Hello and welcome back to Dmitri Kharine says, a weekly addition to the All in All Football blog where I sit down with the ex-Chelsea, Celtic and Russia goalkeeper to discuss the top 5’s performances, key issues, players and concerns. We will be looking at the sinking ship that is Arsenal, Chelsea’s selection woes, Manchester City’s newly found offensive mentality, and the emergence of Manchester United’s talented youth along with plenty of other points to sink your teeth into! We hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed deliberating!
Game 1: Arsenal 0 – 2 Liverpool
Arsenal:
GK: Szczesny
RB: Jenkinson CB: Koscielny CB: Vermaelen LB: Sagna
CM: Ramsey CM: Nasri CM: Frimpong
RW: Walcott ST: Van Persie LW: Arshavin
Igor: Immediately from this line up we could see squad difficulties Arsenal were facing; no Gervinho and Song thanks to suspension and no Wilshere and Gibbs due to injury – a bandaged team had to put in a shift today. This of course made room for 2 new debutants, Jenkinson and Frimpong, with the latter settling in nicely into the heart of the midfield, showing a burning desire to engage Liverpool’s midfield and protect his back 4.
Dmitri: Yes it is apparent that Arsenal were lacking in players but I still like to believe that having the home advantage and a strong front 3 supported by Samir Nasri would have allowed Arsenal to start the game believing they could have still come out with a win here.
Igor: An early injury to Koscielny forced Arsene Wenger to bring on another youngster, Miquel. A lot was certainly asked of the youngster but he put in a strong shift despite unfortunately flicking the ball into Ramsey’s face (we love face-goals), resulting in an own goal. This injury of course adds to the woes Wenger must face and surely will force his hand in the transfer market while time still remains.
Dmitri: Miquel is fortunate to have come on alongside a player with as much talent as Vermaelen. For me, Vermaelen stands out as Arsenal’s best player today; completely shutting down Andy Carroll, putting in 100% and holding together a back line consisting of two newcomers is incredibly impressive in my eyes and he certainly did not deserve to be on the losing team. I cannot emphasize the importance for Arsenal to acquire players this transfer window – they need cover in almost all key areas, especially centre back, left midfield, and a pure striker.
Igor: Arsenal’s injury concerns are not the only thing that should be worrying Wenger, the same issues are prevalent week in week out as I see a total lack of bodies in the box while the Gunners push offensively. Van Persie, as talented as he is, cannot play the Striker role as he pulls wide in an attempt to play passing football with his teammates. A clear striker must be purchased who can make good use of Walcott and Van Persie’s crossing abilities.
Dmitri: Yes Arsenal certainly have speed down the flanks but there is never anyone there that they can provide to! Andrey Arshavin was especially poor today and really looked like he didn’t want to be on the pitch. I counted numerous shots that were totally misfired, a handful of sloppy passes and plenty of turnovers. It seems to me that when the team is struggling, Arshavin isn’t a player you can call on to be a leader like Frimpong attempted to be today, which I admire in the youngster.
Igor: It was fascinating to see Samir Nasri at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield today; was his selection due to a lack of players available to Wenger, or has his deal to Manchester City broken down?
Dmitri: It is difficult to speculate regarding Nasri’s transfer but what we can say is he performed well, putting in plenty of effort like a true Gunner. However, if I was Nasri, looking around the Arsenal changing room currently would give me no hope of titles or silverware – if there’s a chance to jump ship, I think that now is certainly the appropriate time for the Frenchman to do so; perhaps Arsene might bring in a few fresh faces, but Manchester City as an example, already have everything that is required for Nasri to win trophies.
Star Player:
Igor: When Frimpong received his first yellow card 7 minutes in I thought the boy was going to be an utter catastrophe. While I guessed correctly that he would receive a red card, I couldn’t help but become fond of his eagerness to get stuck in and the leadership that just radiated from him in the middle of the park. He reminded me of a scrappy puppy, feisty and ready to get involved – if Arsene Wenger can tame him, then perhaps we could see something resembling Michael Essien in the future?
Dmitri: As much as I admired Frimpong’s attitude, Vermaelen was hands down Arsenal’s best player today. Although being a an ex-keeper, I have to mention that Szczesny has put in some very good consistent shifts in goal for Arsenal and was incredibly unlucky to concede the first goal. Arsenal have some tough times ahead but there are players in this squad that are of a high calibre.
