Category Uncategorized

Cast your minds back to 11th August 2012, a day in our golden summer of sport at the Olympic Games; a day when arguably one of the most significant gold medals was claimed, as Mexico defeated Brazil at Wembley in the Men’s Football Olympic Final.

Oribe Peralta scored both goals for “El Tri”; with first coming after just 28 seconds, as Brazil were defeated 2-1 to land the country its first-ever Olympic football medal.

To most of the watching world and to 80,000 people inside the stadium, the result would have come as a surprise; but delve a little deeper and it becomes quite obvious that this victory had been on the horizon for some time, seven years to be precise.

An article in World Soccer revealed that in 2005, after winning the World Under-17 World Cup, the Mexican FA created a Sports Development committee, who enforced a ruling that all of the country’s top-flight clubs would have to field a player under the age of 20- years-and-11 months for a minimum of 45 minutes per-game across the season.

Two youth tournaments also copied the country’s league structure; and each match in the first division would be preceded by two matches involving the Under-17 and Under-20 teams of those respective clubs.

This in turn, forced clubs to invest heavily in their own youth academies, with a professional scouting system implemented at each team in the top two divisions.

Their success since 2005 has shown how the approach can work; Mexico have won the World Under-17 Cup twice, the Pan American Games (Under-23), the Olympics (Under-23) and finished third at the World Under-20 Cup, whilst winning a host of invitation tournaments around the globe.

Additionally, all of Mexico’s coaches work with each other and feed into one structure; for instance, when the under-17s finished their World Cup campaign, their coach became assistant to the Under-20 coach, who then worked alongside the Under-23 coach.

So can a similar structure work here in England? The element of a supposed synergy taking place in Mexico is being somewhat replicated here, with the opening of St George’s Park in Burton-on-Trent.

All of England’s 24 teams from the juniors to the men’s senior side will be based at the centre; which could allow for easier talent identification between the age groups.

One of the centre’s main aims is produce players who are ready to break into Premier League first-teams by the age of 18 or 19, as Sir Trevor Brooking highlighted.

But this is where similarities between the two countries end.

England could not replicate a similar system here due to the countless conflicts of interest which come to the fore every time the topic of youth development is discussed.

The Premier League has enforced the Elite Player Performance Plan, where essentially the biggest clubs receive the most talented young players for smaller fees.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Many argue the FA should be in charge of how players are recruited and brought through the ranks of club football, but delegating their responsibilities to the Premier League means that developing a transparent youth development policy with everyone on board is almost impossible.

The FA and Premier League sadly have different vested interests; and unlike Mexico, one must be sceptical as to whether youth development in this country is more focused on developing the Premier League as a product, rather than enhancing the quality of our national team.

Meanwhile in Mexico, despite the power lying with the country’s FA, the real decisions are made by the owners of the country’s biggest clubs, who also own the large media companies such as, Televisa and TV Azteca. Their success is dependent on results on the pitch and the national team doing well, something which is not quite so obvious on this side of the Atlantic.

You can follow me on twitter at: @JamesHilsum

Tottenham fans are absolutely loving the latest transfer links, after Gazzetta dello Sport claimed they will rival Arsenal for the signature of Dries Mertens.

Tottenham fans are desperate for their club to sign some superstars to join the impressive young core Mauricio Pochettino has built, and Napoli forward Dries Mertens could be the perfect starting point.

The Electric Belgian could pretty much play in any of the three positions behind Harry Kane in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1, and would also provide the much needed cover for Kane himself, having spent lots of time as a central striker over the last two seasons.

[ad_pod ]

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via talkSPORT), the 31 year-old is available for just £24.5m due to a clause in his contract.

Some fans may have reservations about spending that much on a 31 year-old, but Mertens is exactly the type of immediate star that Pochettino is so desperate for.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The speedy Belgian has 21 goals and nine assists in all competitions this season, after hitting his prime last season when he grabbed a remarkable 28 league goals in his first full season playing as a striker.

