The Hunter Returns

This week the Bundesliga makes it's return. We have not seen any Bundesliga action since before Christmas because of the winter break and the return of Europes most exciting league is good news for all football fans.

Bayern under Guardiola have been unstoppable so far but they face perhaps their toughest test so far, maybe even tougher than Dortmund. They travel to Borussia park to play Gladbach. Before the winter break Gladbach where very much in form having climbed into third. More so they are actually unbeaten at home this season, them and Bayern boasting the only unbeaten home records in the league. Bayern are unbeaten both at home and on the road so on Friday night something has to give as the pair clash.

Two underperforming sides this season, Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke will be hoping for a better second half to the season. Dortmund have been plagued by injuries this season, key midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has not even kicked a ball this campaign and Schalke find themselves as low as seventh in serious danger of losing out on a Champions League spot for next season.

Off the field but, they are two sides perhaps heading in opposite directions. Dortmund having just lost their best player 8 months ago are now facing the prospect of losing their next best player to the same rivals, this time for free. Schalke however have added Bayern defender Jan Kirchoff to boost their ranks and in the summer Sidnei Sam will join from Leverkusen. Add that to the speculation that Lewis Holtby could be set for a Vetlins return and Schalke are in a very strong position. They face Hamburg this weekend, the first time the sides met this season was on the opening day and they shared the points in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Klass-Jan Huntelaar netting twice on that occasion. 

Huntelaar has only played twice in the Bundesliga this season, a knee problem which required surgery has kept him out since August. The news for the Gelsenkirchen based side is very positive and he could even make his return against Hamburg this weekend. Huntelaar is a player who devides opinion. Some look at his work rate and feel it is below par, for a tall player he is not particularly renowned for holding the ball up particularly well but there can be no question when he is fit, he is potentially one of the best natural finishers in Europe.

The passes to Huntelaar from his team mates are genuinely direct. Long high balls or else low through balls to feet are his speciality, preferring the ball to feet rather than into the channels or space. One thing that cannot be denied about Huntelaar however is that he is extremely clinical. Against Hamburg on the opening day he took 3 shots to score his 2 goals. His other shot was blocked. 

This means that the Hamburg goalkeeper had nothing to do against Huntelaar for 90 mins except pick the ball out of his net twice.

In his best season for Schalke, Huntellar netted 29 times in 32 games in the Bundesliga. He was also the top scorer in Euro 2012 qualifying but was second choice come the tournament, a move which angered the Dutch public. In the season for Schalke he was on fire, his shots per goal rate was exactly 3. To put that into perspective, at the moment Suarez is averaging 5.6 shots per goal, Lionel Messi 4.8 and the recent Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is averaging 7.9.

With the World Cup coming this summer and Schalke's drive for a Champions League spot, this second half of the season will be very important for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and the stats do not lie. When he is fit and in form, he is the most lethal finisher in the world, the challenge now for him and his club, is getting him back to full fitness and form. Quick.

Nemanja Matic

Price tag aside, there can be no mistaking that Chelsea's new (old) boy fits the bill as to what Jose Mourinho looks for in a defensive midfielder. At Real Madrid Xabi Alonso was sometimes the pivot of the midfield, a natural playmaker from deep rather than a natural ball holder. Mourinho's sides have most often featured a strong powerful midfield presence, blessed with the ability to both read the game and the physical ability to dominate. His first spell at Chelsea allowed for the likes of Makalele, Essien and Obi Mikel to flourish. 

He has been back at Stamford Bridge for a few months and his side tactically looks a bit different from his first spell. His midfield shape has changed, he no longer features the pivot with two centrally midfielders in front of him, instead a bank of two in support of a number 10. Mikel and Essien are still present although the Ghanian has not featured much this campaign and looks to be heading for the Stamford Bridge exit. This is where old boy Nemanja Matic comes in.

