Alvaro Negredo: a different kind of beast

'La Fiera de Vallecas'

Álvaro Negredo's appearance does him few favours. You could be mistaken for thinking he was a typically 'British' centre-forward if you had never seen the burly Spaniard play before- the kind of player who constantly torments defences with his sheer strength. In fact, the Fiera de Vallecas, as he was nicknamed by his Sevilla team-mates, offers much, much more than just that, and he has proven this in his first few months in England.

Some Manchester City fans were skeptical when Negredo signed in the summer. £20.6 million seemed like a lot, especially with the impending arrival of Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko also at the club. Indeed, the Sevilla president del Nido was extremely pleased with the amount of money he was able to coax out of City. Five months later, nobody can say that Manuel Pellegrini did not know what he was doing when he signed the former Real Madrid youth-team player.

Against Liverpool last Thursday, Negredo showcased a fine piece of skill, chipping Simon Mignolet with the outside of his boot for his side's second goal as City continued their fine form at the top of the league. It was an outstanding goal, even if Mignolet did flap at the shot, and further proof that Negredo has a footballing brain that transcends his size. At Sevilla this was evident in the occasional bicycle kick, for instance, but it is at Manchester City that this aspect of his game has flourished.

But of course, the physical side of Negredo's game cannot be overlooked. His brawn gives him an edge over defenders, and Negredo himself has admitted that he enjoys this aspect of English football the most. It also makes him the perfect partner for the diminutive Agüero. The pair have struck up a great partnership, which has seen them score 21 goals this season in the Premier League. As two polar opposites, they complement each other brilliantly, and they, along with the rest of Pellegrini's side, show no signs of slowing down.

This could very well be Álvaro Negredo's annus mirabilis with the World Cup fast approaching and City looking like title favourites. Negredo's fine form in the Premier League has given Del Bosque a serious headache as to who should play up front for Spain, but it will be one he relishes given the lack of options Spain had up front this time last year. At the moment Negredo and the recently nationalised Diego Costa appear to be the main contenders for a starting spot, and the next five months will be crucial in deciding which of the two will start. Costa may have the upper hand on Negredo due to playing in Spain (Del Bosque has seemed to favour Spaniards playing in La Liga in recent years) but there have been suggestions that Del Bosque could field Diego Costa and Álvaro Negredo in the same formation, with Costa playing as a false nine behind Negredo. Whether this is viable is debatable, but Del Bosque will take both to Brazil if they can keep their current form up. Negredo's battle with Diego Costa to be Spain's starting striker will be intriguing. 

There were of course questions as to whether Negredo could play in such a stylish Spain team, but so far he has dispelled these doubts, like those when he joined Manchester City, scoring a number of times upon starting for Spain. In fact, he was the team's most efficient scorer in the World Cup qualifiers, scoring a goal every 56 minutes for Spain. At times Negredo is a battering ram, at others an artist. He is playing some of the best football of his career alongside Agüero, and is enjoying life in the Premier League. Long may it continue. 

By Tomás Hill López-Menchero

Villarreal: the rise of the Yellow Submarine

Villarreal are on the up since returning to La Liga.

At the start of the 2011-12 season Villarreal were placed in a Champions League group alongside the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Napoli. By the next season, they would be playing in Segunda (Spain's second division) with the likes of Xerez, Huesca and Guadalajara.

Having finished fourth the previous year, the Yellow Submarine's fall to Segunda was one of the most dramatic stories in Spanish football that season. Villarreal started the final day of the season in 16th place and one point off the relegation zone, with most convinced that they were too big a club to go down. Despite never having won La Liga, this was, after all, the team that Manuel Pellegrini had taken to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2006, only to be undone by a Jens Lehmann penalty save for Arsenal in the 90th minute, and the team that had finished runners-up in La Liga in 2008.

But no club is too big to go down, as Villarreal discovered in the dying minutes of their clash with Atletico Madrid, as results conspired against them. First Atletico scored in the 88th minute and then Rayo Vallecano netted against Granada to seal Villarreal's unlikely fate. 

It was a combination of factors that had seen them go down. Many pointed to the sale of star player Santi Cazorla to Malaga, the various managerial changes, Guiseppe Rossi's injury and the reliance on key players such as Diego Lopez, Borja Valero and Bruno Soriano. But Lopez's analysis was spot-on. 'We have gone down because we haven't done well.' 

Diego Lopez is now first-choice 'keeper at Real Madrid, whilst Rossi is scoring freely for Fiorentina, with Borja Valero playing in the same outfit. Bruno, however, remains at Villarreal, and is now club captain. On Friday he scored a goal against Malaga in La Liga. The game ended 1-1, but whilst this may have been acceptable in that fateful season when they went down (Malaga finished fourth that season), Villarreal are now aspiring to better things, and this was a disappointing result, demonstrating just how far they have come since the heartbreak of that final-day drama two years ago. 

