Monthly Archives: May 2015

Gerson: The latest Barcelona-bound Brazilian starlet

  By O-Posts Team | May 31, 2024 - 18:09 | , , , , ,
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Fluminense midfielder Gerson looks set to become the latest young talent to follow the well-worn path from South America’s streets to the Nou Camp. And, as if Neymar, Messi and co were not a hard enough act to follow, he also has the reputation of his namesake, the Gérson of 1970 World Cup winning fame, to live up to.

Nicknamed the ‘Golden left foot’, the original Gérson was known as the ‘brain’ behind Brazil’s legendary 1970 side. That he was also a centre-midfielder who played for Fluminense makes press comparisons between the two men inevitable, but don’t expect the 18-year-old to be fazed.

Raised in a poor bairro in Nova Iguaça on metropolitan Rio’s far northern outskirts, Gerson’s life might have turned out very differently had it not been for his Dad, who would put down cones each night in the street to give improvised coaching sessions to the local kids.

 

Youth career

It was thanks to this positive parental influence that, rather than becoming involved with drugs and gangs, Gerson was picked up by local side Fluminense, for whom he formed part of a victorious generation that won several youth titles.

Next came international recognition as he was called up to the Seleçao’s Under-20 squad at the age of just 17, providing three assists as he represented them in the South American Championship in January this year.

For his club Gerson is already one of the first names on the team sheet, this despite only making his senior debut in February, and he appeared 12 times as Fluminense progressed to the final of Rio’s state championship.

 

The new Paul Pogba?

As for his style of play, Juventus scout, Javier Ribalta, says Gerson is like a left-footed version of Juve’s powerful midfielder Paul Pogba, while according to Alexandre Gallo, formerly coach of Brazil’s Under-20s, he has great technical ability and is extremely skilful.

In addition, accurate passing and powerful shooting are hallmarks of the youngster’s game, as well as a tendency to drive forward with the ball from midfield.

His looks have seen him dubbed Eddie Murphy by teammates, but the moniker does not extend to Gerson’s comedic talents. In reality, he is shy off the pitch and does not tend to involve himself with the fooling around of the other young players during training.

Endowed with this focus, combined with talent in abundance, it is perhaps unsurprising that Gerson is already attracting the attention of Europe’s elite clubs.

Juventus reportedly had an 11 million Euro bid turned down in January, while just this week reports have confirmed that Fluminense have agreed a deal for Barcelona to be given first option for his signature once their transfer ban ends in January 2016.

That gives him the rest of the Brazilian league campaign to show the Catalunyan club that he really has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Ronaldinho and co.

Whether he makes it to the Nou Camp or not, though, one thing is certain: you haven’t heard the last of Gerson.

 

Written by Calum Leahy

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Football Quiz: Can you name the top Premier League scorer for each season?

  By O-Posts Team | May 30, 2024 - 19:54 | , , , , , , , , ,
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Denis Cheryshev: Villarreal’s breakout star and Russia’s biggest hope

  By O-Posts Team | May 30, 2024 - 13:59 | , , , , , , , ,
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Russians are the homesick type, people who generally don’t like venturing out of their comfort zone to begin new challenges overseas. You can apply this to Russians in general, not just in sport, but there is one Russian footballer who this stereotype doesn’t belong to at all. 24 year old midfielder Denis Cheryshev has seen his career flourish in Spain, and he’s soon becoming Russia’s biggest hope with the 2018 FIFA World Cup very much in people’s minds.

The lack of talent emerging from Russian football has been a topic on everyone’s lips for a long time already, especially after the disastrous World Cup campaign last year in Brazil. Promising Dynamo Moscow forward Alexander Kokorin is slowly letting his talent go to waste, and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is seeing his decision to stay at CSKA Moscow backfire. It’s not too surprising then that Denis Cheryshev hasn’t really been involved with the Russian system at all, with his first footballing steps coming in Sporting Gijon’s academy when he was only six years old.

Not long later giants Real Madrid came calling, and for a Russian it’s not something that happens every day. Cheryshev even managed to make an impression on the Real system, emerging to make 109 appearances for their B team and even stepping on to the field for the main team in the Copa Del Rey.

