Brazil is known as, perhaps somewhat stereotypically, the home of the beautiful game. Some of the world’s most exciting players have represented the nation across the decades and have wowed crowds across the globe. However, at the domestic and national level their football has taken a more pragmatic approach in recent years. There has thus been an evolution in the style of players being produced, and coupled with the alterations in the English game this millennium it has made the Premier League a more suitable home.

The norm in Brazil has is to operate with two, sometimes even three, defensive-midfielders, or volantes as they are known locally. There is no shortage of players to occupy this position and having been raised to play in this position, the quality in the domestic league is strong. It is now commonplace to see such two deeper lying midfielders across Europe too. They are used to offer greater freedom to a group of four forwards, allowing them to play higher up the pitch whilst not compromising the defence.

Typically in Brazil the forwards currently play at a far narrower degree to their transatlantic coutnerparts. The wing-backs are used to provide the width while the volantes separate the duties of defending and linking the play. In Europe it tends to be a less energetic position, but the shift from one holding player to two in the English game has enabled players like Sandro and Ramires to flourish. The Chelsea midfielder proved a revelation as he surged forward with lightening pace that led to an impressive 12 goals this season. This surprising source of goals has put a spin on the traditional English view of a defensive-midfielder as someone who has to police the game without departing his own half.

The evolution of the Premier League means that the formations are now more suitable to Brazilian players. Not too long ago, a player such as Lucas Moura would only have been able to fit in on either side of a midfield four or as a forward in a 4-4-2. He would then have been expected to contribute to defending at a far greater level. That is now eased by the two defensive-midfielders, but some tracking of opposing full-backs is still required.

Under Roberto Di Matteo Chelsea used Ramires wide on the right. This offered his full-back a greater deal of cover due to his defensive capabilities whilst also exposing the opposing defender with his electric pace. Such a role was displayed perfectly when he scored against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final at Camp Nou.

The convergence of formations has allowed for greater expression and has therefore made the transition from Brazilian to European football a smoother one. Whereas a Brazilian player may have previously been more keen on a move to Spain or Italy the adaptation of the English game to less rigid tactics, as well as remaining the best ranked league in the world, has made it a far more attractive destination.

Many people are of the opinion that players of a smaller frame such as Neymar, Lucas, or Arsenal target Wellingon Nem would find the Premier League far too physical. However, they are no strangers to on-pitch brutality. Following his rapid rise to stardom, Neymar is watched like a hawk with defenders desperate to stop him. Indeed Velez Sarsfield defender Gino Peruzzi said of the Santos attacker: “If he tries his tricks on me I will break him in half.”

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The coalescing of certain tactical ideals across the Atlantic means that now, more than ever, the Premier League can offer a more than suitable home for players from the Samba nation. Brazilian footballers are able to flourish in a more flexible approach that has been adopted by many of the top English clubs meaning that now, possibly more than ever, they are able to find a suitable home in England’s top flight.

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West Ham are thought to be keen to bring Tottenham defender William Gallas to the club, according to The Sun.

The French international has played with the White Hart Lane club for the last couple of seasons, but suffered an injury-prone campaign in 2011-12.

With the Hammers recently-promoted back to the Premier League Sam Allardyce is eager to add experienced heads to the Upton Park squad in an effort to ensure survival at the first time of asking.

Spurs are said to be ready to allow Gallas to leave the club on a free transfer, as they target a new central defender to play alongside either Younes Kaboul or Michael Dawson.

The White Hart Lane club continue in their efforts to sign Jan Vertonghen from Ajax and are in the market to add some youthful players to act as a shot in the arm to their crocked backline.

Meanwhile, Allardyce has also targeted AC Milan veteran Clarence Seedorf as a possible summer signing.

The Dutch midfielder is surplus to requirements at the San Siro and available on a free transfer, catching the eye of West Ham.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Daniel Agger has stated that he wants to stay at Liverpool, despite interest from Manchester City.

The Denmark international has been linked with a move to the Premier League champions, and Brendan Rodgers has confessed that the Etihad Stadium team have made contact.

With reports of a bid in the region of £20 million for the Scandinavian a move was touted, but Agger has stated that he wants to stay at Anfield.