Manager Marcelino is one of the reasons that Villarreal are doing so well this season.

They have rebuilt under exciting manager Marcelino, who some doubted when he first took the job. There were fears over whether the former Racing manager could manage the pressure from fans who desperately wanted promotion, but these were quickly dispelled as Villarreal finished second in Segunda and gained automatic promotion to La Liga. They now find themselves in fourth place, having made the best ever start for a newly-promoted team, and Marcelino has earned himself a two-and-a-half year contract extension. 

Indeed, Marcelino is seen as a manager who works best when he is not under pressure, and can implement his style effectively. Under his dynamic style, which involves 'quick and collective' football with 'every player actively looking to win the ball back', as he recently stated in an interview with UEFA.com, players such as Bruno have flourished, and along with the likes of Giovani Dos Santos (who himself suffered relegation last year with Mallorca), Cani and Uche (who only last weekend scored a fantastic overhead kick) they look to be one of the few sides that can really stay in touch with the top three in La Liga. 

Bruno is club captain and an important player in Villarreal's starting XI.

Bruno has been the player who has benefitted the most from Marcelino's presence at the club. The midfielder is a key piece of Villarreal's attack and defence, and Marcelino recently said that there were only two midfielders in the whole of Spain that were better than him, Xavi and Iniesta. Whilst this may be going a bit too far, it is clear that Bruno has become Villarreal's most influential player, and can expect a call-up from Del Bosque very soon if he carries on his imperious form. 

The high-pressure football that Villarreal play has been facilitated by the work of the club's nutritionist in reducing the weight of the players, and the club has an excellent youth system, with promising first-choice players such as Musacchio and Jonathan Pereira having graduated from Villarreal B, which, along with the likes of Barcelona B and Real Madrid Castilla, has been one of the most successful B teams in Spain in recent years. 

Relegation was a chance for the entire club to pick themselves up and start afresh. If they can keep up the same intensity throughout the rest of the season then they will surely find themselves in fourth place, behind only the likes of Atletico and the big two. Whether they can go beyond is debatable this season, but, if the youth system carries on producing players with enough quality and Marcelino keeps on motivating his squad, there is no doubt that they will be up there in years to come. The Yellow Submarine is back, and better than ever. 

By Tomás

Arsenal: just how far can they go?

Patience is most definitely a virtue, as Arsenal fans are deservedly discovering. 

Writing this in the wake of Arsenal's entertaining 2-0 victory over Liverpool, everything seems to be distinctly rosy concerning the Gunners at the moment. If you were reading this on approximately the 18th August, you would doubtless be reading a very different assessment indeed. In my opinion this is a stark message to not produce anything too reactionary, however, since that fatal day against Aston Villa where chants of "Speed, Spend, Spend!" and "Wenger Out" could be heard echoing around the Emirates, or perhaps more intensely on Twitter (I'm looking at you, Piers), Arsenal have beaten Fenerbache twice, Fulham, Spurs, Sunderland, Marseille, Stoke, Swansea, Napoli, Norwich and Palace - the only blip in the league being a draw at The Hawthorns, which is hardly a disgraceful result - (not to mention the stunning run of form Arsenal experienced in the 2nd half of last season). This, in my opinion, strongly suggests that Arsenal are a serious force to be reckoned with, rather than an average team in a brief vein of form. But just what can this Arsenal team achieve? And if they are genuine title contenders, why?