At 6'4 he is a more dominating presence than Ramires, and at Benfica he has had practice at both playing in the pivot, and as a more defensive minded holder in a flat midfield two behind the number 10. He already sounds perfect for a Mourinho side. 

He cannot play for Chelsea in the Champions League having already played in it this season for Benfica, where some of his performances caught the eye. In particular in Benfica's opener. A two nil win over Belgian champions Anderlecht. His performance that night was particularly dominant, making 8 tackles succesfull completing 7 of them. 

He played centrally and to the left of the Benfica midfield, occasionally shuttling out to the flank to make tackles and stop opposition breaks. This will come in useful for a Chelsea side who's left full back wether it be Azpillacueta or Cole, likes to bomb on. Matic's cover would allow this without fear of counter.

In Benfica's last group stage game they managed a 2-1 victory over PSG. Without the ball for large periods of time they had to play on the counter, getting the ball forward with little build up. This again is much like how Jose Mourinho likes his sides to play.

Against Anderlecht Matic's passes forward where mostly short ones into the feet of Perez in the number 10 role, often no more than five or ten yards. Contrast this to his range of passing against PSG which was much more direct.

No question about it that Matic ticks all the right boxes, physically he is strong, he reads the game really well and has a range of passing that could help Chelsea against weaker opposition by feeding short passes to likes of Hazard, Oscar, Willian. Then he can influence games against the top sides snuffing out danger, getting the ball forward quickly and countering. Price tag aside, no doubt Cheslea have got themselves a talented prospect and at 25 he is no longer the inexperienced rookie that left Stamford Bridge a few years ago. 

Juventus Resurgance

After a slow start to the season Juventus have now opened up a sizeable lead at the top of Serie A and look to be on their way to a third successive Scudetto under Conte. The slow season was perhaps down to a number of factors, Roma and Napoli stole most of the thunder and the spotlight in Serie A, Roma in particular with their strong unbeaten start to the campaign. Juventus had two major personnel changes up top, with Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente joining the Turin giants. Both had never played in Italy before, and although Tevez initially made a goal scoring impact it took a while for the pair to settle and show their best performances

Vice Captain and midfield mystro Claudio Marchisio started the season on the treatment table needing surgery, drafting Paul Pogba straight into the starting XI. The Frenchman had impressed last season after leaving English champions United but had mostly been a rotational option for Juventus, rather than a first choice when everyone else was fit. His performances, coupled with that of Arturo Vidal meant that even after Marchisio's return the Italian struggled to move back into the starting XI. Even then his form hasn't been great, he was noticeably poor against Galatasary as Juventus crashed to a 1-0 defeat that eliminated them from Europe. It is with the Pirlo Vidal-Pogba combination that Juventus have been strongest with this seasons and has been firing them towards the league.

The above chalkboards came from the 3-0 victory of rivals Roma. Pirlo often sits behind the midfield which moves high up, giving him more space to operate within. His passes received are mostly central, contrast that to Vidal who's are mostly skewed centrally to the right. Pogba's (not shown) is very similar but to the left. This gives rival midfields problems, Vidal and Pogba maraude around and if unchallenged can either assist or create for the two up top. Vidal has 8 goals and 4 assists this campaign in the league and Pogba has 5 with 3 assists. If midfields then relent the pressure on Pirlo to cope with the midfield runners then the Italian has the world class passing ability to change games and carve teams open.

As shown against Cagliari at the weekend in a 4-1 win, Juventus have now got 2 strikers firing on both cylinders. Llorente grabbed a double and Tevez has 11 in the league. Juventus' traditional rivals (I.e the Milan clubs,) have been struggling financially and this has resulted in massive cutbacks. Juventus' current title rivals are Roma and Napoli, but Juve dealt with both those clubs well, inflicting 3-0 defeats on the pair. For Roma this represented their only league defeat so far this season but too many draws have cost them and now Juventus have been able to open up a commanding 8 point lead.

