Tactical Archive : Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6

Talk about a statement of intent. No one could have predicted the mauling that Manchester United succumbed that day. Complete humiliation in front of their own supporters. By their fierce cross town rivals. It was a day to forget for the Manchester United faithful as they made the journey home to the South.

POSSESSION

Manchester United - 49%
Manchester City - 51%

SHOTS ( ON TARGET / OFF TARGET / BLOCKED )

Manchester United - 4 / 3 / 4
Manchester City - 7 / 8 / 7

PASS ACCURACY

Manchester United - 83%
Manchester City - 86%

OFFSIDES

Manchester United - 1
Manchester City - 1

FOULS

Manchester United - 15
Manchester City - 12

TACKLES

Manchester United - 15
Manchester City - 19











Manchester United 0 Manchester City 1 : Balotelli 1st Goal

Manchester United make the fatal mistake of giving David Silva space in the final third. Smalling is distracted by the Spaniard and doesn't notice Milner pulling off to create space for himself.

Smalling doesn't pressure Milner quickly enough. Ferdinand and Evans fall back, which gives Balotelli a lot of space on the edge of the box. Fletcher and Anderson are nowhere to be seen.

Just look at the United defence shape. And the midfield shape. They deserve to concede the goal.
1-0 to Manchester City





WHO'S TO BLAME : CHRIS SMALLING



Manchester United 0 Manchester City 2 : Balotelli 2nd Goal

Evra switches from marking the most obvious threat, David Silva, to Micah Richards, who is much deeper. But Anderson has a lapse of concentration which allows Silva to move into the space on the right side. Bad defending on Evra's part

Milner loses his marker - Ashley Young - and heads into the direction of Silva, giving him an option.

Anderson is stood still while Milner breaks to the 6 yard box. And Balotelli pulls off of Smalling. 2-0 to Manchester City





WHO'S TO BLAME : ASHLEY YOUNG




Manchester United 0 Manchester City 3 : Aguero Goal

Yaya Toure's midfield splitting pass finds Balotelli who backheels to Milner. Jonny Evans had been sent off on 46' and Manchester United had been forced to make Evra and Smalling tuck in narrower as a 3 CB partner ship, leaving a lot of space for wingers and full backs to roam. Ferdinand commits to the interception and fails. Milner finds Micah Richards, who is allowed upfield due to Jonny Evans' dismissal, in a lot of space on the rigth.

Smalling doesn't know that Aguero running in behind him, because Jones probably has it covered. And there is only one outcome in this situation.









3-0 to Manchester City







WHO'S TO BLAME : JONNY EVANS




Manchester United 1 Manchester City 3 : Fletcher Goal

Rooney finds Fletcher in acres of space in the middle of the final third. Barry moves in to quickly pressurize and close him down.

Hernandez comes in deep to give Fletcher a passing option. Barry makes the oldest mistake in the book and follows the ball instead of the man.

Fletcher unleashes an unexpected right foot shot into the top corner that beats Joe Hart. 3-1 to Manchester City





WHO'S TO BLAME : GARETH BARRY





Manchester United 1 Manchester City 4 : Dzeko 1st Goal

Take a look at the situation. There are 5 defenders in the box, who are up against 3 attackers. Manchester City have no right to score from here. Especially when the defenders are Danny Welbeck, Darren Fletcher, Rio Ferdinand, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, all of whom possess good heading ability. Take a look at what happens next.

Let's examine what went wrong :

1. Barry wins header - Why Danny Welbeck and Darren Fletcher are not able to beat the lumbering midfielder in the air is beyond me.
2. Jones and Smalling - I've seen bad defending in my time, hell, I am an Arsenal fan. But this is something else. I just don't know what the young duo were thinking when the ball came over to the near post. But it was probably, " Don't worry, Danny or Darren have got this ". But that is still no reason to clear out of defence so early.
3. Lescott run - Because Phil and Chris made that defensive error, Ferdinand is left with marking two people, and he opts for Dzeko. Meanwhile, Lescott makes a very intelligent run to the back post.

