Premier League Preview: Aston Villa

Last Season: 15th

Pre-Season Prediction: 14th - A generous 14th. Don't let this fool you, they will be battling relegation all season but should stay up by the skin of their teeth.

Last season was one to forget for Paul Lambert's side as they failed to show any signs of progression, finishing 15th for the second year in a row. Lambert's youthful revolution was supposed to improve year-on-year but it seems as though the Villa fans may have to endure what is a very average side for a while longer. With star man Christian Benteke failing to replicate his form from the previous season - albeit suffering from numerous injuries - Villa looked short of quality across the park and their summer dealings will be turning no heads in the build-up to this season.

Villa have raided the Premier League veterans club with free transfers for Joe Cole and Philipe Senderos as well as purchasing Kieran Richardson from newly-relegated Fulham. Whilst all three provide a wealth of experience none are invigorating signings with all three well past their peak. That said, amongst a young squad the knowledge that these players possess can only be beneficial.

Most fans would love to see some sort of marquee signing to boost the general squad confidence but with Randy Lerner putting the club up for sale there is going to be no financial investment. The squad has some depth if not lacking plenty of quality but a couple more creative midfielders wouldn't go amiss with rumours that Ki Sung-Yueng is on Lambert's radar.Their main challenge though will be to hold onto the services of both Ron Vlaar and Christian Benteke as the two stars are courted by numerous clubs.

It's been a mixed pre-season so far from the Aston Villa boys, with three early victories before back-to-back thumpings from Chesterfield and Groningen respectively. Confidence is hardly flowing amongst Villa supporters after these results, with new signing Philipe Senderos looking particularly suspect. This may not be a problem though, as it seems as though Lambert will opt for the more solid Okore and Vlaar as his trusted defensive pairing. One highlight has been the performances of Jack Grealish who has stepped up following a very successful loan spell last year at Notts County.

What are we to expect from Villa this season then? Well it's a lottery as to which Villa side will actually turn up. Last season saw notable scalps against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea alongside heavy defeats to teams such as Stoke and Swansea and consistency is key if Villa are to improve. The addition of Roy Keane as assistant manager may whip some of the slackers into shape but is more likely to create tension and alienation in the dressing room if his track record is anything to go by.

Key Man: Ron Vlaar - The Dutchman put himself firmly on the map after a stellar World Cup and will be looking to carry that form into this season after never really performing consistently in the League in the past. Vlaar may benefit from having some stability in his defence after having numerous different centre-back partners over the last few seasons but if last season is anything to go by then the captain will be having another busy year.

One to Watch: Darren Bent - After being forced into the wilderness over financial reasons during the last few years and after a disappointing loan spell at Fulham the journeyman will be looking to rekindle his career with a strong season for the Claret and Blue. With Benteke not fully on the mend from a long-term injury, Bent may get his chance in the early stages of the season and after banging a few goals in and looking sharp in pre-season, who knows whether the ex-international striker will find some form again for the first time since his Sunderland days.

Best Signing: Kieran Richardson - Least depressing signing may be a better header in Villa's case but I suppose Richardson is the one who you feel is the closest to his peak. Whilst he tends to play left-back nowadays he is versatile and can play on either flank both in defence and midfield. He has also worked with Roy Keane before at Manchester United and may form a strong bond with his former team-mate. Perhaps more than anything he brings some experience to a young Villa side.

Premier League Preview: Arsenal

Last Season: 4th

Pre-Season Prediction: 3rd - The fourth-placed trophy will slip away, as unfortunately will the title.

Last season Arsenal claimed two trophies, their coveted fourth placed trophy and, more importantly, the FA Cup trophy. With their 3-2 victory in the final over Hull, they broke the nine year trophy duct and in doing so may have smashed a psychological barrier that has been holding them back in recent seasons. The same problems remain in the league though, with Wenger's side failing to maintain a season-long title challenge, fading badly in the second half of the season.

