Fictional wonderkids or the real deal - attacking midfielders

My series of Football Manager wonderkids progress reports inches ever closer to the opposition goal with a look at some of the budding young Kakas and Gazzas. We hope.

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Fictional wonderkids or the real deal - attacking midfielders

Now we're getting to the exciting positions in the team - the Hazard's, the Kaka's, and the Iniestas. These types of players often tend to emerge faster than others, so have there been fireworks this season from the Football Manager 2013 wonderkids?

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Spirited to Sophisticated

English players have been criticised in recent history for lacking in creativity. As a football nation, being ‘Spirited’ seems to be our greatest achievement.

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Don't forget about The Ox

Last season Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst into our collective footballing consciousness as he turned in a number of eye catching performanes for Arsenal, the best coming against AC Milan in the Champions League.

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Are long-term deals the new big money transfers in these times of austerity?

With the news today that Phil Jagielka and Ryan Shawcross have committed themselves to their clubs on long-term contracts, I wonder whether tying players to long deals has replaced buying players for huge fees.

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Oxlade-Chamberlain is right about Arsenal

So while Reading – Arsenal didn’t provide the 12 goal thriller we all witnessed during the Capital One Cup earlier this year, the Premier League duo tried their absolute best to replicate the memorable encounter on Monday evening, netting seven as the Gunners secured a 5-2 win over the Royals to move them within two points of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

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Variety is the spice of life

Theo Walcott has been very vocal in his belief that he should play a central striker role in Arsene Wenger's 4-3-3 system. The England international has even cited it as one of the reasons that he has been hesitant in signing a contract extension with Arsenal but that is simply a smokescreen as we all know that is all down to money.

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Do Arsenal need Walcott to sign a new contract with Gnabry coming through the ranks? (Video)

Serge Gnabry may be the next player to come through the ranks at Arsenal.

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Power Serge (video)

Arsenal Football Club is world famous for their impeccable youth facilities.  Many of the Gunner’s greatest players have come straight out of their youth academy.  Amongst the list of famous academy graduates are Tony Adams, Cesc Fabregas, Ashley Cole and Jack Wilshere.

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Where does Walcott fit in? (Video)

After the introduction of the new Arsenal players Carzorla, Podolski and Giroud, along with the departure of his good friends Robin van Persie and Alex Song, a few question marks are appearing over and probably in Theo Walcott's head.  

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Starvation of English talent has led to Owen media circus (Video)

Michael Owen is certainly no longer considered in the prime of his career as a 32 year old striker who has been plagued by injuries in recent years. However back in the day Owen was good. He was very, very good.

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Too early for Rio 2014 predictions? Never!

As England prepare to face Ukraine in their second World Cup 2014 qualifier, let’s take this opportunity to predict who will knock England out in Rio two years from now. I jest, of course, but every major tournament brings with it so much promise for the Three Lions and every time it seems we are eliminated in increasingly spectacular fashion. Hammered by the Germans in South Africa, Pirloed a couple of months ago, the infamous Rooney balls stamp of2006 and Beckham’s red card in 1998.

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England’s Under 21s Book Top Seed For Euro 2013

Stuart Pearce and his Under-21 side booked themselves a favourable draw for the Euro2013 playoffs on Friday, despite the lack of starlets such as Oxlade-Chamberlain, Butland, and Kyle Walker, who have all been on full England duty.

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Why England can be a force at Brazil 2014 and prove Charlton wrong

So England’s record goalscorer and national treasure Sir Bobby Charlton believes there is no chance of England’s current side winning or even competing for trophies in the near future and certainly not at the next World Cup in Brazil. His assertion that England “havent got a lot of top-quality players” meaning that “you cannot see it happening in Brazil at the next World Cup” has caused quite a reaction, with many leaping to back up the 1966 World Cup winners’ claims.

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English Premier League - the decline in English talent

With England’s recent Euro 2012 exit and equally underwhelming World Cup performance in South Africa burned into the memory of England fans, our focus turns inevitably to reasons to excuse such embarrassment on the world stage by a national team that has not tasted major tournament success since 1966.

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