Chelsea go through to the FA Cup final with a hard fought 4-2 win over their London rivals and Premier League title chasers Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. The game had everything and was eventually won by a superlative strike from Nemanja Matic. Antonio Conte made five changes to the lineup that featured in a lost cause against Manchester United. Two of them were headline getters when Hazard and Costa were replaced by Willian and Batshuayi. Other changes include Nathan Ake replacing an ill Cahill, Moses for Zouma and Courtois back in between the sticks. On the other hand, Pochettino rested Walker and Davies on the bench which meant 3 at the back for Spurs. Trippier at right wing back and surprisingly Son Heung-Min at the left wing back position. The back three and others get selected themselves in a settled unit. Next, let us take a look at the formation of both the teams and analyse important moments of the game:- The game started with Chelsea pressing the ball higher up the pitch and stopping the passes through midfield from Tottenham. Pretty soon, the first Chelsea goal was scored by Willian through a magical free-kick. But, the build-up to that goal had Spurs’ back three disjointed which resulted in Alderweireld making a challenge just outside the box on Pedro. The above image shows us the build-up of the goal when Chelsea broke from the left-hand side with Spurs’ wingbacks caught higher up the pitch. This forced Alderweireld to go towards Batshuayi on the left wing and Dier was out of position by then as displayed in the image. Once Batshuayi flicked the ball towards Pedro, the Spurs’ back three were in disarray and the Spaniard had a free run on goal. Eventually, Alderweireld made the tackle just outside the box but it became irrelevant when Willian scored from the resulting set-piece. Tottenham reacted well and created chances with crosses from right-hand side. They got a free-kick fairly away from goal to which Chelsea went asleep to allow Kane space outside the box, his shot was blocked by Azpilicueta. The second cross from the resulting corner was headed expertly towards goal by Kane to equalise for Spurs. At that moment, the team wearing white were on top, Chelsea’s pressing wasn’t there, they were just sitting back defending any danger thrown at them. Just before the half-time, Son, who is playing in his least favoured position at left wingback made a clumsy diving challenge on Moses inside the box to hand Chelsea the penalty. We will see his starting position when Moses receive the ball, this is where Pochettino got it wrong by playing an attack-minded player in a critical wide defensive position. The above image clearly shows the wrong starting position from the defender which allowed Moses plenty of space to run into and also invited Kante to play the ball in the box to attract the challenge. The challenge did come and Willian scored the resulting penalty to give Chelsea the lead back. The second Spurs equaliser was a beauty, it had everything for viewers to show how to go in behind a deep line defence and also how to create space in between three central defenders. The above image shows us the build up of that equaliser when Eriksen played a wonderful curving ball in behind the gap between Luiz and Azpilicueta. The good thing with that pass is the third centre-back Ake is out of the game and Alli made a clever run between the other two. Just a good example as to how to find a gap between three centre-backs, isolate two of them and try to run behind.
