Shivnarine Chanderpaul won all three major awards at the annual West Indies Players’ Association’s awards on Sunday night. The fifth edition of the award saw him voted the international cricketer of the year, Test cricketer of the year and one-day international cricketer of the year.The accolades cap a superb year for Chanderpaul during which he was the mainstay of the West Indian batting line-up. He averaged 111.60 in Tests in 2007, going past 50 in six of his seven innings. It was also his most fruitful year in one-dayers: he plundered 913 runs, including four centuries, at 76.08.Trinidad and Tobago batsman Daren Ganga, who was last year’s Test player of the year, was named the first-class cricketer of the year while 17-year-old Adrian Barath was bagged the emerging cricketer of the year award, after an impressive first season. Barbadian Shamarh Brooks, who lead the West Indies during the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February, was declared the U-19 cricketer of the year.
Younis Khan has pulled out of Pakistan’s squad for the remaining three one-day internationals against Bangladesh, citing the need for rest. Younis asked the selectors to be omitted from the squad, a wish the committee granted.”He asked us for rest and we agreed,” Salahuddin Ahmed, chief selector, told Cricinfo. “It gives us a chance to give some other players a go as well, guys like Bazid Khan and Fawad Alam in the batting.”Younis has seemed out of sorts in the first two matches, scoring 1 and 13. Before the first ODI in Lahore he had threatened to pull out of the match, apparently disturbed by an interview with officers from the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) about a function he attended onthe tour to India in 2007. There is bound to be speculation that the pull-out is related to that, though Salahuddin denied it, saying only that Younis had cited ‘personal reasons.’No other changes have been made to the squad ahead of the third ODI against, with Pakistan sticking to a reduced 15-man squad. If Pakistan wrap up the series on Sunday in Lahore, it is likely new faces will be inducted into the squad for the remaining games.Squad: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf,Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk),Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Bazid Khan, Wahab Riaz,Sohail Khan, Fawad Alam
The great chasm in ability and experience continued to show in this year’s Logan Cup with Gary Brent’s all-round exploits spearheading Northerns to an innings and 92-run rout of Southerns inside two days in Harare. Southerns were bowled out for 141 on the first day but fought back well to reduce Northerns to 87 for 5 at the close. But Brent (51) and Ray Price (89) rescued the innings with a 133-run partnership for the ninth wicket to boost Northerns to 275. In a little over an hour after tea Southerns were blown away for 42, Brent, who finished with 5 for 21, starting the collapse by removing the top four.Southerns, formerly known as Masvingo, were only awarded first-class status two years ago. They have not done too badly in the shorter-version, but have been clearly out of depth in four-day cricket. That, with ever-depreciating standards in the game in Zimbabwe, suggests that the prospects remain bleak for the country’s Test future as most players are still a long way to master this form of the game. The lack of experienced players in matches like this is also a concern.At Mutare, defending champions Easterns kept in touch with Northerns with a convincing 385-run win over Centrals. Easterns’ batting was the difference between the sides, with Hamilton Masakadza’s 205 ball hundred, and a breezy 67 in the second innings, leading the charge – but it was fireworks from Forster Mutizwa which lit up the game. The 22-year-old Mutizwa clubbed 102 from 92 balls with 13 fours and four sixes as Easterns set an almost impossible target of 492 in three-and-a-half sessions. Centrals mustered 169 and 107, with Prosper Utseya (5 for 28) doing the damage in their first innings and Steady Musoso (5 for 43) in their second. The only solace for Centrals was the performance of Brighton Mugochi, who finished with match figures of 8 for 158 with his left-arm spin.