Luis Suarez: Perhaps Liverpool's best signing of 2013

Staying put for now: Luis Suarez

When he scores a volley or when he scores with his head, Liverpool fans just can't seem to get enough of their special number 7, who goes by the name of Luis Alberto Suarez. The Uruguayan, having scored a hat-trick in Liverpool's 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, proved his worth to the Anfield faithful and it is not hard to see how valuable an asset the boy from Salto is, after having expressed his desire to depart L4 this summer whilst on international duty with Uruguay at the Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Last season, Suarez was voted Liverpool's player of the year and was at the subject of an infamous £40,000,001 bid from Arsenal, who were chasing a world class player all summer, before snapping up Mesut Ozil for £42 million from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day. Towards the latter stages of the 2012-13 season, Suarez and Sturridge formed a formidable partnership upfront which left Kopites reminiscing of the days of Toshack & Keegan, as well as Rush & Dalglish. Signed for £23 million in January 2011 along with Andy Carroll for £35 million from Newcastle, the pair were set to become one of the greatest partnerships in the history of the Merseyside club. Although Suarez settled in quickly, scoring on his debut against Stoke, Carroll didn't. Liverpool loaned the Geordie out in 2012-13 to West Ham United, who signed him on a permanent deal this summer for a fee in the region of £15 million. 

The SAS: Suarez and Sturridge

However Suarez has had more than his fair share of controversies, including the infamous bite on Chelsea's Branislav Invanovic in April 2013 and two years ago, when he was accused of racially abusing Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra. Both incidents led to him getting a total ban of 18 games, with the Uruguayan frequently being criticised for diving by managers and opposition players alike. Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers knows that he has a gem in the form of Suarez, who doesn't just score and assist goals, but conjures up attacks from anywhere on the field, which leads to an exciting opportunity for a goal or a last-minute winner. As of 24/09/2013, The Reds' win ratio with Suarez in the team was a rather impressive 61% [1]. Many Liverpool fans would argue that if Suarez was sold in the summer and was replaced with another world-class striker, they would be able to cope without him. However, Suarez is a one of a kind player. He possesses unique dribbling skills that many legendary players didn't have and is a genuine team player, despite having been labelled "selfish" and a "ball hugger" by many.

However, since returning to Premier League action earlier this month, Suarez has been on fire and is proving his worth to Liverpool fans and the club itself, with Brendan Rodgers knowing that he cannot afford to sell the 26-year-old any time soon. With Philippe Coutinho's return from injury imminent, the Brazilian playmaker, along with Suarez and Sturridge can genuinely help Liverpool gain UEFA Champions League qualification for the first time since 2009.

CREDITS:

[1] http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/431872/Liverpool-better-off-with-Luis-Suarez-than-without

Suarez picture: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2013/5/31/1370020804357/-Luis-Suarez-008.jpg

Suarez and Sturridge: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Clubs/Club_Home/2013/10/25/1382699659322/Daniel-Sturridge-and-Luis-009.jpg

David Moyes: Why Manchester United have not lost their magic

Under fire, but determined and focused: David Moyes

Approximately four months ago I sat down writing how Moyes was the man for Manchester United, and nearly four months on I still maintain that view. In regards to Sir Alex Ferguson, it is easy to say how a great manager like him deserves to go down in history as the greatest gaffer to have graced world football, but it's not just a case of having 20 odd years of success and having a stand named after you, a statue outside Old Trafford, and a street re-named in your honour. It's about learning from failure and not allowing yourself to end where you started.

Moyes has not had the best start to his career as manager of Manchester United. But guess what? Neither did Sir Alex. In fact, Fergie finished 13th in his first season as the Red Devils' boss and it was the 1990 FA Cup Final victory over Crystal Palace that narrowly kept him in the job. Back then, Fergie's Fledglings were still in United's centre of excellence and Ryan Giggs was just under a year away from making his debut for the Old Trafford outfit. The current situation at Old Trafford is very difficult. Millions of United fans worldwide expect Moyes to guide United to at least a top three finish this season and as it stands, United look far from achieving that. But it's not the end of the road just yet. The team still needs to gel and the presence of United legends such as Giggs and Phil Neville amongst the backroom staff provides motivation and inspiration for players, and support for the Glaswegian, who had 11 fairly successful years on the other side of the East Lancashire Road with Everton.

