Ways To Sport

Five Things we learned from Barcelona’s three-1 trouncing of Manchester United:

1. It’s surely now time for Sir Alex Ferguson to trust his younger players

Paul Wilson has already argued this in The Guardian, and he couldn’t be far more right. How is it feasible that a club of United’s stature and resources can roll up in the Champions’ League final against the finest passing team in the world – some argue the greatest EVER – and stick a 37-year-old ex-winger into the centre of midfield?

Naní and Anderson are two fabulously talented young players who, when they signed three years ago, had been heralded as the ‘future’ of the club. Naní has proven his quality over the past eighteen months but the a lot more workmanlike Antonio Valencia was preferred on the appropriate Anderson has been forced to play a bit-part role, doing a distinct job virtually every single time he plays, but his muscularity and energy would have been best just in front of the United back four.

Sir Alex happily sent out Javier Hernández and Fábio da Silva, so he clearly doesn’t have a difficulty with employing younger players he just seems to place an excessive level of trust in his older ones.

2. Barcelona will be remembered as the greatest ever

Football ‘critics’ are failed historians. That’s the only explanation I can find for why columnists, pundits, commentators and analysts insist on favouring sweeping, romanticised narratives over the equally fascinating but significantly a lot more complex series of facts which make up reality.

United conceded the midfield to Barcelona before the game even began, all of Barcelona’s goals were preventable and Messi’s in specific reflects extremely badly indeed on Edwin van der Sar. The Dutch ‘keeper’s fabulous career ended with a horrible misjudgement of Lionel Messi’s shot in the course of a Final to forget, but the critics can’t have that. It’s considerably less complicated to paint a picture of Messi’s genius.

That said, Barcelona’s football was utterly fabulous and Villa’s finish was an absolute gem. When you have a platform, you can say anything and history will note you down. Barca built their own platform with a great approach to the technical aspect of the game in the course of an era in which physical fitness and tactical caution have threatened to overwhelm creativity and spontaneity in the game. It is our nostalgic longing for the craft of yesteryear which elevates Barca’s status, but then Barca can do what nobody else from the current generation can.

three. Luis Antonio Valencia is not THAT good

One of the most bizarre phenomena in English football, this. Great player although the Ecuadorian is, he has received comparisons with Sir Stanley Matthews and even Garrincha which seem completely prepostrous. After impressing at Wigan, Valencia moved to Manchester United and was  apparently asked to fill Cristiano Ronaldo’s role the truth is, the team shifted its focus and Valencia was able to rack up a decent assists tally just before injury forced him out for most of this season. New incumbent Naní had impressed in his position, but as soon as he returned, Valencia was straight back in the team, and nobody complained.

Last night, Valencia put in a decent shift in support of full-back Fábio, but with the ball at his feet he by no means showed anything like the guile required to unlock defences at this level. Supposedly, his brilliance comes from the fact that rather than ‘messing around’, he gets straight down that line and gets balls in the box. He is ‘effective’ just not fairly as effective as the ‘ineffective’ Naní, who scored and assisted a lot more this season than Valencia did in that golden year where he so impressed United fans and critics alike.

A ‘decent shift’ playing for a great side is sufficient to rack up some solid stats in the Premier League it’s not quote Garrincha though, and it certainly isn’t enough against the likes of Barcelona.

4. Wayne Rooney can produce in the ‘big’ games

A fact which will go largely unnoticed amid the furore over Barcelona’s greatness, but Wayne Rooney had an superb game last night. Had United been able to compete in midfield, his outstanding goal would have been remembered as being considerably far more important than it in fact was instigating a move on the appropriate touchline, he exchanged two passes on his way via the Barcelona defence prior to placing an emphatic shot past Valdés. He was also quite good at linking up with the midfield and displayed a maturity we have rarely seen from him.

5. There are far more critical points than football

Eric Abidal played seventy days soon after undergoing an operation to eliminate a tumour from his liver. Fittingly, the Frenchman was the man who lifted the trophy. A touching moment.

