Football News: Another Ten Things...

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More things I learnt this week

1. Paul Pogba is frustratingly inconsistent.
For every moment of brilliance within a game, there is a moment of equally poor play. He plays like the youngster he is, always looking to beat one more man, after a run that takes him past three, he will look to beat a fourth rather than releasing the ball to a team mate. Potentially he can be truly world class, but right now he is not ready to lead a team and Juventus made a huge mistake allowing Arturo Vidal to head off to join Bayern Munich in the summer. Pogba though, reminds me of Yaya Toure. Like the Manchester City midfielder, Pogba is absolutely unplayable at times, but he has that same tendency to go missing in the middle of a match that the Ivory Coast man has.

2. Ajax are not the force they once were
Watching them labour to victory over a poor Celtic side made me realise just how far Ajax have fallen. Not just in terms of the quality of their team, but in terms of the quality of their youth development. At one time they were the envy of the world, as their academy produced players such as Ronald and Frank de Boer, Aron Winter, Edwin van der Sar, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bergkamp and Edgar Davids. Nowadays they are just not producing that kind of talent on such a regular basis. They are a long way behind the top clubs on the pitch and off the pitch.

3. Celtic are even further behind than Ajax
In the recent past, Celtic managers managed to cover up the deficiencies in quality by adopting the old fashioned up-and-at-em approach. Now they have brought in a manager who wants to play football, rather than the kick and rush favoured by Neil Lennon, and it is backfiring badly on Ronny Deila as his players are not up to the task. While a large part of that is down to his lack of tactical flexibility and unwillingness to compromise, and another large portion is down to the board's refusal to invest meaningfully into buying better players, the main blame for this lies with the players themselves. Yes, Deila could alter the tactics to suit them better, but that would only be papering over the cracks, if the club are to progress in the long term, they need to play better football. While the current crop of players is clearly not, in the main, nearly good enough, the main issue with them is their attitude. There is no one there with the desire of Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, who would chase back 40 yards to win back a ball even if his team are five nil up at the time. There is a whole bunch of players there that only want to do enough, no more, to win the league. That leaves them struggling when that bit extra is required for European competition, as they find themselves wanting. Ronny Deila may not be the man to take Celtic into the future, but he is not the root of their problems at all.

4. It was a great gesture by Celtic to invite former Rangers man Fernando Ricksen to the game vs Ajax
Not only was it good of them to invite him along to be a part of things, following his illness, but they also made the gesture even more touching by losing the match! Now that is what you call magnanimous. It is nice to see that the rivalry can be put aside for the right reasons. Well done Celtic.

5. I have not seen anything to match Klopp mania
In regards to a managerial appointment, I have seen nothing to compare with the arrival of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Nothing. Not just the way the fans have taken him to heart and fallen in love with him, nor the cute videos of the nine year old teaching him how to speak Scouse. It is also about the reaction of the media worldwide. The game loves characters, and he is a very real character. Sports channels around the world are filled with programmes about him and Liverpool, watching a game on TV sometimes becomes a case of the odd flash of the match in between following Klopp on the touchline. I am beginning to feel like a stalker, as the moment I switch on a sports channel there is always a football programme on and at some point he is covered. What it has shown up, more than anything else, is how lacking in characters the English game was. Other than Jose Mourinho, during his two spells at Chelsea, there is no one you could call a real character. There is the fake (read bell and end or Richard and head) character of the vile Joey Barton, at whatever club was desperate enough to take him this season. The whiny Sam Allardyce, now at Sunderland, still going on about how he is a tactical genius and would win everything in the world ever, twice, if he had money to spend. Though West Ham United fans would probably beg to differ on that one! There was flash Harry, sorry Harry Redknapp, telling us how everything was triffic, but that was about as good as it got. Football had become as staid and boring as a Michael Owen commentary.

6. The quality in the Championship is terrible
I have seen a few games in the English second flight this season, and always it is striking just how low the quality is these days. It is no wonder Paul Clement has found it so easy to rise to the top with Derby County, despite the difficult start, there is just no real quality competition. It is also unsurprising that a cheap and cheerful Ipswich Town side can remain in contention for promotion purely through hard work and being big and strong. Watching Charlton Athletic face them, which I am doing as I type this, is making me cringe with embarrassment that this game is being sent around the world via TV screens. It really is no wonder the Addicks fans are protesting against the owner if this is the dross they have to put up with each week.

7. Steve McClaren is not a manager
Watching his Newcastle United being ripped to shreds by Crystal Palace in the first half, and it is clear McClaren, for all his excellence in the field of coaching, is no manager. He is tactically inept, lacks the ability to inspire and to figure out how to use the players at his disposal in a way to get the most out of them. He is trying to force his style of play onto a bunch of players utterly incapable of playing it. It is going to all end in tears.

8. Defending is an art form missing from the English game
While it makes the games more exciting and entertains the crowds due to the poor defending, if the English league wants to return to the pinnacle of the European game, they need to learn to defend. Having said that, as a spectator you want attacking football and shock results like Bournemouth coming from 2-0 down to equalise, only to see Everton take a 3-2 lead in the 95th minute but still rescue a point. That is why the English league is beloved around the world, not because of the quality of the play.

9. Jamie Vardy is not a winger Mr. Hodgson!
I know you are the England manager, Roy, but only a fool would keep playing a natural goalscorer in ridiculous form, out on the wing just to prove a point. The only point being proven is that you are hopelessly out of your depth in the job. Wayne Rooney is playing like an 85 year old asthmatic carrying a series of injuries, but still getting picked for club and country. It is no wonder England are, at best, mediocre.

10. The Leicester City fairy tale is lighting up the Prem this season
I think everyone, outside of Nottingham and Derby anyway, is enjoying seeing Leicester up their challenging at the top of the Premier League this season. The desire, the enthusiasm and their never say die attitude is truly endearing. It is hard to see how they can sustain it for the full season, but it is fun while it lasts. Riyad Mahrez is truly sensational to watch, a real treat that is worth buying a ticket to see on his own.

Written by Tris Burke November 28 2015 18:58:00