At the time of writing, Arsenal are in 1st place, 5 points ahead of second. This brings me nicely onto my first (obvious) point - if Arsenal don't win the league, who will? Last season's Champions, Manchester United, have found a real gem of a player in Adnan Januzaj, and Wayne Rooney appears to be entering better form, but obvious defensive cracks appeared in the loss to West Brom, draw at home to Southampton and even the 3-2 win at home to Stoke. I'm not for a minute attempting to suggest United were a particularly amazing defensive side under Sir Alex Ferguson, but there is a sense (supported by ex-pros) that teams are not as intimidated by the forlorn figure of David Moyes on the Old Trafford bench, as they were by the deity Sir Alex. It could also be argued that the fact Januzaj appears to be so influential after just a handful of Premier League starts suggests a lack of quality senior players at United. I believed Arsenal would finish above United before the season began, and I personally maintain that view. City and Chelsea arguably have more eye-catching and 'world-class' players than Arsenal, but I believe this is only truly the case in certain areas. Chelsea obviously have a superb attacking midfield, but appear to lack firepower up front, and defensive midfield and indeed defence itself sometimes seem shaky to me - this has been evident in away losses to Everton and Newcastle on Saturday. Likewise Manchester City have a brilliant midfield and sometimes attack, with the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo to name just a few. But their 'first-choice' 'keeper seems to be faltering, and Vincent Kompany bears such a commanding influence that is so vital to City that this is surely a worry for fans, when he is fairly frequently injured. Liverpool, in my blue-tinted mind, are not really title contenders, but even so have shown their susceptibility to better teams with a defeat at Anfield to Southampton, and indeed the loss yesterday. Their midfield was, I believe, utterly dominated and outclassed by Arsenal's, and it is only a matter of time before Luis Suarez incurs a 10-match-ban for some despicable act. I like to think Everton have a good shot at the Champions League, but realistically the Premier League is a pipe-dream, as we are a loan-striker away from Arouna Koné being our first choice, with misfiring Nikica Jelavic in reserve. Spurs probably have a better chance, but things don't seem to have fully clicked yet (this could be interpreted positively), as some of Tottenham's new signings haven't fully adapted yet, and a lack of goals from open play is never really a good sign.

Gareth who? 

Arsenal definitely don't have the squad depth of some of their more free-spending peers, (a bench of Fabianski, Jenkinson, Monreal, Hayden, Akpom and Bendtner was indicative of this), but this was largely down to an injury crisis. Arsenal's midfield is as strong as any, with Mathieu Flamini performing an admirable job anchoring the midfield, allowing the likes of Özil, the amazing Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere to flourish, with Mikel Arteta also playing a disciplined integral role. There's plenty of spice to bring on from the bench as well, with Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the young but impressive Gnabry, plus Walcott and Podolski to return from injury. Goalkeeper has been brought up frequently as a weak point of Arsenal over recent seasons, and despite perhaps having a season to forget last term, Wojciech Szczesny has strung together a series of vastly improved performances of late. Central defence appears finally to be a source of consistency and competency now, with the erratic-but-adept Laurent Koscielny partnered by experienced oversee-er Per Mertesacker. Kieran Gibbs can claim to be one of the Premier League's most improved defenders too, and Monreal is a more-than-acceptable backup, whilst Bacary Sagna has returned to his form from a few seasons ago (admittedly Arsenal are extremely weak in centre-back depth). Olivier Giroud was overly-criticised last season, and is reaping the rewards of his persistence. His finishing is good, and I have also noticed how skilful he can be in link-up-play. Arsenal can comfortably say they can field a starting XI that is as good as any in the Premier League on their day, and could also play a decent second XI too. 

Arsene Wenger. One man can have a massive influence on a club, and how it is run, from the very top onto the field of play. Wenger possesses a supreme tactical knowledge and philosophy that could be perceived to have bordered on stubborn at times, but is now (not for the first time by any means) basking in its abundant success. The patience shown in players, primely Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud, is also paying huge dividends. This could be Arsene Wenger's last year of managing Arsenal, or any management whatsoever, and I'm sure he'd like to go out in glory. Arsenal fans have endured some tough times in recent years, but the faith shown by both the board (who rightly come under fire a lot), and the majority of reasonable fans has been well-placed, without a shadow of doubt. 

A slightly minor point, but it has been well documented how Arsenal have had a tendency to shift their beset players in recent years - be it Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri or Cesc Fabregas. Of course, that trio, and others, have been good players, but the prudent approach is finally reaping its rewards, and this summer Arsenal merely got rid of deadwood, and brought in some okay player whose name I forget.

The epitome of fickleness. 

I would love to see Arsenal claim silverware this season. In my opinion, the Champions League is beyond them, but the only sticking point domestically would be if an even worse injury crisis were to hit, or a team like City or Chelsea went on an unmatchable run. The Gunners would do well to buy cover in both the centre of defence and centre forward region in January. There would certainly be a sense of circularity and 'The Last Laugh', if we witness, er, Thomas Vermaelen lifting the Premier League trophy come May.

By Alex 

PFTB Podcast- Episode Two

PFTB Episode 2 by Play From The Back on Mixcloud

PFTB Podcast- Episode One

PFTB Episode 1 by Play From The Back on Mixcloud

Real Sociedad: the team to watch in Europe?

These are great times for Real Sociedad, but they're no newcomers to the Champions League. 

Six years is a long time. In 2007, the first ever iPhone had just been announced, Liverpool were in the Champions League final and Real Sociedad were relegated from La Liga. How times can change. Nowadays the iPhone is on its 5th generation (the 5S was revealed on Tuesday), memories of the Champions League are distant for Liverpool fans and Real Sociedad are in the Champions League.

