The Backwards Gooner

Robin van Persie 2010/2011

2011-09-06T00:08:00.001+01:00

Season Stats:

26 starts + 7 sub apps

22 goals

7 assists

1 key pass

Premier League Stats:

18 goals

-Highest at Arsenal; 3rd highest in PL (Berbatov/Tevez 20)

3.4 shots per game

-Highest at Arsenal; 3rd highest in PL (Sturridge/Suarez 3.6)

7 assists

-3rd highest at Arsenal (Arshavin/Fabregas 11)

1.8 chances created per game

-3rd highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 2.9)

0.7 successful dribbles per game

-Highest of Arsenal strikers

1.1 clearances per game

-Highest of Arsenal strikers

High Point

Scored the equalising goal at home against Barcelona in the Champions League 2nd round. Going into the game on the back of a rich vein of goalscoring form, van Persie proved his big-game credentials with a superb near-post volley that caught Victor Valdes by surprise and gave Arsenal the belief to go on and grab the winner, which they duly did.

Low Point

Sent off in the return leg of the Champions League 2nd round tie at the Camp Nou. The Dutchman had endured a frustrating evening as Arsenal struggled for long periods to pass the ball out of their own half, and after being booked for a push on Alves in the 1st half, van Persie received his marching orders in the 56th minute when he kicked the ball out of play a second after the ref had blown for offside. Arsenal's remaining 10 men buckled under the waves of Barcelona attacks and went out 4-3 on aggregate.

Marouane Chamakh 2010/2011

2011-09-03T17:57:00.000+01:00

Season Stats

27 starts + 17 sub apps

11 goals

4 assists

5 key passes

Premier League Stats

7 goals

-4th highest at Arsenal (RVP 18)

1.4 shots per game

-6th highest at Arsenal (RVP 3.4)

4 assists

-5th highest at Arsenal (Arshavin/Fabregas 11)

1.4 chances created per game

-6th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 2.9)

78% pass success rate

-2nd lowest of Arsenal outfield players (Arshavin 75%)

47% aerial duel success rate

-Highest of Arsenal centre forwards

1 tackle per game

-Highest of Arsenal centre forwards

0.7 interceptions per game

-Highest of Arsenal centre forwards

2 turnovers per game

-Highest at Arsenal

High point

Scored both goals in a tough away win at Wolves in the Premier League. Chamakh set a Premier League record by finding the net in both the 1st and 90th minute of the game, the 1st a trademark header from a cross, the 2nd a composed finish from a quick counterattack.

Low point

Partially at fault for Arsenal's comical home defeat to Tottenham in the league. After scoring in the 1st half to help put the Gunners two goals up, Chamakh twice spurned good goalscoring opportunities by turning back away from goal and passing to teammates, a feature of his game that was to become more apparent during his loss of form in the second half of the season.

Jack Wilshere 2010/2011, Part 2

2011-08-27T21:46:00.000+01:00

Highlights of the young Englishman from January to March:

Wojciech Szczesny 2010/2011

2011-08-26T14:20:00.000+01:00

Season Stats

24 starts

25 goals conceded

9 clean sheets

72 saves

Most saves in a game: 9 - Newcastle 0-4 Arsenal (LC)

High point

After spending a season on loan at Brentford, made a wonderful return to Arsenal duty with an incredible all-round performance away at Newcastle in the League Cup. His combination of aerial prowess, big frame and cat-like reflexes ensured that Arsenal left with a clean sheet and - more importantly - demonstrated that he was ready to establish himself as the club's no.1.

Low Point

Partially at fault for Arsenal's inability to see out their lead in the 3-3 draw at Tottenham in the league. Although the young Pole dominated his box and made some excellent saves throughout the match, he could have done better for Spurs' first two goals and gave away a cheap penalty for their equaliser.

Arsenal Funny Moments 2010/2011

2011-08-24T22:12:00.000+01:00

Real Madrid Attacking Statistics 2011/2012

2011-08-21T17:49:00.013+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals, 1 key pass
Real Zaragoza 0-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals
Real Madrid 6-2 Rayo Vallecano (La Liga)

Gonzalo Higuain
3 goals
Espanyol 0-4 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Gonzalo Higuain
3 goals
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Betis (La Liga)

Marcelo
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Real Zaragoza 0-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Mesut Ozil
2 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 6-2 Rayo Vallecano (La Liga)

Barcelona Attacking Statistics 2011/2012

2011-08-21T11:49:00.018+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Villarreal (La Liga)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal, 3 assists
Barcelona 8-0 Osasuna (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Supercopa de Espana)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 5-0 Villarreal (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals, 2 assists
Barcelona 8-0 Osasuna (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals
Barcelona 5-0 Atletico Madrid (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals
Barcelona 5-0 Real Mallorca (La Liga)

Thiago
1 goal, 2 assists
Barcelona 5-0 Villarreal (La Liga)

Arsenal Attacking Statistics 2011/2012

2011-08-18T02:02:00.017+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Aaron Ramsey
2 assists, 1 key pass
Arsenal 3-0 Bolton (Premier League)

Gervinho
1 goal, 2 assists
Arsenal 3-1 Stoke (Premier League)

Robin van Persie
3 goals
Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal (Premier League)

Robin van Persie
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Arsenal 3-0 WBA (Premier League)

Alex Song 2010/2011, Part 2

2011-08-11T21:47:00.001+01:00

Season Stats

39 starts + 3 sub apps

5 goals

3 assists

7 key passes

Premier League Stats

79 tackles won (77% success rate)
-11 highest in league; 2nd highest at Arsenal (Clichy 90)

48% aerial duel success rate
-3rd highest of Arsenal midfielders (Rosicky 63%)

2.6 interceptions per game
-Highest of Arsenal midfielders; 4th highest at Arsenal (Vermaelen 3.6)

2 clearances per game

-Highest of Arsenal midfielders

0.4 shots blocked per game
-Highest of Arsenal midfielders

2.2 fouls per game
-Highest at Arsenal

0.9 opposition dribbles allowed per game
-4th highest of Arsenal midfielders (Denilson 1.6)

1 chance created per game

-8th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 2.9)

1.1 successful dribbles per game

-5th highest at Arsenal (Diaby 2.3)

2 times dispossessed per game

-4th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas/Nasri 2.4)

High point

Grabbed a late headed winner against a stubborn West Ham side at the Emirates, after a good all-round display in the box-to-box role. Having started the move by spreading the ball out wide, Song made what was to become a trademark surge into the box, and nodded in Clichy's inswinging cross to the delight of Arsenal fans.

Low point

Sent off away at Sunderland in the league, forcing Arsenal to (unsuccessfully) defend an aerial onslaught with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Although the yellows seemed harsh, Song's habit of persistently conceding niggling fouls finally caught up with him, and Arsenal caved in when a high ball into the box in the 5th minute of stoppage time wasn't dealt with adequately.

Tomas Rosicky 2010/2011

2011-08-08T19:31:00.002+01:00

Season Stats

19 starts + 15 sub apps

1 goal

5 assists

11 key passes

Premier League Stats

1 assist

-10th highest at Arsenal (Arshavin/Fabregas 11)

1.3 chances created per game

-7th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 2.9)

0.5 accurate throughballs per game

-2nd highest at Arsenal (Fabregas 1.5)

0.7 times disposesssed per game

-11th highest at Arsenal (Fabregas/Nasri 2.4)

0.8 successful dribbles per game

-8th highest at Arsenal (Diaby 2.3)

63% aerial duel success rate

-3rd highest at Arsenal (Vermaelen 73%)

High point

Filled in expertly for Cesc Fabregas in the 6-0 demolition of newly-promoted Blackpool, with a master display of creativity. In a display that was reflective of his early season performances, Rosicky tore the Seasiders apart with his throughballs, providing key passes for 2 goals and a penalty which Arshavin converted.

Low point

Put in a shambolic defensive performance when subbed on during Arsenal's embarassing 4-4 draw at Newcastle. After Diaby's 2nd half dismissal, Rosicky was brought on to shore up the midfield but instead played Leon Best onside for a (disallowed) goal, gave away a penalty and conceded the freekick that led to Newcastle's equaliser.

Alex Song 2010/2011, Part 1

2011-08-07T17:45:00.002+01:00

Highlights of the defensive midfield stalwart from the first half of the season:

Laurent Koscielny 2010/2011, Part 2

2011-08-05T02:28:00.005+01:00

Season Stats

43 starts

3 goals
1 assist
1 key pass

Premier League Stats

47 tackles won (78% completion rate)

-Highest of Arsenal centre backs

53% aerial duel success rate

-Joint 3rd highest of Arsenal centre backs (Vermaelen 73%, Djourou 58%)

2.8 interceptions per game

-2nd highest of Arsenal centre backs (Vermaelen 3.6)

1.5 offsides won per game

-Joint 3rd highest of Arsenal centre backs (Vermaelen 2, Squillaci 1.7)

6.9 clearances per game

-Highest of Arsenal centre backs (Djourou 6.2)

0.5 opposition dribbles allowed per game

-Highest of Arsenal centre backs (Djourou 0.3)

0.4 shots blocked per game

-Joint 3rd highest of Arsenal centre backs (Djourou 0.7, Squillaci 0.5)

High point

Thwarted Barcelona's attackers time and time again in the 1st leg of the Champions League 2nd round. Stepping up from his defensive line regularly, Koscielny set the pace for Arsenal's pressing game and a key interception inside his own box started the move for Arshavin's winning goal.

Low point

Cost Arsenal the chance to end their trophyless streak with his last minute blunder in the League Cup final. A routine aerial ball into the area should have been Szczesny's but Koscielny swung a leg out, missed, and in the ensuing confusion allowed Obafemi Martins to tap in an easy winner for Birmingham City.

Cesc Fabregas 2010/2011, Part 3

2011-08-01T21:14:00.004+01:00

Season Stats

29 starts + 7 sub apps

9 goals
15 assists
12 key passes

Premier League Stats

11 assists

-3rd highest in PL (14), joint highest at Arsenal (Arshavin)

2.9 chances created per game

-3rd highest in PL (3.1), highest at Arsenal (Nasri 1.9)

1.5 accurate throughballs per game

-Highest in Europe

3.1 accurate long passes per game
-Joint highest of Arsenal outfield players (Wilshere)

2.4 times dispossessed per game

-Joint highest at Arsenal (Nasri)

1 successful dribble per game
-6th highest at Arsenal (Diaby 2.3)

High point

Put in a real captain's performance in Arsenal's morale-boosting 3-1 win over bogey team Chelsea, scoring a goal and setting up two more. The result put Arsenal right back in contention for the title and gave them the belief that they could go toe to toe with the biggest teams.

Low point

Gifted Barcelona a crucial goal in the Champions League with a careless backheel on the edge of his own box. Although clearly unfit, his act of recklessness gave Barcelona the lead just before half-time, undoing all of Arsenal's good work in preserving their aggregate advantage.

Gael Clichy 2010/2011 - Farewell

2011-07-31T23:36:00.001+01:00

Season Stats

40 starts + 4 sub apps

1 goal
2 assists
1 key pass

Premier League Stats

90 tackles won (81% success)
-Highest of PL defenders, 4th highest overall (111)

3.2 interceptions per game

-3rd highest of PL defenders, 4th highest overall (3.6)

0.8 opposition dribbles allowed per game
-Highest of Arsenal defenders (Koscielny 0.5)

51% aerial duel success rate
-3rd highest of Arsenal fullbacks (Sagna 67%, Gibbs 55%)

0.6 chances created per game
-2nd highest of Arsenal fullbacks (Sagna 0.7)

0.5 accurate crosses per game
-2nd highest of Arsenal fullbacks (Sagna 1.0)

High point

Set up an 88th minute winner at home to West Ham in the league, ending an afternoon of frustration for the Gunners. Having cut inside his marker from the left flank, the Frenchman delivered a teasing right-footed cross onto the head of the lurking Alex Song to send the Arsenal fans into raptures.

Low point

At fault for Shakhtar's winning goal in Arsenal's 2-1 loss in the Champions League group stage, a result which ultimately would cost the Gunners top spot. From a seemingly routine clearance situation on the left flank, Clichy managed to gift the ball to Darijo Srna, who crossed for Gunners' old-boy Eduardo to score.

Manuel Almunia 2010/2011

2011-07-20T17:59:00.002+01:00

Season Stats

13 starts + 1 sub app

16 goals conceded

4 clean sheets

40 saves

Most saves in a game: 8 - Barcelona 3-1 Arsenal (CL)

High point

In the FA Cup 4th round tie against Huddersfield, kept out a header from Alan Lee with a world-class fingertip save following an acrobatic dive.

Low point

Heavily at fault for the 2-3 home defeat to newly-promoted West Brom, a performance which saw him lose his status as no.1.

5 reasons why Samir Nasri isn't suited to the no.10 role

2011-07-17T20:40:00.001+01:00

Given the recent injury problems of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, one of the major areas of concern for Arsene Wenger is who best to replace him with in his absence. A fair proportion of Arsenal's midfielders favour the role, and one such player is the twinkle-toed Samir Nasri. But does he have the necessary qualities to deputise for the Spaniard, in a role that requires tremendous creativity and vision? Here are 5 reasons why I believe he's ill-suited to the position, demonstrated with the following video:

Bacary Sagna 2010/2011, Part 1

2011-07-16T23:37:00.003+01:00

Highlights of Mr. Consistent from August til December:

Cesc Fabregas 2010/2011, Part 2

2011-07-02T06:03:00.002+01:00

Highlights of the captain from the middle third of the season:

What makes Barcelona such a formidable team? - Part 2

2011-06-02T14:30:00.009+01:00

Continuing on from part 1...

6. Lack of counterattacks

A particularly interesting feature of Barcelona’s attacking play is how often they turn down quick counterattacking opportunities from within their own half. If possession is regained inside the opposition half they will of course look to exploit the space (which ties in to the pressing game as will be discussed later), but box-to-box counters are a rare sight.

