PundIt

The New AgeTake a look at the players ready to take over from

Messi and Ronaldo

Eat your way to the perfect 90 minutes

The key to Sunday League

November edition

The rise and fall of the 4-4-2

www.punditmag.co.uk - @punditmag - £4

Have your say!

Sepp BlatterHarley Itai: “Give it to Figo. Seems like the only realistic option.”

Andres Guevara: “If he decides to run again, give it to Luis Figo. He has brought some good ideas to the table about how to imporve world football.”

Sean Foster: “I liken Fifa to our government it needs abolishing and starting again, cannot trust anyone throughout the corrupt system.”

Mark Atkinson: “David Beckham. Why not?”

Ballon D’or Andres Guevara: “Messi, just because he won the Champions League.”

Paul Atkinson: “Ronaldo. Best player in world on current form.”

Sean Foster: “Ronaldo although I wish there was an alternative! Think Hazard is on his way up.”Daniel Atkinson: “Ronaldo. Messi won’t get it because of the court case about his finances. They won’t give it to someone who will get negative press”

Images: Cover: Alex Fau CC Blatter: Ricardo Stuckert CC

Postpone the friendly?Paul Atkinson: “Don’t postpone it, don’t let extremism win.”Mark Atkinson: “100 per cent not. There is no reason for the match to be called

Sean Foster: “Don’t call it off, business as usual, we should show our resolve.”Dan Atkinson: “Football wins over terrorism everytime.” Tim Wright: “There is no way the match should be postponed, dont let them change how we live our lives.”

Above: Was it right to go through with the Engalnd France match?Below: Who is the right man to replace Sepp Blatter?

This month we asked for your opinions on Sepp

Blatter’s replacement, if England’s friendly with France should

have been called off, and who will win

January’s Ballon D’or?

Photography: Cover: Alex FauBlatter: Wikipedia CC

Meet The New Age

Ever since Neymar burst on to the scene as a teenager, comparisons to

the legend Pele were almost instant. However, when Neymar arrived at the

Nou Camp for his high profile move to Barcelona, those comparisons are not so

far off. Shortlisted for his first ever Ballon D’or, the Brazilian who lit up the 2014 World

Cup in Rio may be ready to take over from the immovable objects in world football which are

Messi and Ronaldo. In just under three years, Neymar has managed to score 45 league goals in

60 appearances, a tally which even fellow team mate Lionel Messi would be proud of. As the talismanic

striker Messi missed a handful of games through injury, the footballing world got the chance to see

how Neymar coped being the front man of the most prolific side in club football. Thankfully, he delivered,

as Neymar managed to score 14 goals in Messi’s absence. A partnership with Luis Suarez get the goals flowing

with Messi away, and since the Argentine returned, the number of goals has continued to sky

rocket. With the Ballon D’or winner to be announced this January coming, Neymar

represents the new age of football. Ronaldo seems to be reaching his physical peak, and Messi will

soon be hitting his thirties, and Arsenal Under 8 scout Will Chippington believes Neymar

is more than ready to become the worlds

best player. “When you consider

the amount of goals

With Ronaldo easing into his thirties and Messi seemingly reaching his peak, the

search for a new worlds best starts now, and that search starts at one player: Neymar

da Silva Santos Júnior.Neymar scores, it is easy to say that that is why he will become the next best player in the world, but there is more to him than that. He is unselfish, he moves out wide to allow Suarez and Messi in on goal, and he is more than willing to pass to them, as you can see by the number of assists he has these past two seasons.” Mr Chippington also described how Neymar’s age also gives him the edge. “You must not forget the Neymar is still incredibly young, he has five, six years on the likes of Suarez, Bale, Lewandowski, so there is a huge chance of him developing into the worlds best player. He is at the best place in the world to become a bigger superstar than he already is, too. Barca are renowned for developing talent and their academy is infamous, not to mention how he is being mentored by possibly the best ever in Messi, so you don’t need to be an expert to say that Neymar is well on his way to becoming the best.” Having been shortlisted for January’s Ballon D’or, Neymar’s progress is well on track. However, the road isn’t as clear cut as you would believe, as many believe that the likes of Suarez deserve the label as the next best player in the world, so there is still a fairly steep mountain to climb for the Brazilian wonderkid.Image: Alex Fau CC

