ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - Manchester City- A Mancini Masterclass?

Posted by Wallace Poulter on 08/24/2010

A quite fascinating 3-0 victory over Liverpool last night. If Mancini did what I think he did then I'm not necessarily in awe, but I'm damn impressed. City looked awful against Spurs at the weekend and part of the problem was Tevez coming back into the Attacking Midfield Centre (hereafter AMC) spot and taking up the same space as Silva. And yet Mancini loves the midfield diamond with the three ball winning midfielders* So how to keep that formation and free up Carlos Tevez?

Now first of all let's not all get carried away. Liverpool were without Poulsen, Cole and Mascherano and played a 4-4-2 which was not the best formation given the players and the opposition. And also if Hart doesn't pull off a fabulous double save at 2-0 there's no telling how the game would have ended. We haven't seen the best of Liverpool, however you can only play the guys they put on the field. City did and won in style.

But it was the formation that City played that was so interesting. I've seen it described already online as a 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 4-3-2-1 and even a 4-3-3. And it was, but it wasn't.

In the simplest of terms this was a 4-2-3-1 but with Yaya Toure (hereafter Small Berries) playing the AMC role in a withdrawn fashion. In a similar manner to the Sven days when Hamann and M. Johnson partnered as the 2, we had de Jong and Barry with the former Aston Villa man given a license to roam forward as much as possible, just as Michael Johnson did so successfully under Sven.

Adam Johnson and James Milner provided the width which proved crucial all night and Tevez played up front. The problem with Tevez playing up front is he is always coming back for the ball into the AMC position looking for the ball.

In deploying Adam Johnson and Milner as wingers, Mancini nullified most of this tendency of Tevez but the master stroke was having Small Berries play in what I can only describe as a withdrawn AMC role. It was essentially the gap between Centre Midfield (hereafter CM) and AMC so that even if Tevez did occasionally come back he didn't get in anyone's way. Combine this with the attack down the wings and a willingness of both Small Berries and Barry to move forward in support and City were causing match up problems if Liverpool's midfield didn't track back quickly enough.

City passed the ball intelligently all night and numerous times players played keep ball in triangles moving forward while maintaining possession. Old Purple Nose was in attendance and I'm really looking forward to seeing how United and City match up this season. Last year United matched up better against City. With City's midfield three I'm not sure that is the case anymore.

* I've constantly referred to Mancini and his diamond formation with 3 central Defensive Midfielders (hereafter DMC). This conjures up a negative which is not exactly accurate. While de Jong certainly is playing at the base of the diamond, Barry and Small Berries have the freedom to be playing more of a CM role. However on defense they are dropping back into a tight formation and with the ball in midfield they keep possession well. So ball winning midfielders is maybe a little more accurate.

Comments

Posted by AK on 08/24/2010

It was a fantastic tactical victory for Mancini and I love the formation. Putting Yaya in the front middle worked really well especially with 2 wingers that love to come in and make fabulous runs. The 1st goal was just sublime.

however, been reading all the pundits this morning and hope that we don't get ahead of ourselves too much. It was a fantastic victory against one of the teams we have to beat, but we did this last year against Arsenal and still ended up with nothing... Its only been 2 matches, let's enjoy this one, but I'm happy to see that at least you Mr. Wallace aren't googoo-ing and gagga-gaggaing like we've won everything and top 4 is guaranteed.
Mancini did great yesterday! Now let's see how he keeps Silva, Adebayor and Balotelli happy and remain a tactical master

Posted by mikekl on 08/24/2010

Bravo Man City. To all the doubters who says City will never gel this season.This is not a performance of a team trying to gel, it looked a masterclass performance like a seasoned team, judging from their performance last night you would never guess this is only their 2nd game. They can only get better with time, now thats a frightening thought to all the top 4 contenders. Liverpool on the other hand looked like they were out of sorts and trying to gel, although they have practically the same team for the past 2-3 seasons. Okay some might argue Mancini chose to go with a tested team leaving out most of the new signings,still Yaya and Milner were new additions to the team and looked as if they have been playing together for a long time.Credit must go to Macini, his tactics were spot on.Earlier i predicted City would finish 3rd this season and win the title next season.On the basis of last night perfomance it could happen sooner.

Posted by Pramod on 08/24/2010

Interesting article. As a not so regular follower of this blog, my suggestion is to not use words like "Small Berries" because it took me a while to figure out who you were talking about. It's also a bit childish.

