Saturday 30 June 2012

Andrés Iniesta - Why Always Him?

Through the first 30 of 32 matches, the determination of where this enjoyable Euro 2012 tournament will sit within football history has been shaped by the constant evaluation and response to one overriding question - "is this Cristiano Ronaldo's tournament?" It looked unlikely, then things took a bit of a turn, and at one point it looked like a certainty, before it all unravelled at the penultimate hurdle.

For the final two matches, the focus has shifted to two of the supporting cast - Andrea Pirlo, perhaps the tournament's best player, and Mario Balotelli, who provided its most scintillating moment in the semi-finals. If they have another 90 minutes of the extraordinary in them, we may have to settle for 'il torneo di Pirlo-Mario' tomorrow evening. Failing that, it will be another title for the Spanish team; for their tedious tika-taka, the insufferable instant control, and monotonous moments of timely, technical perfection.

Given his enduring brilliance within a team chasing unprecedented international success on Sunday, one might wonder why an international tournament or Champions League season has never been preceded by the question - "will this be Andrés Iniesta's tournament?"

The answer is simple - because it is always Andres Iniesta's tournament.

At half-time during the 2006 Champions League Final, with Barcelona trailing Arsenal in Paris, Frank Rijkaard turned to 22-year old Iniesta to replace the defensive Edmilson. Iniesta had been unable to hold down a regular place in Barca's first team, though Pep Guardiola, then coach of the B team, had already told Xavi that "this guy will retire us all." Iniesta made the first of his bewildering big-match displays, pulling Arsenal's tiring team across the pitch, eventually helping create the spaces for Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti to score the goals to give Barca only their second European Cup. That was unofficially Ronaldinho's trophy, by the way.

Since then, Barcelona and Spain have set standards and broken records, leaving many legitimately wondering whether we are witnessing the greatest club and national teams of all time. Though there remain several consistencies between the two teams; Pique, Busquets, Xavi, Puyol, Pedro, Villa and the latest, Jordi Alba - one man stands out and shines above all as the truly indispensable figure. If Puyol is the soul and Xavi the heartbeat - Iniesta is the lifeblood.

As with all the true greats, for all the hundreds of enthralling performances, trophies and individual accolades, they are often defined by one or two single moments. It is arguably here, that Iniesta stands above not just his Spanish teammates, but even Ronaldo and Messi.

In 2009, with Barcelona on their way to a perfect six-title haul which may never be reached again in our lifetimes, a calendar-sextuplet may have merely gone down as the club's 19th La Liga title year, had Iniesta not intervened in the dying seconds at Stamford Bridge. With a Champions League semi-final defeat looming, and Barcelona having failed to muster a single shot on target in 90 minutes, one swing of Iniesta's right boot made everything possible.

Yet this glorious intervention doesn't quite constitute the definitive 'Iniesta Moment.'

As Spain stand on the verge of history in Ukraine, that they have made it this far is down to the final goal of the World Cup in South Africa two years ago, where Spain were chasing France's unique 1998-2000 achievement of winning European and World titles consecutively. In matches of such magnitude, even amongst sensational players, the sheer tension and realisation of the stakes can provoke indecision, breeding a tendency to pine for the finish line, even if that is a penalty shootout. Late opportunities reduce themselves to glimmers, as the weight of a pass becomes impossible to perfect, and the tense, tired legs allow balls to skip away, giving desperate defenders a chance to find safety. Every major match, these moments arrive and pass in an instant, never to be considered again. Spain had one such glimmer, when the ball fell for Fabregas on 116 minutes.

What happened in the next 1.5 seconds separates football's immortals from the rest. As when Zidane watched Roberto Carlos' cross drop out the Glasgow sky, or as Gazza spotted Colin Hendry advancing with intent on the Wembley turf - Iniesta, like a great snooker player, made his move with his next two already in mind. He ghosted into the pocket of space in the area, ready to receive. Control of Fabregas's pass was not a forgone conclusion as it skipped up to thigh-height, but the little genius had already taken his split second to observe around him, and knew there was only one square-inch of space he could manipulate the ball to if he wanted to strike unimpeded. With the impeccable sense of history that only the true greats can grasp, he cushioned the ball where others would let it slip away, and in the blink of an eye, crashed a shot past Stekelenburg.