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA stifling spell of left-arm spin by Shakti Gauchan halted a runaway start by USA to set the stage for a six-wicket win by Nepal at Stormont on Friday. A double-strike in the 13th over removed the well-set Akeem Dodson for 39 and Japen Patel for 1 to peg USA back at 86 for 6 and from there they stumbled to a meagre total of 121 which Nepal overhauled with two balls to spare.USA won the toss and elected to bat first under bright sunshine at Stormont as Fahad Babar pulled a four off Sompal Kami in the first over and hooked Karan KC for six in the second to give USA an early lift. He scored 23 of the first 27 runs before he middled a pull straight to backward square leg off Sagar Pun to end the third.Dodson picked up where Babar left off and pumped Karan for two fours and a six over mid-on in the fourth over to take USA to 41 for 1. That was the last double-digit over of the innings for USA though as Nepal captain Paras Khadka produced a series of bowling changes to put USA off balance.Shiva Vashishat fell to Kami – beaten for pace trying to flick – for 3 to make it 51 for 2 before Basant Regmi further dented USA’s middle order by getting Mrunal Patel lofting to long-off in the ninth over for 7. Regmi struck again in the 11th when Timil Patel tamely prodded back a return catch to make it 73 for 4.But Gauchan generated the biggest momentum shift by prising out Dodson, getting extra bounce to induce a thick edge to short third man and followed it up shortly after by pinning Japen on the crease. Karan Ganesh and Adil Bhatti kept the Nepalese attack at bay for four overs before Ganesh’s patience ran out as he slogged Gauchan to Pradeep Airee at deep midwicket, who claimed an excellent catch over his head just inside the rope to make it 107 for 7.Another mini-collapse followed with Ganesh’s wicket – the first of three to fall for just four runs. Captain Muhammad Ghous chipped Kami gently to Gyanendra Malla in the circle at midwicket before Bhatti finally opted to hit out before he lost any more partners and was clean bowled missing a slog sweep for 14. Jasdeep Singh and Hammad Shahid were left with 11 balls to negotiate and they lasted until the final ball when Singh was run-out going for a third.Singh gave USA hope at the start of the chase with a gem to knock back Pun’s off stump for 6 for his maiden international wicket. USA had a chance to remove both openers when Anil Mandal offered an edge on 8 to Dodson off Shahid but the keeper couldn’t hang on to a one-handed diving effort.From there, Nepal were cautious not to take any risks with the low total in mind and USA responded by staying disciplined in the field. They ended the Powerplay at 27 for 1 and 45 for 1 after nine overs with Gyanendra Malla on 18 off 20 and Mandal 19 in 29 balls. Pressure eased off in the 10th over though when Malla tucked into a meaty full toss from Adil Bhatti and deposited onto the pavilion balcony, 25 yards beyond the rope at midwicket.The six loosened up Malla as he cracked Ghous for a pair of boundaries in the 12th over and lofted legspinner Timil Patel over extra cover in the 14th for another. Karan Ganesh finally broke the 78-run stand when Mandal pulled to Singh who took a sliding catch at deep midwicket but Malla brought up his fifty off 40 balls on the next delivery with an elegant cut behind point.Singh breathed air back into his side with a yorker to trap Malla in front for 52 at the start of the 16th over. When Binod Bhandari mistimed a pull off Shahid to start the 19th over, Nepal still needed 13 off 11. The equation was trimmed to eight off the final over bowled by Bhatti but Khadka smashed the first ball over extra cover to deflate USA’s fielders and three balls later the winning run was scampered off a leg bye.Singh was USA’s standout bowler on the day with 2 for 23, but with not enough runs to defend, his efforts turned futile. Nepal comes back to Stormont on Saturday to take on Namibia while USA has a day off before they face Ireland in their next match.
