Van Persie and Adebayor? Or 4-5-1 in Hamburg?

– by

I LOVE to watch the managers in the Champions League.

Although I talk about players a lot, and write about players a lot, and write about styles of play and how players interact and make each other look good, I’ve always been more interested in managers than in players.

Each of the top managers has a different personality, a different approach, a different emphasis, so each creates a different brand of football.

Some focus on defence, on nullifying the other team, on keeping clean sheets, especially away from home.

Others, like Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex, like to go for it, home and away.

Over the years those two usually came to play, wherever they were, up till last year, when United crashed out in the Group Stage, and Arsene went 4-5-1 and reached the European Cup Final for the first time.

With Henry out of tonight’s game in Hamburg with a foot injury, it’s been suggested that Arsenal will play 4-4-2 with Adebayor and Van Persie.

But Arsene has talked about wanting patience, which suggests that he will stick with 4-5-1 and let Rosicky and Fabregas get into the box and score the goals.

Hamburg coach Tomas Doll, once of Lazio, is an East German who will be ecstatic that Henry is missing and he will be well aware that Arsenal, like his team, have been struggling in their league, at least in terms of goals scored.

Of course, talk of “patience” could be disinformation. Hamburg might not be as good as Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal won 3-0 there without Thierry.All the goals were in the second half.

A similar scenario would be fine again. But I’ve got a gut feeling that Arsenal will score an early goal.

LAST NIGHT, after PSV 0 Liverpool 0, the TV guy asked PSV coach Ronald Koeman a question.

“Did Liverpool’s line-up surprise you?”

“Yes, very much,” said Koeman, smiling.

RAFA BENITEZ, coming off a 3-0 caning at Everton, had his captain Steven Gerrard on the bench and brought him on to win the game with a burst of power.Stevie G hit a fantastic shot on the half turn but it came back off the post.

Rafa sees Stevie as a goalscorer.Last season he asked him to score 20 and he got 23.Last night he brought him on for…Craig Bellamy !

Rafa thinks it out one game at a time and he doesn’t care who you are !

Would Mourinho have John Terry on the bench?Would Wenger have Henry on the bench?

Rafa is a tactician, a tinkerer like Ranieri, but he is tinkerer who knows what he’s doing.

His Champions League record proves that.

PSV(4-2-3-1): Gomes; Kromkamp, Alex, Reiziger, Salcido; Simons, Mendez; Afellay (Vayrynen, 74), Farfan, Culina (Aissati, 63); Kone.

Subs not used: Moens (gk), Patrick Kluivert, Da Costa, Addo, Lamey.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Warnock; Pennant, Sissoko (Alonso, 62), Zenden, Aurelio (Gonzalez, 82); Kuyt, Bellamy (Gerrard, 71).

Subs not used: Dudek (gk), Hyypia, Garcia, Crouch.

IT’S 8.30 am, so I haven’t figured out tonight’s bets yet.

My best night was the first night in September 2003 when I had bets on eight games and won seven.The one that let me down was Arsenal 0 Inter Milan 3.

Last night was easy : Barcelona to win by three goals and it was 5-0 and another bet on Barcelona/Barcelona, half-time and full time, and Chelsea to beat Werder Bremen by two goals. They won 2-0.

The Essien goal was a power goal, forcing a mistake by sheer pace and momentum.

If only Arsenal could score that type of goal occasionally.

Van Persie and Adebayor? Or 4-5-1 in Hamburg ?

– by



By Myles Palmer

I LOVE to watch the managers in the Champions League.

Although I talk about players a lot, and write about players a lot, and write about styles of play and how players interact and make each other look good, I’ve always been more interested in managers than in players.

Each of the top managers has a different personality, a different approach, a different emphasis, so each creates a different brand of football.

Some focus on defence, on nullifying the other team, on keeping clean sheets, especially away from home.

Others, like Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex, like to go for it, home and away.

Over the years those two usually came to play, wherever they were, up till last year, when United crashed out in the Group Stage, and Arsene went 4-5-1 and reached the European Cup Final for the first time.

With Henry out of tonight’s game in Hamburg with a foot injury, it’s been suggested that Arsenal will play 4-4-2 with Adebayor and Van Persie.

But Arsene has talked about wanting patience, which suggests that he will stick with 4-5-1 and let Rosicky and Fabregas get into the box and score the goals.

Hamburg coach Tomas Doll, once of Lazio, is an East German who will be ecstatic that Henry is missing and he will be well aware that Arsenal, like his team, have been struggling in their league, at least in terms of goals scored.

Of course, talk of “patience” could be disinformation. Hamburg might not be as good as Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal won 3-0 there without Thierry.All the goals were in the second half.

A similar scenario would be fine again. But I’ve got a gut feeling that Arsenal will score an early goal.

LAST NIGHT, after PSV 0 Liverpool 0, the TV guy asked PSV coach Ronald Koeman a question.

“Did Liverpool’s line-up surprise you?”

“Yes, very much,” said Koeman, smiling.

RAFA BENITEZ, coming off a 3-0 caning at Everton, had his captain Steven Gerrard on the bench and brought him on to win the game with a burst of power.Stevie G hit a fantastic shot on the half turn but it came back off the post.

Rafa sees Stevie as a goalscorer.Last season he asked him to score 20 and he got 23.Last night he brought him on for…Craig Bellamy !

Rafa thinks it out one game at a time and he doesn’t care who you are !

Would Mourinho have John Terry on the bench?Would Wenger have Henry on the bench?

Rafa is a tactician, a tinkerer like Ranieri, but he is tinkerer who knows what he’s doing.

His Champions League record proves that.

PSV(4-2-3-1): Gomes; Kromkamp, Alex, Reiziger, Salcido; Simons, Mendez; Afellay (Vayrynen, 74), Farfan, Culina (Aissati, 63); Kone.

Subs not used: Moens (gk), Patrick Kluivert, Da Costa, Addo, Lamey.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Warnock; Pennant, Sissoko (Alonso, 62), Zenden, Aurelio (Gonzalez, 82); Kuyt, Bellamy (Gerrard, 71).

Subs not used: Dudek (gk), Hyypia, Garcia, Crouch.

IT’S 8.30 am, so I haven’t figured out tonight’s bets yet.

My best night was the first night in September 2003 when I had bets on eight games and won seven.The one that let me down was Arsenal 0 Inter Milan 3.

Last night was easy : Barcelona to win by three goals and it was 5-0 and another bet on Barcelona/Barcelona, half-time and full time, and Chelsea to beat Werder Bremen by two goals. They won 2-0.

The Essien goal was a power goal, forcing a mistake by sheer pace and momentum.

If only Arsenal could score that type of goal occasionally.