MY TAKE ON MADRID DERBY.

 the madrid derby was played on sunday . before writing about the game as always i want to have something off my chest . ath mad have one of the best squad in europe . many of the clubs will envy ath mad squad . another thing is that simeone is also top paid managers in the world . the thing that wonders me is as to how does simeone is able to keep his job . looking at simeone's team is like looking at mouriniho's team . the team has no cohesion and for he didnt even take into account the qualities that the player possess and in which zone he can be useful and how he should operate . different players have different qualities and it is the managers job to gel them together . for that he needs to find them the positions from where they can be effective . its the managers job to devise tactics and get them to perform . its just not important to put these players in their comfort zone but also put players around who will support each other and thats how you devise tactics . tactics is just not putting players on the field and asking them to perform . secondly its common to question the losing team and analyze the factors which led to their downfall . 

ath mad started the game with 5-3-2 while real madrid started with 4-3-3 formation. let me start with ath mad they had three at the back with two wingbacks . they had three in the middle out of which two are out and out defensive minded then they had two upfront with griezman and jaoa felix. griezman like to play around a big forward while jaoa felix likes to take on players  and has a good pace and dribbling skill which he can use to beat players . ath mad like to play on the counter attack . simeone team never had cohesion so if the team sit back and just slow them down then they are not able to play .there are so many good players in the team but there is just no cohesion in them . there were three midfielders in the middle so there would be little space through the centre of the pitch . so that is why he wanted to have two full backs who have pace and dribbling ability . 

as i had said before football is like a chess game . both try to do out do each other . now simeone played carrasco and llorenete( he is very good midfielder but just because idiot enrique plays him as a fullback he is played as a full back by simeone . this reminds me of michael essien and owen hargreaves who were very good midfielders but were played as right back by their managers just to accomodate them in the team and if they need to change formation then they can switch their positions if the needs arises) as wing backs . in the opening exchanges of the match carrasco found the space to run on carvajal . he did very good in the dribbling exchange with carvajal but the trouble is that the forwards just didnt had the sense as to how position themselves . there are some position where on you just take to bind the opposition like the no.9 who plays on the shoulder of the last defender so that any mistake by the centre backs creates a tap in situation for him. neither jao felix nor griezman play as no.9 so they dont know on how to take positions on such plays . the other thing is the lack of positonal understanding by felix and griezman . they should had made themselves availble  for the pass so that carrasco would had passed to them . secondly he should had instill some discipline in carrasco . when he drives ball that time he is very single minded instead he needs to find players in the box which makes him more threatning and the opposition cannot have read on him as to what he will do next . 

as i had said this is a chess game carrasco would trouble carvajal so ancelotti brought valverde to help calvajal defend carrasco . both ath mad and real played  three in the middle but none of the team were pressing each other . the second player that i was talking about was de paul . when he is on the ball then you need to be very switched on . you try to make yourselves available . he is the one player who can slip the ball when the opposition least expect it . you find the best example of it in the 38th and 56th mnute of the match . he just slipped the ball and the player was just not switched on. paul is not the most mobile one but he is one of the best passer and his reading on the offensive front is very good one but sadly under manager like simeone he is totally wasted . 

real madrid sold casmeiro in summer to man utd and he was replaced Aurélien Tchouaméni. i think that real madrid got an upgrade on casmeiro. he stands tall on the ball and his game reading is also very good . one point i forgot to mention . real madrid played a very deep line compared to ath mad . there was always going to be space behind the fullbacks . they played qute a high line and the other feature was that they didnt even tried to press any of the midfielders . the game reading was very poor from ath mad and they paid for that . the first goal was what i would be proud of because that's how i operate or play . there isnt much to write about this game . but the sad thing was that both hermoso and witsel should had read that move quite a bit earlier . hermoso should had used his head or any other body part other than hand to clear the ball and if you see the replay then you can see that header was the better the choice than clearing it by foot . 