If no one in Russia knew about Cheryshev before, attention was now slowly being put on to the young midfielder. In 2013 he was eventually sent out on loan to FC Sevilla to gain some constant match practice in La Liga, however having picked up an early injury he was never able to make any sort of impact. That all changed when joining Villarreal on a second loan spell though, and this campaign he’s been simply fantastic.

Having made himself an almost permanent fixture on Villarreal’s left wing he’s become one of their main men this season, tallying up four goals along with nine assists. That was enough to persuade national team head coach Fabio Capello to call him up regularly, with Denis being talked about by the Russian media more frequently.

A Russian making a name for himself abroad is a rarity, with only Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal), Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Everton) and Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham) causing at least some ripples abroad in recent years. Cheryshev’s breakout season with Villarreal has proved talk of a return to parent club Real Madrid, and if it goes through, he could kick on to become a true star in Europe. Still, we need to keep our feet on the ground.

Yes, he’s creating a promising career for himself in Spain, has been voted into La Liga’s young team of the year, but he hasn’t asserted himself on to the international scene. In seven appearances he is yet to register, and his creative approach is being stifled by Fabio Capello’s drab way of playing the game.

Indeed almost all of Russia’s national team’s woes are down to Capello. Plenty of players have the potential to make something happen, to do something different, but when playing such boring football it’s impossible to show any imagination whatsoever. Can Cheryshev do anything to change that? Maybe. If he has enough desire he has the opportunity to become the focal point of Russia’s footballing future, and his ability should be able to shine through even when playing in such a defensive style.

Rumours have circled many a time about the possibility of Denis returning to Russia, but apart from one strong link with Zenit Saint Petersburg nothing has really looked likely. Russian fans would like to get a closer look at him, but while things are going well in Spain, we can count out any transfer to the Russian Premier League.

Interestingly Cheryshev was the only non-Russian league player in Russia’s 2014 World Cup provisional squad (although he wasn’t included in the final pick), and that is quite a worrying fact. Young, talented Russians are being held back in their own country with huge wages being more of an incentive than a sparkling career, and it’s a problem which is starting to ruin Russian football.

Thankfully Cheryshev hasn’t fallen into that trap, and he’s reaping the rewards as a result. Success in Russia is one thing, but creating headlines in one of the biggest leagues in the world is another. His superb feeds when charging down the left flank have caught many a La Liga team cold, and his ability to cut in or move to the right makes him a coach’s dream.

The seeds for long term success have been sewn, he simply has to make it happen.

 

Written by Shaun Nicolaides

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Football Crossword: Europa League Euphoria

  By O-Posts Team | May 29, 2024 - 19:12 | ,
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To celebrate Wednesday’s five-goal thriller between Dnipro and Sevilla, we’ve dedicated this week’s football crossword to the Europa League.

So if you think you know your Elfsborgs and your Esbjergs, come with us on another puzzle adventure!

Clues Across

6 Uruguayan striker who netted all 4 goals in Napoli’s 4-2 defeat of Dnipro in 2012 (7,6)

8 Two-goal hero for Sevilla on Wednesday night in the Europa League Final (5)

9 _ Stam, he’s made a handful of Europa League appearances for Standard Liege during the past 2 seasons (6)

10 Mr Distin, he played in 3 Europa League games for Everton this season (7)

12 Yann, France midfielder who played for Inter on loan in the Europa League earlier this season (5)

15 Went on the counter-attack, penniless? (5)

16 One way to describe an unwanted footballer (7)

18 Which Serie A side’s Europa League hopes ended in Kiev in this season’s semis? (6)

20 Turkey midfielder who scored a couple of key Europa League penalties for Dortmund in 2010 (5)

22 Which JP (now at PSG) was sent off in 2 of Palermo’s Europa League games in 2010? (6,7)

 

Clues Down

1 Against Lech Poznan in 2010, this Togo striker became the first Man City player to score a European hat-trick (8)

2 Europa League side Astra Giurgiu come from this country (7)

3 What both Sevilla and Benfica failed to do until the penalty shoot-out in the 2014 Europa League Final (5)

4 Serb defender whose last-minute header against Benfica won Chelsea the 2013 Europa League (8)

5 Mr Emery, he recently guided Sevilla to back-to-back Europa League titles (4)

7 _ Nijmegen, team that made it to the last 32 of the 2008/09 UEFA Cup (3)

