Sergio Busquets: The Most Under-Rated Midfielder In World Football?
Posted by Ger Deegan on January 19, 2012 | 1 Comment
Sergio Busquets is 23 years old. He has won every major honour available and plays in probably the best team the game has ever seen, but why doesn’t he seem to get a mention?
It’s easy to criticise somebody for play acting a lot of the time and diving unnecessarily the minute he gets touched on the pitch, but it is my belief that because he is so clever on the ball he draws the foul from the opposing player. Watch how many times he receives the ball in tight positions with no where to go, and then gets fouled. I think that many people who question his motives and call him a cheat are in fact totally wrong. I actually think his skill, touch and awareness on the pitch is to be admired.
When talking about Barcelona, it is Messi, Xavi and Iniesta who get all the plaudits, and rightly so for their immense talents and possession football. But I don’t believe these players would have the freedom and space on the pitch if it wasn’t for Busquets. Recently Swansea City have been praised for their style of football. The one thing that has been talked about is the fact that they are always creating triangles all over the pitch which allows them to suck players in and then play through teams. This is the exact same as what Busquets gives to this Barcelona side, angles. He is like a wall that every Barcelona player plays the ball off and receives it back in a different position.
For such a young man, he knows the game so well. He reads situations like no one I have ever seen at such a young age before. Very rarely is he caught out of position and very rarely does he give the ball away. He always makes himself an option for the player with the ball and in my opinion is the best ‘defensive’ midfield player in the world.
Busquets has won 3 La Liga titles, 2 Champions League medals, 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 1 Copa Del Rey, 2 UEFA Supercups, 2 FIFA World Club Cups. It’s incredible to think that he has achieved all this before his 24th birthday.
He is one of the world’s most decorated players already and I feel he will continue to win trophies in years to come. In my opinion, he deserves as much praise and credit as the others in the Barcelona squad and it’s only a matter of time before people start realising what a force he truly is.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
This is my first piece for Football Corner and I look forward to delivering more articles in the coming weeks and months. Don’t be afraid to check out my personal website (Forza Ger) and also, follow me on Twitter – @WhatdidKatiedo.
Tags: Barcelona > Busquets > Champions League > Cope Del Rey > Iniesta > Messi > spain > Xavi
Not to be missed – The Top 100 Goals of 2011
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 19, 2012 | 2 Comments
A quality video put together of the top 100 goals of the year 2011.
Sit back, relax and prepared to be impressed.
Big thanks to Liam Dempsey for bringing this video to our attention.
Any personal favourites? Tell us, by leaving a comment!
Liverpool told to cough up for England striker
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 18, 2012 | 5 Comments
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Darren Bent’s name continues to be linked with a move to Liverpool this January with now less than two weeks to go before the close of the transfer window.
The England international is, according to reports, high on Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish’s wish list and the Merseyside club are said to be keen to make an offer for the player.
Bent, 27, is open to a potential move to Anfield. However, Villa boss, Alex McLeish has today been quoted as saying the following: “Am I wanting to do (transfer) business? I am not pushing. I am not in any hurry to lose any of my players.”
The former Rangers and Birmingham manager went on to add: “Only if it was an attractive proposition would we do anything so it’s very unlikely we would let any of our players go.”
The fact McLeish used the phrase attractive proposition in his answer says it all really. If Liverpool really want Bent then they will get him. It all depends on how much they are willing to fork out.
With Villa having splashed £24 million on Bent just 12 months ago, they are unlikely to let him go for anything less than that, so are Liverpool prepared to make a serious off to get their hands on the prolific goalscorer? Time will tell.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
Thierry Henry issues apology to Arsenal fan
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 17, 2012 | No Comments
Thierry Henry has apologised for using inappropriate language towards an Arsenal fan at the final whistle of his side’s 3-2 defeat away to Swansea on Sunday.
The 34-year old recently rejoined the north London club on a short-term loan deal after spending over 4 years away from the club and got his second spell at Arsenal off to the perfect start by scoring the winner in their 3rd round FA Cup tie against Leeds.
However, things didn’t go as swimmingly in his latest appearances in the red and white after he and his team-mates came in for criticism from a small section of Arsenal fans at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Henry had urged his colleagues to go applaud the travelling fans. But, one particular fan saw this as an opportunity to abuse the players, something which Henry certainly did not appreciate.
“When I arrived in front of our own fans, I couldn’t understand the abuse the team were getting from one of them.” Henry told one leading English newspaper. “I wanted to tell the fan in question that we need their support not abuse. The sentiment was right but in hindsight could have been better expressed.”
Henry added: “So I would like to first and foremost apologise for using inappropriate language to that particular ‘supporter’. I didn’t intend to be malicious or threatening and am aware that it could have been said in a calmer manner.”
Very keen to hear Arsenal fans opinion’s on this one. Was Henry within his rights to shell out expletives to the fan yelling abuse, or was he in the wrong? Feel free to leave your comments below.
Manchester City 3 points clear once again
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 16, 2012 | 1 Comment
It wasn’t pretty, but a solitary Edin Dzeko goal was enough to earn Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win away to the Premier League’s bottom side, Wigan.
Like many games at the DW Stadium this year, this one was spoiled due to huge divots popping up all over the playing surface. Misplaced passes were the order of the day as both sides struggled to find any sort of rhythm.
