The Future’s Spain

16-year-old Jon Miquel Toral Harper’s recent controversial move to Arsenal from the Barcelona academy was not the first, and I’m sure won’t be the last transfer of this type. Thanks to the exploitation of a loophole in the system, Barcelona have yet again been left helpless as Toral, whose agent is oddly the brother of Pep Guardiola, has followed players like Cesc Fabregas, Fran Merida and Dani Pacheco to the Premier League where they can sign professional contracts. Barcelona were reportedly fuming about this which shows just how highly rated he was with the Catalans. Although there is no issue with the legality, there is a big doubt casted over the morality of deals such as this, which can be (and has been) debated all day long so I shall not be adding to this dispute. However, there is one thing there is no doubt over and that is that Spain have got an astonishing amount of young talent.

 The current batch of Spanish superstars may have been given legendary status in the world of football for their performances for their national team over the past few years, but if you think this generation of world class footballers is just a flash in the pan, then all you need to do is take a look at the youth on show in La Liga at the moment and you will see the future is already beginning to look quite special.

 When asked about Jack Wilshire ahead of their Champions League second leg match against Arsenal, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola cheekily claimed that he had ‘many types of player like him in the second team’. Guardiola’s comments may have been ‘tongue in cheek’ and the British media may have gone predictably overboard with their reaction to try and stir up a story out of it, but the point is possibly still valid. Players like Toral are still a long way from the senior team so it’s a bit too soon to be talking about them as ‘the next Xavi’, ‘the next Zidane’ or any other comparisons the press love to throw at us, because they usually turn out to be ‘the next David Bellion’.

 Barcelona aren’t the only team in Spain with an array of young Spanish talent in their ranks, players like David de Gea, Iker Muniain, Daniel Parejo and Jose Angel have all regularly been putting in excellent performances for their respected club’s first team. It’s also easy to forget that Spain have plenty of more established, young players in and around the national squad such as Juan Mata, Sergi Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro, all of whom are no older than 23 and have amassed 107 caps between them (admittedly Fabregas has 58 of them). Players like Bojan and Sergio Canales who are on the fringes of Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s respective first teams also look like fantastic prospects, the list just goes on. I would just like to share a little information on three of the most exciting wonderkids the Primera Liga has on show at the moment.

David de Gea – Athletico de Madrid

 David de Gea Quintana came through the ranks at Athletico Madrid and made his senior debut in a Champions League game against Porto in 2009 aged just 18. Now 20; he has since replaced Sergio Asenjo as Athletico’s No 1 goalkeeper.

 He played eight times in Athletico’s successful Europa League run last season, including the final against Fulham. De Gea has been impressive in an under-achieving Athletico side this term and he started the campaign in superb style by saving a 90^th minute Diego Milito penalty in Athletico’s 2-0 European Super Cup win over Inter.

 The 6’3’’ goalkeeper has been heavily linked with Manchester United as a long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar and has apparently been nicknamed Van der Gea by his teammates due to his physical likeness and similar goalkeeping style of the Dutchman.

 He has represented Spain at every youth level but has yet to win a full cap. There is no real shame in that however, when you consider he has Iker Casillas Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes standing in his way.

Iker Muniain – Athletic Bilbao

 Iker Muniain Goni joined the Athletic Bilbao academy in 2005 and four years later, became the Basques’ youngest ever debutant when he appeared for the senior team as a substitute in a Europa League qualifying match against Young Boys (July 2009) at the very tender age of 16 years, 7 months and 11 days and a week later, in the return leg he became Athletic’s youngest ever scorer.

 The 18-year-old goes by the obligatory (and annoying) media comparison of ‘‘the Basque Rooney’’, perhaps because of the mix of explosive power and technical ability he possesses. Able to play on either wing or through the middle, Muniain’s ability is quite breathtaking at times, particularly when running with the ball at his feet and his turn of pace can be electric. Far from just being an attacking threat though, the youngster is a tireless worker for the team and is more than happy to help out defensively. He stands at a height of just 5’6’’, but his stocky physique gives him a strength that defenders find difficult to deal with.

 Although he made his debut at the beginning of the 2009-10 season and featured regularly though-out that campaign, 2010-11 has proved to be a real breakthrough season for the prodigy, starting more and more games and earning rave reviews for his performances.