The game was stretched when Conte brought on his two resources Hazard and Costa which forced Spurs to be more careful of the Chelsea counter-attack while attacking themselves. The third Chelsea goal came from a corner when Hazard freed himself up at the edge of the box and got the knock down to score. It was clumsy from Spurs’ part as they didn’t have any player around Hazard to stop the shot. All in all, a very good cup game which had everything. End to end stuff but Conte’s decisions were spot on and made the telling difference. He exploited the weakness in Spurs backline by deploying pace to start with, then reverted to his tried and tested personnel to win the game. Spurs did well to stay in the game for most parts but Chelsea defended well. In counter-attack situations, Tottenham were too open at times flooding the wingbacks higher up to cause their own downfall. Once Hazard came on, he expertly found spaces in between the lines to cause plenty of problems. This Chelsea win meant Spurs have to go all out chasing the title from their London rivals, they by far have the tougher fixture list but nothing can be said in the Premier League, 4 points is the gap and we are in for a tight finish to this season. mourinho tactical analysis | champions league 1998 final | final champions league 1998| Wimbledon Final 2017
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Club Record signing of 60m pounds: – Chelsea have completed a club record signing of Spanish striker Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. The deal is supposed to be worth about 60m pounds and a term of five years. The defending champions of England have also signed defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko to strengthen their squad. Morata is one player wanted by Conte while he was at Juventus. We all know about the transfer saga behind the striker signing between Manchester United and Chelsea. But, in the end, it has to be said that both the clubs have got their money worth with correct choices. Is Morata the right choice?Now, we should analyse whether Morata will be a hit at Chelsea or not. The former Real Madrid man was predominantly the second choice and mostly started in La Liga games. He scored 22 goals in 47 appearances(start and substitute). It is a good return for a striker who played second fiddle to Benzema throughout. Chelsea had another Spaniard striker Diego Costa until last season end. Morata might not be the one who will hold the ball up and look for runners beyond. He might well just be the player who will look to run at defenders and link up play with likes of Hazard, Pedro and Willian. The Spaniard has a very good in behind run and lethal finishing with both feet and head. Conte has always wanted to work with the player before too and so a move is quite significant for both. As of current Chelsea squad, they already have 4 Spanish players who will make Morata comfortable and so the understanding will be good on the pitch too. Coming to the system Chelsea play, a 3-4-3 formation with high counter-attack speed and defend with deeper lines. The wing-backs go very high in attack and act as wingers. The central midfielders are very narrow in functioning with the front three acting as inside forwards. The striker is the man to link up play with the other forwards and also should have a good finishing capability. The above image shows the expected starting lineup of Chelsea once Hazard gets fit. Bakayoko is another good signing for the Blues who can dominate the midfield with physical dominance and pick good passes. The understanding between Fabregas and Morata will be crucial too, if both Spanish players combine, any defence will find it tough.
In Pedro/Willian and Hazard, Chelsea have good pace and creativity which will be a good foil for the new striker. The only thing which would worry Conte is that Morata isn’t the type of player who will hold defenders in a counter-attacking situation and look for support to arrive. So, the Italian might tweak his system a bit because the Spaniard has pace and trickery to worry any defensive line. Conclusion: –We asked a question at the start as to whether Morata will be a good foil for Chelsea or not. The answer should be yes with the record of the player and current Chelsea squad. Lukaku will no longer be missed at Stamford Bridge and a new Spanish striker might make the best possible impact. mourinho tactical analysis | Transfer News | Transfer report | Transfer Window Struggling To Build Big Partnerships:-This has been a general consensus that limited overs cricket has affected test match batting to some extent. The main attribute to long format batting is creating partnerships for sessions to frustrate bowling attacks. But, if we look at England’s batting performance this summer, there hasn’t been a single partnership which lasted more than a session or two.
The understanding is that likes of Root, Stokes, Bairstow, Ali, etc. are good one-day performers and hence their test batting doesn’t have the patience required. Skipper Root played good innings of 190 in the first test vs South Africa but since then, hasn’t looked too threatening to stay at the crease for long periods. He has scores of 5,78 and 8 in the next three innings. The opening pair of Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings have also failed to click so far. Only one 50+ partnership with Cook getting to a fifty once. Gary Ballance was literally picked to prove himself once again after continued opportunities early on in his career. But, the player hasn’t done much to prove his worth. The main attribute of a number 3 batsman is to rebuild an innings if an early wicket falls, then build a partnership either with an opener or with the number 4. But, to Ballance’s poor show, he hasn’t done any of that. He has scores of 20, 34, 27 and 4 which makes a sorry reading. The middle order of Bairstow, Stokes and Ali look confused with their shot selection. They either try to hit out of pressure which isn’t sensible against a bowling attack as South Africa’s or tend to bog down too much which makes it easier for bowlers to bowl at a particular length. All the three have a fifty to their name in the first test but failed to deliver in the second. Probably not knowing how to handle a tough situation in a test match. The middle and lower middle seem to capitulate very easily lacking partnerships and patience. Few changes might rectify the problem:-Well, Root and England selectors relied on Jennings and Ballance to perform in that number 2 and 3 roles. But, so far the plan has backfired. Both batsmen have no fifties to show and look toothless at times to counter the Proteas bowling attack. A change is required as per current situation. The middle order barring Root also doesn’t seem settled with either of Bairstow or Stokes taking turns to score and not firing in unison. Shaking up this batting lineup has to be done before its too late. According to some reports, skipper Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss are planning to give Mark Stoneman his deserved debut to open the batting with Cook. This will mean Jennings at number three and Ballance down to number five. Jennings at three and Ballance at five will probably be their last chances in the coming two test matches. As of now, the understanding is that Dawson will be left out and Ali will play as a front-line spinning allrounder. Overview:-England’s inconsistency problem has been perennial especially in test match batting. They have to find a stable batting lineup which can bat long and also score big runs. Few test-minded players are needed who think only about five-day cricket. Too many limited-over players will only make batting light. 1.) Tottenham sign McGee from Portsmouth:-Tottenham Hotspur sign keeper Luke McGee from Portsmouth on a three-year deal. The player spent the last season on loan at Peterborough. He was hugely impressive there and won a Player’s Player of the Year award.