In the early stages of this Premier League season, there have been a number of different styles on display,

making it one of the most interesting seasons yet. Leicester are mixing it with the big boys, Arsenal are playing world class football at times but are coming unstuck against the smaller teams, and Chelsea are labouring at the bottom of the table having won the league the season before. But Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United are drawing the most attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Contrary to their famous identity and playing style, United just can’t seem to score. Likened to a subbuteo team by Paul Merson, Manchester United’s lack of goals can be pinned down to their formation. A rigid 4-4-2 makes them a tough team to beat, but a series of nil nils and scrappy 1-0 wins have made booing an all too familiar sound at Old Trafford. There was a time when the 4-4-2 was the default formation for many of the world’s best footballing teams, as it gave you two strong banks of four and two strikers up front. However, Johan Cruyff and his style of total football revolutionised the game forever, and formations changed from a bog standard 4-4-2, to the more adventurous 4-3-3, or maybe even a 4-2-3-1. With the introduction of various formations into modern football, the 4-4-2 was shoved aside to make room for more continental styles. Suddenly, a rotating midfield and an interchanging front line left the 4-4-2 being outdated and just too rigid for fast flowing, creative and attacking football. The comparison to a subbuteo team comes is drawn from how players stick to their position religiously, and very rarely interchange throughout the 90 minutes. The famous chant of ‘glory, glory, Man United’ may soon change to ‘boring, boring, Man United’ as United and Van Gaal obey this system which focuses around the ethos of not letting goals in. However, for many Manchester

United fans it is not all about winning, but a large part of it is winning well. With ticket prices higher than they’ve ever been, fans take more discomfort to seeing a boring 1-0 win week in week out. Fans crave flair and creative football, and quite frankly, they are not going to get that under a 4-4-2. The answer does not lie in a simple change of formation, unfortunately. The idea that Van Gaal has implemented a 4-4-2 system to mask defensive frailties is more than likely. Although Chris Smalling has developed into a good, solid centre half, the rest of United’s back four seems suspect to say the least. Manchester United lack natural defenders. Their current defensive line consists of Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, both are naturally wingers. Daley Blind partners Smalling in the middle whilst originally a midfielder. Manchester United will surely be kicking themselves for missing out on the 20 year old Everton defender Jon Stones in the summer. A signing like Stones would surely have the same effect as a young Rio Ferdinand did, adding some much needed stability, consistency and composure

to a panicked and unstable back four. However, it is problems with scoring which are the main concerns. Anthony Martial, United’s marquee signing has failed to maintain his eye catching form from the start of the season. It seems as though Louis Van Gaal has prioritised clean sheets over positive, attacking football, much to the despair of their fans. One of the biggest questions is this: with all the talent in their squad,

shouldn’t United by winning no matter what their formation? And

the answer is quite simply yes. The players in that squad are season professionals, and they have enough quality to be able

to produce chances and carve out goalscoring opportunities.

Position discipline is one thing, but complete

stubbornness to move off the ball is a sign

of laziness and is something which

managers like Van Gaal can only do so much to cure. Efforts have been made to rid the team of such laziness by dropping the likes of Memphis Depay, who have

had an off season, but similar problems remain. Whether issues are purely on the pitch or stretch to the dressing room, with 6 nil-nil draws already recorded this season, Man United need to answer their goalscoring problems quickly as we enter the second half of the season.

Image author: Inkwina wikipedia

What happened to the good, old fashioned 442?With Paul Merson likening Manchester United to a subbuteo team because of their rigid formation, we take a look at the rise and fall of their trusted 4-4-2 system.

Festive Football ! With football leagues hotting up all

around the world, we hand-pick the fixtures that should not be missed

over this festive period, as well as a few other treats which should have

you glued to your seats over the holiday period!

Hannover vs Bayern Munich - Saturday 19th December

Tune in to see how Bayern Munich sign off before their winter break starts. A perfect start to the season was dented by Borrussia Monchengladbach as they suffered their first loss of the season. See if Bayern Munich can get back to winning ways and regain control of their title bid!

Arsenal vs Manchester City - Monday, 21st December

With the most unpredictable Premier League season yet hotting up, join title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City as they battle it out to see who can land the top spot as we head in to the second half of the season. Manchester City need to bounce back after a 2-0 defeat to Stoke and Arsenal need to continue their run of form following a string of four games

without a win which dented their title challenge.