Rather than speed up the play on such occasions, Barcelona look to use the opportunity to regain shape and restart their patient passing game. This gives the opposition time to get men back behind the ball, and perpetuates a constant state of Barcelona being camped in their opponent’s half. With so many men back, the opposition have no out-ball and this enables Barcelona to suffocate them inside their own half. In addition, it avoids the game descending into an open, end-to-end battle where Barcelona may be susceptible to counter-counterattacks. (As was the case when Barcelona tried to force a quick goal in the last 10 minutes of their away match vs Arsenal this season).

A potential problem with this strategy is that by compressing all the play into the final 3rd of the pitch, Barcelona are effectively also shutting off their own space too. Normally this would be a hindrance to a passing side – Arsenal fans know all too well how frustrating it is to see a team knocking the ball harmlessly from side to side in front of a 9-man defence. But Barcelona are perhaps the best side in the world at functioning in tight spaces. Notice how many of the following team goals are scored by cutting though 8/9-man defences, especially from 2:20 – 4:15):

7. Tactical flexibility

Barcelona are often accused of lacking a plan B, but this ignores the fact that the plan A itself is versatile and allows for several different formations which take advantage of different areas of the pitch.

4-3-3 – Barcelona’s standard formation features 3 midfielders to control possession, a false 9 in the shape of Messi and 2 wide forwards making out-to-in runs.

3-4-3 v.1 – With Busquets dropping back in between Pique and Puyol, this allows the team to break free of aggressive pressing of the centre backs by opposition forwards. The fullbacks can then push on and provide width higher up the pitch, allowing the three forwards to narrow and link up with each other at close quarters.

3-4-3 v.2 – When Alves pushes forward on the right flank, Pique and Puyol shuttle over to the right, with Abidal tucking in off the left to become in effect a third centre back. The front three can again narrow, with Iniesta providing a more cut-inside wide threat on the left.

Diamond 4-4-2 – Against teams that look to match Barcelona’s trio in midfield, Messi can drop off to play as a no.10 on a more full-time basis. The opposition can either pull a man back to deal with him (freeing up space for one of Xavi or Iniesta), or ignore him and allow him space in between the lines to wreak havoc.

This versatility gives them a great advantage – they can shift easily between different shapes at any stage of the game, without having to waste any substitutions.

8. Dual-function players

Perhaps one of the greatest difficulties in replicating Barcelona’s system is that they have a couple of phenomenal players in Lionel Messi and Dani Alves who can essentially play in two positions at once.

Dani Alves is on paper a full-back, yet his incredible pace and stamina allows him to patrol a whole right flank by himself. You could say that his presence is like having an extra man, allowing Barcelona to play a 4-4-3 formation. Note how much of the pitch he covers in the heatmap below – almost the entire length and half the width:

In the attacking phase he’s one of the most potent wingers in the world (recording 12 goals and 48 assists in his last 3 seasons), in the defensive phase an aggressive presser. During opposition transitions, he can be seen hurtling back towards his own goal, making some fantastic last ditch tackles in the process (granted he does also get caught out on occasions, such is the risk of the role he plays):

Although he was already a brilliant individual artist and an intelligent teamplayer, Lionel Messi’s redeployment to the “false 9” role mid-way through the 2009/2010 season allowed him and Barcelona to reach even greater heights. It was a tactical masterstroke from Pep Guardiola, who managed to find a way to make his side even more possession-orientated without losing any of the attacking potency that they’d had the previous season with Eto’o in the centre forward role.

The value of a false 9 usually lies in their ability to drop deep and link-up with the midfield, utilising good passing and ball control skills to control the ball tidily and maintain the flow of the attack. The theory is that centre backs – not being comfortable marking empty space – will advance forward and close down the false 9, creating space in behind for one of the wide forwards to run into. (Good example here)

The problem with such a tactic is that it relies on intelligent movement by the wide forwards, and the assumption that the centre backs will close down. If this doesn’t happen, the team can be left with no presence inside the box and no penetration.

However, this isn’t a problem with Lionel Messi in the false 9 role. He has the complete skillset as an attacking player, combining superb dribbling, passing and shooting into one devastating package. He can drop back into midfield and help to build attacks from deep, but his ability to accelerate and to dribble past players with ease means he’s never too far away from goal to not be a threat. He can poach goals; he can slalom his way through to goal; he can score from range; and he can provide defence-splitting passes. In the last 2 seasons, he has scored 15 goals from outside the box in open play, and provided 36 assists for teammates - wherever he is in the opposition half, he’s a threat.

9. Pressing

As well as being the best attacking side in Europe, Barcelona are probably also the strongest defensively. What they lack in conventional 18 yard box defending, they more than make up for with their aggressive pressing game higher up the pitch, stifling opposition attacks before they have a chance to come to fruition.

Barcelona’s pressing game is aided by several factors:

(a) They dominate possession high up the pitch, forcing the opposition to get men back behind the ball. With their opponents penned back inside their own half and lacking an outlet for pressure, Barcelona can often close in for the kill and either win the ball back quickly or force an aimless long ball which the defenders can sweep up easily.

(b) The majority of their passes tend to be short, so Barcelona’s players are nearly always in a position to press once play breaks down, as Johan Cruijff explains:

"Do you know how Barcelona win the ball back so quickly? It's because they don't have to run back more than 10 metres as they never pass the ball more than 10 metres."

(c) They conserve energy while in possession, enabling them to expend more while pressing. It’s often thought that Barcelona work harder than the average team, but their distance covered figures from this year’s Champions League are quite revealing. On average they covered 110.465 km per game, compared to 110.644 km by 2nd-placed Man Utd. This was less than the 112.040 km average of all teams in the competition. Barcelona’s season-high distance covered was 116.624 km, which was dwarfed by the overall competition high of 124.503 km. Clearly, the long periods spent playing a relatively low-intensity passing game help to balance out the high-intensity pressing.

So how does the pressing game actually work? Work rate is obviously one factor, but intelligence and organisation are very important too. It’s telling that Barcelona’s defensive record has improved with each passing season under Guardiola, as players have gained more experience and take up better positions while pressing:

2008/2009 – 35 league goals conceded, 55 conceded in 62 games overall
2009/2010 – 24 league goals conceded, 40 conceded in 59 games overall
2010/2011 – 21 league goals conceded, 38 conceded in 62 games overall

Barcelona have several different systems of pressing which they employ depending on which area of the pitch the ball is at.

When an opposition keeper or defender has the ball, one player (usually Villa or Pedro) will sprint at him and force him into rushing a pass, while the players behind him employ a system of through marking to cover all the nearby passing options. If they do it correctly, then the player should have no choice but to punt it long, allowing Barcelona’s defenders to read the flight of the ball and move in to intercept.

At 0:57 in the following video you can see this type of pressing in action. Pause it at exactly 1:09 and you will see that all 6 white shirts are being marked by nearby Barcelona players – the ball is hit long and possession is regained:

If you also skip to 2:00 in the video above, you can see a different type of pressing in action. When an opposition player has the ball close to the flank, Barcelona players will attempt to surround and outnumber him, suffocating him and stealing the ball. At the exact moment possession is stolen (around 2:12), Barcelona have 3 players ganging up on just 1 Real player.

A more dynamic type of pressing can be seen in the opening 30 seconds of the following video. With Espanyol passing quickly from point to point, Barcelona players have to take it in turns to close down the man on the ball (usually the one nearest by), with players from behind coming in to replace the previous marking duties of the presser:

Immediately after losing possession in the final third, the Barcelona players in close vicinity – no matter whether they’re a defender or attacker – will attempt to close down and win it back quickly (as can be seen in this video of the Arsenal-Barcelona tie at the Emirates last year). This form of pressing is perhaps the most aggressive, and least organised. Opponents who can bypass this first wave of pressure stand a chance of launching a successful counter.

10. Universality

One of the key concepts that underpins Barcelona’s positional fluidity is that every player should be comfortable operating in any part of the pitch, and contributing to the 3 main aspects of Barcelona’s game – defence, possession, and attack.

It’s not uncommon for instance to see Xavi dropping back to become the deepest outfield player on the pitch, popping up on the right flank, or advancing to the centre forward role when Messi drops deep.

Here’s a clip of Javier Mascherano dribbling into the opposition area from centre back (while Xavi takes over his position):

Here’s Pique scoring a goal from a marauding run forward:

Dani Alves making a trademark poacher-like run to score a header:

And best of all, the forward trio of Messi-Villa-Pedro defending like rabid dogs:

In Summary

Barcelona’s playing style owes a lot to the above principles, but without long-term grassroots investment it’s not possible for any single club to build a collection of footballers with the required technical skills to implement such a gameplan.

Team chemistry plays a big part too, and Barcelona’s core group of players have that in abundance. The likes of Xavi-Iniesta, Messi-Alves, and Pique-Puyol have had years (helped by a lack of rotation) to build up their understanding of each other’s movement and passing patterns, such that it has become second nature.

It’s likely that we may not see another Barcelona in our lifetime, so we should savour every moment of the current one while they’re still around.

Credit to allas4 for majority of videos.

What makes Barcelona such a formidable team? - Part 1

2011-05-31T23:37:00.025+01:00

On Saturday night Barcelona beat Manchester United comfortably to secure their third Champions League victory in just 6 years, and their second under Pep Guardiola. The manner of the victory – against undoubtedly their biggest European rivals over the last 5 years – has left many in no doubt that this is a special team up there with the best in history. Even the traditionally insular English media had to hold their hands up and admit that Barcelona’s blueprint was the way forward, after seeing their nation’s top club humbled on home soil.

While Frank Rijkaard’s 2004-06 team was itself an excellent unit, Guardiola has taken dominance to a whole new level with a brand of suffocating possession football that has earned admirers around the world. Incredibly, his side has managed more than 50% possession in each of his 183 games in charge. You have to go all the way back to May 2008 to find a game where Barcelona were outpassed (a 1-4 loss away to Real Madrid in the league).

Barcelona have the ability to remain at the top for a few years yet, and in the meantime a lot of clubs must be wondering how they can catch up and compete toe-to-toe with the Spanish champions. With largely the same group of core players that existed during the Rijkaard era, Guardiola has transformed Barcelona into an almost-unbeatable side. Clearly, his impact on the team’s strategy and mentality has been a large contributing factor behind their success (contrary to claims that anyone could do a similar job managing such a group of talented players).

Aside from the obvious technical qualities such as touch, ball control, passing and awareness which are taught from a young age at La Masia, what makes Barcelona’s system such a force? Here are 10 points which I believe to be key:

1. Patience

One of the most fundamental aspects of Barcelona’s play is a calm, methodical approach to build-up play. By moving the ball around the pitch and changing the angle of attack, the ball is eventually worked into the space just outside the 18 yard box, and gaps will develop as impetuous opposition defenders attempt to close down.

It sounds simple but with 90,000 fans urging you on to get forward, especially when you’re chasing the game, it can be difficult to stick to your principles. However that’s what Barcelona do best, and here are two examples of their patience paying off:

2. Technical defenders

A common tactic used to prevent a team playing the ball out from the back is to close down the centre backs with through marking employed to cover the players immediately to the front and side. With no options and limited time on the ball, they are forced to hit it long, but not at Barcelona. Their holding midfielder, centre backs and even goalkeeper can dribble out of tight spots, enabling the team to stick to their building-from-the-back principle.

It’s not just enough that the defenders be able to break away from pressure, they also need to be able to take advantage of the resulting space. Gerard Pique in particular is adept at advancing into the midfield zone and playing accurate passes, including raking cross-field balls. See 0:44 in the following video:

3. Defensive pivots

One of the novel aspects of Barcelona’s play is the use of the keeper and holding midfielder as outlets for pressure. Victor Valdes is an excellent passer by goalkeeper standards, and takes advantage of his deep positioning to receive the ball from one fullback/centre back and switch it to the other:

Note his role in initiating Pedro’s goal in the following clip (skip to 10:30):

Sergio Busquets does a similar job in midfield, sitting behind the Xavi-Iniesta pairing and redirecting passes from one to the other. A tidy player, his one-touch play stands out in particular. Notice how often he redistributes play from left to right and vice versa in the following clip (starts at 0:59):

A great example of this one-touch play can be seen in his pass to Keita leading up to the following goal. It may seem a simple pass, but it gave Keita just a little bit more time and space to advance forward and link up with Messi:

4. Lack of crosses

Aside from the fact that the tallest member of the Barcelona frontline measures less than 6 feet, the fullbacks generally don’t look to play high balls into the box because it’s quite simply a highly inefficient strategy. Crossing is a low percentage game which relies on a fair amount of chance, and as such it doesn’t fit in with the Barcelona mantra of possession, possession, possession.

Instead, the width of the pitch is used intelligently to draw out opposition fullbacks and stretch the backline horizontally, with the ball then being circulated back into the middle to take advantage of the channels that have developed between the defenders – as can be seen here (1st goal):

...or indeed to set up a shot from the edge of the box:

And again here (1st goal):

5. Set pieces

For Barcelona, set pieces are usually an extension of their open play passing game. Of course, with the likes of Pique, Puyol and Busquets in their line-up they have aerial prowess and are not afraid to take advantage of it from time to time, but by and large they prefer to play it short and keep possession high up the pitch.

An interesting feature of Guardiola’s reign has been the increased usage of rehearsed set plays, with the side taking advantage of the 10 yard rule and often creating 3 vs 2 situations from corners.

Here are several examples of beautiful team moves and goals resulting from corners (you can ignore the Spain footage if you want...):

Free-kicks are also a source of innovation:

Credit to allas4 for the majority of the videos. Part 2 can be found here.

Cesc Fabregas 2010/2011, Part 1

2011-05-26T16:42:00.001+01:00

Highlights of the captain's first 3 months of the season:

Stoke 3-1 Arsenal: Chalkboards

2011-05-09T17:41:00.003+01:00

For the 3rd time in four visits to Stoke since 2008, Arsenal have ended up on the losing side and yet again after going behind to an early set piece goal. Here are a few interesting chalkboards courtesy of the Guardian.

Clearances

Stoke were quicker to the second ball throughout, recovering possession with 27 of their 38 clearances (71%). The home team were constantly able to break out of danger zones, and consequently Arsenal were unable to exert extended pressure on Stoke's backline.

Arsenal on the other hand only managed 10 successful clearances out of 26 (38%). This proved costly when Walters scored Stoke's 3rd to kill the game off, pouncing on a poor clearance from Djourou before any Arsenal defender could react.