2.) Celtic sign Ntcham from City:-Celtic sign Manchester City French midfielder Olivier Ntcham on a four-year contract. He is excited to play for the Scottish champions as they take part in the Champions League qualifiers next week. 3.) Ozil wants to stay at Arsenal:-Mesut Ozil just dropped a clear hint of him wanting to stay at Arsenal. The German is in a contract stalemate at London with him demanding 350k-a-week wage to stay beyond the 12 months left on his current deal. 4.) Palace sign Loftus-Cheek:-Crystal Palace sign Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a loan deal. The player will spend the coming season at Selhurst Park in a bid to get some game time. He becomes Frank de Boer’s first signing of his era. 5.) Atletico sign Vitolo from Sevilla:-Atletico Madrid sign Vitolo from Sevilla but the player won’t join the club due to a transfer ban. He will join the club after 1st of January. Until then, he will be out on a loan at Las Palmas. 6.) Dani Alves sign for PSG:-Dani Alves finally joins a club! The Brazilian fullback joins French giants PSG on a two-year deal. He will wear the No.32 jersey which was worn by his Brazilian compatriot David Luiz. 7.) Perisic’s United move blocked by owners Suning:-Ivan Perisic is keen to join English giants Manchester United and an agreement was reached. But, the Croat is under the new plans of manager Spalletti. The Chinese owners Suning have blocked his move too which means Mourinho might have to look somewhere else for a wide player. 8.) Douglas Costa sign for Juventus:-Juventus confirm the signing of Bayern outcast Douglas Costa. The Brazilian arrives at Turin on a one-year loan deal, with an option to buy as well for the Italians. The club confirms they will pay 6m Euros loan fee and an option to buy for 40m Euros in 2018. 9.) City to step up interest in Walker:-Manchester City will step up the chase for Kyle Walker after missing out on Dani Alves. The English giants were previously confident on securing a deal for Alves for free but now that Brazilian has signed for PSG, they will need to secure another target after releasing Sagna and Zabaleta. Summary of his performance so far:-
One-day cricket:Moeen Ali has been an influential change in the England squad for the past couple of years now. A spinner all-rounder has been a rarity in English cricket, so the Worcester man was a breath of fresh air. He played his first game for England against West Indies in an ODI game back in 2014. To start with, Ali was an opening batsman who bowled his offspinners a bit in the ODI team. He was good early on and got selected in the World Cup 2015 squad as an opening batsman who can bowl a bit. After that tournament, the England team started their reformation, especially in one-day cricket. The 2015 WC didn’t go well and from there on, Ali had a changed role. With Hales and Roy being a settled opening pair, Ali was demoted down to No. 7 and so was required to bowl more overs to survive in the eleven. Since then, he has developed a knack of bowling full quota of overs almost every time and be a handy batsman lower down the order. This changed the balance of the English team just because they could pick four seamers if needed or pick leg-spinner Rashid along with three pacers to balance the bowling attack. Since having a fixed role in the ODI team has helped Ali a lot. He now is focused on his game and not on the selection panel. He is a complete cricketer for England now in shorter forms of the game with an ability to change games while batting or bowling. His amount of 1,194 runs and 47 wickets in 58 matches is good. The economy rate of 5.09 is perfect for an offspinner in the current scenario of one-day cricket. Test cricket:Talking about test cricket, Moeen Ali was nominal to start with against Sri Lanka. His tendency to bowl slower in International games made him easy to pick. The team management then tried fitting him as an opener who is a part-time bowler. It was in 2014 after his debut when Ian Bell suggested Ali to bowl a bit quicker and extract spin to survive in International test cricket. Current ICC umpire Kumar Dharmasena helped the allrounder to learn the art of spin bowling by increasing a bit of pace. All those things paid dividends when India toured England and Ali took 19 wickets in that test series. From there on, the Worcester all-rounder had a fixed role of bowling more overs and batting lower down the order as opening didn’t suit him. His marquee test year as an all-rounder came in 2016 when he scored 1,078 runs and picked 37 