Valencia vs Lyon - Wednesday 9th December

In one of the most high profile managerial moves in recent years, join Gary Neville on BT Sport Europe as he takes charge of his new team Valencia for the first time. With Valencia sitting in third in the group table, anything but a win just wont do for Gary Neville’s new team, who take on bottom of the group Lyon in this must-win clash.

Ballon D’or - January 11th 2016

Football’s grandest prize is up for grabs on the 11th of January and it has already thrown up a great deal of controversy. With many pundits and experts calling for

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez to be given a Ballon D’or nomination instead of his Bra-zilian teammate Neymar. Messi remains the bookies favourite to take home the prize, with Ronaldo second favourite and Neymar third most likely to be named the world’s

best player. Take a look at all the players stats to make your mind up as to who should be named the winner of the 2016 Ballon D’or

Messi Ronaldo Neymar Suarez

Goals

Assists

Goals p/game

9 17 16 19

4 5 9 23

0.6 0.8 0.6 1.05

FIFA EXPLAINEDWith FIFA hoping of a life

ban for Michel Platini and a suspension of duties

for Sepp Blatter, FIFA seems to be in disarray, but where did all the scandals start?

The whole premise of the corruption scandal starts in December 2010 when Russia are awarded the 2018 World Cup and Qatar are awarded the 2022 World Cup.

A day after this is announced, Panorama expose FIFA for wrongdoings and corruption. Fast forward to February 2011 and the FIFA ethics committee give 3 year bans to executive committee members Amos Adomu and Reynold Temarri after the Sunday Times expose corruption in the bidding process for the World Cups.

In May 2011, FIFA suspend presidential candidate Mohammed Bin Hamman and Vice President of FIFA Jack Warner amidst allegations that they received back hand payments in exchange for votes in the World Cup bidding process. The financial incentives were believed to have been paid to the Caribbean Football Union in exchange for votes for Russia’s and Qatar’s bids. This is when the first complaint against President Sepp Blatter is issued, as this corruption has been allowed to exist under his reign.

As a result of the investigation, Qatar initially deny any wrong doing in the bidding process. In June 2011, Mohammed Bin Hamman is found guilty of bribery and is banned for life. Vice President Jack Warner resigns to avoid further investigation.

FIFA commission a report in July 2012

into allegations that there is serious corruption in football.

As part of their initial investigation, in the summer of 2014 the Sunday Times say they have received “hundreds of millions” of documents proving Hamman had made payments in return for votes for Qatar’s bid.

May 2015 sees 7senior FIFA officials arrested in Zurich for suspected money laundering and illicit payments spanning 24 years. These officials are accused of corrupting FIFA and President Blatter’s position is in doubt.

Swiss authorities begin to raid FIFA headquarters, yet Sepp Blatter is re-elected as President. As a result of this, 7 senior members resign from their positions, including Vice President David Gill. Gill had been

elected as Jack Warner’s replacement. With hundreds of allegations facing FIFA and its senior members, Blatter reluctantly resigns as President of FIFA, with fingers being pointed at him for allowing all this corruption to take place under his reign as President.

Michel Platini, head of UEFA, is also called into question as he is believed to have received illicit payments from FIFA. The latest update is that FIFA and its new members of staff are urging for Platini to receive a life ban for his role in the corruption scandal. Two vice presidents of FIFA have also been arrested for their roles in the corruption scandal.

Juan Angel Napout and Alfredo Hawit have been banned from football for life, following their arrest for bribery. Napout, president of

the South American Football Confederation and Hawit,

president of Confederation of North, Central American

and Caribbean Association Football, were alleged to have received millions from television and advertising companies. Another high ranking FIFA official has also been identified by the FBI for accepting £6.6 million in bribes.

A total revamp of FIFA is needed, especially

with two World Cups up and coming in the not too

distant future. Blatter has since come out to say that he has high hopes of being elected as FIFA President again.

Image: Agencia Brasil CC

Football’s organising body has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, but what exactly is going on at FIFA’s headquarters?