This summer, Wenger has finally made good on his promise to spend, splashing the cash on Chilean star Alexis Sanchez as well as Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina and youngster Calum Chambers. Sanchez is a huge signing for the Gunners, providing power, pace and creativity to an already glittering array of attacking midfielders whilst Debuchy has an important job to do replacing Bakary Sagna. Ospina and Chambers will both be squad players but are a vast improvement on Fabianski and Jenkinson.

That said, Arsenal may need another centre-half should Thomas Vermaelen depart as expected before the end of the window. Most fans would also be keen to see another striker brought in as well, as an injury to Giroud would leave them short at the front. The frenchman has looked unfit in pre-season and there may be questions over who will start up top in this weekends Community Shield. A deeper lying midfielder may also be required due to Arteta's age and Abou Diaby's persistent injury problems, with Ramsey requiring a more long-term partner alongside him in midfield.

Pre-season has been a mixed bag so far for the Gunners. Two convincing wins both followed by equally unconvincing defeats has left fans quietly anxious. The worst defeat came in the Emirates Cup with a lacklustre display condemning them to a 1-0 defeat against Monaco and failure to win the trophy they created. However, four goals from Yaya Sanogo will have done plenty to ease worries about strength in depth in the striking department, whilst youngster Calum Chambers gave a couple of assured performances to warrant his £16 million transfer fee.

This year expect to see an Arsenal side flowing with confidence. There is a whole host of top quality players such as Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey who are still young and improving every season and they will only get better with age. With a solid defensive unit and increased creativity through Sanchez expect Arsenal to continue to excite their own fans, as well as the neutrals. I struggle to see them claiming the title with the squad depth of Chelsea and Manchester City, but they will certainly be there or there about come the end of the season.


Key Man: Aaron Ramsey - Something of a forgotten man come the end of season player awards due to his injuries through the second-half of the season but was a revelation during the opening half of the campaign. Arguably the best central midfielder in the League, the Welshman has a little bit of everything, goals, assists, flair and energy and will be vital to Arsenal's title push this year. If they can find a defensive midfielder to partner him in midfield then we may see him tear the League apart.

One to Watch: Mesut Ozil - Ozil has come under plenty of criticism this year for poor form both at Arsenal and also at the World Cup with Germany. Unquestionably he has lost some of his flair from a few years ago but has developed into an extremely solid number ten. He is always assured in possession with pass completion stats comparable with that of a deeper lying midfielder and with ten assists for Arsenal last year, do not be surprised to see this figure rise this year as the German fully adapts to life in the Premier League.

Best Signing: Mathieu Debuchy - The stand-out signing from a commercial perspective is obviously the ex-Barcelona man Alexis Sanchez but the purchase of Mathieu Debuchy is far more important for the team. With the departure of Bakary Sagna to Manchester City it was vital that Wenger bought a solid replacement. Choosing Debuchy was a stellar bit of business as he is one of the most underrated players statistically in the league. Whilst he is not renowned for his marauding runs forward, the ex-Newcastle man is excellent defensively, with better tackling, blocking and intercepting stats than Sagna last year. With enough Premier League experience, Debuchy may just turn out to be one of the buys of the summer.

Sports Ladder (28th July - 3rd August)

UP - Claudia Fragapane - It's hard to pick just one athlete from the wealth of successful competitors in Glasgow but really its hard to look past the 16-year-old pocket rocket. Becoming the first British gymnast to win four golds in over 80 years, Fragapane won both the team and individual all-round, as well as the individual floor and vault finals. But it was her floor routine which really captured the imagination, combining gymnastics with break-dancing and performing death-defying flips and twits, the Brit will be a national hero for years to come.

UP - Home Nations - That said, I couldn't ignore the fact that in Glasgow, all of the home nations performed exceptionally well. England ran away with the medal table but the performances of Scotland and Wales as well as Northern Ireland were all fantastic. Scottish athletes in particular embraced their home games, smashing their previous all-round medal record of 33 with 52, and that is still with a day of competition left to go! An amazing feat at home but can they replicate it in four years time down on the Gold Coast?