Iniesta's career is littered with other moments and performances that propel him above most of his peers. His displays against Manchester United in the 2009 and 2011 Champions League Finals, and in the 5-0 La Liga destruction of Real Madrid in 2010, are among the best I've ever seen. A glorious goal against Viktoria Plzen in last season's Champions League will always remain one of my favourites, while there are countless moments in Barca and Spain games where crowds rise as he sucks defenders in and leaves them swiping at thin air, eyes always observing the situation around him, the ball obeying his every command.

In Kiev tomorrow, Iniesta has another chance to enhance his standing amongst the sport's historical elite. In 2008, he was one component of a team which dominated a tournament from start to finish in a way you rarely see, with the pace-setters often peaking early and finding the latter knockout rounds a mental step too far. In 2010, after a surprise defeat to Switzerland, his return to full fitness after a thigh injury was the turning point in Spain's fortunes. The team grew with each game, edging closer to their 2008 standards, until the Iniesta Moment settled the final.

In 2012, Spain have found themselves the target of criticism, occasionally fairly directed at their relative standard of performance, though absurdly attributed to becoming 'boring.' As teams continually develop and find ways to counter Spain's style, while the statistical inevitablitity stacks up against them, that they have to lose one day, the pressure intensifies with each match. In previous tournaments, Iniesta and Xavi have been able to replicate their Barca fulcrum, with the familiar Busquets security blanket behind them, and David Villa sure to score. With Carlos Puyol, like Villa missing with injury, Iniesta has assumed the role of picking his team up when they, on rare occasion, are unable to allow their football to speak for themselves.

In the semi-final, Paolo Bento set up Portugal smartly, and they admirably stifled Spain, particularly in the first-half, with a penalty shootout looking inevitable from early-on. Spain tried in-vain to break down their Iberian rivals after the break, though the tournament's centrepiece, hair in place and hands on hips, lurked up-field, waiting for his moment. At his tournament. As time wore on, Spain would become all too aware that Ronaldo needed only to receive the ball once, facing up to the back-four, and their dream could be over.

With Del Bosque electing for no recognised striker by this stage, and Spain's rushed midfield unable to link up with Fabregas further up the pitch, Iniesta assumed the role of pocket-picker in extra-time, pushing Portugal's ball-players further towards their back-line, and further away from Ronaldo. He scampered and scurried, retrieving possession, often down the inside-left channel, allowing Alba to provide a much-needed outlet. Spain grew more settled as extra time progressed, and another Iniesta Moment almost materialised, but for a fine save from Rui Patricio.

In the end, Iniesta's ultimate influence came in the shootout, scoring with apparent ease after Alonso and Moutinho had their efforts saved, and Spain went on to reach their third straight major final.

Looking back over the winners of Fifa's World Player of the Year, with the exception of inaugural winner Lothar Matthaus, and Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, the awards have been saved for the most special and spectacular, yet uninhibited stars; Ronaldo (both Cristiano and his superior Nazario de Lima), Romario, Weah, Zidane, Rivaldo, Van Basten and of course, Lionel Messi - all floating free spirits within their teams, granted licence to do the damage and not restrict themselves with defensive responsiblities. Thats not to say all the above were lazy players, but their responsibilities in the team were exclusively with the ball at their feet and facing the opponents' goal.

Iniesta deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those attacking stars on his skill alone, though he perhaps stands out as the one who carries a tactical nous and responsibility when the opposition have the ball. Add to that his growing reputation as a leader, and its a debate whether there is a more complete player in the modern game.

Many previously debated whether Real Madrid's domestic title win meant Ronaldo could pip Messi for the individual honours at the end of this year, but that his repeated failure to win an international tournament could give the Argentine another crown. However, I wonder if the greatest player in the world will be holding aloft the Euro 2012 trophy tomorrow after-all.

Friday 22 June 2012

Tackling The Glen Agenda

On the night Chelsea stiffled Barcelona in the Camp Nou to reach the Champions League Final, the Times' Tony Evans gave a unique insight into sports journalism by giving his Twitter followers regular updates from his office. One thing that struck me was that his writers in Spain were pencilling in their player ratings as early as the 65th minute of the match. This may merely confirm what most of us already know about the relevance these ratings have to post-match analysis. However, what these moments of premmature knee-jerkulation can highlight is the agenda a writer is working to. A brief (though no less nerdy) study of a dozen UK paper and online publications over the course of England's three Euro 2012 group matches does just that.


