Roberto Mancini: Correct Advocacy of the 3-4-1-2

In Italy, the best coaches are often subjected to a great education of football by learning in Coverciano, hidden away in the trees of Tuscany, Florence. Mancini wrote an extensive thesis on the attacking playmaker, titled ‘Il Trequartista’. Looking at this and Italy’s adoration for the trequartista, it is of little wonder that Mancini is […]

Frank De Boer: Worthy of his Songs of Praise

“Managers fall into two categories: The Genesis quickly followed by the Exodus. Alternatively, there are the Jobs of these worlds who receive the Psalms of the fans.” Before De Boer stepped through the doors of Ajax as the new manager, then only on an interim basis, the seven men in charge before him fell into […]

Zdenek Zeman: Czeching back into the Romanistas

Luis Enrique was employed by the new board to bring forth a new era in Roma’s history. However, his appointment meant the players getting used to a Barcelona-esque style of play: methodical passing, a high line, high pressure etc. It did not translate well and Roma finished well off the pace. Enrique cited exhaustion as […]

Lucien Favre: Borussia Glad to be Bach

Pass, pass, another pass, then another and then another… Goal. A common occurrence with Barcelona, you may say but Borussia Monchengladbach have somehow established a similar way of playing, garnering the same results, of course on a much smaller stage. A smaller stage, I feel, simply because they lack the quality that the Catalan club […]

Andre Villas Boas: Portuguese Possession of Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea fans looked on with glum faces as hellish performances and results saw their team decline under Andre Villas Boas. It all started with the highest of expectations, waiting for the performances to not look automatic and for the Portuguese man to inject some freedom into the men of Blue. Chelsea fans would have wanted […]

Josep Guardiola: A barge pole away from United

“Four years are long and they wear you down” ~ Pep Guardiola Time creeps closer to the time when Manchester United’s most legendary manager decides it is time to hang up his tactical board and the Old Trafford faithful enter into their post apocalyptic nightmare of football. A whole hosts of names have already been […]

Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool’s Shankly reincarnate?

“They are an educated group of supporters at this club and okay, there might be watered down versions of the style of play, but you can’t come to Liverpool Football Club and play a direct game of football, lumping it-style.” ~ Brendan Rodgers in his first press conference as Liverpool Manager Brendan Rodgers watched as the […]

“Tabelindinho” – Passing to the Beat

The best dance routines have their dancers all the same wavelength, all wired into the same philosophy. In short, they dance to their own beat. The Brazilians based their football on dancing and had created the renowned play of Samba, used predominantly by the national team in Pele’s era and the 1982 World Cup.A swift, […]

Discrimination against the foreign youngsters

After the buy of the last season in the Premier League, Javier Hernandez, clubs have been trying to find the next player bought for a nominal fee and get a massive profit or keep the player and let him lead the club to unprecedented success. Alex Ferguson has been a long supporter that the market […]

The Curse of Football Manager

I have been the manager of Swansea. The East London club that is West Ham, The Wearside Club, Sunderland and their rivals Newcastle. I was in charge at Aston Villa, Tottenham as well as their adversaries, Arsenal. Roma and the mighty Manchester United have also been under my control. Barcelona was one of my first […]