UP - England Cricket - Positive news from the England camp for the first time in, well, a very long time. A victory! England actually won a cricket match this week! In some style as well might I add. Looking freshly confident both with the bat and the ball England claimed a 266-run victory over India in the third test for their first test victory in over a year. Questions still remain over the captaincy of Alastair Cook, but with few others putting themselves about, Cook has definitely bought himself some time.

UP - Usain Bolt - He came, he danced, he conquered. Ever the showman, Bolt lit up the final night of the athletics with a blistering final leg to claim gold for his team in the 4x100m relay final. After a testing week, with reports of him being unhappy (to put it mildly) with Glasgow, Bolt confounded the critics, appearing to savour every moment out on the track. He danced to '500 miles' with the crowd right up until the race and hi-fived at least half of the crowd (slight exaggeration) afterwards. Unquestionably the greatest sporting athlete of our time.

UP - Sabine Lisicki - With all the goings-on in Glasgow it is all too easy to forget that some other sport has actually been happening and something which went disappointingly under the radar was everyone's favourite smiley German, Sabine Lisicki, breaking the record for the fastest serve in womens tennis. Her 131 mph serve trumped the previous record of 129 mph set by Venus Williams back in 2007 and led to a crescendo of 'ooooohs' from the American crowd. We'll just ignore the fact that she went on to lose the match.

DOWN - Yaya Sanogo - You would think that after scoring four goals in just 48 minutes you would be riding sky-high in the public opinion. Alas, poor Yaya Sanogo became the brunt of twitters cruel humour after his 'celebration' following his fourth goal against Benfica. The young Frenchmen, managed to get his legs in a twist, tripping and stumbling off the pitch. The positives are that he scored four goals, and Arsenal fans managed to turn the trip into a mocking of Steven Gerrard. All's well that ends well.

DOWN - England Netball - What a brutal week it was for England's netball girls as they lost by just one goal, not once but twice in heartbreaking circumstances. The first occasion condemned them to second in the group with a gutting 49-48 loss to Australia. Consequentially this left them against New Zealand in the semi-final where they rebuilt their broken heart only to smash it for a second time in a 35-34 loss to leave them contending just a bronze medal. Oh, and they just lost the bronze medal match to Jamaica to top it all off. Awkward.

DOWN - Ashley Cole - Remember this moment because it doesn't happen very often. I have sympathy with Ashley Cole. After turning down a lucrative deal in the USA to ensure he still plays at the highest level, Cole has still found himself ridiculed by the British public. Most players fade from our attention when they move abroad, but not Cole who became the butt of jokes after a team photo at Roma shows him slightly away from the rest of the team. This has led to a whole host of pretty funny edited photos showing Cole lurking in the background of iconic photos. Poor Cole, he just can't catch a break.


DOWN - Phillips Idowu - There was something extremely uncomfortable about seeing such a well established athlete struggle as much as he did in Glasgow and for that reason he makes my list. Idowu has long been a big favourite of mine but has struggled in recent times through injury and a hiatus from the triple jump. At 35 perhaps it is time for Idowu calls it a day as he looked a long way off the competition and is unlikely to challenge for a major medal again.

DOWN - Southampton - What a difference a few months make. At the end of last season Southampton fans were jubilant as their team finished off the season in their highest ever position of 8th. Nowadays they are just praying they have more players than Blackpool at the start of the season. I've been to Southampton plenty of times and love it but clearly it is not a place for professional footballers, with five established first team players departing and another four or five rumoured to leave. Ronald Koeman has a long season ahead of him.

Sports Ladder (15th - 21st July)

UP - Germany - It seems like weeks ago that the World Cup came to an end but alas it was just last weekend that Germany claimed their first trophy as a unified state. They were hardly inspiring from start to finish but when it mattered they came up with the goods, stuffing Brazil in the semis before grinding out a narrow 1-0 victory in the final. It won't go down as a classic final but Goetze and co won't care one little bit.