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Saturday’s final between Manchester United and FC Barcelona has a number of storylines. For those in the CONCACAF region one storyline that sticks out is the inclusion and impact that Mexican sensation Chicharito can make on Saturday’s championship.

Although the Mexican’s ascent into stardom will obtain a increase from winning the finale Saturday he’s not the initial player from the CONCACAF region to play in the final. So who are the other two players who’ve taken component in the UEFA Champions League final?

Rafa Marquez: The obvious answer

Mexican Captain Rafa Marquez spent seven plus years at Camp Nou and in that time the Catalan club raised the most coveted trophy in the world twice. Very first in 2006 when Marquez manned the middle of the backline for Barcelona in their 2-1 defeat over Marquez’ present New York Red Bull teammate Theirry Henry’s Arsenal club. That was the only final that Marquez played in as the defender was injured throughout Barcelona’s run to the championship in 2009. Marquez left Camp Nou soon after to move to MLS side New York Red Bull where he presently plays nowadays.

Dwight Yorke: Soca Warrior fantastic

Aston Villa has fond memories of Trinidad and Tobago’s Dwight Yorke for his eleven year 73 goal stint with the Villians. Although he achieved the most individual fame at Villa, his move to Manchester United brought his very best team success with the Yorke – in partnership with Andy Cole – helping Manchester United to the 1999 treble. Yorke put in a full shift in a fantastic final that saw Manchester United notch two stoppage time objectives to defeat Bayern Munich two-1. Yorke went on to a solid spell at Old Trafford scoring 47 goals in 95 appearances for the Red Devils just before moving to Blackburn in 2002.

Chicharito will definitely turn into the third CONCACAF player to take portion in the final on Saturday against Marquez’ former club. If all goes well the young striker can join his countryman and Yorke as the third CONCACAF player to feature in and win the UEFA Champions League final.

Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com and contributes to Soccerlens.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.

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Dimitar Berbatov, Manchester United’s record signing and Premier League top scorer, isn’t even on the bench in the Champions League final. Otherwise it’s an adventurous Man Utd team, with the very same steady lineup Sir Alex Ferguson has preferred for the recent string of massive matches, with Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs in central midfield.

For Barcelona, Eric Abidal proved fit sufficient to commence, but captain Carles Puyol watches from the bench. Former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano pairs with Gerard Pique in defense instead.

Manchester United: Van Der Sar Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Park Rooney Hernandez.
Subs: Kuszczak, Smalling, Fletcher, Scholes, Anderson, Nani, Owen.

Barcelona: Valdes Abidal, Mascherano, Pique, Alves Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta Pedro, Villa, Messi.
Subs: Oier, Adriano, Puyol, Keita, Thiago, Afellay, Bojan.

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Each and every Barcelona team aspires to Cruyff’s Dream Team, which won the Champions League with Pep Guardiola in the side in 1992 at Wembley Stadium. Aspire with really small hope of totally emulating. Except now, this Barcelona generation has gone one much better by winning two Champions Leagues, both against Manchester United, the second fittingly sufficient in Wembley.

With a three-1 win over Manchester United, Barca has won three consecutive La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, 1 Copa Del Rey, and the FIFA Club World Cup since Guardiola became coach 3 years ago.

The match to cap off the European season didn’t disappoint. The 1st half was tense, poised on knife-edge, as both sides displayed the high quality and verve expected of Champions League finalists. It was some of the most compelling football seen all season.

Manchester United, eager to press high, even dominated the opening 10 minutes. Slowly, nonetheless, Barcelona slipped back into the passing groove and dominated possession, finishing with 68% of possession.

Barca produced the initial breakthrough. Xavi (who else?) discovered Pedro with the outside of his boot, threading the pass by means of a sea of United jerseys. Pedro sent Edwin van der Sar – creating his last professional appearance – left even though tucking the ball correct.

In contrast to two years ago, when these sides met in Rome, Manchester United didn’t lose heart. Wayne Rooney hit back nearly instantly with a sumptuous blast right after a neat one-two with Ryan Giggs.

