Predict and WIN airtime
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Chelsea's football tactics so far
In his regular BBC Sport column on football tactics, Robbie Savage looks at Chelsea's fightback to beat Southampton.
Saints came to Stamford Bridge with the best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded only seven goals in their first 12 games.
They were gifted the lead after 13 seconds by Michael Essien's mistake, but Jay Rodriguez's goal was their only shot on target in the 90 minutes and the game became a test of Southampton's defensive solidity.
Mauricio Pochettino's side dealt well with Chelsea in the first half, but Blues boss Jose Mourinho changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 formation at half-time, opting for a more direct style, and it worked.
Saints go for another shut-out
When they defended their lead in the first half, we saw why Southampton have got such a fantastic defensive record this season.
Their back four and the two defensive midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama work hard and are well drilled and, when they have time to get back into their shape, they are very difficult to break down.
Chelsea were getting crowded out in midfield and there was little space for their three flair players - Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata - to operate in.
The Blues only really threatened when they attacked down the wings but Saints looked pretty comfortable and probably could have done more damage themselves when they counter-attacked.
Chelsea change things round
Mourinho clearly worked out that he needed to put more pressure on the Southampton defence, and fast - before they could regroup after losing possession.
How he did that was to bring on Demba Ba for Michael Essien at half-time and switch to a 4-4-2.
Mourinho gave up trying to pass round Southampton's well-organised banks of players and decided to go over them instead. Having two men up front meant that, straight away, Saints centre-backs were far busier.
Saints came to Stamford Bridge with the best defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded only seven goals in their first 12 games.
They were gifted the lead after 13 seconds by Michael Essien's mistake, but Jay Rodriguez's goal was their only shot on target in the 90 minutes and the game became a test of Southampton's defensive solidity.
Mauricio Pochettino's side dealt well with Chelsea in the first half, but Blues boss Jose Mourinho changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 formation at half-time, opting for a more direct style, and it worked.
Saints go for another shut-out
When they defended their lead in the first half, we saw why Southampton have got such a fantastic defensive record this season.
Their back four and the two defensive midfielders Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama work hard and are well drilled and, when they have time to get back into their shape, they are very difficult to break down.
Chelsea were getting crowded out in midfield and there was little space for their three flair players - Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata - to operate in.
The Blues only really threatened when they attacked down the wings but Saints looked pretty comfortable and probably could have done more damage themselves when they counter-attacked.
Chelsea change things round
Mourinho clearly worked out that he needed to put more pressure on the Southampton defence, and fast - before they could regroup after losing possession.
How he did that was to bring on Demba Ba for Michael Essien at half-time and switch to a 4-4-2.
Mourinho gave up trying to pass round Southampton's well-organised banks of players and decided to go over them instead. Having two men up front meant that, straight away, Saints centre-backs were far busier.
Chelsea played a much more direct style in the second half, to get the ball up to Ba and Fernando Torres quicker.
David Moyes expecting 'mixed' reception from Everton fans
Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford this summer after 11 years in charge at Goodison Park.
United host Everton at Old Trafford on Wednesday night in the Premier League.
"They know their football and they know exactly where the club has gone and will understand I took a lot of good players there," said Moyes.
"But it's football and you never know. It could be mixed."
Moyes took over at Everton in 2002 when the club were facing relegation from the Premier League.
Over the next decade, he transformed them into a team who regularly finished in the top eight.
However, after joining United, he riled fans when he made what Everton described as a "derisory and insulting" joint bid of £28m for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines during the summer.
Fellaini eventually joined United for £27.5m in the final minutes of transfer deadline day.
As a result, Moyes is unsure about the reception he will receive despite spending such a long spell at Goodison Park - but he remains focused on the job in hand.
"I'm not an emotional person," he said. "I'd rather get on with the game.
"Obviously I have fond memories. You don't just throw 11 years away.
"But I have had to divorce myself from it. United is my team now and all my concentration has been on them.
"I don't have time to look at Everton results or how they are doing. My own players and my own club is what interests me."
On Wednesday, Everton will be looking for their first victory away from home over United since August 1992.
Moyes failed in 11 attempts to change that statistic during his Everton tenure, managing no better than three draws.
However, Everton are having the stronger season so far, with Roberto Martinez's men currently three places ahead of United in fifth place.
Jose Mourinho wants title-winning mentality from Chelsea
Jose Mourinho wants Chelsea to develop a title-winning mentality.
The Blues manager returned to Stamford Bridge in June after winning the Premier League twice in his first spell at the club.
"There is a lot of progress to be made," said the Portuguese, whose side are currently second behind Arsenal.
"There are things in the job that are not easy and one of them is to make the pressure of fighting for the title to be something natural."
Chelsea last won the Premier League title in 2010 under Carlo Ancelotti and, despite winning the Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League a year later, Mourinho says a different mindset is needed for the top-flight title race.
"We have some players here who have won the title before but they don't win it for quite a long time and when that happens you forget it," he said.
"We have other people that were playing in clubs not used to fighting for titles.
"This culture of being comfortable with the pressure of trying to be top of the league, fighting until the last moment and knowing that every point can make a difference - this is something you need to learn how to live with.
"It is a process. It is not something you do with a click. I want them to feel like I feel. In my career I only finish first or second and if I am not there I am not comfortable."
Mourinho's side visit Sunderland on Wednesday and he added: "By the mental point of view I think it is more difficult [winning the Premier league than Champions League]."
