BALOTELLI'S GERRARD-PIRLO COMPARISON IS LAUGHABLE

Liverpool's controversial new striker really rates his club captain and even goes so far as to compare him with Italy's peerless midfield maestro. Is this just the latest example of Balotelli crazy talk?

D. Ray Morton, 16th October 2014.

Mario Balotelli, recently dropped by the Italian national team, certainly seems to be buddying up with his new captain, Steven Gerrard, recently retired from the England national team

Mario Balotelli has come out with yet another cracker of a statement. The Italian international, born in Palermo to Ghanaian immigrants, is known for coming out with controversial soundbites but this one seems outright bizarre.

Comparing his club captain, Steven Gerrard to his Italian teammate Andrea Pirlo, in an interview with Sport he said: "Gerrard is an amazing player. I had really not seen much of him before this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo."

He continued: "Vision, technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It’s going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future."

His words are complimentary, hugely so, but puzzling. Why would Balotelli compare two polar opposite player types with virtually nothing in common other than the fact that they have played in similar on-field positions, not roles, for the past twelve months?

Both players retired from international football after last summer's World Cup and as England fans released a collective sigh of relief for change, fans of the Azzurri started to panic. For their countries, Gerrard and Pirlo's contributions have been radically different. With Gerrard's legs having gone and the Liverpool skipper stepping aside, Roy Hodgson's team go in search of finding a new deep midfielder, someone with an engine to suit their direct game. In the case of Italy, finding a replacement seemed a hopeless task until new manager Antonio Conte immediately convinced the mercurial Juventus midfielder to come back. Truth of the matter is, at international level at least, Gerrard was never a key player for his country whereas an entire team, effectively so, was built around Pirlo.

Pirlo is also a born winner with the medals to prove it. He has won the highest domestic honour of becoming Serie A champion five times: twice with AC Milan and having just completed three-in-a-row, including an undefeated season (2011/12), with Juventus. He has bagged the Champions League twice with Milan and won the 2006 World Cup with the national side. Steven Gerrard has had successes, notably beating Pirlo's Milan in an unforgettable 2005 Champions League final triumph in Istanbul but domestically and internationally, he has always come up short, never winning that lucrative but elusive Premier League title.

Andrea Pirlo continues to play a key role for club and country but is rotated wisely to get the best out of his technical talent and invaluable experience

The England vs. Italy match at the World Cup just over three months ago demonstrated a gulf in quality or at least effectiveness. As England ran around like headless chickens, Pirlo orchestrated a possession masterclass with his side coming out 2-1 victors. It is perhaps this lack of international success that haunts Gerrard similarly to two other midfielders of England's "Golden Generation": Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard. While all three were heroes to their respective clubs, they never quite won over their entire nation the way Pirlo has.

With effective use of rotation from his club Juventus, Pirlo continues to be an important figure in their Serie A-leading side as Gerrard has had his critics this season for a loss of form. It seems Pirlo and those around him know who he is and how to use him better than how Liverpool and England have treated Gerrard. In his recent book, I Think Therefore I Play, Pirlo enlightens us about what kind of a person he is: "Generally-speaking, I reckon I'm a pretty switched-on guy. I've an opinion about everything and I'm not afraid to express it, defend it and, where necessary, shout it from the rooftops". 

This seems a world away from the bottled-up character of Gerrard which was revealed to us in March this year when he admitted he had been seeing a shrink, not just for on-field issues but also for issues in his personal life. Reflecting on his frustrated psychological state he revealed why: "...you bite your children’s heads off from time to time...blame Alex (Gerrard’s wife) for everything and blah, blah, blah!" and continued: "I am a lot more patient as a person now and I think I’ve improved as a person." This before THAT SLIP and the subsequent collapse of Liverpool's title charge followed by an even more miserable World Cup campaign.

So it seems Balotelli is quite a long way off when comparing these two vastly different personas. But hey, should we expect any bit of sense from Super Mario? Probably not.