Watch Nathan Coulter-Nile up close and it is not hard to see why Australia’s selectors drafted him into the squad for Hobart. Tall, strong, and athletic, he can hit the ball miles and then hurl it down the wicket at speeds approaching the 145kph mark. He is also an outstanding fielder, rivalling the best of Ryan Harris for covering ground and firing in flat returns from the outfield.Yet his tendency to be injured and his lack of recent cricket have made Coulter-Nile a figure of some curiosity since his first call-up to the Test squad. Coulter-Nile had been a reserve alongside Doug Bollinger during the 2013-14 Ashes summer, but since then his ODI appearances have been sporadic, and he notably missed this year’s World Cup due to hamstring surgery.At 27, Coulter-Nile is aware that his opportunity is now, and he has no intention of simply making up the numbers either in this squad or the Australian bowling attack should he be granted a chance due to the heavy workloads being placed on the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle.”Every Test is an opportunity. I mean, you take five-for in a Test it becomes very hard to drop you,” Coulter-Nile said. “That’s why none of the boys want to give up their spot. You don’t see Sidds going, ‘Oh I’ve got a sore back I’m going to have a rest,’ because you don’t want to give the opportunity to the next bloke. I’m the same. If I get an opportunity I don’t want to just feel like a gap-filler, I want to press my case to play the next Test and the one after that.”The shock of not even being in contention for the World Cup after being around the limited-overs mark for some time had a considerable effect on Coulter-Nile, leaving him to reassess how seriously he took the game and how he prepared for it. That realisation did not prevent further injuries – a hamstring strain in England during the ODIs earlier this year and a shoulder problem that kept him out of action for the early part of the Sheffield Shield season – but it has hardened his outlook.”Not to be even in contention for selection was a tough one, it was a bit of an eye opener,” he said. “It was the time the penny dropped, I needed to sort my body out, sort myself out and I did and then I got injured again. It’s part of the game. If you want to bowl fast and put your body through that you are going to get injured it is just something you have to deal with and get on with I guess.”Adam Voges is Coulter-Nile’s state captain, and a well-placed observer of his abilities. He foresees a role similar to that played by James Pattinson, the other firebrand in the team following the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and now injury to Mitchell Starc.”He can be used primarily as a strike bowler for us, I think,” Voges said. “He bowls good pace – he can touch sort of mid 140kph and get some good shape at that pace as well. In terms of whether he gets a game or not I’m not too sure but I see him and Jimmy Pattinson in a similar vein in terms of good pace and can swing the ball. It’s certainly a good asset to have.”Obviously with his hamstring troubles that we know about, he’s had some issues there. The shoulder he’s coming back from was from a freak accident in a warm up game so that was just really unfortunate but from what I saw from the back end particularly from the last Shield season where he played six games in six weeks and just got better and better the more he played. The resilience was there and I think it’s coming, he’s just been a little bit unfortunate with his injuries.”The fresh intensity Coulter-Nile brought to his playing of the game has had one unfortunate side-effect. A dissent charge after disputing an umpire’s wide call during his return from injury in the Futures League led to a suspension from the one Shield game available to him before this week, and a moment’s pause about his Test prospects. The selectors, however, kept faith with someone who has been in their plans now for several years, reasoning that he had shown enough signs of rhythm in the earlier fixture.”I was playing a 2nd XI game to get back into the shield team and I played it as hard as I could, as aggressively as I could,” Coulter-Nile said. “I stepped over the line, paid the price and I missed a Shield game, it was just very fortunate that I have got the opportunity here. That’s how I play my best cricket and I don’t see myself changing but I definitely will respect the umpire’s decision.”If you’d had it [the injury] for a long time and you haven’t bowled I guess it’s hard, but the injury I had I started bowling two weeks later, so I didn’t miss a lot of bowling. I feel pretty good in that space. I feel like I play cricket 365 days of the year so I don’t feel like I’ve missed a large portion of cricket.”I’ve been bowling a long time, it’s not like I’ve had to build back up or anything, I didn’t start up on half run and build back up, I was straight off the long run and bowling flat out, so it wasn’t really an issue there.”The question of whether Coulter-Nile can put all that ability together and perform on the Test match stage will remain open until he gets his chance, but said he will try not to think about that. “I don’t really get drawn into how I’m going to go, I just go out there and try my best,” he said. “If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn’t work this time, hopefully it works next time. I don’t get caught up in how it’s going to go, you can’t change that.”In one net session at Bellerive Oval, Coulter-Nile lost little by comparison to the rest of the bowling attack. His talent indicates that he belongs – he awaits the chance to back that up with performance.