 Muniain has a contract at Athletic which would theoretically keep him in Bilbao until June 2015, but the Basques face a colossal fight to keep hold of him with big clubs in England and Spain reportedly showing an interest.

Sergio Canales – Real Madrid

  20-year-old Sergio Canales Madrazo made a dramatic and sudden impact on La Liga during the 2009-10 season whilst playing for Racing Santander. He had made only a few substitute appearances in the previous campaign but was given his first start at Espanyol in December 2009 and that was where it all started for the young attacking midfielder, scoring twice after providing the assist for his team’s opening goal. If people hadn’t noticed him after that then they undoubtedly would a month later when, in his third start for the Canterbrians, he scored another two, superb goals and received the man of the match award against Sevilla in a 2-1 victory for his club.

 After a handful of confident performances in the Racing senior team, the big clubs began to take notice with Real Madrid acting quickly to win the race for his signature. It was just two months after Canales’ first start for Racing when Real Madrid announced the signing of the promising playmaker, with him staying at Racing for the remainder of the season, scoring 6 goals and providing 4 assists in the league to help them avoid relegation.

 His first season at Madrid hasn’t gone to plan for Canales, with him behind Ozil and Kaka in the pecking order, he has been mainly restricted to brief substitute appearances which has halted his progress somewhat, with some people suggesting he made his big move to the Santiago Bernabeu too soon.

 He has proved himself to be an extremely exciting prospect still and his talents include a fantastic amount of technical ability, great vision, flair, precision, an ability to create chances and an eye for goal. Canales has stated he is not happy sitting on Madrid’s bench and whether he decides to remain patient at the Bernabeu or move on at the end of the season, where there is reported interest from Liverpool and a number of other clubs, he has the world at his feet and after impressing for Spain at youth level, it surely won’t be long until we see him playing in the national team at a senior level.

-James

Aaron's choice: The good, the bad, and the unthinkable

As we’ve been asked to chime in with our own personal predictions for the drop, I thought now was as good a time as any to show my hand. With eight games left this season the league table is as tight as ever (it wouldn’t surprise me to see West Ham make a late push for the title!) So it’s rather hard to pick three teams, I’ll probably end up wrong, in fact, I pray I’m wrong with one of my choices (no particular order by the way)

Blackpool

There’s a slight bit of bias in this one I must admit; as a Villa fan I still can’t quite get over Mr. Holloways comments that we are a “half-arsed club who used to be famous” (the irony that he later spoke highly of Liverpool was not lost on me). All I have to say is, if you’re gonna put yourself on a pedestal, make it a damn sight more stable than Bloomfield Road; even Holloway's fragile frame could collapse the shaky foundations of that “half-arsed stadium”.

Ian Holloway in a rare moment of not talking complete shit.

Of course, I wouldn’t base my opinion that they’re due for the chop solely on comments by Monsieur Holloway, their brand of attacking football, which started as a revelation, has quickly lead to less and less points on the board. The result against Tottenham was impressive, until you realize that Tottenham had enough chances in those ninety minutes to win 38 games. There’s more than a whiff of Hull about the seasiders, and with the lack of that all-important home form then I can see them going one better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) than the Tigers’ debut season and sliding straight out of the “best league in the world” ©Every pretentious bastard who works for the Premier League.

Wigan

Ah, Wigan. The Lactics. The physical embodiment of mediocrity. Support that would make Bolton fans feel smug,  and a narcissistic owner who probably cries into one of his overpriced football shirts every time he remembers the day he turned down Manchester United. In Wigan’s defence, they have a bright young manager in Martinez, and a good pool of players picked up by the current regime, as well as the ones left over from Steve Bruce’s time in charge. Unfortunately Wigan’s main problem would be their consistency, or lack of it to be accurate. It’s all well and good to get a draw against one of the big teams, but if you can’t follow it up with a win against your fellow strugglers then it can only end one way. That last point brings me nicely to my final pick for relegation.

Aston Villa

Yep, Villa. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, 2-2 draws with Manchester United and 3-3 draws against Chelsea are all well and good, but when you have teams like Sunderland doing the double over you, and a home loss against a home sick Wolves side, then there isn’t much in this league for you. Everything about our position defies belief, looking at the players we have, it’s hard to see why exactly we’re in this position.