JUVENTUS LEFT IN TURMOIL AFTER CONTE'S RESIGNATION

Antonio Conte steps down from the Juventus hotseat after guiding them to three Scudetti in a row. Replacing him is not likely to be easy and could shift the balance of power in Serie A.

D. Ray Morton, 16th July 2014.

Antonio Conte stunned Juventus fans yesterday by announcing his resignation after only signing a contract extension in May

Antonio Conte yesterday resigned from his role as Juventus manager in order, more than likely, to take over the available job of Italian national team manager after the departure of Cesare Prandelli following a disappointing World Cup campaign. Conte had rebuilt Juve in the aftermath of the calciopoli scandal which had drastically damaged the club's standing in the domestic and European game. Having guided them to three league titles in a row, Conte appeared to be building something special.

Why did he leave one must wonder. The national team role, provided he does apply for it, is a tempting one but not necessarily a once-off opportunity considering Conte's relatively young age and his sound reputation within the Italian game. There must have been some private dissatisfaction which forced his hand. One such dissatisfaction may be their activities in the transfer market this summer. Juventus have sat idle as they let their main target Alexis Sánchez get snapped up by Arsenal despite having the ball in their court in regards to capturing his signature. Sánchez saw Juve as his first-choice club and wanted to join his international teammates, Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Isla in Turin. The bianconeri could have signed him for as little as €25m before his impressive World Cup which saw his transfer value increase.

They hesitated and they missed out on a player that would add some considerable firepower to their line-up. Instead, they have been linked with the frankly overpriced Juan Iturbe of Hellas Verona and the largely unproven Real Madrid talent, Álvaro Morata. This represents side-stepping, not improvement. With the charismatic Conte now out of the picture, questions will be asked about the futures of their most talented assets, French international Paul Pogba and the aforementioned midfield dynamo Vidal. Will they be tempted to join a more ambitious club when the Old Lady appear to be struggling to compete with Europe's elite?

Paul Pogba could be one of the hot properties departing Turin in the aftermath of this managerial change

Another problem could be with Conte's successor. Massimiliano Allegri, former Serie A-winning AC Milan manager, is strong favourite to take over which could unsettle Andrea Pirlo. Allegri was the man that forced Pirlo out of San Siro and allowed him to leave on a free transfer where he revived his career and produced some of his best performances. At Milan, Allegri felt that Pirlo was a luxury player when used in his regista role and wanted a more dynamic, fast-paced midfield.

This sudden change will be a considerable blow for Juventus and perhaps Serie A in general. Although Conte had underachieved in Europe, Juve were still the most likely Italian side to get far in the Champions League provided they improved their squad season after season. The man with plan is gone and the prospective signings could turn out to be woeful. It might be a very close race for the title in the season ahead with Roma, Napoli, Fiorentina, Inter and AC Milan all salivating at this.

SUÁREZ BITE OVERSHADOWS URUGUAY'S WIN AGAINST ITALY

D. Ray Morton, 25th June 2014.

Luis Suárez readjusts his fangs after taking a bite out of a clearly shocked Giorgio Chiellini

Uruguay eliminated Italy from the World Cup yesterday thanks to a late winner from Diego Godín but the focus of everyone's attention will be on the bizarre biting incident between Luis Suárez and  Giorgio Chiellini. With the clock running down, the game deadlocked at 0-0 with Italy poised to go through, Suárez, during a tangle with the Azzurri centre-half, appeared to bite down on the shoulder of his opponent. Chiellini immediately reacted by trying to elbow the Uruguayan forward off him and went to ground omitting a scream of sheer confused disgust. The referee and his officials somehow missed the incident, Suárez stayed on and Uruguay went on to win. This is the third time Suárez has bitten an opponent in his career, the most recent being his bite on Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013. Football's most unusual signature move.

