travelled far to play in testing conditions for their Champions League match. Another test for the new United awaits now. I would be interested to see how Van Gaal lines up on Sunday and how he prepares the team as they overcome the fatigue of travel and match day. United had a great result last season against City at Old Trafford and I hope for more of the same but would even settle for a 1-0 win. Good luck to the Red Devils! I hope it all goes well for us.

Draw Derby

The latest edition of the Derby D'Italia took place last Sunday on the 18th of October 2015. Inter entered the match as favourites due to a better start to the season compared to their fierce rivals. However, realistically, with the quality that Juventus possess as well as the fact that in derbies, the form book goes out of the window, I found it tough to feel comfortable with the favourites tag attached to Inter. I also found it odd that at such an early stage of the season, the media and pundits were billing this tie as a must-win tie for Juventus and a defeat would mean an end to their Scudetto hopes. It's only the 8th league match of the season not the 36th or 37th.

The choreography from the Inter fans was fantastic and commendable. It caught the eye of Inter players that had newly joined the club and I was very impressed by it. Inter had a good first half but sat back too much in the 2nd half to have any meaningful impact going forward. Overall, it was a fair result with a half dominated by either side. In the aftermath of the match, Cesare Prandelli had said that both teams played with the fear of losing. I feel Juventus were probably more fearful to lose than Inter. In Inter's case, it was just another game of a team finding its feet with the plethora of changes in personnel in the summer.

I would commend Roberto Mancini for dropping Geoffrey Kondogbia who has been underwhelming so far, a fact recognised by his national team manager Didier Deschamps who dropped him for the latest round of France's international matches. Marcelo Brozovic played in his place and came close to scoring with a great effort that was tipped onto the bar by Gianluigi Buffon. However, I don't feel Brozovic had a great impact on the match to do his chances any good. With the partnership of Joao Miranda and Jeison Murillo reunited, Mancini fielded Gary Medel in midfield alongside Felipe Melo and Brozovic. In my opinion, there should be space for only one defensive midfielder in the 4-3-3 formation that Mancini used and that midfielder should be Medel as he is a much better player than Melo is (or ever will be). Stevan Jovetic had a great game but unfortunately the players around him were either too defensive minded or didn't have the desired impact. I was very impressed and pleased with Jovetic's performance.

Ivan Perisic didn't do much and I was very impressed by how he was marshalled by the older and slower Andrea Barzagli. Barzagli not only dealt with the threat of Perisic but he pushed forward to support the attack in the second half. The lesser said about Mauro Icardi the better. If you have read my past posts, you would know by now that I don't rate him highly as a person or a player. Put this into perspective, he was the Serie A top scorer last season but didn't make it into the Argentina squad for the Copa America over the summer even I do have to admit that Argentina is presently blessed with riches up front. He still couldn't make it into Argentina's latest squad despite Lionel Messi's unavailability. Perhaps, Argentina are making a moral decision not to call him up but hey, at least someone has the balls to be morally right. It is embarrassing that Inter have not only kept him at the club with a new contract, they have even made him the club captain!

Adem Ljajic was dropped completely from the squad and I wonder why. He seems to be trouble from the time Inter signed him and something doesn't seem right between him and Mancini. On Inter's performance, I was pleased with Jovetic's contribution and creativity. At least someone is providing some creativity in the team. I am waiting for Perisic to start performing because with him and Jovetic in full flow (and maybe Ljajic if he can sort things out), Inter could become exciting to watch again. One defensive midfielder should be dropped between Melo and Medel (Melo! Please drop him!) unless Mancini plays with a 4-2-3-1 (even then Melo shouldn't start!). In a 4-2-3-1, I feel Kondogbia should start as the one of the 2 alongside Medel and could be very beneficial as the box-to-box midfielder breaking up attacks in his own half and going forward to support the attack in the opponents' half. I was surprised to see Juan Jesus start in place of Alex Telles and Jesus did very well defensively.

To be fair, I feel Inter is playing better now than they did early in the season when they were winning matches but logically, it will take time for the team to gel and play better. Let's see what Inter are capable of achieving as the season transpires. Next would be a trip to Palermo. It is a tricky match because no-one knows what to expect from them and they seem to do better when they play against bigger clubs.