11 _ Plzen, they reached the last 16 of the Europa League in both 2013 and 2014 (8)

13 _ Lopez, he scored a couple of Europa League goals at home for Lyon in 2012 (8)

14 Europa newcomers, FC Krasnodar play their domestic football in this league (7)

17 Albert, Spanish winger who scored for Espanyol in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final v Sevilla and went on to play for Liverpool (5)

19 Dutch team knocked out by Dnipro in March (4)

21 Team names are plucked out of it during each cup draw (3)

 

Answers to this week’s crossword puzzle will pop in a random article within the next few days or so. So be on the look out for ’em!

 

Created by Aleric Linden

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Jonathan Calleri: The new Gonzalo Higuain?

  By O-Posts Team | May 29, 2024 - 16:34 | , , , , , , , ,
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Name: Jonathan Calleri
Club: Boca Juniors
Date of birth: 23 September 2024
Position: Forward

 

Who is he?

Boca Juniors have seen some pretty good forwards in recent years: Gabriel Batistuta, Martin Palermo and Carlos Tevez for example have all excelled in the blue and gold. Moving to perhaps the biggest club side in South America is a daunting ask for a 21-year-old striker but young Jonathan Calleri has appeared to revel in the challenge and now finds himself not only dubbed ‘the new Gonzalo Higuain’ but linked to a host of European clubs.

As the nephew of Argentine international defender, Nestor Fabbri, Jonathan Calleri grew up in Buenos Aires surrounded by football from a young age. Six years before he was born, Uncle Nestor was named Argentine footballer of the year, and although the two are very different footballers, both began their respective careers with Club Atletico All Boys in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Floresta.

Calleri came through the youth ranks with All Boys and made his first team debut as a second half substitute away to Argentinos Juniors in the 2013 Torneo Inicial, but with starting places difficult to come-by Calleri was restricted to just a single headed goal before the end of the campaign.

With El Albo in real relegation trouble during the Torneo Final, Calleri began to get more opportunities and although the 20-year-old ended the season as the club’s leading scorer he could not prevent them sliding down to the Nacional B. However, impressively taken goals against Boca Juniors and River Plate alerted the Buenos Aires giants to move swiftly after their relegation.

Carlos Bianchi’s Boca signed a percentage of the youngster for $300,000 and he made the move across the city to La Bombonera for the Torneo Transicion. Behind Emanuel Gigliotti and Juan Manuel Martinez, Calleri struggled for a starting berth under Bianchi but did score his first goal for Los Xeniezes away to Estudiantes.

When Rodolfo Arruabarrena arrived to replace Bianchi, further opportunities arose as the younger manager sought to implement a 4-3-3 based around some of Boca’s younger players. Calleri reaped the rewards and ended the season with seven goals from his fourteen appearances.

The arrival of Dani Osvaldo in 2015 has once again seen competition for places increase but Calleri has continued to score goals. His exquisite lob against Temperley at the start of the season may well be a contender for goal of the season and shows off his underrated technical ability.

 

What type of player is he?

The media tagline of ‘the next Gonzalo Higuain’ is of course wheeled out to generate interest in transfer rumours but there are similarities between the two Argentine strikers. When you watch the vast majority of Calleri’s goals while at All Boys and at Boca, they rely on good movement and a quick burst of acceleration in the penalty box to gain just a yard of space on the defender before finishing instinctively.

Higuain has proved incredibly successful at this but has honed his skill over some years in Europe, Calleri is still raw and his finishing is of course not at the level of the Argentine internationals but the ingredients are certainly there.

At this early stage of his career, Calleri still runs the channels far more and drifts out wide rather than play as a traditional number nine type of centre-forward.

His hold-up play is not at the level of Higuain’s and as a sub-six-footer, he is certainly no target man, but with a good burst of speed, excellent technique and an eye for goal, Calleri is a forward full of potential.

 

What next?

A 21-year-old scoring goals for Boca Juniors attracts plenty of interest from Europe but there are rumours that the club themselves might be willing to cash in on Calleri. Money is tight now in Argentina and with Boca hopeful of bringing Southampton striker Dani Osvaldo to La Bombonera permanently, they will need to balance the books.