Where others drop points Juventus can use their experience, skill and midfield power to clinch vital and sometimes commanding victories. However the exit from the Champions League will hurt them both in the dressing room and in the board room. Serie A is not as rich a league as others in Europe and as proven at Milan over the last few seasons, even the very best players have their prices. Pirlo was linked with a move away as he was out of contract this summer but put pen to paper to extend his stay, but the sharks will circle around key assets Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba with speculation linking them with Premiership moves. Marchisio's lack of playing time will do little to discourage interest from him particularly from the red half of Manchester but at the moment, they remain Juventus players and look set for another Scudetto in Turin.

Players Of The Week 23/24 November

Phillip Wollscheid                 Hertha Berlin 0-1 LEVERKUSEN

Hertha Berlin had 63% of possession, 12 attempts but with only two on target. Leverkusen's excellent defensive organization and counter attacking ability secured all three points for them at the Olympiastadion. Crucial to Leverkusen was Phillip Wollscheid. The towering 6'5 inch German centre back made an astonishing 20 clearances throughout the game including 12 headers, keeping Berlin at bay.

Antonio Cassano                  Napoli 0-1 PARMA

Like the above mentioned game, the home side (In this case Napoli) had 63% of possession but still lost by a solitary goal. Parma had to play for majority of the game without the ball so when they had it they had to keep it. Antonio Cassano was crucial to this. He was an excellent outball for Parma, receiving the ball on 52 occasions and making 36 successful passes bringing others into the game. He was also fouled 5 times winning his side free-kicks, bringing them higher up the pitch. In addition to this he managed to create 4 chances for his side and scored the all important winner, inflicting Napoli's first league defeat under Rafa Benitez.

Jon Flanagan                      Everton 3-3 LIVERPOOL

Liverpool's stand out performer in the derby at the weekend. Unlucky to be beaten in the air for Everton's third but this in no way reflected badly on his overall performance. Normally a right back, Flanagan coped very well on Liverpool's left up against a very good winger in Kevin Mirallas. He made 9 tackles throughout the game which was the highest of any player, and also made 4 interceptions. Not long back from serious injury, Flanagan will surely now experience a run in the team following the news that  Luis Enrique will be out for up to 10 weeks.


Arturo Vidal                     Livorno 0-2 JUVENTUS

Juventus manager Conte has had a little bit of a midfield conundrum this season. He plays 3 midfielders across the middle usually Pirlo anchoring behind the more advanced pair. Marchisio's injury at the start of the season put Pogba into the starting XI and the Frenchman has done superbly to retain his place. Now that Marchisio is fit again Conte has to relegate one of his 4 midfield stars to the bench or play Marchisio wider where he is less effective on the game. At the weekend however he went with the Chilean Arturo Vidal in the centre of a three man defence. In short, he was excellent. When in possession of the ball Vidal would become the Libero. Moving out of defence and conducting play. He completed a staggering 100  out of 106 attempted passes and was one of the reasons Juventus where in complete control of the game. Livorno managed just 30% possession and had one attempt on target. Defensively he also done a good job making 5 tackles, 4 interceptions and 3 clearances.

Jesus Navas                      MANCHESTER CITY 6-0 Tottenham

Last season in the Premiership Jan Vertongen was the best centre back. He was played at left back on Sunday and even though that is not his most comfortable position, nobody could have imagine how poorly he would have played. This was down to the efforts of Jesus Navas. He opened the scoring with a lovely finish after 14 seconds and finished the game getting the 6th in the last minute. His first start since the 4-1 mauling of United in September Navas tortured Spurs, he managed to get 2 for himself, and set up Aguero for the 3rd.

Will a real English Number 10 please stand up?

Guest Blog (@NultyDave

Before the last round of internationals, Jack Wilshire was praised and vilified in equal measure for comments he made regarding who should be eligible to play for England, the Arsenal midfielder taking to Twitter to explain his comments. However, he also gave a view on what an English identity was and his view of how England plays, “We have to remember what we are. We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat. We have great characters. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard. We have to remember that.”