Interceptions

Stoke's interception chalkboard sums up their defensive strategy well. They were quick to get men back behind the ball (Arsenal's tempo also played a part), defending their 18 yard line well and looking to block Arsenal's passing lanes through the middle. Overall they made 20 interceptions to Arsenal's 12. Only 1 of them was in Arsenal's half, though it proved vital - Pennant latched onto Ramsey's lazy backpass and exploited the space in between the lines to fire in Stoke's second.

Stoke's passing

As with most opposition sides, Stoke targetted Arsenal's left flank, which was even weaker than usual due to Clichy's absence. Kieran Gibbs had an average game, and for Stoke's 3rd goal he failed to deal with a diagonal ball out wide, allowing Stoke to build an attack down that side and score.

See 0:45 in the following video: (credit to Arsenalist)

stok2131h68 by arsenalist

Laurent Koscielny

In general Koscielny has been a very good performer this season, forming a good understanding with Djourou and doing an excellent job in closing down opposition attackers early.

When playing a high line his value cannot be questioned, but when forced to defend inside his own 18 yard box he has displayed a certain level of vulnerability. His natural game is to win the ball early, getting tight and nicking the ball away with an out-stretched leg, but inside the box this approach is something of a liability. Therefore, when defending deep he has at times been reckless, trying to win the ball at all costs and leaving gaps/conceding several penalties in the process. At other times he's been unsure of himself, wary of conceding fouls but not understanding some of the positional requirements of defending deep/soaking up opposition pressure.

This flaw to his game was evident again during Stoke's 3rd goal (skip to 0:50 in the above video), where he chased the ball out of the box and in the process ended up leaving a gap for Walters to exploit a couple of seconds later (granted it was a poor clearance from Djourou).

2nd half substitutions

At the start of the 2nd half, Wenger threw on Bendtner and Chamakh, giving Arsenal a very attacking 4-4-2 shape with Bendtner coming in off the left. Van Persie dropped deeper and Chamakh assumed the centre forward role, looking to play with his back to goal as usual. The Morroccan completed 26 out of 29 passes, and won 3 out of 4 tackles, adding a different dimension to Arsenal's attack.

This gave van Persie much more freedom than he had in the first half (where he only recorded 1 shot). After the break he managed to fire away 4 shots, 3 of them on target (including the goal) - all straight down the middle.

Chamakh was vital in creating space for van Persie. His tendency to drop deep, control it neatly (the Morroccan has a great touch, which is often overlooked) and lay the ball off quickly - drawing a marker towards him in the process - was very useful, and led to 2 great chances for the Dutchman, one of them a goal.

The first was on 73 minutes - Chamakh controlled the ball well from a goal kick, drew Stoke's right back out, and laid it off to Wilshere. Wilshere spotted the gap in behind Wilkinson and threaded the ball into the space for Bendtner, creating a golden chance for van Persie which was saved at point-blank range. See the following video:

stokrvpchance467 by arsenalist

The goal (see first video) was a culmination of the effect of the 3 Arsenal substitutes. Rosicky - twisting, turning and probing as usual - played a good forward pass between the lines. Chamakh, with his back to goal and drawing the attentions of Wilkinson, flicked the ball quickly to van Persie. Bendtner made a run to the left, dragging a centre back with him and giving van Persie enough room to fire away his 6th right-footed goal of the season.

Unfortunately the comeback was short-lived, but the one positive that can be taken out of this game (as with the 2-2 draw against West Brom and 2-1 win over Everton) is that a modified, attacking 4-4-2 is a decent plan B.

Lukasz Fabianski 2010/2011

2011-03-28T00:26:00.005+01:00

2010 was a very mixed year for Lukasz Fabianski. After some high-profile errors in the second half of last season, his ability as a goalkeeper was called into question, but he managed to turn it around after injury to Manuel Almunia saw him thrust back into the limelight. Prior to his season-ending injury this January, he had established himself as Arsenal's no.1 with several top-class displays, demonstrating why Arsene Wenger had brought him to the club in the first place.

His shot-stopping is among the best in the league and he has directly earned Arsenal several points with some fantastic reflex saves, perhaps the most obvious example being his stoppage time save in the 2-0 away win over Wolves in November. Unlike Arsenal's other two first-team keepers, Fabianski's distribution is one of his strong points and he has put it to good use, being one of only 6 Premier League keepers to have directly assisted a goal this season. However his command of the 6 yard box and ability to deal with aerial balls remains slightly suspect, although to his credit he has clearly worked on these weaknesses.

Here are his season highlights:

Season stats:

-20 games

-22 goals against

-5 clean sheets

-42 saves

Laurent Koscielny 2010/2011, Part 1

2011-03-23T17:46:00.001Z

Since joining Arsenal at the start of the season, Laurent Koscielny has been an almost-permanent fixture in the centre of defence. Despite some inconsistent performances early on (due mainly to an unstable partnership with fellow newcomer Sebastian Squillaci), he has generally been an excellent acquisition and fits in seamlessly with the club's defensive ethic, pressing high and winning the ball back early. These are some of his highlights from August til December:

Jack Wilshere 2010/2011, Part 1

2011-03-22T01:07:00.001Z

Jack Wilshere has been one of Arsenal's top performers this season, showing a remarkable level of maturity and consistency at the heart of the Gunners' midfield. Here are his best moments from the first 5 months of the season:

Who should start as centre forward in Van Persie's absence?

2011-03-02T19:20:00.004Z

Source: Press Association Images

So once again Robin van Persie is out injured at a crucial period during Arsenal's season. His absence means that progression through to the Champions League quarter finals will be an uphill struggle, and in the FA Cup a daunting game at Old Trafford awaits the Gunners should they advance past Leyton Orient in their 5th round replay tonight. On the positive side he will only miss 2 Premier League games should his recovery go to plan, with Arsene Wenger estimating that the Dutchman will be out for at least 3 weeks.

Robin van Persie is of course a top class player, but his effect on Arsenal's system extends far beyond his own individual contributions. His appreciation for space, intelligence in his movement, and ability to retain and distribute the ball high up the pitch, all make him the ideal candidate to act as the "false 9" within Arsenal's attack. His presence brings the best out of the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott, players who thrive on the space that van Persie creates for them in behind defences.

Van Persie's injury last year saw Arsenal transform from free-scoring high-fliers to a team that ended up limping, trophyless, over the finishing line in May. It was clear that his injury disrupted the team's attacking flow, and although Wenger experimented with several different players in the centre forward roles (Bendtner, Eduardo, and more radically Arshavin), none of them were able to replicate the influence of the Dutchman.

With Wenger looking unlikely to stray from his 4-2-3-1 setup this season, it's important that whoever fills in for van Persie is as similar as possible in terms of style of play. Step forward Marouane Chamakh. The Morroccan was signed on a free from Bordeaux last summer, and although he's struggled for form since December (not surprising given his lack of starts since the return of van Persie), his performances in the first few months of the season were excellent. Although lacking the creative talent and individual goalscoring game of van Persie, Chamakh was an effective deputy because vitally, he was able to replicate the intelligent movement and the hold-up play of the Dutchman, which is so vital in dragging markers out of position and facilitating the other attacking players in breaking into space.

The following table shows the overall team's attacking performance as well as individual goals/assists stats of the players who have started as centre forward since Arsenal switched to a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 at the start of last season*. Realistically Arshavin will not be playing in the middle again this season, but his stats are shown for reference.

(*Only Premier League and Champions League proper games have been included, as other competitions tend to include weakened teams. Further breakdown of home/away performances as well as game-by-game stats are available by clicking on the other tabs at the bottom.)

What's evident is that the team scores at an amazing rate with van Persie as starting centre forward (obviously), but despite appearing to be individually the weakest of the club's 3 centre forwards, Chamakh does a much better job than Bendtner in preserving the attacking flow and goal average. The Morroccan lacks movement into goalscoring positions, directness, and killer instinct, but he more than makes up for it with his teamplay and overall positive effect on the team's ability to ripple the back of the net.

Source: Getty Images

I have speculated previously on the reason behind Bendtner's apparent negative effect on team performance despite seeming to do well on an individual level. I believe that the role of the centre forward in Arsenal's 4-2-3-1 should first and foremost be to aid the flow of the attack and to create space for the 3/4 players behind him. The individual goalscoring/assists performance of the centre forward comes secondary to the team's overall attacking performance. In that respect, van Persie and Chamakh do a far better job than Bendtner, who seems to stifle the team's fluidity with his (relatively) poor touch and movement. This trend is evidenced by the superior team performances when the centre forward role was occupied last season by Andrei Arshavin. The Russian, a natural attacking midfielder, contributed next to nothing in terms of goals/assists but enabled the team to score at an average of 2 goals per game, highlighting the importance of having a player who can drift about, take passes in his stride and keep the ball moving within the final 3rd.

One of the arguments in favour of Bendtner is that he very often pops up with vital goals and assists (this was particularly true from February onwards last season). However, you could say that Bendtner's ability to provide important match-saving contributions is a self-fulfilling prophecy. By making the system less geared towards fluidity and interchanging of positions, and more geared towards serving an orthodox no.9 (relative to other Arsenal centre forwards), the team's goal output is decreased, but the likelihood of Bendtner being the one to score or assist increases. And therefore he appears to be bailing Arsenal out, when in fact his presence was probably the root cause of Arsenal struggling in the first place.

In fact, the only game where Arsenal have scored more than 3 team goals with Bendtner as starting centre forward, was the 5-0 win over Porto. Bendtner was surprisingly clinical that game, netting a hattrick from 2 predatory finishes and a penalty. A system with Nicklas Bendtner as the single centre forward would only work in the long term if he could improve his finishing. In a more orthodox attacking system, less chances are created, and it therefore becomes vital that the focal point inside the box (i.e. Bendtner) makes the most of the chances that come his way. Unfortunately this has rarely been the case in the past.

Conclusion:

Unless Wenger switches to a 4-4-2 or another formation that facilitates 2 centre forwards, Marouane Chamakh remains the ideal candidate to take over van Persie's false 9 role. The Morroccan was given his chance at the start of the year and proved that he was able to fill the void that would otherwise have cost Arsenal a chance at the title, as it did the previous season. Nicklas Bendtner remains a decent plan B, but Chamakh's qualities are more in tune in with Arsenal's plan A.

Arsenal Attacking Statistics 2009/2010

2011-01-31T14:42:00.004Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Andrei Arshavin
3 assists
Arsenal 4-1 AZ Alkmaar (Champions League)

Andrei Arshavin
2 assists; 1 key pass
Arsenal 5-0 Porto (Champions League)

Cesc Fabregas
2 goals; 2 assists
Everton 1-6 Arsenal (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal; 4 assists
Arsenal 6-2 Blackburn (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal; 2 key passes
Wolves 1-4 Arsenal (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal; 1 assist; 1 key pass
Arsenal 4-2 Bolton (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal; 2 assists
Stoke 1-3 Arsenal (Premier League)

Nicklas Bendtner
3 goals
Arsenal 5-0 Porto (Champions League)

Robin van Persie
2 goals; 1 assist
Arsenal 3-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Assists of the Week - Sunday 26th December 2010

2011-01-02T16:39:00.000Z

Serge Gakpe is the pick of a poor bunch for me, his first-time throughball giving Monaco a late 2-1 win over Sochaux.

Mid-season analysis: What's wrong with Arsenal's central defence?

2011-01-01T01:10:00.005Z

We're exactly half way through the Premier League season and after another 2 cheap points were dropped at Wigan recently, it's worth exploring what's going wrong at the heart of Arsenal's defence, especially when it's occupied by the French pair of Laurent Koscielny and Sebastian Squillaci. The goalkeeper and left back situations have been scrutinised in great detail by Arsenal fans but the purpose of this article will be to examine the centre backs alone through a combination of statistical and video analysis.

For the sake of a fair comparison, Champions League and League Cup games will be ignored due to the weakened nature of the teams fielded. Tackles and interceptions made by centre backs in the final 3rd of the pitch will be excluded from the stats as these generally only occur during corner kick situations and do not reflect defensive ability. The 3rd goal conceded against West Brom in the 2-3 home defeat will also be ignored as the team was playing a 3-man defence from the 66th minute onwards (tackles/interceptions/shots during that time will also be ignored).

Partnerships

Firstly, let's take a look at the defensive efficiency of the 5 different centre backs pairings that have been fielded during the Premier League campaign so far:

Table 1: Centre back statistics for all 19 Premier League games to date

The Djourou-Koscielny and Song-Vermaelen partnerships have had little game time so can be ignored from this comparison. With that in mind the key points are that:

-The Koscielny-Squillaci pairing is the leakiest and concedes goals at almost 4 times the rate of the most secure pairing, Djourou-Squillaci.

-Despite conceding the least goals, the Djourou-Squillaci partnership actually concedes the most total shots and the 2nd most shots on target.

-The Koscielny-Squillaci partnership concedes fewer total shots than any other partnership, but the most shots on target.

-The Koscielny-Vermaelen pairing concedes the fewest total shots and the fewest shots on target.

These stats are for all Premier League games and so do not take into account the differences between home games and away games (where defences generally come under extra attacking pressure). Therefore here is a further breakdown of these stats beginning with home games:

Table 2: Centre back statistics for all 9 Premier League home games to date

From this table the only 2 partnerships worth comparing are Djourou-Squillaci and Koscielny-Squillaci. Again, key points are that:

-The Djourou-Squillaci pairing is the most secure and concedes goals at almost 3 times a lower rate than Koscielny-Squillaci.

-The Djourou-Squillaci partnership concedes more total shots and more shots on target than Koscielny-Squillaci.

And finally the away performances:

Table 3: Centre back statistics for all 10 Premier League away games to date

Key points here are that:

-Djourou-Squillaci once again emerges as the most secure pairing, despite conceding the most total shots.

-Koscielny-Squillaci is the least secure and concedes the most shots on target (as opposed to the least in home performances).

-Koscielny-Vermaelen concedes the least total shots and the least shots on target.

With the exception of shots on target conceded by Koscielny-Squillaci, the pattern of home and away games is quite similar.

