Anyone for Foti?

By: Daryl | February 11th, 2009

Managing: Newcastle
Date: Jan 5th, 2011
Progress: 5th in Prem after 19 games.

Two match reports, and two excellent wins.

Plus I may have found the answer to my Complainiola problem.

But first the match reports…

vs Everton (home) W 3-2

- – - – - – - – Given – - – - – - -
Taylor – Rusol – Coloccini – Enrqiue
- – - – - – - Camacho – - – - -
- – - – Marquinhos – Skjelbred – - –
Arshavin – - – - – - – - – - -Lewandowski
- – - – - – The Pog – - – - – -

4-1-2-2-1, lots of width, short passing, slow tempo; offside trap, high defensive line

Slight formation change here, because Everton are tricky. They play 4-4-1-1 with Yakubu like a batterking ram up front and Leon Osman evading markers and constantly sneaking on to flick ones. So… I switched to have Camacho as a proper d-mid, man-marking Osman, and had Coloccini man mark Yakubu with Rusol free.

Worked like a charm. And when Lewandowski headed us in front after 30 minutes I turned the defensive screws a little more, dropping Arshavin and Lewandoski pack to midfield to form a 4-1-4-1. The result was two more counter-attacking goals before half-time, Marquinhos twice arriving late at the far post to tap in low Lewandowski crosses.

I was feeling like a tactical genius, if I’m honest. Which is how I screwed things up so royally at half-time. To save some legs I brought off The Pog, Lewandowski and Skjelbred for Saviola (one more chance up front on his own) John Fleck and Alan Dzagoev.

Everton came out 4-4-2 and went at me, and managed to get two goals back. I was hanging on and timewasting from the 80th minute onwards, just waiting for the whistle. We got the 3-2 win but Saviola proved once again (he got a 5.3) that he can’t play in this system.

vs Man Utd (home) W 4-2

- – - – - – - – Given – - – - – - -
Taylor – Rusol – Coloccini – Enrqiue
- – - Skjelbred – - Camacho – - – -
Jonas – - Marquinhos – - Lewandowski
- – - – - – The Pog – - – - – -

4-2-3-1, lots of width, short passing, slow tempo; offside trap, high defensive line

Back to the usual formation, with Enrique ~~kicking lumps out of~~ man marking Ronaldo. Great great game.

Once again we were 3-0 up by half time (why can’t games last just 45 minutes) with two from Pog and one from the suddenly en fuego Marquinhos (Premier League young player of the month, fyi)

But this time I told the boys not to let their performances drop in the second half, and didn’t make any silly substitutions. Man Utd pulled a couple back, but Pog killed them off by completing his hat-trick and I told the press afterwards that I’d glady have the big Russian’s babies, if such a thing were possible and provided they went straight in the Newcastle youth team. No one laughed.

This puts me fifth at the halfway point, just three points behind fourth place Arsenal, though Man Utd still have two games in hand:

Fourth place is a genuine possibility this year. And now it’s January, I have the chance to solve my Saviola problem.

And I really have a problem with him. The press asked me how I felt about him after the Man Utd game, and there was an option to say “I don’t have any time for him”. But I lied and said that I “appreciate his talents”.

I don’t. And isn’t it weird how easy it is to lie to the press?

Either way: Saviola is going, and a replacement is coming in.

I have just £2.5m in the transfer kitty, but can raise that to nearly £10m by adjusting the wage budget. So all is not lost. Even better, I can sell Saviola. That would raise a couple million and shave £51,000 per week off the wage budget. So I think all in all I could raise at least £12 million in January spending money.

…

Transfer listing Saviola produced immediate interest, and offering him around has brought in bids from the like of Hull, QPR, Deportivo, Derby and Getafe, all for £3m. I’ll take that right now, but hopefully send him back to Spain where he can’t come back to haunt me.

Then I have to choose a replacement, and I think I’ve found just the man. Sampdoria’s 22 year old striker Salvatore Foti. Take a look at this fellas numbers. He’s 6′4″, and got a 19 for jumping. So he’s definitely winning some headers. He’s also got good technique, dribbling and finishing. I’m 90% convinced that this is a guy who could not just backup The Pog but could actually give him some serious competition for a first team spot. What do you think?