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Antonio Valencia is receiving a lot of praise for his forty-minute spell as an emergency right back against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

The Ecuadorean was perhaps not the expected choice to fill in for the injured Rafael, with Park Ji-Sung’s famed energy levels and tenacity probably making him a more obvious candidate at the time.

However, Sir Alex Ferguson had decided to let a winger do a full back’s job only four days earlier against West Ham, when Ryan Giggs played at left back for the second half in place of Patrice Evra. The tactical switch worked very well on that occasion, and the results were just as satisfying at Stamford Bridge too.

If United’s back four has looked experimental at times lately then that is entirely understandable. Due to injury and suspension, defensive resources have been stretched. John O’Shea and Wes Brown both have vast experience at right back but were unavailable on Wednesday night; it was telling, too, that the beleaguered Jonny Evans, who has spent some time at full back, was overlooked from the bench when the need arose to replace Rafael.

Evans, of course, was sent off against Bolton in March, his last appearance for the first team, and his dismissal resulted in a defensive reshuffle then, with Michael Carrick moving to central defence for the last portion of the match.

While necessity has been the mother of invention, then, in terms of the recent successful deployment of Giggs and now Valencia at full back, it’s also worth remembering the recent FA Cup tie against Arsenal that saw Rafael and Fabio line up as wingers. The personnel United have used in wide areas has been particularly interesting for several weeks now. In fact, it reminds me of an article that Jonathan Wilson, the Guardian’s resident tactical expert, wrote for the newspaper’s website last October.

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Wilson’s topic was Barcelona’s full backs and how far they push up the pitch. His theory was that, with the forward pressing of Dani Alves, in particular, being both a primary source of attacking width and also an effective way of countering teams that sit deep, the Spanish side’s formation was morphing into a curious throwback to a system supposedly consigned to history. With Vittorio Pozzo in charge, Italy’s two World Cup wins in 1934 and 1938 were achieved with what was known as the W-W formation, essentially a 2-3-2-3. With the two wide defenders playing higher up the pitch than where modern full backs would traditionally operate, alongside a deep-lying midfielder they would form a floating trio in front of the centre backs. The deep-lying midfielder was the hub of the team, dropping almost into defence to receive the ball as the full backs pushed on.

This might all sound a bit theoretical. It makes more sense when players’ names are added to the equation. In Barcelona’s case, as Wilson explained, the deep-lying midfielder who practically becomes another centre-half is Sergio Busquets. For United, the equivalent player would be Michael Carrick. Given his vastly improved performance on Wednesday night – his best for two seasons at least – it is particularly exciting to consider the possibility of a prolonged return to form for the United midfielder alongside the potential shown by two of our wingers at full back recently.

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Giggs and Valencia are clearly not long-term options in wide defensive positions, but Patrice Evra was bought with a reputation as a left-sided defender who could also play on the wing and nobody would doubt Rafael’s willingness to go forward either. If United’s regular full backs were encouraged to attack even more than they already do then Michael Carrick, with some experience in defence himself, would be the ideal covering midfielder in, potentially, our very own W-W.

You can follow William Abbs on Twitter @WilliamAbbs

Read more of Willam’s articles at the excellent ‘Red Flag Flying High’

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They don’t call him wheeler-dealer ‘Arry for nothing but this summer Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has struggled in the transfer market. The East Londoner usually takes to his summer transfer dealings like a duck to water but the 63-year-old has been left frustrated by the club’s inability to secure the signatures of his main transfer targets before the start of the season.

Following last season’s fourth placed finish many fans had expected Spurs to spend, spend, spend in a bid to consolidate their Champions League position and to stay in touch with their rivals at the top. Yet so far the North Londoners have only secured the signature of long-term target Sandro from Internacional for a £6m fee. Redknapp hinted in July that he wanted the club to move quickly in the transfer market saying:

“I think we need to bring in three real quality players that can push us on.

“This is a chance that ­Tottenham really shouldn’t waste. We have got ourselves into our best position since the ­Premier League first started, and we have to build on that.

“We now have to move ­forward and not take a step back and sit and look at what we’ve done.”

While this was seen as a hint to the club’s owner Daniel Levy to loosen the purse strings, Redknapp himself has also come under criticism for his actions in the transfer market. The former Portsmouth manager’s approach for West Ham captain Scott Parker has caused a major rift between the two London rivals, with Hammers accusing Spurs of tapping up their midfield general and vice-chairman Karren Brady blasting:

“Harry Redknapp has introduced something into the transfer market I call Harry’s Law.

