Random thoughts of @falsewinger

Something's in life are worth watching over and over again. This innings by ABD is one of them. SA were struggling when he walked in, everyone was struggling for breath when he walked out after the innings.

Still fresh in my 100TB memory but I just can't stop watching it every other week.

Mark Nicholas' commentary and ABD's hitting - Can it get any better? It would surely refresh everyone's memory of playing Cricket 07!

So, according to the reliable sources, it’s either going to be Diego Simeone or Antonio Conte at the Chelsea helm next season. Both are young and top quality managers but whom should Chelsea opt for?

Age Factor:

This is not a big deal actually. Conte is just a year older than Simeone. Both manager are capable of being longer term targets and it’s pretty clear that they both have at least 15–20 years of management left in them. Conte 0-0 Simeone.

Transfer Policy:

Both managers are not actually known for their spending and thus is shouldn’t again be much of a factor. But there is one difference between the two. Simeone is someone who will let a player leave if he’s not willing to stay or for the right price while Conte would do anything possible to keep the player he needs. Conte 1-0 Simeone.

Tactics:

Personally, I prefer Conte’s style over Simeone. Atletico Madrid have a rough style of play. They go and challenge their opponents with brutal tackles. That sort of play will lead to a lot of cards in the Premier League and thus would lead to suspensions more often than not. Conte meanwhile has a free flowing style. He loves to experiment and also uses the 3-5-2 in many matches. Conte 2-0 Simeone.

Signing & Seasonal Fee:

Chelsea will have to fork out a big fee to get Simeone from Atletico Madrid + will have to offer him nearly £10M per season as fee. Conte meanwhile will be available for FREE! Hs contract with Italy will expire after EURO 2016 and he will most likely accept a lower fee than what Simeone would demand. Even if he is to be paid the same thing what Simeone would be offered, it still eliminates the cost of getting him thus adding those funds to get a player or two! Conte 3-0 Simeone.

Experience:

Both started their managerial career in 2006. Conte won the Serie B with Bari in 2008/09 and then won the Serie A 3 times in a row with Juventus from 2011 to 2014. Simeone won Torneo Apertura 2006, then the Torneo Clausura 2008 and then the best of the lot - La Liga in 2013/14 against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid! Both managers have not won the Champions League but Simeone has managed to get a runners-up medal with Atletico but has won the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup. Conte has no European title to his name. Conte 3-1 Simeone.

Summary:

Even since the announcement of the Freedom 251 phone, there’s been a buzz among all in India. Well, a phone at the rate of your monthly 3G data plan is bound to get one and all excited.

The mobile was open for booking from today morning and I personally have tried to get one ever since 8:30 in the morning. All it does is collect our details and nothing else! 25+ attempts since the morning and not a single time it’s gone to the payment page.

Anthony Martial has gone off to the best possible start at Old Trafford. The £36M worth teenager has scored 3 goals in 2 Premier League matches and has adapted very well to English Football.

Martial’s splendid form is signs of a good future but, there’s a very bad myth behind it. The world’s most expensive teenager has become just the 3rd Manchester United player to have scored in his first 2 matches for the Red Devils. But that’s the problem. He’s joined the elite duo of Louis Saha and Federico Macheda in that club.

Saha joined Manchester United with high expectations but the striker. He went off to the best possible start, scoring on debut vs Southampton. He and Ruud van Nistelrooy then scored 2 each in his next game to edge United past Everton in crunch match that ended 4-3. But since then, he never managed to find his feet at the club. Injuries and more injuries kept him out of action and when finally fit, he never got to impress in his outings. He spent 4 years at the club scoring 28 times, the same time he took to score 53 while at Fulham. Injuries kept him sidelined most of the time and ManUtd finally decided to cash-in on him. He joined Everton on a ‘pay-as-you-deal’ deal and eventually retired 2 years ago.

Federico Macheda joined Manchester United from Lazio after scouts found him very much capable of being the next big thing in Italian football. Macheda was so impressive in the reserve team that Sir Alex promoted him to the first team. He made his debut vs Aston Villa as a substitute and that winner he struck is still fresh in my mind like it only happened yesterday. He off the bench against Sunderland and scored within a minute of coming on. He’s simce then faded away and now is struggling at Cardiff City.

Anthony Martial has the potential to be one of the best strikers in the World but he’ll have to beat this myth as well to do so. Of the matches I have seen Martial playing in, he’s been impressive. The same way I thought of Macheda but not look where he is.

When Chelsea were linked with Martial, I really wanted that to happen but not for the astronomical amount that AS Monaco wanted. Does Martial have the talent? Yes. Can he be one of the best? Maybe. Is he worth the amount ManUtd paid for him? For now, I’ll say no. But he can be worth it if he he keeps performing well for at least 5-6 years.