Individuals

So what is the reason behind these trends? To understand we need to take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of each individual centre back, so that we can recognise the dynamics of each separate pairing. Here are individual stats for interceptions, aerial duels and tackling:

Table 4: Individual defensive stats for the 4 centre backs

The points we can draw from this are that:

-Koscielny is the most pro-active defender, attempting the most tackles and aerial duels, and the 2nd most interceptions. His tackling is by far the tidiest.

-Squillaci prefers to keep his position rather than close down, attempting fewer interceptions, aerial duels and tackles.

-Vermaelen and Djourou are somewhere in between these 2 varying styles, Vermaelen tending more towards Koscielny's game while Djourou is more akin to Squillaci.

-Despite attempting the most aerial duels, Koscielny is joint weakest in this area along with Squillaci (who attempts by far the fewest).

-Vermaelen is the strongest in the air, with Djourou not far behind.

Conclusion:

With this knowledge, we can roughly rank the centre backs in 2 important areas of the game:

Closing down:

Koscielny = Vermaelen > Djourou = Squillaci

Aerial ability:

Vermaelen > Djourou > Koscielny = Squillaci

This helps us to better understand the dynamics of each centre back pairing:

-Koscielny-Vermaelen concedes the fewest shots on target because it closes down the best and thwarts attacks before they develop (with a larger sample size it could possibly rank the lowest in terms of total shots too).

-The Djourou-Squillaci partnership concedes the most total shots because it doesn't close down (it is joint worst for shots on target too).

-The Koscielny-Squillaci pairing is the leakiest because it is weak in the air and therefore vulnerable from aerial balls and set pieces.

-The Djourou-Squillaci pairing is the strongest because it is deep-lying and doesn't risk being caught high up the pitch. Instead it looks to soak up opposition pressure, taking advantage of Djourou's aerial ability.

The major anomaly within these stats is that the Koscielny-Squillaci partnership concedes few total shots (due mainly to Koscielny's closing down?) but concedes the most shots on target and indeed the most goals (by a large distance). If the partnership restricts opposition shots so much, why then do a high proportion of these end up on target and in the net?

Comparing the Squillaci-Djourou and Squillaci-Koscielny partnerships, it's difficult to comprehend that the vast difference in defensive efficiency is down to a simple difference in defensive strategy. The fact that replacing Johan Djourou with Laurent Koscielny results in an almost 4-fold increase in goals being conceded, should be cause for concern, and points the finger of blame at the young Frenchman.

So what exactly is Koscielny doing wrong? It could be that he struggles on the left side of defence when partnered with Squillaci, as opposed to the more natural right-sided role he assumes when partnered with Vermaelen. Another factor may be that without the comfort of a Premier League-experienced partner, Koscielny lacks the right support and leadership to effectively function within this defence.

Another more simple explanation would be that Laurent Koscielny is simply error-prone, and that despite all his good work in getting tight to opponents and winning the ball back early, he lets it all go to waste with one or two moments of madness each match, whether it's a positional or technical error.

As usual, this pattern is best demonstrated with actual graphic evidence from the matches. The following video breaks down the 21 goals conceded in the Premier League campaign so far (excluding the 3rd against West Brom), and we can observe that indeed the main problems of the Squillaci-Koscielny partnership are its aerial weakness and Koscielny's tendency to make costly mistakes:

Solution:

So what can be done to remedy the current situation? The obvious decision would be to drop Koscielny in the short term and persist with the Squillaci-Djourou partnership, certainly in away games anyway. At home Koscielny's style of play would be beneficial towards Arsenal's pressing game and he can compete with Squillaci to partner the excellent Djourou (and when fit, Vermaelen).

In the long term, with more Premier League and general defensive experience, Koscielny should mature into a fine modern centre back, combining his excellent technical qualities and intelligence with improved concentration and reliability. It will be of great interest to see which two of Djourou, Koscielny and Vermaelen will establish themselves as the club's first choice centre backs given their similar ages and differing qualities.

Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea - Wenger gets his tactics spot on

2010-12-28T21:30:00.004Z

After 13 failed attempts, Arsenal have finally beaten a Chelsea side containing Didier Drogba. Arsene Wenger spoke about the threat posed by the Ivorian before the game, and refreshingly his team selection was geared as much towards nullifying Chelsea as it was towards aiding Arsenal's passing game.

Wenger had several big selection decisions to make and he got all of them spot on:
-Johan Djourou came in for Sebastian Squillaci, adding more physical and aerial presence against Drogba

-A fully-fit Robin van Persie was preferred to Marouane Chamakh and resumed his role as a false 9

-Theo Walcott started on the right to reduce Ashley Cole's influence and provide a threat in behind Chelsea's defence

-Samir Nasri's work rate and economy in possession was preferred on the left with the more lackadaisical Andrey Arshavin dropped to the bench

Arsenal's 4-2-3-1: Song (17) and Wilshere (19) sat behind the front four, covering the right and left flanks respectively.
Van Persie (hidden behind 2) played his usual false 9 role, dropping back into midfield & creating space for Fabregas (4) and Walcott (14) to advance into the box. Koscielny (6) brought the ball out of defence while Djourou (20) stayed back.

In the same fixture last year, Ashley Cole set up two goals from left wing crosses and repeated the feat again at Stamford Bridge this season when he set up Didier Drogba for the opener. In both games Nasri started ahead of Walcott on the right, and the latter goal arose as a direct result of Nasri failing to track Cole's run down the left. Walcott played in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge last season and managed to keep Cole reasonably quiet, so perhaps Wenger had this in mind when deciding to start the young Englishman on the right.

In theory it makes a lot of sense, Walcott has tremendous pace and his diagonal running in behind opposition defences is a major threat - one which requires left backs to play more conservatively. This was the case in the game last night, with Cole barely venturing into the final 3rd of the pitch. Not only did Walcott pin back Cole for the majority of the time he was on the pitch, he also displayed excellent defensive awareness in tracking the runs of the left back (and of Malouda) on the few occasions that space did develop on Chelsea's left side - as this following video shows:

Ashley Cole's passing chalkboard: In the 73 minutes that Walcott was on the pitch, Ashley Cole managed just one (unsuccessful) pass in the attacking 3rd.

Walcott will have got a lot of plaudits for his role in Arsenal's 2nd and 3rd goals but his defensive work was equally excellent. With Cole/Malouda on the left and Ferreira/Kalou on the right, it's clear which side was Chelsea's strongest, and indeed there was a clear passing bias to the left throughout the match. Walcott's defensive diligence - along with Bakary Sagna and Alex Song's excellent performances - helped to shut down Chelsea's entire left flank.

Arsenal's right-sided dominance: Alex Song (6/6) and Bakary Sagna (5/5)
completed all of their attempted tackles.

Chelsea's left flank shut down: Despite showing a clear preference for passing to the left flank, Chelsea were unable to penetrate into the final 3rd on that side - amazingly not a single pass was played from that zone. They had better luck down the right against the defensively-weaker trio of Clichy-Wilshere-Nasri, but Kalou and Ferreira lacked the ability to take advantage, and their teammates didn't seem to have much faith in them.

Not only did Arsenal defend well in their own half, they also pressed well in Chelsea's. Up until the 3rd goal, Chelsea's keeper and centre backs were put under constant pressure by the closing down of van Persie and Fabregas (and occasionally the 2 wider players), with the fullbacks and deeper midfielders pushing up to close down the gaps in behind. This was a much more co-ordinated form of pressing than has been seen in recent weeks from this Arsenal side, and it paid dividends. Chelsea were unable to build from the back and resorted to numerous long balls forward, which the Arsenal back 4 dealt with fairly comfortably. In addition, Arsenal were able to win back possession several times inside Chelsea's own half, the most prominent example being Walcott's robbing of Malouda in the build-up to Arsenal's 3rd goal.

While the defending was excellent, there was still the small matter of breaking through Chelsea's deep-lying defence. It's been a problem area for Arsenal in recent encounters between the two sides, with Chelsea keeping clean sheets in each of the previous 3 games. But this time it was to be different. In an attempt to break down stubborn defences, Wenger has given Alex Song more license to get forward this season (facilitated by a change in the midfield set-up from a 1-2 to more of a 2-1). The decision paid off against West Ham, and it did again yesterday as the Cameroonian started off an attack from deep, driving into the box before calmly shooting into the far left corner of the net.

In fact, Wenger will have been delighted with all 3 goals yesterday because they were a perfect demonstration of his attacking philosophy, and of the capabilities of Arsenal's 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation:

Overall, a very positive performance for the Gunners. Not only does it keep them in touch with the league leaders, it also provides a tactical blueprint with which to approach future big games. One of my main criticisms of Wenger has been that, while he may be an expert technician, he is not necessarily an expert tactician. On last night's evidence I am beginning to believe he may also be the latter.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 19th December 2010

2010-12-23T23:55:00.000Z

Freezing temperatures have been playing havoc with the fixture schedule across much of northen Europe, so only 5 assists are worthy of inclusion this week. Diego Milito's clever backheel to Javier Zanetti stands out as the best of an average bunch.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 12th December 2010

2010-12-20T16:42:00.001Z

Three assists stand out for me this week - Kabangu's brilliant standing flick for Mazembe; Lennon's clever reverse pass for Spurs; and Moras' precise first-time throughball for Bologna. If I had to pick one winner, it would be Moras for the fact that he's a defender and his assist gave Bologna a late 2-1 win over Chievo.

10 ways to break through a parked bus

2010-12-16T12:41:00.005Z

The parked bus - scourge of attacking teams worldwide. Two rows of deep-lying defenders designed simply to frustrate the opposition into submission. Initially used to transport players to and from grounds, football managers later discovered its usefulness as a defensive tactic on the pitch.

Much like attacking, defending can be an art, and coaches can spend hours planning how best to set up their bus. There are many types of parked bus, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Here are 5 examples:

The 4-4 bus: In a 4-4-2, midfielders track back and form 2 compact lines, with wide players helping full-backs to double up on opposition wingers. It stops crosses being delivered into the area but can be sliced through centrally by quick passes and box overloads.

The 6-2 bus: In a 4-4-2, full-backs tuck in and wide midfielders are responsible for marking the opposition wingers. 6 central players can disrupt the opposition's passing game, and even if the wide players are beaten one-on-one, the central mass of players should be able to sweep up any crosses into the area. However flat lines of defence can be breached if one player strays from the line and plays opposition attackers onside (e.g. Pique goal vs Inter, CL Semi 2nd leg 09)

The 5-3 bus: Slightly rarer due to the decline in 3-man defences in the modern game. A spare centre-back allows for close marking of any free players, and 3 narrow midfielders help block the spaces in front of the defence. The wide areas are conceded in the expectation that any crosses into the box will be cleared by the mass of players. However this can be exploited if the wide player decides to shoot instead (e.g. Maicon goal vs North Korea, WC 10 Group Stage)

The 4-5 bus: A 9 man bus, this is incredibly effective as it covers the wide areas and the space in front of the defenders. Commonly used by 4-3-3/4-5-1 teams such as Chelsea, Inter and Man Utd, who have had great success with this bus against Barcelona in the Champions League recently.

The last minute bus: This is the sort of bus you employ when you're leading 1-0 in the Champions League final in stoppage time. While its numbers are strong, it lacks in organisation and can self-destruct through mass panic.

Those are some specific examples of parked buses with their own particular strengths and weaknesses. But regardless of bus shape or organisation, certain attacking strategies can be employed effectively against all types of bus. Here are 10 ways to break through a parked bus:

1. Patience

Sometimes breaking down a stubborn defence is a waiting game. Through composure on the ball and methodical passing, defenders can be drawn out of position and gaps created momentarily for a pass to exploit.

2. Move the ball into space quickly

Much like a literal parked bus, a group of 8 or 9 defenders doesn't accelerate very well. Shifting the ball around the pitch at pace can help to transfer the point of attack from a densely-packed crowd to a slightly less suffocating area of the pitch, forcing the defenders to chase and opening up gaps in the back line.

3. Quick passing exchanges

Parked buses are designed to congest the middle and shut down passing teams. Which is why it's all the sweeter when the opponent rebels and decides to slice straight through the middle of the defence with surgical precision. Quick one-twos are a very effective instrument in this case.

4. Defence-splitting pass

Very rarely the opportunity will arise to bisect the entire defence with a single pass. Obviously it takes a very special player to pass accurately through a crowd of players, which is why the first 3 clips in the following video all feature Dennis Bergkamp. Notice the off-the-ball runs of the goalscorers too, which create attacking avenues that previously didn't exist.

5. Dribbling

Defenders hate pace and trickery, particularly when it's inside the box and they can't risk a foul. Beating a player not only takes him out of the equation, but also forces other defenders to rush out and cover the gap, creating space for a pass or shot.

6. Crossing

Usually a parked bus can deal comfortably with a cross into the box thanks to its numerical superiority over the opposition attackers. But crossing to the back post can yield results, especially if there's a wide player drifting in un-seen and un-marked. Notice how the first 3 goals in the following video are all scored by left back Ashley Cole.

7. Ball over the top

A parked bus is by definition deep-lying. But certain situations can attract a defence a few yards forward and create space for the ball in behind. Most defences usually advance forward after a set piece or cross has been cleared to try to win any 2nd balls and put pressure on the recipient of the loose ball. Those few seconds provide a window of opportunity for diagonal balls to be quickly hit in behind, onto the head or feet of attackers making forward runs against the momentum of the defence.

8. Shooting

Probably the best anti-parked bus strategy of all. Not only is there a chance a shot will sail through the mass of bodies and ripple the back of the net, it's also possible that the keeper will parry the ball into the path of quick-thinking attackers to score or square across goal for a tap-in.

9. Win a penalty

With so many feet and hands on display, there are plenty of potential sources of mis-timed tackles and handballs. Unfortunately a lot of referees shy away from making big calls inside the box, so this is probably the least effective strategy of all.

10. Send the ball into the box

With so many bodies in the box, there's always the chance of getting a lucky break. A weak clearance, a deflection, an own goal ... or maybe even a sneaky handball. Sometimes you just need to get the ball into the box and see what happens.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 5th December 2010

2010-12-11T16:41:00.000Z

With only 5 assists to choose from this week, for me the winner is obvious. Lionel Messi's diagonal ball to Villa for his 2nd goal against Real Madrid is a thing of beauty.