UP - Rory McIlroy - It's been coming for a while. It may well have taken over a year for the Northern-Irishman to sort himself out, both on and off the course, but his marvelous display on the grass of the Royal Liverpool ensured he cements his position as one of the top golfers in the world. Rory led from day one after some scintillating golf and managed to conquer his phobia of Fridays which has consumed him throughout this year. Onwards and upwards for the new world number two.

UP - Nico Rosberg - The German Grand Prix had it all. Crashes on turn one, Hamilton storming through the field, collisions and overtakes left, right and occasionally centre. Yet the forgotten man from the weekend was the actual winner Nico Rosberg. The German, at his home Grand Prix, drove such a calm, cool and collected race that he barely made it onto our screens on Sunday. Now fourteen points ahead of Hamilton, Nico will be relishing this weekends Hungarian Grand Prix.

UP - Kylie Walker - In all the excitement of this weeks British Open a magnificent golfing record went very quietly under the radar on the Ladies Tour. Scotland's Kylie Walker made history this week with the lowest ever score after 54-holes of a tournament after she shot three consecutive 64s to end 24 under par going into the final round. Amazingly after a final round of 71 she needed a play-off to beat promising youngster Charley Hull but she did eventually prevail to win the German Open. Yes, Germany gets another mention.

UP - Takuya Eizumi - Okay, so if you have actually heard of this Japanese mixed martial arts fighter then award yourself a gold star because I certainly had not. To be honest, his sporting achievement wasn't even that impressive as he simply won a fight. But that isn't why he makes this weeks ladder. Clearly it is the absolutely stunning troll face that he pulls after the victory. I just don't understand how he has contorted his face in that position but would love to see this in other sports. Perhaps Rory should have tried this when he sunk his final putt on Sunday.

DOWN - Blackburn Rovers - So the football season is nearly back upon us (its only been away a week!), and domestic clubs have started to reappear on twitter. This week potentially the worst promotional video appeared from the murky depths of Blackburn depicting superfan Alan Birkbeck and his journey to get the new kit. Entitled 'Birdy's Date' the poor fan is seen dressing up appearing to go for a date before it emerges his only date is with a rather hideous new blue and white kit. Haven't Blackburn embarrassed themselves enough in recent years? To watch the video go to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2692169/Blackburn-launch-new-home-strip-strangest-kit-advert-time.html.

DOWN - Katarina Johnson-Thompson - Britain's new athletics superstar will be absolutely devastated this week as she learned she could not compete in this years Commonwealth Games. The young heptathlete has leapt out of Jess Ennis-Hill's shadow as she set the best score of the year last month. She was heading into the Games as one of the favourites but a last minute foot injury has left her watching agonizingly from the sideline. Remember her name though. She will be the next big thing.

DOWN - Tiger Woods - There has been a lot of talk recently about who will replace Tiger Woods as the big name at the forefront of golf but Woods was determined to prove that he is not done just yet. Unfortunately he proved absolutely nothing as he barely made the cut at the British Open, eventually finishing 23 shots off Rory McIlroy's winning score. The veteran looked well off the pace and barely cracked a smile all weekend. Plenty of work is needed if he is to win another major.

DOWN - Felipe Massa - The poor Brazilian just cannot catch a break at the moment as, once again, he was wiped out of another Grand Prix before being able to complete a lap. Massa did not help himself by blaming Magnussen as it was a pretty obvious racing collision but nevertheless the Williams driver just seems to have run out of luck. With his team mate, Bottas, winning his third consecutive podium, Felipe will really be hoping to have a good weekend in Hungary. Or at least finish the first lap.

DOWN - Alastair Cook - Dear Alastair. On behalf of the Nation could we please ask you to resign as England cricket captain? Yours sincerely, every Englishman everywhere. That is all.

