How Will Real Madrid Function Without Higuain?

Since taking over at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite a monumental slip-up against Barcelona, everything has been going rosy for Jose Mourinho. He has implemented a 4-2-3-1 system which the team have adapted to with ease. As the season has progressed, so have Real, who are playing some of the best football in the league; an added bonus for president Florentino Perez, who after sacking Manuel Pellegrini, accepted that winning is the most important policy. The Portuguese coach however has not been one for rotation, and after finding a first X1 he can trust, has been reluctant to alter the first team players. However a back injury to the ever reliable Gonzalo Higuain has left Mourinho in a dilemma. How will he replace the Argentine?

For the past three seasons Higuain has cemented the poacher spot in the team, and a return of 63 goals in his last 101 games had made it difficult for Karim Benzema to displace him. Higuain has mastered how to play the role. He has the ability to hold the ball up to bring others into play, he drifts out to the wings to create space for Cristiano Ronaldo to drive through the centre and also has the persistence of playing on the shoulder of the last man, which helps to stretch the oppositions defence, freeing space for Madrid to squeeze forward.

Benzema and Kaka have a Real Madrid lifeline.

Barcelona Prepare For The New Season In The Perfect Manner

Last Saturday Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barça recovered from their first leg loss to defeat Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup. New signings David Villa and Adriano won their first trophy and made their home debuts at the Camp Nou, in a match that showed the Catalans are ready to defend their La Liga crown, starting their defence this Sunday against Racing Santander. The victory was the ninth time that Barcelona have won the Cup, meaning they are now the record winners.

Since then the news around the city has been of transfer talk. Liverpool want-away midfielder Javier Mascherano has been the subject of discussion, but the clubs are still far from agreeing on a price. Rumours of an £18 million bid plus a player in exchange, probably Alexander Hleb, was reportedly rejected by The Reds, who are holding out for £25 million. Owner Sandro Rosell has worked hard since he took over the club to sign a high-profile player, but deals for the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil have broken down with manager Pep Guardiola having faith in his players from the canteria. If Mascherano was to join, it might highlight the doubts over Andres Iniesta’s ability to remain fit for the season. It would allow Sergio Busquets to adventure forward, although fans are doubtful over why they need to sign a player of Mascherano calibre, which would restrict Busquet’s role in the team when everyone is fit.

Ronaldinho Joins In The Celebrations

Why Mascherano Wouldn’t Be A Good Signing For Barcelona

After losing such a prized asset in Yaya Toure to Manchester City this summer, the defensive midfield position is lacking depth at the Nou Camp, and after rumours of Marcos Senna were brushed aside, it seems that Javier Mascherano will be the man the club will bring in. The reported deal is a transfer fee of £15 million plus Alexander Hleb in exchange. Now in principle that seems like a brilliant move, losing a player who is bad for the squad harmony and signing one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, however the move would bring more cons than pros.

The reason Toure left was not for his lack of love for the club, but lack of minutes. He had lost his place to Sergio Busquets, who is something of a fan favourite. Busquets is a different holding player than most; he is not a tough, physical warrior who will only smash the opponents off the ball. He is more tactically aware; he sweeps up the mess in front of his defence then passes it to players who are more capable such as Xavi or Andreas Iniesta. He is one of those players who does not stand out, and had drawn a lot of criticism that he was not that good. But he was one of Spain’s best players in the World Cup and has only enhanced his stature in Catalonia. Mascherano would be a similar player to Toure, and while he is not incapable of passing, it is not one of his strongest attributes.

Too Good A Player For Barca?

Serbia’s World Cup Dream Is Alive After Shock Win

It seemed like it would be a case of déjà vu for the Serbian supporters. Four years ago they entered the World Cup with hope, yet fell greatly once they reached the finals, and it looked as if they would once more fall at the group stage. After a dire performance against Ghana in their 1-0 defeat last Sunday; in what seemed a must win game if they were to progress, they needed to really lift themselves if they were to defeat a German side who looked very sharp in their comfortable 4-0 group opener. Serbia showed spirit, determination and regained the spark which they had during qualification, and also had a helping hand from the referee.

Radomir Antić admitted before the match that he would contemplate changes if his team were to gain anything from the next two games, and he was true to his word. He adopted a 4-3-3 formation knowing he needed to stifle the German midfield that had Mesut Özil playing in ‘the hole’, so Zdravko Kuzmanović was promoted into the starting line-up with a specific defensive job, although they were hoping he wouldn’t give away a foolish penalty again. Neven Subotić was given the role to play alongside Nemanja Vidić in the heart of defence, after his usual partner Aleksandar Luković was suspended after his red card last-week. The mentality of the team was to play defensive, slow the tempo of the game and to absorb the Germans who would attack in numbers, then to hit them on the counter-attack with the pace of Milan Jovanović and Miloš Krasić on the wings. After such a weak performance in the centre of midfield in the first game, Miloš Ninković was asked to play alongside his captain and the tactics that Radomir Antić adopted were perfect.

Jovanovic With The Key Goal Against Germany

No Repeat Of Last Week’s Blip If Serbia Are To Progress

So far in the 2010 FIFA World Cup a high proportion of the games have been defensive and tedious encounters. However, last Sunday the Germans 4-0 victory over the 10-men of Australia caught the eye of football fans, and they are now being tipped as likely winners. On Friday they face a Serbian team who will need to show the right response if they are to progress from Group D. A poor display against Ghana saw the White Eagles lose their opening game 1-0, which has brought back horror memories to their fans of four years ago. At least a point is needed if they are to have a realistic chance of reaching the knockout round, and they will need to raise their game to achieve this feat.

Firstly, the confidence needs to be reinstated in the players, and the person responsible for doing this will be Radomir Antic. With five days of preparation, the highly respected coach has a tough job on his hands if he is to prevent the Germans from running rampant. After last weekend’s game, he did what he could to quickly encourage his players to forget about their opening match and look ahead. “Of course this is a big blow for us, it’s bad to start the World Cup with a defeat. But we have two more games and we must put this behind us and look forward to playing Germany and Australia.”

Serbia's Likely Starting 11 in South Africa

The Old Enemy’s Efficient Style Puts Them In Contention

It seems to be a continual trend, never right off the Germans. Consistently our foes show us how to utilise the best of their abilities, and after being world champions on three occasions, this time they could yet again be among the finalists. After a decent performance on home soil in the 2006 World Cup, not many changes needed to be incorporated. Already a team consisting of young superstars such as Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Bastian Schweinsteiger, the most notable change was in the managerial department, where Joachim Löw has been instated after being the assistant manager. After being runners-up in the 2008 European Championships, the coach will be hoping they can go one better this summer.

A noticeable characteristic of the German squad is that they are very young. Indeed out of the 23-men selected, only two surpass the age of 30 – reserve keeper Hans-Jörg Butt and Miroslav Klose. Löw has tried to nurture some of the players who performed so successfully in last summer’s U-21 European Championships, in which they won after a convincing 4-0 trouncing of England, with the likes of Manuel Neuer, Jérôme Boateng, Dennis Aogo, Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil all competing in the final. The mixture between youth and experience is usually the chemistry for success, and if they can get the formula correct, there could be little to prevail over them.

Mesut Özil Shall Be Key For Germany