Oh, that's why.

A team of England players (admittedly fringe players) that has been added to with goalscoring machine Darren Bent and the silky skills of Jean II Makoun should only be looking up, but this has not happened. I’m not going to get caught up in the current “Houllier out” campaign that a lot of Villa supporters are rooting of at the minute, with eight games left it’s far too late to risk such a change (Newcastle’s brief fling with Alan Shearer as manager springs to mind) and I truly believe, based on the signings we made in January, that Houllier, given a proper pre-season, will see us back to those glory days of 6^th place and the odd Wembley appearance.  The worrying thing about Villa is that we had one of the easiest run-ins of all the teams at the bottom, on paper we’d have been expected to beat Bolton and Wolves, as well as Blackburn, but it’s not happening. No matter how long we wait, Villa cannot gather any momentum, even West Ham have shown themselves capable of winning three or four games in a row, whereas we struggle to win two. I really hope I’m wrong, and I’ve picked Villa today in the hope that I’ve somehow jinxed it and some higher power will keep them up just so I’m wrong. But as it stands, with us unable to win the easiest games, and with our final two games being Liverpool, and a match with Arsenal that could potentially decide whether or not they end their wait for a Premier League trophy, it’s hard to see any other way but down for my beloved club.

I really hope I’m wrong; I’m not looking forward to having to sift through the football league show for Villa highlights. At least it’ll force me to broaden my admittedly poor knowledge of the Championship.

Not pictured: Dignity

-Aaron

My Three Picks for the Drop

Approximately £30 million. That’s how much the three teams who lose their Premier League status stand to lose this season. All fans like to play the predicting game, and without doubt the three names you pick will change on more than one occasion throughout the season. At The Terrace Talk we’ve been playing the same game and because we couldn’t agree we all decided to post our picks.

First of all it seems Wigan Athletic look destined for the drop and I won't miss them. It’s a shame because Roberto Martinez has done a great job and I think he’s one of the most talented young managers in the English game. Unfortunately Martinez and chairmen Dave Whelan are at a team whose fans care more about tries than goals. At times their team can play fantastic football, for instance against Manchester City recently. Wigan outplayed City for the majority of the game but lacked that killer touch in the final third and as for the back, don’t get me started. This is the tried and tested formula for relegation. Look at Tony Mowbray’s West Brom team. They played fantastic football but couldn't finish teams off. It eventually led to their demise and I can’t help but feel the same towards a Wigan team, who in all honesty have flirted with the drop for the past couple of seasons now.

The second team I think will be plying their trade in the second tier of English football are Blackpool. First of all I need to say how much I’ve enjoyed their debut season in the Premier League and hope my prediction is wrong. Ian Holloway and his men have been a breath of fresh air and their c'est la vie attitude has been a joy to watch, but recent form suggests that the team is on a downward spiral. Charlie Adam, DJ Campbell and others have played exceptionally but the team have really punched above their weight. Despite the odd result, Tottenham for example, teams seem to have developed ways to handle their all out attack.

Finally and probably most controversially my third choice is Birmingham City. First I want it noted that my allegiance to Aston Villa has completely nothing to do with this... really. Birmingham have had a massive season. The Carling Cup victory will live long in the memory for all Birmingham fans but since then their league form has not been brilliant. All season their results have been built on keeping clean sheets and pinching goals at the other end. Recent performances have shown a defence that in all honesty looks tired and is leaking goals. It’s understandable considering the season they’ve had, but unfortunately at the end of the season tiredness isn’t an excuse. McLeish must find a way to combat this quick or his team will be staring relegation direct in the face. 

The power and financial incentives the Premier League offers has now led to a ‘make or break’ attitude adopted by most sides. It’s a dangerous game to play, just ask Leeds fans. For teams like Wigan and Blackpool this might be the last time they reach the holy grail that is the Premier League, such is the gulf in talent. Finally I'd like to wish the three teams joining the express train that is the Premier League good luck, you'll need it.

-Paul

Real bunch of A-Coles

Picture the scene: Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, 24 hours after the Premier League Champions relinquished their two year reign as F.A. Cup holders by crashing out to Everton. You’d love to be a fly on the wall wouldn’t you?