Sports Ladder (8th - 14th July)

UP - Lewis Hamilton - Last weekend's British Grand Prix has reopened the race for the Championship after a mesmerising drive from Lewis Hamilton coupled with a gearbox failure for Nico Rosberg left the Mercedes pair just four points apart. Hamilton worked his way from sixth up to first after an excellent start before the red flags emerged following Kimi Raikkonen crash. This leaves a very tasty looking second half to the season.

UP - Novak Djokovic - A second Wimbledon title and a sixth Grand Slam ensured that Novak Djokovic had a week to remember. What he may lack in the elegance of Roger Federer or the relentlessness of Rafael Nadal he more than makes up for with his gritty determination and is more of a complete player than either of those two. He is perhaps yet to fully win the support of the British public but if he keeps going at this rate it can only be a matter of time.

UP - James Anderson - In a period of instability and disappointment in English cricket it was welcoming this week to see a moment of brief, record-breaking success. Jimmy Anderson alongside Joe Root set the record for the highest last wicket stand as the pair of them made 198 runs, including 81 from Anderson himself, also a record for an English closing batsman. Could this be the start of a change in fortune? It seems unlikely, but we may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

UP - Horse-Racing Seagull - I just couldn't ignore the cheeky antics of an audacious seagull in Brighton this week. In a photo-finish between Jewelled and Sagesse it emerged that there was in fact a third competitor when a seagull photo-bombed, sticking his neck out and just losing to Jewelled by a few beaks. It is not known whether the animal is merely confused about its origins or fancies himself as a bit of a racer but unfortunately the bookmakers refused to pay out on any bets on the unfancied bird.


UP - Rory McIlroy - Considering his sporting prowess it does surprise me how rarely, if ever he has actually made my weekly ladder. The Northern Irishman has had mixed success in recent times but this week shot a phenomenal round of 64 to break the course record in the first round of the Scottish Open at Aberdeen. As well as they he also took advantage of a strong tail wind to slog a drive 436 yards to set the record for this year.

DOWN - Rory McIlroy - And yet sport is a world of swings and roundabouts and just the next day Rory undid all his good work by carding a shocking 78 to plummet down the leaderboard. More depressing is the fact that this is the second time he has collapsed this year after an astounding first round where he shot a 63 then a 78 at the Memorial Tournament in May. With the youngster struggling for consistency and struggling off the course after ending his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki, should he take a break from golf?

DOWN - Blackpool - The recruitment staff at Blackpool seem to have been spending too much time watching the World Cup and not enough time finding some players to don the tangerine kit next year as they currently have just eight registered first team players. Now for those of you with any knowledge of football you will be aware that eleven players are needed just to field an actual team so probably you see the dilemma. I'll keep my phone on loud for the next few days waiting for the call from Barry Ferguson.

DOWN - Chris Froome - After the recent Tour de Triumphs of Chris Froome and Sir Bradley Wiggins in the last two years we have become accustomed to success in the greatest cycling race on the planet. However after the loss of Mark Cavendish last week we were treated to more disappointment as defending champion Chris Froome also departed with multiple wrist injuries. Very sad to see him go but Bradley Wiggins must be gutted he wasn't given the call by Team Sky. Will they live to regret not including him?

DOWN - Paris Saint-Germain - Don't you hate it when you pay over the odds for something such as a t-shirt or a pint? Well imagine how Paris Saint-Germain feel after watching the simply shocking performances of everyone's favourite Sideshow Bob lookalike, David Luiz, their £50 million summer acquisition. The 'defender' has a tendency to wander aimlessly and was largely at fault for numerous of the ten goals conceded in Brazil's last two games. Let's hope they've kept the receipt somewhere safe.


DOWN - Brazil - A record-breaking 7-1 loss in the semi-finals of your home tournament. No more words are needed.



Disclaimer: This was written before the finale of that football tournament that everyone seems to be talking about.

Sports Ladder (June 29th - July 6th)

UP - Surprise Packages - So the semi-finals are decided and we have a heavyweight bunch with Brazil against Germany and Argentina versus Holland but it really was the performance of certain 'minnow' teams that captured the imagination of the public. Costa Rica were the last to fall after an outstanding qualification from a 'group of death' but there was some sensational stuff from Colombia, USA and Algeria to name just a few. If we could have some of that passion for our England boys in four years then that would be fantastic.

