England Euro Strike force

With not much success in any of the international competitions and also having failed to win anything with the past golden generation of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Ashley Cole and David Beckham just to name a few, England could be blessed and look set to put their hopes and faith upon the country’s latest quality of strikers.

 The likes of Premier League joint leading scorer Jamie Vardy, ever experienced captain of Manchester United and England Wayne Rooney, the young Hotspur striker Harry Kane, injury prone striker of the Merseyside Red Daniel Sturridge and last but not least a striker with 137 EPL goals Jermaine Defoe. Besides Daniel Sturridge who has been on the side-lines for most of this season for Liverpool and as well as Rooney who has had a rather slow start to the season concerning his goalscoring.

 England does boast of three strikers who are consistent in their goal scoring; Vardy(15), Defoe(9) and Kane(12) have scored a number of 36 EPL goals collectively, if you were to put both Rooney and Sturridge in the equation that would tally up a total of more than 40 goals. 

What’s the way forward with such quality strikers for the England coach Roy Hodgson? Without the brilliant ball players in the midfield like Gerrard and Lampard or Scholes it seems like the people of the Queen will look to the likes of Jordan Henderson, Delle Ali, Ox lade Chamberlain, Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana to do the creative work or marshalling the midfield. 

Are these players fit enough to supply strikers…

For coach Hodgson it will fall down to the formation he chooses to go with considering the frontmen he has in line up. With Wayne Rooney as the captain it is guaranteed he will get a place in the starting 11. 

With that being said, a 4-4-2 formation set out as a 4-1-2-1-2 with the likes of Barkley, Sterling, Lallana and Rooney able to play the number 10 role, England could find themselves more than willing to have two men upfront. Splitting the function of the two central midfielders: one can be assigned to a deep role preferably Henderson/Ali and probably and use Rooney as the further placed midfielder in a number 10 role behind preferred strikers Vardy and Kane, with then Ali/Henderson  and Barkley creating the  rest of the diamond-shape midfield.

With much to say about England’s strikers, which pairing would do the 3 lions justice?

Vardy sitting already on 15 goals, Harry Kane on 12 goals they both tally up close to 30 goals.  If this was the duo to lead England then preferably Rooney will be a third striker in the team but from a midfield role.

The inclusion of Defoe would be best compliment by any of the strikers for he has proven to be a quality striker in any partnership. Sturridge on the other hand too is very mobile and athletic, his movement on and off the ball is hard to deal with for defenders and with clinical strikers such as Defoe and Kane their positioning in the opponent’s 18-yard box is excellent and  that’s if the supply is as brilliant as the strikers goal scoring rate.

Not touching on the team’s defence and midfield the main focus is the strike force. Can they do justice at this year’s European Competition?

Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane, Jermaine Defoe, Wayne Rooney and if fit Daniel Sturridge, can these men score England through?

We are yet to find out…

You have not been deserted football fans

Greetings Football fanatics

Do not hesitate, or do not feel forgotten, The World of Marvelous Football is still up and running regardless of the less promised updates. Unfortunately its exam’s time and most of you as the audience are still schoolers and some of you not but if I have to post articles I think its best that I provide adequate stories and not make them less informative.

Trust me there is so much to write about, from how Pirates dismantled Chiefs, to how Kaizer Chiefs have tried to make a few changes in their team’s line up, how Chelsea are still praying for better days and how Jamie Vardy is king of the EPL at the moment, how Manchester United is labelled the boring team… in Spain Messi’s absence doesn’t seem to be a problem for Barcelona and Sevilla on the other hand doing good with the quality and depth of their squad not forgetting Belgium who are now ranked  1^st  in the world and it’s all overwhelming right? Well that’s football for you. And I know to some, you can afford to miss out on the news, reviews and so forth. But then that doesn’t mean you can’t bring forward what you would like to see on the blog. Platforms are still open and feel free to drop request.

The international break is never a friend of us football fanatics, so hold on tight because when we make a return it’s the first instalment of the El Classico.

Kind Regards

Marvelous Bloggger. 