Wallace Reply Would not the solution be to become a regular reader? But childish? Hmmm... it's a bit of silliness, just like "Ruud van Falldowninthebox" or "Duran Duran's inspiration"

Posted by Daniel on 08/24/2010

I was amazed at the precision passing and retention of possession yesterday. Thanks for the excellent analysis, Wallace!

My only question as of yesterday is where to fit in Silva and Balotelli. I'm confident that Kolarov and Boateng will come back into the lineup with Lescott, Richards, and Bridge being used as cover across the back line. It's going to be hard to dislodge last night's midfield, though.

Wallace Reply Yes, Kolarov and Boateng would clearly seem to be the best players available at their position in the squad. But as you say how do Silva and Balotelli fit? Nice problem to have though.

Posted by Richard on 08/24/2010

Why do you call YAYA small Berries,... he had an exceptional game and it seemed rather unnoticed by the pundits. Yes Johnson was a huge problem for Liverpool but as you pointed out YAYA was the solution for City... if they come out like this for 23 more games a top four finish should be in their sites, or probably higher

Wallace Reply From the first time I read about YaYa Toure some years ago it has always reminded me of a movie called Buckaroo Banzai. It's a throw away silliness, the "problem" is that unlike most of my other sillies, YaYa s becoming very prominent in every day City life and discussion. It may be time to retire Small Berries.... which would be a shame, there's not enough silliness in the world, but...

Posted by mickeysoo on 08/24/2010

City played very well and i am not taking anything away from them but considering how liverpool were setup,there was no way they could have beaten city.It will be very difficult for city to beat chelsea with this same formation considering the physical presence they have in the middle with essien,mikel and lampard compared to a frail lucas.patrice evra or ahsley cole wouldnt have made adam johnson look like a messi and micah richards as dani alves.one thing that was clear is that anytime that torres drifted to the right he caused so much problems for richards that had they had a good and skillful winger the story would have been different.i am a pool fan and i will not take anything away from city but they should not get ahead of themselves as they only beat a poor liverpool side with bad tactics and poor formation.they will face a sterner test from the mancs and chelsea and maybe those other teams who are very physical.i hope they dont bottle up the manchester derby like always though

Wallace Reply I certainly agree that we caught Liverpool on a good night for City. Liverpool will be written off after this performance and that's a huge mistake in my book. It's a quality team when at full strength.

Posted by Rowan on 08/24/2010

Hard to overstate how poor Liverpool were, even given how badly we missed Mascherano (who would have latched onto either Yaya or Tevez and nullified the advantages City had from their smart positioning).

4-4-2 is an alien formation to us (have you ever seen Torres and Ngog play together for more than 5 minutes?) and the defence isn't used to so little protection. I'm also not convinced by Jovanovic.

I'm surprised that Aquilani isn't looking like being kept around - he would have been perfect in the ACM role for this one (if he was fit), and would've driven de Jong mad with his movement and passing, in turn pulling Barry back to keep him quiet.

What the game proved, above all, is that Gerrard is too old to be holding it all together on his own - hate to say it but we need to start using him more like Man U use Scholes. He'll burn out in two years otherwise.

City did well, though: AJ in particular was devastatingly good (not surprised), and should keep Silva out, playing like that.

Wallace Reply Liverpool in a 4-2-3-1 with a fit Torres is a whole different proposition...

Posted by Trojan on 08/24/2010

I didn't watch the match just saw highlights, not a bad scoreline I knew it was anybody's game and liverpool just showed what they are always capable of. LOSING! I will make this short, don't get carried away with this victory, man city beat chelsea home and away last season and yet chelsea still won the league and all you guys got was a spot in the europa league. Beat the rest of the big four then maybe you have something to shout about.

Posted by Negocios Loucos on 08/24/2010

Small Berries? So ESPN Sports Center wannabe, an yet so sadly not very clever.

Wallace Reply oh dear... if it's considered at the level of Sports Center wannabe maybe it should be retired...

Posted by Jesse on 08/24/2010

That's why I get so upset when people read "De Jong, Barry, Yaya Toure" in the teamsheet and just declare "Mancini is playing with three defensive midfielders." People need to actually watch the game and pay attention to what players are doing - that's why Yaya is so important - he is so versatile that he can play NdJ's role when Nigel gets suspended, he can play Barry's role from last night, and he can be the creative link in the chain between Carlos and the rest of the team.