Pruning the national selection committee from five to three, as the Lodha report has recommended, would be a bad idea given the size of the country and the number of first-class teams involved. That’s the opinion of three former selectors – Dilip Vengsarkar, Kiran More and Sanjay Jagdale – who say that the increased workload cannot be offset by the proposed Talent Committee that will do the basic scouting.One of the key reforms proposed by the Lodha committee, which submitted its various recommendations on Monday, was to limit the selection panel to three former players, all Test cricketers, retired at least five years prior to their appointment. According to the Lodha committee, a Talent Committee would facilitate the national selectors, reduce their workload and effectively “increase the authority” of the panel.But all the former selectors ESPNcricinfo spoke to disagreed. “India is such a vast country. At the moment the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy [the domestic Twenty20 tournament] is taking place across four venues. Suppose there are three selectors, then how many games can they watch?” More, the former Indian wicketkeeper, said. According to More, it would not be the right decision to adopt the same structure that is in place in countries like Australia, which have only a handful of first-class teams.More felt at least four selectors are required, but he was happy to have the four best men from around the country chosen instead of zonal representation, which has been the norm for long and opens up the possibility of nepotism.Former Madhya Pradesh allrounder Jagdale, who served two terms as a national selector between 2000 and 2008 as part two selection panels, said that the five-man panel was a “proven formula”, so why change that now.Former India captain Vengsarkar said he would stick to five-selectors policy. “The game has spread even to the small cities. The BCCI is sending grants to every association and they in turn are creating the infrastructure to encourage youngsters to play the game. So the player pool has increased now,” Vengsarkar, who is now the director of the National Cricket Academy, said. He pointed out the proposed Talent Committee has already been put in place by the BCCI, with the plan to appoint 30 talent and research development officers (TRDOs) comprising three scouts at the Under-16 and Under-19 levels each, across the five zones.Asked whether three selectors would not be enough, given the 30 scouts on the junior circuit providing feedback, Vengsarkar felt more is still better. “It always helps to have more views and opinions on a particular selection at times,” he said.According to More, relying on talent scouts was never enough. “Recommendations are fine. But you have to see the player yourself, you have to study the conditions. One guy could score a century but a on a (flat) wicket whereas another batsman might score 50 on a difficult wicket.”As for the proposal on the panel comprising only Test players, Vengsarkar and More differed. More preferred a mix, keeping in the mind the importance of limited-overs cricket and how it would not be correct to ignore former players who might have been good in the shorter formats but missed out on playing Tests. Vengsarkar felt if a player had dealt with the rigours of Test cricket successfully, he could easily adapt his thinking to the shorter formats even if he might never had played or excelled at them.Jagdale did not want to comment whether having a Test cap was an important prerequisite for being a selector. “It would not be fair for me to say anything,” he said. “I was a non-Test playing selector for such a long period.”