What's the best way to score against Manchester United?

2010-12-08T11:48:00.006Z

Data from all 57 goals conceded by Manchester United in the Premier League and Champions League games since the start of the 2009/2010 season. A break-down of goals conceded at Old Trafford alone is included in a separate tab:

Ronaldo vs Messi Attacking Statistics 2009/2010

2010-12-05T12:18:00.001Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Real Madrid Attacking Statistics 2009/2010

2010-12-05T11:41:00.008Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 5-0 Xerez (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 key pass
Xerez 0-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
1 goal, 2 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 6-2 Villarreal (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals
Real Mallorca 1-4 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 key pass
Zurich 2-5 Real Madrid (Champions League)

Gonzalo Higuain
2 goals, 1 assist
Tenerife 1-5 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Gonzalo Higuain
3 goals
Real Valladolid 1-5 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Kaka
2 goals, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 6-2 Villarreal (La Liga)

Rafael Van der Vaart
2 goals, 1 assist
Real Madrid 6-0 Zaragoza (La Liga)

Assists of the Week - Sunday 28th November 2010

2010-12-04T22:21:00.000Z

Lots of variety in this week's assists, but the backheels stand out in particular and for me Lucas Barrios' pass was the most difficult to pull off. That's why it's called the beautiful game.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 21st November 2010

2010-11-28T23:20:00.000Z

Bunesliga features a lot this week, and my pick of the bunch is Christian Fuchs' 2nd assist which gave Mainz a late 3-2 victory over Monchengladbach.

Ronaldo vs Messi Attacking Statistics 2010/2011

2010-11-25T05:24:00.007Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Real Madrid Attacking Statistics 2010/2011

2010-11-25T05:02:00.020Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Angel di Maria
2 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 6-1 Racing Santander (La Liga)

Angel di Maria
3 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 8-0 Levante (Copa del Rey)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 2 key passes
Real Madrid 6-1 Deportivo (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 2 assists
Malaga 1-4 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
4 goals
Real Madrid 6-1 Racing Santander (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals
Real Madrid 5-1 Athletic Bilbao (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals, 1 assist
Real Madrid 8-0 Levante (Copa del Rey)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals, 1 assist
Real Madrid 4-2 Villarreal (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 7-0 Malaga (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
4 goals
Sevilla 2-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Emmanuel Adebayor
3 goals, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 8-1 Almeria (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals
Real Madrid 4-0 Getafe (La Liga)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 2 assists
Real Madrid 8-1 Almeria (La Liga)

Gonzalo Higuain
1 goal, 2 assists
Real Madrid 6-1 Deportivo (La Liga)

Gonzalo Higuain
3 goals, 2 assists
Valencia 3-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Kaka
2 goals, 2 assists
Valencia 3-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Karim Benzema
3 goals, 2 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 8-0 Levante (Copa del Rey)

Karim Benzema
2 goals, 1 key pass
Racing Santander 1-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Karim Benzema
1 goal, 1 assist, 2 key passes
Valencia 3-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Marcelo
1 goal, 2 assists
Real Madrid 7-0 Malaga (La Liga)

Mesut Ozil
3 assists, 1 key pass
Sevilla 2-6 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Mesut Ozil
1 assist, 2 key passes
Real Madrid 8-1 Almeria (La Liga)

Sergio Ramos
2 assists, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 8-1 Almeria (La Liga)

Xabi Alonso
1 assist, 2 key passes
Real Madrid 6-1 Deportivo (La Liga)

Xavi Hernández Career Assists

2010-11-19T18:47:00.002Z

Currently the world's best playmaker (and arguably one of the greatest ever), Xavi Hernández has led both club and country to unprecedented levels of success. In the space of just 2 years, he has managed to conquer every single major trophy on offer: World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, Primera Division and Copa del Rey, in addition to several other domestic, continental and intercontinental titles.

Under the management of Pep Guardiola, Xavi has been given far greater freedom of the midfield and without the presence of Deco and Ronaldinho he has flourished. Not only a fantastic technician and ball hoarder, he also possesses a deadly killer ball and over the course of his career has directly set up over 150 goals for club and country.

Here is a 3-part video celebrating his fantastic vision and creativity:

Lionel Messi One-Two Goals

2010-11-19T18:31:00.000Z

Following Lionel Messi's brilliantly-worked first goal against Villarreal last weekend, here is a video showcasing one of the strongest aspects of his game, the one-two (or give-and-go if you're American).

Assists of the Week - Sunday 14th November 2010

2010-11-19T18:18:00.000Z

Some outstanding choices this week, including Angel di Maria's outside of the boot cross, Samuel Eto'o's mazy footwork, Pedro's brilliant one-touch passing and Matt Phillip's backheel.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 7th November 2010

2010-11-15T13:57:00.001Z

Barcelona Attacking Statistics 2007/2008

2010-11-10T00:16:00.004Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Bojan
2 goals, 2 assists
Barcelona 4-1 Real Valladolid (La Liga)

Giovani dos Santos
3 goals
Murcia 3-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 key pass
Barcelona 4-1 Real Zaragoza (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
1 goal, 1 assist, 2 key passes
Barcelona 6-0 Valencia (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 assists, 1 key pass
Murcia 3-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Ronaldinho
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 3-1 Athletic Bilbao (La Liga)

Samuel Eto'o
3 goals, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-1 Levante (La Liga)

Samuel Eto'o
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Murcia 3-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
3 goals
Levante 1-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 6-0 Valencia (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Murcia 3-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Barcelona Attacking Statistics 2008/2009

2010-11-08T00:56:00.067Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Andres Iniesta
1 assist, 2 key passes
Barcelona 4-1 Numancia (La Liga)

Andres Iniesta
1 goal, 3 assists
Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla (La Liga)

Bojan
2 goals, 1 key pass
Basel 0-5 Barcelona (Champions League)

Dani Alves
1 goal, 2 key passes
Barcelona 4-0 Valencia (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Sporting Gijon 1-6 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 assists, 1 key pass
Barcelona 3-2 Real Betis (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
1 assist, 2 key passes
Barcelona 6-0 Real Valladolid (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
1 goal, 2 key passes
Barcelona 5-0 Deportivo (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 4-1 Numancia (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
1 goal, 2 assists
Basel 0-5 Barcelona (Champions League)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 4-0 Bayern Munich (Champions League)

Lionel Messi
3 goals
Atletico Madrid 1-3 Barcelona (Copa del Rey)

Samuel Eto'o
3 goals
Barcelona 5-0 Almeria (La Liga)

Samuel Eto'o
4 goals
Barcelona 6-0 Real Valladolid (La Liga)

Samuel Eto'o
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 6-0 Malaga (La Liga)

Samuel Eto'o
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 4-0 Wisla Krakow (Champions League)

Samuel Eto'o
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-2 Lyon (Champions League)

Thierry Henry
3 goals
Barcelona 4-0 Valencia (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
2 goals, 1 assist
Atletico Madrid 4-3 Barcelona (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla (La Liga)

Thierry Henry
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 5-2 Lyon (Champions League)

Xavi
1 goal, 1 assist, 2 key passes
Sporing Gijon 1-6 Barcelona (La Liga)

Xavi
2 assists, 2 key passes
Barcelona 6-1 Atletico Madrid (La Liga)

Xavi
1 goal, 3 assists
Barcelona 6-0 Malaga (La Liga)

Xavi
4 assists
Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (La Liga)

Xavi
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Basel 0-5 Barcelona (Champions League)

Assists of the Week - Sunday 31st October 2010

2010-11-04T12:16:00.000Z

This week's assists feature a few solo dribbles, but for me the best set-up was made by Fernando Torres with his excellent flick through the legs of Bolton's Gary Cahill for Maxi Rodriguez's goal. Mark Noble a close 2nd with either of his two great assists.

Barcelona Attacking Statistics 2010/2011

2010-11-01T16:44:00.034Z

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

David Villa
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals
Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla (Supercopa de Espana)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Sevilla (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 5-1 Panathinaikos (Champions League)

Lionel Messi
1 goal, 2 assists
Getafe 1-3 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals, 2 assists
Almeria 0-8 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 assists, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Osasuna 0-3 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Real Sociedad (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 assists, 1 key pass
Espanyol 1-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
1 goal, 2 assists
Deportivo 0-4 Barcelona (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
3 goals, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Real Betis (Copa del Rey)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Barcelona 5-0 Almeria (Copa del Rey)

Lionel Messi
3 goals
Barcelona 3-0 Atletico Madrid (La Liga)

Lionel Messi
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 3-1 Almeria (La Liga)

Pedro
2 goals, 1 key pass
Espanyol 1-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Thiago
3 assists
Barcelona 5-1 Ceuta (Copa del Rey)

Xavi
1 assist, 2 key passes
Barcelona 5-1 Panathinaikos (Champions League)

Xavi
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Espanyol 1-5 Barcelona (La Liga)

Arsenal 1-0 West Ham: Analysis of Arsene's new-look midfield

2010-11-01T05:50:00.003Z

For the 2nd Premier League game running, Arsene Wenger chose to field a Denilson-Song-Fabregas midfield three but unlike the City game last weekend, Arsenal had to make do with playing against the 11 men of West Ham in a fixture that has been quite tight and low-scoring in recent years.

As such, this was the first true test of this new midfield's ability to break down a deep-lying defensive team. A similar system was in place against Partizan with Denilson the deepest midfielder and Song more box-to-box, but on that occasion Jack Wilshere played as the attacking midfielder in place of the injured Cesc Fabregas. Wilshere was of course suspended for this fixture and the one at Eastlands, had he been available it's likely we may not have seen this novel midfield system in place.

Arsenal's midfield setup vs West Ham: Denilson (yellow) held, Fabregas (blue) attacked and Song (green) alternated in between. It should be noted though that Denilson was subbed off after 67 mins, after which Arsenal set up camp in the final 3rd. The average positions of Fabregas and Song may therefore appear to be higher up than they actually were while all 3 players were on the pitch together.

With Denilson holding the midfield and Fabregas supporting Chamakh in attack, Song was free to roam in between and contribute to both defence and attack. Much like Yaya Toure, Song is a player valued for his physical and defensive qualities but with the technical ability and intelligence to play higher up the pitch in a more direct and creative role. Potentially he's the best box-to-box player in the squad given his all-round abilities, intelligence and discipline (although Wilshere has also impressed so far this season), but the problem for Arsenal is that he's also by far the best holder. The question is which is better - Song holding/Denilson passing or Denilson holding/Song box-to-box? Wenger has opted for the latter in the last few games they've played together. Song brings added dynamism to the attack compared to Denilson, but at the same time still gets back to form a double defensive shield when the opposition have the ball in Arsenal's own half, so his re-deployment further forward may not necessarily weaken the defence.

Although each of the midfield trio had individual roles, there was considerable interchange with all 3 being comfortable playing deep or closer to the opposition box (Denilson less so). This seems to be a conscious decision by Arsene Wenger in an attempt to find new ways of breaking down the dreaded "parked bus" which has often been the scourge of this possession-based Arsenal side. With players moving out of their natural zones, they can lose their markers, draw players away from team-mates, and arrive un-noticed in dangerous areas. In particular, if the deepest midfielder - who often has no specific marker - is given the license to get into the opposition box, then that adds a whole new attacking dimension to this Arsenal side.

Of course this requires discipline and understanding between the midfielders in order not to leave the defence uncovered, this was painfully apparent against West Brom but on Saturday this didn't seem to be a problem.

As usual, some video evidence to summarise the key features of the new-look midfield:

Assists of the Week - Sunday 24th October 2010

2010-10-28T22:39:00.001+01:00

Another fine selection of top assists from around this Europe, with quite a few chipped passes over the top of flat-footed defences. But for me Francesco Totti is the clear winner with a quite brilliant, first-time, sweeping, chipped, reverse through ball ... or whatever it's called.

Henry + Pires - The Perfect Combination, Part 2

2010-10-23T12:26:00.002+01:00

Following on from part 1:

Henry + Pires - The Perfect Combination, Part 1

2010-10-21T22:14:00.003+01:00

Two of Arsenal's greatest ever players, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires were responsible for much of the success that the Gunners enjoyed in the first half of this decade. Along with Ashley Cole they formed one of the most potent left flanks in world football, but they were a formidable partnership in their own right.

In an age where strikers scored goals and wingers supplied them, Henry and Pires helped re-define these roles with their brilliant interchanging of positions. In their 6 years at the club together, Pires directly assisted his compatriot 22 times, while Henry returned the favour on 17 occasions.

Here is the first of a 2-part video celebrating the partnership between the 2 Frenchmen:

Assist of the Week - Sunday 17th October 2010

2010-10-20T17:01:00.002+01:00

Assists of the Week - Sunday 3rd October 2010

2010-10-04T21:40:00.000+01:00

This week's best assists feature some nice flicks and trick passes, my personal favourite being Marco Streller's perfectly-weighted backheel to set up strike partner Alexander Frei against Bayern.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 26th September 2010

2010-09-30T22:30:00.000+01:00

Serie A dominates this week's selection, my personal favourite being Andrea Lazzari's delightful outside-of-the-boot throughball in Cagliari's 2-4 defeat to Juventus.

Manchester United Attacking Statistics 2007/2008

2010-09-29T22:05:00.009+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Carlos Tevez
2 goals, 1 assist
Man Utd 6-0 Newcastle

Cristiano Ronaldo
1 goal, 2 key passes
Sunderland 0-4 Man Utd (Premier League)

Cristiano Ronaldo
3 goals
Man Utd 6-0 Newcastle (Premier League)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 assist
Newcastle 1-5 Man Utd (Premier League)

Cristiano Ronaldo
1 goal, 3 assists
Man Utd 4-0 Villa (Premier League)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 assist
Man Utd 4-1 West Ham (Premier League)

Cristiano Ronaldo
2 goals, 1 key pass
Dynamo Kiev 2-4 Man Utd (Champions League)

Nani
1 goal, 2 assists
Man Utd 4-0 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Wayne Rooney
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Man Utd 4-0 Wigan (Premier League)

Wayne Rooney
1 goal, 2 assists
Man Utd 4-1 Middlesbrough (Premier League)

Wayne Rooney
2 goals, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Newcastle 1-5 Man Utd (Premier League)

Arsenal 2-3 West Brom - A Comedy of Errors

2010-09-27T21:52:00.011+01:00

Not much to say about this defeat really, for 70 mins Arsenal put on a textbook display of how to lose a football match in a game that they were really expected to win quite comfortably.