In the build-up to Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad announcement, Glen Johnson was widely tipped to be a 'surprise' ommission from the team, or even the entire 23, given the emergence of Kyle Walker, Phil Jones' versatility, and Micah Richards' title-winning form at Man City. Many considered Fabio Capello's consistent selection of Johnson a three-year mistake, with Glen having suffered more than most at the hands of the press after each dismal England display. A change of manager would surely mean a long-awaited adjustment at what is viewed as a problem position in the team.

However, Roy obviously sees in Johnson what the multiple league title and Champions League winning coach did before him, and has stuck by the Liverpool man in a back-four which, a mad 15-minutes against Sweden apart, has done a respectable job so far in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, the singling out of Johnson continued through the warm-up games and into the European Championships, where across the publications, he averages significantly less per game than his fellow defenders, and all but one of his starting colleagues.

What I've seen so far is a player who has made efficient and smart use of the ball going forward, and rarely put a foot wrong at the back. Unfortunately, being marginally the deepest England player while his teammates wasted numerious opportunities to clear a foolishly conceded free-kick, seems to have clouded many peoples' overall assesment of his three performances. Or rather, it has delighted them, as it slots in perfectly with their preconceptions about Johnson, and the rest of his efforts can be ignored.

Johnson is an offensive right-back, and this concept of full-backs being as important to a team's attack as to their defence is one which is still fairly difficult for many long-term viewers of English football to grasp. You can marvel when full-backs overlap to get a cross into the box, but if they're not back in their own penalty area 15 seconds later to make a clearing header, then fingers are wagged, and an attacking full-back autmatically becomes defensively suspect.

Likewise, Spain can pass teams off the park, but if they go 45 minutes without scoring, Andy Townsend will quip: "The opposition won't mind that. That's just tippy tappy football." And if they concede a goal - yep, of course it's because they are too offensive and the full-backs get too far forward, as if its some fundamental flaw in the foreign game, and that there is only one winning footballing formula.

In Hodgson's generally conservative team, attacking full-backs are even more important than in many other setups, as confirmed by Jamie Carragher in one of his Telegraph articles. The midfield four act as defensive protection, with the wide players tucking in as almost secondary full-backs, which is why Carra is convinced Walcott will rarely make a start under Hodge, and why Milner is one of the first names on the sheet.

Milner, the only England player to suffer more than Johnson in the ratings, is being referred to as only playing in the side because Johnson is so poor that he needs some form of special protection to cover his mistakes. So Glen is not just the weak-link himself, he's also responsible for the perceived poor performances of the next scapegoat in line, while the new saviour Walcott is restricted to the bench. Though not quite at his best so far at the Euros, Milner is tactically adept and physically fit enough to do his defensive duty, while supporting Johnson as he attacks. On the left, Cole's ageing legs mean he's less inclined to bomb forward, which makes Young or Oxlaide Chamberlain's inclusion over Downing more viable.

Aside from some early bursts from the Ox against France, most of England's best football has come down the right hand side, and so have all but one of their goals so far. I'm not one for quoting Opta and Prozone stats as i often feel you can find any stat to fit your agenda, though I enjoy them as an aid to analysis - and Johnson's passing and possession statistics have also been impressive. While Gerrard has provided the ammunition for most of England's goals, Johnson has been key to helping England keep the ball, something which unfortunately has not been replicated in other areas of the pitch, and desperately needs addressing before the Italy game.

I am as surprised as anyone that Richards continues to be ignored by England managers, particularly given his versatility, while Walker's injury was a cruel blow after a promising season at Spurs. I remain wholly unconvinced by Phil Jones in any position - a gifted young player who has a long way to go and would do well to concentrate on becoming a decent centre-back first.

Walker and Richards are both eye-catching players, primarily due to their athleticism. Johnson is 6ft and no slouch, but Walker and Richards are far more explosive, powerful athletes who can make dramatic recovery tackles and spectacular overlapping contributions to attacks. Walker also has a decent strike in him too. But for me, Johnson is currently the more rounded player. He's certainly more technical and balanced, with a decent left-foot which means he is as comfortable cutting inside to link-play or go for goal, as he is overlapping. His first touch rarely gets him in trouble and although he is not as positionally reliable as Ashley Cole, he has to rely on his powers of recovery far less than Richards or Walker. And crucially, out of all England's defensive players, he is the most comfortable and proficient in possession.

His contributions, both defensively and offensively, may not slap you in the face - but then Paolo Maldini could go unnoticed for 50 games a season, and he is the finest defender of his generation. It is often the case that the best defensive players, and that includes those holding in midfield, are not neccessarily those that get Peter Drury clamouring for his next nonsensical exclamation.