Wallace, you raised something that I think will eventually become an issue. When Tevez drops deep foraging for the ball, the wingers and the "No.10" have to make forward runs. I think eventually, Adebayor is going to have to play to keep teams from compressing the field too much - either as CF in a 4-4-1-1 with Tevez behind him, or Tevez is going to slide out to the right in a lopsided 4-2-3-1.

Great start though -- I see 7 points out of the next 9 on offer and then... Chelsea.

Posted by Daniel on 08/24/2010

You shouldn't let it bother you, Wallace. Sounds like some rather sour Liverpool fans looking to make themselves feel better.

I agree that Buckaroo Banzai should be required viewing!

And mickeysoo, who says that will be the lineup or the formation for Chelsea. . . although it seems similar to the formation City used last season to beat Chelsea at home!

Posted by Peter on 08/24/2010

Excuse me for asking this question. I realize AMC, CAM, ACM are the same positions. Attacking Midfieder's that play in central positions, but why are there different abbreviations and what do they stand for?

Wallace Reply I've always used AMC for Attacking Midfield Centre.

Posted by Jim on 08/24/2010

I'm American. Guilty. This was SUCH a good analysis of specific tactics that fans like I long to learn about. However, Mr. Poulter, as several other posters have noted, it is made impenetrable by your use of abbreviations and nicknames. If you had simply referenced Yaya Toure once as "SmallBerries" (if you insist), AMC, etc., it would have been such a better piece of journalism. Reminded me very much of the Monthy Python skit with the Spitfire pilots: "there I was on his skoodly when he pulled a wingy. . . " "Sorry, old sod, we don't you get your banter." You are an excellent analyst, I WILL seek out future columns, please don't disrespect your audience, even the Yanks. Thanks.

Wallace Reply A fair point... I've done a little editing to the piece. What do you think?

Posted by James McPherson on 08/24/2010

Good insight as usual, as expected. I'm guessing the humorless readers will reign triumphant over Small Berries, so I suppose we will never see you dub a City player Big Booty, then, shall we?

Wallace Reply General opinion seems to running in favour of retaining the silliness...

Posted by Daniel on 08/24/2010

Hi. I'm an American, too. "Small Berries?" Sure, that is a moderately obscure reference.

If someone can't get AMC, then I'm not sure how they can be helped. That's like watching American Football and not knowing what QB is or watching baseball and not knowing what 2B means.

Wallace Reply QB or not 2B, that is the question

Posted by Dom on 08/24/2010

Really great performance by City yesterday. They bossed the midfield and dominated practically the entire 90 minutes, dare I say, Man Utd style. Sorry Wallace.

I should maybe mention that I don't support either (more an Arsenal man) but I have to admit it was a very mature display from a newly assembled team. Perhaps they still need a bit more incisiveness in attack but the signs look promising on this evidence. Balotelli still to come into the equation too. Can't really understand why de Jong, Toure and Milner often don't receive the respect their play and talent deserves. Have the feeling the recognition will come soon enough though.

And don't worry too much about the Small Berries flak. Walk it off big man!

Wallace Reply I understand what you mean about United. I always thought the adage of building from the back was a good one but these days it seems to be more about controlling the midfield. United do that well and City certainly did against Liverpool. It is why I'm looking forward to the United vs. City match up this year, City may well win that battle in midfield.

Posted by Eric on 08/24/2010

Small Berries stays...in-jokes are absolutely an appropriate benefit for your regular readers. Personally, I'm amazed you haven't called SAF "Lizardo" at least once. But I digress.

For everyone else...either hang around for a spell or use that Google search bar gathering dust up topside of your browser.

Cheers,

-E-

Wallace Reply Good to hear that you appreciate the occasional silliness.

Posted by HonestJohn on 08/24/2010

Good follow up to the match, Wallace. I'll admit I'm not as confident about the derby having seen City's display last night. If Mancini were smart, he'd stick with that lineup. Toss in a few more of those superstar chefs and the soup will be spoiled, much to your chagrin and my delight.

Wallace Reply Small Berries, Barry and de Jong against Scholes and Fletcher is something I will find fascinating.

Posted by Steven on 08/24/2010

I'm also an American, but my problem isn't with AMC or ACM, my problem is with the drab readers who actually take time to criticize "Small Berries".

The 6'4" younger Toure brother, who plays next to Gareth Barry, has never been given a more suitable, ironic and hilarious nickname.

Small Berries = Absolute Gold!

I don't find it disruptive or disrespectful for a writer to have an original thought. Something tells me I wouldn't have gotten all the way through the article if one of the other "readers" had written it, considering their feedback. I suppose that's why some of us are "writers" and some of us are "readers".