Liverpool:
GK: Reina
RB: Kelly CB: Carragher CB: Agger LB: Jose Enrique
RW: Kuyt CM: Adam CM: Lucas CM: Henderson LW: Downing
ST: Carroll
Igor: It seemed that Kenny Dalglish did not take our advice and opted to stick with playing his 4 new signings in a bid to let them gel together. Replacing Suarez with Kuyt must have been a fitness issue as the Uruguayan has been firing on all fronts, even scoring after he was brought on in the second half. A strong showing in midfield was let down I feel by their target man Andy Carroll who looked stiff to me; his touch was poor, he got completely shut out by Vermaelen and quite frankly, I was happy to see him come off for Suarez who’s technical ability completely opened the game up for Liverpool.
Dmitri: As I mentioned last week, Liverpool have some incredibly gifted technical players. I am happy to see Dirk Kuyt starting, but wasn’t pleased that Suarez was demoted to the bench, but as you suggested, this must have been a fitness issue. Liverpool’s passing ability in the centre of the park was great, but the nonsensical need to play the long ball to Andy Carroll proved once again, completely ineffective. When Suarez replaced Carroll and Meireles came on, Liverpool tore Arsenal apart; I know that they Gunners were down to 10 men but you could clearly see that Liverpool were much more effective keeping the ball on the ground and at the feet of their technical players.
Igor: Liverpool’s left wing had a fantastic game today with Jose Enrique picking up Man of the Match and Stuart Downing once again showing off that dangerous left foot of his. Both players were incredibly influential and really took advantage of Arsenal’s inexperienced left back Jenkinson, while at the same time ensuring Walcott was nowhere to be seen, which is testament to Jose Enrique.
Dmitri: Yes once again Liverpool’s new boys showed they were worth the big money spent on them. Jordan Henderson was relatively quiet but you can’t fault a boy for a non-eventful performance; he stayed solid in the middle and helped the ball along the channels to the attacking wingers. As much as I want to praise Charlie Adam, I didn’t like his two halfway line attempts; I just didn’t see the point, especially at the beginning of the second half. Stuart Downing put in another great performance and for me he is perhaps the key to unlocking Andy Carroll who once again looked suspect and not beneficial to the style of football Liverpool are trying to play.
Star man:
Igor: Jose Enrique received Man of the Match and rightfully so, his fantastic defensive and offensive contributions cannot be overlooked.
Dmitri: Can I give the star player to the Left Wing? Both Enrique and Downing had a great game but I guess you’re right, Enrique edged it with his defensive work rate; as they say offense wins games, defence wins championships.
Game 2: Chelsea 2 - 1 West Brom
GK: Hilario
RB: Bosingwa CB: Alex CB: Terry LB: Cole
CM: Ramires CM: Mikel CM: Lampard
RW: Kalou ST: Torres LW: Anelka
Igor: Chelsea’s first game at Stamford Bridge was certainly a roller coaster ride for Andres Villas-Boas and the fans. Conceding early due to an uncharacteristic lapse of concentration from Alex completely crushed Chelsea who were then equalled and even bested by the visiting West Brom in the first half. A 33rd minute substitution taking Kalou off for Malouda summed up Chelsea’s performance for me. A fortunate deflected goal from Nicolas Anelka in the second half brought the Blues to life who proceeded to bag their come back with a fantastic run from Bosingwa setting up French winger Malouda. Despite securing a comeback, there are clear and visible problems in Chelsea’s formation, style of football and starting XI, which we have expanded upon in full detail here.
Dmitri: It was clear that West Brom’s early goal was a shock to Chelsea’s system as they found it incredibly difficult to settle down. This could be expected from a young team like Arsenal but I refuse to accept this as a reasonable excuse from a team of such a high calibre – they should have jumped right back into the game and we’ve seen what Chelsea can do in the past, simply bombard the opposition. Chelsea’s first clear opportunity came from Ashley Cole in the 41st minute, in a home game that is unacceptable.
Igor: The first half exemplified my view that Chelsea continue to be too stagnant in the final third. Watching their movement players would literally stop and at times it looked like they didn’t know what to do or where to go. Chelsea’s wide players and full backs were forced to pass the ball from side to side with every cross easily cleared as no one made any attempt at cutting inside and causing a threat.
