Kant

There are many available targets on the cheap at this stage of the window. Shame they do not fit on RM's usual transfer policy, as some of them could address our needs. One offensive player should be the priority after the unexpected long injury of Ross. Players publicly made available: Nastasic (Good CB, Pellegrini prefers Demichelis and Boyata), Alex Song (Barça want to get rid of him for as little as 8M. He was the only unused sub yesterday at the Joan Gamper (Barça's tournament) and today the sporting director said they're trying to find him a new club.), Sami Khedira (He's literally being forced out of the club. With Alonso, Modric, Kroos, Illarramendi, (Di María?) and James Rodríguez competing for three spots in midfield, his unwillingness to renew his contract has left the club no option but to shop him around.), Toby Alderweireld (Unhappy with his role in the squad, he is not even in the bench tonight. The club would accept a loan and a transfer on the cheap, they have his replacement already in the club Gimenez), Saul Ñiguez (Young promising player, last season he had a great season at Rayo Vallecano. He does not fit into Simeone's plans, and he is looking for a club. Atlético are reluctant to let him leave permanently.) I'm confident Roberto will go back into the market at least for a couple of good loans, the squad can use a couple of bodies more!

It seems that Luis Enrique now has realised he has too many forwards at his disposal: Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Pedro, Iniesta playing on the wing, Adama, Munir... and Deulofeu is again available for loan: http://www.marca.com/2014/08/14/futbol/equipos/barcelona/1408014507.html Should Martinez enquiry again for him? I would gladly take him back. Last year he provided some valuable spark, he knows the club and when he was hitting a good run of form he got injured. This season he could contribute much more. Sometimes he's useless and frustrating, but other times he can unlock the game with a tricky run, and for those 0-0 games I'd like to have him on the side as a sub to bring in.

Experienced striker available on a free, last season he showed he is still at the required level, and he has always been ultracompetitive. Off the pitch he's always been an asshole, but on the pitch he's one of the guys that will play his heart out for the team. I'd have him over Koné and Naismith, and for the EL games he'd be my starter. I'd take him if his attitude off the field does not disrupt the general atmosphere of the club. The club has created a great atmosphere of professionals with a healthy Brit core and that's what gives this club its identity. Martinez will talk to him and he'll decide if Eto'o is up for the task.

To be honest with the man, I remember back in 2007 when Sevilla signed Koné he was meant to be a promising young player who could become a world beater. Then the guy tore his ACL twice, and in 2010 his confidence was shot since he became a forgotten man in Sevilla. He went to Hannover to regain fitness, and then he was a massive success for Levante in a historical season for them (they were playing with 9 defenders and Koné was the counter attacking outlet. Obafemi Martins and Felipe Caicedo also excelled in that role). Then he went to Wigan, a side with great intent but no quality whatsoever and the worst defenders I have ever seen playing in the PL (Alcaraz was the best of the bunch, but he was always injured and he's slow and prone to silly mistakes a la Bramble). In Wigan Koné was OK to be fair, it's not that Wigan generated lots of chances. McCarthy was the only good player in that team, and players like Shaun Maloney and McManaman were punching above their level but that team was poor. As you could see, Koné's goals come from scrambles or nice through balls from midfield. This is why I think he's not suited to the playing style RM is implementing. Everton play -or try- posession football, slow build-up and quick combinations in the final third. Koné is a proper counter attacking player, fast and reliable when 1 on 1 with the keeper, but he is neither a fox in the box nor a great header of the ball, and he does not have a powerful shot, so I struggle to see him as a decent no. 9 for this team. He can contribute as a right winger making runs behind the centrebacks, but that is a limited role or a substitute role. If I was Martinez, I would still try to get another striker (acquired or on loan, don't care), and it should not necessarily be Lacina Traoré. I'm quite sure David Villa is available for six months on loan before the MLS starts, qatari/chinese clubs have usually decent players that Everton can try to lure and any young striker coming from the Brazilian/Argentinian league should not be expensive either. Also, Martinez can take a look at misfits in other high-profile clubs like he did last year with Lukaku (for example: Valencia wants to offload Jonas, Banega and Postiga). There are other big players available in Brazil too, but they might be unaffordable (i.e.: Alexandre Pato). I guess that depends on the club's finances, and I must admit I have no idea of the financial situation of the club.