Some grim stats:

-Eboue completed 8/15 passes in 56 minutes

-3/10 of Arshavin's corners found a teammate

-Nasri completed 1 pass into the box (a corner)

-Song won 5/11 tackles

-Eboue and Rosicky attempt 0 tackles; Koscielny and Diaby lost the 2 tackles they each attempted

-Clichy lost 6/7 aerial duels

-Nasri attempted 10 shots; the next highest was Sagna with 4; Chamakh and Arshavin managed 3 apiece in 90 minutes

-West Brom had 5 shots on target during the match, they scored from 3 of them; Arsenal had 6 shots on target despite having 30% more possession

-Arsenal conceded 2 goals within the space of 3 minutes

_____________

Sit back and admire the incompetence on display:

Athletic Bilbao 1-3 Barcelona - Midfielder Goals

2010-09-26T18:57:00.003+01:00

Last night's away fixture vs Bilbao saw Barcelona face a resolute team who looked to defend deep and narrow with two banks of 4 (sometimes 5+3 or 4+3). This tactic generally works well against Barcelona as it denies the attackers space to receive the ball and run at the defence, and it invites them to cross into the box, where tall centre backs will win aerial balls with ease against Barcelona's diminutive front line.

Rather than play into Bilbao's hands, Barcelona fullbacks circulated the ball back into the middle where, due to Bilbao's very deep midfield line, Barcelona's own midfielders had time and space on the ball. Fielding a 4 man midfield with Keita, Iniesta and Xavi in a close triangle ahead of Busquets, Barcelona were able to build attacks from the middle and use the momentum of their midfielders to open up space for shooting opportunities.

Keita opened the scoring after playing the ball wide to Iniesta and making a surge into the box, where he received the ball back after a neat one-touch pass from Villa. Xavi doubled the lead after a masterclass in patient passing from Barcelona, Maxwell drawing several defenders deep before circulating the ball back into the middle for Xavi, who'd gained several yards of space to fire off a (deflected) shot into the back of the net.

In stoppage time, with Bilbao chasing the game, Busquets received a loose ball in his own half and with one touch, brought it down for Keita, then proceeded to follow up the attack with a 60 yard run into Bilbao's box, where he was on hand to convert Pedro's cutback.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 19th September 2010

2010-09-25T02:54:00.000+01:00

The Barcelona-Panathinaikos game threw up quite a few excellent assists, including my personal favourite of the week, a brilliant flicked pass by Djibril Cisse.

Arsenal 6-0 Braga Analysis

2010-09-16T23:16:00.001+01:00

A fantastic display of flowing football from Arsenal, aided by an unusual formation and the deployment of teenager Wilshere in a deep midfield role. The Gunners continued their excellent form in the absence of Robin van Persie - unlike last season - thanks to Marouane Chamakh's typically intelligent play in the centre forward role, which bodes well for the rest of the season.

While Chamakh has been able to fill in for van Persie and perform a similar role as a false 9 within Arsenal's system, Theo Walcott does not have a direct replacement. Against Bolton Rosicky came in, while last night Nasri started in his place. Both are naturally central playmakers, and even though on paper they were playing on the right of Arsenal's 4-3-3, in reality they both drifted infield and acted as extra central midfielders when Arsenal were in possession. See the following average position graph:

The replacement of Walcott (a forward who naturally plays high and wide) with Nasri (a central playmaker) resulted in Arsenal's 4-3-3 morphing into a diamond 4-4-2 that was slanted to the left. Song held the midfield and covered the area in front of Sagna, while Wilshere protected Clichy but had more license to get forward. Fabregas played at the tip of the diamond and wreaked havoc in the final 3rd.

The skewing of the formation towards the left meant that Arsenal were able to focus their attacks down that side, as the following diagrams demonstrate:

Arsenal's attack chart, showing a clear preference for attacks down the left

Arsenal's shots (in yellow), the majority coming from the left

It was therefore no surprise that 5 of the goals (including the penalty) originated down the left side of the pitch, helped by some slack marking from Braga's right back, Miguel Garcia. Andrey Arshavin played a key role, scoring one, setting up two more and playing a part in another. Arshavin is often criticised for being wasteful in possession and in front of goal, but this is exactly what he's in the team for; not to give the ball away, but to be ambitious and expressive without having to feel restrained (within reason of course). His advanced role gives him freedom to try killer passes and shots more often than his teammates, and it's no surprise therefore that he gives the ball away more often than any other Arsenal player - but it also means that he's able to have a direct contribution to quite a lot of Arsenal goals. The same applies to Fabregas' role, to a lesser extent.

While shifting the formation to the left worked wonders for Arsenal, it did of course mean they were slightly vulnerable down the right. It didn't matter in the end though, Braga were guilty of not reacting to Arsenal's unsual formation. Faced with an overload down their right, they continued playing a symmetrical 4-3-3 and didn't look to shift their formation in response. In addition, they focussed their attacks down their right and didn't take advantage of Arsenal's exposed right flank. Braga's left flank was in effect underused, while their right flank was overworked.

Braga focussed the majority of their attacks down Arsenal's left via Alan,
instead of exploiting the Gunners' exposed right flank. In addition, centre
forward Matheus constantly made diagonal runs towards Arsenal's left.

Fabregas and Arshavin did most of the damage in the final 3rd, but they were aided greatly by the quick, accurate and incisive passing of Jack Wilshere. The young Englishman - playing as the link midfielder - was able to keep the ball circulating and to service the more attacking players throughout the game. He got forward often, bagging himself an excellent back-heeled assist for Chamakh's goal and playing an excellent ball over the top in the build-up to Vela's 2nd. He certainly offers something different to Diaby's counter-attacking and Denilson's tidiness, and Wenger often talks about the need for a cultured left footer to provide balance in the centre (think of the Vieira-Petit partnership).

With the intelligent passing of Wilshere from deeper, the probing of Fabregas from further up, and the extra presence of Nasri centrally, Arsenal were able to pass their way through the middle with more ease than they would normally do, and produced some scintillating football in the process. Notice how much Wilshere features in the following video:

This game will live long in the memory of Arsenal fans, and for Wenger, it was further vindication of his stubborn quest to produce a beautiful, yet successful brand of possession football.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 12th September 2010

2010-09-15T19:52:00.000+01:00

13 assists to choose from this week, including some lovely chips. Serie A features a lot.

Analysis of Chamakh's movement vs Bolton

2010-09-13T19:58:00.008+01:00

Following on from the post yesterday about Chamakh's first few games at Arsenal, here is a very short analysis of Chamakh's movement in the 4-1 win against Bolton and how it created space for others to exploit, particularly Arshavin.

Marouane Chamakh - First Impressions

2010-09-12T11:52:00.010+01:00

After just 4 games into the season, I have to say I'm really impressed by the Moroccan. When he was signed on a free in the summer, a lot of fans (Arsenal included) questioned his goalscoring record and some claimed he was no better than Bendtner. But there's so much more to his game than simply being a goal-getter.

One of the main things that stands out about Chamakh is his heading. According to OPTA, he scored 17 headed goals in his last 2 seasons at Bordeaux. He's scored twice so far for Arsenal and both have been headers. He possesses fantastic leaping and neck power, and he throws himself at the ball instead of waiting for it to come to him. We saw this in action during the very first game, when he challenged Reina for a high ball and resulted in the keeper fumbling the ball into his own net. That sort of aerial threat is needed against teams who pack the box, defending deep and narrow (as Spurs and Man City did last season, knowing that they'd clear any aerial balls into the box). Bendtner, as decent a header he is, is not on the same level as Chamakh in that regard.

The key to getting the best out of his heading is to deliver hanging balls into the 6 yard box close to the keeper. It takes the defenders out of the equation and leaves Chamakh to contest the keeper one-on-one in an aerial duel, which given his bravery, shouldn't be a problem. In the pre-season friendly against Legia we saw how this tactic could work when Nasri delivered a nice tempting ball in to the 6 yard box which forced the keeper to commit, allowing Chamakh to nip in and head past him.

He also offers an outlet for long passes when under pressure. His chest control and first touch are very tidy, and he's much more adept at winning flick-ons than any other striker currently at the club. At the moment the team hasn't yet adapted to take advantage of this, and it's tougher when you don't have a strike partner in close proximity. In time we should expect Fabregas/other attacking midfielder to make the necessary runs to get on the end of his knock-downs, as Gourcuff did for Bordeaux.

Setting aside his obvious aerial prowess, the biggest threat he offers in my opinion is his movement. It's just brilliant. You often hear fans reeling out the "he makes the other players around him play better" cliche when defending a non-prolific striker, but in Chamakh's case it really is true.

When Adebayor was sold a lot of Arsenal fans (myself included) were wondering how the team would cope without a real presence in the box, but what became apparent was that one wasn't necessary. With the 4-3-3 formation, the emphasis was on stretching the play and creating space for runners into the box, whether that be from midfield (Diaby, Fabregas) or from the wider areas (Arshavin, Walcott). Van Persie was brilliant as the centre forward because he dropped deep, drew centre backs out and created that space for others to run into. It was no coincidence that Arsenal averaged 2.9 goals a game with van Persie in the side and 1.8 with him out.

Chamakh is similar in style, but the main difference between the 2 is that in addition to dropping deep, Chamakh also loves to drift wide. Consequently the 2 wide forwards have enjoyed much more freedom to make diagonal runs inside. Chamakh and Walcott seemed to have built up a good understanding in pre-season, and against Blackpool Walcott was able to hit a hattrick thanks to Chamakh's movement. For the 1st goal, Chamakh drifted left, the whole Blackpool defence shifted in that direction, and space was opened up for Walcott to come inside. For Walcott's 2nd, Chamakh drifted to the right and Walcott took up his spot in the centre forward role. It wasn't as dynamic a move as the 1st goal, but it did demonstrate the understanding the 2 have in swicthing positions. When Walcott comes inside, Chamakh moves to the right to avoid congesting the space the in the box.

Against Blackburn, the 2nd goal was initiated by Chamakh dropping deep and picking up the ball on the half way line. A centre back followed him, space developed in the middle for Walcott to run into, the left back was dragged infield and Sagna had space to bomb into, creating a goal in the end.

With Walcott injured, Chamakh was able to turn his attentions to helping out Arshavin yesterday, and his constant runs to the left opened up gaps for Arshavin to run into. Unfortunately Arshavin missed all of his chances but the understanding and movement was there. For the Cahill sending off, where was Chamakh? On the left touchline, drawing defenders out of position towards him and backheeling the ball for Arshavin to run into space.

Last season the quality of Arsenal's play declined after van Persie was injured, the team was unable to play the same fluid football with Bendtner/Arshavin as the front man, and began to struggle against organised opposition at the Emirates, exactly the way they'd done the previous season. But in Chamakh, Arsenal now have a quality replacement for van Persie, a player who allows the team to play the same fluid system in his absence, albeit without the goalscoring capabilities of the Dutchman.

Player Profile: Nicolas Anelka

2010-09-09T05:01:00.008+01:00

Nicolas Anelka's career has been a tale of inconsistency and unrest, and it's only really in his late 20s that he's fully blossomed into a top striker. But go back a decade to his time at Arsenal and you have one of the hottest prospects of modern times.

Anelka was signed by Arsene Wenger in February of 97 as a 17 year-old, for a fee of £500k from Paris Saint-Germain. He made his debut coming off the bench in a 3-0 victory over Chelsea in April, but found his playing time limited by Ian Wright's presence.

In the 97/98 season, after a promising start the ageing Wright began to lose his form and fitness, and Anelka was given his chance to shine playing alongside Bergkamp. He didn't disappoint, scoring crucial goals against Coventry, Newcastle and Man Utd - the latter being his first for the club. The fixture against Utd always seemed to bring the best out of Anelka, with the Frenchman bagging 4 goals and 2 assists against them during his Arsenal stay. Anelka quickly made a name for himself as one of the league's top upcoming talents along with Michael Owen, and he finished the 97/98 season on a personal high, hitting the 2nd goal in the 2-0 win over Newcastle in the FA Cup final to add to the league medal he'd won a couple of weeks earlier.

The following season he was entrusted with a regular starting role in Arsenal's attack, starting 34 games in the Premier League. He performed brilliantly, finishing joint 2nd top scorer with 17 goals, just 1 behind Owen and co. For such a young man, his composure was remarkable and he netted away at Old Trafford and White Hart Lane. In total, he scored 8 game openers and hit 6 winners, underlining his knack of scoring when it mattered.

The high point of his season was the home fixture against Leicester in February in which he hit a 1st half hat-trick, becoming one of the youngest to do so in Premier League history. The 6-1 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside in April is best-remembered for Nwankwo Kanu's audacious backheel goal, but it often overshadows Anelka's excellent performance in which he scored 2 of the goals and set up a further 3. In recognition of his performances, he was rewarded with the PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Anelka was very much the complete modern forward. Tall, pacey and capable of holding his own against bigger defenders, he was physically built for the Premier League. But he was also a very intelligent player, making constant runs into channels, drifting wide, dropping deep and spreading the play around. Not too dissimilar to his successor Thierry Henry, albeit without the dedication and level-headedness of his compatriot - and that's where Anelka's problems lay.

He could have been as good as Henry and built himself a similar legacy, but he squandered his many opportunities by failing to settle down at a single club and chasing the money. The latter may not have been entirely his fault (his two older brothers - also his agents - were rumoured to have been behind most of his major transfers in his early years), but he was certainly guilty of not showing enough application for his many clubs, particularly towards the end of his stay at Arsenal. His constant whining - players not passing the ball to him among others - earned him the nickname "Le Sulk" and when he finally did leave to Real Madrid for a handsome £23m fee, many Arsenal fans were happy to see the back of him.

With the money made from his sale, Arsenal were able to build a brand new training ground and his departure paved the way for the signing of a player who was to become the finest striker of the past decade. So for that I thank him.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 5th September 2010

2010-09-08T13:26:00.000+01:00

Due to the international fixtures last week, there were fewer assists to choose from than usual and consequently only 6 make the cut.