Sadly, it seems most people made their minds up long ago and can't possibly reconsider. Johnson will have to do something extraordinary to earn their praise, and defensively, that means getting himself into some pretty hairy positions in order to make more last-ditch tackles, or add something in the goals or assists columns at the other end. I hope he continues his fine form as it is , and to ignore the media when he returns to Liverpool after these Championships, as I am particularly confident he is a player well suited to Brendan Rodgers' possession-based game.

More of the same, Glen Johnson.

Thanks for reading.



Saturday 2 June 2012

Rodgers Wins The Fans By Accepting Anfield's Friendly Ghosts

Throughout most of last season, until he was eventually sacked, we were widely accused of blindly and unreasonably standing by Kenny Dalglish. It was just another example of Liverpool fans refusing to face up to our current state of mediocrity, while desperately trying to bridge the gap in bragging rights to the Champions League elite by clinging to a hero of the distant past.

We were just living off history, as has been the label for the past 20 years.

The criticism lingered beyond Dalglish's departure when many of us called for Rafa Benitez to be at the very least consulted, if not recruited while FSG were searching for a replacement. Liverpool fans pining for the past again.

Yet before I've even had time to sympathise with those whose clubs' identities are so empty that they consdier history worthless, we are being blanketed by a bizarre contradictory accusation. In the many articles published since the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, variations of the same second paragraph seem to be used to qualify what has been seen as a brave, intriguing move by FSG.

Does this sound familiar?

"Brendan Rodgers will now face the uphill task of winning over Liverpool's restless supporters, who demand a swift return to the Champions League and a title challenge."

Optional: Reference to Roy Hodgson, who was hounded out of Anfield by the baying mob before he'd even got both feet in the door, and subjected to cruel, detrimental chants of 'Dalglish' at every game.

So which are we? The group who stand by their managers too long in the face of the rest of the footballing world? Or the ruthless group of hard-to-please, fair-weather fans who cheer one week, boo the next, demand instant and sustained success, then swiftly cast aside their plastic flags and demand wholesale changes?

Rodgers unquestionably faces a huge challenge at Anfield, and many fans have had their reservations. He certainly wasn't my number one preference from the list of realistic potential targets. yet this apparent mammoth task of winning us over that is being banded around - he breezed through that on Friday morning.

Rodgers came prepared. He had done his research, even aware that he is the first Northern Irishman to manage the club since the very first, John McKenna. But most importantly, he thanked Kenny for the foundations he laid during the previous 18 months and praised him for his contributions to both club and city over the decades, inspiring us to our greatest glories and guiding us through the tragedies. He was clearly honoured to have become part of that history, and is determined to protect it.

Thank you, Brendan, for sharing what is important to us.

Here is a truth - in June 2010, Roy Hodgson was widely viewed as the wrong appointment, at the wrong time, made by the wrong regime at Liverpool Football Club. A lot of us were extremely concerned about the direction the club was heading in. However, he was given a warm reception on his Anfield bow, and we hoped for the best.

As the season started poorly, but before it got progressively worse to the point where we were fighting a pre-Christmas relegation battle, Hodgson began driving a wedge between himself and the history of Liverpool, and its fans.

His tenure became a tiresome series of slurs, aimed precisely at the people he should have been honoured to follow and be associated with. He blamed Benitez, who won us the greatest prize of all, for the team he inherited, and King Kenny for being his perceived successor in waiting, and even the fans themselves. Liverpool fans love to stand out from the crowd, and while we were the laughing stock of the league, our own manager turned on the very people who had the power and the propensity to protect him more than anyone else. We will forgive most things, even a run of appalling results, in the hope that things will get better.

We didn't turn on Roy Hodgson. Roy Hodgson turned on us. And please note, again, we never once collectively demanded he be removed from the club. No marches, no tennis balls, no chickens. And there wasn't a boo in evidence when he brought his West Brom team to Anfield at the end of last season.

Rodgers has already shown his hand. His results may or may not reflect his and the owners' ambitions over the coming seasons, and fans all round the world will discuss this, but he will always have our collective support when the team go out on the pitch.

'King Brenny' may never catch on, but I'm more than happy to be Rodgered next season. Let's hope he becomes another hero we can display our unique brand of support to, whether others sneer or not, during and beyond his time at the club. Good luck, Brendan.