Bleacher Report - Articles by Zed Zeppelin

Manchester United Will Have To Beware of Jesualdo Ferreira's Triple Alliance

Zed Zeppelin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:36:51 -0400

It was a brave move from FC Porto boss Jesualdo Ferreira to play three forwards against Manchester United in the first leg, but it was the right move. If they play like they did in that game, they will cause even more problems for United’s defence this week.

The combination of Lisandro Lopez, Cristian Rodriguez, and Hulk has led to an upsurge in form this year, and indeed the South American trio all caused problems for Man United’s back four last Wednesday. The three central midfielders also deserve credit, as they constantly outnumbered United and attempted to get the ball as soon as possible to find the forwards.

All three forwards will have their own roles to play. Lopez in particular will try to trouble the centre backs as much as possible. He is a constant threat when he has the ball, using his technical skills to full effect. The Argentinian has an impressive goal ratio in the Champions League, scoring one in every two games.

Hulk is still young but has great potential. His strength and build may be considered his key attributes, but also his speed, acceleration, and his shooting ability are impressive. He is very energetic and likes to run against defenders, which he showed last week, so Man United will have to prevent space given to the young Brazilian.

If you’re wondering, his real name is Givanildo Vieira de Souza, and he gained his "Hulk" nickname due to his resemblance to actor Lou Ferrigno, who played the comic book hero.

Rodriguez is somewhat different from the other two. He is not your typical goalscorer, although he did find himself on the scoresheet in the first leg. He tends to work the full backs with his pace and his trickery, and he will try to do that against John O’Shea. It was once said he “made the opposing defence cry,” and therefore is nicknamed "Cebolla" (meaning onion in English).

The trio will be very dangerous, and if given the space, can punish the champions, so Man United cannot afford to make any mistakes going into this very important game.

David Moyes Has the Ingredients to Become Next United Boss

Zed Zeppelin — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:03:49 -0400

David Moyes is no doubt one of the Premier League’s most accomplished managers. Since joining Everton in 2002, the club has finished in the top six in three of the last four seasons.

When Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides to call it a day, surely David Moyes is worth considering to become Manchester United’s new manager.

Just five years ago, Everton was a team fighting relegation and was lucky to survive in the Premiership.

Now they are regular European contenders. Moyes has also won Manager of the Year twice and could even win it this year if his Everton side keeps up its good form.

He has enjoyed success for the club, especially considering he's had limited money to spend over the past years and a very small team to choose from.

Moyes has made a huge difference and has made an incredible impact both on the club and its players. His tactical insight and player management is very good, and players such as Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, and Joleon Lescott (who were all average Championship players at one point) have seen their fortunes turned around.

Jagielka especially has seen change for the better. His career kick-started when he moved from Sheffield United two years ago, and he has since developed into a fine centre back with three England caps to his name.

Moyes has also uncovered gems such as Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta, and lest we forget, also developed great talent from his youth system in players such as Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert.

Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Moyes as his No. 2 man in 1998, when he was managing Preston in the old Division Two, and Ferguson has not wavered 11 years later.

Just last week, he insisted that he wanted his fellow Scot as his successor, saying he is perfect for the job.

“David hasn’t got the credit he deserves," said Ferguson. "When you take everything into consideration, he’s done an incredible job at Everton.”

“He has not had the resources of other clubs, but got all his younger players on long contracts and built around them with the likes of Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, and Joleon Lescott. The signings he has made have been terrific and it means he has continuity for years," added Ferguson.

There may be other managers up for consideration in one day filling the United hotseat once Ferguson retires, but Moyes definitely should be considered more than most.

He has the perfect ingredients to succeed.

Porto's Attacking Verve Exploits Manchester United's Fragility

Zed Zeppelin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:36:56 -0400

Fearless Porto rose to the Old Trafford occasion and exploited Man Utd’s fragile defence and may have shifted the tie into their favour. Man Utd players looked dejected at the final whistle, and so they should be.

If Manchester United is to progress into the semifinals they will have to be the first British club to beat Porto at the Estadio do Dragao, who are unbeaten in 22 attempts.

But if they want to defeat Porto next week then they must defend better as the Portuguese champions exposed Man Utd weaknesses, makeshift defence or not.

Sir Alex Ferguson lamented United’s poor defending and admitted that it looked very fragile. “We only have ourselves to blame. You can’t say that it was a great manufactured goal. It just exemplified the fragile nature of our defending at the moment."

Porto were fearless and for much of the game were the better side, and manager Jesualdo Ferriera game plan of going for the game from the very first minute looked as if it paid off. He chose to play three forward up front which caused havoc for United’s back line. Their counter attacking style and passing was terrific, much better to that of United.