“I’d rather stay,” the centre half told The Guardian.

“I can’t imagine playing for any other club in England but you never know if the club think it’s better to sell me.

“I know there has been interest from Manchester City, but I don’t know what Liverpool are responding to it. I am fine with my situation. The club will have to find out what they want to do. I’ve heard nothing from them. I’d rather stay but that decision is not up to me at the moment.

“Yes, Liverpool can do a deal even though I have two years on my contract. But no, I haven’t changed my mind on the subject. Some times you can end up in a position where it’s not your decision.

“I don’t want to be somewhere I am not wanted but I would prefer if they want me to stay. That is my first priority,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The competition for the Premier League’s worst ever signing is a strong one. Names like Bosko Balaban, Juan Sebastian Veron or modern day players like Stewart Downing or Andy Carroll feature strongly in most people’s lists, but that’s only because they’ve forgotten one man. The only real contender for this award is the former Southampton striker, (if you can even describe him as that) Ali Dia.

Yep, Ali Dia is famous in the Premier League for being the greatest conman in the history of the game and his name is one Graeme Souness would dearly love to forget. The year was 1996 and Souness was in charge of Southampton when he received a mysterious phone call from a man claiming to be George Weah, the former Fifa World Player of the Year and footballing superstar. Now any contact with a player that good is enough to get any manager excited, but instead of offering his own services to the Saints, Weah told Souness to check out his cousin, a PSG player who had won caps for Senegal.

In the days before YouTube, where a routine spot check would be enough to tell someone all they needed to know about a potential superstar, a personal recommendation from one of the game’s greats is surely enough to earn you a contract. After all, the scouts at the Dell didn’t want to lose out on a prodigious talent to their rivals, indeed only Matt Le Tissier came anywhere near the word ‘talent’ in a Southampton shirt at that time. To hoard off any interest from other clubs, the Saints offered Dia a one month contract with the club to prove his worth in the Premier League.

Unfortunately for Souness and Southampton, the phone call was a fake. Dia had never played for the Senegal, probably didn’t know who PSG were and his cousin was most certainly not George Weah. In fact Dia’s footballing career before that was no better than the average Sunday league player, he’d turned out for a few unheard-of French teams before unsuccessfully trialling at a number of lower English league clubs. He did however make one appearance for Blyth Spartans of the Northern Premier League where, by all accounts, he put in a remarkably forgettable performance.

So the fact that Dia pulled on a Southampton shirt during a Premier League game against Leeds United is one of the most bizarre happenings the game has ever witnessed. Saints legend Le Tissier has gone on record to say that Dia trained once with the first squad, showing as much skill in a five-a-side game as a man with his feet tied together. Not one member of the Southampton team thought Dia would ever be involved in a match day squad, so imagine their surprise when Souness named his new Senegalese superstar on the bench for the crunch match with Leeds.

After Le Tissier pulled a thigh muscle during the game, the number 33 went up on the fourth official’s board, signalling that Dia would be introduced for his debut. What happened next was excruciatingly embarrassing for everyone that witnessed it. Dia ran around like Bambi on ice, unable to control the ball or keep any sort of position on the field. 53 minutes later and the substitute was substituted, as Souness realised his terrible, terrible mistake, hauling Dia off for Ken Monkou. Leeds won the game 2-0 and the most ambiguous of Premier League matches went down in the game’s folklore.

Dia never showed up at the Dell again, probably catching on to the fact that he’d be in for some serious questions from the Saints hierarchy, indeed the subject has haunted Graeme Souness to this day. Unbelievably that season, Dia turned up in the Conference, making eight appearances for Gateshead where he scored twice, including a goal on his debut against Bath City.

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Nothing came of that brief spell though and Dia went to Northumbria University to study business, though with his ability as a con artist, he shouldn’t have ever had to put in an honest day’s work in his life. The player has gained notoriety in the Premier League and has gone down as a legend in the game for all the wrong reasons. It’s remarkable that a club with such a complex scouting system in place could make such a blunder, but then that’s the joys of the footballing world. However, if you ever find yourself in charge of football club, the best piece of advice would be to beware phone calls from George Weah…

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Tough-tackling Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has ended his three year tenure at the Etihad Stadium by joining Serie A side AC Milan, according to The Daily Mail.