Dmitri: Yet when Nicolas Anelka scored Chelsea’s first goal, they suddenly came to life? How do you explain it other than Chelsea have some sort of psychological mind block? Bringing on Drogba clearly showed the difference in the strikers at Chelsea’s disposal, with the Ivorian filling into dangerous space with his explosive speed and power; he missed a couple of relatively clear opportunities but it’s difficult to walk into a game and be completely fresh and alert.
The second goal epitomized what I want to see from Chelsea as Bosingwa bombarded the right wing and delivered a fantastic ball towards a well-timed Malouda run. Chelsea came out of the second half with approximately 20 shots; as opposed to the 1 they had in the first half. The relief of scoring the first goal, Ivanovic replacing the disappointing Alex and Drogba coming on for Torres seemed to completely revitalize the Blues.
Igor: In terms of the starting line up, I hope to that Jose Bosingwa is not given a concrete 1st team role this season. When I watch Bosingwa play I see a fantastic offensive threat, this was of course exemplified with his fine assist for Malouda to take all 3 points. However, he is a liability defensively. Notice last season Bosingwa was used sparingly against teams where Ancelotti knew defensively Chelsea were not going to be threatened extensively. Even though I would love to see Ivanovic play a central role, he is an incredibly effective right back with great offensive and outstanding defensive qualities. Bosingwa is a silky player, but he should not be 1st team for Chelsea.
Dmitri: Kalou’s embarrassing substitution for Malouda continues to tell me that he is not good enough to be in Chelsea’s starting XI. At the moment I honestly believe AVB is playing the Ivorian because of his age and perhaps believing there’s a possibility he might come to life. In a club like Chelsea where success must come immediately, it is difficult to play youngsters as time is limited, but Kalou is already of age and I think there’s a very small chance that he might suddenly develop into a phenomenal player – this is an example of a player that has reached their peak.
Star man:
Igor: Malouda had a great game down the left wing and rounded everything up with Chelsea’s deserved comeback winner. He was Chelsea’s best man for me.
Dmitri: It’s difficult putting in a shift once a year as a goalkeeper, but Hilario actually stood his ground quite well, making a few important saves. I’m going to be slightly bias here but you can’t argue there’s pressure on the stand-in keeper, so he can have the award from me!
Game 3: Bolton 2 – 3 Manchester City
GK: Hart
RB: Richards CB: Kompany CB: Lescott LB: Kolarov
CM: Milner CM: Yaya Toure CM: Barry
RW: Aguero ST: Dzeko LW: Silva
Igor: I think this is literally the first time I’m going to say this; what an exciting game featuring Manchester City. It is clear that Mancini has stuck by his words and opted for a more offensive approach, which is absolutely no surprise considering the players he has available to him. The Citizen’s front line continued to shine with Silva once again weaving his magic from the hole. Dzeko continued to step up and prove that there’s no need to panic if Tevez decides to leave because currently the boy is firing from all cylinders. I was also pleasantly surprised at Milner’s great performance, replacing De Jong the Englishmen showed his defensive presence while threatening in front of goal, a clear sign of Mancini’s offensive intentions.
Dmitri: The big concern here however, is Manchester City conceding 2 goals. A team that prided itself on a fantastic defensive record (18 clean sheets last season) has suddenly opened themselves up to play attacking football and as a result, will inevitably concede more goals. It is good to see that Yaya Toure has concretely been pushed back to a central holding role as you suggested in your pre-season predictions, I think I only saw him in the final third once in the entire game. This may be considered a loss by some, but let the true attacking players create chances and score the goals while Toure helps the back four to avoid conceding. From a neutral perspective, this new attitude from Mancini is fantastic, but I think there’s a possibility that he might bottle it and go back to his Italian roots and play defensively against the top teams, which would be unfortunate because with this intensity and attitude, Manchester City can win the title.
Igor: Silva had another fantastic performance; I think it’s worth noting that while on paper Manchester City lined up as a 4-3-3, in game it was more of a 4-4-2 actually with Silva cutting inside, like this:
GK: Hart
RB: Richards CB: Kompany CB: Lescott LB: Kolarov
LM: Silva CM: Yaya Toure CM: Barry RM: Milner
FW: Aguero ST: Dzeko
The Spaniard did spend most of his time in the centre, which is exactly where Mancini wants him to be, finding pockets of space and delivering the final pass. He got Manchester City off to a flyer with a goal from this exact position and continued to impress all the way through until his substitution late in the 2nd half.