Great Response,Good Performance

Heading into last Saturday's clash against Everton, Louis Van Gaal called for a reaction after the capitulation against Arsenal before the international break. You got a feeling from the pre-match press conference that Van Gaal was simmering over the 2 weeks break and the players were perhaps fortunate to be away from facing the wrath of their manager. Everton away at Goodison Park  is always a tough ground to visit and Manchester United has lost there in their last 3 visits. Therefore, it made for a really tough test of the Red Devils' character and credentials as potential title winners. 

Pre-kickoff, news broke through of the sudden demise of Everton's most successful and arguably greatest ever manager, Howard Kendall. Kendall, who had also played for the club, was 69 years old when he passed on. I read on social media that some United fans felt that it was the wrong time to play against Everton as the sad news might act as an extra motivator for Everton. I felt it could be true or it might have a negative effect and totally subdue Everton as it did when United commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Ultimately though, what matters the most is the performance of the teams on the pitch on the day of the match. 

The pre-game one minute of applause was very respectfully observed by both set of fans and players. On the match itself, there was a marked change in attitude in the way the United players applied themselves as compared to their previous match. There was greater desire, determination and aggression shown. United dominated the match and won deservedly 3-0. Possession was well kept as expected of the new United under Van Gaal. There were a lot of good individual performances on the pitch as well. Daley Blind, who has done decently as a centre back was dropped and it was good to have a defender who has height, pace and strength in Phil Jones back. Jones still has the tendency to get injured in the way he plays the game. It is much appreciated by fans of the typical English-style blood and thunder game but he has to wisen up in the way he plays to avoid lengthy spells injured or suspended. He had a bloodied nose during the game but thankfully it wasn't serious enough to end his participation in the game. Jones would also need to improve his reading of the game which is an area that I feel Blind is strong in.

Marcos Rojo probably played his best match as a left back since he joined United. I feel he has been better as a centre back since he joined United but on Saturday he played well. It bodes well for the future if he can keep the level of his performances consistent and further improve on it (there were times he was caught out napping). He laid in a brilliant cross for Ander Herrera to get United's second goal and that is something we have not seen too often from United. Herrera, was deservedly the Man Of The Match for scoring one and assisting one. He was busy all throughout the match. He has the knack of finding pockets of space to operate in and cause havoc as well as popping up in the area to score. If he continues in this vein consistently, we could have found our answer to Paul Scholes. Wayne Rooney finally got his first league goal and did much better than in recent games. He held up the ball well, he didn't waste possession too much and scored one. He could have scored another but was too unselfish to lay it on for Anthony Martial.

Martial started on the left and got more dangerous on the wing as the match wore on. He tormented Seamus Coleman with his dribbles. It is this directness and skill that we have been missing from Memphis who was rightly dropped. Jesse Lingard came on at the start of the second half and didn't look out of place at all which is good to see and it is always good to see a product of the youth academy progressing to play in the first team. I don't feel Lingard did his chances any harm at all. Back to the defence, David De Gea dealt with whatever that was thrown at him which could be understated in this match but nevertheless always crucial but the star was Chris Smalling who kept a physically bigger player in Romelu Lukaku in his pocket throughout the game.

Oh yes Schneiderlin scored his first goal for United and it was well taken although some would argue that Rooney fouled Steven Naismith in the build up to it. It was also nice to see that the Everton fans did not jeer or whistle at Rooney and Maraoune Fellaini who came on in the second half.

It was a very good win and response to the bad defeat suffered at The Emirates. It is especially satisfying to have won against a team we have been unable to beat at their home for the last 3 seasons. I expect critics and pundits to say at the end of such displays and results that this is the new way United play, it got them a result today, they deserved to win, Van Gaal has proven to be successful with this style of football elsewhere, bla, bla, bla but I do know that the moment we lose a game or drop points, they will get into United and bring up comparisons with the United of old and massacre United. As for United fans, United didn't get relegated losing to Arsenal in our last league match and they didn't just win the league from beating Everton on Saturday. There is still a long way to go in the season, please retain some sanity, rationality and balance. Any team can lose and no team can win forever. No team has a legacy that lasts forever either. Be patient and support the team. Next, we have got a trip to Moscow to play against CSKA Moscow before welcoming Manchester City in the first derby of the season.