The sides played out a thrilling rest of the half, prior to heading down to the dressing rooms with out any injury time. No one knew what to anticipate in the second half. Except perhaps Guardiola.

Javier Mascherano of all people made a run into the United box from the get-go, and Barca hardly gave up the ball for the next quarter hour. Slowly they suffocated Man Utd, asphyxiating the play around the United box. There was a cruel, smothering nature to it.

Lionel Messi, whose runs had been ripping via United’s backline, scored the eventual winner, thumping a lengthy-range shot property soon after no 1 closed him down in time. It was Messi’s initial goal in England, and well worth the wait, given its impact.

Then, Messi’s mazy run into the box wasn’t dealt with by substitute Nani, who coughed up the ball in his own 18 to Sergio Busquets. Busquets laid the ball back to David Villa, who sent a curling shot into the leading proper corner. 3-1 and the game was iced.

Manchester United threw on Paul Scholes and chased the game, but it was beyond them. A couple of half-chances hardly compared with the shots Barca had been creating on the break, and ultimately the referee blew the final whistle.

Regardless of Carles Puyol wearing the armband (Xavi had began with it) for the last couple of minutes of the game, Eric Abidal lifted the Champions League trophy following the match. Barcelona, usually a club to make the sentimental selection, has rallied around the Frenchman, who underwent liver surgery just a few short weeks ago, and had been questionable to start the match.

Gerard Pique bizarrely cut down the goal net for a peculiar souvenir. But the lasting gift to football fans is a dynasty which will undoubtedly rate among the leading five club sides of all time, having overtaken the Dream Team. We won’t see anybody as good for a extremely long time.

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Barcelona are champions of Europe once more. They defeated Manchester United at Wembley getting objectives from Pedro, Lionel Messi, and David Villa while United only got a goal from Wayne Rooney to cancel Pedro’s opener. Barcelona’s performance once again showed they were a class above the rest of the teams in the world.

United tried to rattle Barcelona early but after about 10 minutes, Barcelona settled in and dominated possession. United were pinned back and it was no surprise that they fell behind. Rooney’s equalizer re-energized United as they got to halftime at 1-1. Nevertheless, Messi and Villa put it away with two objectives in the second half both coming off strikes from distance and United had been left chasing the ball.

It was just an additional fantastic performance by Barcelona who had been merely too very good. There were tiny errors on each and every of the objectives, but the win was about sustained pressure rather than those individual errors. Iniesta and Messi were superb finding space in the midfield to operate as United struggled to close them down.

For United, they played courageously and were kept in the game by solid defending and a fast counter by way of Rooney in Giggs, but the team was in no way able to really match Barcelona in the midfield, and were constantly feeding off scraps to generate their own offense.

The question now is where this Barcelona team stands in terms of history. They are certainly in consideration for the finest squad and the question could now be how lengthy they can keep up their run.

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UEFA Champions League – Unofficial blog

With the mainstream media already whispering suggestions that Sir Alex Ferguson is thinking about a radicalplan for ‘if and when’ Barcelona take the lead in the Champions’ League Final this evening, it’s a wonder over a billion folks are even bothering to watch. Whilst Barcelona are definitely the far better ball-playing side and basically can’t be outplayed in midfield, I believe – and I have touched on this elsewhere – that with the proper tactical approach they can be reduced to becoming merely ‘another quite great side’. They can be contained, frustrated, and beaten.

Rather than drawing out tactical diagrams which would be of limited value, I shall proceed to explain by naming the starting XI to fulfil my ‘masterplan’ just before running via the five critical points United will need to cover if they are to triumph:

Van der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Anderson, Fletcher, Park, Valencia, Rooney, Hernández

1. Xavi and Iniesta can only pick out what’s in front of them.

In other words, you don’t stop Barcelona by stifling them in midfield (although flooding the central region helps) you quit the movement in front. The principal threat, naturally, comes from Lionel Messi. His role as a ‘false nine’ is especially harmful for United due to the fact the English side do not possess a ‘holding’ midfielder in the traditional sense, somebody who merely occupies the area in front of the back four. Nevertheless, as José Mourinho showed in his recent duels with the Catalan side, you can employ somebody in that space who is not necessarily a ‘natural’ defensive midfielder but has a excellent physical capacity, tackles well and reads the game excellently. Pepe did an superb job on Messi when he was on the field and, for United, Anderson can do a lot the same. The Brazilian is powerful, challenging-working, with a strong tackle and has played in almost every central midfield position achievable for United.