Tottenham fans are praying they can beat Arsenal to his signature, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

To say David Moyes has had an instrumental impact on West Ham’s season would be a bit of an understatement. From his twelve Premier League fixtures in charge, the Irons have taken seven more points, scored seven more goals and conceded five goals less than they managed in their eleven games under Slaven Bilic at the start of the season. But more than mere statistics, the biggest positive is how the quality of football has vastly improved at both ends of the pitch – largely because Moyes is getting the absolute best out of West Ham’s most talented players.

And with no duo does that ring truer than Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini, West Ham’s biggest offensive and biggest creative threats respectively. Under Bilic, the pair found just one assist and not a single Premier League goal between them from a combined 13 outings. From their 22 with Moyes at the helm, on the other hand, they’ve netted eight times and laid on the same number of assists.

With Andy Carroll absent through injury, Arnautovic and Lanzini found themselves directly combining to great effect as a front two against Huddersfield on Saturday, in a performance that goes down as West Ham’s deadliest and most convincing yet during Moyes’ tutelage. Albeit capitalising on some criminal defending from David Wagner’s side, the Austrian and the Argentine bagged three goals and two assists, while taking five shots at goal, creating six chances and completing a whopping eight dribbles.

It was a fine counter-attacking performance from Arnautovic and Lanzini, but also one that highlighted the drastic improvements West Ham’s playing personnel have made since Moyes took charge. Back in October, Arnautovic was being lamented as the biggest flop of the season and Lanzini was struggling to produce consistently; now they’re arguably the most frightening double-act in the bottom half.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

I haven’t read Alex Ferguson’s new book. Obviously. I don’t know what has been written about Wayne Rooney and the whole transfer saga of a few years ago, though I can probably guess.

Instead, I’ll take my time. The football world’s anticipation for this book has been equal to that of the Harry Potter releases. Imagine if Twitter had been around to ruin those books for everyone in the manner than Twitter has thrown out some of the juiciest parts of this book. What was the point in Paul Hayward helping Ferguson to pen 500 pages if Twitter and the newspapers were just going to reveal the most interesting stories?

Anyway, that’s not the point. The question is whether Ferguson’s revelations will throw a spanner – yes, another one – into the current Manchester United machine, which is already puffing and weezing a quarter of the way through the season. I highly doubt it.

As I mentioned, I don’t know what’s in the book because I haven’t read it yet. Instead, kings, dragons and backstabbing family members are higher up on my agenda. But as I also mentioned, I can probably take an educated guess as to the content of the Rooney chapter. Moreover, both David Moyes and Rooney, obviously, will be well aware of the situation. It’s not really news to them in the way it is to the public.

[ad_pod id=’tui’ align=’center’]

Moyes has his problems at United – those are well known. We’ve discussed them countless times, from the disinterest in Shinji Kagawa, the failure to do anything right in the transfer market, and the point of Marouane Fellaini’s signing. United are currently in eighth position in the league, a quarter of the way through the season. You could say the league table has taken reasonable shape, so from that point of view, United’s position is a little worrying.

But I don’t think the contents of a book is going to make things that much more difficult for Moyes. In fact, at some stages of the season so far, Rooney has looked United’s best attacker, though that isn’t really saying much. We all sort of know that Rooney isn’t 100 per cent happy at United, just like we know Luis Suarez will probably upend a table and make for the exit door if Florentino Perez slides over a napkin with his number on it. We don’t need a book to change the landscape of the current season.

The interest and anticipation for Ferguson’s book is justified because it’s revealing and entertaining. Entertaining – that’s the most important part. We’re not looking to it because it may play a part in the relegation of United; just like other football books, we’ll read it because it lifts the curtain on a world we as the audience rarely, if ever see.

Whatever position United find themselves in at the end of the season it will be due to the performance of David Moyes as manager. Nothing else.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Will Ferguson’s book have an impact on United this season?

Join the debate below

[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”grid”]

Sir Alex Ferguson has praised the performance of 18-year-old Nick Powell, after the midfielder scored on his Premier League debut in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Wigan, The Oldham Evening Chronicle reports.

Powell came on as a second-half substitute for Ryan Giggs and scored the Reds Devils’ final goal with a long-range strike from outside the area.

Ferguson was keen to highlight the maturity of Powell and how his attributes will help the team progress in years to come.

