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		<title>ESPNFC.com - tacticsandanalysis</title>
		<link>http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis</link>
		<description>ESPNFC.com presents tacticsandanalysis</description>
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		<copyright><![CDATA[Copyright &copy; ESPN Internet Ventures]]></copyright>
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			<title><![CDATA[Drama always center stage at EPL's Euro conquests]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:17 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1355]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[  It was far from inevitable that Chelsea would triumph in the Europa League final against Benfica on Wednesday night -- but it felt inevitable that if they triumphed, it would be in a dramatic manner.  From a Chelsea perspective, Branislav Ivanovic's superb late header brought back memories of Didier Drogba's last-gasp equaliser against Bayern last May. But from a Premier League point of view, there were other comparisons, for English clubs have made a habit of winning European competitions in unlikely fashion since the introduction of the Premier League.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[Torres at home in Europe]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 16 May 2013 07:10:12 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Martin Laurence, WhoScored.com]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1350]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Wednesday night saw Chelsea become the first team to win the Champions League and Europa League in succession since the change in format of Europe's elite club competition. In doing so they had their much maligned front man to thank, with Fernando Torres opening the scoring, replicating the composure he had shown just over a year previous to kill off the Blues' semi-final tie with Barcelona.  The Spaniard showed strength and determination to hold off the challenge of Luisao before rounding keeper Artur to stroke the ball home into an empty net.]]></description>
			<guid isPermalink="false"><![CDATA[1350]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Europa League made for clubs such as Benfica]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 14 May 2013 09:46:03 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1343]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[ The Europa League has plenty of critics, but a decent way of defending Europe's secondary competition is to take a glance at the list of recent winners.  After all, the entire point of the tournament is to provide a cup competition for sides that don't qualify for the Champions League. While many yearn for the days of three strong cup competitions -- the European Cup, the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup -- things have changed significantly in the past 15 years. The Champions League is now an entirely different beast and boasts much greater strength in depth.]]></description>
			<guid isPermalink="false"><![CDATA[1343]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Manchester City's declining numbers support need for change]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 13 May 2013 09:42:18 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Alistair Tweedale, WhoScored.com]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1323]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[After a weekend of speculation, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini was sacked Monday night. A disappointing season was confirmed as trophyless at Wembley on Saturday with Ben Watson's late winner for Wigan in the FA Cup final (disregarding last August's largely unimportant triumph in the Community Shield).  Cup glory might not have been sufficient to keep the Italian in the job, however, with their performances in the Premier League distinctly worse than last term. As WhoScored.com's statistics show, the team has regressed significantly, and Mancini paid the price.]]></description>
			<guid isPermalink="false"><![CDATA[1323]]></guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Tactics Board: FA Cup Final preview]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 09 May 2013 19:56:11 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Richard Jolly]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1317]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Manchester City and Wigan Athletic may be red-hot favourites and complete outsiders respectively, but the FA Cup finalists have something in common. Both managerial Roberto's are keen tactical tinkerers, so there are several factors that could come into play:   Last meeting  It is scarcely a scoreline that stands out. City's 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on April 17, however, could have a considerable bearing on Saturday's game. The reason? Wigan unsettled the former champions with their approach.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[Chelsea pay the price for lack of style]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 09 May 2013 06:19:26 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1300]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Andre Villas-Boas was always likely to have a dig at his former employers before Wednesday night's 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham, his first return to Stamford Bridge since his sacking last year.   Before the game, he was half-heartedly booed by Chelsea's supporters, in a "we don't like your comments, but we won the European Cup without you, so we don't care that much" manner, and received the world's least welcoming 'welcome' from captain John Terry. "We welcome back Andre Villas-Boas and his coaching team," Terry said in his programme notes before swiftly moving on.