Prima Nocta is a term that is defined as “an alleged legal right allowing the lord of an estate to take the virginity of his serfs' maiden daughters.” Replace “lord of the estate” with “Chelsea Captain” and “Serf’s maiden daughters” with “team mates wives” and you could probably believe I were describing the ritual that is undergone whenever Chelsea lose a match. When you think of a club as “unique” (for a lack of a more professional term) as Chelsea then it’s hard not to let your mind wander in regards to what really goes on at Cobham.

Whilst “King Terry” has his fill of the WAG’s (providing he’s not conducting £10,000-a-head tours of Stamford Bridge for “charity” that is) Lampard is likely sat in a corner comfort eating, whereas John Obi Mikel is sure to be walking around asking if anyone knows exactly what John Obi Mikel brings to the team.

"Seriously guys, what do I do?"

However, amidst the chaos, one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. This shining example of a player, in a rare lapse, was primarily responsible for Chelsea’s agonising shoot-out defeat at the hands of Everton; missing the decisive kick to gift the Toffees passage into the next round. Desperate to make amends, this player spends the entire day doing shooting practice.

Well, something along those lines anyway.

You see, when our good friend Mr. Cole isn’t shooting himself in the foot with his constant mistreatment of a woman who is considered so beautiful, that most men would volunteer to buy a Stoke season ticket if there were the chance of small talk with the Geordie Princess, it turns out he likes to literally shoot other people in the side.

Once a Gunner, always a gunner I suppose.

You couldn’t make it up could you? Whilst a team like United would spend the aftermath of a cup defeat working on correcting mistakes made and preparing for the next game, the aristocrats of London decide they’d rather use their work experience kids as clay pigeons. Possibly the most humorous element of this story was the club’s insistence that the air rifle did not belong to Cole, which is such an irrelevant and ridiculous defence it’s almost depressing. Could you imagine someone making that excuse in court? “Well yeah I shot the guy but it’s not like I own the gun or anything.” Yeah, depressing was definitely the correct term to use for a supposedly elite football club that has the PR skills of a particularly naive 10 year old. Despite their ever loosening grip on the Barclays Premier League title, I suppose there are a couple of accolades left in this Chelsea team, although if things don't change, the only awards synonymous with Chelsea will be the Darwin Awards.

-Aaron

Arsenal Lacking Steel and Grit

 

A lot’s been said of Arsenal’s struggles since the break-up of the legendary "Invincible’s" team seven years ago. So much has been said about their apparent lack of strength that it is almost regarded as fact. Arsene Wenger will argue that the likes of Abou Diaby and Alex Song make up for the absence of Patrick Viera in the middle of the park. Diaby and Song are both similar in size to the great midfield dictator, however as Viera showed against Aston Villa in the F.A Cup he still knows how to use his great physique. Watching Song and Diaby at times is like watching a Brazilian goalkeeper. They’re envious of the roles given to their more advanced team-mates and this leads to them being caught out defensively.



Where are the Keowns and Adams in this Arsenal team? Laurent Koscielny has shown promise in recent weeks and looks to be a technically good defender and Thomas Vermaelen is a good centre back. But people seem to forget that Arsenal play in the English Premier League. The likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, without doubt the most successful teams of the past ten years, have defenders full of heart. Defenders who would give anything for the cause. Let’s travel back to South Africa 2010. John Terry throws his body towards a shot by Slovenia’s Zlatko Dedic. Although his attempted heroism was eventually futile in the bigger picture of England's wretched campaign, I can’t imagine Johan Djourou or Koscielny making the same attempt.

Since Jens Lehmann left Arsenal the team have struggled to find a true number one goalkeeper. You ask anyone from professional footballers to Sunday league; if you’ve got a good goalkeeper then your defence can concentrate on their own game rather than worrying where the next mistake will come from.

Finally, how does Arsene Wenger tackle his team’s defensive issues? Until Mr. Wenger changes his transfer philosophy on signing talented young players from less competitive leagues I’m afraid nothing is likely to change at the Emirates. It’s a shame because there are talented young British defenders that would fit the bill for Arsenal. The likes of Ryan Shawcross or Ciaran Clark would be excellent for Arsenal and perhaps even give Arsenal the spine they need to win that elusive Trophy.   



Just what Wenger needs?



-Paul