The game itself was defensive, scrappy and full of niggling fouls and attempts to con the referee who had a poor showing throughout failing to stomp his authority on the situation. Mario Balotelli, who had picked up a yellow card ruling him out of any potential second round game, had been taken off by Italy at half-time, Cesare Prandelli fearing he may get sent off. He must have been stunned when Claudio Marchisio was given his marching orders in the second half for a challenge that seemed a little dangerous but hardly worthy of a straight red. That decision notably crushed Italy who had been in control of the game until that point. They were forced to sit very deep but will argue that they would have had a fighting chance had Suárez been correctly disciplined for his bite.

Italy lost, however, and manager Cesare Prandelli announced his resignation immediately afterwards. Prandelli seems to have blamed himself as he was expected to stay on until 2016 regardless of results. There have been questions over squad selection and perhaps he could have given himself a better chance by bringing Giuseppe Rossi as an alternative striking option rather than having to opt for the quite immobile Ciro Immobile or the ageing Antonio Cassano. Balotelli let his manager down badly too. His immaturity, now at age 23, looks like something he will never shake off. Why Arsène Wenger would gamble on him at Arsenal is anyone's guess. This was also Andrea Pirlo's last tournament game for Italy, possibly Gianluigi Buffon's too. A disappointing end to two glorious international careers.

But where does this leave Suárez and Uruguay now? They have an impressive Colombia to face in the second round and FIFA have promised to punish the Liverpool striker. They could very well throw the book at him and give him a lengthy ban. It could also affect a potential move to either of the two La Liga giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona. Suárez's family has hinted that his time at Liverpool will be up and Barcelona have been attempting to engineer a swap-plus-cash move involving Alexis Sánchez. Question is, will Barça do away with the Chilean, one of the players of the tournament, only to switch him with a, doubtlessly talented, but highly volatile replacement?

So praise for Diego Godín, Uruguay's saviour but shame on Balotelli and especially Suárez for making the match one of the ugliest of the competition. Uruguay advance but offer very little against Colombia who should sweep them aside without too much trouble.

SPAIN DOWN AND OUT BUT "TIKI-TAKA" IS NOT DEAD

D. Ray Morton, 19th June 2014.

Sergio Busquets with his head in his hands after missing a sitter in Spain's 2-0 defeat to Chile

Defending world champions Spain were sent tumbling out of the World Cup yesterday evening thanks to a 2-0 defeat against a relentless and energised Chilean side. Goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aránguiz were enough to see off la furia roja which leaves them eliminated and having to face Australia in the Group B "rubber spoon" match. The football world has been shocked and many people have announced this as the death of "tiki-taka", the possession-based style that has seen Spain triumph in the past two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup.

This is not the death of possession football, however. This is the end of an era for a group of great Spanish players. A generation which may not be seen again in a hurry but certainly not the death of a specific playing style. With Carles Puyol, a key defensive figurehead, having retired from the international scene, and a bunch of other main performers such as Iker Casillas, Xavi, Xabi Alonso (and arguably, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué) going into decline, perhaps it is only natural that this winning cycle should come to an end.

The style entrenched in the Spanish side will not change all of a sudden whether Vicente del Bosque stays on or not. Throughout their youth teams, the same 4-3-3 possession-based football is played. The heirs to the Xavis and Xabi Alonsos will not be that different. A player like Atlético Madrid's Koke, who maybe should have started both games, will come into the team in the build-up to the 2016 Euros and will be expected to blend into the side's philosophy and not rock the boat with a totally different style of play. Perhaps del Bosque hung on to the old guard for too long. How is it that a player like Koke's Atléti team-mate, Gabi, was not even considered despite having the season of his life and winning the Liga BBVA title against all odds. Gabi is no spring chicken at 30 but would he have wilted as easily as, say, Sergio Busquets?