UP - Susie Wolff - Okay, so it only lasted one racing lap. Okay, so it was a bit disappointing that the car suffered an oil pressure issue. Besides that it was great to see Susie Wolff become the first female driver to step into a Formula One car on a race weekend in twenty-two years. So the actual practice session was a disaster as she suffered a technical issue beyond her control and finished second last in the session. Yet Susie will get another chance in Hoffenheim and I for one look forward to seeing her get a proper crack of the whip.

UP - Nick Kyrgios - If you had not heard of the tenacious Australian before this week then you will have now. Kyrgios, who I met just last month at the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham, took the tennis world by storm as he blew apart Rafael Nadal on route to his first Wimbledon quarter-final at just nineteen years old. He may have lost to Milos Raonic but the youngster certainly proved why many are considering him to be the next big tennis sensation.

UP - Jordanne Whiley - Whilst British eyes were fixed on Andy Murray this week, (well until Wednesday at least), there was another Brit who walked away with a title as Jordanne Whiley and her partner Yui Kamiji won their third Grand Slam Wheelchair Doubles title of the year, meaning they need just the the US Open to complete the set. The pair have been playing some magnificent stuff over the last 12 months or so and now sit proudly at the top of the global rankings.

UP - Aberystwyth Town - With the World Cup coming towards a sparkling end it will not be long before we return to the regularity of everyday football. For some however, that has already started and I couldn't help but chuckle at the sly dig made by Aberystwyth Town to Manchester United when they messaged the Red Devils saying 'we are all off to Europe... are you?'. Unquestionably funny but perhaps United will have the last laugh as Aberystwyth were only travelling to Derry and lost 4-0 in the first leg.

DOWN - Massimo Cellino - So it's official, we have another Vincent Tan on our hands. We all knew from his time at Cagliari that Cellino was a little bit bonkers but he stepped it up this week by refusing to allow Paddy Kenny to join the first team because his birthday is on the 17 May. Seventeen is considered an unlucky number in Italy and Cellino's deep suspicion of it has now left Kenny looking for a new club. People like this should not be allowed to own football clubs.

DOWN - Mark Cavendish - Poor Mark. You wait your whole life to cycle the most prestigious event on the cycling calender right past your own doorstep but the Manxman had it taken away from him when he unfortunately crashed barely 200 metres from the end of the first stage. The resulting shoulder injury has ruled Cavendish out of the rest of the Tour after he was just a little too desperate to wear that coveted yellow jersey at home.

DOWN - Luis Suarez - Why? Just why? I cannot help but laugh at the calamity that is Luis Suarez. He has the potential to be one of the absolute best players in the world but is constantly impeded by his vampirical tendencies. I'm not sure what was worse though, the fact he bit someone for the third time in his career or his excuse that he tripped and fell teeth first into Chiellini's shoulder. I'm concerned that if he does it again he will emerge from the ban in the 'twilight' of his career. Terrible vampire joke quote ticked.

DOWN - Serena Williams - Well it looks like the Queen of women's tennis has now well and truly lost her grip on the thrown. Suffering her third early exit in Grand Slams this year Serena will now have a monumental job on her hands to retain her US Open title. Luckily her grip on the number one ranking is well in tact as Li Na also lost early but others are catching fast and it may only be a matter of time before Serena loses in tennis' game of thrones.

DOWN - Match Fixing - Whichever direction you turn your head in the sporting world there seems to be problems with match fixing at the moment. Lou Vincent, the self-proclaimed cricketing cheat, was littered on the back page of the papers this week for his confession and then we were treated to a number of stories about match-fixing at the World Cup. As if that wasn't enough, there is now an investigation into Aberdeen in the Europa League. It has become an epidemic that needs to be killed sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer - This was written before the finish of the Wimbledon Men's Final and before I have watched the British Grand Prix so that's why neither are mentioned.