If newspaper stories are to be believed than the sale of Calleri would be a part of this and with an asking price of $10 million it would certainly do that but also represent a very tidy profit.

Whether that happens this summer remains to be seen but Calleri’s future appears to lie in Europe. Premier League side Arsenal have been heavily linked for the best part of six months but they are far from alone, with other interest from England, Spain, Italy and France.

The next move will be an important one, as Calleri is far from the finished product. A move to a title chasing side like Arsenal may see the striker spending long spells on the bench or in reserve football, but with a decent amount of playing time he could really develop.

Villarreal are one of the sides linked with a move and as we have seen this season with Luciano Vietto it proved to be a perfect level for a striker finding his way in Europe.

 

Written by Peter Coates

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LGBT Rights in Football: Should the sport appoint gay ambassadors?

  By O-Posts Team | May 28, 2024 - 19:41 | , , , , , , , , , , ,
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In 2012 the UK’s Football Association launched a plan to make football more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people.

The plan included a range of initiatives to tackle homophobia and encourage people to enjoy and be involved in football regardless of their sexuality.

With no openly gay footballers currently in the top divisions in the UK, it would be easy to brand the FA’s efforts as a failure. However creating an inclusive and supportive culture within a sport as huge as football takes time and persistence.

It’s also important to understand that there is much more to football than just the players on the field – supporters, administrators, and support staff all play a key role in the game and offer a range of opportunities for LGBT people to get involved in the beautiful game.

It’s interesting to look at how other sports are tackling the challenge of ensuring that they are encouraging the participation of LGBT athletes and supporters.

The British Athletes Commission (BAC) – the members’ association for the UK’s elite athletes in the Olympic sports – has taken the interesting step of appointing two lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) ambassadors. The BAC are the first player association of this type to appoint LGB ambassadors to support its members.

The ambassadors appointed are Matt Lister and David Hill. Lister is a World Championship medallist in the sport of canoe slalom; while Hill is a Paralympian in the sport of triathlon.

The responsibilities of Lister and Hill in their role as LGB ambassadors for the BAC will include helping to prepare the UK’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the games in Rio in 2016, as well as supporting the welfare of high performance athletes.

There is extensive research that shows the importance of having role models to help motivate and inspire young people to achieve their dreams. The obvious move would be for the FA to appoint ex-Premier League player (and openly gay) Robbie Rogers as an ambassador of some sort.

The appointment by the FA of an official LGB ambassador is more than just having someone who can visit schools or make speeches, it sends a clear message that the FA is serious about inclusion; serious about change; and serious about creating the right kind of future for football.

 

Written by Gareth Johnson

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Son Joon-Ho: Is the rising Pohang Steelers star about to become a Taeguk Warrior?

  By O-Posts Team | May 28, 2024 - 16:51 | , , ,
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The 23 year-old is in his second season at Pohang Steelers, having made his debut in 2014. He plays in central midfield and wears the number 28 shirt. He notched up twenty-five appearances in the 2014 season scoring one goal. The midfielder has made a bright start to his second season at the club, scoring five goals in ten appearances.

His stand-out performance was in Pohang’s 4-1 win over Jeonnam Dragons in April, where he scored two goals early in the second half to seal the victory for Pohang, the second of which was a nice drive across the goal into the far corner to finish a move that he started in his own half with a clever chipped pass. His other goals were in the first two matches of the season and a penalty in the recent 2-2 draw against Seongnam.

Pohang led that game 2-0 until the last minute when a defensive collapse led them to concede two late goals. A downside to Son Joon-Ho’s game is his tendency to pick up yellow cards, he received seven bookings last season and one red card for a second bookable offense, this campaign he has already received three bookings.

Son Joon-Ho started his career at Youngnam University before moving to Pohang Steelers. He is yet to break into the full national team, but has been capped six times at under-23 level.

His finest hour for the national team came when he played in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games final against North Korea. South Korea won that game 1-0 with a headed goal by Lim Chang-Woo in the last minute of extra time. The victory brought Son Joon-Ho an Asian Games gold medal, and with it exemption from the career ruining mandatory military service.

If Son Joon-Ho keeps improving like he has done over the last two seasons, it won’t be long before he earns a full national team call-up and possibly a move abroad.