In any given night you can lose 3-0, as long as you can overcome it in the return leg you go through. This is very typical of EL nights, for example Sevilla lost to Betis 0-2 at home last season, then went to Betis and got 0-2 and through via penalty shoot-out. It's a combination of luck, good draws, momentum and reliability at home. Great teams like Napoli, Porto or Juventus got eliminated at one stage or another, and the teams coming from the CL will be the most dangerous. I'd pretty much go for glory rather than 4th (and I feel this season 4th is quite unrealistic due to the improvement of United, 7th and some good cup runs should be a realistic expectation)

While I would agree with the lack of goals, I feel if the game was competitive and Coleman could not start it would be Stones playing RB (like he did last season). Let's see if Koné can get into the side and if Naismith can find his goalscoring touch. I feel we are still lacking the loan signings, which probably will be done after the first couple of games once Roberto identifies what we all have already seen. I think Koné can be useful as a right winger that drifts inside, but he needs to get properly healthy. At this recovery rate... anyway I would love to get a tricky Deulofeu, he might have been frustrating sometimes but he always tried, he was never shy and he could get goals and generate things. So far McGeady, a much more complete player, is not delivering what I would expect from him.

For the record, Juande Ramos's Tottenham won all their pre-season friendlies displaying an awesome brand of football, beating powerful teams like AS Roma 5-0. I feel there are some points to consider when evaluating the performance of the team: - Everton are slow starters, last year the first two games were two draws against poor teams. This proved costly, I have to admit. - This team is much better when all the starters play together. It's not only a matter of raw talent, it's a functioning unit in the purest definition of a team: its addition is much more than the sum of its individual pieces. Last season the team suffered when Martinez tried to rotate. I even recall the game against Crystal Palace when McCarthy did not play, it was Barkley in his CM place and Ossie as AMC and the team looked clueless for a huge chunk of the game. - No competitive spirit. This team is only good when competing, players like Barry, Baines, etc. are not fancy or skillful, they're good when competing at the highest level. If they are not giving their 100%, they are quite poor, as their main abilities (timing, tactical awareness, teamwork) are only at display when the game is competitive. This is not a team of Cristiano Ronaldo's or Messis that can score for fun with fancy tricks. Although we would all be happier with 5-0 wins over all our opponents, I'm only expecting a narrow win against Leicester and only because they will feel the pressure of the PL return. The team is at the moment far from ready, but it's August and the season lasts until May. I'd rather see them clicking and firing all cylinders more or less after Christmas.

http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9406055/John-Nicholson

I'd expect a fair rotation policy between McCarthy, Besic, Barry and Gibson (if fit). Besic will eventually replace Barry as the starting man in the line-up. I guess there will be some games where another tackling CM will be required rather than Barkley, probably against top opposition. Last year we saw plenty of Osman and I'd expect him to feature less this year if injuries stay away from the team.

The crap that Barça and Spain play nowadays is far from tiki taka. Tiki taka was posession based attacking football, with speed and ability. Yes, they carry the ball up the pitch slowly, but then in the final 3rd you're supposed to go all-in with overlapping fullbacks, timed runs and first touch combinations. From 2012 they have been playing posession control football, keeping the ball in order to prevent the opposition from scoring. You don't see first touch combinations and plays, and as a matter of fact, Spain was passing to Casillas and then Casillas hoofed it away. And in the tiki taka version the players defended high up on the pitch and pressed immediately after losing posession. Far from tiki taka, and truly boring to watch. The defence, for Barça and Spain, had not done the high press at all, lately they were just jogging around. The will to score, first touch combinations, the quick attacks and the high press up are the basic treats of the system, and no team do this lately.