wickets in 17 test matches. A good return for a player who is aiming to become a No.1 all-rounder. The question of Ali being a number 1 offspinner for the test team remains. His record as a bowler in Asia hasn’t been that great with 31 wickets from 12 test matches bowling about 368 overs. It is a decent record for an all-rounder but not good if he is to be considered as a number 1 spinner. Summary:-The question of this column was – is Moeen Ali a perfect all-rounder or just a handy team man. We can clearly say he is more than just a handy player in the team. Analysing his performances so far, we can come to the point that he is a perfect all-rounder for this England team but still needs time to take over that No.1 spinner role. Lukaku deal incisive by Jose and United:- Romelu Lukaku will finally join a football club challenging for trophies. In general, it is good for both parties that the player is joining Manchester United. Jose Mourinho’s men really struggled for goals last season, scoring only 54 goals in 38 league games. It is way short of the standard required to challenge for titles and trophies. We all knew beforehand that this summer can be pivotal for United as a club. Some good signings can take this club back to the standards it needs to be. Mourinho is a quality manager who just needs some good players to make a team unbeatable. We can now say by signing a striker like Romelu Lukaku who has a proven Premier League record is a good business. The Belgian has scored 68 goals in 133 appearances between 2013 and 2017 for Everton. A good record for a player who was rejected at Chelsea under the same manager under whom he will play from next season. United can challenge with goals:- We all know United were good last season when it came to conceding fewer goals, giving away only 29 goals in 38 league games with 17 clean sheets. Mourinho is a kind of manager who thrives on building a team which can defend first and then score goals. His reactive style of football is best known when a goal-scoring striker is starting week in week out and scoring regularly. Before going forward, let’s analyse Jose’s previous team which won the Premier League and the system he deployed that time. We take a look at his Chelsea lineup of the 2014-15 season:- Chelsea lineup for 2014-15 season As we can see from the above image, Chelsea lineup that won the 2015 Premier League. We know what Mourinho’s team is all about, strong spine and lethal forward line. A spine in football team consists of a strong defensive pair, a versatile midfielder and a clinical striker. Chelsea had it all that season with Terry and Cahill unbeatable, Fabregas as one of the best central midfielders. His partner Matic being one of those midfielders who breaks everything of the opposition attack. In Costa, Jose had a striker he can rely upon for goals. Hazard and Willian supporting him with pace on wings were just the perfect foil. Now, if we take United’s current squad and try to match with the Chelsea one, we can find few similarities when Lukaku is added. The Belgian is just the kind of striker United have been looking for. Since the departure of Van Persie and Rooney getting less effective, they lacked that lethal edge in front of goal. United expected lineup 2017-18
We can see in the above image that United have all their bases covered to be a title challenging team. Signing Lindelof was another massive step in achieving the goals Mourinho has for the upcoming season. Herrera was terrific last season and if Pogba finds his magical touch, he can play that Fabregas role for Lukaku, who can play that Costa role of the 2014-15 season for his new manager. Mourinho’s system at United:- Jose Mourinho termed his first season as United boss to be the ‘toughest’ season of his career. For sure it was tough, with expectations so high from day one. He never had the players to challenge for the biggest honour. But, one thing he did well was to tighten the defensive side. Building a title-winning team has to have a strong defence, United already have that now. The only missing link was a striker who can score goals and also important goals. With Lukaku in, Jose can embark to his tried and tested system of “reactive play.” The Portuguese has Martial/Lingard/Rashford as wing options who can defend when required and use their pace to trouble the opposition on the counter. Mkhitaryan as No.10 might find his best tough for the Red Devils. Midfield still looks a bit light but if Pogba can raise his game, there is no one who can replace him. Under Sir