And it's exactly a year since #SenzoMeyiwa was killed, but his murder remains a mystery.
One year on and still nothing on who killed Senzo Meyiwa and why... South Africa was promised justice for Nzori, but after 365 days, ZERO.

South Africa’s Pride and Joy in Africa

South Africa’s Pride and Joy in Africa

BY: Vuyolethu Sithatu

As Orlando Pirates were victorious in Egypt against Al Ahly, too many it could’ve been the night of their lives and too many that is yet to come.

After an unconvincing performance at Orlando Stadium in their 1-0 first leg victory over their African rivals, much of the concerns raised were surrounding the fact that Orlando Pirates had once lost on their return leg in the 20143/2014 CAF Champions League Final to Al Ahly SC.

With a lot of the odds against them concerning history repeating itself and the threat delivered by the fans, Orlando Pirates had to leave South Africa with a strong mind-set and arrive in Cairo with a positive attitude.

In just the opening half of the match, it fell evident that the Sea Robbers might have left their mental toughness on the shores of Mzansi. The Soweto Giants were trailing by 2 goals to null after half time thanks to Gabonese striker Malick Evouna who scored in first-half injury time and too many in attendance at Suez Stadium in Suez, east of Cairo felt like it was over as the Red Devils had the crowds backing. After the half time talks, with no clear indication on how things would pan out coming into the 2^nd half of the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals, Ezikamagebhula came out with yet another disappointing start to another half, with just eight minutes into the second half, Al Ahly bagged their second. It took substitute Kermit Erasmus to come with the blue & red pens to rectify their first half mistakes and write their own story for the night after he scored and put Ezikamagebhula ahead on away gaols in the 57^th minute. The man who is in African Form, was to follow, Thamsanqa Gabuza scored a deflected second gaol in the 75^th minute, and it was already game on for the Bucs who proved yet again that they one powerhouse to reckon when it comes to their African Excellency.

Thabo Matlaba ensured that Pirates put out a statement to whoever they would be meeting in the final; that they are out to win it, when he scored a third for the team on that night in dying minutes of that match.

The strike by Matlaba wasn’t enough as Amr Gamal pulled one back for Ahly in injury time and it was all left for Thabo Rakhale who finished it off and added salt to the wounds of the “Club of The Century”, Al Ahly as he scored the fourth and final goal which saw the Buccaneers show all the grit and fight as they humiliated Al Ahly to a 4-3 home defeat and reaching the final of CAF Confederations Cup final by 5-3 on aggregate.

Pirates will meet Etoile du Sahel in the two-legged final late next month. The Tunisian club withstood a charge from Zamalek in their second leg in Cairo, losing 3-0, which was enough to go through 5-4 on aggregate.

Much can expected on the both evenings of the two-legged finals.

But what needs to be put to the spotlight is the excellent string of result which has prevailed continuously under the mentorship of Eric Tinkler, but most importantly the character which Ezimnyama Ngenkani have shown. They have been fighting throughout the battlefields of African, emulate the class of 95, displaying flair, finesse and flamboyance. It has been a team performance and individual brilliance has been there but they have soldiered on in solidarity. Barely having an off season and by doing so, maintaining consistency in their performance every time they play in the CCC. Regardless of the slow start to the domestic league, they have shown great intentions in obtaining continental glory. They have recorded wins from the word “impossible”, beating the best of the best.

With Kaizer Chiefs failing to do what Pirates has done, which is progress further and further on when participating in continental competitions, it is fitting to say that Pirates is more dominant continentally compared to Chiefs, who on the other hand are more dominant nationally.

What’s also fitting to question is that can Chiefs transfer their domestic momentum or rather status into their continental campaign and can Orlando Pirates on the other hand transfer their continental momentum into their domestic campaign?

Well there is much to look out for concerning these two Soweto Giants… Both forever on a quest to maintain their winning reputations as powerhouses of South African football.

The World of Marvelous Football Would Like To Wish Orlando Pirates; Buccaneers, Bucs, Ezikamagebhula, Sea Robbers, Ghosts, Happy People, Amabhakabhaka,
Ezimnyama Ngenkani, all the best in their quest to continental glory. You have made South Africa’s football fraternity proud.