The debate now in Spain is: should Del Bosque make changes or let the same team that won and provided the best page in the history book try again? Footballistically we knew Xavi was the heart and the key of the team and his legs are gone, we lasted until he faded. Most of the players are exhausted after long seasons and at 32-34 that means they are not ready for more than 30 mins. If I were the manager I would intoduce young blood into the team, removing in midfield Alonso, Xavi and playing Martinez and Koke. Thiago should have provided creativity and extra spark, but he aggravated his injured right right before the WC. Casillas has not had continuity and he should have left Madrid last year. Nfortunately De Gea got injured today so Casillas will keep his starting berth, as Reina is just a glue guy in the dressing room. Pique had been injured during the season and his physical shape is poor at the moment. That makes him insecure and when a defender feels insecure gives two steps back... breaking the defensive line and exposing the team to long balls. Ramos was playing very well in the end of the season but he does not get together with Pique and it showed. Torres is a joke, he shouldnt even be in Brazil. Llorente was left out and that sucked, Costa is a good striker but he doesnt fit into the Spanish system, we should play Fabregas instead. Tactically, the game was very well planned by LVG. Iniesta, Silva, Xavi and Alonso have no legs (the latter two) or intention (the first two) to defend, so to use the wings to cross was very wise. Pedro is much better to track back and provide runs, Silva looked completely clueless and he should be substituted. All in all, I guess my starting XI for the Chile game would be: Casillas -Azpilicueta, Albiol, Ramos, Alba - Busquets, Martinez, Koke - Iniesta, Fabregas, Pedro.

To be honest I'm tired of the strikers that use this kind of friendly to boost their stats. Example: Torres has scored three times against Tahiti at the Confecup in a game that ended 10-0, two against Ireland at the Euro (4-0), one pen against Bolivia in a friendly(it was never a pen), and he always uses the qualifiers against the likes of San Marino or Lichtenstein to score 2 or 3 and hide what is in reality a very poor record against meaningful opposition. Friendlies, qualifiers and meaningless cup games (i.e.: early rounds against non-league teams) should not be important for good goalscorers.

Nice assist but the goal is an ordinary one. Very poor goalkeeping and a regular shot, (yes it's a shot with the outside of the foot, but the little effect changes nothing, it's not Henry v Sparta Prague) beat the keeper. Lambert just signed for Pool so the media hypes the goal and tomorrow the headlines will be something like: "New Liverpool signing scores for England". I'm sure Hodgson noticed the great run that Barkley did. PS: Did I just see Rooney fit and with more hair than ever?

I wouldn't like him. I don't think he's physical enough for the PL, and while he is technically great, he does not have the physical tools or the mental tools required to be a professional PL footballer. Valencia got rid of him tired of his antics. We're talking about a guy that let his car run over him! (It was a freakish accident, he forgot to lock the hand brake at a gas station and when he saw the car about to collide against a wall he tried to stop it...with his leg). Not professional enough, I don't want him nearby. He's the opposite of what RM values in a person, another "Drenthe" mental type of player.

I'm quite sure RM does this to raise his confidence and to make England value him more, but he'll have other not so positive comments about him. I hope every negative aspect he sees in Ross he tells directly to him instead of going to the media. So far I like it.

It's very well paid slavery, but most of the guys I know are injured and carry health problems for life. Only a few of them finish their career in proper conditions or get post football real jobs. Only one in 1000 valid footballers -for many different reasons- can achieve it. The other valid potential players quit due to injuries, no reputation, lack of trust from the managers or other mental issues (big egos, lifestyle, studies, etc.). I was semi-pro at the age of 17 in Futsal (5 a side indoor football), playing for the B team of a good team in National League and I had to retire at the age of 17 tired of muscular injuries, knee injuries and five days a week training regimes. It felt good to know I was paid to do something I love, they took care of me and it had many great things, but it has other negative sides that we don't see when we think "1 million a year". The pressure when you don't perform, the lack of an alternative career...