Ferdinand is frozen on the spot as Dzeko reacts quickly to tap in the goal from Lescott's pull back. De Gea shouldn't have commited himself to pushing the ball away and should have stayed on his feet. The Mancheter United defence is left with egg on their faces. Truly terrible defending. 4-1 to Mancehster City

WHO'S TO BLAME : JONES AND SMALLING

Manchester United 1 Manchester City 5 : Silva Goal

City hit Manchester United on the break and it is a 3v2 situation, Kolarov is bombing down the left to create a problem for Ferdinand and Smalling. Rio makes his move and moves in to close down Dzeko and narrow the passing angle to Silva.

Unfortunately, Dzeko's pass goes through Ferdinand's legs and leaves Silva with a lot of time to make a decision and exploit the space left by Rio. If I was De Gea, I would be charging down Silva and force him to make a split second decision. I know Szczesny would do it.

But De Gea stands his ground. This allows Silva to position himself for the finish, by leaning to the right. A rookie mistake by the young Spainard. 5-1 to Manchester City

WHO'S TO BLAME : DE GEA

Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6 : Dzeko 2nd Goal

A clearance from Lescott is incredibly poorly headed by Smalling straight to David Silva. That second that Smalling has lost to Dzeko will prove costly. Ferdinand has already given up on the game and looks disinterested.

Silva delivers an excellent ball between the CBs to an onrushing Dzeko. Look at the gap between Smalling and Dzeko. To the regular onlooker that is not much. But on the pitch, it seems like miles. No, really.

De Gea, this time, does leave his line, but doesn't commit to narrowing the shooting angle for Dzeko. And he pays for it when Dzeko finishes past his near post. Look at the gap between Edin and Smalling, he has closed the gap, but not enough. And he had 20-25 metres to close it. It is a lifetime on the pitch.

WHO'S TO BLAME : CHRIS SMALLING

Man Of The Match

It has to be the Spanish maestro, David Silva. He delivered, arguably, the best individual performance of the Premier League in that game. 92% pass accuracy, 1 goal, 1 assist, and put in 4 tackles to boot. And he also contributed 2 PBA's ( Pass Before Assist ).

Tactical Archive : Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

A day that will live long in the memory of the Arsenal fan. The day when the Gunners delivered a tactical masterclass to beat their cross city rivals, Chelsea. It was a near perfect performance. But apart from Ivanovic's header from the usual trusty set piece, Arsenal dominated the game.

POSSESSION

Arsenal - 61%
Chelsea - 39%

SHOTS ( ON TARGET/ OFF TARGET/ BLOCKED)

Arsenal - 6 / 2 / 2
Chelsea - 1 / 7 / 4

PASS ACCURACY

Arsenal - 86%
Chelsea - 79%

OFFSIDES

Arsenal - 5
Chelsea - 7

FOULS

Arsenal - 13
Chelsea - 17

TACKLES

Arsenal - 29
Chelsea - 32


Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0 : Alex Song goal

Ancelotti has obviously taken extreme action into ousting the threat of an inform Nasri, so intense pressure is used. Unfortunately, Essien was draw far out of position on the left side. Fabregas has already seen Song behind him and makes a false run across Mikel which pushes the midfielder even further back, given Song a lot of space in the middle.

Alex Song now has a lot of time and space to make a decision. He has three options :

1. He could play in Fabregas with a first time pass. But chances are Terry would sweep up the ball as he already sees the Spaniard coming alongside him.
2. He could play the ball out to Wilshere and draw out Lampard and take him out of the defence leaving a 4 v 3 situation.
3. Or he could embark on a Messi-esque slamom past the defence and put the ball past Cech.