Alex, United played a 4-4-2 formation with pacy wingers and two strikers. A strong midfielder like Scholes with Carrick to boss the middle. Mourinho’s system might be a bit different with different players but this team can challenge for the title if they play to the potential which is expected. Conclusion:- It is crazy as to how a team dynamic changes if one or two missing links are rectified. United just bought a goal-scoring striker and a solid defender and they are ready to be right up there. For sure, Mourinho does well in his second seasons but having this squad will surely back themselves to do well. Southampton have appointed Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager. The deal is for three-years but unlike previous Saints’ managers, will he be the long-term solution? The question will remain unanswered until the manager makes his team play.
We all know what Southampton do best, hire the best prospect in the game – be it player or manager. Their history of producing some quality players is quite evident. But, to everyone’s notice, hiring high prospect managers have been in their trade too. In the recent past, acquisition of Pochettino and Koeman have given great dividends. Academy Producing Quality Players:-Players like Sadio Mane, Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne are few examples of high-quality players Southampton academy has produced. The unique thing about their club is how they manage to be competitive in a league like Premier League even after losing players every summer. This then brings us to the point of high-quality under-rated managers they hire. Pochettino brought stability to the club before leaving for Tottenham, now we are well aware of his success with Spurs. Next up in the recent list is Ronald Koeman, the former Barcelona player who lifted the club to record 6th position in the league back in 2016. Before these two top managers, Nigel Adkins had brought this team where it should belong – to the Premier League. His work with the Academy was fantastic. Adkins has always been good working with limited resources and he proved it by promoting Southampton back in 2012. Now, we have Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager with a squad of players who are capable of performing to the highest level. Time for Pellegrino to take over:-The Argentine Pellegrino was an Alaves manager before joining the English club. He began his coaching career with an assistant role at Liverpool before managing Valencia, Estudiantes, Independiente and finally Alaves. He has played 13 times for Liverpool back in 2005, so English game is not an alien thing to him. If we analyse Pellegrino’s coaching attributes, flexibility is his main asset. Adjusting his tactics according to the squad available to him might be the thing which is more useful in modern-day football. Alaves had 18 new players last season and every player seemed happy at the end of the season just goes to show he is a good man-manager too. Experience-wise, he doesn’t have too much of them but the fact that he has worked under likes of Rafa Benitez speaks volumes. Playing in England for a year will be added plus point initially to adapt at St. Mary’s. System wise, his main asset of adapting according to the squad will be on display. At times, he played with high fullbacks and defensive centre-backs in Alaves. Sometimes he played with two strikers and three at back to play direct football. Overall, adapting and maximising the potential of a squad is there to be seen. Overall, his success rate at a club like Alaves goes to show he will only get better at Southampton. Another good pick by the Saints management, big clubs will have a close eye on this guy if Southampton have a good next season. If we look back at Southampton’s recent history, it is quite unique. They have basically become the selling club of the Premier League but keep on producing talents on a high level. It remains to be seen whether they can keep their talented squad together when Pellegrino takes over. A good season is on the cards for them, wait and watch! An ageing squad with weak defense:-