Mancini has given himself a team that can play any style, in any conditions, and is not reliant on any single player. They may have chemistry issues, but I won't be taking any bets against a top 4 finish...

Wallace Reply I'm already anticipating a game where having Milner, Barry, A. Johnson and Small Berries in the team allows formation switching during the game. Mourinho commented on this when he went to Italy, just how much he had to change tactics within a game, and I'm looking forward to Mancini doing this. I think this is why he wanted Milner so much.

Posted by red2death on 08/25/2010

If that was a masterclass, then I hope Roy Hodgson learned a whole lot from it! His choice of formation was appalling to begin with (yes, Mascherano pulled out last-minute, but that's no excuse). And after 45 mins of losing the midfield battle, his failure to change tactics even one bit was all the more damning.

I appreciate that he knows how to get the most out of budget players. That's exactly what Liverpool needs in our current situation of relying on free transfers. But please, don't be a small-time manager trying to steer a world-class club. Adapt, fast, please.

Wallace Reply Hodgson made 4-4-2 work at Fulham so I'm not convinced that the formation is dead. However Liverpool do not have the squad to play that at the moment.

Posted by Mike on 08/25/2010

Keep Small Berries! The first few times I read your column, it took me a while to figure out what you meant by AMC, DMC etc. but I figured it out (and I'm American too). Write your blog the way you want to. Though I'm not a big fan of City, I always enjoy your column and your analysis can't be beat. Keep up the good work, sir!

Posted by simo on 08/25/2010

Don't retire 'Small Berries' !

Its little things like this that remind me that some people actually are ecstatic about City being funded by the Sheik, and personalises the whole ugly business. really.

All players should have nicknames in blogs - i mean they usually do in the stands...

Posted by Femi on 08/25/2010

I am not surprised in the least that Yaya has taken the roll of the more attackminded and creative of the 3. He's from Barca, thats how they are made there. He's powerful & fast but has still a tons of finesse. I feel like a lot of the teams success lies on his shoulders. If Man city can repeat solid performances like that, they will go far. Liverpool didn't play that well, but City made them look very average.
The only problem with City is how to work in some of the new players. I watched some Serie A, & Balotelli doesn't seem like he can play alone up front. He likes to come in from wide positions. That means that there are about 6 top notch options for Mancini to throw in wide. My rankings:
1.Milner(consistent & a gamechanger)
2.Johnson(VERY dangerous but can be up and down)
3.Balotelli(powerful, so far inconsistent)
4.SWP(always been solid)
5.Robinho(I HEARD he was doing well at Santos)
6.Silva(Silva 2 years ago is my #1, last season & his WC were weak)
What do you think?

Wallace Reply I think City have too many good players and I'm not sure how Mancini will find time for all of them.

Posted by Craig on 08/25/2010

One of your earlier analyses of Man City's spending was that they hadn't bought a midfielder who could make the killer pass... now you've seen Yaya Toure in action... is he more versatile than you first thought and able to provide this linking role.

Also regarding formations... I saw Mancini interviewed and asked which formation he preferred... he said they'd be switching formations during the game... so maybe that is what everyone saw... and doesn't Mourinho also like the 3 person midfield as well.

Wallace Reply Yaya is very versatile and he certainly can pass the ball. What I've yet to see is the killer pass such as the ones Ali Benarbia would make. I do however want to wait until Kolarov and Boateng are fit and playing. Those players and the team playing the way it did against Bolton last year would be very instructive.

Posted by Lo Sconosciuto on 08/25/2010

I would think anyone who saw England's performances this summer would realize that Barry better not be playing as a standard DMC or you're in big trouble.

AMC is a cause of confusion? Really? Imagine the disastrous consequences if you refer to it as "playing as the No. 10"!

Liverpool without Mascherano is, well, like England with Barry in the same role, fit Torres or not. Maybe Cole would have helped some, at least in possession.

Posted by Gregory Conran on 08/25/2010

Who's that man from Argentina -
Bought time he learned to bloody score -

He plays with Milner and Toure -
He earns a million bucks per Day -

Give him money or he'll go walking out the door!!!

