Spanish players delight

Spain won 3-2 with chilli in a friendly match at AFG Arena, Switzerland, Saturday 2 / 9. Although the first two goals had left behind but eventually successful La Furia Roja won dramatically.

Cesc Fabregas showed sharp, the Barcelona midfielder's contributed two goals. Meanwhile, one other opportunity that is obtained through the white point penalty at the end of the game the second half, failed to be executed perfectly by Fabregas.

At the beginning of the game the 10th minute, goalkeeper Iker Casillas was surprised winger Chile, Mauricio Isla. Gonzalo Jara bait Udinese continued success is to open the scoring.

Ten minutes later, turn the trick Eduardo Vargas Casillas picked up the ball and forces from the net for the second time. This time, Alexis Sanchez Vargas who played in goal.

Having left behind two goals in the first half, coach Vicente Del Bosque tried replacing the variations attack by entering Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.

The results began to appear. In the 55th minute, kicking measurable Iniesta could not be stopped goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to minimize the position for Spain.

Entering the 71st minute, La Furia Roja completely leveled. Fabregas easily beat Bravo in one-on-one situations.

Finally in the last minute crucial before dispersal, Sapnyol ensure victory through a second goal from Fabregas. Fabregas is on the penalty execution goalposts, which leads back to him mercilessly struck the ball into the empty goal.

Itself penalty awarded after a foul on Fernando Meneses Alvaro Arbeloa. The sentence was time to make the players from both sides involved commotion. Two players namely Chile Pablo Contreras and Jorge Valdivia had sent off for committing acts that are out of bounds.

Apart from the incident at the end of the game, the score last 3-2 to win the Spanish. A valuable capital for the Spanish who host Liechtenstein in Euro 2012 qualifier on Tuesday (6 / 9) future.

The composition of players:
Spain: Iker Casillas (Pepe Reina 46), Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Álvaro Arbeloa; Xavi (Fabregas 64), Xabi Alonso (Andrés Iniesta 46), David Silva (Santi Cazorla 80), Javi Martinez, Sergio Busquets, David Villa (Pedro 46), Alvaro Negredo (Fernando Torres 64)

Chile: Claudio Bravo; Pablo Contreras, Gonzalo Jara, Arturo Vidal; Jorge Valdivia (Fabian Orellana 86), Jean Beausejour (Felipe Gutierrez 79), Mauricio Isla (Fernando Meneses 84), Carlos Carmona, Gary Medel (Marco Estrada, 89); Alexis Sanchez, Eduardo Vargas (Felipe Seymour 58)

Referee: Jerome Laperriere

Spurs' Carling Cup Success Based on the 'Ramos way'

Tottenham’s Carling Cup Success Founded on Belief in the ‘Ramos Way’

It’s little over four months ago that Juande Ramos took over the helm at White Hart Lane for a Carling Cup tie against Blackpool. In that time he has turned an ailing Spurs team, totally lacking in confidence, into a team that was able to defeat the Carling Cup holders at Wembley. Chelsea are a club who take the Carling Cup seriously and over the years have always fielded a strong team in the competition. Their manager selected his best team but Spurs were deserving of their fourth League Cup success.

We all know the ‘Tottenham way’ but this was a victory very much based on the ‘Ramos way’.

There was much criticism about the way Martin Jol’s departure was handled by Spurs and everyone admits that it could have been handled better. However, as Ledley King lifted the Carling Cup on Sunday, Daniel Levy and his directors must have felt certain satisfaction and justification in the decision they took to appoint Ramos.

In his time in charge Jol had lifted Spurs out of mid-table mediocrity and to a certain level which has now given Ramos the opportunity to take the team a stage further.

The seeds for Sunday’s victory were sown, not in the past weeks or days, but at White Hart Lane on an early spring evening last April.

