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As a football manager you can easily be distracted by what the league table tells you. Air Max 2015 Kopen . Take Vancouver Whitecaps boss Carl Robinson, for example. The young manager has now taken charge of a grand total of six professional matches as the boss of a club side. Many men in his position wouldnt be sleeping as easily lately after watching his team suffer back-to-back defeats in the past two weeks, after previously starting his career on a four match unbeaten run. However, it is clear Robinson is not concerned about how results have turned against him lately. If he was, his starting XI in Los Angeles on Saturday would have been very different. For a first year manager, who just seven days earlier had suffered his first loss to Colorado, it would have been the easy thing to do to insert veterans Nigel Reo Coker and Kenny Miller into the starting XI against the superpower Galaxy. Except, in the days before the game, Robinson took a look at all of the matches the Whitecaps had played against LA in their stadium. Four games. Four losses. One goal scored. Ten goals conceded. Battered. Bullied. Humbled. With the veterans all playing. Robinson decided to go against an unflattering history and opted for the long-term risk card from the dealer rather than taking the safe one. LA Galaxy is, themselves, quietly going about a transition of their own as they work on a new tactical shape featuring a pair of technical midfielders. However, any team featuring the likes of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Juninho and Omar Gonzalez, will always be a real handful. Their midfield diamond features a lot of technical players that works superbly on the counter but can also ensure they can keep the ball better. With the movement of the front two it often can be a flexible 4-6-0. In fact, it is a fascinating system to keep an eye on in MLS and one that provides a stern test for their opponents. Robinson decided Gershon Koffie and Russell Teibert needed to face that test in a double pivot central midfield tandem inside a labeled 4-2-3-1 that was effectively a 4-3-3 hybrid. He decided Kekuta Manneh needed to take that test on the left. Three men, all 22 or younger, given a huge responsibility by the manager. Some called it bold, others felt it was risky but what it was, even before a ball was kicked, was a decision from a manager completely comfortable in his job and his own ability. It was not a move of caution. The move required the manager to have extensive discussions with both Miller and Reo-Coker on Saturday morning. That could not have been easy. The Game The Whitecaps would lose the match 1-0. Robinson told us on the TSN broadcast at half-time that the team couldnt afford to switch off from the tactical discipline they had shown in the first half. Within minutes, one lapse cost them as Keane ran untracked from a deep area and volleyed home the games solitary goal. The Positives For the Whitecaps it was a kick in the teeth because they had contained their bullies for 45 impressive minutes. Koffie and Teibert needed to be aggressive, smart and tactically sound, not separating too far from the centre-backs, which would give space for Keane and Donovan to come into. They did exactly that. Teibert, in particular, impressed against Keane. The veteran Irishman was a victim of Teiberts physical style early in the match and from that moment Keane put a target on the Canadians back and tried to intimidate him. Teibert didnt run away from the fight and stuck to his game. The visitors struggled to find outlets on counter attacks but Teibert did look, on a number of occasions, to play the long diagonal balls that Gonzalez plays for LA (something the Whitecaps defenders cannot do). The Weaknesses The decision to play 4-2-3-1, rather than match up diamonds in midfield, was vindicated by the play at the base of midfield but, much like the last away game in New England, issues with the 3 remain. Manneh defended his flank well when required and cut in centrally to make up an attacking two when the Whitecaps moved forward but he remains very raw and needs more time in the team to help him get a better read of a through ball so he doesnt get caught offside as much. Pedro Morales and Sebastian Fernandez struggled. Juninho was excellent against Morales who simply didnt find enough space to be effective. Fernandez, however, had much more room in a game that was very narrow but was too hurried in possession and made wrong decisions in distribution. Both were removed in the second half and Morales looked less than 100 per cent physically. If he wasnt hurting it would have been interesting to see if Robinson would have pushed him wider to find space and leave Morales, Mattocks and, the other substitute, Kenny Miller on the field at the same time. Star Man Keane scored the games only goal and was a class apart from most of the players on the field, however, it is important to note that most of his chances (other than the goal and once the game was stretched late) all came from deep areas on the field, which meant the Whitecaps had done their job. The same can be said about Donovan. And that is one of the positives that Robinson will take away from this game. Never once did he see his selections as a gamble. He rewarded his young players with key roles in a big game and they paid him back. The final score meant the Whitecaps got