Possession is not dead though. It just needs to adapt. At times this season in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola's attempts to make Bayern Munich the "Barcelona 2008/09 2.0" drew many sighs from viewers. Perhaps that particular brand of possession football is based on having that perfect midfield duo of a Xavi and Iniesta firing on all cylinders with a genius, i.e. Messi, playing ahead of them. Bayern did not have that and ran into trouble when facing top opposition.

Italy's master class of possession against England discussed here demonstrated how important intelligent use of the ball has been, and probably will be, in this World Cup. Their pass accuracy of 93.2% was the highest seen in this competition since 1966. It was not just the heat of Manaus that allowed them that much space either. Croatia hammered Cameroon 4-0 in the same venue last night but only had 51% of the ball. The Italian game has abandoned catenaccio since Cesare Prandelli took over and they may become the new international pass masters for the time being. Legendary Italy centre-back Alessandro Nesta chipped in with his thoughts earlier in the week: "Tiki-taka is perceived as a Catalan invention, but I’ve seen many teams in Italy play tiki-taka style in my career, even before Barcelona" he said. "I remember playing for AC Milan with a midfield composed of Rui Costa, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Rino Gattuso, where we played this style of possession football. Many people say the Spanish are masters of tiki-taka now, but we arrived first" he continued.

Alessandro Nesta insists that AC Milan played their own version of "tiki-taka" well before Guardiola's Barcelona or Spain from 2008 onwards

So Spain will be scampering home with their tails between their legs but do not expect possession to become unfashionable all of a sudden. With most teams having some weakness or another, maybe it will be the side that keeps the ball, provided enough attacking precision is included, that will be lifting that big gold trophy on July 13th.

DUTCH, ITALIANS AND GERMANS MOST IMPRESSIVE SO FAR

D. Ray Morton, 18th June 2014.

Germany's Thomas Müller's hat-trick against Portugal makes him top goalscorer and brings his total World Cup goals to eight, now level with the legendary Diego Maradona

Since our last post about Italy's victory over a game but predictable England, we have seen every World Cup team in action now. We have seen Belgium, many peoples' "dark horses" to go far in tournament. We watched as Germany impressed against a self-destructive Portuguese side unable to get the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo. France and Karim Benzema strutted their stuff against violent minnows Honduras and Argentina, thanks to a moment of magic from none other than Lionel Messi, put away a resolute Bosnia & Herzegovina side. Mexico and Brazil were the first two teams to play their second match yesterday and the hosts/favourites failed to impress in a nil-all draw.

Having seen everyone, the three most impressive teams have been Italy, the Netherlands (who thrashed champions Spain) and Germany with Thomas Müller in top poaching form. Italy deserve credit in that they took care of England despite missing Gianluigi Buffon in goal and having to field a back four that had question marks hanging over it. The likes of Matteo Darmian and Gabriel Paletta have been steady, however. There is no doubt that the Netherlands' hammering of Spain has been the stand-out performance of the competition and Germany, though Portugal really were masters of their own undoing, were firm and incisive.

Brazil are a team that should be worrying at this point. Mexico managed to hold them to a scoreless draw thanks to a fine performance from goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa but the seleção were hardly unlucky in their stalemate. Fred had another poor performance and this time there was no cheap award of a penalty. A matter of concern is that the only real back-up for him is former Manchester City flop, Jô. Provided a team can keep Neymar occupied out left, Brazil are offering very little in attack at the moment and must be counting their lucky stars that they were handed such an easy victory in their opening match thanks to some shady refereeing. Things will have to be shaken up and serious consideration must be given to starting the likes of Willian and Fernandinho, players who could offer more creativity than Paulinho, Luiz Gustavo or Ramires.

Tonight's games see Louis van Gaal's Netherlands against Australia (5pm GMT), Spain with a chance to bounce back against Chile (8pm GMT) and Croatia's chance of redemption against a dull Cameroon side (11pm GMT). Vicente del Bosque's defending champions are hanging in there and need a massive performance against Chile. Though many have them written off after their embarrassing opening defeat, they have the quality within their squad to fight back and they could still take that second place position. Assuming Brazil win their group, a repeat of the 2013 Confederations Cup final of Brazil versus Spain would be a mouth-watering second round prospect. Many expected they would not meet until the tournament decider on July 13th but now it is looking like neither team are good enough to win this thing outright.