Wilshere makes a chipped pass to Fabregas which makes Ferreira commit to the challenge. He fouls Fabregas and would have conceded a penalty had Song not hit the ball past Cech already with his weaker left foot. 1-0 to the Arsenal

Arsenal 2 Chelsea 0 : Fabregas goal

Laurent Koscielny's midfield splitting pass finds Van Persie. Chelsea's narrow centre back formation leaves a large gap between the CB and the fullback. Essien gets draw into the battle. Big mistake. Theo Walcott has seen that Essien will make a challenge and has already made the run in behind Cole.

Fabregas reacts fastest and goes forward to give Walcott another option. Just look at the space behind the two centre backs. And Cole is on the back foot. Walcott had one option : To stroke the ball past Cech which would have proved very difficult. But since Cesc ran up to support him, he can now draw Cech from goal and lay the ball to Fabregas who would put the ball into an empty net.

Ivanovic doesn't recover in time. Cech does get drawn out. But Walcott takes up the option made by Fabregas and passes the ball across for the Spaniard to finish into an empty net. 2-0 to Arsenal

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 0 : Walcott goal

This is what makes Busquets, Iniesta, and Xavi the best midfielder in the world. Before Terry passed the ball, the Spanish trio would have already known their next move. They would have already analysed the situation around them and would have made a split second decision. Malouda, with his bad spatial awarness, doesn't know that Walcott is closely behind him, ready to intercept. Cole has already drifted out wide to widen the game and has left a huge space between him and Terry.

Had Cole been deeper, he could have tucked in and followed Walcott's run. Terry is forced to commit and Fabregas just chips the ball over him as the makes a block tackle. Walcott sprints through and makes an awesome finish into the bottom left corner past Cech. 3-0 to Arsenal

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1 : Ivanovic goal

Simple really. Rifled free kick from Drogba. Koscielny keeps the defenders onside. Fabianski comes out of goal. Ivanovic nods it beyond him. 3-1 to Arsenal

Neutralising the full back threat

Arsenal have been at the mercy from flying wingback, Ashley Cole, in recent games, and Arsene Wenger found a way to omit the threat. He assigned Theo Walcott to track Cole's runs when Sagna was dragged out of position infield. Thus neutralising the threat from Cole.

Man Of The Match

For me, the man of the match is either Alex Song or Cesc Fabregas, the midfield duo were outstanding on the night. Both scored goals, tracked back to defend, broke up attacks, and started some of their own.

Is Santi Cazorla Worth £16 Million?

One transfer that's status is closely approaching inevitable is the saga of Santi Cazorla to Arsenal. The Llanera-born midfielder was bought back from Recreativo de Huelva to Villarreal for a fee of £700,000. He impressed for the Yellow Submarine in his first season, so much so that Real Madrid wanted him. He established himself as one of La Liga's most exciting players in the coming seasons, and he was rewarded with his first Spanish cap in 2008. His virtuoso performances made Villarreal a real force in Spain and also in Europe through their endeavours in the Champions League. Malaga, after a major cash injection from another Qatari, picked him up for £18 million in the 2011 transfer window. Surprisingly, Villarreal were relegated that year. Could this have been down to Cazorla's departure? Santi master minded Malaga to a 4th place finish, qualifying them for the Champions League next season. But controversy arose. Unpaid wages has put a dark cloud over the club and now Malaga has suddenly found themselves up for sale. Players are looking to leave Los Boqueneros and Santi Cazorla looks set to lead the exile. The fee reported for the purchase of the playmaker is between £15 and £18 million. But Is He Worth It?

Goals


Santi Cazorla hit 9 goals last season

Assists


Santi Cazorla made 5 assist last season

Key Passes


Santi Cazorla made 84 key passes last term

Successful Dribbles


Santi Cazorla made 49 dribbles last term

Dispossessed


Santi Cazorla was robbed of possession 92 times last season

Turnovers


Santi Cazorla gave away possession 57 times last season

Tackles


Santi Cazorla made 82 tackles last season.