Dutch Courage or Krul Antics?

So there we have it. Holland's penalty shoot-out triumph over Costa Rica last night confirmed a star-studded semi-final against Argentina whilst in the other match hosts Brazil play Germany. Europe vs South America is the theme and we are in for an a couple of cracking matches. But it could have been completely different were it not for the mind-boggling decision of Louis Van Gaal to bring on substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul solely for the penalty shoot-out.

The rest is history. Krul dived the correct way for all five of the Costa Rican penalties, saving two and ultimately sending his team through to the semi-final, as well as ensuring the first Dutch penalty shoot-out success in five attempts. However, there were two consequential outcries following the game; 1) that Tim Krul's antics before each kick were unsporting and disgraceful and 2) that Louis Van Gaal is a tactical genius.

Let's start with the latter. So the incoming Manchester United manager is supposedly a tactical wizard. There can be little question that the introduction of Krul was a masterstroke. Clearly his height and preparation gave him an edge over Jasper Cillessen although his Premier League record of just two saves in twenty attempts leaves a lot to be desired. However, for me the real stroke of genius was the message it sent to Costa Rica. Van Gaal basically said, 'We've got this weapon on our bench. We're going to use it. What have you got?'. The simple answer was that they had nothing. Keylor Navas, unquestionably one of the goalkeepers of the tournament, failed to even get his fingertips on any of the four Dutch penalties whilst his Dutch counterpart did the business.

So undoubtedly Van Gaal made the correct decision in bringing on Krul and must be applauded for that. Yet it would be foolish to ignore the other 120 minutes where the Dutch failed to break down Costa Rica. In their defense neither did Italy or England but a team with Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder leading the line should realistically pick apart a Costa Rican side ranked 27th in the highly accurate and credible FIFA rankings. When you consider that Van Gaal also threw Huntelaar and Lens into the fray later in the game then questions have to be asked as to how outstanding the tactical nous of this man actually is. Surely a fully fledged tactical genius would have finished this quarter-final match in regulation time rather than having to rely on a penalty shoot-out to complete the job. So Van Gaal reacted to the situation well, but don't be too quick to hurl praise at him. We'll see if he deserves that praise if they're still around this time next week.

So what of Tim Krul. Well in my opinion the only crime he is guilty of is theft. His penalty heroics stole the headlines from another remarkable performance by Keylor Navas but it was his gamesmanship which received the most criticism during his brief stint on the pitch. The wily substitute ensured he patrolled the box as the Costa Rican players wandered from the half-way line, demonstrating his control of the box and sending a message that 'I'm in charge'. Then when they reached the penalty spot he walked right up and told them that he knew exactly where they were going, going right up to the faces of each individual player.

Now this is the part that garnered criticism and I ask you what he actually did wrong. As an ex-goalkeeper myself, (albeit for the third team in my college - a high standard indeed), I can only applaud the Newcastle man for getting inside the mind of the opponent. He told them where they would go and ultimately got all five right, even if he didn't save each and every penalty. But the main question is whether his behaviour was sporting. Is it fair to go towards the penalty taker and talk to them before they take it? Well I don't really see the harm. Players do it all the time around the pitch for free-kicks and just generally in open play so why when it happens in a penalty shoot-out did it receive such negative criticism. It's not like he committed a deliberate handball to prevent a last minute winner or bit someone (hint: a certain banned Uruguayan footballer). Also, its in the World Cup quarter-final. You want to do absolutely everything within the letter of the law to distract your opponent and as the referee did nothing about it then clearly it was within the confines of the law.

So I abhor you to reassess your praise and criticism and actually just have a think about last nights action. I am by no means saying I don't understand the argument behind Krul's criticism and Van Gaal's praise, I'm just saying perhaps a bit more thought and perspective ought to go into both circumstances. All of that said, a special mention to the much unfancied Costa Rica who did not actually lose a single game in normal time during this World Cup. Who had money on that before the tournament? Yeah I thought not.