“It goes: ‘Do what I like, when I like, with whom I like.”

It seems that Redknapp’s famed charm might be wearing off after also missing out on Joe Cole who signed for Liverpool. He is also ready to admit defeat in the pursuit of Man City star Craig Bellamy, who looks set to sign for either Cardiff or Fulham. Redknapp however has other ideas on why he hasn’t been able to sign the players he would like, claiming clubs don’t want to sell players to Tottenham following their success last term.

“There’s not been a lack of backing. The chairman’s done everything possible, but the clubs just suddenly don’t want to let the couple of players go that we thought they might well do,” confirmed the Spurs boss.

While Redknapp’s latest comments will defuse any potential row with Levy over transfer targets, the Spurs manager has opened up another can of worms by hinting at other clubs refusal to sell. City certainly wouldn’t entertain the thought of Bellamy heading to the club that beat them to the remaining Champions League spot last year. And Redknapp cannot expect West Ham to react positively to his approaches for their star man Parker. Tottenham also look set to miss out on targets Luis Fabiano and Diego Forlan. Spurs seem to be unwilling to match either players’ wage demands or their respective clubs’ asking price which effectively has priced the club out of a move. Levy does not want to break the club’s wage structure but he may be forced to if he wants to land Redknapp’s ‘three quality players’ over the next two weeks.

Redknapp has a reputation throughout his career of doing cut price deals while managing lower league and mid-table sides. It is generally easier to pick up players unwanted by bigger clubs than securing the signing of a club’s biggest asset. When you are attempting to do transfer deals for players that clubs don’t want to let go then you have to be prepared for long, drawn-out negotiations and have a plan B in place should a club refuse to sell.

While Redknapp may have thought he knew the ins and outs of the transfer market, he will have learnt a few lessons this summer. Last season’s success has increased the club’s stature and reputation and they may have to break the bank in order to land Europe’s top players ahead of their European excursion. Spurs will now have to move quickly over the next two weeks to ensure they don’t miss the opportunity to progress on the back of last year’s wonder season.

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Stoke have secured progression to the knockout stages of the Europa League after drawing 1-1 with Dinamo Kiev at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday night.

A Matthew Upson own goal in the first half gave the Ukrainian visitors the lead at the interval, but a late Kenwyne Jones strike ensured that the Potters will be in the draw for the last 32.

With Tottenham, Fulham, Birmingham and Celtic struggling to progress past the pool stages, manager Tony Pulis is proud of the achievements of his team.

“We were off the pace in the first half but they’re a good side. There was one change from the side that knocked Manchester City out last season,” he told Mirror Football.

“What we’ve done is fantastic and we’ve qualified from what I think is the toughest group.

“That’s nine games in Europe and nine games unbeaten. It’s a great, great achievement. It’s very difficult for Premier League teams to play in the Europa League because you come back and every game is like a cup final.

“You can look at other European leagues and the strength in depth isn’t as great. It’s a real struggle in that respect but we want to do well.

“It’s the first time we’ve been in Europe for more than 30 years. You can wash it away, but I don’t want to wash it away, I want to enjoy it, I want the supporters to enjoy it, I want everybody at the football club to enjoy it because we might not get it for a while again.

“It’s the first time this football club’s ever achieved this, so it’s another milestone and is testimony to everything we’re trying to do,” he concluded.

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Stoke now take on Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, and will look to replicate their European form domestically.

By Gareth McKnight

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Gianfranco Zola was sacked as West Ham manager at the end of last season. The Italian spent close to two years in the Premier League with the Hammers and in that time developed strong feelings for the club. Here’s Zola talking about his time at Upton Park…

So what have you been up to since you left West Ham?

Gianfranco Zola: I’ve been spending a lot of time with the family, and I’ve just focused on that. I’ve also still been working on my UEFA pro licence and watching a lot of games. I’ve decided to spend this time trying to improve on what I did at West Ham and get ready for the next adventure.

So when you say you’re still working on the pro licence, is that something you were working on at West Ham as well?

GZ: Yes it was part of the plan. When I joined West Ham I needed permission to manage from the Premier League and there an agreement made with the Premier League that I had to complete the UEFA pro licence within a certain amount of time.

