I wish Ancelotti will be successful as a manager in UEFA and Premier League.
I've always loved the diamond midfield (4-3-1-2) Hopefully he eliminates those dreadful negative tactics & employs a more attacking possession game. I just don't know how successful Lampard will be at that position, maybe Deco a better choice?
Lampard is born for that position. He shoots well, he passes well and he is never afraid of taking initative. Same things could be said for Deco too. So the only differentiating factor is their fitnesses. Lampard is more suitable physically to the English game, so he gets the node.
As for Ancelotti, I am waiting for our first dip in form to give him any rating. Last season things looked rosy as it is now. We all know how it ended.
For me, Lampard doesn't quite fit the bill for it. That position is for the likes of Riquelme, Zidane, Deco, Pirlo, Totti, etc. For playmaking abilities & creativity, all these players I named are on another level then him. The offense is like a planetary system, with players constantly moving for the "enganche". I can see him succeeding, but just not in the same way as the traditional role allows. But what he has above Deco is mental toughness. Deco can easily fall apart & finding a substitution would be a priority.
You would be right, if it were continental Europe we are talking about. However English football is a lot different, the pace of the game is too high, refs allow harsh tackles and charges, players tend to be very physical and so on...
This is Deco's second year, mind you, and he simply couldn't keep it up in his first. Totti's recent games against English sides have ended in tears and Riquelme couldn't cut it even in Spain. You see where this is going, dont'you?
True Deco has been out of favor since he left Spain, but I would give him another chance. But the thing is, the AMF must be creative be able to control the tempo. Just because English ball is fast paced, doesn't mean it must always be played at that tempo. With regards to Totti, at his prime he'd be tearing up the English sides, age obviously is a factor. And Riquelme blossomed in Spain. His Villareal side were barely beaten out by Arsenal, most just don't understand his game.
I see where it's going, but Lampard is not a number "10", he never will be. As we saw, the physical english came collapsed under the pressure from Barçelona's fluid passing game.
That's the thing, tempo never drops in an English game. You have to see a game in a stadium to understand what I mean. TV broadcast does not do justice to the game.
As for collapsing under Barca's game, that's simply not true. Man U was simply not concetrated enough on that day, and even then they could have won, if luck were on their side.
Do you remember the previous round? Barca v Chelsea? That fluid Barca looked all over the place in both games and it was only a moment of individual magic that seperated the teams.
In any case, Ancelott tried Deco at the no.10 in the game vs Sunderland, with Lampard reverting to a more left-of-centre role, similar to how he played in Mourinho's 4-1-4-1/4-3-3.
Joe Cole should put pressure on Deco for that role.
Look, what I'm simply saying is, in a 4-3-1-2, not anyone can play the role of being behind the two strikers. And that Deco is better suited for it than Lampard.
And with Barca vs the english teams, United were never allowed to play. How can they play their best when they never have the ball?? They were dominated & looked average. And even in the last Cl, even when Barca was eliminated, they outplayed Man U in both legs, so the final was inevitable.
Against Chelsea, who would look great when a team plays like that??? That would negative football to its fullest & they rightfully were beaten.
I wouldn't worry about Jo Cole yet. He seems to be recovering but he will have to catch up with the training. He wont'be a serious contender for the starting line up for another 2 months IMO.