nothing in the standings but for Robinson this was short-term (minimal) pain for long-term gain, giving himself and his young players a platform to learn some things about each other. It is not often a young inexperienced manager puts the vision of the club first ahead of his own reputation and win/loss record. For a team who has had too many managers in their short time in Major League Soccer, this was a night where a loss showed their decision to hire Robinson was indeed a correct one. Finally, it appears the bosses are all singing from the same hymn sheet in Vancouver. Nike Free 3.0 Flyknit Bestellen .coms Ariel Helwani. Helwani reported on Wednesdays edition of UFC Tonight that the former welterweight champion will be under the care of Dr. http://www.rosheoneflyknit.be/nike-basketbalschoen...uez-9.h tml . He trained, prepared himself for his first home start of the season and got rid of some overdue baggage, finally shaving off his overgrown beard.SHANGHAI, China -- Novak Djokovic maintained his dominance in China by holding off Juan Martin del Potro 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Sunday to capture a second Shanghai Masters title and extend his winning streak in the country to 20 consecutive matches. The Serb completed a back-to-back sweep of titles at the China Open in Beijing and the Shanghai Masters for the second straight year. Hes now captured seven titles overall in China -- the most hes won in any country. Djokovic had to overcome a strong challenge from del Potro, who fended off two match points late in the third set, but couldnt put any pressure on Djokovics serve down the stretch and appeared to fade in the tiebreaker. "Hes a big fighter. All the way up to the last point, I dont know if Im going to win the match," Djokovic said. "His forehand is one of the best in the game, one of the best Ive ever played against. Its a huge weapon and once its on, its very dangerous." For Djokovic, the title has added significance coming just days after he relinquished his top ranking to Rafael Nadal, who lost to del Potro in the semifinals. He cant retake the top spot this week, but Djokovic has been focused on finishing the year strongly to stay within striking distance. "Considering the rankings, I put myself in a better position right now with back to back wins," the six-time Grand Slam winner said. "But the fact that if I would win, I would put myself in a better position, did not affect my motivation. My motivation is there always, especially when Im playing finals of such a big event." It was a tough loss for del Potro, who was trying to win his maiden Masters title at his third attempt. He was coming off a title last week at the Japan Open in Tokyo, and he got his first win over Nadal in four years in the semifinals in Shanghai. Del Potro overpowered Nadal so completely in that match, the Spaniard later said: "Very few times I played against a player with a level like today." Del Potro served notice, however, that hes fully fit and confident again after a wrist injury nearly derailed his career after his breakthrough win at the 2009 U.S. Open. Hes bacck up to the No. http://www.rosheoneflyknit.be/nike-juvenate/nike-j...blauw.h tml. 5 ranking -- his highest in three years -- and has beaten Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray this year. He also scored one of the biggest wins of his career over Djokovic at the London Olympics last year, where he beat the Serb in the bronze medal match. "I think Im playing even better than many years ago," he said. "I got good things on my career this year. I couldnt win a Grand Slam like I did in 2009, but I reach finals in the 1000 (level) Masters. I already win three tournaments. I beat the top guys, which is fantastic for me." The match looked like it might be a runaway win for Djokovic early on as he raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first set by dictating play with precise groundstrokes and keeping a sluggish del Potro on the defensive. But the momentum shifted in the second set when del Potro began connecting on his serve and cracking the same forehand winners he used to sweep Nadal off the court in straight sets in the previous round. He broke Djokovic to take an early lead, then played a magnificent game to save three break points to hold for 5-2 before closing out the set. The Argentine appeared to tire slightly as the third set wore on. During one changeover, the chair umpire, Damien Dumusois, warned him that he needed to speed up play between points. "Even after a long rally?" Del Potro asked, looking up wearily. Dumusois nodded yes. Djokovic had two match points on del Potros serve at 4-5 in the set, but the Argentine saved them both. The Serb then pulled away in the tiebreaker by hitting a forehand winner to finish off a 24-shot rally to take a 4-2 lead, leaving del Potro unable to manage another comeback. During the trophy presentation, Djokovic tried to console an obviously disappointed del Potro, one of his better friends on the tour. "Youre a great person and an even better player on the court," Djokovic said. "Im sorry you lost today. You deserve this trophy equally." "What can I say, man, Im trying to be nice to you," he added, smiling, before giving the Argentine a hug. Del Potro later joked: "Now we are not too close." Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' ' Cheap NFL China Jerseys
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