It is important not to get ahead of ourselves and look ahead to the Manchester City game and in the process treat the CSKA Moscow game as a formality. There are important points to be won in Moscow and we need the 3 points. Qualification to the knockout stage of the tournament has not been settled yet. We still need to earn the right to qualify. I just hope that Van Gaal rotates a little more than just the central midfielders against CSKA so that there is some freshness for the match against City. The team that played against Everton deserves to start against CSKA but in modern football, rotation is key to manage your resources well and obtain maximum results in different competitions. On to Moscow then.......

Best Italian Players Of My Time

A friend of mine triggered this thought in my head. Who would feature as the Top 3 Italian players that I have seen of all-time? Since it's the international weekend, there is no better and more appropriate time than now to delve into this topic. I find it tough to name just 3 so I have decided to choose to best player in each position; Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder and Forward.

In goal, I have chosen Gianluigi Buffon because of his longevity, quality, professionalism and effort shown throughout the years. The older he has got, the better he has become just like wine and even at the age of 37, the determination, passion and effort he puts in is still so much better than anyone 10 years younger than him. He is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment and he is still playing at a top-level for a top club in Italy and Europe. What I like about him is that he is gracious in defeat, a great sportsman and a great leader. He is the record holder of international caps for the national team and rightly the captain for club and country. He could have had more caps if he wasn't unlucky with an injury before Euro 2000. Gianluca Pagliuca, who is a legend at the club I support, Inter comes in second. He was a great goalkeeper and had good tournaments in 1994 and 1998 and is probably the most good-looking goalkeeper I have ever seen. He could probably model on the side in games when the ball hardly came into his half. He was great at stopping penalties and saved one in the 1994 World Cup Final penalty shootout. A close second to Buffon. Post-1994, he lost his place as the first choice national team goalkeeper to Angelo Peruzzi who was a beast of a man but did very well, when he was promoted to first choice just before World Cup 1998 due to an injury to Peruzzi. I was naturally delighted for Pagliuca as an Inter fan. I might sound biased but Francesco Toldo, another legend at Inter, has to be third for the remarkable impact he had for Italy in Euro 2000. He stepped up as first choice goalkeeper in Euro 2000 after an injury to Buffon and he did spectacularly well especially in the semi-final against co-hosts, the Netherlands. If it wasn't for him (luck and a solid dogged defensive display), Italy would have lost that semi-final. Toldo was a reserve in the 1998 World Cup, 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 squads but he was one of the heroes of Italy's unexpected run to the final of Euro 2000.

In defence, I would plump for Paolo Maldini. Maldini was a great servant for both club and country. He was the former holder of the most international caps for Italy before he was overtaken by Fabio Cannavaro and then Gianluigi Buffon recently. What I liked about him was that he was a classy defender who read the game well, was good in the air and fast on the ground. He was like the perfect defender and an example for all rising defenders. When the penny finally dropped that I should play as a defender, I used Maldini as an example. It was extremely tough to get the better of him and it was rare to see any attacker get the better of him. He did as well playing as a marauding left back as he did in the centre of defence. He was a leader and a great sportsman. It's just sad and unfortunate that despite all the success he tasted at club level, he wasn't able to savour any success at the international level. I never quite managed to watch Franco Baresi at international level as he was injured a lot during the time. I saw a lot of Giuseppe Bergomi at club level but only saw him play at the 1998 World Cup where he did well as expected as the most experienced Italian defender in the squad. Fabio Cannavaro, was another great defender. He was a great leader, had a great leap despite being short for a defender and had lots of pace when he was younger but got exposed against speedy attackers in his later years. He is the last Italian player to have won the Ballon d'Or. Cannavaro was the blood and thunder defender and dovetailed very well with Alessandro Nesta who was another great defender. Nesta, was another great leader, read the game well, was quick across the ground, good in the air but unfortunately was unlucky with injuries. Alessandro Costacurta and Gianluca Zambrotta were other defenders that are worth a mention for their service in the Azzurri jersey. A honorary mention for Antonio Benarrivo (1994 World Cup), Fabio Grosso (2006 World Cup) and Marco Materazzi (2006 World Cup) for at least having one good tournament.