Dmitri: Dzeko continues to impress me as the striker continues to grow in confidence and notch up goals. His technical ability for a target man must be daunting for any defender trying to match up to him and he is certainly showing that Manchester City have nothing to worry about if Tevez leaves. It also looks like Aguero will be a fitting partner for Dzeko, as both players linked up very well throughout the game. It seems after a torrid start last season, Dzeko has finally put his game-face on and is ready to prove his worth – perhaps Torres should take notes.
Igor: It is good to see that there’s competition for the left back position as Kolarov began this game. Clichy played very well last week and naturally the left back roll is incredibly difficult to fill effectively, so Manchester City should consider themselves lucky to have 2 players of such high quality fighting for this role.
Star man:
Igor: Well it’s a no brainer for me, Silva has to take it once again. He radiates charisma and his influential touch in the hole creates an opportunity almost every single time, well played.
Dmitri: I’m going to go with Dzeko, he had a lot to prove this season and Mancini put his faith in the young lad who is delivering in spades. He continues to impress and ultimately, if he’s putting the ball into the net, he is doing his job sublimely.
Game 4: Manchester United 3 – 0 Tottenham
GK: De Gea
RB: Smalling CB: Evans CB: Jones LB: Evra
RM: Nani CM: Cleverly CM: Anderson LM: Young
ST: Rooney ST: Welbeck
Igor: Manchester United’s first real test at home was handled perfectly as the Red Devils fought out a balanced first half and then simply overpowered Tottenham with their continued pressure and assault. Of particular note were the impressive performances of youngsters Smalling, Jones, Cleverly and Welbeck who all continue to slot nicely into United’s starting XI and prove that there is plenty of depth in the team.
Dmitri: First of all it was good to see that David De Gea’s confidence didn’t drop as a result of last week’s shaky performance. The young Spaniard showed good distribution ability and safe hands throughout the game. However, it is important to note that nearly every shot I would consider to be “confidence” efforts that didn’t test the keeper, but perhaps this is exactly what De Gea needed and was fortunate to receive the ball straight at his hands all night. Also, the one time De Gea came out to try and collect a cross, he completely mistimed and misjudged the flight of the ball, really showing that he needs to work on crosses.
Igor: I was very impressed by Phil Jones at the heart of United’s defence. I mentioned before that having such a talented youngster would mean an injury to Ferdinand wouldn’t be so catastrophic, but I didn’t imagine that Vidic would be out as well so early on as well. Nevertheless, Jones partnered with Evans and managed to keep almost all of Tottenham’s efforts to long-range scoops over the bar.
Dmitri: Tom Cleverly continued to prove his worth as a starting midfielder in the centre of the park. I really like this boy, he has great footwork and already good vision to keep the ball moving forward – who needs Wesley Sneijder?
Igor: I think it’s pretty safe to say that Anderson has solidified his role as a starting midfielder also. He was certainly out of Sir Alex’s plans for a portion of last year but judging by his current form with that fantastic work ethic and perhaps a newly found ability to score goals, I don’t think players like Carrick will get a sniff when Sir Alex chooses his main starting XI for the big games.
Dmitri: I was thrilled to see Hernandez make a late cameo appearance, most of all because he has been in my Fantasy Football team for two weeks now! In all seriousness, Welbeck had an absolute stormer today, but if the little Mexican can get back to the absolutely lethal form he was showing last season, I think Welbeck would still have to make way for what is Manchester United’s key striking partnership.
Star man:
Igor: I really want to give it to Brad Friedel of Tottenham to be honest! What a performance from the veteran and he certainly didn’t deserve to let in 3 goals. Nevertheless, I think the centre of midfield won the game for United so Anderson gets my pick.
Dmitri: Well in that case I’m gonna go with Rooney because he contributed offensively with a late goal and was all over the pitch putting in a defensive shift, linking other players into the game and providing a constant outlet for his teammates, he is just such a terrific footballer.
Thanks loads for reading! We would love to hear from you so feel free to comment or reach us on Twitter @ss4Igor
