Fight or flight: the battle of wingers



Nani



Nani during international duty for Portugal





United's second signing for the summer-Ashley Young



Yes, Nani said it. He told press in countless interviews that he is not concerned about the competiton and fight for a place in the team. With Ashley Young in the picture, everyone is wondering how will Nani and Valencia cope with the pressure? But people seem to forget that we do have another great player who will also be fighting for a place-Giggs. The best part about this healthy competition is that each of this players are actually very different from each other in terms of playing style. Nani is quick and agile and the rate and speed his brains work is often above the average opponent thus giving him the upper hand in most one-to-one battles with midfielders or defenders. Valencia has a smoother more relaxed style of playing. He rely on composure and calculative tactics to get by his opponents while Giggs is in a class of his own. Experience has made Giggs a fearsome name among opposition players. The Red devil's legend rely on strength and has the ability to spot spaces to get through the defenders.  Add Ashley Young into the mix and we get speed and creative play for the united team!
I think Sir Alex will do justice to these amazing talents and give each of them a fair chance to play depending on formation and individual strength. There is enough room for all of them in the United team.
Each of them can bring different things to the Devil's table and play and exciting season. Nani and Giggs partner ship has been proven to be effective over the course of last season likewise Nani and Valencia partnership. I also believe that ashley young might just be the right person to take on the creative duties of the team. Remember how United suffered last season when Nani was out with an injury from the Liverpool game (challenge by Raul Meireles) ? United didn't have a creative force quite like Nani to help pull the team through and inspire them at the final moments of the game. Nani was dearly missed during those games. But now, United can at least rely on ashley young to maybe have a decent creative force to drive the team.

With Phil Jones and Ashley Young joining the team, the United dynamics bound to change. But will it change for the better or worse? It really doesnt matter if you got the best player on your team, if the team dynamics dont workout then success cant be achieved. Football is a team sport not an individual sport. 90% of the success has to be from team work and not indidvidual effort.



Antonio Valencia And Sir Alex Ferguson



7th time lucky for the Roman empire?

So Andre villas-boas is the blues new manager!
Instead of going on about what everyone already knw (release clause; chelsea hiring him; him leaving Porto and etc) let's focus on what really matters. Andre villas-boas might actually be the one for Chelsea FC judging from his strategical point of view and coaching style. Andre villas-boas swears by his philosophy which is Attack, attack, attack and attack some more! In his master plan of things, his strikers are 'the real protagonists". A fact which he insist upon. He also insists upon playing an intense pressing game.

What else can we expect?? Discipline to be restored. Andre was quoted saying

"If a midfielder does not fight for me, he does not have a place in the team." Maybe this season , things will change at Chelsea.
 Andre villas boas is also obsessed with his tactics! He holds special 30 minute tactical teach-ins the day after every match to ensure the players have the tactics drilled into their heads.  Chelsea might be signing more foreign players since Porto had 17 south americans in it and only 6 homegrown players.

Last but not least, the portugese boss is no Mourinho when it comes to one-on-one interviews. His reason for being camera shy?


 " For me, the coach is not the star but simply a person to exploit the best qualities of the players."Judging from the above, I think Andre villa-boas could be a serious and deadly threat to defending champions, Man Utd. Different type of playing style and tactics among the titans could make the 2011/2012 BPL season even more exciting than its ever been..... and maybe Sir Alex has a few new tricks up his sleeves , tactically speaking .......


Here's a video of Andre Villa-boas first interview for Chelsea.

ALEX MCLEISH < BIRMINGHAM TO VILLA?

Leaving the club during the club's darkest hour seem to paint Alex McLeish in the colour. The ex-Birmingham boss decided to hand in his resignation with two years left in his contract. As id leaving the club just when its relegated isn't bad enough, Mcleish shock Birmingham fans by joining bitter rivals- Aston Villa. This whole ordeal has shed light on the morale side of things in football. Will McLeish honour the unspoken rules in football? Will he abide to the rules where what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room? This is what Alex Mcleish has to say regarding the above issue.
" I know there are many good players there (Birmingham) but the policy that I have always maintained is not to talk about other clubs' players," he said.


"I'm getting bombarded - we are just going to access things at the moment. If I thought a (Birmingham) player could improve Aston Villa Football Club why not?"


Mcleish is hoping that Villa fans will give him a chance-not to prove them wrong but rather prove that he is indeed the man for the job. However, the questions that remains at the back of everyone's mind is how can a Carling cup winner get relegated??? Was Mcleish really doing his job right?? Or was there other factors involved? In my opinion, I think we should all give Mcleish a chance to prove that he really is the man that Aston Villa needs to improve. All the above questions? I think we can have our answers as the 2011/2012 BPL season progress.