 

Thabo Rakhale celebrating his goal with Thabo Qalinge

Image by: AMR ABDALLAH DALSH / REUTERS

Post Written By: Vuyolethu Sithatu 

@MAVUYOSTAR

Mutlichoice Diski Challenge Skills

The young stars of South African Football

Can Barcelona Be Merciless without Messi

Being arguably the greatest player to ever hit the football scene according to others, Lionel Messi founds himself on the side lines due to a knee injury and it has been dark in city of the Catalonians, after suffering their 2^nd defeat of the season, so it seems like the absence of Lionel Messi is felt.

As the four time Ballon D’or winner continues his recovery from the knee injury he suffered last month it seems like Barcelona will join him in doing as they look to recovery from a disappointing result against Seville. The men from Catalan were unfortunate to see themselves fall short and flat on a second loss in the 2015/2016 season, which too many rivals it raised a sense of relieve and if heartless, probably joy.

The result against Sevilla sent out a rather unconvincing message to their rivals, as they proved to be less of a threat without Lionel Mess. Messi having been the best Barcelona player over the last 6 years or more may see his unfortunate absence from the squad being a burden for Barcelona in maintaining that fiercely strike force; the MSN.

Messi vs Celta Vigo

When Barcelona lost 4-1 to Celta Vigo, Barcelona had the presence of Messi for the full 90 minutes, he delivered 1 cross, a 75% pass rate with 35% being complete passes, he had 7 shots in that game from the 18 of Barca of which 4 were on target and 3 of those shots were actually saved, 1 shot off target, two of his shot we blocked and 1 got off the woodwork.
Messi created 6 of the Barcelona’s 16 chances as 5 were key passes and 1 came as an assist. He further on in trying his luck by having 7 take ons in which 5 were well executed and he failed on two occasions. Aerially he was in thick off things with a rate of 33% and also one defence interception. As a quality player he felt the need to up his perform to his peak to salvage a positive result in the dying moments of the match as it was becoming too much of a realty to lose 4-1 to Celta Vigo.

The stats above can suggest that if Messi is not in the game, the results are bound not to favour Barcelona. With that being mentioned, the question that will need answering is that is Messi even more influential to the likes of Iniesta, Neymar and Suarez? We are yet to find out.

Barcelona vs Sevilla

Sevilla was the team responsible for handing Barcelona their second, and it was a Messi-less Barcelona which on that night they were merciful.  Barça created a total of 20 chances on that evening and expectedly maintained a rather satisfying passing percentage of 86%, with Sevilla trailing behind with 73%. On the wings Barcelona were more adventurous delivering a whipping tally of 28 crosses and with 14 take-ons. The result itself doesn’t reflect the entire performance stats of both teams. The defence stats also prove that Seville were at receiving end of the pressure applied by Barcelona.

This was a Barcelona team which was without the great Lionel Messi. It was Neymar and Suarez who were responsible of making things happen, they were joined upfront by 20 year old Munir El Haddadi Mohamed and he only had one shot at goal and setting up two chances.

Messi vs Atletico

Against one of their huge rivals in the Spanish La Liga, Coach Luis Enrique chose to start the big clash against Atletico Madrid with Lionel Messi on the bench, until the 60^th minute where the Argentinian forward was desperately introduced as they were looking to bag the full 3 points against Atletico. It was no surprise that it would become a worthy move, as Messi clinched the 2^nd goal in the 77^th minute and it was in great style as it seemed to be the goal needed to close the show. With the less time on the pitch Messi had 10 take-ons, created 2 chances and having a passing rate of 93%. Much can be said about his introduction against the Madrid based team.

In conclusion, what can be said is that the complete excellence of either MSN or Barcelona  is alive in Messi’s presence, not taking anything away from Neymar and El’ Pistore, the MSN strike-force is deadly with Messiah part of it.

And with the El Classic edging nearer and nearer, it seems like Real Madrid might face a Merciful Barcelona and yet a Messi-less one if he is fully fit by then, and this could count much to their desire as they are also willing to maintain a rather positive start to the 2015/2016 campaign. But the 22^nd of November might prove to be still far for Messi to hopefully make a return. But the question remains can Barcelona be merciless when they are without Messi?