ITALIAN POSSESSION SUFFOCATES ENGLAND

D. Ray Morton, 15th June 2014.

"Super Mario" Balotelli powers in Italy's winner from Antonio Candreva's wonderful cross

By the end, it was a tale of two knackered veterans on opposing sides. Andrea Pirlo and Italy triumphant, England's Steven Gerrard throwing himself on the ground for non-existent penalties. Both could barely walk by the conclusion of it but Pirlo could probably pass the ball if he was confined to a wheelchair. England physio, Gary Lewin, somehow ended up on a stretcher. The Azzurri defeated Roy Hodgson's boys in the heat of Manaus by two goals to one with England's only consolation being Uruguay's shock 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica earlier on in the evening. A bad start to their World Cup campaign though not an insurmountable one.

England had a few threatening outlets. Liverpool duo Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge offered pace and energy where others did not. Wayne Rooney included in the under-performers who was stuck out on the left flank. An assist, all things considered, for Sturridge's goal was a bonus considering he was isolated throughout and played completely out of position. England's passing had been that bit longer. Italy managed to take pressure off themselves by controlling the tempo with simple, somewhat "tiki-taka"-like five yarders. The English were a tad mechanical. Less link-up and more panic in an eagerness to impress. They were seemingly allergic to the concept of recycling possession, keeping the ball when a direct route to goal does not instantly materialise. Like a bad five-a-side team with no-one giving instructions.

The whole affair had a touch of winter players versus summer players about it. Controlling possession cleverly in extreme heat is not a feature of the English game where the cold winter weather dictates the tempo we have known to expect in the Premier League. Credit must be given to Gabriel Paletta, who I had personally flagged as a potential weak link for Italy. His dodgy come-over/mullet managed to prove me wrong, however, as the veteran centre half dealt with the occasion splendidly. Mario Balotelli did his job sufficiently. Movement is not a feature of his game and it actually worked very well in his favour last night. When he had to do something, which was not very often, he did it perfectly. His 50th minute goal, which turned out to be the winner, was well taken after a fine assist by Antonio Candreva.

Possession was the theme of the tactical analysis. Italy used the ball much, much better. It was perhaps symbolic of an overall clash of football cultures. It felt like philosophers against savages at times. England were naive to think that the use of pace and pressing would work in such conditions. Italy, whether by chance or not, seemed to be better prepared overall. Pirlo hitting the bar at the end was somewhat poetic. Joe Hart stood by, dumbfounded, as the ball swerved magnificently and thumped the woodwork. It would have been goal of the tournament so far. Lesson: How to play in hot weather. Solution: Unlike England.

But as mentioned, Uruguay lost and looked awful in their respective game. Even ignoring Luis Suárez's exclusion, their defence was in tatters. Diegos Lugano and Forlán looked especially past it. This is a team that conceded 25 goals in qualifying, getting in at the last available spot. Talk of Suárez and Edinson Cavani overshadowed what is fundamentally a poor side, nowhere near as good as say, Chile or Colombia. Speaking of Colombia, they looked quite good in their Group C match. They hammered the supposedly stubborn Greeks 3-0 as Côte d'Ivoire saw off Japan with a 2-1 win. An exciting matchday though the 2am (my local time/GMT) kick-off was a bit of a strain on sleepy eyes.

THE GREAT MYTH OF GERMANY

THE GREAT MYTH OF GERMANY

D. Ray Morton, 27th March 2014.

Our poll here at Soccer Stash shows Germany as the majority favourites to win the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. The home side themselves are the bookmakers' favourites so the inclination that Germany might triumph next summer displays the diverse opinions of this site's readers. Whether they're "football hipsters" or pragmatists, Germany seem to be the team in this little pocket of the internet anyway.