Was it at approximately, 7.52pm on Thursday, 12th April that Levy and the Board of Spurs were first attracted to the Spaniard’s managerial talents? That night White Hart Lane was abuzz and high with expectation for the most important match of the season. Spurs were unfortunate to be a goal down from the first leg against Sevilla in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals - it had taken a controversial penalty to bring the Spanish side back into the game a week earlier. Spurs had been gallant losers but everyone was expecting them to put things right in the home game and qualify for the semi-finals.

However, totally unexpectedly Ramos didn’t bring his team to defend their one goal advantage, he sent out his Sevilla side on the offensive. Spurs were caught cold and within seven minutes were two goals down. Every Spurs fan was deflated and while the team recovered in the second half to earn a draw, they were never in a position to seriously threaten Sevilla’s progress to the next round and eventually a second UEFA Cup victory. For the third time in the season Spurs had been knocked out in the latter stages of the Cup competition, having been in a strong position.

It was with similar impressive style that Spurs started out against Chelsea at Wembley. It’s the ‘Ramos way’. It had been evident in both of the recent games against Manchester United and was most effective in the 2nd leg of the semi-final victory over Arsenal when Jermaine Jenas scored in the opening minutes.

But even when that early play didn’t lead to a goal, Ramos showed against Chelsea that he had the tactical acumen to change the game and give them belief that they could win the match. Having taken a fortuitous lead before half-time Chelsea seemed capable of grinding out a result as they drew Spurs tighter into their web. The impetus had gone from Spurs’ play but rather than accept what appeared at the time to be the inevitable outcome, he made a few tactical changes which lifted Spurs and took them on to success. He had shown such ability in earlier games but to achieve it so successfully in the Final against Chelsea was masterful.

Tottenham deservedly won the game and have received considerable acclamation for their achievement. Fans are looking forward with optimism to more success in the future, starting with a UEFA Cup win in May.

Sceptics say that Spurs have been there before and look where it got them. In 1999 George Graham was appointed after sacked Christian Gross was sacked and he won the Worthington Cup within months of taking over and was unlucky not to take Spurs back to Wembley in that season’s FA Cup. To many, at the time, it looked as if that was going to be the start of something good but it all turned sour. Graham was never popular due to his Arsenal history and his style of play never appealed to the Spurs faithful. In addition the Spurs team of that time was composed of many players who had had the best days of their career.

This time it’s different. The Spurs fans have quickly accepted Ramos and Gus Poyet, their style of play and appreciation of the game is akin to the ‘Tottenham way’ and the current players at Tottenham are eager for success and realise that they have a manager who can bring it to the club.

The manager has brought in his own backroom staff and they have worked to build the confidence of the players. They are determined to instil good habits into the players both on and off the field and they have them working as a team for each other.

In the short period of time that they have been in charge there has been considerable improvement in the play of several of the players. Steed Malbranque has worked tirelessly in every game, Aaron Lennon has shown that not only can he be a threat going forward but that he can help in defence covering and supporting his full back while Jenas has at last started to use his obvious talent throughout the game and against top class opposition. Others have shown increased confidence and a willingness to play for the team while the new signings have added to the quality in defence.

Spurs have finally broken that hoodoo of the ‘top 4’ teams and hopefully they can now set about claiming more trophies and their place in that elite group. The top clubs have in recent years been concerned about a Spurs’ revival and have done everything in their power to unsettle them because they know how great a threat Tottenham could be to them. At this time they realise that that under Juande Ramos there is serious potential for Spurs to unsettle the cartel at the top of English football.

Spurs Continuing Defensive Woes

The defensive woes that blighted Martin Jol’s final months as manager continue to derail the Juande Ramos/Gus Poyet revival at Tottenham.

Spurs have never been a defensively minded club in the search of success at any costs. They have always preferred to concentrate on attacking play and winning with style. The only Spurs’ manager who countenanced defensive play was George Graham and by tightening up Spurs’ defence and their approach to playing, he won the Worthington Cup in 1999 in one of the most boring Cup Finals at Wembley but then it was against Martin O’Neill’s Leicester City who is similarly inclined in his appoach to football. However, when Graham oversaw four successive 0 – 0 league games in 2001 his end was near – supporters weren’t prepared to accept that from their team.