A poor Aguero version would still be a hell of a player. Any ideas of who this player would be? Aguero is pretty unique (very quick, strong, good link-up play, not selfish to be a striker, composed, good movements off the ball...)

I feel in two years time a big club will come knocking and he'll go for a big fee. At least double of what he was bought for. Nowadays he doesn't have the media hype. Yet. I just hope he leaves England, he'd fit in a combative midfield like Atletico Madrid and I'd hate to see him play for a team like Chelsea.

Spanish clubs and English clubs should be well positioned to win this competition if they treat it seriously from the beginning to the end. After 1/4 finals it gets tough, and that games will be great to watch. 2014 quarter finals: - AZ v Benfica - Olympique Lyonnais v Juventus - Basel v Valencia - Porto v Sevilla I honestly feel Everton can beat any of those on a given night.

At Atlético there was a disagreement between Simeone and the Secretario Técnico ("Director of Football" role, Chief Scout, call it as you want). This guy signed some players that Simeone did not trust/know/like: Alderweireld, Guilavogui, Leo Baptistao, Villa. Guilavogui was unknown to him. Atlético was at the beginning of the season a well oiled machine, a team already done from last season, and the new players started (Alderweireld and Guilavogui) complaining about their lack of playtime and their WC chances. Simeone spoke to them and after that he decided to loan Guilavogui to St Etienne, provided new loan players more of his liking were brought. They managed to bring Diego and José Sosa on loan, so Guilavogui was surplus to requirements. Guilavogui was the 4th CM, behind Gabi, Tiago and Mario Suarez, plus Koke or Diego played sometimes there if needed. Now I gotta say I have absolutely no idea how Atlético will deal with the sales and which players want to keep or sell. Tiago has left them (for Chelsea) on a free, and the rumour is that they are close to sign Rakitic, croatian CM playing for Seville.

Italian football would be the worst fit for Lukaku, I wouldn't accept that if I were him.

In the article they talk about a man I really dislike: Jorge Mendes. The epitome of everything I dislike in modern football. A man that is neither a player or involved with a club, yet he can manipulate clubs and players at will. Examples of his behaviour, among others, would be the threats to move his players and unsettle teams unless his players are signed (happened at Real with Ronaldo), his act to promote his players at the expense of the teams (happened at Deportivo La Coruña last year, they got relegated) and other shadowy business he conducts. I thought English football was not affected by this plague: agent power.

Only with a minor improvement in his game for the next 7 years, he would be a top scorer. With all his current flaws, he's still a 15 goal and 5 assist per season man. With more experience and a bit of tactical knowledge, assuming no technical development at all, and he'll be in the 18-24 goal bracket for years to come. Even for an early developer, the tools he has at the moment should be enough to guarantee him a decent career. Only injuries or lack of playtime could stop him. I have the feeling he will not be coming back unfortunately if he is not signed before the WC starts. He will be the starting striker for Belgium, the moment he scores a couple, any team with money and needs will try to sign him (Inter? Milan? Atletico? Dortmund?).

If it was on loan or for a cheap fee, I would give him a try. We lack strikers, any reinforcements would be positive. (I wouldn't spend more than 2mill on him though, I believe Everton should build on other type of players) He's a natural goalscorer playing 1) the wrong system 2) with his confidence destroyed 3) in a team in shambles and 4) with constant managerial changes. Lamela is quite talented too and he barely played at all. Are they worth those massive transfer fees? Probably not. Are they good players? Surely they are.

Redondo was a legend. He dominated midfield on his own by doing both attack and defense. Makelele was only defense, he needed someone to start the attack and move the ball. He could destroy attacks and iniciate them with accurate passes, although he was sometimes a bit slow and retained the ball too much.