The fee for the Dutchman is thought to be in the region of £3.5 million. City boss Roberto Mancini accepted that he felt that de Jong needed to gain some regular first-team football: “I am sorry because Nigel was an important player for us but if he is happy, I am happy for him. I am sure he will do really well in the Italian championship.”

De Jong, who joined Manchester City from Hamburg in 2009, expressed his delight at joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, “Milan will be competitive – both in Italy and in Europe. It is a fascinating club with a great history. After having experienced the Manchester derby, I will now get to experience the Milan derby.”

De Jong had made an impressive start to his Manchester City career and became renowned in the Premier League for his hard, dismissive style of play, becoming labelled as “the lawnmower” by his adoring fans.

However, in the last couple of seasons de Jong has fallen out of favour with manager Mancini and has often been limited to appearances from the substitute’s bench of late. As a result de Jong has made just 37 Premier League appearances in the last two seasons for City.

De Jong is expected to go straight into the Milan side for their away trip to Bologna tomorrow night.

You can follow all the deadline day deals on our live blog right here

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A noticeable change in the way that Liverpool have set themselves up so far this term under new boss Brendan Rodgers is the role that the full-backs have been asked to perform, pushing much higher up the pitch. But are the current crop at the club good enough to do the job justice?

In the opening day defeat to West Brom, both Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly were told to bomb on down the flanks whenever the midfield had the ball, which in the first half at least, was quite regularly. Their responsibilities are two-fold – they have to provide the width for the sideways passing of the likes of Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard in midfield, which is essential to the possession-based system effectiveness, while also being conscious of their defensive duties, something which both Neil Taylor and Angel Rangel did superbly last term.

During a period of transition such as this, there are bound to be bumps in the road to negotiate and Johnson could be accused in a left-back role that he’s becoming increasingly familiar with, as playing as an auxiliary left midfielder at times, leaving huge gaps behind him for the opposition to expose and exploit, but with the aim a more expansive style of play, these are necessary consequences.

During the 2-2 draw at Anfield against reigning champions Manchester City, with Jose Enrique still working his way back to full fitness, Martin Kelly was once again given the role on the right. While it may seem harsh to criticise him for Yaya Toure’s equaliser, with the fault resting largely at the door of flapping goalkeeper Pepe Reina, he’s far from technically proficient when compared to his continental counterparts in the same role.

The 22-year-old capped off a breakthrough season last term by making England’s Euro 2012 squad as a late addition to Roy Hodgson’s squad, but it’s long been assumed that his positional future lies at centre-half. He can best be bracketed as a ‘game and willing runner’, but he can look awkward at times when penned in tight spaces and his delivery from out wide, a key component of the role, can range wildly from exceptional to abysmal. He does however, represent a decent option to have in the squad.

The impact that this has on the centre-backs has also been evident so far, with both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel struggling to an extent and committing a number of game-changing individual errors. When the full-backs push on higher up the pitch, they split, leaving a big gap between them to pass the ball and a central midfielder drops into the gap to cover.

Jose Enrique will of course return to the starting eleven when he’s fully fit, but for a Spaniard, he’s not the most technically adept around and at times, his passing can be wasteful. Rodgers will be hoping that he’s recovered from the serious dip in form that affected him towards the back-end of last season when he does return to the team. Nevertheless, with a great engine on him, a turn of pace and a decent cross, he should be able to adapt.

Another suggestion mooted this week by Rodgers was to move Stewart Downing backwards, in an attempt to prolong his stay at the club, into a left full-back role. After the success of youngster Raheem Sterling in recent weeks, Downing’s obvious struggles in his first year at the club have been well documented, and his time as an attacking player, particularly as one of a front three, may be coming to an end, but there’s no doubting that he has the technical ability to fill the position.

Both Jon Flanagan and Jack Robinson are at impressionable ages still and as such, can be taught to learn the ethos that Rodgers is trying to implement into the club. A final decision will not need to be made on their respective futures until at least next season, and at present, they are little more than back-up should an injury crisis come about.