Tight defensive play was the way of football on the continent and in the early days of European competitions the Italian and Spanish clubs came to the away tie with a ten-man defence and set out their stall determined not to concede a goal and prepared to use any method necessary, legitimate or otherwise, to achieve that aim.

Liverpool, Leeds United and Arsenal in their early days based their success on solid defensive play and the belief that if you didn’t concede a goal, you couldn’t lose the game and were satisfied if they won by the only goal of the game. It was from this premise that over the years they then developed their more attractive style of play.

Injuries to key defenders have badly affected Spurs this season and Juande Ramos has had to use a number of permutations at the back since taking over. He has also used every conceivable tactical manoeuvre to try and win games for Spurs, succeeding as evidenced in a number of games and particularly in the win over Reading at the weekend. Even against Villa, his second half substitutions and tactical switch revived Spurs and brought them into the game to equalise. However, it simply isn’t possible to win every game in that way as Ramos has been forced to do because of the inadequacies of the defence. Ossie Ardiles tried but failed with that system at Tottenham and once again at Villa the defensive frailties caught up with them.

Earlier in the season, shortly after Ramos was appointed I highlighted the short-comings of Spurs’ defensive play and detailed the goals that they had conceded from individual errors, free-kicks and corners. Initially, on taking over the problem seemed to have been addressed but in recent games it has reared its ugly head once more and cost Spurs dearly. Incredibly, of the past ten goals Spurs have conceded, eight have been from free-kicks or corners. A very worrying statistic and every manager in the land will know it and realise that at a set play all they need to do is play a long ball to the centre of the Spurs defence and there will be goals aplenty.

Spurs’ Defensive Woes (up-dated)

Sunderland (a) Lost 0-1 - conceded an injury time goal.
Everton (h) Lost 1-3 - conceded a goal from a free-kick within the first minute (identical to last season) – that made two goals conceded in two minutes over the first two games.
- goalkeeper and defender collide leaving opportunity to score
- deflection off wall from long range free-kick
Manchester United (a) Lost 0-1 – deflection on long range shot
Fulham (a) Draw 3-3* – conceded from a corner
- shot deflected, looped over goalkeeper
- failed to clear a long throw in and overhead kick from edge of area in injury time
Arsenal (h) Lost 1-3* – scored from a free-kick (similar to last season)
- long range shot on the break
- last minute goal but game was already beyond Spurs.
Bolton (a) draw 1-1* – scored from a free-kick
Aston Villa (h) Draw 4-4* – goalkeeper drops the ball from simple cross from corner, clearance sliced to defender who scored an equaliser
- failed to clear a centre and ball ricocheted to defender for his second goal
- failed to deal with long clearance and shot from edge of area
- shot from long range free-kick
Liverpool (a) Draw 2-2* – goalkeeper parries shot from free-kick, defence too slow to react
- last minute equaliser from long cross
Newcastle (a) Lost 1-3 – defence failed to clear a routine long ball giving home side goal on stroke of half-time
- conceded from a corner
- failed to clear ball creating opportunity for an unchallenged strike from edge of area
Blackburn (h) Lost 1-2* – shot took deflection off defender
- injury time free-kick half cleared and strike unchallenged from edge of box
Middlesbrough (a) Draw 1-1* – long range shot
West Ham United (a) Draw 1-1 – individual error by Kaboul
Birmingham City (h) Lost 2-3* – Poor challenge to concede a penalty
Long range shot in injury time
Manchester City (h) Won 2-1 – Conceded from corner
Arsenal (a) Lost 1-2 – conceded from corner for second goal
Fulham (h) Won 5-1 – conceded from corner
Reading (h) Won 6-4 – conceded from a free-kick and two corners
- fourth goal conceded on the break
Aston Villa (a) Lost 1-2 – conceded from two corners through poor marking

(* Games in which Spurs had been leading and dropped points)

To overcome this problem, Spurs need to find an experienced, commanding central defender who understands defensive play and can organise those around him. The play of Richard Dunne for Manchester City is the type of leadership and commitment that’s required at White Hart Lane.