When United attack, it is like they are playing a 4-2-4 and when they commit more bodies forward it leaves them vulnerable. By pushing right up the pitch, Manchester United put unrelenting pressure on the opposition and it can be a great form of attack but may leave them short at the back.

Hulk, in particular, posed the most threat. His constant running at Man Utd’s defence was troublesome, and he continued throughout the duration of the game to hassle the Red Devil’s back four.

In the second half, the hosts were much tighter at the back. Vidic and Evans improved but it still could have been better. Evans was substituted for Gary Neville, but you could tell his best years were behind him.

After Carlos Tevez looked to have won the game, the only thing United should have been concentrating on was protecting their lead. Instead they didn’t and they were stretched by yet another counter attack, Man United’s expansive style was maybe a factor as much as Porto’s attacking verve.

Rafael Da Silva: Still a Teenager, But Has Bags of Quality

Zed Zeppelin — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:39:59 -0500

Many would have doubted that an 18-year-old full back would break into a team as impressively as young Rafael da Silva has. Signed along with his twin brother Fabio, all Manchester United fans were optimistic about the Brazilian who has quickly established himself to be United’s first choice right back. He has been chosen ahead of Gary Neville and Wes Brown this season—and his performances have shown why.

He loves to attack, there is no doubt, but surprisingly it’s his defensive qualities that have shocked everyone. He is calm and composed most of the time and is a really good tackler of the ball, and is driven with heaps of determination.

Remember when United were trailing 2-0 to Arsenal. As he was on the touchline waiting to come on, the young teenager was jumping up and down raring to go. When Rafael was brought on he made an immediate impact giving Man Utd more dynamism on the attack.

It wasn’t only the extra attacking number he gave United, it was the way he dealt with the Arsenal defense so well. His tackles were accurate, he went for every challenge. He nearly turned around the game when his left-footed volley deep in injury time gave us hope of getting an equaliser.

When he played in the Manchester derby he was given the tough job of dealing with Robinho. Yet at the end of the day, Robinho was left looking forlorn—all because Rafael was too good for his Brazilian counterpart.

He has the passion to play for such a big club, and seems to be under no pressure when he’s on the field. He may not be able to speak the English language, but his understanding of the game is outstanding. For a player that is preferred ahead of two experienced full backs is an achievement, certainly at the age of just 18.

Even Sir Alex has admitted that young Rafael has been United best right back this season:

“Gary and Wes are England’s best right full-backs,” said Ferguson. “But they have a little problem because this young boy Rafael has really taken off. All the players, Gary included, are so supportive of him. They think he is fantastic.

"It is rare for someone to come through like he has done. When Gary did it, he had help. He was among six or seven young players all together, like a band of brothers. This lad doesn’t speak the language that well but he understands the football very well.”

He is only 18, but has already shown his quality at top level football. He’s still a teenager though, and who knows what adventures are up next for Rafael Da Silva.

Tottenham v Man Utd: Match Preview

Zed Zeppelin — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:08:02 -0500

PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Saturday, 13 December Kick-off: 1730 GMT

Man Utd travel to White Hart Lane tommorow with a number of key players doubful or suspended for the match.

While Rooney and Evra are suspended, Ferdinand, Carrick, and Berbatov are doubts. Though Carrick and Ferdinand should be at least on the bench. Ronaldo is fit though for the tie.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

”I don’t know if Carrick is going to be fit, I don’t know if Berbatov is going to be fit,”

“Rio Ferdinand picked up a back spasm again, so that is a concern for us too. With the squad we’ve got I hope we can cope but I’d rather not have [the problems].”

Man Utd Probable Team

Van der Sar

Rafael - Vidic - Ferdinand - O’Shea

Park - Fletcher - Scholes - Anderson - Ronaldo

Tevez

Tottenham Probable Team

Gomes

Corluka - Woodgate - King - Assou-Ekotto

Lennon - Zokora - Jenas - Bentley - Modric

Pavlyuchenko

Prediction 1-1

Team	Tottenham	Manchester United
Games Played	16	15
Goal Attempts
Goals	19	27
Ave Goals per game	1.19	1.80
Shots (excl blocked shots)	171	208
% Shots on Target	43%	48%
% Goals to Shots	11%	13%
Passing
Short Passes	5,846	6,775
Long Passes	880	818
Overall Pass Completion %	79%	83%
Crossing
Total Crosses	450	475
Cross Completion %	20%	24%
Defending
Goals Conceded	21	10
Ave goals conceded per game	1.31	0.67
Tackles	308	295
Tackles Won %	73%	68%
Blocks, Clearances & Interceptions	903	823
Discipline
Fouls	225	191
Yellow Cards	24	29
Red Cards	3	2

1899 Hoffenheim: The Incredible Story

Zed Zeppelin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:37:40 -0500

I want to take a moment to mention something special. You’ve probably now heard of 1899 Hoffenheim and their really incredible story.

