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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