NutritionEat your way to the perfect 90 minutes

Bin the Booze!Celebrate with drinks, don’t prepare with them. Clubs are notorious for banning alcohol, and for good reason, too. Alcohol dehydrates the body, making any athlete lethargic when it comes to game day. For professionals and full time athletes, alcohol also reduces the body’s capability to burn fat. Booze will also raise an athletes body temperature, making them more likely to overheat, which can also make muscles more susceptible to injuries such as tears and strains. It is wise to steer clear of alcohol a good few days before a match, as you can be nursing a

hangover for days. If you do go out drinking, plan it wisely and leave at least 2 days to full recover before you get back out on to the pitch.

Carbs, Carbs, Carbs!Carbohydrates are essential for any important 90 minutes. Carbo-loading the night before a match is fundamentally important for having the right energy levels needed for a strong performance. Glucose helps the muscles perform under high intensity and allow athletes to work harder for longer. Pasta, fries and other forms of potatoes are both rich carbohydrates. Bread is a great source of carbohydrates, and make sure you incorporate a large amount of fruit and veg into your diet. Stock up on those carbs to ensure an energy packed 90 minutes.

Preparing for high intensity performance doesn’t start on the day of a game. Diet and nutrition is essential for maximising your performance and getting the most out of your body. It is important to make sure that enough protein is being consumed to supplement your body and enable it to grow and repair properly. Meanwhile, the right amount of carbohydrates must also be consumed in order to stimulate and energise your muscles. Meals like sausage pasta bake are the holy grail of pre-match meals, as the protein from sausages will prepare your muscles for an action packed 90 minutes, and the carbs from the pasta and the sauce will give you bags of energy so you can play right until the final whistle. Food for recovery is also essential, and this is when pure, lean protein is a necessity. Beef Jerky is ideal for making your muscles recovery quickly, as the lean protein is slowly digested, making your muscles grow and repair faster as it absorbs all the protein, making you stronger and better. Supplements such as protein and creatine shakes can also be used to help speed up recovery time to make sure that your muscles are prepared for another aggressive and energetic workout. Data fromPointsports.com

THE KEY TO Major international tournaments are a time of excitement and hope for the majority of nations which have successfully qualified for one of football’s biggest stages. However, the same cannot be said for England. Our home nations record in European and world cups have left any three lions’ fan with anxiety every time they step out on the pitch for a competitive match. With teams like Spain, Germany and France regularly making it to the latter stages of major competitions, there must be a secret to consistent

success. The key lies in grass roots football, and planning for the future. Germany have started from the bottom up, giving promising young under 21’s a chance to mix it with the big boys, and the same applies to France and Spain. With Germany’s 2014 World cup winning squad averaging an age of 26 years old, this highlights the importance of implementing young talent as soon as they’re ready. England have tried to implement the same philosophy by introducing younger players such as Jon Stones, Andros

Townsend and Harry Kane, but few of them are of the standard of Germany’s Marco Reus or France’s Paul Pogba. However, good news for England fans is that there is a long term solution. Mark Atkinson, an under 8’s Ryman League coach, believes England’s chances of success in major competitions can be increased if changes are made to lower level football. “So many Sunday league coaches in England get their teams to play safe, defensive football. They’re more bothered about grinding

SUNDAY LEAGUEout a result instead of developing young players. In Spain, kids are taught two touch football, and work on fluid motions of play, not rigid structures with the sole purpose of keeping a clean sheet and nicking a result.” Mr Atkinson also goes on to explain how younger players are frightened to play with flair. “It’s a typical English way of playing football: put the ball in the box and hope for a knock down. We’ve brought up so many players with a long ball mentality, to the point where if a young player takes on two people

with a stepover and loses the ball, he will be shouted at. Players are becoming too scared to take chances and play with imagination. If we want to start developing world class talent for our national team then we need to allow children to play without fear, and keep teams to 7 a side, and teach children that it is ok to move the ball along the floor and that they don’t have to play the ball over the top every time. Training can also be adapted to help the development of players. Working on patterns of play and

movement off the ball will help kids develop fundamental talents for the game. If coaches are too strict on where their players move then it stops their ability to be creative and they will become used to a rigid way of football.”The sad realisation is that other countries have got a head start, as their younger players are being taught creative ways of playing football, whereas, here in England, we are becoming more and more familiar with the long ball.

Image: Adobe stock