A small town in Germany with just 3,700 people living in the village. Yet its football team sits on top of the table after just being promoted last year.

Just around six years ago, the club were in the fourth tier, Regionalliga Süd, and to climb three tiers up to the top the Bundesliga is quite an achievement.

They have invested heavily due to owner Dietmar Hopp a billionaire. Yet he isn’t buying the well-known names; instead, he's looking for the best talent in Germany. Looking at their progress so far this year, I would say job well done!

Vedad Ibisevic, a name that you probably aren’t familiar with, has been smashing this season. He has scored 18 goals in 16 Bundesliga matches this year. This is inspiring for a centre forward who was a Bosnian refugee at just the age of 15. Over 6', quick and he could be one of the number of talents in this club that teams would put top of their transfer target list.

Their man in charge, Ralf Rangnick has brought great things for the club and in future even more success. His coaching and footballing tactics are exceptional. He said: “Be aggressive in the press, never pass the ball backwards, be quick and direct in possession, move in unison.”

At this club anything is possible. Their could just be a few more surprises, we’ll see.

Ten Man United See Off City in the Manchester Derby

Zed Zeppelin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:58:15 -0500

Man City 0-1 Man Utd

Wayne Rooney scored his 100th goal as United saw off a fighting Man City and won the Manchester derby.

In an eventful tie at Eastlands, Man Utd dominated the first half and were rewarded with a goal just before the interval.

Rooney knocking in from a Carrick shot which was parried by Hart, and Rooney scored his 100th club goal, his 83rd with United. Stephen Ireland hit the post but the home team could not force an equaliser.

Man Utd were impressive going forward for the course of the game even when Ronaldo was sent off in the second half. The winger handled in the box from a corner and was shown a second yellow by referee Howard web.

It was a deliberate handball, and the Portugese captain claimed he heard a whistle. Ronaldo had already been booked for bringing down Shaun Wright-Phillips earlier on.

In the dying moments of the game, Richard Dunne had a shot cleared off the line, but as United cleared Joe Hart, the City keeper, was up for the corner and the U21 international had to race back to his goal. Ryan Giggs gave it to Rooney who unleashed a 50 yard shot, which was goal-bound, only for Hart to pull of an amazing save to deny Rooney his 101st goal.

United ended the day convincing winners and are keeping pressure on Chelsea and Liverpool for the title. The champions gave starts to Rafael, Park and Berbatov while rivals City had Robinho back from injury.

Man City

01 Hart (7)
02 Richards (6) Sub > 76 Sturridge (5)
33 Kompany (6)
22 Dunne (6)
15 Garrido (6)
08 Wright-Phillips (7)
07 Ireland (7)
21 Hamann (5) Sub > 46 Elano (6)
12 Vassell (5) Sub > 46 Zabaleta (6)
10 Robinho (5)
27 Benjani (5)

Subs not used

16 Schmeichel,
03 Ball,
14 Jo,
26 Ben-Haim,

Man Utd

01 Van der Sar (7)
21 R Da Silva (7)
05 Ferdinand (7)
15 Vidic (7)
03 Evra (8)
07 Ronaldo (5)
16 Carrick (8)
24 Fletcher (7)
13 Park(7) Sub > 90 O’Shea (5)
10 Rooney (8)*
09 Berbatov (7) Sub > 83 Giggs (6)

Subs not used

12 Foster,
08 Anderson,
17 Nani,
23 Evans,
32 Tevez

Ref: Howard Webb
Att: 47320

46.5%	Possession	53.5%
9	Shots	14
1	Shots on target	6
3	Saves	1
3	Corners	8
15	Fouls	16
1	Offsides	3
2	Yellow cards	4
0	Red cards	1
40	Tackles	19
282	Accurate passes	350
46	Bad passes	82

The Manchester Derby: Match Preview

Zed Zeppelin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:46:40 -0500

Man City v Man Utd

Venue: Eastlands Date: Sunday, 30 November Kick-off: 1330 GMT

Man City: 11th 17 points

Man Utd: 3rd 25 points

After losing against our bitter rivals twice last year, United and City go head-to-head for the 150th time on Sunday.

Man City are flying after beating Arsenal 3-0 last week, then beating Schalke 2-0 in the Uefa Cup. Two great results for City, made even better by the news that Robinho will play in this tie.

Man Utd are on the back of two straight 0-0 draws against Aston Villa and Villarreal respectively, Man Utd will look to bounce back and close the gap on Chelsea and Liverpool and will be boosted by the return of Berbatov from injury.