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Looking back at your time as West Ham manager how do you reflect on your time there?

GZ: When I first joined the club, despite a difficult time at the beginning, we managed to find the right balance. We found a way, and everybody was performing at his best. The second year my plan was to try and build on what we’d done the year before. Unfortunately things didn’t work out like that. The West Ham fans were amazingly passionate and I am very proud to have managed the club.

How would you describe your style as a manager, in terms of how you treat your players and the kind of football you like to play?

GZ: I’m a manager who tries to make sure his team enjoys the football that they play. I believe that every single player plays more than anything for the fun of it, for the pleasure that they take from playing football. So I try to create an environment where the players are enjoying what they are doing and therefore they give their best. That’s my philosophy. That’s what I try to do all the time.

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You were a creative forward who tried to play attacking football, but not all managers are like that. A lot of managers who were strikers are defensive coaches or the other way around. Why do you think that is?

GZ: It’s just a philosophy, you know. Some people think they can give their best by thinking how can I score a goal, others think they can give their best by thinking how they can stop the opposition from playing. It’s just a matter of how your mind works. There’s no explanation, and I don’t think one is better than the other. You have to choose the one that suits you best.

Visit the Dugout www.yahoo.co.uk/dugout for new interviews every week with England’s top football managers

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Arsene Wenger’s use of a fluid attacking 4-4-3 formation at Arsenal has certainly produced some exciting football for the fans at the Emirates to salivate over. However, its success has been tempered by a defensive fragility that has cost the Gunners dear in crucial matches.

Wenger’s 4-3-3 formation is designed to create more passing angles in attack and more options for the player in possession. Wenger has set his midfield up with one defensive midfielder, alongside one centre midfielder and one playmaker. Arsenal’s creativity is a result of the free roles given to Fabregas in the playmaker role and the two wide players who play off the main striker. The tendency of the Arsenal wide players to drift infield puts extra onus on the full-backs to provide width on the flanks.

Arsenal’s game, particularly at home is reliant on playing high up the pitch putting pressure on their deep-lying opponents to surrender possession. However, with the full-backs high up the pitch, Arsenal are susceptible to a swift counter attack as a result of the space left behind by the full-backs. With the full-backs operating mainly in the opposition half, it leaves only the two centre backs and Alex Song, the defensive midfielder as protection against a potential counter attack.

Another main weakness in Arsenal’s formation is the effectiveness of their pressing and the over reliance on Robin van Persie as the central striker. At the beginning of the season, Arsenal’s pressing was good, with van Persie pressing the opposition defenders high up the pitch, limiting their time on the ball. Following an injury to van Persie, the intensity of Arsenal’s pressing dropped off dramatically as Arsenal struggled to replace van Persie’s industry as the season wore on.

Unlike Barcelona who manage to stifle the opposition by pressing collectively as a team, Arsenal usually press in isolation leaving the opposition player on the ball enough time to spring a decisive pass to exploit the space left by the Arsenal players up the field.

As a result of their formation, Arsenal are often vulnerable to conceding from moments of transition when they lose the ball high up the pitch and are subjected to a quick counter attack from the opposition without the opportunity to re-organise the defence. The fragility of Arsenal’s defence to a transitional attack is best seen during last season’s defeat to Manchester United at the Emirates. With Arsenal 1-0 down and chasing an equaliser, Manchester United sprung a deadly counter attack to score their second goal and end Arsenal’s hopes of gaining a result.

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Rooney’s goal (beginning at 0:33 in the video) required only three passes to carve Arsenal wide open and expose their defensive frailties. Park collected the ball and played it into Rooney. Rooney saw the flying Nani to his left and duly fed the Portuguese winger the ball. Rooney then darted off in front of Nani with Park in support. Arsenal players, stunned from conceding possession failed to track both Park and Rooney’s runs, with Denilson particularly at fault for allowing Rooney to gallop onto Nani’s through ball and fire past Almunia.

United’s third and final goal (1:19 on the video) is another example of Arsenal’s defensive problems when facing a quick transitional counter attack. Carrick played a one-two with Rooney and with defensive midfielder Alex Song and centre-back Thomas Vermaelen attracted to Rooney in an attempt to intercept the ball, Park is afforded the freedom of the Emirates to run on to Carrick’s through ball and slot the ball home.