Posted by nscousers on 08/25/2010

Good analysis Wallace. U're right...that was not the strongest lpool team but nevertheless, Even the strongest lpool team would hv struggle against that man city side. I am a lpool fan and i take my hat off man city on the way they overplayed lpool that night. On Lpool, it has been a while since i last see lpool played with 4-4-2 formation and it clearly didnt work. Man city is clearly a team with a very strong midfield and without proper DCM in the team, any team will struggle to contain man city midfield. True enough, Man city midfield was given acres of space to operate. Gerard was clearly confused...if he moved forward to much, then lpool backline will be expose. If he stay deep too much then lpool lost its striking option. It simply means lpool lost 1 potential defensive/attacking options already well before the game start. The reason why england failed with him & lampard coz he cant do both at the same time. Lucas was non existence that night hence why i only mentioned gerard.

Posted by simon kimani on 08/25/2010

write off liverpool at your own peril,i believe they played really well despite the score line,glen johnson should come out of his shell, he lacks the confidence that go with an big name

Posted by InCapeTown on 08/25/2010

Me thinks the only team IN Manchester is getting carried away here. Money can't buy you happiness, only make you expect ever more.

Wallace Reply Every team is built with buying. All City have done is attempted to do so in a shorter time frame.

Posted by ky on 08/25/2010

Hi wallace, just wonder have you commented your choice of 25-man squad?

Wallace Reply I haven't, no. Still a number of changes and player moves to occur and I expect a flurry of loan moves the last day of the transfer window. I expect Championship teams in particular to snap up some interesting Premier League bargains...

Posted by JD on 08/25/2010

Excellent article Mr. Wallace.I will admit that I am a new convert to City, perhaps you could call me a fair weather friend, however I have never been an avid follower of the English Premiership until now. As a full blooded Valencianista, I am quite intrigued and concerned about David Silva. TO what extent do you think Adam Johnson's emergence and James Milner's arrival affect Silva's opportunity as a starter? Although most are quick to dub Silva a winger; a role which he is certainly adept at, he strongest position is as a playmaker. He thrives when given the opportunity to roam between the forwards and midfield. Lets hope Mancini has the savvy to satisfy the egos of such top quality players.

Wallace Reply I think Silva will flourish in games that Tevez does not play.

Posted by Luv Khattri on 08/25/2010

hey wallace i am a pool fan, what i saw monday night was not a shocker for me at least, playing agger in a left back role is a really silly thing to do, that too away from home, even aurielo is not a quality left back, and i am afraid liverpool target konchesky has not been great, the most disappointing part of the match were the 2nd and 3rd goal, had that penalty happened if there was a quality left back, 2nd goal was terrible, liverpool had problems with the set pieces the whole of last season, and now when they are marking the posts they look even more worse, i believe the first goal might not have had happened if javier was there, anyways if roy wanted two strikers up front why couldn't he try a 4-1-2-1-2 playing lucas in a defensive midfield role, play torres and kuyt up front, gerrard can come in your AMC role, maxi and jovanovic playing on the wings?? what do you think should liverpool keep playing their zonal markings??? or switch them?

Wallace Reply Once Liverpool have a full healthy squad and are playing a 4-2-3-1 then I think we'll see the real Liverpool. Regarding zonal marking, I've never seen the point. You put two men on the line against the posts and everyone else picks up someone one on one.

Posted by Jim on 08/25/2010

I'm the American who was wingeing about the banter and nicknames. Peace! Nobody loves silliness or freedom of speech than me, and, as I took pains to point out, Mr. Poulter's incisive analysis in a sea of "Vidic backs Owen revival" makes him a must read for me from now on.

Posted by jason wilcox on 08/26/2010

you can call anyone, anything at the moment Wallace.......my excitement about the club and what it could potentially achieve after suffering (with many others)for so long, washes away any intial confusion of "fruity" players. Small Berries is kind of better than Yaya in many ways......keep it coming...!
Although Lescott will be a second choice when we have a fit Boeteng, Kolarov(and Bridge)to accommmodate i cant help thinking if he does getter regular playing time through injuries, we have a liability on the field. Richards is enough of a problem and getting him to what he is capable of without the complication of Lescott.

Wallace Reply My issue with Lescott has always been his positioning. I've mentioned it before but I actually studied Lescott for multiple games when he was being touted as a potential England international a couple of years before he joined City. Time and again Lescott was the player playing an opponent onside and he would stand on the wrong side of an attacker in open play. Little things, but not a player I thought would be top quality.

That being said I think he's a decent back up at multiple positions.

Richards should be taken under Small Berries wing and given the goal of pushing him for playing time in a couple of years. It was always said that City saw Richards ultimately as a Vieira type and now with the Frenchman and Small Berries at the club it is the perfect learning environment.