This is puzzling to me to say the least. Now don't get me wrong, Germany have a fine side packed full of quality players but there's very little they've done that can convince me they stand a chance of winning the World Cup outright. The main thing to examine here is their record in recent tournaments. Naturally, Germany always qualify comfortably. Due to the UEFA seedings system in qualification groups, the Germans will rarely have to face top opposition before the main tournaments begin. For this World Cup, they qualified easily out of a weak group that only contained Sweden and the Republic of Ireland as possible banana skins.

Once qualified for their last major competition, Euro 2012, they were impressive in the group stage beating Portugal, the Netherlands and Denmark by a single goal on each occasion to get through quite easily. They swept aside Greece 4-2 in the quarter-finals which set up their semi-final clash against Italy. Though many people had tipped the Germans to defeat the azzurri, they failed on the big occasion and got walloped 2-1 thanks to a magnificent performance from Mario Balotelli. This continued Germany's awful record against Italy in major competitions where they have never successfully defeated them. Not once. Indeed, Italy are Germany's bogey team.

Two years previously, at World Cup 2010, Germany failed at the penultimate hurdle again. As usual, they got through their group but did lose to Serbia in the process. They thumped a typically inadequate English team 4-1 in the second round and hammered the most disorganised of Argentinas in the quarters. But yet again, as soon as they faced sturdy opposition with a real game plan, they were found wanting. Eventual winners Spain passed them off the pitch to defeat them 1-0 in the semi-final. This was a repeat of the Euro 2008 final where, again, Spain were just too good for die Mannschaft.

Turning attention to the German domestic league, don't let last season's all-German Champions League final fool you. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund may have locked horns over Europe's elite club competition but the German game is nowhere near as advanced as the game in Spain, England and even Italy. Though the Bundesliga has totted up some impressive UEFA co-efficient points to make it Europe's third-ranked league behind the Premier League and La Liga, most of the teams competing in that league are very average.

Bayern Munich have already won the German league this season and it's not even April. Last season, they won the league so easily they decided to refund their season ticket holders. This season, Dortmund never challenged them. Bland teams like Schalke and Bayer Leverkusen pretended to but never even got a sniff in either. German clubs are balancing their books well which is admirable and average attendances are impressive but the league still lacks quality when compared to other European top flights.

There are at least four other leagues that are arguably superior than the Bundesliga. No other league matches the pace, intensity and investment of the English Premier League. Technically, Spanish football is miles ahead of anyone else. In terms of tactics and rigid defensive systems, Serie A is still highly competitive. Many professional players believe the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would never score as many goals as they do if they had to face defences like that week-in, week-out. I could imagine them both scoring significantly more in Germany especially if either played for Bayern. And then there's the French league which has Paris St. Germain and Monaco, two nouveau riche potential super-clubs.

The one thing German football has going for it this season is Bayern and no doubt, they're an awesome team. They have Manchester United in the Champions League next which, based on the Old Trafford club's form this season, should be a formality. Whether Bayern can complete back-to-back Champions League wins is anyone's guess but bookies are currently placing them as favourites. Dortmund are still in there too but not many are giving them a chance.

Switching focus back to the national team, which was the point of this article, there are some key problem areas in Germany's best starting XI. Most worrying is the decline in form of Mesut Özil which I have previously discussed. First-choice striker is another conundrum with Miroslav Klose showing his age and Mario Gómez still having not found top form after missing a lot of the season through injury. Also, Per Mertesacker is their first-choice centre back as Mats Hummels hasn't developed into the world beater everybody expected he'd be. Mertesacker is good positionally but surely his mobility will be tested by pacey strikers in the searing heat of Brazil next summer.

So, expect Germany to do well at the World Cup but don't expect them to win it. They have good players, depth and an attractive playing style but when it comes to the crunch matches against the top teams, their record is still questionable. Can they break they hex? We shall see.