Interceptions


Santi Cazorla made 99 interceptions last term

Long Balls


Santi Cazorla made 281 successful long balls out of an attempted 350


Whoscored Season Rating : 7.6


So, in conclusion

• Key Passes - With better forwards at Arsenal, Santi's key passes can be converted and increase his assist number
• Ball Retention - His ball retention is poor, needs to seriously improve for the Premier League
• Defensive Contribution - Excellent contribution defensively
• Goals - With 8 of them coming from free kicks, Arsenal will now have a set piece specialist in their ranks

Another trait to note is his versatility.

Position : Average rating

CDM - 7.33

MC - 7.68

AMR - 7.86

AMC - 7.98

AML - 7.3

MR - 7.75

This is very important asset to have. If injury strikes in the engine room, Arsenal will have a back up for each position in Santi Cazorla.

So, is he worth it? In my opinion, as an apparently utterly biased Arsenal fan, is that Cazorla is worth more than just £16 million. He was the best player in La Liga last season who wasn't playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona, the big two. His rating of 7.6 earned him a place in the La Liga Team Of The Year, and finished in 4th place in the Player Of The Year, behind Xavi, Ronaldo and  Messi. Should Arsenal snap him up for the reported price, they have bagged themselves a real coup.

NEXT UP : IS LUKAS PODOLSKI WORTH £11 MILLION

Chelsea FC : The Bitter Truth

Take a long hard look at this team. Examine each player closely. Examine the formation. Take in everything you see in this picture. Now take a look at this picture :

Now look me in the eye and tell me that Chelsea can win the Premier League.

It's amazing. It's simply amazing. It's amazing how Chelsea suddenly think they are this global superpower because they fluked the Champions League. The addition of Eden Hazard and Oscar can now suddenly propel the Blues to the Premier League title. Well, let's not get carried away.

Eden Hazard is a very good player, no question. But one very good player isn't the difference between 6th and 1st. One overpriced and overrated midfielder is not going to bring the Premier League to West London. Just look at Manchester City. They needed Samir Nasri, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli to lift the league title. And they only edged it on goal difference to an ever outstanding Manchester United. Now look at Chelsea. Eden Hazard and Oscar. Don't make me laugh.

So who is this Oscar kid anyway? Well, in his last full season for Internacional, he hit 10 goals and 8 assists in 31 appearances. And Chelsea decided that the kid was good enough to splash out £25 million on. I repeat, £25 million. That's right, more than Nasri, Silva, Tevez and Toure when they were brought to the green side of Manchester. Sorry, the blue side of Manchester.

Watching him against Team GB in the warm up game for the Olympics, I couldn't see what made him so highly rated. So I decided to watch him against Egypt in an attempt to muster any kind of consolation praise for the young Brazilian, and once again I wasn't impressed. He did grab 2 assists to his name so i'll commend him for that, but.....

0 : 05 - His touches are very slow and he needlessly gives away possession

0 : 15 - Very poor final ball and relieves pressure on the Egyptian defence

0 : 17 - Poor touch as the ball moves away from him

0 : 55 - Bad decision and gives away possession, again

0 : 58 - Defensive contribution good as he supports team mate, Rafael

1 : 04 - But again dallies on the ball and gives away possession

2 : 35 - Good ball to release Marcelo

2 : 41 - Terrible cross to end the attacking move and allow the Egyptian defence to reorganise themselves

So, dispossessed 3 times, turns over possession 2 times, and this was, apparently, his best performance in a Brazil shirt.

So he hit 10 goals and 8 assists domestically. The Brazilian league isn't renown for it's water tight Alcatraz defences. Had he repeated his feats in Serie A, then I would applaud him. To be really worth something in Brazil, you have to destroy the league. Neymar, in 186 appearances, has scored 110 goals and has provided 37 assists. Neymar is worth the hype. Now take a look at Oscar and repent your sin of overrating him.