Zimbabwe’s batting line-up put up a power-packed performance, something they hadn’t done earlier in the series, to keep it alive with a 31-run win in the third T20 against Bangladesh. Zimbabwe’s spinners continued to pick wickets, like they had done earlier in the series, and derailed the hosts’ chase around the halfway mark despite their strong start.Marshalled by Vusi Sibanda at the start and Malcolm Waller later, Zimbabwe’s sustained aggression took them to a challenging 187 after stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza had said the “160-mark” would be decent on this pitch in Khulna. Tendai Chisoro, Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza took all six wickets and conceded only 40 runs in their 10 overs.There were useful contributions from all of Zimbabwe’s top five batsmen, and each of them had a strike rate of over 120. Sibanda showed his intent from the first ball he faced by charging at left-arm pacer Abu Hider, one of the four Bangladesh debutants, to drill him through the covers for four. He carved out a pretty wide ‘V’ on both sides of the pitch by dispatching meaty drives and flicks. Masakadza also got going after a slow start, and hammered Mohammad Shahid, another debutant, for four consecutive fours, but fell for 20 when in search of a fifth.Hider and Shahid were punished for 45 runs in the first four overs and Sibanda welcomed the third debutant Muktar Ali with a four as well. Zimbabwe were 59 for 1 when rain interrupted and Shakib Al Hasan had Richmond Mutumbami and Sibanda caught at deep midwicket after the break, in consecutive overs, to drag the run-rate from over ten to under eight.Meanwhile, Waller and Williams were getting themselves set. And having faced about ten balls each, they unfurled a barrage of boundaries to help Zimbabwe swindle 85 runs from the last seven overs; six of those went for at least ten an over.Mosaddek Hossain dropped Williams on 12 at backward point, but it was Waller who caused more damage. Shahid, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib – all were punished for sixes before Waller eventually holed out to deep midwicket, for a 23-ball 49. Williams continued till the last over and some late strikes from Peter Moor too meant the Bangladesh bowlers got no respite.Chisoro dented Bangladesh’s chase in the first over to dismiss Imrul Kayes, playing his first match of the series, for 1 but Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman kept the hosts in the hunt. Sarkar used his wrists to find gaps and Sabbir targeted the leg side, just like he had done in the second T20, with pulls and slogs. Sabbir mirrored Masakadza by dispatching three straight fours in the sixth over that hauled their run-rate over nine. Zimbabwe also paid the price for Mutumbami’s mistake when he missed Sarkar’s stumping off Williams’ first ball. That over cost 12 runs and the visitors seemed unsettled.Zimbabwe caught a break when Sarkar top-edged a slog sweep for an easy catch at midwicket in Cremer’s first over that broke their most productive and threatening stand, of 67 runs. Masakadza rotated his spinners for the next nine overs, the asking rate shot up and the wickets came down. Sabbir brought up a 31-ball fifty with a four in the 11th over but fell two balls later by holing out in the leg side.Their hopes fell on Shakib, but he found Waller at long-on with 86 required from 36. Mahmudullah top-edged Cremer in the same over to give Mutumbami an easy catch. As well as Nurul Hasan scooped during his 17-ball 30 and Muktar supported him with 19 from 15, it just wasn’t enough.
It’s said the truest and toughest test of an international player is that he not only be one but look like one.In any lesser company he should stand head and shoulders above the crowd, that his quality should be so clear that it is transparent by the most uneducated observer.Good players stand out.From that perspective, no-one at the Basin Reserve today who saw the innings of Roger Twose and Stephen Fleming or enjoyed their unbroken partnership of 244 for Wellington against Otago which was a record for all wickets by all teams in the Shell Cup, could have doubted their international status.Twose’s innings of 124 not out, Fleming’s of 120 not out, which contributed to Wellington’s 102-run win over Otago were performances of such complete and ruthless command, exercises in such manifest authority that the pedigree of their creators could only be self-evident.Asked to pick out the internationals in these two teams, the most ingenuous novice would easily have lighted on Twose and Fleming for Wellington, who batted in partnership through 43 overs to lift Wellington to 274/2, and Mark Richardson for Otago who carried his bat through their innings of 172 and was 88 not out at its end.The day was shaped entirely by Twose and Fleming who were drawn into partnership in only the seventh over of Wellington’s innings when they were 30/2 after winning the toss and batting. Matthew Bell had been out to the first ball of the second over, bringing Fleming to the wicket with only eight balls of the innings bowled, and Chris Nevin was out to the second ball of the seventh over, bringing Twose to the crease.They remained together for the next 43 overs and four balls, scoring at an even pace and reaching each of their