While Arsenal’s defensive problems can be attributed to the formation, lapses in concentration and individual errors have also cost the club dear. The key for Arsenal in the upcoming season is to eliminate those errors if they have aspirations of challenging for the Premier League.

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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

Arsenal have drawn 0-0 with Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday night, as Arsene Wenger’s side lacked the necessary guile to break down a stubborn French defence.

The Emirates outfit rested star striker Robin van Persie for the fixture, with South Korean forward Park Chu-Young partnering Gervinho in attack.

Despite not getting maximum points, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was generally pleased with the performances in the two games against Didier Deschamps’ team.

“Overall, I must say, we took four points from Marseille in the two games. So now we want to win the Dortmund game at home and then we are in a strong position,” he told Sky Sports.

“But, of course, it is good that we didn’t concede tonight because it was difficult to score in the second half.”

On the plus side, Thomas Vermaelen returned to the starting line-up for the North London team, and managed to play the 90 minutes after returning from injury.

In the other Group F game Borussia Dortmund beat Olympiacos 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park, with an early strike by Kevin Grosskreutz proving the difference between the sides.

Arsenal still sit on top of the group, a point ahead of Marseille, with a trip to face Olympiakos and a home game against Dortmund still to be played.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Three weeks ago we learned that the Championship’s runaway leaders Queen Park Rangers will face disciplinary action from the FA for breaches pertaining to the transfer of Argentine midfielder Alejandro Faurlin.  Prior to that, Manchester City defender Kolo Toure was suspended after failing a drug test.

The charges facing QPR relate to third-party ownership, use of an unlicensed agent and providing false information to the FA.

Third-party ownership is an increasingly prevalent practice in football, particularly in South America. It is however, prohibited in English football. The FA introduced regulations in 2009 preventing clubs from “enter[ing] into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its team” following the infamous Carlos Tevez affair in 2007.

Given the controversy and intense publicity surrounding the Tevez affair, it is staggering to learn that QPR acted so carelessly in the acquisition of Alejandro Faurlin.

However, the Loftus Road side may be able to take solace from the Tevez affair. The FA has a discretionary range of punishments at its disposal. When punishing West Ham United in 2007, the FA decided that docking points was “not proportionate” and instead opted to issue a £5m fine.

Whilst QPR may have mitigating factors working in their favour, it is hard to feel any sympathy for Kolo Toure. Toure’s recklessness in failing to check whether his wife’s diet pills violated doping rules was inexcusable.

All PFA members receive documents listing banned substances, and are able to use a website to check whether specified supplements or medicines contain any such substances. Toure, along with the rest of the Manchester City squad, was visited by PFA representatives earlier this season.

Although QPR and Manchester City compete in different tiers of English football, the timing and severity of the aforementioned incidents could prove to be crucial turning points in their respective campaigns.

QPR, who lead the Championship table by nine points with eight games remaining, could see their chances of automatic promotion to the Premier League dashed if the FA decides to punish the Hoops by way of a points deduction. Manchester City, on the hand, must now battle to secure FA Cup success and Champions League qualification without the services of their most experienced centre-back.

The fact that the stakes are so high for both clubs means that the carelessness of QPR’s hierarchy and Kolo Toure are extremely hard to fathom.

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Sir Alex Ferguson claims England will continue to under-perform in major tournaments as long as the Premier League refuses to have a winter break.

The Manchester United boss claims that England travelled to the recent World Cup in South Africa "handicapped" by the players being fatigued from a relentless domestic season.

England crashed out at the last 16 stage following a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany and the finger of blame has been pointed at everyone from head coach Fabio Capello to a generation of under-performing players.

However, Ferguson believes the major issue is a more obvious one to do with player fatigue.

The Red Devils played 57 games in all competitions during a hectic 2009/10 season.

"The FA has to give the country the best possible chance of doing well in the World Cup," he stated.

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"Because of the nature of our game and because of the demands from television to have a programme every week, I have been talking about a winter break but nothing has happened.

"They must realise that, going into the World Cup, they have handicapped their team."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

A Demba Ba hat-trick at the Britannia Stadium on Monday night gave Newcastle a deserved 3-1 win over Stoke.

The result lifts Newcastle up into third place in the Premier League standings, and continues the Tyneside club’s unbeaten start to the season.

The Senegal international scored a brace in the first half, before Jonathan Walters converted a penalty in the second period to bring Tony Pulis’ men back into the tie.