Xabi Alonso famously commented that he didn’t view tackling as a skill but as a last resort and saw it worrying that many people found tackling to be a skill to be proud of. In many match day programmes, youth and reserve team players get interviewed and list tackling as one of their strengths.

In today’s internationals and Champions League matches the emphasis on technical ability overshadows all others. It’s no surprise that the teams that win the Champions League are gifted with the best technical players. Last year’s final between the German heavy weights of Bayern Munich and Borrussia Dortmund served up a final of fascinating technique with plenty of players operating at the peak of their powers.

Even when Chelsea were victors, with a style many saw as defensive, there was no denying the number of technical players within that Chelsea team.

But with today’s emphasis on technique and technical players, the emergence of the Number 10 as the key player in many teams’ formations has become more prominent.  Does England need to unearth such a player in order to become competitive at International level?

Look around the top teams in the Premier League, the vast majority of teams are utilising a 4-2-3-1 formation.  The player behind the striker, the number 10, the free role, in between the lines, the playmaker – whatever you want to call it, needs to be a certain type of player. A player who dictates the tempo and links the midfield with the attack. Coutinho, Kagawa, Ozil, Oscar, Mata, Eriksen the list goes on and these are the ones that play in the Premier League. Does England possess such a player? Maybe it is against the English mentality to play this way.

When Wilshire described tackling hard, fighting and battling on a pitch it could be seen in a negative light. Here is, perhaps, the nearest thing England has to the type of player that seems in abundance for other nations talking not of ball retention, possession and technique but of running harder, faster and tackling everything as hard as possible.

Greg Dyke, the FA Chairman, recently revealed his plans for moving England on; he does not believe the World Cup can be won next year. He wants an overhaul of coaching methods so maybe England can produce a player that can unlock the tightest defence, receive the ball under pressure, thread passes through and have the touch and vision to dictate the attacking tempo of the whole team.

The nearest England have produced in recent years is Wayne Rooney but his style is nothing like the players mentioned earlier. He is a typical “English” forward, all action, hard running, dynamic and aggressive. There is no denying he is world class on his day but he perhaps lacks the class and finesse of what other teams want a number 10 to be.

In South America, the number 10 (Maradona anyone?) is revered like no other position. In Argentina the position is known as enganche, the hook who links the team together.

Many players have been brought to the Premier League, who have played this position on the continent, only to be banished out to the wing. The systems used by managers in the hustle and bustle of the English league fail to incorporate a formation that suitably finds a role for a traditional playmaker. Modric at Spurs was pushed out wide before becoming a more orthodox central midfielder, Coutinho has played wide left, Kagawa at Manchester United is another example.

So if English teams fail to utilise these players in this position, how will an English version ever evolve?

When the country wants England to compete at the very highest level, it is time to develop players who can play this role or even just introduce a style at club level that uses a player in this way. If just one, one world class player, emerges who could play the playmaker role and be integrated into a team that works hard, is brave and all the other typical English traits then just maybe Greg Dyke’s target of victory in 2020 doesn’t seem so ridiculous after all.

Statistical 4-2-3-1

Something new here on the ThreeManDefence blog. We decided to sit down and have a look at all the important attributes that can be measured for each position in a typical 4-2-3-1. Then we decided to take the most important and in accordance with the statistics provided by whoscored.com put together a team that reflects the statistics. (The statistics only take into account the top 5 leagues in Europe, Champions League stats not included.) To make a balance we varied the type of players in the team, one winger would be a dribbler the other a crosser, the player in the hole would be judged on creation for others, and the midfield duo would be a passer/tackler combination.