i had been watching other games and i would like to summarize them in short . first off juventus played psg in the ucl . i had said that the team should play to its strength instead of trying to outdo opposition . juventus played two big forwards in the game. whatever chances that juventus created in the game were from the crosses from the wide areas . you are playing two big forwards who are good headers of the ball . play to their strengths get the ball wide and start crossing the ball . when you start doing that then the opposition tries to stop you which opens up space in other areas of the field . instead juventus tried to be cute and tried to outpass psg which is studpidity . secondly juventus dont have any flare player anymore and are devoid of any creative spark . 

the other game that was played was the game between bayern munich vs barcelona . in first half barcelona were very good . but if xavi looks at the tapes and analyzes the game then he should realize that they were just one move short in the final third . two players like rafiniha and lewandowski were combining nicely but a third angle or third pass was required to make it more effective and potent. the second goal was the most important play in the game . that move can be likened to the basketball where on the guard gets a free run in the paint for dunk . after that goal xavi replaced christensen just because he thought that he was responsible for that goal . since he could read the play and stop sane in the tracks . the question that i want to ask is why didnt he replace sergio busquetus who had been poor all these years . untill now till rakitic was playing besides him he was doing up the mop up work but since he had left busquestus had been badly exposed and he is the one who should been replaced not christensen . barcelona are playing a decent game but they need to gel their players together to make them more potent and be more effective. 

MY THINKING ABOUT MAN UTD .

 whoever had been reading my blog would had noticed that i hadnt done any man utd game for the last 2 years because after watching them i didnt felt that they were upto the standard of a good team . now man utd had appointed new manager in erik ten heg . he had brought some players from his former club mainly lisandro martinez . they had also signed casmeiro who is also a good player . over the years man utd had accumalated defenders after defenders but always signed the wrong ones. they had let go of some of the better players plus they had been interested in some very wrong players . what they need is a good creative midfielder who can use the players around him. man utd had been in the market for a good creative midfielder. name like melinkovic -savic and others were linked with a move to utd .  i find it stupid that these so called scouts or even the manager cant see a real talent . for me utd needs a player like rodrigo de paul, danny almo or lazio's former liverpool player luis alberto . for me rodrigo de paul and danny almo are the best candidates for man utd transfer . i find it amazing that these names are not linked with the club. danny almo had been the best player for spain and many clubs should had been in the market for him. technically he is very good and also a good passer of the ball . de paul had shown some very good eye for pass .his spotting is very good and that is the kind of player that utd need . if utd sign any of the player then i need to get paid . 

the thing that i am going to write is from one of my favourite coaches who always thinks out of the box . carlos queroz not only coached good football but also an out of the box thinker . utd had signed lisandro martinez who is just 5-9 but his speciality is the ability to play out from the back . he can do pin point 35-40 yards passes and also is very good passer on the floor . but my fear is that putting him against much bigger opponents and he could be utd's weak link .i think what utd needs to do is play him in the defensive midfielder position . utd had signed casmeiro for that but there will be games where utd will have to feild two defensive midfielders and he can be an able candidate . his passing ability as well as his game reading can be very handy to the team . 

last but the most important ronaldo staying at the club had been in the papers . idiots like carragher wanted ronaldo to leave the club . i think both utd need ronaldo and viceversa . ronaldo had got old and he hasnt got the pace that was there . he cannot now chase balls that will be played behind the defense . but his importance and his ability cannot be undermined . he is still the best header of the ball and has a thuderous shot from anywhere near the box . now then ten heg needs to change his game style . he needs to learn playng his back to the goal and let the younger players bomb beyond him and then can come into box or around the box and use his powerful shot . his time to chase balls is over instead he has to make adjustments to his game which messi had done beautifully . he can be assist as well as scoring champions because he may had lost the pace but his jumping power is still there and that is his main weapon. ten heg just needs to get him on the same page and we can see a good team . 