The role of stopping Messi really needs much less tactical information of the game than a far more general central midfield berth since the orders are straightforward: go where Messi goes. Quit him obtaining the ball. If you can’t, tackle him if that fails, foul him. Anderson is stronger quicker and less liable to give away no cost-kicks than Paul Scholes or Darren Fletcher, even if he lacks their expertise.

Stopping Messi, however, is just one aspect of United’s defence. Almost as important in this game will be the movement of David Villa. Messi works so well as a ‘false nine’ precisely since Barca’s wingers – Villa and Pedro – turn into ‘strikers’  when Messi comes deeper to get the ball their run, especially Villa’s are created inside the full-back. It’s for that reason critical that United cover both their correct flank an the channel inside it. John O’Shea‘s encounter makes him a a lot more reliable candidate than the da Silva brothers, plus his natural defensive qualities mean he can fairly simply ‘shift’ to occupy the spaces Villa runs into. Valencia can support him out on the flank. Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz tried a similar tactic at World Cup 2010, employing centre-back Ricardo Costa as a full-back to come inside and check Villa’s runs. It worked like a dream until Costa lost concentration for the first time in the game and Villa discovered the space to poke home the winner.

Lastly, the third most essential factor is the running of Dani Alves. The Brazilian’s pace means he can efficiently cover his defensive duties whilst becoming a winger. In reality, what’s intriguing about Barcelona’s supposed ‘total’ approach is that they have considerably much more width on their right flank than their leftPedro, though similar to Villa, is a bit far more of an orthodox wide player Messi still has a tendency to shift a little to the right and Alves’ overlaps are legendary. However, if United adopt a lopsided midfield like that of Brazil’s national team, they can use Park Ji-Sun in the ‘Ramires’ role – covering the central midfield location whilst working the flank. His role would be to track Alves but also look to push him back by making runs in behind him when United have the ball. Park is the sort of all-round player with tremendous energy who can perform this sort of role. Evra can deal with Pedro.

two. Against Barca, defence is the finest form of attack

Barcelona’s sheer movement requires that opponents sacrifice certain attacking elements of their typical game in order to deal with them effectively. It’s all very well putting Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick into midfield to try to play the ball, but United’s only actual flaw over the years in the Champions’ League has been an over-reliance on these players in central midfield at the expense of genuine cover in front of the defence. It was their undoing against this same Barcelona in 2009 and it was the same in 2007 when Kaká’s masterlcass exploited their weakness against Milan. United can only win if they stop Barcelona from playing. The rest will be up to successful use of the counter-attack…

3. Play to your strengths up front

Wayne Rooney and Javi Hernández work well together up front, so use them both! Rooney often cuts an isolated figurein these games when he is forced to play alone up front so that United can have both the midfield cover and a central midfield player who can pass.This appears nonsensical when you contemplate that Rooney’s strength lies deeper, allowing a true ‘poacher’ to work the line in front of him as he drops deep to collect the ball and pick him out. United don’t need a person to ‘pick the passes’, they aren’t trying to keep the ball. They’re trying to maintain their shape defensively and launch fast, effective counter-attacks so as to hit Barca at their weakest point – their defence, far up their end of the pitch, beyond the clutches of their high-tempo pressing game.