An open option: Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera

The January transfer window will be an opportunity for Moyes to make signings he missed out on the summer. The options of Thiago Alcantara and Christian Eriksen are gone, but there are other creative players out there that United have the financial capability to get hold of, who are genuinely world class and could showcase their talent at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Ander Herrera, who United had an unsuccessful bid for on transfer deadline day this summer, still remains  an open option, and could be a deadly asset if utilised with Marouane Fellaini. Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas would be a great addition, but it is unlikely that he would join United after 8 years (2003-2011) with Arsenal. Moreover, United can look beyond the Spanish market. Lars Bender of Bayer Leverkusen could fill the void that has been left by Paul Scholes, although he is a more defensive-minded player rather than an attacking midfielder, but is a truly gifted playmaker nonetheless. PSG's 21-year-old midfielder Marco Verratti, also a member of the Italian national football team, is another option, as is Schalke 04's Julian Draxler.  

However, success in the world of football is a timely process. Purchasing players does not guarantee success - it's about utilising them to their very best. The cliché "Rome wasn't built in a day" is perfect here and as for Moyes, he is under pressure to expand the success of his predecessor and will need to have patience and perseverance in order to prove that he, just like Sir Alex and Sir Matt Busby, can be one of the greatest  managers to have managed from the Old Trafford dugout. United are by no means out of the title race but the fans should expect a period of transition instead of instantaneous success. The least the United faithful expect is a Champions League spot and a trophy - the FA Cup in particular, which if they win, will be their first victory of that accolade for 10 years, next year.


CREDITS:

Moyes picture: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/18/article-0-1ADB26AC000005DC-972_634x484.jpg

Ander Herrera picture: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02657/ander-herrera_2657922b.jpg

England: Re-building the national set-up

It cost over £100 million and is an absolutely amazing facility which houses a Wembley-sized pitch (another is currently in construction), 10 other pitches and a sophisticated hydrotherapy area. St George's Park is intended to, according to the FA's chairman Greg Dyke, improve the talent of English football by nurturing it and ensuring that it excels. In greater depth, the FA clearly want more English players playing for English clubs, which is something the Premier League lacks to a great extent.

National Treasure: Germany's talented players

Earlier last week, State of the Game released statistics which underpinned that of the 500-plus registered players in the Premier League, less than 1/3 are English. Just 32.36% of the players in the Premier League are English - an atrocious figure all round for English football. The FA only need to look as far as Scotland. Although they have the lesser talent, the Scottish Premier League houses a 57.19% (the season thus far) of Scottish players [1]. When taking a look at the European powerhouse of Germany, the Bundesliga is well over 50%, which comes to no surprise, given their largely overwhelming performances at the last four World and Continental championships [2]. Moreover, in Spain, just under 40% of the La Liga's total number of players are foreign [3]. However, just looking at the statistics does not make a difference... 

...Many strategies need to be put into place in order to squeeze the best out of the English youngsters. Greg Dyke's FA commission's first eight members were announced earlier this week, some of which came to the criticism of Gary Lineker who claimed that they were "pointless", although the image cannot completely be dismal. Glenn Hoddle, who is regarded to be one of England's finest talents of all time and manager of the Three Lions at the 1998 World Cup in France, has a realistic outlook on England's prospects over the next decade. Speaking to BBC Sport, Hoddle said that the Three Lions do not have a chance of victory at next year's World Cup in Brazil, but when referring to Dyke's aim of winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder said "I would hope to say that we could expect to get some success a little bit earlier than that". And when he says "earlier", he is referring to the 2016 UEFA European Championships in France. 

England Expects: Greg Dyke is the man with the plan

The Premier League supports Dyke's master plan, although they had rejected the opportunity to have an official representative on the board. Nevertheless, a bullish Dyke wants the FA to have links between Premier League clubs. A similar example took place in Germany after a disappointing Euro 2004 campaign. Links were made with Bundesliga clubs and since then Die Mannschaft have been fairly successful at the last two World Cups, especially in 2010 in South Africa. Jurgen Klinsmann and current manager Joachim Low were in the driving seat of this project, deciding to play predominantly attack-minded football. Like the Germans, it will take time for England to reach at least the semi-final stage of a major international tournament, but the talent is certainly there. Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker, Tom Cleverley, Daniel Sturridge and many others hold the key for future success - it's their choice if they wish to use it or not. 