We used the following criteria:
Goalkeeper (Average Rating)

Right Back (Tackles Per Game)
Centre Back (Clearances Per Game)
Centre Back (Clearances Per Game)
Left Back (Tackles Per Game)

Centre Midfielder (Tackles Per Game)
Centre Midfielder (Pass Succession %)

Right Winger (Successful Crosses Per Game)
Attacking Midfielder (Assists/Key Passes)
Left Winger (Successful Dribbles)

Striker (Goals/Shots Per Goal)



Goalkeeper:
Kossi Agassa - Stade Reims    Average Rating: 7.9

Small club Reims are overachieving this season and find themselves 5th in Ligue 1. 35 year old Togo goalkeeper Agassa has played all 13 games for them this season and been the stand out performer. He has 6 clean sheets, 4 man of the match awards and an average rating of 7.9 on whoscored.com rating him the highest goalkeeper by a considerable distance.

Right Back

Giandomenico Mesto - Napoli   Tackles Per Game 5.1

One of the stars of Napoli's resurgence under Benitez, Mesto manages to patrol the flanks both as an attacking threat and defensively. At home on the left as he is on the right, the 31 year old full back has averaged an impressive 5.1 tackles per game to claim the right back spot.

Centre Back
Nemanja Vidic - Manchester United   Clearances Per Game 11.5

An injury free Vidic has been one of the few stand out performers so far of the Moyes era. The no-nonsense Serb has been a real rock at the heart of the United defence and nothing showcases this more than the staggering 11.5 clearances he makes on average to protect the United goal. He is top across the top five leagues on clearances and takes one centre back slot.

Vitorino Hilton - Montpellier   Clearances Per Game 10.9

Rolling back the years the 36 Brazilian captain of Montpellier captures the second centre back slot following an impressive 2013-14 campaign. His average clearances per game stats are the second highest in Europe with 10.9, and with his fellow defensive partner Daniel Congre at 10.3 per game it shows how well the Montpellier centre backs are currently doing.

Left Back

Filipe Luis - Atletico Madrid    Tackles Per Game 4.9

Atletico's strong start to the season has been helped by the excellent Brazilian Filipe Luis. The Atletico left back puts in on average 4.9 tackles a game and like all good full backs still manages to get forward to help his side out. His 4.9 average is the highest for a left back.

Centre Midfield (Tackler)

Lucas Leiva - Liverpool   Tackles Per Game 5.6

The third Brazilian in our team, Lucas is the anchor which allows Liverpool's creative players to flourish. His non-stop running and combative style sees him marshall the Liverpool midfield making on average 5.6 tackles per game and his interception stats aren't bad either, (2.9). He is the top tackler throughout Europe and takes one centre midfield slot.

Centre Midfield (Passer)

Sergio Busquets - Barcelona  Pass Succession 94.1%

Barcelona's holder and not usually renowned for his passing, Busquets keeps things ticking over in the Barcelona engine room with a very high pass completion of 94.1%. Francesco Matuzalem of Genoa was very unlucky not to feature, actually 0.2% higher than Busquets. However Busquets has played more games this season and makes a considerably larger amount of passes than Matuzalem (73.1 compared to 48.4) so it gave a more accurate picture to include the Barcelona ace. 

Right Winger (Crosser)

James Ward-Prowse - Southampton   Successful Crosses Per Game 3

A surprise entrant, the Southampton teen and England under 21 cap Ward-Prowse has been pushed out to the right this season, and as a result of this has become a bit of a regular right-wing provider. His energy levels and his ability to cross are a bit reminiscent of David Beckham in his young days and the Southampton kid undoubtedly has a big future ahead of him. 

Left Winger (Dribbler)

Franck  Ribery - Fc Bayern Munich   Successful Dribbles Per Game 6.1

The forerunner for the Ballon D'Or award, Ribery has had an unbelievable last 12 months at Bayern. He is the highest rated player by average rating this season on whoscored.com and part of this is due to his amazing dribbling ability. Ribery torments defences time and time again and with his unbelievably quick feet and fantastic turn of pace, its no surprise to see him take the left winger spot.

