SoccerBlogs

Talking Tactics: The success behind Chelsea's lack of width in attack is a post from: Just Football

The London Derby between Chelsea and Arsenal at the weekend highlighted perfectly the success Chelsea has had early this season because of its lack of width in the final third of the pitch.

Van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez: Manchester United's attacking options now equal of Man City's is a post from: Just Football

by Jake Meador

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Manchester's blue half should be feeling pretty chuffed right now.

Last year Manchester City won the Premier League on the strength of a half dozen prodigious attacking talents regularly cycling into four attacking roles, a sturdy-but-not-spectacular holding duo and an elite center half.

Bale living up to the hype for Tottenham - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

According to Castrol EDGE Performance analysis, Gareth Bale has been one of the Premier League's best performers this season, with the Welsh winger both scoring and creating regularly for his high-flying Tottenham side.

By Oli Baker

At the time of writing, no side in Europe's top five leagues has made as few tackles per game as Wolves (15.4) or as few interceptions (11.9).

For a team that gained a reputation as being tough and uncompromising last season, these are startling statistics.

Although Wolves do fare quite well in the possession stakes, averaging 50.

By Oli Baker

At the time of writing, no side in Europe's top five leagues has made as few tackles per game as Wolves (15.4) or as few interceptions (11.9).

For a team that gained a reputation as being tough and uncompromising last season, these are startling statistics.

Although Wolves do fare quite well in the possession stakes, averaging 50.

THFC1882 present a writing debut from Twitters @Brettsayid reporting on yesterday's match:

West Bromwich Albion 1 (Mulumbu 10 ) Tottenham Hotspur 3 ( Adebayor 26 , 90, Defoe 81 )

Line ups : WBA Foster , Reid , Olsson, Mcauley , Shorey , Brunt , Mulumbu , Morrison , Thomas , Gera ( sub , Cox ) Long ( sub , odemwinge )

Spurs Friedel , Walker , Kaboul , King, BAE , Lennon , Sandro (sub, Livermore), Parker , Bale , Adebayor , Defoe .

Finally the M57 to Liverpool to end all this in-sahinity

Reports from Spain, the Guardian, and the Beeb indicate that Arsenal were unwilling to budge from their position to keep Nuri Sahin on just a year long loan move seeking instead a provision to make him permanent. This did not find favour with Real Madrid.

As the Vancouver Whitecaps prepare for an all-Canadian battle with Toronto FC tonight, they'll do so without one of their most inventive and creative players.

The Whitecaps sold Davide Chiumiento to FC Zurich for an undisclosed transfer fee, a move that abruptly ends the playmaker's time in MLS.

Racing Portuense academy manager John Gontier has proudly revealed the placement of two players following the completion of NextStars' first year in Spain.

NextStars, a project created for the development of young English footballers, continues to welcome more aspiring players to Racing Portuense but in May, the joy was for players going in the opposite direction.

Quick Recap: The Portland Timbers looked terrible in the first and were very lucky to only give up 1 goal. Portland responded well to whatever John Spencer said at half time and looked like a different team in the 2nd half but only got the equalizer. 1 to 1 on the road.

First Half:

It was as if Portland decided to remind the fans what they were like on the road during the 2011 season.

(Rich's report was eaten by the internet, so here's the next best thing: HatterDon's View From South Texas)

Ho-hum, yet another double by the Mighty Whites.

There's a point to be made that Liverpool purposely fielded a weakened XI against Fulham Tuesday evening, since they have the FA Cup Final on Saturday.

(Rich's report was eaten by the internet, so here's the next best thing: HatterDon's View From South Texas)

Ho-hum, yet another double by the Mighty Whites.

There's a point to be made that Liverpool purposely fielded a weakened XI against Fulham Tuesday evening, since they have the FA Cup Final on Saturday.

It was a classic opening game. The fans came hoping to see signs of a rebirth with new acquisitions and a team style that had finally gelled. They went away disappointed as DC United remained mired in the same ineffective scoring rut that ended the 2011 season.

Kansas City was superior in possession and earned far more good shooting chances.

Ducky's Note:Â @machiviga is back with a look at the RvP story to date. And how it has meant that Rooney's injury doesn't result in panic stations for United anymore. Also, see how many words from the Barron's GRE book you can find below...

Let's be honest here. A season ago, Rooney's  injury and the resulting layoff would have had all of us pissing in our pants.

I had the opportunity to sit chat with SBN's Brotherly Game's Scott Kessler about the recent trade between the Portland Timbers and the Philadelphia Union. I will break our chat into the questions I asked and the questions he asked of me.

If memory serves me Mwanga has been in and out of Nowak's line-up.