In midfield, I have gone for an obvious choice, Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo is the master passer. He controls the pace of the game from midfield and is the classiest Italian midfielder I have ever seen. He reads the game well and let's the ball do all the work. He might not seem like the most industrious sort but in each game, the number of kilometers he covers is surprising. At the moment, he is seems to be at the stage of passing on the baton to younger players like Marco Verratti as he is used sparingly by Antonio Conte for the national team. Besides his passing prowess, he is a master at set-pieces and can easily weigh in with goals from distance and is deadly from free-kicks. A midfielder that I felt came close was Demetrio Albertini. Albertini was the creative force and leader of the Italian midfield in the 90s and early 00s. Pirlo was his successor at AC Milan and at international level. Other midfielders worth a mention would be midfielders that are tiggerish and industrious Gennaro Gattuso, Dino Baggio, Luigi Di Biagio, Daniele De Rossi as well as wingers like Roberto Donadoni, Nicola Berti and Simone Perrotta. A honorary mention for Stefano Fiore for a great Euro 2000 as the trequartista.

Finally, it shouldn't come as a surprise for my choice as the Best Italian Forward Of My Time, the majestic Roberto Baggio. He is the last Italian forward to have won the prestigious FIFA World Player Of The Year and Ballon d'Or and is the joint leading Italian goalscorer in the World Cup. He is one of the greatest Number 10s and players of all time. He scored great goals, simple goals, created goals and brought a lot of joy to a generation of supporters of the Italian national team. He almost always delivered in the major tournaments for Italy, as an upcoming talent in World Cup 1990, as the star of the team in World Cup 1994 and as the experienced understudy in World Cup 1998. Unfortunately for Baggio and a generation of talented players from the 90s, he could not win any silverware with the national team and another unfortunate episode attached to Baggio would be the penalty miss in the 1994 World Cup Final to seal the win for Brazil. The impact Baggio had on the national team has not been replicated since. Christian Vieri comes close and is the joint-leading Italian goalscorer in the World Cup with Baggio. He exploded onto the scene in the 1998 World Cup and then carried it on as one of Italy's star strikers in the 2002 World Cup but injuries and lack of form saw him miss out on the 2006 World Cup. Injury caused Vieri to miss out on Euro 2000 too and by the time Euro 2004 came around, his form was on the downturn. Francesco Totti comes after him having one great tournament in Euro 2000 but then struggled to cope with the pressure of being Italy's star player in the 2002 World Cup (getting sent off in Italy's controversial defeat to South Korea) and then in Euro 2004 where he lasted only one match after he was suspended for spitting at an opponent. He had minimal impact in Italy's triumphant 2006 World Cup campaign but was lucky enough to have become a World Champion with his most notable contribution being the penalty conversion against Australia in the second round. Filippo Inzaghi deserves a mention for a good Euro 2000 and Luca Toni for 2006 World Cup. Alessandro Del Piero would get some mention as well. His biggest contribution would be an equaliser against Mexico in the 2002 World Cup to save Italy from an early group exit and the final goal in the 2006 World Cup semi final against Germany. Honorary mention for Antonio Cassano for a good Euro 2004 and Euro 2012 as well as Mario Balotelli for a good Euro 2012.

The players I have selected, Buffon, Maldini, Pirlo and Baggio are all well-loved and respected by their peers and fans of all clubs in Italy regardless of who they support.

Inter WLD

Following on from my post yesterday on Manchester United, this is my review on Internazionale Milano. 

Inter played Hellas Verona and won 1-0 to stay top with 5 wins out of 5 matches. A perfect record and a new club record. It sounds pleasant but the football has been anything but pleasant. The Inter camp were pretty bullish about the football played with a devil may care attitude. Who cares about entertaining, good football as long as we win. That's what they say but it grated at me because I know Inter can't go on playing like that and getting away with it. Things got to change before Inter are caught out.

