ws_logo
ws_mobile_logo
TELEGRAM
My accountSign Out
Set favourite tournaments, comment and vote on matches and more!

All Ben McAleer posts on WhoScored.com Articles RSS

Team Focus: Improving Stoke Benefitting from Hughes' Philosophy

by Ben McAleer at Friday, Aug 8 2014 12:15
Team Focus: Improving Stoke Benefitting from Hughes' Philosophy During Tony Pulis’ reign as manager, Stoke City were one of the toughest teams around. Roughhousing the opposition and playing a style of football based around attacking primarilty at set-pieces, teams were warned of a tough 90 minutes against the Potters. Despite knowing what was in store, si...
Categories: Team Focus

Player Focus: Rodgers Should Have Done More to Keep Reina at Anfield

by Ben McAleer at Wednesday, Aug 6 2014 16:10
Player Focus: Rodgers Should Have Done More to Keep Reina at Anfield A great team has ample strength in depth within the squad. Players require competition in order to keep their wits about them, fearful that a drop in form could see them lose their place in the starting XI. Sufficient quality all across the park helps the top teams compete on multiple fronts and sho...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: Spurs' Summer Movements Match Pochettino's Needs

by Ben McAleer at Monday, Aug 4 2014 17:20
Team Focus: Spurs' Summer Movements Match Pochettino's Needs We have sold Elvis and bought the Beatles! exclaimed former Tottenham goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt during an on-pitch half-time interview in Spurs’ 3-0 Europa League win over Tromsø last September. Excitement levels were high on the back of a busy summer, only for the team to fail to matc...
Categories: Team Focus

Team Focus: PSG - The Case for the Defence

by Ben McAleer at Friday, Aug 1 2014 16:15
Team Focus: PSG - The Case for the Defence Ligue 1 was something of a walk in the park for Paris Saint Germain last season. Laurent Blanc’s side lost only 3 times as they secured their 4th top-flight title and 2nd in as many seasons. Monaco were their closest competitors, finishing 9 points behind the Parisian side, but the sale to Rea...
Categories: Team Focus

Player Focus: Will Sánchez Struggle on Premier League Away Days?

by Ben McAleer at Thursday, Jul 31 2014 10:20
Player Focus: Will Sánchez Struggle on Premier League Away Days? The acid test for footballers arriving in the Premier League from foreign shores is, more often than not, ‘can he do it on a wet, windy Tuesday night in Stoke?’ The Potters are famed for their roughhouse approach, so the work of Mother Nature would make a midweek trip to the Britannia St...
Categories: Player Focus

Player Focus: Few Midfielders Can Offer More Than Schneiderlin

by Ben McAleer at Tuesday, Jul 29 2014 17:10
Player Focus: Few Midfielders Can Offer More Than Schneiderlin On Monday, Ronald Koeman tweeted a picture of a pitch devoid of players, accompanied with the phrase Ready for Training!. In light of Southampton’s recent sales, some felt the tweet was tongue in cheek from the boss, who has lost a number of key players this summer. This transfer window alone,...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Atlético Neither Stronger nor Weaker Following Recent Summer Activity

by Ben McAleer at Monday, Jul 28 2014 17:50
Team Focus: Atlético Neither Stronger nor Weaker Following Recent Summer Activity The pillaging of Southampton highlights the dangers of a team performing above the standards expected of them. Mauricio Pochettino, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers have all left the club, while Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez are tipped to follow suit.S...
Categories: Team Focus

Player Focus: Potential Change in System may Convince Vidal to Leave Juventus

by Ben McAleer at Friday, Jul 25 2014 16:00
Player Focus: Potential Change in System may Convince Vidal to Leave Juventus There is no budget, there is money. We are in a very strong financial position. We can make big signings. Music to the ears of Manchester United fans as vice-chairman Ed Woodward confirmed the club can make big-money acquisitions in this very transfer window. In a bid to return to the summit of Engl...
Categories: Player Focus

Player Focus: Villa Must be Prepared to Receive Concrete Offers for Vlaar

by Ben McAleer at Thursday, Jul 24 2014 17:30
Player Focus: Villa Must be Prepared to Receive Concrete Offers for Vlaar Netherlands were defensively one of the best teams at the World Cup. Louis van Gaal’s side conceded only 4 goals in 7 games at Brazil 2014, with Bruno Martins Indi, Ron Vlaar and Stefan de Vrij all performing admirably in denying the likes of Lionel Messi and Alexis Sánchez from scoring...
Categories: Player Focus

Team Focus: Lack of Summer Investment may Hinder Everton's European Hopes

by Ben McAleer at Wednesday, Jul 23 2014 17:30
Team Focus: Lack of Summer Investment may Hinder Everton's European Hopes Second season syndrome relates to teams that, the previous year, were promoted to the next tier of football and performed above expectations in their debut in - or return to - said division. In their second term, however, the team in question struggles to match the exploits of the previous season an...
Categories: Team Focus