However, it's not as if Real Sociedad are newcomers to Europe's top club competition. In the 2002-03 season the Txuri-Urdin almost won the league title, only to be pipped at the post by Real Madrid. The second-placed finish was a huge achievement for a Real Sociedad side that had finished in 13th place for the last three seasons, and granted them a place in the Champions League. This was thanks in no small part to the brilliant performances of a youthful Xabi Alonso, a deadly striking combination in Nihat and Kovacevic, as well as a famous 4-2 win against Los Blancos at the Anoeta stadium. 

Whether 'second season syndrome' exists is debatable, but what is certain is that Real Sociedad struggled with the demands of an extra competition the next season. Dropping out at the round of 16, having lost 2-0 on aggregate to a Lyon side which included the likes of Essien, Malouda and Sydney Govou, the team from San Sebastián sunk to 15th place in La Liga. In the two seasons that followed they came 14th and 16th, until they were finally relegated in 2007. 

But this year the roles were reversed. After a brilliant season in which Real Sociedad were La Liga's surprise package, finishing in fourth place (see my La Liga season review), they came up against none other than Lyon in the qualifiers.

   Although this was hardly a grudge match for Real Sociedad (the only player who had been in the squad for the tie in 2004 and remained was Xabi Prieto), they made their superiority felt. Two exquisite goals in the first leg from Griezmann and star signing Seferović, as well as a brace from Carlos Vela in the home tie meant that the Txuri-Urdin were back in Europe, and fans were ecstatic.

Rewind a few weeks however, and the feeling among the Anoeta faithful was not so positive. Having lost influential coach Phillipe Montanier to Rennes, many were unsure what to expect under assistant manager-turned head coach Jagoba Arrasate. Fortunately for fans of both football and Real Sociedad, the attractive football that made followers of La Liga sit up and take notice last year continues to be implemented under the homegrown Arrasate. Esteban Granero, formerly of Real Madrid, was signed on loan from QPR to cover for the absence of Illarramendi, whilst promising Swiss hotshot Haris Seferovic was captured from Fiorentina. 

Seferovic could be the last piece of the jigsaw for La Real. 

The striker was another of whom many were unsure what to expect. Seferović was the star of the U19 World Cup in 2009, eclipsing the likes of Neymar and Isco in the process, but since then has found his career at a crossroads, similar to Carlos Vela when he joined the Basque team. Nonetheless, Seferović is only 21 years old, and has started his career at Real Sociedad brightly, scoring 4 goals in a friendly, that goal against Lyon and an audacious chip on the first day of La Liga. Not bad for someone whose career needed 'salvaging' according to some. 

  Seferović is perhaps the last piece of the jigsaw for this brilliant side. For all of Agirretxe's qualities, the Swiss offers a more mobile threat, and will cause defences in Europe all sorts of problems. 

Real Sociedad have the ability to make waves in Europe this season as the 'hipsters' team. Although it will be a very tough ask to progress, it is not impossible. Manchester United haven't been impressive so far this season, whilst Moyes is inexperienced when it comes to the Champions League. Leverkusen and Shakhtar are obviously both good sides, but neither is invincible. Don't be surprised if Real Sociedad scrape through to the knockout rounds in 2nd place.

After a summer in which many of La Liga's top sides lost their best players, La Real also have the ability to finish in a European spot. Malaga are an almost completely different side following the exodus from La Rosaleda this summer, Valencia have lost Soldado and Sevilla have lost their two best players in Navas and Negredo. Helder Postiga has had a fine start at Valencia, but question marks remain in other positions. The interesting project that Sevilla embarked on, meanwhile, has so far yielded zero wins after three games, despite a spirited performance against Barcelona last night. Real Sociedad meanwhile, have a settled squad with bags of ability. It is time to take advantage. 

By Tomás

Everton Evolution?

A manager famed for his forward-thinking and tactical freedom- but will Everton really play much differently to last season?  

After the 11 year reign of David Moyes, the appointment of any manager would undoubtedly bring about changes at Everton. The capture of former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez, however, immediately signalled alterations of a fairly drastic kind. On a coaching level, the 39-year-old Spaniard had to fill the gap left by United-bound assistant Steve Round, and coaches Jimmy Lumsden and Chris Woods. Martinez sought familiar faces - the likes of Graeme Jones, Inaki Bergara and Kevin Reeves - whom he had worked with not only at Wigan, but also at Swansea,where he was credited with starting the revolution in playing style which evolved under Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup, and ultimately led to Premier League football, a platform far away from the position Swansea City found themselves in when Martinez was appointed manager. But it was not merely the coaching staff that Martinez found himself visiting his old club for. Although tags such as 'Everton Athletic' are not only infuriating but also inaccurate (Martinez has only bought one player from Wigan - Arouna Kone), it is true that Martinez has worked with 3 of  his 4 signings (at the time of writing) before Everton. So even before a ball had been kicked it seemed evident that Martinez was not shirking from imposing his own stamp and philosophy on the club.