“Nick Powell is going to be a really good player. He has a great temperament. He has two feet and is quick. He is a great striker of the ball. For an 18–year–old boy it has been a terrific day,” said Ferguson

Alexander Buttner also scored on his debut for the club after Javier Hernandez’s second and Paul Scholes’ opener.

Scholes netted on his 700th Manchester United appearance, causing Sir Alex to wax lyrical about the midfielder’s qualities.

“That is what we always remember about Paul, the way he ghosts into the penalty box.

“Now he has scored on his 100th, 300th, 400th, 500th and 700th appearances. It is fantastic,” Ferguson added.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The match at Old Trafford was full of milestones as it was the Scotsman’s 500th home League game in charge, while Rio Ferdinand made his 400th appearance and Ryan Giggs played in his 600th Premier League game.

Tottenham have struggled to find capable backups for Harry Kane since the Englishman’s emergence on the scene and the story of Fernando Llorente is just the latest example.The 24-cap Spanish international has enjoyed an impressive career and had something of a mini-revivial under the dimmer lights of the Liberty Stadium but there was little to suggest that he was the man to deputise for Kane.Despite that, Mauricio Pochettino splashed out for the Spaniard on deadline day in the summer, snatching him from under the noses of Chelsea.Kane will always be top dog at Spurs for as long as he’s there, so finding someone to play second fiddle but also perform when called upon is a tough ask for Pochettino.We’ve taken a closer look at the passionate responses to the prospect that the Spaniard may well leave North London after just one season under Pochettino’s watch…

[ad_pod ]

Safe to say, general opinions of Jordan Henderson on Merseyside have taken a downturn over the last few seasons, but particularly since Jurgen Klopp began to transform him into Liverpool’s anchor man.

The England international was never amongst the most riveting of footballers anyway, but the defensive midfield role has simplified his game to a glaringly monotonous level – one that has lead many Liverpool fans to ask what he actually contributes to the team, at least while on the pitch.

The overriding justification for Henderson’s continued presence, though, is the fact Liverpool’s only true out-and-out holding midfielder left for Lazio in the summer – ever-underrated Brazilian Lucas Leiva – rendering the Liverpool skipper the best-fitting square peg for a round hole. However, that’s not completely true – something shown by the 5-0 win over Swansea City on Boxing Day.

With Henderson injured, Emre Can took up defensive duties at the base of midfield and although Swansea offered incredibly little in terms of attacking verve, it was the German international who snuffed out the few advances they made on the break while keeping things tidy in possession.

Indeed, Can finished up with the most tackles of any player on the pitch, six, while winning two aerial duels, recording two interceptions and making the most touches of any Reds player excepting centre-backs Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan.

It was a calm, calculated and committed performance from the 23-year-old, who Transfermarkt value at £19.8million.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

So, Liverpool fans, who is the best option for the deep-lying role in Liverpool’s midfield? Let us know by voting below…

The modern Premier League is dominated by big money imports and a desire for instant gratification that seems to drive every shortsighted decision. It is for this reason that the story of Danny Welbeck’s career at Manchester United it so heartening. Welbeck was granted first team opportunity after years of toil and hard work at the boyhood club that he has so much affection for. After a series of loan spells and transitional periods for the frontman, 2013/14 marks an important season for the young man who is eager to showcase his abilities.

Danny Welbeck has been a part of the senior team since 2008. A local boy who was picked up at a young age by the extensive United scouting network, he was identified as a prodigious talent from early on. As part of his footballing education he was sent on loan spells to Preston North End and Sunderland. Returning for the 2011/12 season, he appeared invigorated by his experiences elsewhere and was able to notch 12 goals in partnership with Wayne Rooney.

Just as many started to expect great things from the Englishman, 2012/13 marked something of a backward step for the young talent. The capture of Robin Van Persie vastly reduced Welbeck’s opportunities up front with Sir Alex preferring both Rooney and Hernandez as back ups to the Dutchman.  Afforded more opportunity out wide to support the under-performing wingers, Welbeck actually proved his worth as a wide man.

However, Welbeck has come under intense criticism for his meagre goal scoring record. The striker himself admitted he must improve fast in this area; a haul of 2 goals last year in all competitions for a title winning side is a concern. The striker mentioned this in an interview for the Mirror, commenting:

“Overall, there have been improvements to my game and I have been more consistent,”

“But I’ve been playing on the wing, which has inhibited my ability to get into goal-scoring positions.