innings’ milestones almost simultaneously. At the end they had created a new partnership record not only for Wellington’s third wicket or for all wickets for Wellington but for all wickets for all teams in the Cup and they had done so with apparent effortlessness.It had to be remembered that Fleming had missed Wellington’s match against Auckland two days ago with a groin strain and hadn’t entirely erased doubts about his fitness when he came to the crease today. That he batted 195 minutes, through almost 49 overs and took many of his runs from hard-run singles and twos, that he seemed free in his movement, poised and decisive, would have seemed to allay those doubts entirely.But Fleming was prepared to delay judgment on that issue.”The injury is okay at the moment but tomorrow will tell the story,” he said. “If there’s a downside to this innings it’s spending the whole day on an injury but it was well strapped and I’ll just have to seem how it comes out tomorrow.”This was only Fleming’s third hundred in Cup matches, his highest score and his first century in any form of cricket for almost two years but he greeted it with only modest satisfaction. It was clear Fleming enjoying batting and batting successfully in the company of his old mate Twose and there were times in the partnership where their understanding, their mutual judgment of a run was almost intuitive.But Fleming was only mildly satisfied with his day’s work – by no means rejoicing.”The most pleasing thing for me is that it’s just a continuation of my form,” he said. “I feel in good form at the moment and I’ve had some good results in the one-day stuff so I’m just working on continuing that and keeping things simple.”There was a simplicity to his innings today, a matter-of-factness and a singularity of purpose but at the same time there was complexity. It was an innings, as Twose’s was, highlighted by the batsmen’s flair for innovation. Both found some shots hard to play on a relatively slow Basin Reserve wicket, so they found means to score through improvisation – through reverse sweeps and other shots which are only found in the appendix to the book of cricket techniques.”We had to try a few new things to score runs out there today because the ball wasn’t always coming on and it was hard to play straight. So we both brought out the reverse sweep and a few other shots and that was quite nice because we’ve had a lot of reverse sweeps played against us lately.”Both players had two sixes in their innings and both crowned those innings with sixes out of the ground – Fleming early in his innings from the spinner Simon Forde and Twose in the last over, when he took 17 runs from Craig Pryor.But the chart of their totals had that picket-fence quality that good, experienced one-day batsmen achieve because, while Twose hit 11 boundaries and Fleming seven, the majority of their runs were collected from singles.The quality that Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson appreciated most was the measured and sensible pacing of their innings. Wellington were only 80/2 after 20 overs and 120/2 after 30 but they were able to accelerate steadily through the last 20 overs to reach 274.Otago, in comparision, were 102/5 after 20 overs and 126/8 after 30 – ahead of Wellington’s run rate but losing wickets too quickly to remain competitive.”I thought Roger and Stephen showed very good pace,” Johnson said. “they had a target in mind and with the calibre of the individuals they knew what we needed and got it.”Otago were never in the hunt for Wellington’s total – which was substantial in the context of the Basin’s slow pitches. Richardson’s innings was the only sturdy thread holding together their reply. He batted for 158 minutes and for all the 37.4 overs of the innings reaching 50 in 19.1 overs and 88 by the end.There were only a few other contributions of note – 25 from Chris Gaffaney who helped him add 40 for the second wicket, 19 from Paul Wiseman who added 39 for the ninth. Otherwise, Otago’s innings was in a rapid decline, a decline made more sobering by the fact Wellington dropped three catches.Gaffaney was dropped before he had scored, Matt Horne on 6 (he went on to double that score) and Richardson on 29.Chris Nevin, who put down Gaffaney off James Franklin only a ball after Andrew Hore was out, finished with three catches and the stumping of Lee Germon.
If anyone thought that a minor event like the World Cup would overshadow Barcelona’s public pursuit of Cesc Fabregas, they were mistaken. Xavi, emblematic of Barcelona’s ethos, has again unequivocally stated where his compatriot’s future lies.
“Two years ago, I said that Cesc would end up playing for Barcelona and now it’s clearer than ever. In addition he has already expressed publicly that he wants to come to Barcelona. It is clear that Cesc will come to Barcelona.”
Last week I questioned if FIFA should adopt the NBA’s stance to tapping up players (see here) and, as the days roll by and Barcelona’s talk of ‘respect’ bears the veracity of a serial seducer preaching monogamy, I can only hope that new measures are drawn up. Whilst Xavi is a splendid player, without parallel in his position at present, his newest supplement to the Fabregas-Barcelona love affair is paradigmatic of the Catalan club’s only obvious shortcoming; arrogance.