Attacking Midfielder

Francesco Totti - AS Roma  Assists 6, Key Passes Per Game 3.5

Picking the attacking midfielder was little more complicated. Fabregas and Koke both had more assists than the Italian, both with 7. However Totti overall plays a lot more key passes per game. A key pass is defined as a pass before the shot. With one less assist but a lot more key passes it is fair to suggest that if Roma's finishing was a tad more clinical then Totti would be a lot higher up on assists. All round still a world-class player although honorable mentions do go out to both Fabregas and Koke.

Striker

Diego Costa - Atletico Madrid  Goals 13, Shots Per Goal 3.3

Just like above it was complicated picking the striker for the team. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the scoring charts with an incredible 16 in 13 and Costa just trails him with 13 in 13. However Ronaldo takes 7.9 shots per goal compared to Costa's much lower 3.3. No doubting that Ronaldo is a great goalscorer but a striker he is not. If you are looking for the most clinical finisher in Europe look no further than the Brazilian born Spaniard Diego Costa. With a world-cup approaching and with Spain in possession of such a lethal finisher then one has to wonder if Brazil's loss may just be Spain's gain.

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One To Watch: Bayer Leverkusen

With only 4 teams lower than them in terms of possession, they are averaging 46% per game, yet find themselves third, and tied on points with Dortmund. Sami Hyypia’s Leverkusen side are proving that possession is not key as they fire their way up the Bundesliga table.

Leverkusen are a little bit of an enigma. Low possession sides tend to make lots of tackles and interceptions in order to break up the opposition play, but Leverkusen have made the second lowest average amount of tackles per game. Only Bayern the kings of possession have made less.  They aren’t particularly big on interceptions either.  Hyypia’s young side however are grabbing all kinds of the right headlines. They pushed Dortmund far last year in the race for second and this year has gave no indications that anything is going to change in that respect.

Up front Leverkusen are lethal. Having sold key asset Schurrle to Chelsea, Leverkusen replaced him with former Hamburg man Son Heung-Min. At 21, the Korean left the Hamburg side that developed him with a very impressive 20 goals in 73 appearances. Not bad at all for a 21 year old. At 6’0 he helps with the Leverkusen aerial threat and with two strong feet he is a constant threat on the left, either down the flank or cutting inside.  In terms of Bundesliga Heung-Min has 4 in 9 from the left and has even chipped in twice with assists.

On the other side Leverkusen have another former Hamburg man, the Germany cap Sidney Sam. Sam has been at Leverkusen for three seasons now and has over 25 goals for them, but this season undoubtedly has been his best. Sam is one of the best performers not just in the Bundesliga this season, but across Europe. According  to whoscored.com his 8.01 rating has him 11^th across Europe, wedged nicely in between Aaron Ramsey and Robert Lewandowski.  Sam is joined with the goal machine Kiessling on 7 as Leverkusen’s top scorer and has weighed in with 5 assists. This does not give Jogi Lowe a selection headache as much as a selection migraine ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

Playing a 4-3-3 formation, Leverkusen play with 3 shutters centrally, usually Lars Bender, Simon Rolfes and Gonzalo Castro. These three protect their back 4 and then Hyypia trusts his dynamic trio up front to win his side games. Only 6 Bundesliga goals have been scored not coming from one of the front 3 this season, 2 of which came from back up-striker Robbie Kruse, indicating that majority of Leverkusen’s goals come from those up the business end of the pitch. It is a formula which is working very well for Hyypia and at the time of writing this Leverkusen have won 14 of their last 17 Bundesliga games.

In terms of Champions League football things aren’t going to bad either. 2 wins and a draw from 4 leaves them only a point behind Manchester United with United having the difficult task of having to travel to the BayArena next. Things are looking positive for Leverkusen, and many eyes will be fixed firmly on Hyypia’s side, to see how far they can push domestically and perhaps a Champions League run might not be too far out of the picture.