Next for Inter was an early top-of-the-table clash against Fiorentina. Inter's next big test after the Milan derby. I didn't watch the match as it wasn't shown "live" in Malaysia. I wasn't surprised to know that Inter lost but I was rather surprised at the scoreline. I would say it was coming as Inter have been getting away with it from the start of the season.

I can't comment on the football played as I didn't watch the match but based on what I have read, Fiorentina deserved the win as they played better. In a strange way, I was happy because good football prevailed and I hope it serves as a lesson to Roberto Mancini and his coaching staff that they got to play better if they are to win matches and trophies. Victories can be eked out when the going gets tough and it's not exactly your day, that is a sign of a champion team. You can get lucky in some matches but you can't eke out results every single game and get lucky all the time.

Finally last weekend, I managed to catch Inter play against Sampdoria away at the Luigi Ferraris stadium after missing the last 2 matches. From the start, Inter were on the backfoot and Sampdoria hit Inter with rapid counter-attacks. Inter lacked the ability to retain possession and the guile or pace to create chances at the start. Slowly, Inter grew into the match and got better but Sampdoria continued to create better chances. Sampdoria had an incredible miss in the first half through Joaquin Correa who somehow put his shot wide in front of a gaping goal. Inter had a good chance too when Fredy Guarin lacked the awareness around him to rush an acrobatic volley over when in acres of space, yards away from goal.

Sampdoria then took a deserved lead on another of their rapid counter-attacks through Luis Muriel who had already fired one effort wide before scoring minutes later. Inter to their credit got a deserved equaliser after huffing and puffing for the most of the second half. There was no better person to score than Ivan Perisic who was arguably Inter's best player. He put in a great shift and I was particularly impressed by the effort and commitment shown to track back and break up attacks. Overall, I feel it was a deserved result and if anything, Inter were more likely to grab the winner the longer the match went. It was probably as good as I have seen Inter play all season but with lots of room for improvement. 

Adem Ljajic had a good cameo appearance but I have read that he was punished for lack of effort in training which is why he only got 5 minutes against Sampdoria. For a player that has a bit of a reputation of a troublemaker with a contentious past, that doesn't bode well in the dressing room especially if it's not dealt well internally. 

After the international break, Inter face Juventus and it doesn't come bigger than that. More than performance, a victory is needed in this one. It would be a bonus if victory is achieved with a good performance. Mancini would have to take stock of the internationals coming back from international duty before making plans to face Juventus.

Final word on Mancini, I love the style of football he employed early in his first stint at Inter before resorting to a more physical approach in his later years to win the Scudetto which to be honest was not hard to achieve when your rivals are severely weakened due to the Calciopoli sanctions. I would want him to return to that style of football with steel added to the side to avoid conceding so many goals. Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible as Mancini has the belief that football and trophies can be won through a physical approach. 

In the larger scheme of things, I don't mind if any team outside of Juventus or AC Milan win the Scudetto as long as they achieve it with good football. I wouldn't even begrudge Juventus or Milan if they can win the Scudetto with good football. I genuinely believe a team that plays attacking football with intensity and tactical flexibility can win the Scudetto. The league needs a revolution like that to make others sit up, take notice and follow suit.  

I Am Back...WWWL

It has been some time since my last post. I was away for my cousin's wedding two weekends ago and I am preparing for my engagement this Saturday (perfect timing as its the international weekend). 

Since my last post, Manchester United have beaten Ipswich Town to qualify for the 4th Round of the League Cup. I didn't watch the match as it wasn't shown "live" here in Singapore but I heard Andreas Pereira was the pick of the bunch. I was surprised to see a strong line-up selected by Louis Van Gaal. Pereira became the first player this season to score directly from a free-kick. 

United then had a home game against Sunderland in the league and I caught that match amidst the wedding festivities in my cousin's place in Seremban. First half United were irritating. They kept misplacing passes in the final third and got crosses wrong. Lee Cattermole was a thorn in our sight, breaking up play very well. He was also aided by passes going straight to him. United got the first goal through the first good move of the half which came in stoppage time of the first half. Memphis opened the scoring and it was a crucial goal. Had United not scored that, it would have got tensed the longer the score stayed at 0-0. The first goal settled some nerves and allowed us to play comfortably to win 3-0 and go top for the first time in a long time. It was nice to see us top of the table after so long but I know there's a long way to go in the season.