MY TAKE ON THE GAME BETWEEN LIVERPOOL VS REAL MADRID .

 liverpool played real madrid in the final of the ucl . before i write about the game let me tell you that even though these are premier league stars and playing at the highest level . they are making boyish mistakes . these are not tacitcal mistakes but technical mistakes . i had said earlier that little things in the game are the difference between winning and losing. the coaches job is not only coaching team the tactical aspect of the game but also making his players technical efficient as well so that when the need arises they can improvise . as i had before in this age coaches have the luxury of watching tapes they can watch live games as well they can go to opponent games and get a first hand experience of the game. i was surprized abput liverpools defense after the blunders that they had made in the last game . now nobody will write about that and i too had not written because the opposition wasnt that good and the tie was dead rubber . in the second game against villareal liverpools defense was badly exposed . i think that kloop should had looked at that and should had corrected the errors that his players are doing while on defense . the one mistakes that they were making was the difference between the winner and loser in this game. the other thing that i want to point is that kloop coaches his team nicely and has a good idea as to what they should do in the final third but they are one dimensional and can only play on counter attack . kloops team struggles when the opposition sits back and have players behind the ball . 

real and liverpool both started the game with 4-3-3 formation . ancelotti must had studied liverpool and he just asked his team to sit back but at the same what he did was that he would press them a little to get them slow down and so real could get players behind the ball . liverpool played very well in the first 20 min. ancelotti was offering liverpool time and space on the ball and liverpool were able create some chances in the first 20 min. they had pinned real madrid in their own half . all through out the match liverpool forwards were space and time on the ball. one the liverpool forwards would come deep and he would have time and space on the ball but the trouble was that the other two forwards would remain wide . there was nobody who would go beyond the forward who would come deep . they were just stuck to their positions and they could derive the advantage that was offered to them . for first 20 min only real goal keeper kept the slate clean. in this match klopp tried play man vs man in the midfield . he knew that the real madrid midfielders are not that mobile and they can be pressed . so kloop had asked his midfielders henderson and thiago to press hard on modric and kroos . it also meant that real madrid had to go direct from back to front because they were getting closed down in the midfield . this startegy worked very well because real had to play 30-40 yard passed to find benzema and vinicius . this worked very well for liverpool since they could see the long balls coming and defend properly . this startegy woked nicely but then kloop couldnt reap the benefits of the ball possession that they had .the one complain that i have about liverpool is that they are one dimensional and that is klopp's shortcoming . when things are not going your way you try to change things because the players realize that the plan a that they executing is not working and they want to try something different and that is where the coach comes in. he should be there to spot the weak links in the opposition and should be able to improvise things . i really wanted to see origi instead of jota since he would added another dimension to the liverpool offense . he has the height to trouble the defenders and would tied the central defenders which would had created space for salah and mane to operate . after 20 min just as the game settled real started to come up the field and they started to have a bit higher backline since they knew that they were getting bogged down . 

this was the direction of the back four when the ball was wide with valverde or carvajal.

now real madrid's main threats are vinicius and benzema . real madrid just hijacked liverpool's plan and made them play possession football which they are not very good at . while they played there own game. even though real's main weapons are vinicius and benzema they are not complete without valverde and his hard work . he may not be the most talented but he is decently talented and his hard work is second to none and he will execute  just coaches instruction to fore . in this game when vinicius wasnt able to create things you could see that valverde took on himself to create things for real . he was constantly troubling robertson and his pace was a  constant trouble for robertson . before that goal too he had created a chance which benzema couldnt score . 

this is how the right backs posture should while defending from opposite flank . 

the reason for me writing this piece was that the way liverpool back four performed . there were two instances in which the game changed . you play the game because you need to raise your concentration levels .defense isnot that easy . not only do you need to have a positional sense but also you need to have your bodily position correct so that you are able to see threats that are coming . after the villareal game i think that klopp may have worked his team on defense and would had corrected the defecencies that his team had on defense . in football you are thinking of defending while on offense atleast that what the defenders do and vice versa . you have to be constantly on your toes in football. the defensive positions requires some extra bit because a mistake from them can be fatal . as i had said that the back four always has to make reading as to from where the threat can come from and how they can stop it in the tracks or atleast not let it get to fruition . van dyk is considered on of the best central defenders in the premier league . i think in the last against villareal he was caught sleeping which led to the first villareal goal.the ball was in midfield and benzema was in between him and robertson and most importantly they were holding a high line . van dyk should had known that benzema could be released beyond him and he should had taken position in which he would either be close to benzema or he would try to catch benzema off side . he could direct robertson to get closer to him or mark him. instead he was caught ball watching and what happened afterwards was a farce . 

the other incident which led to the goal was the one that is most important and it was the sole reason as to why i wanted to write this post . alexander-arnold the liverpool right back is very good at going forward but he lacks the concentration that is required to be a right back . now i had seen right backs who were not that good going forward but they were good at defending which is their primary concern . in the game against villareal alexander arnold was exposed his concentration level and his bodily position is very wrong . the ball is coming from the opposite flank and what the players do is that they get their body turned in that direction because of this they cannot look the threats that are their back. if instead of turning fully you just turn partially then you can see the ball that is coming but also the player that is making the run ( i will explain this in the digram .) even though these players are professional they make these mistakes and pay for it which is what liverpool paid . 