Hernández is superb at exploiting space and Rooney is adept at locating it. United ought to play to this.

four.Valencia is an critical outlet

With Park pressing down the left but having Alves to deal with as nicely as central responsibilities, Luis Antonio Valencia is a more typical wide player. He will need to get back in support of O’Shea, but his running up the flank will be a huge plus for United, particularly against an uncertain choice of left-back for Barca. His directness is vital in acquiring the early ball released so as to speed up counter-attacks despite the fact that Naní is the much more accomplished player, his tendency to take on too a lot, as well as his weaker defensive capacity, mean he is a lot much more helpful option to bring on later ought to Barcelona want ‘unpicking’ with a far more skilful and unpredictable player.

five. Be cynical

As has been argued elsewhere, Barcelona are quite ready to put the boot in, and they are equally keen to dive around feigning injury. United ought to abandon any notion of fair-play if they are to win. If a Barcelona player requirements to be fouled in order to break up their rhythm (assuming it’s not in a hazardous location), United’s players ought to be ready to do so in a calculated manner. United must be ready to accept that they will not have as considerably of the ball as they generally do this indicates that rather than abandoning their defensive shape in order to launch moves, they should rely on the concept that although most of the game will be played by Barcelona in the centre of the pitch, United can create moments of danger for their opponents by finding the ball to their couple of forwards rapidly so as to isolate Barcelona’s defenders.

Whilst this sort of football is frowned upon by the starry-eyed romantics of the game, United can’t afford to be taken in by ‘principles’ counter-attacking football, when carried out properly, is an art in itself and, so long as the object remains to WIN the game rather than to draw it out, United should be able to do so with style as well as substance.

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It is being billed as potentially the ‘best’ Champions League Final in the last decade by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who will be hoping to avenge a Barcelona side that seemingly eased to victory in the 2009 final.

Today’s event will be watched from all four corners of the world as its top two club sides go head to head in a battle of skill, flair, efficiency and pride. It was Barcelona who became rulers of their continent in the eternal city of Rome in 2009 – a fitting venue for a gladiatorial clash. Now ‘football has come home’ to Wembley Stadium and once again, how fitting that two of the finest at playing attractive brands of football are to mark the occasion.

Both managers have been speaking ahead of the game with Barca’s Pep Guardiola’s future becoming shrouded into doubt by club legend Johann Cruyff.

“Guardiola has put in a lot of challenging function in the past couple of years and it would not surprise me if he decides to leave Barcelona soon after the Champions League final, regardless of the outcome of the match” Cruyff told the Daily Telegraph.

“If he decides to leave, it would only be due to the fact it is really hard to deal with the heavy pressure for such a lengthy time. That is why I believe this could be his last year, but he will not have any issues in locating a new team.”

In his pre-match press conference yesterday evening, Pep was keen to steer clear of such questioning on the matter.

“Today is not the day to talk about that (his future).We have worked an enormous amount of time to get here and overcome many difficulties. It is a privilege to be here, so let’s not talk about anything else. Leaving? Let’s leave that for an additional time.”

Instead and rightfully so, the Blaugrana master emphasised the need to focus on the 7:45pm kick-off come tonight, where they will have a duty to put on a show for the watching eyes of the world.

Interestingly he stated that he felt his side were complacent in Rome two years ago and cannot afford a repeat of that performance this time around.

“We have the audience of the world and we have to show we deserve this credit of ‘the final of the decade’. When you play in a final and both teams want to win and both want to play, for the rest of the world it will be a great final.”

“They have their strength, we have our skill, and we have to see who controls the scenario greatest. If we play as we did in Rome, this time we won’t win. We played worse in Rome than we wanted to. We will need to play much better than in 2009 and this is the factor I’ve told my players over the past couple of days.“

As for the United camp, Sir Alex Ferguson was unsurprisingly focused in his pre-match briefing whilst  teasing the on looking press with a hint at what may be on give tonight .

“This could be the finest final of this coming decade.”  he stated.

It is evident that United want to portray their attacking qualities whilst becoming diligent and efficient.

The manager recalled his disappointment of losing the final two years prior but states there is no desire for revenge over their opponents, instead calling for focus from his players.

“We had been disappointed we lost the game but it isn’t a matter of revenge it is about our own personal pride. We are really focused this time and our preparation has been much better. I think we maybe made 1 or two mistakes last time but not this time.”