But the criticism does not end there. Harry Redknapp also resented the lack of street football being played by children nowadays. Speaking from his perspective, Redknapp said that his grandchildren are certainly not playing football. Instead they "sit there play on their little games they've got". Taking this into account, more children are swapping playing football outside for FIFA's officially licensed video games, which they play on their games consoles. Should there be a successful campaign to promote street football on an extensive scale, then the likelihood of prospective footballers maximising their potential will increase.

CREDITS:

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24467371

[2] http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/default/gastarbeiterstartseite/basics.html

[3] http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/pain-in-spain-la-liga-in-financial-turmoil-8721595.html

PICTURES:

German players celebrating - http://thesoccerplanet.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/192697hp2.jpg

Greg Dyke - http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2013/9/12/1379015268751/Greg-Dyke-FA-chairman-008.jpg

Aaron Ramsey: Renaissance

Reborn: Ramsey celebrates scoring against Sunderland

It's Summer 2008. After a convincing performance in the FA Cup Final defeat to Portsmouth you pay £5 million for Cardiff City's young prodigy - one who goes by the name of Aaron Ramsey. Fast forward 5 years and this supposed "next big thing" is at the subject of injuries, injuries and yes, you've guessed it, even more injuries. But is that a recipe for disaster? Not unless you've really revived yourself and been at the top of your game.

Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Ramsey has been in scintillating form for Arsenal, earning rave reviews from the media, but more importantly, the Emirates faithful and Arsene Wenger. His magical start to the season all began with the UEFA Champions League first-leg play-off game against Fenerbahce, where his fantastic all-round performance bagged him the Man of the Match award. And since then, Ramsey seems to have not looked back and has arguably gone uphill grabbing 4 goals in 6 Premier League appearances thus far [1], as well as largely assisting goals from his assigned deep-lying midfield role. The Wales captain has had very little luck with injuries in the past, with his worst coming in February 2010 where he was involved in a cynical tackle committed by Stoke City's skipper Ryan Shawcross, breaking his leg as a result. According to Ramsey himself, he claims that it has taken him a prolonged period of time to get over the psychological impacts of the event.

The start of something new? Ozil and Ramsey in action against Swansea

Since his arrival at the Emirates in 2008, Ramsey has been loaned out twice, most notably back to Cardiff City in 2011, where he bagged one goal in six Championship appearances. He had a stint at Nottingham Forest in the latter months of 2010, with both loan spells helping him gain match fitness, after physically recovering from the horrific injury instigated by Shawcross just under a year earlier to either of these loan spells.

Ramsey's contributions alongside those of fellow British midfielder Jack Wilshere and Germany's talisman Mesut Ozil, have led to many believing that as a whole, Arsenal's performances depict the hallmarks of a successful 2013-14 campaign. By the end of the season it will be 10 years since Arsenal claimed their last league title, in which the famous "Invincibles" claimed their name as Champions of England at arch rivals' Tottenham Hotspur's White Hart Lane. Ramsey's individual performances have reminded many fans of the days in which Patrick Vieira was the main midfield man for the Gunners. Only time will tell if the 22-year-old Welshman will become as a great a legend as the former Senegal-born France international, but for now, fellow Premier League clubs are aware as to how great a threat the boy from Caerphilly is. 

Alongside the £42 million Ozil, Ramsey aided Arsenal to their best performance so-far this season in Tuesday night's dismantling of Italy's Napoli, who were beaten 2-0. Having set up a goal for Olivier Giroud, Arsenal fans were left singing long into the night, after such a wonderfully exhibited performance left them reminiscing about their golden days, which brought much silverware to Highbury. At the Emirates however, the Gunners' home since 2006, there has been major trophy placed in the trophy cabinet. More great performances means more pressure, and Ramsey cannot rest on his laurels just yet - can he, alongside the rest of Monsieur Wenger's side end a 9 year trophy drought in 2014?

CREDITS:


[1] Statistics http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/profile.career-history.html/aaron-ramsey

[2] Ramsey and Ozil against Swansea - http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/aaron-ramsey-targeting-title-arsenal-2317265

Ramsey celebration picture - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23999428