The Iron Curtain has been well and truly drawn

Cast your mind back to the 1990′s. Serie A could consider itself, along with the Premier League and La Liga, the strongest competition in the world. Over in Eastern Europe, free from Communism, the Russian league was still rife with corruptness and of a low standard.

Fast forward 15 years and the tables have turned, with the future of Wesley Sneijder evidence for the change in fortunes of club football in both Russia and Italy.

The Dutch playmaker is being linked with both Zenit St. Petersberg and Anzhi this summer, a deal that would have been laughed at only a few years ago.

Serie A is still attemptng to get back on the straight and narrow after the seemingly never ending emergence of match fixing scandals, whereas it seems with every passing term in Russia, better players and larger financial packages are being brought into the Premier Division.

It wouldn’t be a massive surprise if the Holland international completed a move to the colder climate, where he would join stars such as Christopher Samba, Alan Dzagoev, Roberto Carlos and Samuel Eto’o.

The Russian Premier Division is an emerging force, don’t be surprised if ten years from now it is seen as the strongest league on the continent. With the national team following suit.

@paulhill3

The FA Cup will continue to remain a British institution

With the Euros now well and truly over, our attention shifts to the domestic season, with a host of South West clubs set to be part of the FA Cup first qualifying round draw on July 6th.

However, a continuous school of thought amongst a number of personnel in the football world seems to be that the cup has lost it's magic.....never.

The FA cup is a British institution, when a football fan thinks about it a wave of nostalgia floods through their brain. Famous memories have been cemented into the minds of every supporter, no matter what level of the football pyramid their team are based, and as every season comes and goes, more of these defining memories from the competition are created and make their way into the history of English sport.

Gerrard and Cantona’s sensational last gasp wonder strikes in the 1996 and 2006 finals, Gigg’s goal of the decade against Arsenal, Non-League Exeter holding Man United to a draw at Old Trafford in 2005. These are just four examples of the hundreds of events which will be etched into the memory of many a fan. Even cup narratives most of us were not around for, such as the ‘Matthews Final’ in 1953 are passed on through generations as if they were a family heirloom.

The debate centering around the importance of the cup was triggered in 2000 when winners of the previous season Man United, decided to not enter the competition. Although some may have seen this as the beginning of a downward spiral, it instead gave evidence to show that the football community still held the prestigious tournament in held regard, and were disgusted that British football’s most famous club would just dismiss it in order to play a few money spinning matches against second-rate Australian and Mexican sides in the Brazilian sun.

Since then, the new century has illustrated that the cup is still as popular as ever. In 2010 the highest average attendance was recorded on third round weekend since 1980. On top of this, remarkable cup upsets continue to defy the form book and general rules of ability, with Premiership side Newcastle going down to recently promoted League Two team Stevenage. Even Man United, enemies of the cup 10 years ago, have unintentionally given the competition some propulsion in the last two seasons, by being victims of a cup upset to Leeds in 2010, and by contesting a close match with Non-League Crawley Town this season.

Even those not born in England are aware of the importance of the cup to and it’s ability to capture the public’s imagination. Ex- Chelsea boss, Carlo Ancelotti explained how he was giving the briefing about the cup’s prestige as soon as he arrived in the country: ‘The first thing that the club said to me is that the FA Cup is not the Italian Cup, the club want to win this competition, just like the Premier League or the Champions League. It’s the same. We want to do the best.’ he said.

So then, there is no doubt that supporters of the 759 teams which will enter the FA Cup this season will have experiences to look back on, these will then will evoke fond memories of this period in their life. This is what makes the FA Cup a timeless competition, and one which manifests itself into the identity of football in this country.

As Sepp Blatter and his gang of ageing FIFA cronies attempt to do anything ‘legitamitally’ possible to alter the sport for financial gain, the Football Association Challenge Cup will remain intact and will never lose it’s magic.

@paulhill3

AVB is the perfect fit for Spurs

A simple abusive tweet or maybe an offensive profanity are the usual choices for fans who don’t agree with their club’s manager. Football phone-ins and armchair pundits may go into overdrive at 5pm every Saturday as well.

This was not the case for a young Andre Villas-Boas however. Back in 1994, a 16 year-old Porto mad AVB couldn’t believe his luck when the club’s head coach, Bobby Robson, unloaded his belongings into the same apartment block as him. Another thing he couldn’t fathom was why the Englishman was restricting goal-scoring machine Domingos Paciencia to a few substitute appearances in the first team.