Man City Probable Line Up:

Hart

Zabaleta - Richards - Dunne - Garrido

Kompany

Wright-Phillips - Ireland

Vassell - Benjani - Robinho

Man Utd Probable Line Up:

Van der Sar

Neville - Ferdinand - Vidic - Evra

Ronaldo - Carrick - Giggs - Park

Berbatov - Rooney

The Managers:

Mark Hughes says that he will focus on beating old club United and stick to the blue half of Manchester:

“It is about my team and my club going up against the best side at this time. They are European champions, league champions and it is a huge test.

“As a professional manager you want to test yourself against the best. My players are professionals and they want to beat the best. When you go up against United that is what you have to do.

“If you get a positive result against the top sides from your own point of view, your professional pride is as high as it can be.

“We will try and give United a very difficult game and are very excited by the prospect of doing so.”

Sir Alex Ferguson talks about City’s position in the table:

“Where are they at the moment?

“Excuse me! At this moment in time, our threats are still Chelsea and Liverpool who are sitting above us, aren’t they?”

“Spending money is easier said than done. That’s when decision-making has to come into it and it is Mark who is left with that responsibility."

Last five league meetings:

2007-08: City 1, United 0
2006-07: City 0, United 1
2005-06: City 3, United 1
2004-05: City 0, United 2
2003-04: City 4, United 1

Prediction: 1-2 It will be a tight encounter with both teams have good chances. The quality of Man United will be too good for City, with Rooney getting his 100th goal for the club on Sunday.

Man City Statistics

Goals	29
Total shots	217
Shots on target	88
Shooting accuracy	53 %
Goal conversion	13 %
Goals conceded	22
Clean sheets	5
Passing percent	79 %
Total Accurate Passes	4651
Crossing accuracy	26 %
Tackle success	73 %
Total fouls conceded	214
Total fouls won	196
Total clearances	5

Man Utd Statistics

Goals	25
Total shots	257
Shots on target	86
Shooting accuracy	49 %
Goal conversion	10 %
Goals conceded	10
Clean sheets	7
Passing percent	83 %
Total Accurate Passes	5361
Crossing accuracy	25 %
Tackle success	68 %
Total fouls conceded	165
Total fouls won	174
Total clearances	425

Reasons Why Cristiano Ronaldo Is the Best in the World

Zed Zeppelin — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:28:24 -0500

After scoring his 100th goal, I point out reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world:

1. Creativity

There are lots of players who have a creative side to them but Ronaldo is a player who can create from scratch. His passing ability is sublime along with his vision is one of the factors that won United the season. It seems like he has a third eye and the only other player who as good as Ronaldo in terms of creativity is Barcelona’s Leo Messi.

2. Dynamism

His speed causes problems for defenders and his speed off the ball is just amazing. Ronaldo's goal in the CL final last year, when he made a brilliant run in to the box and headed powerfully past Cech. Ronaldo’s explosiveness and direct running from wide positions is key for United, but when he plays as a forward he is not as affective. He can destroy teams on the counter in a blink of an eye.

3. Shooting

His finishing is great, his ability to shoot from just about anywhere is even greater. Scoring 42 goals last season shows you he is the deadly force in the world of football and can stun keepers easily. From superb free kicks to magical backheeling, Ronaldo has all the ingredients to succeed.

4. Heading

Being able to head the ball is what can win matches and Ronaldo can. He scored eight goals with his head last season, and for a flair player that is very rare. He is 6′2″ which is the perfect height to win the ball in the air.

5. Age and Success

Ronaldo is just 23-years-old, which is a really important factor. At such a young age to be branded "the best player in the world" is an achievement in itself but to actually win the award is bigger. Success such as winning the Premier League twice, the Champions League, European finalist, and Portugal vice-captain to name but a few.

6. Teamwork

He has improved his teamwork vastly since he first arrived at Old Trafford and creates a formidable partnership with Wayne Rooney. Some people will say that the Portuguese star is too selfish but he can actually work with anyone. He created nine assists last season which shows he is a team player.

7. Improvisation

His improvisation is one of the magical things about him. Remember the backheel he scored against Aston Villa last season? Or the free kick against Portsmouth? His tricks with the ball are just amazing to watch how he can easily confuse a defender.

8. Mentality

The lad has a lot of confidence and self belief which is important to every footballer on the planet. Cesc Fabregas says "Football is nearly 80 percent in your mind. You can have the talent but if you don’t have the head you will go nowhere." Exactly.

And that’s why, folks, I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world.

Agree with this article? Please comment your thoughts.

This ARTICLE was from my Site: manutd24.wordpress.com On September 30, 2008