 

MY TAKE ON THE GAME BETWEEN MAN CITY VS REAL MADRID.

 man city played real madrid in the ucl s/f . for a long time now this was the game in which i had not used the remote in the first half . i think the gaurdiola must had read me and his team played proper football . they had a  proper no.9 for man city in the match . in my last post about man city i think that i had stressed about de bruyne quality and it was evident in the first half . i dont know but he kind of faded in the second half . man city had lot of opportunities and they missed a lot and it come back to bite them in the back in the second leg or if the result of the tie is decided. last but not the least i had been talking about technical aspects of the game . in the football world technical ability means how pin pointly you can do an aerial pass ( as kroos picked out rodrigo for the first goal)or how well they control that ball ( aerial ball). to be honest nobody cares as to they play that simple football that is play with middle of the foot or control that simple floor pass . if man city had did that properly ( foden ) then i think man city would have had one foot in the final . 

real started the game with 4-3-3 formation . man city started the game with the 4-2-3-1 . now in football you have to think about defense while you are on offense and viceversa . real made change in their regular line up . they brought rodrigo in place of casmeiro . the thinking was that they needed quick players who can exploit the high line that man city deploys while on defense. kroos and modric are indespensable while valverde too has made him indespensable because of his hard work . just as real madrid had studied man city gaurdiola too had done his homework . he knew of  real counter attacking formation . he knows that vinicius is kept high of the pitch by real madrid for his pace . so he played john stones but he asked stones to be conservative and never tried to go too much high off the pitch and get caught on the wrong side of vinicius . secondly compared to other games man city played a little deeper than usual in this game . they let real madrid come on to them than they going to go and press them . 

the game started at the very good pace . i had already said that de bruyne is a special player and his qualities were evident in the first 25 min as he was involved in everything from creating to finishing . for the first goal if you had looked very carefully then vinicius was partly responsible for the goal as well as mendy . now mahrez will always try to cut on his strong foot and modric who was on that side should had closed him down .but mahrez run may not had come to frutition had de bruyne not made the run.if you had seen earlier matches then none of the man city players would make those kind of runs in the box . the second goal was nothing but a good pass by de bruyne but stupid defending by militao who under estimated his opponent and tried to get the better of him and paid the price . man city could had scored the third when de bruyne thread real madrid defense on the counter attack and foden failed to score . i think man citys missed chances may just come back to haunt them .

real were playing on the counter attack . in this match real used two fast paced counter attacking players compared to one since ancelotti knew that man city may try to contain vinicius and it was evident in the first half as silva would come up to double up on vinicius with stones . real scored the first goal from a mendy cross . now if you had seen then man city many a wrong things on the defense . first kroos passed the ball to rodrigo . now i had written about zinchenko as to how his mistake led to the goal . first off it was more than 40 yard pass and if zinchenko wanted then he could have gone on and compete for the ball . secondly when the ball reached mendy at that time benzema had shown hand and zinchenko should had realized his mistake .he had time to correct his position and should had been goal side and guard benzema and make it difficult for him to score.

in the first half stones went off and fernandiniho came off in his place . compared to stones his approach was different . he was getting tight on him while stones let him come on him and wait for the right moment to dislodge him off the ball . the third goal came off for man city because fernandiniho nicked ball off vinicius and foden made the run in the box ( different than man city's character to score). but on the very next move fernandiniho was fooled by vinicius and his defenders didnt cover for him which led to the goal. in the second half man city tried to  slow down the game but then deep in the game you cannot press as efficiently as you can do in the first half . most importantly man city has to build around de bruyne . in the second half his influence on the game was very small compared to what he did in the first half . 