It was at this point that the unseasoned Iberian teenager wrote a few words down on a piece of paper that would change the entire direction of his life and future career.

Too shy to confront the legendary English boss to his face, AVB wrote a letter outlining his displeasure of Robson’s team selection and stuck it through his letterbox, an action which as he sealed up the envelope, effectivley also sealed the fate of his life.

So impressed by the young Portuguese boy’s piece of writing and ideas, he confronted and then told him to back up his theories with stats. The pubescent lad duly obliged, with an in-depth analysis of the club’s next few games.

The sheer attention to detail and knowledge shown by Villas-Boas overwhelmed the future Knight Bachelor, who then offered him a job as a trainee with the club’s youth team. He then encouraged him to go and take a coaching course, where he eventually obtained a UEFA Pro Licence.

AVB’s career was a constant upwards trajectory from then on, as he worked his way up the hierachy in the coaching sytem at Porto, before becoming a mainstay in Jose Mourinho’s backroom teams at Chelsea and Inter Milan, which were then followed by successful managerial roles and Academica and Porto.

This then lead to his first spell in London with Mr.Impatience himself, Roman Abramovich, his only real sticky patch in what has been a meteoric rise so far. There is no doubt the 34 year-old had a grand plan, a plan that involved a vast re-generation of the Chelsea squad. An idea the Blues supporters and management needed to understand and allow him time for. Sadly, that was not the case, but if he takes over at White Hart Lane today don't be surprised if Spurs mount  a serious charge on the Premier and Europa League this term.

@paulhill3

The FA need to learn from Uruguay

After their Copa America victory and World Cup semi-final appearance, Uruguayan football has become something of a fashion, and rightly so.

Even local rivals and world football powerhouses Brazil and Argentina cannot rival The Sky Blues for the sheer transfer activity concerning their playing staff.

Diego Forlan, Luiz Suarez, Diego Lugano, Sebastien Coates, Diego Godin and Fernando Muslera have all made big money moves to European giants in the past year and a half, with Alvaro Perreira, Edison Cavani and Martin Caceres all set to follow suit.

This is a signifier of how a country with the same population as Scotland, has transformed into one of the leading footballing giants. Now, when a Mr. Rodgers or perhaps a Mr. Wenger are on the lookout for new personnel, it seems Uruguay is their first port of call.

This is a testament to the overhaul of grass roots football in Uruguay, which began ten years ago. They are now fully reaping the rewards on a spectacualr scale.

The English FA need to take a look.

@paulhill3

The three most underrated stars in the world?

The centre-back has long been a paradox of a position. If so important, why is so little attention or money spent on it?

A team may win a title without a 20 goal a season striker, it may also challenge for honours without a creative spark in midfield. But you can count on one hand the amount of times a team in England has won the Premier League without an excelllent central defence.

Arsenal's invincibles had Campbell/Adams, United's treble winners relied upon Stam/Johnsen, Mourinho's Chelsea could count on Terry/Carvalho. The list goes on and on.

This is why it is so peculiar that no transfer records have ever been broken on defenders and why player of the year awards are rarely won by the men at the back.

For these reasons, i'm going to attempt to name, in my opinion, my top three central defenders in the world right now and give them some much needed coverage. They deserve it.

3. Gerald Pique- Fergie must regret sending back the Spaniard to Catalonia every single day. The Barcelona man has grown in stature over the past three seasons to become a regular for both the best club and national sides in the world. As comfortable with the ball at his feet as he in the air, Pique has all the grace and ball control of a Maldini together with the strength and sheer passion of a younger John Terry.

2. Vincent Kompany- The best defender in England since his move from Hamburg and now a Premier League winner, Kompany has grown into a leader at City. Now the captain of both club and country at a relatively young age, the Belgium could go onto dominate the centre back position for years to come. The former Anderlecht player is a mountain of a man who has yet to find his match out of all the top forwards he has faced. Like Pique, he is not scared to bring the ball out of defence and you would fancy him in a aerial duel with any player in the world.

1- Thiago Silva- In a league known for it's defenders, Thiago Silva has been nothing short of extraordinary for AC Milan over the past few years. The Brazilian's magnificent sense of anticipaton, superb acceleration, excellent positiong and fantastic reading of the game have made him the world's best defender. With the ageing Alessandro Nesta beside him, he has been forced to do the work of two players on occasions, which he has naturally just taken in his stride. Continually linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid, the 27 year-old has constantly rejected the approaches of the world's biggest clubs in order to fulfill his dream of becoming the Rossoneri's first non-Italian captain in the modern era. The fact that Silvio Burlosconi recently rejected a £48 million offer for him from PSG speaks volumes of how important he is to the Italian giants.  I'll leave you with two quotes from the Brazlian's coach and team-mate, as well as a stat that shows just how much of a powerhouse of a defender Silva is-

"He is arguably the strongest center back in the world. He has demonstrated great things, he is still maturing, and is showing in every game that he's practically a monster." Massimiliano Allegri.