Chelsea are currently four points behind Arsenal and, even though Mourinho says six teams have a chance of claiming the Premier League crown, he believes Tottenham and Manchester United do not have much room for error.
Spurs are 10 points off the top, while United are nine behind the Gunners.
"In this moment, Spurs and United know that if the next step is to reduce from 10 to seven (points behind leaders Arsenal) or from nine to six then it is to go again into the race.
"But I also think that they also know that if the next move is from 10 to 13 points or nine to 12 it becomes hard.
"At the moment, teams like Arsenal are much more comfortable because they can slide one match and nothing happens to them. Some other teams know the next slight can be crucial."
He added: "I keep thinking the same six teams are very equal in their potential.
"The team with more responsibility to win it because the squad is quite unique is Manchester City."
Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis says victory gives his side hope
Tony Pulis said his first victory as Crystal Palace boss adds to his belief that his new side can avoid relegation.Marouane Chamakh's header earned a 1-0 win over West Ham as Palace moved off the foot of the Premier League table."It's a great result and we have to put points on the board to give everybody hope," said the former Stoke manager."The fans were wonderful, but you have to win these games to give them the opportunity to do what I've come here to do, which is keep the club up."
But the second win in three games give Pulis a chance of maintaining his 21-year record of never being relegated.
The Eagles now face a crucial game against fourth-from-bottom Cardiff on Saturday and although Pulis was pleased with his side's efforts against West Ham, he said the scrappy win underlined his need to strengthen in the January transfer window.
Asked how hard his side had worked against the Hammers, he told BBC Sport: "Unbelievable. In the first 20 minutes we were on the back foot, we gave the ball away sloppily and looked pretty nervous but then we gradually got into the game and we scored a good goal.
"I'm very pleased for Chamakh, who has really worked hard since I came in the door and he and [fellow striker] Cameron Jerome looked a handful.
"For all of West Ham's possession, I think we most probably created the more clear-cut chances."
Pulis added: "[The win] will do everything for the group. We need to win our home games, so to get off to that sort of start is brilliant but everybody has put a shift in.
"We lacked a bit of quality at times, but we know that, so they have to work even harder when we don't have the ball.
"What [the fans] need is to see the players running around and having a go and giving it the best they possibly can.
"Fingers crossed when the window opens, if we can stay in touch with the rest of the group and we can can get a couple in - and we have to do that within the restrictions of the football club, I understand that - then that will give us another lift which we will need for the second half of the season."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said: "I haven't got the words for it [the goal] when everybody has a marker and the ball comes in from the corner, you still have your marker, you don't lose your marker but we did and being in the middle of the goal with a free header they're not going to miss.
"That's the most disappointing thing for me because that's lost us the game effectively.
"On such a crucial game we should not have let that slip. A point at the end of the day wouldn't have been a bad result.
"It's all our fault."
Monday, December 2, 2013
Yaya Toure clinches the 2013 BBC African footballer of the year.
Yaya Toure has been nominated four times in a row for the past four years and this time he beat Pierre-Emerick Aubameng, Jonathan Pitropia, John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses to clinch the award.
The City and Ivory coast midfielder finished last season without a trophy but his individual and stand out performances was well recognised by fans who also participated in the voting process.
Toure is definitely up there with the best midfielders in the world and arguably the most complete and well rounded midfielder in Europe top flight leagues and the award is well deserved.
The City and Ivory coast midfielder finished last season without a trophy but his individual and stand out performances was well recognised by fans who also participated in the voting process.
Toure is definitely up there with the best midfielders in the world and arguably the most complete and well rounded midfielder in Europe top flight leagues and the award is well deserved.
La-Liga week 15 round up: Barcelona loses and Bale gets his first Madrid hatrick.
Gareth Bale was the star man in the absence of Ronaldo as Madrid beat Valladolid 4-0. His hatrick and assist was enough to give Madrid all 3points in the fixture.
The victory sees Carlo Ancelloti's side move 3points closer to Barcelona on the Liga table.
Barcelona meanwhile stuttered in the Liga race after their loss to Athletico Bilbao. Iker Muniain scored the only goal to give Bilbao their first victory over Barcelona since 2006.
The win leaps Bilbao to fourth on the table and brings Barcelona level on point with Athletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone's men continued their good run of form by beating Elche 2-0.
In other results, Getafe beat Levante by a lone goal, Villareal held to a 1-1 draw by Malaga, Celta Vigo condemns Almeria to the bottom of the table after a 3-1 victory, Sociedad defeated Espanyol by 2-1, Real Betis played out a 2-2 draw with with Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla beat Granada by 2-1 and Valencia beat Osasuna by 3-0.
The victory sees Carlo Ancelloti's side move 3points closer to Barcelona on the Liga table.
Barcelona meanwhile stuttered in the Liga race after their loss to Athletico Bilbao. Iker Muniain scored the only goal to give Bilbao their first victory over Barcelona since 2006.
The win leaps Bilbao to fourth on the table and brings Barcelona level on point with Athletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone's men continued their good run of form by beating Elche 2-0.
In other results, Getafe beat Levante by a lone goal, Villareal held to a 1-1 draw by Malaga, Celta Vigo condemns Almeria to the bottom of the table after a 3-1 victory, Sociedad defeated Espanyol by 2-1, Real Betis played out a 2-2 draw with with Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla beat Granada by 2-1 and Valencia beat Osasuna by 3-0.
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