real madrid will have to very good in the second leg . the reason i am saying is this . real madrid are mostly dependent on benzema and vinicius for their counter attacks and but for them to be successful they like the opposition to come on them and press them . for me ancelotti has put players in their positions and told them on how to operate but they dont have the cohesion as to how they will open the defense and this was evident in the second half . benzema has the habit that he takes over the offense from either vinicius and rodrigo but they dont have that proper cohesion as to what they need to do and how they will open up that defense . apart from those two good goals against chelsea which were perfect headers which would had made ronaldo jelaous they didnt made the goalkeeper work that hard . even in this game they seem to be in each others way and they need to work as to how they are going to make runs and how they will take positions and how they make penetration in the opponents box when the defense is has taken positions .ancelotti and his players need to take some drills to make this intersting affair and for man city they just need to play proper football which they did in the first half . i think gaurdiola will bring walker in the second leg against vinicius and use cancello as the left back . 

MY TAKE ON BAYERN MUNICH VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND.

  yesterday dortmund played bayern munich in the german bundesliga . now in the game every aspect of the game is important  and the smallest of detail makes a world of difference in the outcome of the game and the opposition tries to exploit the smallest of advantage it has . also what i had stressed in my previous post is that you can make plan but how you improvise it is the most important thing . i dont think that in the game between two good opponents their plan A works but the coach who improvises and who's players execute it are the ones who come out victorous . while writing about this game i remembered former ac milan coach ariggo sacchi . tactics were there from the day this game was invented but sacchi was the one who was particular about the distace that needs to be the players . he was particular about the distance between players and the lines and he was very particular about the positions of the players with respect to the formation . i had said that the coaches are there are on the sidelines to observe and change things if the things are not working . for me dortmund coach marco rose was just didnt do enough . he could see that his team is struggling but he just didnt change the things . he could have asked his players to be more crisper on the ball and pass it quickly . he could have asked his players to be more compact because they were far too apart and far too much stretched for their own good . bayern were just picking their spots as to when and where they could press them and regain the possession . 

dortmund started the game with 4-2-4 while bayern started with 3-4-3 formation . the reason i am saying that dortmund started the game with 4-2-4 was that both the wingers and the front players played in a line and were high off the pitch . as i had said in my previous post that you may device tactics but the opponent will not respond to the way that you had calculated and that is where you need to improvise . i dont have any problem with dortmund coach playing 4-2-4 formation . for me dortmunds offense was just one dimensional . they were playing on the counter attack . rose had calculated that bayern like to press when they loose possession and they play a very high line which is required for pressing opposition . now here bayern just didnt press that hard . instead first they crowded the midfield and made sure that dortmund had to move the ball through the wings . the other reason for dortmund to move the ball through the wings was that they had winger who were high and wide and forwards too playing on the shoulders of the last defender . dortmund only had two in the middle so they tried to move the ball through the wings . now bayern just waited to right moment to press . they made dortmund slowed down the game and made them move the ball through the wings . now dortmunds failure is that they should had met fire with fire . they should had moved the ball more crisply . 

now as i had talked about the distance between the players in my first para . you cannot help notice the distance between dortmund players . they were too much distant for me . marko rose thinking might be correct that in trying to doing so he will stretch the opposition . but thinking requires proper execution and improvisation . first off they he didnt calculate that bayern will sit back slightly and press at the appropriate time but i wouldnt laud bayern but i would criticize dortmund . he should had realized that they were drolling on the ball and were not moving the ball crisply . most importantly they were just one dimensional in their offense . they were trying to release either halland or reus behind the back line. my question is how many times did they take the ball wide and tried to cross the ball in the box and test bayern's centre backs . just compare hallands height with bayern back three and see who has the advantage . in doing so would had give another added dimension to dortmunds offense . the only thing that dortmund were doing was trying to release halland behind the back three. if you had seen that bayern can be caught if you can bring ball from back to front then there is space on the either side of the back two since either pavard or hernandez comes out to press . even the goal that is scored by dortmund was a result because ball fell kindly to brandt because of the long clearance and he found reus in the box only to be fouled by kimmich . 

for the majority of the match dortmund were just poor they couldnt piece four passes together and kept on losing the possession. they just didnt had enough players involved in the build up and players stuck to their positions instead of involving in the build up which is nothing but lack of coaching since they should be first try to take the ball into the final third and then create from there . the lack of coaching is evident from the fact that the playes were trying to find passes and this happens when you are not properly coached . i think i dont need to write about bayern since i have wrote about them in past posts and they just execute their game . in this game they first slowed the game and then upped the tempo when they would take the ball upfield . 

