Talent Scout: Ander Herrera

Athletic Bilbao have always had a problem when it comes to signing players. Their Basque-only rule has significantly reduced their talent pool in comparison with other clubs; even Real Sociedad abandoned their cantera policy in 1989 by signing John Aldridge.


How glad the Athletic administration must have been when they witnessed the flowering of a young, Basque footballer in La Liga, as in front of them lay a talented midfielder who they could snap up. Athletic seized their chance this January, signing Ander Herrera for an initial fee of €8.5 million to help their push towards the glistening, luxurious and profitable world of the Champions League.

Name: Ander Herrera Agüera

D.O.B.: 14/08/1989

Age: 21

P.O.B.: Bilbao, Spain

Position: Central Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder

Club: Athletic Club

National Team: Spain

Previous Clubs: Real Zaragoza

It seems somewhat fitting that Ander Herrera would sign for Athletic Bilbao. It was, after all, his local team. And Ander would also play with other young talents at Athletic such as Iker Muniain, 'the next Messi', and Javi Martínez, the driving force of the side and a player who featured in the World Cup winning Spain side.

Ander would also add something different to his new side, as Athletic play a physical style of football which is ever present throughout Northern Spain. 

Sure, Athletic aren't as physical as some (actually a lot of) Premier League sides, but compared to clubs such as Barcelona and Villarreal who love to spend time on the ball they rely more on pace and strength. 

Ander Herrera would be an exception to that rule despite being 5'11. His main style of play is technical and he possesses a feel for the ball that is reminiscent of Iniesta. Ander also plays like his senior Spanish counterpart, as his main game is creating chances and providing assists, as Ander has vision on the ball which would be hard matched anywhere, even in Spain. Hence, Ander can play through balls, splitting the defence, to allow a striker through on goal.

This would benefit him in Athletic as Gazika Toquero would run after every ball played to him and Iker Muniain can use his pace and skill to cut in from the left to receive an Ander through-ball. 

Along with his passing ability, Ander is comfortable on the ball and can dribble past players displaying close control and a splendid first touch. Don't, however, expect any Messi-like dribbles to goal as his speed and ability to beat his man isn't sufficient enough to do that and most drives through the centre would be left to Javi Martínez.

One problem for Ander would be whether he would be able to force his way into the Athletic side. The Basque club are currently fifth in the table and are doing well, so they wouldn't want to change too much. Furthermore, Joaquín Caparrós currently employs a 4-4-2 with Martínez and Gurpegi at Centre-mid with the latter playing as an anchorman. Ander won't be able to oust Martínez from his role and he won't be able to replace Gurpegui as Ander can't play as a holding midfielder. Hence, putting Ander in the side would either place him out of position or change the system. Another suggestion would be to play Ander in Martínez's current role and moving Martínez to holding midfielder, but that would be a waste of Martínez's talent. The only viable option of accommodating Ander in the team would be to change the formation, possibly to a 4-5-1, which would mean disrupting Athletic's successful system. 

Strengths:

• Has a vision of a hawk to pick apart opposition's defenses and create chances
• Can control the tempo of the game so he can suit various tactical systems
• As he is 5'11, Ander can shield and protect the ball away from the opposition
• Despite his main focus of creating chances, Ander can also finish them as well

Weaknesses:

•  Lack of speed and stamina means he cannot patrol the midfield and close down other players
• Defensive problems means he can be a viability for a team trying to close down a game

Verdict: 

A player who is very comfortable on the ball, Ander Herrera should become one of the best midfielders in the La Liga one day

Ability: 6.5/10

Potential: 8.5/10

The Decline of Sampdoria

Courtesy of www.acmilan.com

If a team loses its best player, it will impact them greatly. If a team loses its best two players, however, they are destined to struggle until they buy suitable replacements. Sampdoria find themselves in the latter position. With Antonio Cassano leaving the club to Milan after a foul mouthed tirade at club president Riccardo Garrone and Giampaolo Pazzini off to a resurgent Inter, Sampdoria have in return bought misfiring Massimo Maccarone and Federico Macheda on-loan, two players who have scored between them three goals in competitive football this season. Despite the fact that Sampdoria haven't scored a single goal in six Serie A matches, there still is hope for them in the path that lays ahead.


It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Pazzini and Cassano to last year's Sampdoria side. The two strikers formed the fulcrum of the team, almost leading them to the Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A last season. 
In Cassano, Sampdoria had a creative talent, a mercurial player who could create chances out of nothing, who could severe a defence with a single piece of skill or a pass. Some even considered him the best Italian player last season, especially as the Cassano-less Italy squad finished last in their World Cup group which featured the likes of Slovakia and New Zealand; believed to be easy pickings for the reigning Champions. 
While Cassano played in a withdrawn role to the left of the Sampdoria attack, his forward partner, Pazzini, played as a natural goalscorer. Cassano created chances. Pazzini took them. A player with great finishing abilities, Pazzini was also clever in his positioning to create himself the best scoring opportunities. 
With these two players, Sampdoria looked again like the 1991 Scudetto-winning side, banishing the memories of Gianluca Vialli and Paolo Mancini away. Sampdoria were finally good again. Finishing fourth was a cause for major celebrations in one half of Genoa. This footballing Renaissance didn't last forever and the beginning of the end of it started at an awards ceremony.


At the awards ceremony in October, Sampdoria chairman Riccardo Garrone apparently invited Cassano to come and speak for an award he was about to  receive. Cassano refused, saying he had other commitments. Later, Garrone asked Cassano at the training ground dressing rooms on why he had refused to come to the awards ceremony, as it had embarassed him to give an award to player who wasn't there and seemingly didn't care about the award. Cassano, who after making his name as the food crazed love-rat at Roma, started swearing at him, according to Garrone, calling him a 'fat s**t' among other profanities. Cassano denies these allegations, but Garrone stayed unmoved and appealed to the Italian court of justice to have Cassano's contract rescinded, which was eventually rescinded from January 2011 onwards with Sampdoria having to pay 50% of the rest of his contract. A free agent, Cassano moved to Milan to join up and form a strike patnership with other controversial players, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Robinho and Alexandre Pato.

With Cassano gone, Pazzini also left, joining Inter for a reported £15 million and Jonathan Biabiny. On his debut for the Nerazzurri, Pazzini came on as a substitute at halftime with Inter losing 2-0 and subsequently scored two goals and scored a penalty which Samuel Eto'o dispatched for the Inter comeback.


The loss of Cassano and Pazzini has left Sampdoria considerably short of fire power this calendar year. In their last six games, Sampdoria have only gained one point (a 0-0 draw with Juventus) and have scored no goals. Nothing. And its not suprising. Sampdoria now have to rely on Maccarone, who for all his substitute heroics for Middlesbrough isn't a regular goalscorer, and Federico Macheda, who has only scored four goals in his proffesional career. Sampdoria have now slipped to 14th place, a shadow of the team they once were.


Now would usually come the natural end of this article. But it isn't over. Because Sampdoria have something rare which other Italian teams don't possess. A talented youth section. With Vladimir Koman and Andrea Poli Sampdoria have their midfield sorted for the next few years, with the former providing a powerful engine and the former a long term replacement for team stalwart Angelo Palombo. Furthermore, the Pazzini sale brought Jonathan Biabiny, a French winger with electric pace and a player who feautured for the Inter team regularly this season. Sampdoria also traditionally have been a team which take risks. This can be a bad thing, but since many Italian have been reluctant to play youngsters or vary their formations (it is a proffession in Italy, not just a game as we see it) Sampdoria can set themselves away from the crowd and provide something different. And they might just be successful! But don't count on them winning anything for the time being.