“The success of both clubs over the last decade has been enormous. For my players now, it’s basic. They have to trust themselves and each and every other.  I certainly trust them and they will do their job correct. They are a fantastic side but we have to focus on ourselves. We have the players to do it and the attacking players we want on show will be there.”

United picked up their 1st European Cup at Wembley back in 1968 and the Scotsman was feeling nostalgic to be contesting back at the famous ground.

“I feel this is a symbol of English football. It’s the correct stage for this game. When you are at Wembley, it gives you a certain awareness that it is a massive game and I very like big games. There are none larger than a European final.”

Stay tuned to Soccerlens for all your Champions League digestion throughout the day.

Follow Ross on Twitter: @RossMackiewicz

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With the domestic leagues finished and only the Champions League final to play on Saturday, football fans across Europe are probably feeling a small blue this week. Function rumbles on, the newest Icelandic ash cloud threatens to disrupt our holidays and, most importantly, the new season won’t get underway until August!

But fear not! This could be one of the most exciting transfer windows for English clubs transfers in years, with clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool all looking to strengthen their squads considerably for the demands of an increasingly competitive domestic league. Here’s a look at some of the key transfers shaping up – make certain to add your own predictions in the comments!

The big three at this early stage of the summer are Atletico Madrid’s pair David De Gea and Sergio Aguero and Benfica’s left-back Fabio Coentrao.

Manchester United to sign David De Gea

Manchester United are painfully conscious of criticism that, though they won their record 19^th Premier League title, it was with what some sections of the media regard as their weakest squad in years. They have rightly prioritised the replacement of retiring goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar. Although Sir Alex Ferguson had all but confirmed the £18 million signing of De Gea, reports yesterday from De Gea’s representatives have suggested that a deal is far from becoming done.

United have also been linked with a move for Raphael Varane with the deal expected to be decided one way or the other in the next couple of weeks, and the Red Devils are also in the market for a creative midfielder, with Ashley Young, Samir Nasri and Luka Modric all mentioned. My cash is on a younger player, so Nasri may well fit the bill unless Fergie pulls a coup and brings in someone like Eden Hazard.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Actual Madrid chase Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero

The pressure is on Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini to challenge for the Premier League title next season, so huge points can be expected of them.

Following Aguero’s statement that he wants to leave Atletico, the smart income is on him moving to the blue half of Manchester, possibly to replace Carlos Tevez, with Sheikh Mansour’s deep pockets capable of meeting the transfer fee and Aguero’s wage demands.

Potential rivals for his signature are Chelsea, with Roman Abramovich seemingly ready to splash the cash in a bid to sit atop the Premier League again Real Madrid, who have been tipped as a likely destination by those close to the Argentine.

Barcelona and Juventus have also been linked despite the fact that intelligent funds is on one of these 3 clubs signing him this summer.

Liverpool to sign Fabio Coentrao?

Fabio Coentrao

Fabio Coentrao, the highly-rated Portuguese, also seems set to seal a large-funds move, though his destination is far more tough to predict. Conflicting reports coming out of Portugal indicate Actual Madrid and Liverpool as front-runners for his signature, with both clubs apparently having delivers of around £25 million accepted. With Marcelo presently unshakeable in Real’s left-back position, however, the guarantee of 1st-team football at Liverpool may possibly be the deciding factor.

Who’s the next Chelsea manager?

As well as players moving on, we will also see a couple of managerial vacancies filled. With Antonio Conte taking over at Juventus, there is now only really only 1 job up for grabs that will be a guaranteed talking point when it is ultimately filled and that’s…West Ham! Actually, it’s not. Sorry West Ham fans. It’s Chelsea, of course, and they do not appear to be short of choices.

Guus Hiddink, who created a great impression with his FA Cup-winning six-month stint at Stamford Bridge in 2009 is the bookies’ favourite right after admitting that he misses day-to-day club management in his international capacity with Turkey. Other names in the frame are Manuel Pellegrini, who continually crops up as a candidate for large teams needing a manager despite his in no way having won a major domestic or European trophy Marco van Basten, very same story and, in what would be THE story of the summer, Jose Mourinho, who could be tempted back to his former club after a reported bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo.