MY TAKE ON MAN CITY VS ATH MAD .

 man city played ath mad in the q/f of the champions league . i had been reading people criticizing about ath mad performance . i think that they are half right . i wont criticize them about their defensive performance but i would be critical about their offense . just as diego simeone is criticized for their defensive approach then why is man city not questioned . to be honest let me make this statement then it will be reverberated around the world . i think that de bruyne and cancello are very good players and their spotting and decision making and positional understanding is a grade above the other players . for players like them you need to take inputs from them think of their strengths and prepare tactics around that . there were moments in that game that didnt do justice to their talents and most importantly that cancello is played out wide . i think that he can be brought back in the middle with his ball playing ability . the reason i am criticizing gaurdiola is that yes ath mad will play a defensive game . not everybody needs to play like man city . now you know that ath mad will build a wall but at the same time a coach like gaudiola who is not only paid handsomely but also has some of the best players in the world needs to find a way to breach that defense . what do you look when you look at the man city team. they are bunch of players who know as to what the shape of the team has to be but they dont know as to how they should put the ball in the back of the net or how they are going to create chances . if they would know then the passes would crisper and the game would be much more faster and ath mad would be more on there toes than they were . 

the game started with the familiar note of man city dominating the possession and ath mad sitting back and trying to hit on the counter attack. the reason why i had criticized gaurdiola  is that gaurdiola is not paid exorbitant amount of money to just stop team his opposition in tracks but to open opposition defenses at will . i am not saying that ath mad will make it easy they are there to make it hard but then i am talking about gaurdiola and not about just about any mediocre team but about man city who have the best team in the league . man city started the game with 4-3-3 formation while ath mad started the game with 4-4-2 formation . gaurdiola wanted his wide forwards to stretch the defense so that his midfielders can exploit those spaces and bomb beyond the back line . to be honest at times when he make a plan i dont think he thinks it through . first off he played bernardo silva as a 9 so any chance of winning headers in the box was gone . the most important thing  was that silva was never trying to get at the end of crosses that were made from the wide areas . i am criticizing because i know that the opposition is not there to make it easy for them . they are going to read the game try to make it as much tight as possible and stop you in the tracks but that why you are paid the top dollar and given the best player so that they are not lacking the skills that ordinary players dont have . to be honest for the whole of the game i didnt find man city mustering 4 passes in and around the box . gauriola was asking his wide players to  stay wide but it wasnt clear as to how they would work the ball inside . you can have the desirable shape but you have to work the ball and play according to oppositions strength and weakness . the best team that knows as to how to work the ball and bring into goal scoring positions is liverpool. the exactly know as to what their players should do in the final third and create chances . 

now gaurdiola had the desired shape that he wanted from his team but the thing is that there was nobody at the end of the cross . now why i am saying that gaurdiola doesnt deserve player  like de bruyne and cancello is because these guys are not just good with the ball but they are excellent spotters who can spot the weakness in the opposition ranks and but they need other players on same wavelength . you could see that in the second half with foden coming . he and de bruyne were on the same wavelength and combined together to score the goal. in the game there were two or three instances where on de bruyne and cancello spotted the players that can be released in space and in good position who can create chances but the trouble is that because of the lack of coaching and the players inability to spot that same space . the trouble is that even when they are released in the space they dont know as to what needs to be done next as to how they are going to create chances and put the ball at the back of the net . 

now ath mad were defensive and played on the counter attack and there is nothing wrong in that but the trouble is that when they have the ball that is when they need to use it very wisely . they should know that they are going to get pressed when they have the ball . now simeone used kongodibia who is a big unit and is good in one and one situations but lacks the mobility and the game reading ability that is wanted when playing in the midfield. ath mad likes to play on the counter and for that they started the game with jao felix who is good on the ball and had good pace and dribbling ability. the trouble with ath mad is that they play very deep and the chances they created are going to be far and few because most of the teams will stop them in the tracks . in the opening minutes of the game ath mad had the chances with felix driving the ball but again there was lack of coaching and i will explain that in the diagram .

