Sameer Chopra

You have to feel that Arsène Wenger would like nothing more than to have a team of players molded in Van Persie's style. Minus the injuries and the inconsistencies that they tend to bring of course. It is obvious that Wenger is trying to follow the Barcelona model of tiki-taka football, with short passes and […]

What a difference a month makes. In the early weeks of the Premiership it was simply a foregone conclusion that Chelsea would steamroller their way to victory. Ancelotti had taken the discipline instilled in the Mourinho era, and allied it with a potent offense. Yet Chelsea have now lost four times in the league, and […]

When continental football connoisseurs talk about beautiful football, the Premier League is never mentioned. Spain provides passing, technical quality and thrills from teams outside the big two. Italy, while being dour, somehow manages to be elegant at the same time, with its midfield maestros working amongst its Gattusos. Case in point, Barcelona and Villareal just […]

It's safe to say that this year's promotion class has been a revelation. Newcastle will of course, always be a top-flight side for whom relegation is an aberration, but both West Brom and Blackpool have been a breath of fresh air in the way they've consistently played attractive football. It would be a shame if […]

Tottenham went to the San Siro today, and were trounced. The scoreline may read 4-3, but Spurs were never in it, three highly difficult individual goals, and three very difficult finishes against a team that had obviously stopped caring gave the end result some respectability. (The British media will go on and on about how […]

No, you NEED to listen! In a game like yesterday's the result is of no consequence. England will still qualify handily for Euros, (but in all probability not go very far), and they weren't playing their strongest side by any means. Yet, even if the penalty was awarded and it finished 1-0 to England, I […]

The man, the myth, the legend.

Liverpool are, quite frankly, terrible. Seven games into the season, they have played exactly two halves of Champions League caliber football. Ten men against Arsenal was riveting, and the comeback against Manchester United raised some hopes, although in retrospect that is probably made to look better than it was by the score sheet. Now, how […]

If a side is losing, obviously something needs to be changed. What it generally means, is that in a team of 11, 2 or 3 aren't pulling their weight. Whether that's because they're not good enough (hint, Poulsen is in this category), or because they're in the wrong role is the decision that has to […]

For most Premiership clubs with title aspirations it's not the loss at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates that puts the trophy out of reach, when looking at the schedule those are games that a manager knows are hugely difficult to win. What separates winners from 3rd or 4th is the ability to win at the […]

Generally, football matches are won by the team with the better players. It's not a game that upon first glance seems to lend itself to a great deal of tactics, a team just tries to send the ball to it's most talented goal scorer by any legal means. Yet people like Jose Mourinho have taken […]

In a word, extremely. While many things that were once considered standard are looking out of place in the modern game, such as the 4-4-2, one that is still firmly relevant is the idea of an English winger, someone that runs out wide and makes opposition fullbacks miserable, thus using more of the pitch and […]

In the aftermath of England's World Cup exit, the media and the fans are already planning for 2014, and the European Championships in 2012. There are calls for a new manager, an overhaul of the squad and even a change to the domestic league. However, that is all obscuring the main point. England did everything […]

England so far have been...poor to say the least. Still, it hasn't been for want of effort or heart as some fans would believe. If they didn't care then the scorelines against the United States and Algeria would have been much worse. However, changes need to be made, not only to qualify from the group, […]

With England's captain Rio Ferdinand now out of the World Cup Finals, one would think the notoriously pessimistic English would be packing it in already with fears about their defense, but there has hardly been a tremor. Throughout the Premiership campaign Ferdinand had not played up to potential, and many believe that his replacement, likely […]