And this is without mentioning Arsenal’s rebuilding efforts and Harry Redknapp’s challenge of injecting fresh blood into a Spurs side that looked increasingly jaded as the season drew to a close. What are your transfer ideas this summer? I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens.

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There was as soon as a time when this Croydon-born, Sierra Leone raised central midfield dynamo was captaining West Ham United into the FA Cup final of 2006 to face the may well of Liverpool. Reo-Coker, a former England under-21 captain, was the lynchpin in a midfield containing talents such as Yossi Benayoun and Matthew Etherington, however Reo-Coker still stood out as the major force in the West Ham side. His inspirational drive, robust tackling and incredible desire to chase down his opposing midfield counterpart placed him on the verge of the England World Cup team to travel to Germany for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Rapidly forward five years down the line and Reo-Coker finds himself on the free of charge agency pile soon after just becoming released from Aston Villa. The Villans paid £8.5 million in the summer of 2007 for the midfielder and in the beginning, the fee seemed worthwhile. Reo-Coker began his career at Villa Park in a sparse central midfield role, fighting for a place alongside Stilyan Petrov and club captain Gareth Barry, and his perseverance was granted by his ability to not only play in the middle of the park, but also at appropriate back or appropriate midfield. After Barry’s departure the summer soon after Reo-Coker’s arrival, the midfielder took over the captaincy for the 2009 Peace Cup, which Villa subsequently won. This season was the troublesome one for Reo-Coker and the season that sparked his sudden downfall in appearances and recognition.

A training ground bust-up just short of a month into the season with then manager Martin O’Neill saw Reo-Coker dropped for the following game against Portsmouth and the fall-out from this argument was a lack of typical playing time for the 27 year old and he fell heavily out of favour with O’Neill at Villa Park. Reo-Coker spent the next two seasons flitting in and out of the very first team, but following the departure of O’Neill from Villa Park, the midfielder found his feet again and was given an additional chance by new manager Gerard Houllier. His performances have been a bright light in a dark season at Villa Park, but his reluctance to accept the new terms laid at his feet by the Aston Villa board have consequently resulted in his release from the Midlands side before the commence of this upcoming season.

What has happened to Reo-Coker? Regardless of his mini-revival towards the latter end of this season, Reo-Coker still isn’t at the level he was at whilst at the beginning of his Aston Villa career. When he broke onto the scene at Wimbledon as a fresh faced 18 year old, his performances resulted in captaincy for the Dons and resulted in the move to East London and West Ham in the 2004-05 season, where he was once more given the captaincy. Reo-Coker is evidently observed as a natural leader, being captain at all 3 of his professional clubs to date at some point, and his talent and drive were inescapable at West Ham. It seems that somewhere along the way, Reo-Coker has lost his confidence of such. He is nowhere near at the ability to displace any of the current crop of England midfielders and that’s a no cost-fall from a player who was bursting down the door of the England set-up at the 2006 World Cup.

Possibly a move to an additional club will re-ignite the career of Reo-Coker, but where could he possibly go to that isn’t a step-down from Aston Villa? The ninth placed finish for the Villans means that surely the 27 year old will move to a top ten Premiership side.

The top four will hold no interest in Reo-Coker and with Tottenham and Liverpool eyes firmly fixated on either Charlie Adam or Scott Parker, there will be no move there. Everton and Fulham could be feasible choices, but with such a tight wage and transfer spending budget at Goodison Park and the capacity of Leon Osman, Mikel Arteta and Jack Rodwell in the centre of the park, that does not appear a viable alternative.

Fulham could be the move for Reo-Coker. It moves him back down into London and the ambition of current manager Mark Hughes could aid Reo-Coker get his footballing brain back into gear and make further impressive strides, if his own beliefs of making the England World Cup 2012 squad are to be realised. It’s time for Reo-Coker to re-discover the mercurial form he held back in the mid-00′s and show that he actually is a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

His form has been average, but for a player of his considerable talent levels, he need to be expected to hold down a standard position and be able to stake his own place along some of the top Premier League central midfielders.

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