If we take an inside look at Barcelona’s squad apart from the front three, they are in trouble. Midfield consisting of ageing Iniesta, inconsistent Rakitic and somewhat better Busquets isn’t the way to go. Their backups Andre Gomes, Arda Turan are just not Barcelona material. Overall midfield, which is considered as team’s spine, is not very good. The Catalans have been poor in defence from the past two years now conceding 86 goals since their treble season back in 2015. They tried to replace Puyol with Mascherano and then Mathieu(age 33) or Umtiti, neither worked. A settled centre-back partner for Pique is a missing link for them. Left back is good when Jordi Alba is fit, otherwise, they struggle to replace him when not available. To add to these issues, replacing Dani Alves at right-back has been a huge problem for the club. Sergi Roberto failed to adapt to that position and ageing Mascherano wouldn’t be the way to go. Former manager Luis Enrique tried to play 3 at the back with Rafinha/Roberto at right wing-back but it wasn’t convincing. Problems are aplenty for new manager Ernesto Valverde to solve. A good transfer window required:- For Barcelona, it is imperative that they spend money on marquee signings and improve the spine of their squad. A good centre-back, a right-back and a commanding number 8 are some primary needs. Pique needs a good partner, right-back has been vacant throughout last season and Iniesta is ageing in midfield. But, surprisingly they have been slow in the transfer market so far. Capturing Deulofeu and Messi extending his stay at Camp Nou has been the only incoming news for the squad so far. Reports suggest Real Betis president confirms that Barcelona are in the race to sign midfielder Dani Ceballos. For the Catalans, it is necessary that they get the deal done for the Spanish U-21 international. Although new manager Valverde has vowed to look at the options he has, there is no doubt that squad rebuilding will require fresh faces. The manager said he’d look at Roberto and out of sight Vidal as options for a right-back and cooled interest in likes of Bellerin, Azpilicueta. This may either act as a confidence booster or backfire if so-called understudies don’t perform. Conclusion:- If we take a hindsight look at this Barcelona squad, they are in trouble if money isn’t spent in the right way this summer. A new manager is in the office which means the club is in some sort of transition. They just have to make sure that this transition period gets converted into winning period before not very long. It is a cliche now that the Catalan squad needs to improve if they have to compete on all fronts next season, simple as that. Good money spent on notable signings:-Everton have so far made good strides in order to challenge for Europe next season. At least the owners are giving their all to the amount of money they’re spending. Davy Klaassen for 23.6m Pounds, Jordan Pickford for 30m Pounds are some notables business done.
Further, if they manage to sign Michael Keane which they will, their transfer spending will touch around 100m Pounds. They also have snapped up Nigerian International striker Henry Onyekuru but the player will immediately go out on loan to Anderlecht for a season. One point that strikes out as an observer is that Lukaku still hasn’t been sold. Obviously, the Belgian won’t play for Toffees anymore but revenue spent so far has been impressive by a team who hasn’t spent much in recent years. Signings are making squad well-balanced:-The first significant signing for Everton was Davy Klaassen from Ajax. Remember, Klaassen was the Ajax skipper who played in the Europa League final against Manchester United on 24th May. So, to attract a player of that importance to another club is something very notable. Obviously, the name attraction of the Dutch manager Ronald Koeman would have been pivotal. Klaassen has played as a central midfielder or a number 8 at Ajax. He can play as an attacking midfielder to further give options to his new club. Everton had Barkley in that sort of role last season but didn’t work out. Maybe a player of a calibre of Klaassen will make that position his own in the coming season. Signing a goalkeeper has been on Everton’s shortlist since the time Tim Howard retired. The American retired in 2016 and the Toffees struggled to replace him thereafter. Neither of Stekelenburg or Robles were able to stamp their first-choice place at Goodison. So, signing Jordan Pickford from Sunderland was a must. The amount of money spent on a young goalkeeper was staggering. 