Roberto Mancini’s side had a number of chances inside the Wigan box from well-timed crosses in the opening exchanges. However, both Stefan Savic and the match winner Dzeko failed to convert early on. The only goal came with 22 minutes on the clock.
A David Silva free whipped in from the left found the head of Dzeko who saw his glancing header beat Ali Al Habsi in the Wigan goal, to end an 11-game drought for the Bosnian.
Referee Martin Atkinson should have reduced the home side to ten men when Maynor Figueroa blatantly handled the ball on the half-way line to prevent Sergio Aguero from going through on goal. Atkinson opted instead to only show the Wigan defender a yellow card, much to the dismay of the City players and coaching staff.
It really was a game in which no player stood out. City keeper Joe Hart was awarded the man of the match, and to be fair, it was probably the right decision. He didn’t have a whole lot to do, but when called upon, the England stopper displayed his usual class.
With this result, City now move three points clear of neighbours United at the top of the table, and are now five points clear of their next opponents, Tottenham. Sunday’s games, City v Tottenham and Arsenal v United, could well be decisive in this season’s title race. City win and United fail to pick up all three points and that could be it.
What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments below.
Arsenal’s top 4 ambitions dealt major blow
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 15, 2012 | 1 Comment
Swansea 3-2 Arsenal.
It was a game that started so well for Arsenal, but ultimately ended in defeat.
Arsene Wenger’s men went ahead with just 5 minutes on the clock at the Liberty Stadium through a familiar source. Robin Van Persie opened the scoring with a typical quality finish to get his side off to the perfect start.
All the Best Sports Books would have had Arsenal as the favourites going into this one and their odds would have shortened significantly when they went into an early lead. However, Swansea were level just ten minutes later when Scott Sinclair made no mistake from the spot.
It was an absorbing game played in front of an enthuisiatic home support, who went wild when Nathan Dyer gave them the lead soon after the break. But, the hosts were pegged back with 69 minutes on the clock, as Theo Walcott finished nicely to bring the sides level again.
The crowd had barely got their breath back when Danny Graham curled a right-footed effort beyond Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal to make it 3-2 to the Swans. And that was how it stayed. Despite Thierry Henry being on the pitch, Arsenal couldn’t equalise again and so they left Wales empty-handed.
Another massive blow to Arsenal’s chances of finish in the top 4 come the end of the season. It has been an incredibly frustrating season so far for the Gunners faithful and results like this show that they are a side simply not ready to challenge at the very top end.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
Who will be lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the season?
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 15, 2012 | No Comments
As you may well of noticed, we have been away for a while. Pure laziness on our part, but we are back now and have big plans for the coming weeks and months, including a redesign of the site, which we hope you’ll appreciate.
Anyway, we simply want to know now who you think will be lifting the Premier League title come the end of the season. We, like the majority of others, see it as a three horse race between Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, who it has to be said, have done incredibly well so far this season.
So, let’s have a vote.
Don’t be afraid to comment also in the section provided. For what it’s worth, our vote goes to Manchester City. We believe they will just have too much in the end and will win it by 5 or 6 points.
Arsenal and Barcelona keen on Man United youngster, Man City target Italian midfielder while Spurs eye £20 million striker
Posted by Cathal Breathnach on January 15, 2012 | No Comments
The Sunday papers are once again full of transfer talk so we thought we would take the liberty to bring you some of the rumours which took our eye.
Ravel Morrison, the Manchester United youngster who has upset Sir Alex Ferguson due to his “unrealistic” wage demands, is apparently wanted by both Arsenal and Barcelona. The 18-year old is tipped by many to go a long way in the game, but it would appear his futures lies away from Old Trafford after he turned down a deal worth up to £15,ooo a-week.
Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola are said to be monitoring the highly-rated midfielder’s situation and with Morrison’s current United deal set to expire this summer, the next few days and weeks are bound to see
Meanwhile, Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is desperate to add steel to his midfield during this transfer window and a name which continues to be mentioned is that of Roma’s Daniele de Rossi. The Italian international has long been linked with a move away from Serie A, with a number of Europe’s elite said to be interested, but for whatever reasons, he remains a Roma player.
But that may be about to change. Mancini has been a long-term admirer of the 28-year old’s and is keen to bring him to the Etihad Stadium in an attempt to aid his side’s title challenge. It is expected that City would have to cough up at least £25 million if they want de Rossi, but with the financial fair play rule in the club’s thoughts, they may have to offload some players first.
And finally for now, Tottenham are preparing a £20 million move for Marseille striker Loic Remy. The 25-year old has been heavily linked with a move away from the French giants for the last year or two and Spurs have always held a keen interest. Harry Redknapp is looking to add two or three faces to his squad before the window shuts as the Spurs boss looks to maintain the club’s title challenge. Remy is to be watched by Spurs officials during tonight’s encounter between Marseille and Lille.
So that’s it for now. Intriguing stuff involving the top three clubs in the Premier League and be sure to stay tuned to Football Corner for all the latest on these and all the other potential deals. You can follow us on Twitter (@AFootballCorner) and you can also find us on Facebook!
Tags: Arsenal > Barcelona > Daniele de Rossi > Loic Remy > Manchester City > Manchester United > Ravel Morrison > Tottenham
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