 

in the first 10 min ath mad had the counter attack . here griezman(8) should had tried to get closer or try to be first to the ball . if he cannot then jaoa felix should try to cross a high ball to griezman  for header.

i see no problem in playing defensive football but the opposition will only respect you when you show your ability with the ball . teams will only fear any opposition when they see that they have good ball playing skills and their is cohesion in them . ath mad didnt had any cohesion had they had any cohesion then man city would had played at caution but they didnt . in the first half they just kept ath mad strapped in their own half . in the second half when  the players get tired and the game opened up still ath mad couldnt conjure a chance . ath mad were lucky that man city didnt put them to the sword or the tie would had  been over . 

CONTE.

 i had shelved this article but after reading conte's comments that he can walk out of the club since he was not supported by the club in transfer window . i want to talk about the things that are being said in the press . i think conte is highly paid for his services at spurs and he would had been made aware of the realities of the club. after the game what i read in the newspapers is that conte may walk out of the club if the club doesnt gets the player that he wants or that if he is not supported in the transfer window .i think that daniel levy must had talked on length with conte on this . but the one facet that nobody talks is that why is ndomble who is think is a very good player and is sought by psg is being kept out of the team and not being played just because of some personal differences . the other thing is the players that he played and even the formation that he deployed on that day and the tactics that he employs . i will  explain each point . first off just look at the players that he used .he used winks in front of the back five . now a couple of years ago spurs were playing bayern in the champions league and pochettino played winks in the same position that conte used in the game against chelsea . on that day bayern just made sure that they just pressed winks and they just did. winks likes to have time on the ball which bayern had noticied and they just pressed him and dispossed him off the ball and punished spurs . playing winks itself is a blunder for me . he had skipp and other players who can do that job for him . hoiberg was pushed wide to accommodate winks . why not ndomble who is very good . secondly conte likes to play on the counter attack .over the years all the team that he had coached had played with the same tactics and formation and spurs were not playing anything different . he really just couldnt see as to what the team was lacking or what corrections were needed to get his team in the game . they were just playing one dimensional game and chelsea could just stop them in the tracks or slow there pace down and nullify there offense . why dont they ask these questions to conte . he had problems every where in whichever team he coached . he had problem at juventus .chelsea and even at inter . when he was available in the summer no big team approached him. france and germany dont approach him or the teams there are too small for him. 

now lets talk about the game . conte used 4-4-2 formation in this game . he is not known to use this formation . but one thing that is common in whichever team he fields is that he like to have two up top . the other main facet is that he like to play counter attacking football . these are two main facets of his teams but there are other defects also that are there . when teams sit back then conte's team struggle with offense . second is that they are not able to control the tempo of the game . the game started with the  spurs sitting back and chelsea controlling tempo and possession . chelsea were more inclined to attack from the right because ziyech,azipilicueta and mount were on the side . ziyech was very good the reason being that he kept things very simple . just look the pass to release azipilicueta beyond him . just perfect ball with perfect weight on it . everybody had watched the game and like before i would like to point out some of the mistakes that were the reason as to why spurs lost the game . 

i will try to list the mistakes that spurs did with ball and without the ball . first off spurs were trying to play on the counter . when they were not going direct with kane and bergjwin they were moving the ball through flank and in doing that they were getting pressed and losing possession. conte should had noticed that and he should had asked the team to spread the play . winks should had been asked to be more involved in the build up . spurs should had moved the ball from one flank to another . secondly he should got more played in the final third of the opposition in trying to pressure them . the second thing is that on defense dier was sloppy . his mistakes would had cost spurs dearly . first thing there was only lukaku in the box . so he has to mark him only . he doesnt needs to nothing about the shape just man mark him . he could had slowed down the game and the most important mistake that he made was playing winks who is another stupid english footballer .