30m Pounds on a player who was probably the best of the lot in a relegated Sunderland team is a bit surprising but England U-21 international has high potential. This also showed how desperate Koeman and Everton were to get a deal done for an upgrade goalkeeper. A long-term solution was also playing on the minds. Snapping up Keane would be icing on the cake:-Everton are clear favourites to sign Michael Keane from Burnley. A signing worth 25m Pounds is expected to materialise in coming few days. This would be a huge statement just because a club like Manchester United were also after this player. This just amplifies the potential of the England defender. Everton have struggled defensively last season. Jagielka, 34 is not a long-term option for Koeman and Funes Mori has struggled to adapt the English game. Only Ashley Williams, 32 who came at Goodison last season look like a first-choice centre-back at the club. So, Keane signing will mean a straight start for the Englishman. Striker hole to be filled by Sandro:-It is being reported that the Toffees have almost signed striker Sandro Ramirez from Malaga on a 5.2m Pound fee. This means they have resolved the striker hole left by Lukaku. The fact that Sandro can play on either wing clearly states the Spaniard has pace in his armoury. 16 goals and 5 assists last season was a decent return. He may just take time to settle but can have potential to succeed Lukaku. Conclusion:-If we take a look at the business done by Everton so far, it is brilliant. They have signed players who will directly break into the playing 11 which goes to show they are up for the challenge. The midfield trio of Schneiderlin, Gueye and Klaassen can be a force to reckon with. The defenders Williams, Keane, Baines and Coleman with a goalkeeper like Pickford will mean backline is solid. The potential front-line of Bolasie, Sandro and Sigurdsson will be pacy and crafty to deal with. Quiet summer so far:-Spanish and European champions Real Madrid have had a quiet summer so far. Till date, exits of Pepe, Mariano Diaz and Diego Llorente has been confirmed by the club. Further departures of James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata is imminent too.
Reports of Theo Hernandez joining this squad is the sole incoming update. Zidane has done a great job with this group of players. Winning back to back Champions League titles isn’t easy even though you have a squad full of winners. Squad good enough to cope with a quiet summer:-We questioned Zidane as a coach when he arrived first in January 2016 and early previous season. But, his team managed to take results out when things weren’t looking great. The manager used his squad depth to always field a fresh eleven on the field. This was a testament to a high-quality squad of players he had to choose from. Throughout last season, he rested likes of Ronaldo, Modric, Kroos in few La Liga games. The players like James, Kovacic, Asensio, Morata came good in replacements and did the job. In this way, Zidane always had a fresh 18 to choose from in a game. A team playing 50 games a season needs this kind of depth to compete on every front. Even if James and Morata leave by the end of this summer, Real Madrid will have enough squad depth to compete for top laurels next season. Likes of Asensio, Kovacic, Isco, Vasquez are good enough to fill the bench and come good when needed. The way Modric, Casemiro and Kroos dominated midfield in big Champions League games goes to show they don’t need a marquee midfielder to compete. The attacking line of Isco, Ronaldo and Benzema has control and expert finishing. Backup of Asensio, Vasquez will have pace with directness. Maybe a striker is required if Morata leaves. But, as long as Benzema is there, no one can take that No.1 role. Defence needs shoring up:-We have so far talked about Real Madrid being dominant in midfield and expert in forward-line finishing. But, there is one thing which needs a bit of shoring up which is their defence. Right-back Carvajal, centre-back Sergio Ramos and left-back Marcelo were consistent last season but Ramos’ centre-back partner was an issue for Zidane last season. Nacho and Varane tried to fill that spot but didn’t look very convincing. Maybe, a centre-back is needed to shore this back-line up. The goalkeeping situation has also been a primary problem. Navas has been error-prone time and time again. Although Zidane and players have backed the Costa Rican to do the job, Madrid would love to have his replacement. Reports suggest that Los Blancos will go all out to get anyone of De Gea or Courtois. Conclusion:-Apart from one or two holes, this Real Madrid squad is good enough to compete even if they don’t get the targets they need. Zidane is a perfect man-manager for this squad and can take the best out of this group of players. They are ready to challenge for everything next season. A less spent summer is a sign of a settled squad which is maturing day by day. |