"Thiago belongs to the elite group of players who are born maybe once in a century." Fillipo Inzaghi.

Silva's 66 Serie A games (as of beginning of the season)
Goals conceded-49
Clean sheets-32

Last 66 games without Silva
Goals conceded-65
Clean sheets-20

@paulhill3

A rejuvenated Azzurri could provide a fatal blow to England

You would be forgiven for believing that England have already sealed their place in the final four of this summer’s Euros. The general consensus amongst the media seems to be that we are already heading for a memorable night with our efficient German rivals on Thursday. For some unknown reason, the press appear to have disregarded Cesar Prandelli’s rejuvenated Italy; a side that has looked dangerous, solid and exciting in equal measure so far this tournament. Italian football is back on the rise, with the national team becoming a bi-product of this growth.

The former Fiorentina boss has created a united, loyal front within the ranks of his squad, and has gradually introduced a young group of eager professionals that understand and fit his narrow tactical 4-3-1-2 system superbly. Gone are the days of Marcelo Lippi’s experienced but stagnated team. Prandelli’s Italy are by no means lacking maturity, with Andrea Pirlo and Gigi Buffon still major parts of the set-up, but the players now possess the passion and ability to get the country back onto the centre-stage of world football.

2 goals conceded in 10 games (the best in Europe) tells its only story regarding the Azzurri’s qualifying campaign, where they remained undefeated. This stat shares similarities with the Juventus team of this season, who unsurprisingly also provide the majority of players to the national team rearguard. Buffon is back to his majestic best as one of the top goalkeepers in world football, with Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci set to protect their team mate in the centre of defence against us. To add to this, Federico Balzeretti and Ignazio Abate are both highly consistent performers who find themselves in the full-back positions. There has not been an Italian side in recent memory that fit the resilient, strong defensive stereotype as much as this one does, calling them the tightest defence in the international game wouldn’t be a stretch too far.

Nevertheless, to talk about this Italian team and to only mention the strong defensive side of it’s game would be a travesty. One of the main factors in the excellent goals against stat has been the ability of Prandelli to implement an excellent passing game, one that made them second only to the Spanish in percentage of possession over the past 18 months. This factor alone has benefited the back-line considerably. After all, you can’t score a goal if you don’t have the ball. The sometimes ‘tika-taka’ style of play the Southern European nation has adopted has grown out of the narrow midfield quadrant of the rejuvenated Andrea Pirlo, acting as the ‘regista’, with Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio doing the dirty work on top of their attacking duties, where they compliment either Thiago Motta or Ricardo Montilivo, who will find themselves in the unfamiliar position further forward in the ‘trequartista’ role. Gone are the days of a rigid, overly defensive Italian teams. Prandelli has created a fluid system based around the excellence of the midfield, most notably Andrea Pirlo, who has enjoyed an Indian summer recently. Wayne Rooney will be given the task of dropping back to put pressure on the pass-master, if he fails with this job then he’ll find himself in Kiev airport a few hours later.

In terms of the Azzurri’s forward line, the players in possession of the jerseys are far less set in stone than the rest of the side. Partly due to the depth of the striking options, but mostly down to the extreme personalities they hold. Antonio Cassano is the boss’s first choice and most used striker, but after his minor stroke only a few months ago, he is still not 100%. Another ‘fantasista’ the Azzurri have at their disposal is everyone’s favourite Italian, Mr.Balotelli. His over critiqued off-field problems have not found shelter with Prandelli, who still seems reluctant to give the extremely talented individual a responsible, regular role in the side. Yet, in these two high-wired players, Italy has one of the most feared and unpredictable partnerships in the tournament, coupled Antonio Di Natale they have depth in the goal-scoring department. Terry and Lescott will no doubt have their work out cut out considering the exceptional movement these players possess. Particularly Cassano, who seems to favour drifting out to the left during games. Hodgson will be aware of this and would have drilled his team for the possible outcome.

On the whole though, this Italian team has all the key ingredients to cause a ‘surprise’ tomorrow and in the competition overall. Don’t be shocked if it turns out to be a Calcio summer.

@paulhill3

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