However, Ba completed his hat-trick on 81 minutes with a penalty of his own, and made it six wins and four draws from Newcastle’s first ten games of the season.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew was understandably delighted with his team after winning the tricky fixture.

“We spoke before the game that on a pitch like this you’re going to get a lot of balls in your box and you have to defend them and we did as a team tonight, tremendous spirit,” Pardew told Sky Sports.

“I thought both penalties were a bit soft actually, but when it keeps going in there it’s a tough decision for the referee. Everyone is pushing and barging.

“I was a little bit disappointed in the second half that we didn’t control the game in the way that we should have. But you know the resilience of the team showed another side to us. We don’t get 22 points without having different sides to our game.

“No one’s won here. All the big teams have come and no one has won. It goes to show how good they are at what they do. Stoke had a strong wind behind them in the second half which helped them.

“They are a very, very good side and a side that we’ve got to beat at home if we can. They are a top team and will finish in the top ten.

“The disciplines we have in the team came through. We got a break here and there and we’ve ended up winning. We’re coming into a tough run of games, but we’re in a good position,” he concluded.

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Newcastle now take on Everton at St James’ Park on Saturday, and will hope to build on this excellent result.

By Gareth McKnight

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I know it seems like we’ve talked this issue to death, but after watching Chelsea dismantle Copenhagen with ease and then over-power Manchester United, I started to wonder about Ray Wilkins. The former assistant to manager Carlo Ancelotti sat in the Sky Sports studio reflecting on Chelsea’s announcement that they are not quite over-the-hill yet. He offered a diplomatic response whilst still showing unwavering affection to the team who sacked him three months previously for no real reason. The question has to be asked what could have been for Chelsea this season? They were flying at the start of the season and looked untouchable. Surely Wilkins’ dismissal and the Blues’ drop in form wasn’t just some coincidence, was it?

Many may have questioned what all the fuss was about when it was announced Wilkins would leave Stamford Bridge. After all, it wasn’t the manager of Frank Lampard being ushered away from West-London. But I think the role of assistant manager is undervalued. Take Manchester United for example. Sir Alex Ferguson is obviously very good at what he does, but United have been most successful when they’ve had a strong man behind him. In 1999, Steve McClaren joined and United went 33 games unbeaten en route to winning the treble. I’m not saying that Chelsea would have continued to win every game with Wilkins still in place, but I’d argue that they would be better off than fourth in the league with only the Champions League left to play for.

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He’s a football man but more importantly, he seems a man’s man. How difficult must it be for a group of players who have to deal with managers coming and going? Stability is imperative to a successful side, even more so when a club has an owner like Roman Abramovich, who likes to freshen things up every couple of years with a complete overhaul of the management system. David James recently blogged that an assistant manager can bridge the gap between the players and the manager. Since 2008, I’d say Wilkins had done that (among other things) quite well at Chelsea, especially with all three managers being foreigners during his time at the Bridge. I know a lot of Chelsea’s squad are also from outside the home nations, but who are the most important players at Chelsea? John Terry? Or Frank Lampard perhaps? So who now has the job of effectively conveying the concerns Chelsea’s top boys have? Well, Michael Emenalo, obviously! The head opposition scout. It all makes perfect sense now…

I’m being facetious, of course. It doesn’t seem to be a move which has paid off, not until now anyway. Chelsea spent heavily in January to dig themselves out of a hole which it would seem they made for themselves. If Wilkins was still there, doing what he was so successfully doing, Chelsea could have maintained the consistency and may well be in with a shout of reclaiming the Premier League trophy. Combine the early-season Chelsea with Ray Wilkins and add David Luiz and Fernando Torres on top of that. Sounds frightening, doesn’t it?

Chelsea have identified the importance of an assistant manager, not just to the man in charge himself, but to the rest of the squad. Ancelotti et al can argue until they’re Chelsea-blue in the face that their poor form was not down to Wilkins’ departure, but really – who are they trying to fool? Ray Wilkins seemed to be the heartbeat of Chelsea. They won the league last season, so why change it?

Maybe one day we will hear the truth, because there has to be more to it. For now, Chelsea have fired a warning shot to any other club thinking that they can cut corners by getting rid of their assistant manager: Do so at your peril, Wilkins is the proof. Actually, forget that. It was just a coincidence. Right?

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