Previously, I have questioned who was responsible for defensive coaching at the club – the same position needs to be considered. I greatly admire the theory put across by Alan Hansen on Match of the Day and in his newspaper column. He is well versed in defensive play from his time at Liverpool – get him in on a short-term contract to sort out Spurs’ defensive problems. Hansen or someone like him who has a thorough knowledge of defending – according to Mark Lawrenson, Hansen’s partner at Liverpool and in the MOTD studios, it is quite easy to organise a defence to defend set-pieces – so come along and show the Spurs’ defenders how to do it. Tony Adams has the Portsmouth defence well marshalled – Spurs need someone with similar credentials, experience and authority.

Tottenham Defending by Numbers (or not) [League matches only ] (up-dated)

3 Clean sheets in League this season

9 Goals scored by defenders against Spurs

7 Goals conceded in final minutes

8 Games Spurs have been ahead but not won

8 Points lost through conceding late goals

38 Goals conceded

21 Home Goals conceded

17 Away Goals conceded

25 Second half goals given away

Until Spurs resolve this major problem, they will neither challenge for Europe nor a trophy because they will always be susceptible at any set-piece play. Juande Ramos and Gus Poyet now know the extent of the problem they have inherited at Tottenham. They know what they need to do to achieve success.

Ramos - Tactical Genius or Lucky Manager?

Finding his team a goal down early in the second half, Juande Ramos took off central defender Ledley King and replaced him with striker Jermain Defoe. For the next ten minutes Reading spurned numerous opportunities to add to Spurs’ grief as the home side’s makeshift three man defence struggled to come to terms with their manager’s new tactical plan. Many a manager would have seen his team go under but Spurs somehow survived the Reading onslaught and equalised with Berbatov’s second goal of the game.

More inept defending from a corner, that was three goals conceded from set-pieces, and Spurs were behind again. Almost immediately Berbatov completed his hat-trick to keep Spurs alive in the game, a lovely goal from a corner when he got between two defenders and turned and passed the ball into the net.

More mayhem in the Spurs defence as Reading counterattacked to take the lead for the third time. Surely, Spurs couldn’t make another comeback. This time Steed Malbranque provided the goal to the delight and amazement of every Spurs supporter.

Was it going to be another 4 – 4 draw like the Villa game? No – Defoe scored from the rebound after Robbie Keane, previously so composed and assured with penalties, missed his second penalty in a week.

Up steps the manager to remove Keane and replace him with Teemu Tainio and resort to a back four defensive formation again. Berbatov scored his fourth to make victory secure and Spurs moved ahead of Reading in the league table.

The players showed admirable fighting qualities and endeavour to come back in a game that at one point looked lost as the defence struggled with any Reading attack and especially their set piece play from free-kicks and corners.

Ledley King looked bemused when taken off and many fans were equally confused. It makes sense to treat King carefully as he returns from injury but taking off the club’s best defender when a goal down looked foolhardy and the next twenty minutes of defensive frailties only added to that opinion. However, Spurs striking qualities and Dimitar Berbatov kept Spurs going to eventually achieve victory.

Ramos has shown in earlier games that he is willing to make substitutions in an effort to turn a game around and it worked to admirable effect against Reading. In previous games it also had the desired result where a nervy Kaboul was replaced with a more attack minded player in order to take the game to the opposition.

Are such moves the ideas of a tactical genius or is he a lucky manager?

Whatever your views, Juande Ramos is a brave manager – he has been prepared to make changes in an effort to win games rather than settle for a draw. Such dramatic changes won’t be successful every week so Ramos and Gus Poyet will be only too aware that their first priority must be to strengthen and steady the defence. The transfer window will give them the opportunity to add to that area and from a sound defensive base Ramos will hope that Spurs’ attacking options will continue to flourish.