To win silverware, you need goals. So, where are these goals going to come from exactly? Fernando Torres? Seriously? Torres had Xavi, Iniesta and David Silva supplying him, and all he could muster was 3 goals. What good would having Mata, Hazard and Oscar do for him? He hit 8 goals in 37 appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League and FA Cup, so he's hardly showing any signs of improving. Darren Bent missed half the season through injury and still scored 9 goals for a lacklustre Aston Villa side. If I was Roberto Di Matteo, I would cut my losses and sell him for anything between £5 and £10 million.

So, what will Chelsea achieve this season? I predict the usual FA Cup win, a competition that has been a formality for the Blues since 2007, as they've won it 4 times since. A 4th place finish seems to be on the cards, with Arsenal stealing 3rd place ahead of them. But this could change. Andre Villas-Boas' Tottenham could spring a surprise and finish ahead of the Blues. Should Tottenham trust the Portuguese and allow him to make changes around the club, then Tottenham will be a force to reckoned with next season.

Is Shinji Kagawa Worth £17 Million?

Bought from J-League side, Cerezo Osaka, Kagawa arrived in Dortmund with a goal scoring pedigree. In his 127 games for the Japanese team, he scored 57 goals for midfield, with a average of 0.45 goals per game. His debut season for Die Borrusens saw him help the club to the Bundesliga crown, breaking the dominace of Bayern Munich. He scored 12 goals in 28 games as the attacking quartet of Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Kuba and Lucas Barrios destroyed the league. His next season saw Shinji rise in importance as the club lost two key players - Nuri Sahin joined Real Madrid in a £8 million deal and Mario Gotze was ruled out for most of the season due to a hip injury. Kagawa stepped up to the plate and didn't disappoint as he led Dortmund to their second successive league title. It was now obvious that Kagawa wouldn't be spending 2012/13 with Die Borrusens. Sir Alex Ferguson picked him up for a fee reported around £17 million. Question is : Is He Worth It?

Goals


Shinji Kagawa scored 13 goals for Dortmund last season

Assists


Shinji Kagawa assisted his team mates 8 times last season

Key Passes


Shinji Kagawa made 55 key passes last term.

Successful Dribbles


Shinji Kagawa made 61 successful dribbles last season

Dispossessed


Shinji Kagawa was robbed of possession 67 times last season

Turnovers


Shinji Kagawa gave away possession 53 times last season

Tackles


Shinji Kagawa made 37 times last season

Interceptions


Shinji Kagawa made 17 interceptions last season

So, in conclusion

• Goal Scoring - 13 goals from midfield is an excellent number
• Assists - 8 assists in CAM is a respectable number
• Defensive contribution - His 1.2 tackles per game average is good enough
• Ball retention - Gives away possession way to easily, needs to improve that number

But, is he worth it? For £17 million, I would take him to my team. His creativity and imagination will give Manchester United a new edge to their game as they finally have a trequartista to fashion chances for his team mates and take some for himself.

NEXT UP : IS LUKAS PODOLSKI WORTH £11 MILLION?

Is Olivier Giroud Worth £9.6 Million?

4 years ago, Giroud was plying his trade at Tours, in Ligue 2. 4 years later, Giroud rejects a move to Chelsea in favour of a move to Arsenal. So what happened?

In his debut season for Tours, he hit 14 goals and got 3 assists, but Tours failed to achieve promotion to Ligue 1. It was the 2009/10 season where Olivier made a name for himself. He scored 24 goals and got 7 assists, and was crowned Ligue 2 Player Of The Year. His performances earned himself a move to Ligue 1 club, Montpellier. He, once again, scored 14 goals and provided 3 assists in his first season. And, once again, it was his second season that put Giroud on the shortlist of many managers around Europe. He fired Montpellier to a surprising league win, beating off the challenge big spending PSG. And finished the season with 25 goals and 9 assists. So it came to no one's surprise when he was linked with a move away from Stade de la Mosson. Arsenal, however, beat off the attentions of Chelsea and PSG to sign him up for a fee of £9.6 million. Question is : Is He Worth It?