Invariably Xavi handles himself, on and off the pitch, with the tenets of sportsmanship that La Masia instils in its youth: being prudent, humble, fair and – above all – respectful of your team mates and the opposition. The club have commendably produced an array of elite players who remain unaffected and grounded – Lionel Messi is without doubt the finest individual talent in the world but harbours none of the failings such talent usually begets. But, and this is a big but, their actions at moments which test these principles have left them wanting on more than one occasion.
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The club’s fans derided Real Madrid for their players publicly psyching one another up prior to the second leg clash with Lyon in the Champions League. The consensus from Barcelona was supercilious; if Madrid were good enough, they wouldn’t need to announce their intentions publicly. Yet when Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique publicly voiced their desire to make the Inter players ‘hate their profession for ninety minutes’ or the sweet joy that would accompany reaching a final being hosted at the Bernabeu no less, were they not guilty of the same crime? Valdes tried accosting Mourinho in his brazen celebratory pitch invasion but, though lacking class himself, it was an understandable retort to the local press’ haughty undercutting of the Portuguese’s achievements as a manager (continuously referring to him as ‘the translator’). When teams employ highly defensive tactics to counter Barcelona, especially in Europe, there is a tangible sense of being wronged that emanates from the Spanish giants if they don’t win – the fans resent the success that Manchester United and Chelsea had at the Nou Camp with their conservative approach.
In fairness to Barcelona however, a degree of arrogance is not only expected when you produce the football they do, but it is a prerequisite; to recognise how good you are is imperative in sustaining standards and attempting to improve. But that is on a footballing front whilst Xavi’s latest words are more to do with etiquette. If Barcelona genuinely respected Arsene Wenger and Arsenal they would not comment in the public sphere. It remains as simple as that. This is why Pep Guardiola’s silence on the issue underpins his dignity and just why it is he who fully encapsulates the best of Barcelona without a hint of their only shortcoming.
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With the acquisitions of Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake it seems clear that Bolton Wanderers manger Owen Coyle is trying to change the philosophy at the club from being a hard working and physical side, to making them more exciting and adventurous.
They are both technical footballers and will offer a change to the usual types of signings Bolton fans have been accustomed to over the last few years. The signing of Petrov particularly is a coup for the club, as without disrespecting Bolton he could have signed for a bigger club as he is a very talented player. He will be able to give Bolton a lot of options as he can play anywhere in the midfield in an attacking position. Petrov is an exciting player is equally capable of providing goals and assists for his side and will undoubtedly be one of Bolton’s star players next season, manager Owen Coyle has said about him:
“He’s someone I’ve admired for a long time because he’s a top-class player and this is a tremendous signing for the club.”
He added: “As far as I’m concerned he’s probably one of the best Bosman transfers available. To try to purchase him on the market last year then it would have cost you four or five million pounds easily.”
The signing of Robbie Blake will also give the team experience and different options upfront and Bolton will be able to use his creativity if needed. Despite Burnley’s relegation from the Premiership, Blake had a decent season for the club, Coyle has said on the capture of Blake:
“He has proven Premier League ability and adds to our striking options. He is a bubbly character who will be a great lad to have in the dressing room.”
Coyle also said: “I worked with him for two fantastic years and I am pleased to link up with him again because I know a number of clubs were interested in securing his signature.”
It’s clear from the signings that the Scotsman made last season that he is trying to change the team’s dynamic as the likes of Jack Wilshere and Stuart Holden allowed the team to produce some fluid passing last season. If Coyle can persuade Arsenal to loan them Wilshere again then it’s possible that we could amazingly see an entertaining Bolton side next year.
Owen Coyle’s Bolton could well be a surprise package next season if they continue to make signings of this magnitude. There are definitely some exciting times ahead for the club and with Coyle at the helm boring, predictable Bolton might actually become one of the team’s to watch.
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