Tag Archives for " Man U "

1 How Bayern Munich Make Space to Attack a Cross

By Stevie Grieve

In the recent Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Manchester United, Bayern needed to draw 0-0, win 1-0 or 2-1 to go through, while Manchester United needed an away goal at least keep themselves in the tie, and they got the away goal early into the 2nd half via a fantastic strike from Patrice Evra from 30 yards. There were scenes of jubilation as all United players, subs and even coaches were almost celebrating victory, but the joy was shortlived as Evra was at fault for 2 of Bayerns 3 goals within the next 15 minutes. I will look at the 1st goal and in particular how he lost Mandzukic to allow him to make it 1-1 within 3 minutes of the Evra goal.

Bayern forwards movement to choose marker and attack the front side

As the ball is passed wide, Muller and Mandzukic crossover and change who their markers will be, Mandzukic v Evra at the far side is a

1 Manchester United's Defensive Frailties

By Vasco Mota Pereira, PortuGOAL correspondent

Much has been said and spoken about Manchester United and their faltering form. The transition from Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes was bound to include some bumps along the way, but the former Everton manager is bound to be found scratching his head while reviewing some recent results and displays. Moyes was considered to be a reactive, reliable, safety-first manager, but his credentials have left much to be desired so far. And while reading through most of the English football press might lead one to believe that it is all a matter of simply adding a few players to the squad, it is hardly the case.

Case in point, the first goal Swansea scored at Old Trafford last weekend for the FA Cup. Manchester United are picked apart smack down the centre by 4 simple touches from Swansea, starting from their centre-back. Since the match is pretty much in slow motion, it is difficult to accept such bad defensive positioning from the current English champions.

Swansea's centre-back Chico Flores has the ball and already United look out of position. Javier Hernández is contributing nothing defensively and Danny Welbeck is

2 How To Exploit Space In the Center Midfield Area

By Vasco Mota Pereira 

Last Saturday André Villas-Boas' Tottenham defeated Manchester United in their own turf, something Hotspurs hadn't done in 23 years - which may well be just what the doctor ordered for AVB's team. Every single goal from the Lilywhites came from United worryingly tendency to be overrun against stronger sides, over the past couple of years (namely after Carlos Queiroz left).

With Carrick and Scholes in the center, and Nani and Giggs on the wings, pockets of space were bound to appear on United's defensive midfield, but the appalling display from his midfield and defense must have Sir Alex Ferguson quite worried. For that matter, Tottenham's goals will be dissected, in order to shed some light over the Red Devils' frailties.

Tottenham goal #1

There were some repetitive patterns throughout the match as far as defensive positioning is concerned. In this particular case, you can see

5 Barcelona's Goal Scoring Secret

Barcelona are the team of the moment.  Everyone is talking about them, and for good reason.  They are hands down the best team in the world right now and many people are making the case that they are one of the best teams of all time.  All this is based on the skill level of their players, the incredible teamwork, quick one and two-touch passing and the way they out play their opponents and dominate the time of possession.  It's no wonder they win so many games and score so many goals.

But there is one part of their game that doesn't get much attention, and yet it is critical in my view, and is the difference between them being a good team and a great team.  It is the difference between them winning games against the likes of Real Madrid and Man U and dominating possession or finding themselves in close fought battles...not to say that those games are not close fought battles, but take the Champions League Final against Man U.  It was as one-sided a game in the final that I can remember.  Or Saturday's game v Man U...Barcelona had 69% v 31% of the possession.

So what is this part of the game that really makes Barcelona special? 

1 Do You Overreact When Your Team Plays Well/Bad?

What a game! Your team played great.  Everything is PERFECT! Your team played poorly.  Everything SUCKS! The thing to remember is your team most likely isn’t as good as you think they are when they play well and most likely they aren’t as bad as you think they are when they play poorly. Coaches, players

4 I've Changed My Mind - Man U For the Title

Okay, here's a quick quiz.  No looking online for the stats.  Just give a quick answer within five seconds. The EPL's top four teams in order are, Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea and Man City. Which team has the fewest wins? Which team has fewest losses? Which team has the best goal difference? Which team has

0 Can Arsenal Finish Strong? Liverpool - What Problem?

Liverpool are only one win away from a European spot (3 points behind 5th place Tottenham).  Is all the hoopla about their poor start way overblown? Will this be a different season for Arsenal?  Here's what I'm getting at. Arsenal typically start the season playing well.  The weather is nice, playing surfaces are pretty good

0 Too Early To Judge

I wrote a blog post last week about whether the EPL title race was over already.  Chelsea had won all five of their games and by big margins.  I guess it was a reasonable question to ask.  But, in my excitement at how well Chelsea had started, I didn't give enough attention to the teams

7 Is the EPL Title Race Over With Already?

Today's blog is a simple question. After just five games, is the EPL title race over?  Are Chelsea a step ahead of the others - Man U, Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, etc. Yes, I know it's ridiculously early to even think about this, but I can't help it.  Chelsea are producing some good performances and

4 EPL - Top Four Predictions

It's that time of year again to figure out who will take the top four spots in the English Premier League. Let's start with a few questions. 1. Will Totenham repeat their feat of last season with a fourth place spot? 2. Can Liverpool be considered one of the Big Four anymore? 3. Are Man

8 Can MLS Teams Compete With EPL Teams?

Last night I watched (on TV) the KC Wizards (my home team) v Man U game.  Over the years I have often wondered how to put into perspective the results of these exhibition games and I still struggle with it. On one hand, the Wizards played well and deserved to win...a tie at worst.  From