Player Profile: Emmanuel Petit

2010-09-06T22:07:00.006+01:00

When Arsene Wenger signed Emmanuel Petit in the summer of 97, few could have predicted the impact he'd have in his first season at Arsenal. With his blonde locks and 'exotic' name, he didn't seem like the sort of character to anchor the midfield of a double-winning side. Indeed, before joining Arsenal he'd played mostly as a centre back for Monaco, but in an inspired move, Wenger - having managed Petit before - saw the potential in him to perform in that role.

Wenger's reasoning for making the switch was simple; he'd wanted a left-footed partner for the right-footed Vieira, a cultured player capable of bringing some composure to midfield, with the ability to hit long accurate passes into the more attacking players. The fact that Petit had been a defender previously was an added bonus as he was able to apply his positional awareness to the role and form a solid barrier in front of the defence, along with Vieira.

Petit took his time to register his first goal in Arsenal colours, but when he finally did in April, like London buses two came along at once. First he netted in a 5-0 demolition of Wimbledon, finishing off an excellent team move, then 10 days later he hit a powerful drive from outside the area to give Arsenal a crucial 1-0 win over Derby.

But that was just the icing on the cake, throughout the season he'd been a calming influence in the centre of midfield with his tidy passing and tackling. He was often the architect of quick counter attacks with long balls hit over the top for Marc Overmars and co to run onto, and his set piece delivery helped settle several games. To crown off his magnificent debut season, he set up the opening goal of the FA Cup final against Newcastle, playing a delightful chipped ball over the top of the defence for Overmars to run onto. Arsenal went on to win 2-0 and Petit had secured a league and cup double in his first season at the club.

Petit experienced disappointment in his next 2 seasons as Arsenal failed to win any major silverware, and along with Overmars departed for Barcelona in the summer of 2000. He is still held in high regard by many Arsenal fans and it's difficult to feel any ill-feeling to a player who gave his best on the pitch and helped rejuvenate the club into the major European force that they are now. Merci Emmanuel.

Arsenal Attacking Statistics 2003/2004

2010-09-05T05:50:00.012+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Dennis Bergkamp

3 key passes

Leeds 1-4 Arsenal (Premier League)

Thierry Henry

3 assists

Birmingham 0-3 Arsenal (Premier League)

Thierry Henry

2 goals, 1 key pass

Arsenal 3-0 Wolves (Premier League)

Thierry Henry

3 goals, 1 key pass

Arsenal 4-2 Liverpool (Premier League)

Thierry Henry

4 goals

Arsenal 5-0 Leeds (Premier League)

Thierry Henry

1 goal, 2 assists, 1 key pass

Leeds 1-4 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Thierry Henry

2 goals, 2 assists

Inter 1-5 Arsenal (Champions League)

Gilberto

2 assists, 2 key passes

Arsenal 5-0 Leeds (Premier League)

Sylvain Wiltord

1 goal, 2 assists

Arsenal 5-1 Wolves (League Cup)

Manchester United Attacking Statistics 1998/1999

2010-09-04T06:18:00.010+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Andy Cole
2 goals, 1 key pass
Man Utd 5-1 Wimbledon (Premier League)

Andy Cole
2 goals, 1 assist
Man Utd 4-1 West Ham (Premier League)

Dwight Yorke
1 goal, 2 assists
Man Utd 3-2 Blackburn (Premier League)

Dwight Yorke
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Man Utd 4-1 West Ham (Premier League)

Dwight Yorke
3 goals, 1 assist
Leicester 2-6 Man Utd (Premier League)

Dwight Yorke
1 goal, 3 assists
Brondby 2-6 Man Utd (Champions League)

Dwight Yorke
1 goal, 2 assists
Man Utd 5-0 Brondby (Champions League)

Dwight Yorke
2 goals, 1 assist
Barcelona 3-3 Man Utd (Champions League)

David Beckham
2 assists, 1 key pass
Man Utd 3-0 Nott Forest (Premier League)

David Beckham
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Man Utd 3-3 Barcelona (Champions League)

Paul Scholes
3 assists
Nott Forest 1-8 Man Utd (Premier League)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
4 goals
Nott Forest 1-8 Man Utd (Premier League)

Teddy Sheringham
1 goal, 2 assists
Man Utd 3-0 Sheff Wednesday (Premier League)

Roy Keane
3 key passes
Man Utd 3-0 Sheff Wednesday (Premier League)

Roy Keane
1 goal, 2 key passes
Brondby 2-6 Man Utd (Champions League)

Ryan Giggs
2 goals, 1 key pass
Brondby 2-6 Man Utd (Champions League)

Barcelona Attacking Statistics 2000/2001

2010-09-03T16:10:00.006+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Ronaldinho Goals, Passes + Assists 2006/2007

2010-09-03T10:48:00.003+01:00

Following the amazing exploits of the 05/06 season, Ronaldinho went into the World Cup with great things expected of him. Unfortunately he wasn't able to deliver (not helped by Carlos Alberto Parreira's tactics), and the following season saw him begin the decline that would eventually lead to his sale to Milan.

While statistically this was one of his best seasons at Barca, he was unable to replicate the dominating performances of old and the club finished the season with no major trophies.

06/07 season stats: 49 games, 24 goals, 12 assists

Assists of the Week - Sunday 29th August 2010

2010-09-02T11:05:00.003+01:00

There's a lot of variety this week with some excellent chips, throughballs, floated crosses and long passes. Although not included in the video, this audacious backheel assist is well worth a look.

Arsenal Attacking Statistics 2010/2011

2010-09-01T01:57:00.076+01:00

(Click on tabs underneath to see different categories)

Standout attacking performances:

Andrey Arshavin
1 goal, 2 assists, 1 key pass
Arsenal 6-0 Braga (Champions League)

Andrey Arshavin
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
3 assists, 1 key pass
Arsenal 4-1 Bolton (Premier League)

Cesc Fabregas
2 goals, 2 assists, 1 key pass
Arsenal 6-0 Braga (Champions League)

Cesc Fabregas
1 goal, 2 assists
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea (Premier League)

Nicklas Bendtner
3 goals
Arsenal 5-0 Leyton Orient (FA Cup)

Robin van Persie
2 goals; 1 assist
West Ham 0-3 Arsenal (Premier League)

Robin van Persie
3 goals
Arsenal 3-0 Wigan (Premier League)

Samir Nasri
1 goal, 1 assist, 1 key pass
Man City 0-3 Arsenal (Premier League)

Theo Walcott
3 goals
Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool (Premier League)

Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal Analysis

2010-08-30T07:19:00.008+01:00

There was a lot of talk before the match about how Arsenal would cope with Blackburn's long ball and set piece-orientated style of football, particularly after comments made by both sets of managers. In the end it was fairly comfortable for the Gunners as they defended their box well and exposed Blackburn's lack of possession retention.

With the return of van Persie and Fabregas to the line-up, it was interesting to see how it would affect the (vaguely) 4-2-3-1 setup of the previous 2 games. Indeed there was a change with van Persie resuming his role as the "false 9", dropping deep to draw the centre backs with him, then looking to thread in the 2 wide forwards who made diagonal runs inside. Fabregas provided an additional threat, making plenty of forward runs to exploit the gap vacated by the Dutchman's movement, and on many occasions he found himself the furthest man forward.

Arsenal's brand of 4-3-3 - Van Persie (10) and his replacement Chamakh (29) dropped deep, the wide forwards played high up against the opposing full backs and Fabregas (4) constantly made runs beyond the centre forward. (The image is mirrored for some reason, Walcott was in fact playing on the right and Arshavin on the left, ditto Sagna and Clichy).

Van Persie departed after only 35 minutes but by then he'd already made his mark on the game, setting up Walcott for the opener with an excellent pass in between the opposing fullback and centre back. It was exactly the sort of goal that Arsenal's 4-3-3 formation facilitates, and with an intelligent runner like Walcott who's always looking to make that penetrating diagonal run, it should be a regular occurrence this season.

Van Persie was replaced by Chamakh, who performed a similar role. For the 2nd goal, Chamakh dropped back to the halfway line and spread the ball out to Sagna; meanwhile Walcott drifted into the centre forward role and drew the left back with him; this left Sagna with space to bomb forward and his cross found its way to Arshavin after Fabregas' shot had deflected off Walcott's rear end. Arshavin finished with typical finesse. Again, this was a goal made possible by the 4-3-3 formation, or rather Arsenal's version of the 4-3-3, in which the fullbacks bomb forward, the centre forward drops deep, and the wide-forwards make runs inside. It's all about movement and interchanging of positions, it confuses opponents and makes it harder to mark individual players.

As with the previous 2 games, the defending was again a strong point. Blackburn's long goal kicks and throws were handled with relative ease. Almunia came for the ball confidently, Koscielny and Vermaelen won many aerial balls, and Song was on hand to sweep up any spills.

According to OPTA, Arsenal won 55% of duels which is very impressive against a team that bases its game on aerial and physical superiority. It was a great display of collective commitment and should give Arsenal fans encouragement for the trip up to Stoke at the end of the season.

Arsenal 6-0 Blackpool Analysis

2010-08-24T16:31:00.004+01:00

This game didn't reveal anything particularly new from an attacking point of view - Arsenal may have scored 6 goals but they were up against a newly-promoted side who were reduced to 10 men early on and failed to close down properly. It was too easy for Arsenal and unlike last week against Liverpool, the attack wasn't really tested with a watertight defence.

What we have learned over the last 2 games is that Arsenal have adopted a new defensive ethic this season, partly facilitated by a change in formation. Diaby and Wilshere continued to play deep, shielding the defence but also breaking forward on occasion to take advantage of the space afforded by Blackpool's lax marking. The 2 wide forwards pressed slightly higher than they did against Liverpool, giving Arsenal a much more natural 4-3-3 shape. As this average position diagram shows, the 3 forwards played on the same line, with Rosicky sitting just ahead of the 2 deep midfielders.

Arsenal's almost perfectly symmetrical 4-3-3

The most impressive aspect of the performance was the way Arsenal harried the opposition from start til finish, recording an amazing 33 interceptions in the process. Of those, 9 were made by the interception king Clichy, and 7 by Vermaelen, who's pro-active approach to defending was criticised last season following several costly positional errors.

Arsenal's 33 interceptions throughout the game,
concentrated along the left side of the pitch

And a video of the interceptions (in case you doubted the accuracy of the Guardian chalkboards!):

It's encouraging that the team maintained its' shape and width even against such lowly opposition (with all due respect to Blackpool). Diaby and Wilshere have struck up a good balance in the middle, but with Song returning and Wilshere unlikely to be a regular starter when everyone's fit, we might see a different system in place over the course of the season.

Assists of the Week - Sunday 22nd August 2010

2010-08-23T05:11:00.000+01:00

This week's selection is heavily dominated by Barcelona and Chelsea players, with Xavi making his customary appearance.

Ronaldinho Goals + Assists 2004/2005

2010-08-23T03:38:00.003+01:00

In his 2nd season at Barcelona, Ronaldinho scored fewer goals than in his 1st but showed exactly why he'd been voted the best player in the world with some fantastic individual efforts against Milan, Chelsea, Real and Valencia. He developed an excellent partnership with the newly-acquired Samuel Eto'o and it proved to be one of the main reasons behind Barca's La Liga success, as this video shows.

04/05 season stats: 42 games, 13 goals, 14 assists

Balázs Dzsudzsák Goals + Assists 2009/2010

2010-08-21T02:00:00.004+01:00

Balázs Dzsudzsák enjoyed an excellent season in 09/10, finishing as his side's top scorer and assister. Playing on the left of a front 3, the Hungarian was a constant menace for opposition defenders with his pace, dribbling and accurate crossing. He's an excellent set piece taker and his powerful left foot is a dangerous weapon, both from open play and dead ball situations.

Unfortunately he finished the season without any silverware as PSV slipped from their 1st place position in the league following an awful run of results.

09/10 season stats: 47 games, 17 goals, 19 assists

Assists of the Week - Sunday 15th August 2010

2010-08-17T19:57:00.000+01:00

Assists of the Week returns for the brand new season, featuring a lot of Ligue 1 and German players.

Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal Analysis

2010-08-17T04:39:00.009+01:00

The draw against Liverpool was a typical Arsenal performance - dominate possession but struggle to create chances, concede a soft goal, try to pass your way through the resulting parked bus and finally grab a goal in injury time.

The same issues were present from the last few seasons attacking-wise. The build-up was too slow, there was a lack of width provided by the front players, and on the occasions that the fullbacks did get forward their crossing was generally wayward. On the plus side, Arsenal's defensive game seems to have improved in time for the new season and there's a return of the collective pressing that was evident at the start of last season.

First up, the lack of width. The 2 wide forwards Eboue and Arshavin constantly looked to come inside, Eboue in particular has a habit of cutting inside from the wing and embarking on marauding runs through the middle, congesting the area in front of the box and making it easy for the opposition simply to defend narrow.

Eboue and Arshavin take up central positions, with all 5 forward players crowded in a small zone

Eboue and Arshavin both central again

With the congestion of the central areas, you'd have expected the fullbacks to advance into crossing positions, but they were rather subdued in the 1st half, Clichy in particular saw very little of the ball in the attacking 3rd. Sagna got forward better, possibly due to Eboue's ability to drop back to cover the space vacated (which he did quite well), but none of his crosses threatened. Indeed, Arsenal struggled to produced quality crosses throughout the 90 minutes, even with one of Europe's best headers as a target inside the box.

Poor crossing throughout the game

Things improved in the 2nd half, partly through the introduction of Rosicky and partly because Arsenal had to throw the fullbacks forward in search of the equaliser to N'Gog's early goal. Rosicky provided a much-needed directness to the midfield, and his combination of quick, forward passes into feet and direct running helped create a little bit of space in the box for Nasri and Walcott to have shots (albeit blocked), and a golden chance for himself after getting past 2 defenders. His spreading of the play to the fullbacks also helped to stretch the play, although at this stage Liverpool were content to sit back with 8 men. In the end it was his cross that led to the own goal in the 91st minute, and it was the first time throughout the match that a player had found Chamakh inside the box with a cross (Walcott also did a couple of minutes later but Chamakh headed across the face of goal).