 

Written by Steven Price

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Football Quiz: Can you name the football clubs with the most top division titles in each country?

  By O-Posts Team | May 27, 2024 - 19:03 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Artyom Dzyuba: Can the struggling Russian star revive his career with Zenit?

  By O-Posts Team | May 27, 2024 - 17:22 | , , , ,
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Just what has happened to the good old days of Russian football? You know, when CSKA Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg took the UEFA Cup, when Andrey Arshavin wowed Europe, when the national team stormed to the UEFA EURO 2008 semi-finals. Those days seem far back in time now as the Russian Premier League struggles to make its expected progress, however if you look deep into the league there is cause to believe that the potential could be realised. One of those reasons is 26 year old imposing forward Artyom Dzyuba, who is very soon going to make a move to Saint Petersburg.

Indeed it is a transfer that created many a headline in Russia. Although he’s already 26, Dzyuba has long been touted as the next big thing to come out of Russian football, and this impending change of scenery to Zenit could be just what he needs. After making his breakthrough with Spartak Moscow well back in 2006 he has had rather a rocky road making his presence felt, and after a bust up with then Spartak head coach Valery Karpin he was sent out on loan to perennial struggles Rostov.

That’s where he really began to make people sit up and take notice, and in Russian league and cup games combined he hit the net on 18 occasions while also winning the cup. Following that success, and with Karpin out of the picture, Artyom returned to his hometown club in mid-2014 and immediately impressed. In 14 games he notched seven goals, and he made an impression with the national team scoring a couple of markers (admittedly against Lichtenstein and Moldova).

And then it all went sour again. Rather sharply he fell out of favour with much maligned Spartak manager Murat Yakin, and for the second time Dzyuba was booking his ticket to Rostov for another loan spell. That’s where it started to get interesting though, and newly crowned Russian champions Zenit made a surprising move to take in the forward on a free transfer when his contract runs out in summer this year (meaning he continues to play for Rostov until this current season ends).

Any transfer between huge rivals Spartak and Zenit never goes unnoticed, and even Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko personally pleaded for Artyom to give Spartak another go. Dzyuba wasn’t having any of it however, and admitting he’s taking a huge risk he penned a deal with the Saint Petersburg outfit. Have Zenit been too hasty though? Is he really worth the fuss?

To be honest, I really don’t know. On one hand Dzyuba has shown glimpses of huge potential, but on the other he doesn’t score enough goals and isn’t the type of player Zenit really need. Dzyuba is a tall, powerful header of the ball, but Zenit already have strong Venezuelan Jose Salomon Rondon who arguably possesses a lot more class. It’s hard to see the two playing together especially given how Zenit play, and head coach Andre Villas Boas may have a few headaches coming his way.

Another factor is that Artyom has little experience of playing in big pressure games. Performing for Rostov at a decent level is one thing, but producing the goods for a top club in the UEFA Champions League is another ball game altogether.

Maybe the most interesting issue of all however is the fans. Supporters of Spartak and Zenit absolutely loath each other, and any player who makes a move between the two clubs is hounded upon by everyone involved. Former Zenit winger Vladimir Bystrov will be the first to tell you that, as when returning to Zenit from a spell in Moscow the Saint Petersburg faithful bullied him relentlessly for years. There is huge doubt over if Dzyuba will be accepted at all by Zenit’s hardcore supporters, and he can expect a tough time of it.

Going back to matters on the pitch, Dzyuba’s career has the potential to finally kick off. Being almost 27 he’s moving into the peak of his career, and if he’s going to take that step on to the next level it has to be now. However as already mentioned his main strength is in the air, and at times his lack of raw technical ability has held him back.

Zenit, a team that generally love to keep the ball on the ground and let leaders Hulk and Danny work their magic, may struggle to adapt to Dzyuba’ s rigid style of the game. Are there good chances of Dzyuba making it work in Saint Petersburg? Probably not. There’s a higher probability of Artyom being left on the bench for the majority of the time, but he does have an opportunity to prove me and his critics wrong.

It’s the chance of his life to make something special of himself, and with the right attitude he could make it happen.

 

Written by Shaun Nicolaides

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HEADS UP: Below are the answers to last week’s Serie A crossword puzzle.