What's a Mata, U? (and More)

Give Ed a cup of coffee, a bottle of water and a computer and he's good to go
photo by jurvetson	via PhotoRee

In which Correspondent Ed suddenly remembers that he writes about football for a living:

Yes, the title of this little entry also happens to be my favorite university name from the Bullwinkle cartoon.  Classic.  But what is up with the Juan Mata trade?  Where does he fit in?  Last I checked he played the exact same position as Wayne Rooney.  I also recall that he doesn't really play any other position.  Does this mean an end for Rooney at United?  Or is it rather just another desperation transfer for the new team in charge?  In light of the fact that Lil' Wayne seems to be getting a raise, I'm thinking it's more desperation than anything.  Though you have to suspect that Shinji Kagawa is out the door.  But poor Juan Mata, he's gone from THE GUY at Chelsea to the guy that will have to fight for time at United with two of the best players in the world.  And finally just to pile on, what exactly does Mata bring to shore up United's defensive issues?  Oh, that's right, he's a player that got benched in large part because he was undisciplined and wouldn't get back on defense.  Weird.

[Editor's Note: This column was written prior to Spurs getting blown out -- again -- by City yesterday] As for Spurs, how 'bout that Tim Sherwood?  I keep hearing he don't know nothin' about tactics just like his old boss Uncle Harry.  You remember Harry, the guy that put Spurs in fourth twice...?  He was very unlike the cerebral tactical advantage man nicknamed AVB, the same guy that thought a high line was the right thing to play with super slow defenders.

This is not to say Sherwood is the end-all-be-all.  But at this point he's done better than expected with a team that's down in the dumps. He was able to rejuvenate the mind-boggling talent of Manny Adebayor (yes, I'm going with Manny today).  While Manny may be up for a contract year, at least Sherwood wasn't so silly as to bench him forever.  We do what we have to do in this world, don't we?  But what's more, the team he inherited is now playing more to their strengths and their potential.  Erikson is back after being sidelined through injuries and looks terrific.  Dembele is playing well.  All seems settled.  Which is not to say Spurs won't get spanked by City, but hey, might we have a little hope of something more special?

Onward and Upward: Thoughts on Spurs' New Swagger, and Yesterday's Victory over Manchester United

photo by iheartspam	via PhotoRee

Ed returns to our pages with some thoughts on United and Spurs:

I hate to disagree with the bossman and it will surely cost me a paycheck or a painful assignment (can you say "Wimbleton Wombles?"), but I don't think United were uninspired against Spurs, I just think they were a combination of unlucky and not that super.  By unlucky I mean that they had plenty of chances and shoulda' woulda' coulda' converted a bunch of them if it weren't for cruel chance.  Plus I think that Lloris attack of Ashley Young was deserving of a penalty even though Young vaulted him.  By "not that super" I mean that this is a team with a suspect midfield and a defense that is good but no longer great.  To continue to pull of games like they used to you actually need top-tier talent across the board, and right now they have some great guys but not enough.  I do like Rooney at midfield though -- always have and always will -- why not try him at the Scholes position and put Welback up top with Chicharito or RVP?  Just a thought.

As for Spurs, well, AVB is gone and Tim Sherwood is in and the team is starting to look a lot like Harry Redknapp's from a few years back.  During the outrageously fun "Festive Season," a season that used to be perilous for teams like Spurs, the Spurs have launched into a new (old) formation and have acted like the team that Gareth Bale took to the Champions League.

Was AVB really that bad?  Well, he certainly had a prolific impact on Roberto Soldado, a striker who used to score repeatedly and now can't make so much of a tap in.  But I can't blame him for Emanuel Adebayor, a player who only shows up to play when it's a contract year.  Adebayor was halfway out of the BPL -- probably on to mediocrity in the League 1 or some such thing -- but now has probably put some life back into his career.  Interestingly, he's currently the most important "new addition" in the Spurs lineup.  AVB's banishment of Adebayor obviously worked though not to the benefit of the banisher, and the serial behavior that earned Adebayor his sentence might also make him easier to sign (but please only give him a year-to-year deal).

As for Benoit Aaaou-Ekoto, well, that's harder to explain.  His replacement, Danny Rose, is definitely a high quality player.  But behind him, Kyle Naughton seems a disaster to me.  And remind me the point of taking a player who could probably have fetched the team $5 to $10MM and dropping him so far out of sight as to make him worthless.  Clearly it isn't hard to get into the AVB doghouse.