Gerard Deulofeu, an exciting addition, and a loan swung by Martinez's presence. 

Following Premier League games against Norwich and West Brom, many pundits could be found proclaiming the sizeable change in playing style in the brief interlude between the Moyes departure and the full time whistle in the first two games of the season. It is true, Everton could be found perching proudly at the summit of passing statistics (be it quantity or quality), but had the team actually evolved?

Of the four players signed none of them made the starting XI in either match (Arouna Kone featured as a substitute twice - for a combined total of about 30 minutes). In both games a 4-2-3-1 formation was preferred - the only difference in selection to last season was the starting of wonderkid Ross Barkley and the role of Marouane Fellaini (a deeper role, which the Belgian himself has gone on the record saying he prefers). I was at Goodison Park for the West Brom match, and it was clear that Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin had been instructed to *pun* Play From the Back. This was obviously causing the reliable duo some difficulty, and after the first 10 minutes or so were spent with Everton's back four in possession of the ball, an ever-so-slightly more direct approach was preferred. In formation, then, there was no visible change. But in playing style there was an alteration, albeit fairly slight. 

Ross Barkley, set to flourish under Martinez. 

Many people will claim David Moyes' Everton teams were hard-working, gritty teams who fought to win games. This perception was true up to a point. Midfields containing players such as Lee Carsley, Simon Davies and Zinedine Kilbane were always going to be slightly more industrial than mesmerising. However, the introduction of the more stylish Mikel Arteta, Steven Pienaar, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (yes, really), and more recently Kevin Mirallas, has provided Everton with a flair they perhaps previously lacked. It would certainly be harsh to say Everton did not play fantastic football at times last season. The 3-0 win at Swansea, the Fulham away tie and the 2-0 win against West Ham (Moyes' last home game as manager) spring to mind as examples where Everton passed the ball fluidly and precisely. However, it is true that at times Phil Jagielka had a tendency to lump the ball forward to a battling Marouane Fellaini in an advanced role, and as Nikica Jelavic's goals dried up, the 'physical' Victor Anichebe was often preferred as a striking option. 

My point is, for all the (probably justified) furore concerning Roberto Martinez and his style of play (its ultra-attacking nature and three man defence), perhaps, judging on the first two league games, the changes won't be so pronounced. I stress judging on the first two league games, but I don't believe that Everton's attacking play so far has been any more impressive or fluid than it was at times last season. Perhaps the difference between Martinez and Moyes is that Moyes was happy to play pretty football against lesser opponents, but often reverted to a more rigid style against better teams, whereas Martinez will persist with his ideology at all times against all teams. What will be more effective remains to be seen - both have pros and cons, and both have experienced varying results. For example, Everton beat Manchester United 1-0 in a game where Fellaini's strength was used to its full, and United's makeshift defence was targeted time after time. However, Moyes' seemingly negative style resulted in a staggering 0 wins at Old Trafford, Anfield, The Emirates and Stamford Bridge in the entirety of his reign. On the other hand, Martinez succeeded in some great triumphs with lowly Wigan - winning at the Emirates, routing Everton themselves at Goodison Park, and outplaying Manchester City to seal a magnificent FA Cup win. However, there were the crushing defeats - the 9-1 Spurs loss, the 5-0 at Old Trafford in 2011, or the 4-0 defeat at home to Arsenal - there are many to draw upon. 

Amid interest from United, will Kenwright remain vigilant, or succumb to the charms of his best-mate Moyes? 

It would be fair to expect that Everton players would be quicker to adapt to a new system than Wigan players, but after 11 years minimal changes can be magnified. Whether Martinez will have the boldness or even resources to change the style and formation more significantly remains to be seen, but if the first two games are anything to go by, it won't be too much too soon. And don't forget, Everton weren't half bad under Moyes at times last season too.

Whatever Martinez eventually decides upon in terms of formation and style, he must be given time and patience by Everton fans who have rightly come to expect much, but must also realise they are punching above their weight - not in stature (Everton is the 4th most successful team and has been in the top-flight the longest out of any club), but in finance - and although David James' prediction of 16th is ludicrous, it might be realistic to suggest a couple of years of mid-table are in the offing, at least while Martinez is not allowed to spend accordingly.