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[How suited to Manchester United is Moyes?]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 09 May 2013 05:20:27 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Alistair Tweedale, WhoScored.com]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1295]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Life after Sir Alex Ferguson begins at the end of the season. David Moyes has been installed at Old Trafford as the new Manchester United boss ahead of fans' choice Jose Mourinho, with the Scot considered a better long-term replacement, handed a six-year contract, and chosen by Sir Alex himself. Much has been made of the job he has done on a (relative) shoestring at Everton, with many wondering just what he could do with a budget the size of United's.  In over 11 years at Goodison Park, Moyes has turned Everton from a team that had toyed with relegation for years into one that now consistently challenges at the other end of the table.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[Huddlestone surprises Spurs with midfield re-emergence]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 07 May 2013 09:01:31 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox ]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1287]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[  This evening, Tottenham Hotspur are holding a testimonial dinner for centre-back Ledley King. It's a high-class event, with Park Lane's Hilton the venue and tickets ranging between 200 and 500 pounds.  Modern day Premier League footballers hardly need an extra cash injection at the end of their careers -- and the money raised is often donated to charity anyway -- but King is the classic example of a player who merits a testimonial. A one-club man and a captain of the club whose career was prematurely curtailed by injury, there's been great demand to attend the dinner, with a proper testimonial match planned later this summer.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[The history boys]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Sat, 04 May 2013 13:52:46 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Richard Jolly]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1277]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2-3 WIGAN  It is almost nine decades since a fundamental, seemingly irreversible, change in tactics. There was a time when two out-and-out defenders was considered enough, but it was in the 19th century and in the years before and after World War I.   Then its basic failing became clear as, with Herbert Chapman&#x26;rsquo;s Arsenal proving early and successful pioneers, the centre-half was withdrawn to become a third man at the back, and the 2-3-5 formation was consigned to history.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[Serie A's battle for third down to Milan, Fiorentina]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 02 May 2013 12:40:05 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1271]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[OK, hands up, who remembers Serie A? After a fortnight where the major talking point has been the Bundesliga's dominance over La Liga -- with the Premier League chipping in with some end-of-season awards -- Italian football has taken a backseat.  It's a position Italy has increasingly become accustomed to. Once revered as the finest league in Europe, there's still much to recommend Serie A -- but the UEFA coefficients now firmly rank it as the fourth-best league in Europe. Serie A boasts no semifinalists in either the Champions League or the Europa League, and it has featured an exciting title fight.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[Phil Jones - better than the rest of us think?]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Thu, 02 May 2013 05:26:31 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Martin Laurence, WhoScored.com]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1268]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Phil Jones?  Many may suggest that Sir Alex Ferguson was jumping the gun when claiming that the latter would become "one of the best players we (United) have ever had". However, it was telling that on a night when top scorer Robin van Persie netted a hat-trick against Aston Villa and in effect won United their 20th top-flight title, the manager singled out 21-year-old Phil Jones for the most almighty praise.  - Okwonga: Sir Alex Ferguson, 1993, and Jay-Z  It was clear from the transfer fee, speculated to be around GBP;16 million, that Ferguson had great faith in the former Blackburn player, and his adoration for the youngster has only developed since Jones made the move to Old Trafford in 2011.]]></description>
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			<title><![CDATA[All of Arsenal's roads skip Premier titles but lead to Champions]]></title>
			<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:13:39 PDT]]></pubDate>
			<author><![CDATA[Michael Cox]]></author>
			<link><![CDATA[http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1265]]></link>
			<description><![CDATA[  For Arsenal supporters, 2012-13 is panning out rather similarly to 2011-12 -- an underwhelming first half of the season followed by a late rally to secure a Champions League qualification spot.  -- Defending toward the top four  It often feels like Arsenal fans are repeatedly experiencing Groundhog Day. Their last seven league finishes have been fourth, fourth, third, fourth, third, fourth, third -- and this looks set to be another fourth. No Premier League team enjoys, or endures, such consistent seasons -- but the truth is that Arsenal have three completely separate types of campaigns; they simply end up in roughly the same position.]]></description>
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