Herein lies the problem for Welbeck. At 22 he is beginning to enter a stage of his career where he needs to be playing week in week out in his best position. Currently it is difficult to discern exactly where this position is simply because he has previously been played in a range of roles. If Manchester United do not see him as a long term front man, then they should consistently employ him in other areas. He may be apprehensive about playing out wide, but he showed last term that he has a real flair when given the opportunity to run at defenders. A player of Welbeck’s class has to at some point stop being the rotated utility man and move towards nailing down a position of his own.

Danny Welbeck not only represents one of the biggest talents in English football, but in the world game more generally. It has been widely publicised how incompetent we are as a nation in nurturing our talented youngsters. From a purely English point of view, it is important that Welbeck starts to show his true worth soon at United for the sake of our international team. On the continent rising stars are given the opportunity to nail down first team roles, whereas in England we seem averse to offering anything more than a bit part role. Manchester United should have their interests at heart first and foremost; considerations for the national team should be in my view secondary. In the case of Welbeck I think accelerating his development would be to the advantage of both club and country.

Next year is a big one for Danny Welbeck. A new manager could offer him the opportunity to nail down a first team role. Many may argue at 22 this is too much too soon, and that his current role will serve both player and club for the time being. However, across Europe it is commonplace for precocious talent to feature readily at this age and in many cases it has led to them developing a lot earlier. By his early 20’s Messi was playing regularly for Barcelona, and if we are to consider Welbeck a world-class talent then this sort of comparison should be made.

The problem for Welbeck is that his affiliation with United is both a footballing and emotional one. In purely footballing terms he should be playing in his best position week in week out. If United cannot offer this then he should look to move somewhere where he will be given that opportunity.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Next season marks something of a crossroads for the England international.  Will he be able to kick on and develop into a world-class footballer in the coming years? If he can be deployed regularly in his best role, be that wide or up front, then I am convinced United will have one of the best young footballers in Europe at their disposal. Failure to do this and I can only see another potential English talent forced to ply his trade at a club of lesser stature.

Will Danny Welbeck prove his worth next season?

[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”grid”]

“There’s a mirror by Ronaldo’s seat in the Old Trafford dressing room.

In the time I’ve been playing with Ronnie, the one thing I’ve noticed about him is that he can’t walk past his reflection without admiring it, even if we’re about to play a game of football.”

Judging by the words of Wayne Rooney it’s a miracle that some professional footballers manage to squeeze their head through the training room doors.

Elite sportsmen have an uncanny ability to force their confidence off the scales into the realms of arrogance and ignorance. There are a select few who thrive on their surreal levels of self-worth, as evident with Ronaldo but most sadly don’t possess the talent to justify their incessant boasting.

Therefore I have decided to collate the top ten players who could benefit from letting their boots do the talking from time to time.

Click on Mario Balotelli to unveil the top 10

[divider]

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Leeds fans have been seeing the funny side of things after their side lost 2-1 to a Myanmar all stars team on Wednesday afternoon.

It’s been a pretty long season for Leeds fans, and there have been an awful lot more low points than high ones.

Fans were looking forward to a possible playoff push around Christmas, but a string of bad results cost Thomas Christiansen his job, and it’s fair to say the arrival of Paul Heckingbottom didn’t exactly help matters.

Fans were bemused when the post-season trip to Myanmar was announced, on which the squad would play two friendlies against a Myanmar “all stars” team and then the national side.

[ad_pod ]

The first of those friendlies took place in the sizzling heat on Wednesday afternoon, and Leeds fell to a 2-1 defeat to the Myanmar all stars.

Of course, most of the top players are in the national side that Heckingbottom’s side will face on Friday, so the “all stars” team is basically the players from the Myanmar National League who couldn’t make the senior national side.

Samuel Saiz levelled for Leeds from the penalty spot after the hosts had taken an early lead, but a second half penalty won it for the all stars.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Leeds only arrived in Myanmar 24 hours before kick off, and the heat and humidity may have played its part, but nonetheless fans are hilariously bashing their players and manager.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…