Willian – a Chelsea cult hero… and a decent footballer

willian-456857

Joe Tweeds of Plains of Almería profiles Willian’s encouraging debut season in English football…

The twists and turns of Willian’s Chelsea career despite its tender age have been quite magnificent this season. The circumstances of his transfer have now become a point of notoriety in the eternal jousting between Chelsea and Tottenham. Paying for his flights, his hotel and everything else in between Willian left his medical at Spurs Lodge and signed for Chelsea hours later. It spawned a song that was fuelled by Czech beer in Prague and the Brazilian’s own acknowledgement of it cemented him as a cult hero before he had even kicked a ball.

This leads us to a historical debate – can a cult hero actually be a decent footballer? Belletti was beloved at Chelsea for his passion, long range goals and general demeanour. Paulo Ferreira was once a top class full-back but evolved into the consummate squad player, wheeled out occasionally to put Gareth Bale in his pocket. Willian might well go and redefine this definition. Continue reading

Russia’s Europa Trio in Pole Position

Hulk

Andy Shenk looks at the Russian trio vying for progression to the Last 16 of the Europa League…

For Russian football fans, Rubin midfielder Pablo Orbaiz’s stoppage-time goal in Madrid was just the exclamation point to a thrilling Valentine’s Day in the Europa League. Zenit and Anzhi kicked the night off in style, celebrating 2-0 and 3-1 victories over Liverpool and Hannover 96. Several hours later, Rubin’s Spanish mercenary silenced the Estadio Vincente Calderon crowd, breaking away for his team’s second goal as Atletico goalie Sergio Asenjo tried vainly to catch him from behind.  Continue reading

Stakes High for Russia in Europa League

Andy Shenk looks at the three Russian clubs remaining in European competition…

Three Russian clubs remain from the six that entered European competition this season. Moscow clubs Dynamo, CSKA and Spartak are out, while Zenit, Rubin and Anzhi advance to the Europa League round of 32, which kicks off today across Europe.

In a nation eager to regain a top-six UEFA ranking, and the extra Champions League place that comes with it, the autumn European campaign was almost a complete disaster. Champions League failure and disappointing exits from CSKA and Dynamo in August left Anzhi and Rubin the only bright spots.  Continue reading

Foreign Talent Driving Ukrainian Resurgence

willian2_2392055b

The False Nine’s David Dodds takes a look at the burgeoning amount of foreign talent in the Ukrainian Premier League…

In recent years, Ukrainian teams have been able to entice some real quality from abroad. No one has benefited from foreign players more than Shakhtar Donetsk, who last season won the league for the third year in a row. Shakhtar were nowhere near as prominent in the old Soviet system as arch-rivals Dynamo Kiev, and spent much of the first decade in the new Ukrainian league playing second-fiddle to their auspicious rivals. Continue reading

Shakhtar Donetsk: When East Met West

9728_Logo

False Nine debutant, Harry Catharell-Hargreaves, charts the origins of Shakhtar Donetsk’s creation and journey that has them flourishing in the Champions League and routinely picking up the domestic honours in Ukraine…

Towards the end of the Russian Empire, vast amounts of British industrialists seized upon the unrest in the region by opening factories, mills and mines in previously hostile areas of Eastern Europe. Needing the pioneering expertise of British workers to come with them on this journey, the businessmen brought much of their workforce along. Continue reading

The Changing Face of European Football

False Nine writer Ethan Meade forecasts greater challenges from Eastern Europe and Paris in elite European competition…

Upon his election as President of UEFA, Michel Platini made it an express concern to diffuse European power away from solely in the hands of the traditional powerhouses. He had numerous plans to do this, ranging from changing the format of Champions League qualification, to the often mentioned, but seldom properly understood, Financial Fair Play rules. Continue reading