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Twitter : @MAVUYOSTAR

Statistics source : http://www.squawka.com/

http://www.squawka.com/

Can Barcelona Be Merciless without Messi

Being arguably the greatest player to ever hit the football scene according to others, Lionel Messi founds himself on the side lines due to a knee injury and it has been dark in city of the Catalonians, after suffering their 2^nd defeat of the season, so it seems like the absence of Lionel Messi is felt.

As the four time Ballon D’or winner continues his recovery from the knee injury he suffered last month it seems like Barcelona will join him in doing as they look to recovery from a disappointing result against Seville. The men from Catalan were unfortunate to see themselves fall short and flat on a second loss in the 2015/2016 season, which too many rivals it raised a sense of relieve and if heartless, probably joy.

The result against Sevilla sent out a rather unconvincing message to their rivals, as they proved to be less of a threat without Lionel Mess. Messi having been the best Barcelona player over the last 6 years or more may see his unfortunate absence from the squad being a burden for Barcelona in maintaining that fiercely strike force; the MSN.

Messi vs Celta Vigo

When Barcelona lost 4-1 to Celta Vigo, Barcelona had the presence of Messi for the full 90 minutes, he delivered 1 cross, a 75% pass rate with 35% being complete passes, he had 7 shots in that game from the 18 of Barca of which 4 were on target and 3 of those shots were actually saved, 1 shot off target, two of his shot we blocked and 1 got off the woodwork.                                                                                 Messi created 6 of the Barcelona’s 16 chances as 5 were key passes and 1 came as an assist. He further on in trying his luck by having 7 take ons in which 5 were well executed and he failed on two occasions. Aerially he was in thick off things with a rate of 33% and also one defence interception. As a quality player he felt the need to up his perform to his peak to salvage a positive result in the dying moments of the match as it was becoming too much of a realty to lose 4-1 to Celta Vigo.

The stats above can suggest that if Messi is not in the game, the results are bound not to favour Barcelona. With that being mentioned, the question that will need answering is that is Messi even more influential to the likes of Iniesta, Neymar and Suarez? We are yet to find out.

Barcelona vs Sevilla

Sevilla was the team responsible for handing Barcelona their second, and it was a Messi-less Barcelona which on that night they were merciful.  Barça created a total of 20 chances on that evening and expectedly maintained a rather satisfying passing percentage of 86%, with Sevilla trailing behind with 73%. On the wings Barcelona were more adventurous delivering a whipping tally of 28 crosses and with 14 take-ons. The result itself doesn’t reflect the entire performance stats of both teams. The defence stats also prove that Seville were at receiving end of the pressure applied by Barcelona.

This was a Barcelona team which was without the great Lionel Messi. It was Neymar and Suarez who were responsible of making things happen, they were joined upfront by 20 year old Munir El Haddadi Mohamed and he only had one shot at goal and setting up two chances.

Messi vs Atletico

Against one of their huge rivals in the Spanish La Liga, Coach Luis Enrique chose to start the big clash against Atletico Madrid with Lionel Messi on the bench, until the 60^th minute where the Argentinian forward was desperately introduced as they were looking to bag the full 3 points against Atletico. It was no surprise that it would become a worthy move, as Messi clinched the 2^nd goal in the 77^th minute and it was in great style as it seemed to be the goal needed to close the show. With the less time on the pitch Messi had 10 take-ons, created 2 chances and having a passing rate of 93%. Much can be said about his introduction against the Madrid based team.

In conclusion, what can be said is that the complete excellence of either MSN or Barcelona  is alive in Messi’s presence, not taking anything away from Neymar and El’ Pistore, the MSN strike-force is deadly with Messiah part of it.

And with the El Classic edging nearer and nearer, it seems like Real Madrid might face a Merciful Barcelona and yet a Messi-less one if he is fully fit by then, and this could count much to their desire as they are also willing to maintain a rather positive start to the 2015/2016 campaign. But the 22^nd of November might prove to be still far for Messi to hopefully make a return. But the question remains can Barcelona be merciless when they are without Messi?