The French powerhouse was brought in to replace Arsenal's talisman, Robin Van Persie, so let's compare them as well.

Goals


Olivier Giroud topped the scoring charts with 21 goals.

Robin Van Persie topped the scoring charts with 30 goals

Assists


Olivier Giroud provided 9 goals for his team mates.

Robin Van Persie provided 9 goals for his team mates.

Hidden Stats :


Key Passes


Olivier Giroud made 47 key passes last season

Robin Van Persie made 92 key passes last season

Shots


Olivier Giroud hit 161 shots last season

Robin Van Persie hit 174 shots last season

Dispossessed


Olivier Giroud was robbed of possession 48 times last season

Robin Van Persie was robbed of possession 90 times last season

Turnovers


Olivier Giroud gave away possession 109 times last season

Robin Van Persie gave away possession 55 times

Aerial Duels


Olivier Giroud won 132 aerial duels out of 188 last season

Robin Van Persie won 28 aerial duels out of 95 last season

Offsides


Olivier Giroud was caught offside 45 times last season

Robin Van Persie was caught offside 44 times last season

So, in conclusion

• Aerially Dominant - Won a lot of aerial duels last season, perfect for the Premier League
• Ball Retention - Doesn't get dispossessed as much as Van Persie, but gives away possession frequently
• Efficiency - Olivier made 47 key passes, while Van Persie made 92. Yet they both finished on 9 assists

I think that Giroud does live up to his price tag, in fact, I think that it should be around the £13 million mark. He can offer Arsenal a lot. For example, against Swansea in our 3-2 loss, we were being constantly harried in possession and were outnumbered in the middle of the park. With Giroud up top, it would have given us another outlet. A lobbed ball from defence to Giroud would have been a perfect option, his strength and aerial abilty would allow him to hold up the ball and bring others into play. Chelsea have been doing it for years. For Olivier Giroud, read Didier Drogba. We finally have something that we have been craving since the departure of Emmanuel Adebayor, a Plan B.

Post your verdict in the comment section below!!

Is Thiago Silva Worth £33 Million?

Joining AC Milan in an £8 million deal from Fluminese in 2008, Thiago Silva was instantly involved in first team affairs, partnering Alessandro Nesta in the heart of the defence. He impressed for the Rossoneri and in the following seasons, was courted by a selection of Europe's top clubs. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United were all interested in bring the Brazilian to their club. He could tackle. He could head. He was fast. He was one of the best defenders in the world. So it came as a surprise when French club, Paris Saint Germain, stumped up 42 million euros to secure his services. But the question is : Is He Worth It?

Tackles


Thiago Silva made 34 tackles last season.

Interceptions


Thiago Silva made 91 interceptions last season.

Fouls


Thiago Silva made 20 fouls last season.

Aerials Won


Thiago Silva won 44 out of his 56 aerial duels.

Turnovers


Thiago Silva gave away possession 3 times last season.

In conclusion,

• Great Intelligence - Making 91 interceptions is an excellent feat
• Aerial Dominance - Winning 44 duels out of 56 is very good
• Low Tackle Rate - Only 34 tackles made
• Ball Retention - Giving away possession only 3 times in a season is a good and bad thing
• Good - Not needlessly giving away possession
• Bad - Not starting attacks himself

In my opinion, I think Thiago should be valued around the £18 million mark. If Belgian powerhouse, Thomas Vermaelen, was brought in from Ajax for only £10 million, then £18 million seems fair. Lescott was £24 million, but that's Manchester City we're talking about. Sheik Mansour inflates prices just to assert his authority in the transfer market. But enough of that.

Post your verdict in the comment section below!!