Posted by randev on 08/26/2010

good analysis, i agree with the majority of it however i dont know if you noticed, but another tactic employed by mancini by playing yaya at AMC was to add height to the man city attack for adam johnson to aim at, whats the point of playing with width if you have nothing to aim at? Michael Blaack has been renowned for his ability to make late runs into the box from AMC and score goals with his head, with toure's size and capacity to play CB (centre back) this sort of role seems a perfect fit. The only problem however is that he is a fantastic DM and should be playing where De Jong is at the heart of the midfield. The height problem would then be addressed by starting adebayor instead of tevez...i think people forget just how good adebayor is and the number of goals he used to score at arsenal (hence why real madrid and ac milan have been linked with him) Tevez for me is one of the most overrated players in football atm, he tries to drop into midifeld and pull the strings. He cant

Wallace Reply Not sure I agree regarding Tevez but I do agree about Adebayor who, when confident, is an excellent player. But as you say, Tevez drops back too much. I would be very interested to see a 4-2-3-1 with Johnson on the left and Balotelli on the right with Adebayor up front and Tevez playing the Attacking Midfield Centre (AMC) role. City had success with that at the end of last year with Bellamy and Johnson as the wings.

Posted by James on 08/26/2010

I know you love "small berries," and as a fan of Buckaroo myself, I can understand being pleased with your ability to reference it. But ... it just isn't working. It's not going to catch on, and it seems almost insulting. Nicknames are great, but not this one.

Other than that, good article. The thing that was so great about the liverpool game was our ability to pass, pass, pass. I think I read a stat that yaya and de jong both had around 94% passing accuracy, which is immense. When you can control the midfield like that, only good things will happen.

Wallace Reply I'm not interested in it catching on, it's more for the amusement of folks reading this blog, just like Rudd van Falldowninthebox and others... But there has been a lot of good feedback on the subject.

Posted by fred daka kamwada on 08/26/2010

But I think Roberto Mancini is not selecting the team very well otherwise this team can easily walkover the rest of the premiership teams.
I don’t, for instance think that it’s right to maintain Yaya Toure ,Nigel Dejong and Barry on the pitch for the entire game because the team doesn’t move forward as swiftly as it should be.
The wise option is to play David Silva as the third player in the midfield.
I also don’t find Carlos Tevez useful as alone striker,. Instead he needs Adebayo playing off him to give him room to roam.
I also don’t know where Mario Balotteli will fit. This simply means James Milner and Shaun Wright Philips will be sacrificed to give ay for the hot tempered Ghanaian-Italian.

This massive confusion in team selection is the only hurdle that is standing in the way of man city.
Once Mancini resolves these tactical riddles, then man city will be unbeatable. Remember the blues have a second eleven that is far better than top four teams like Arsenal and Liverpool

Posted by Pete on 08/26/2010

KEEP SMALL BERRIES!!! Don't let these downers spoil a good thing. They're haters and probably closet United or Arsenal fans.

We're City, we're a bit silly anyways...always have been...we have to keep our roots!

Posted by Sam on 08/26/2010

Viva Small Berries! I had no idea going into this season that he would be the one to finally take Elano's place as a distributing AMC. One less-heralded aspect of that skill is that the fullbacks will play a more important role in the offense. Yaya connected nicely with Lescott and Richards for support on the wings; imagine those connections with Boateng and Koralov healthy.

PS: I nominate Patrick Vieira as BigBoote.
PPS: Lord John Whorfin (Lithgow) ---> Stuart Pearce?

Wallace Reply LOL I am so tempted to do that with Vieira!

Re the full backs. Yes... That was what I took away from the Bolton game last year; that the full backs play almost like wing backs in a diamond and both Kolarov and Boateng are known as attacking full backs.

Posted by jason wilcox on 08/27/2010

Fred some good points, i'm with you on Tevez alone up front. Not sure im worried about sacrificing SWP....but i think the main problem won't be confusion of selection......obviously 25 does not go into 11 or 13. It does not need to, we need to rotate players for games (look at the schedule this week for instance)so why not have 25 excellent players. Problem is getting all to be happy with this policy and sit games out, remain positive and play well after periods of rest. Having selection options is not a hurdle its a competitive advantage, we have a first 25 not second 11.

Posted by ibnu m on 09/06/2010

actually, why yaya toure is called small berries??

Wallace Reply Just one of my sillies.... watch Buckaroo Banzai sometime.

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