United were then in Champions League action. Champions League was back in the Theatre Of Dreams but United got off a dismal start, torn apart so easily in defence to allow Wolfsburg to score and take the lead. United to their credit, kept their composure and grew into the game. They got a deserved equaliser from the penalty spot through Juan Mata who then set up Chris Smalling for the winning goal in the second half with a sublime flick. Smalling deserves praise as well for the finish which would be something a striker would be proud of let alone a centre back. United then stopped playing and invited Wolfsburg to attack causing some unnecessary stress and nail-biting moments for the fans but United held on to record our first Champions League of the season. 

Finally, last night, the big match against Arsenal. Encounters against Arsenal have lost its intensity since Arsenal stop seriously challenging for the title and stop winning titles. I personally don't feel the intensity and threat from Arsenal as I did years ago when Arsenal challenged us seriously for the title. Moreover, United have had an upper hand over them in recent years and that has just added to the confidence when facing Arsenal. The tension and fear of losing this match was gone. I wasn't over-confident though because I know Arsenal remain a strong team and can beat us if we don't perform. I remember as well that we were lucky to beat them last season at the Emirates.

United had a nightmare start. It was game over in the first 20 minutes. Anything Arsenal touched turned to gold. Any shot on target was a goal. United started the game too slowly. It was almost like the players forgot to come out and play. They were still in the changing room. United had started slowly against Southampton but rode their luck to come back into the game. They did the same against Wolfsburg. This time, they were hit hard by a whirlwind.

At kickoff I understood the rationale behind starting with Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger in centre midfield and I still don't have any criticism to play them both together. What United lacked was the intensity to match Arsenal and compactness in its shape. Arsenal were given too much room to operate and almost do as they please. United were second in every duel. They lost every battle and were embarrassingly out-classed on the day. There was a better response from United in the last 15 minutes of the first half and in the second half but that could also be because Arsenal took their foot off the pedal a little bit. If Anthony Martial's effort before half-time had gone in, things might turn out differently. Football is made up of episodes. That miss just proved that it's not our day. The day belonged to Arsenal and credit to them for the way they played and managed the game.

It is probably a good wake up call for United because they can't go on chasing leads and starting slowly in matches. Eventually it catches up with you like it did yesterday. In England, matches are played at high speed and starting slow or playing slowly catches you out. The play and start to matches has to be faster.

Van Gaal has to learn to rotate the side more between playing in England and Europe. He has only rotated the central midfield pairing constantly during the season. The rest, more or less, remain the same. He has to find a permanent solution for the long-term absence of Luke Shaw at left back. Everyone had a poor game with the exception of Martial or substitutes Maraoune Fellaini, Antonio Valencia and James Wilson (in a short cameo appearance). Matteo Darmian had his worst game since he joined United. How much of that was down to fatigue? I am not sure. Alexis Sanchez is a tough player to face for any defender on any day and Darmian faced him when he was on fire while Darmian was bamboozled and running on close to empty in the fuel tank.

Wayne Rooney's disappointing form continues. It is particularly disappointing that he seems to have lost the aggression and intensity he had when he was younger. I had expected him to rush back into defence to help out, belted someone and had a go at his team-mates to wake them up. The writing was on the wall from kickoff or at least from the first goal conceded but yet he hardly responded.

I am also disappointed with Carrick and Schweinsteiger who were expected to be leaders on the pitch with all their experience. They should have dictated everyone around them to stay compact at the start to counter Arsenal's explosive start before keeping possession and launching attacks. Chris Smalling could have seen everything in front of him and he should have dictated everyone in front of him to stay compact too. He should have pulled players into position and shouted his lungs out to wake players up.  

It was a very disappointing performance. However, United weren't champions last week and are not relegated this week. The manager, coaching staff and players got to learn from this lesson and move on quickly. Unfortunately there's an international weekend upon us and we can only hope the international players in the team come back without injuries and with renewed confidence. There's not much time to dwell on the disappointment. Next is a tough one away to Everton at Goodison Park where we have lost in the past 3 seasons.