Rosicky's introduction added much-needed directness and penetration
that was somewhat lacking with Nasri as the primary playmaker

Defending-wise, it was an encouraging performance from Arsenal. In the defensive phase the formation loosely resembled a 4-4-1-1 with Diaby and Wilshere covering the space in front of the centre backs, and Eboue and Arshavin tracking back in the wide areas. The fullbacks were protected well although expecting someone like Arshavin to do that throughout a 50 game season is a bit of an ask.

Diaby and Wilshere in white, Eboue and Arshavin in black, Nasri in green, Chamakh in red

Same again

And again

Chamakh himself tracked back on occasions and was a vital component of Arsenal's team-based pressing game. Here's a short video highlighting Arsenal's recovery of possession and closing down of Liverpool defenders to prevent them passing the ball out from the back.

Putting the performance into perspective (key attacking players still to return), if the team can maintain this sort of defensive ethic throughout the season (unlike last year) then there is a good chance the 5 year trophy drought may end come May. Here's hoping.

Xavi Hernández Goals + Assists 2004/2005

2010-08-15T05:50:00.002+01:00

Another solid season for Xavi as he helped Barcelona to their first league title in 6 years following several turbulent seasons.

04/05 season stats: 45 games, 3 goals, 11 assists

Song: Did You See Me Coming by Pet Shop Boys

Ronaldinho Goals, Passes + Assists 2005/2006

2010-08-10T23:31:00.001+01:00

Quite simply an extraordinary season from one of the most talented playmakers of all time. The goals, the dribbling, the impossible passes... it was a joy to watch him that year. On the biggest stage, against the best defences, he was the king. Fabio Cannavaro won WPOTY and Ballon d'Or in 2006 but no-one came close to matching Ronnie's level of performance throughout the club season.

05/06 season stats: 49 games, 26 goals, 21 assists

Song: I'm Not Alone (Deadmau5 remix) by Calvin Harris

Antonio Valencia 2009/2010

2010-08-10T12:01:00.002+01:00

Antonio Valencia had big boots to fill when he was bought in the summer of 2009 to replace the outgoing Cristiano Ronaldo. In truth though, the Ecuadorian is a totally different player to his predecessor and necessitated a change in formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, where he was able to maintain width, link up with the right back and deliver accurate crosses. His first season has been fairly successful on an individual level, and next season he should be aiming for more goals and assists as the understanding between him and his teammates (particularly Rooney) grows.

09/10 season stats: 49 games, 7 goals, 13 assists

Mesut Özil Goals + Assists 2009/2010

2010-08-07T23:10:00.002+01:00

Mesut Özil has been hot property ever since he starred at the World Cup this summer, but for those who've watched him play over the last 2 years, his talent has been apparent much earlier on. He enjoyed an excellent season in 08/09 as Werder Bremen reached the final of the UEFA Cup, but following the departure of Diego last summer, Özil has managed to step up his game another level.

Despite being just 21, Özil plays with the maturity and delivers the end product of someone far more experienced. Unlike most traditional playmakers, Özil's game isn't about sitting in the hole and spraying passes around. His movement off the ball is exceptional and he's a master at exploiting gaps in the opposition defence with his direct runs. On paper he plays centrally but in reality he drifts all over the attacking 3rd, finding pockets of space to shoot or square the ball to teammates. His combination of movement, composure, passing and set piece ability makes him one of the top creative players in the world. There's definitely more to come from him in the future, and he has the potential to be one of the leading players of his generation.

09/10 season stats: 46 games, 10 goals, 25 assists

Song: Offshore (Ambient Mix) by Chicane

Marko Marin Goals + Assists 2009/2010

2010-08-06T23:24:00.003+01:00

At 21 years of age, Marko Marin is part of a generation of bright young attacking talent being produced in the Bundesliga. He plays mainly as a left-sided attacking midfielder, although he's comfortable across the field and usually looks to move into central positions onto his stronger right foot. He's a tricky dribbler with good vision and an improving goalscoring game. Watch out for him in the Champions League and on the international stage over the coming years.

09/10 season stats: 50 games, 7 goals, 14 assists

Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

David Beckham Goals, Passes + Assists 2005/2006

2010-08-02T21:05:00.001+01:00

This wasn't one of Beckham's best seasons, but as usual he managed to hit double figures in assists and his set piece ability proved valuable on many occasions for a Real side that was struggling in transition.

He played quite a few games in a central position as Real experimented with various formations, but the highlight of his season arguably came against Zaragoza while playing on the right. Trailing 6-1 from the Copa del Rey semi-final 1st leg, Real needed a miracle to come back but within 15 minutes of the start they were 3 goals up. Beckham contributed an incredible assist for the 3rd goal, delivering a swerving 40 yard cross from deep that evaded everyone except Ronaldo. Real scored another in the 61st minute but couldn't find the crucial 5th goal to level the tie.

For anyone interested, all 4 goals in that incredible match can be seen here.

05/06 season stats: 41 games, 5 goals, 18 assists

Song: Young Folk by Peter, Bjorn and John

Ronaldinho Goals + Assists 2003/2004

2010-07-27T14:10:00.001+01:00

Ronaldinho's arrival at Barca was the catalyst for a period of great success for the Catalan club, and for himself as an individual.

His first season almost ended in disaster as Barca were languishing in midtable half-way through the season, but the arrival of Edgar Davids and some inspirational displays from Ronnie himself helped the club finish 2nd in La Liga, building the platform for the success that was to follow in the next 2 years.

03/04 season stats: 22 goals, 12 assists

Song: Get Ready for This (Orchestral mix) by 2 Unlimited

Xavi Hernandez Goals + Assists 2003/2004

2010-07-25T17:30:00.001+01:00

Xavi aged 23, before he became the great playmaker he is now.

03/04 season stats: 5 goals, 13 assists

Song: Changes by Tupac

Nuri Sahin Goals, Passes + Assists 2009/2010

2010-07-24T19:25:00.003+01:00

A short review of Dortmund's no.8 Nuri Şahin in the season just gone by. He's a central midfield all-rounder who contributes to defence and attack, winning key interceptions and spreading the ball around the pitch well with accurate long passes and precise throughballs. He's a dead ball specialist and takes most of Dortmund's corners, indirect freekicks and penalties.

09/10 season stats: 36 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

Diego Benaglio Best Saves 2009/2010

2010-07-22T21:28:00.002+01:00

At the World Cup this summer, Diego Benaglio helped Switzerland set a new defensive record as they went a total of 551 minutes without conceding a goal over the course of 2 tournaments. Even though he didn't play at WC 2006, his confident performances (particularly in the Swiss' shock 1-0 victory over Spain) ensured his name will go down in the record books.

His form for Wolfsburg over the course of the 09/10 season was equally impressive. He was out for several months at the start of 2010 with a knee injury that needed surgery, but came back after 3 months and made an instant impact, helping his side to a 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim and then making an incredible 13 saves in the 2-0 win over Nürnberg.

He's an excellent shot stopper who closes down attackers aggressively, not afraid to bravely throw his body on the line to keep the ball out of the net. As this video shows, he also likes to make the occasional flashy save for the cameras.

Song: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor

Zvjezdan Misimović Goals, Passes + Assists 2009/2010

2010-07-21T13:45:00.001+01:00

A typical no.10, Zvjezdan Misimović has been the leading creative player in Germany for 2 seasons running. Like all old-fashioned playmakers, he lacks pace and has no defensive inclinations whatsoever, but there aren't many better attacking midfielders around in Europe. He boasts an excellent range of passing, set piece prowess, 2-footed ability and a knack of scoring great goals.

08/09 season stats - 6 goals, 23 assists
09/10 season stats - 14 goals, 18 assists

Song: Breathe (Indecent Noise remix) by Telepopmusik

Dani Alves Goals, Passes + Assists 2009/2010

2010-07-18T22:47:00.003+01:00

Dani Alves is one of the finest attacking full backs of his generation, following on in a fine Brazilian tradition. At Barcelona he is responsible for providing much of the width on the right side, and at times he pushes so high up the pitch you'd think he was another attacker.

His first season at the club was outstanding and he developed an almost telepathic partnership with Messi, in his second season he's had less support from Messi (who's played more centrally), but his form has been just as spectacular. With 3 goals and 14 assists there aren't many full backs out there who can rival his attacking game.

Song: One More Chance (Tiesto Remix) by Bloc Party

Assists of the World Cup

2010-07-16T20:53:00.002+01:00

The World Cup's over and I've been sifting through the goals picking out the best assists. With exactly 100 to choose from, it wasn't easy, but here are the 15 assists I considered to be the most impressive. They range from solo runs to accurate long passes to deft chips to the good old throughball.

Song: Mas Que Nada (DJ Barney remix) by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66

World Cup 2010 Statistics

2010-07-16T00:39:00.001+01:00

So the World Cup is over for another 4 years, and being the analytical person that I am, I thought I'd go through the OPTA stats and pick out the best defensive, creative and attacking players.

The first thing that jumps out from these statistics is Uruguay's dominance. Not only do they have the 3 players with the most interceptions, they have the 4 players with the highest rate of interceptions. The 4 players consist of a left back (Fucile), central defender (Godin) and two holding midfielders (Perez + Rios). It's indicative of Uruguay's defensive approach to games and aggressive closing down within their own half.

The rest of the list is not too surprising, consisting mainly of defenders and conservative midfielders, but Podolski's 24 interceptions are very impressive given his attacking role in the side, and it shows what a good defensive job he did in closing down opposition right backs and preventing them from getting forward.

The fact that Juan was Brazil's leading interceptor is not surprising, given Brazil's tendency to invite opposition teams into their own half to open up space for swift counter attacks.

Most of the names here overlap with the ones in the interceptions table, Gerardo Torrado and Kevin-Prince Boateng however stand out, not only as frequent tacklers but also as tidy ones. Jorge Fucile incredibly won all 20 of the tackles he attempted, and made interceptions more frequently than any other player, making him one of the standout left backs of the tournament. Diego Perez' poor tackling success rate highlights the fact that he's more of a midfield nuisance rather an expert ball-winner. Nothing groundbreaking here.

It's amazing to see one man dominate this list so much, but when that man is Xavi Hernandez, is it really a surprise? This is a guy who's pretty much dominated every major club and international competition he's played in over the last 2-3 years, achieveing unprecedented success. The highlight of his tournament was the quarter final fixture against Portugal, in which he created 8 goalscoring chances and provided the deft flick-on in the build-up to David Villa's wining goal. At this rate he will go down as one of finest midfield playmakers in the history of the game.

Kevin-Prince Boateng's high ranking coupled with his excellent tackling stats prove what an excellent job he did in his role as a box-to-box midfielder for Ghana. Ghana lacked cutting edge throughout the tournament, so it's not surprising that noone manage to convert any of his passes.

Mesut Ozil, Lionel Messi and Diego Forlan all unsurprisingly created plenty of chances playing as the no.10 within their respective sides' formations.

Daniel Alves added a lot of forward thrust to Brazil's play when he came in for the injured Elano, and was the 2nd most frequent creator of chances, showing that good full backs can make good midfielders.

Kaka, Dirk Kuyt and Thomas Muller all managed to record 3 assists apiece without being particularly creative throughout, an unsuprising statistic when you consider that Brazil, Holland and Germany played a lot of counter-attacking football and all 3 players were able to pick out teammates in plenty of space.

Contrast to Xavi who played most of his football in congested opposition halves, where teammates had little space to pull the trigger once he'd played them through on goal. It's testament to his ability that he can still create goalscoring chances even when up against the metaphorical parked bus. See his assist to Gudjohnson in Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Liverpool in 2007 (7:58), or his assist to Pique in the 1-0 victory over Inter last season.

David Villa showed why he's one of the top 2 or 3 strikers in the world, displaying an ability to create for others as well as himself while playing in an unfamiliar role coming in from the left.

Robin van Persie had a poor tournament in front of goal, not helped at all by the fact that none of his attacking partners seemed willing to pass to him, but he did a good job holding the ball up and waiting for support to arrive, the best example probably being the semi-final tie against Uruguay. He was a real teamplayer throughout the tournament and tirelessly ran the channels to create space for onrushing teammates.

How old is Thomas Muller? With 5 goals and 3 assists, Muller displayed maturity far beyond his years. Not only was he the tournament's leading direct contributor to goals, he was also one of the most efficient and didn't waste many shooting or passing opportunities in the final 3rd. He was of course aided by playing in one of the best counterattacking teams of the World Cup, but his off-the-ball movement to get into dangerous positions was superb and he didn't show any signs of nerves once there. He has a great future ahead of him.

Sneijder was Holland's leading scorer and shooter at the World Cup despite being a midfielder on paper. He played a role that could be described as a 'false 10', constantly looking to get into the box and almost playing as a striker when his side wasn't in possession. It's an interesting trend and one that will probably become more prevalent over the coming years as managers think up new ways of outfoxing opposition defences.

The rest of the statistics are fairly straight-forward, with the penalty box strikers converting a higher percentage of their shots (Higuain proving that poachers do still have a place in the modern game), while the more expressive forwards were less clinical but scored from greater distances and contributed more in other areas of the pitch.

I hope you find the statistics as interesting as I did(!). Join me again in 4 years time for another World Cup statistical analysis.

Javier Saviola Goals + Assists 2009/2010

2010-07-09T06:58:00.001+01:00

Javier Saviola's career has been somewhat of a disappointment to date, after joining Barcelona at the age of 19 from River Plate he immediately settled into the team, scoring goals in number and quality. However, a mixture of poor form and managerial changes meant he lost his place at the club and since then he's been something of a journeyman footballer.

Now he finally looks settled at Benfica, playing just behind Oscar Cardozo, running at defenders with pace, threading in passes for teammates and of course scoring great individual goals. He ended the season with 19 goals and 10 assists from 44 games, but he will probably be disappointed that he let his form drop in the 2nd half of the season.

At only 28 he still has a lot to offer, and his retirement from international football last year should allow him to save his best football for Benfica.

Song: Star Guitar (Shinichi Osawa Remix) by Chemical Brothers