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Teething problems are part and parcel of learning a new system and playing with a new style in mind. In terms of keeping possession, Johnson, Jose Enrique and Kelly could all improve, while the jury is still out on the second-choice right-back’s technical ability and long-term future in the role. Patience is required to see whether they can adapt to the dual demands of the position, but these are certainly questions for Rodgers to ponder further down the line as he seeks to make his mark at the club.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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Peter Odemwingie says he will learn from his mistakes after seeing red in West Brom’s first defeat of the season.

The Nigerian striker was shown a straight red card for lashing out at Fulham’s Sascha Riether in the first half after the Baggies had fallen behind at Craven Cottage. The 31-year-old fronted up to the media after the game to air his regrets over the dismissal, which struck a sour note in what had been a good start to Steve Clarke’s tenure as West Brom manager. He told Sky Sports:

“It made things harder for my team. One man advantage is a big advantage. Hopefully when I come back playing I will compensate my team with some good actions and contributions to the next win. s a team we need to bounce back. We are a united group and I had encouragement from my team-mates to forget about it. I will be more worried if it happened more often than one or two times in my career.”

Odemwingie will now serve a three-match ban but is keen to keep his cool when he does return to action, which could be on the 6th October as West Brom take on QPR at The Hawthorns. The striker continued:

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“It is something I will learn and hopefully it won’t repeat itself and next time I play in an important game for the club, I hope I remember this even if someone provokes me or not. That moment happens, it doesn’t happen often, but for some reason I lost my temper and I regret it. Now I’m thinking about bouncing back for my team.”

Liverpool Football Club will be staying at Anfield after the club decided to scrap plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park reports the Liverpool Echo.

While there has been no official confirmation from the club, an announcement about plans to redevelop Anfield will be revealed on Monday as part of a housing regeneration scheme in the area.

Reds owner John Henry has always had the intention for the club to remain at Anfield, rather than relocating to a new purpose built ground on Stanley Park and the club have now looked into adding an extra tier while also including extra corporate facilities in the existing ground.

It was thought that Liverpool had to leave Anfield if they were to stand any hope of generating the commercial revenues required to compete at the top of the Premier League with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

However Henry has dispelled this ‘myth’ telling BBC Sport that:”A belief has grown that Liverpool FC must have a new stadium to compete with [Manchester] United, Arsenal and others.”

“While a new stadium or an expansion of Anfield is beneficial over the long term for the club, the financial impact of adding seats and amenities should be put into perspective.

“That’s why I say that it is a myth that stadium issues are going to magically transform LFC’s fortunes.

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“Building new or refurbishing Anfield is going to lead to an increase from £40m of match-day revenue to perhaps £60-70m if you don’t factor in debt service.

“Our future is based not on a stadium issue, but on building a strong football club that can compete with anyone in Europe. This will be principally driven financially by our commercial strengths globally.”

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is satisfied with his team’s start the season, but believes there is more to come from the reigning Premier League champions.

The citizens sit in third place, four points from league leaders Chelsea. However, they are yet to recapture the form that won them the title last season.

The commanding centre-back insists that all is going to plan. “We are exactly where we wanted to be, second or third place and there are still a lot of games to play. We are just getting through them.

“It’s already positive for us to pick up so many points when people say maybe we didn’t play our best games, but I think we have to be happy with the results”

The Belgium international, who got on the scoresheet against Scotland in midweek, knows City can play better and senses another good season.

“There will be moments where we will really switch it on.

“If we can still step it up, it’s going to be a great season for us again.”

Kompany has been struggling with a calf injury this season, an accepts some of his performances haven’t been at the same level as his fantastic form last year. “I’ve always been good. It’s just that we set such a ridiculously high standard last season that people are expecting a lot.

“That’s fair enough, I’ve got no problem with that. I just keep working hard. I never really change my vision of the game, I always try to give my best.

“I just look at the league now and we are in a good position. We’ve done what we needed to do and we’ve managed to keep ourselves at the right place” said the Belgian defender.

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Manchester City travel to Hawthorns at the weekend to face in-form West Brom and will hope to close the gap on first place Chelsea.

“Chelsea are obviously doing great at the moment. We never said it wasn’t going to be a tough season” added Kompany.

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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini shouldered the blame for his side’s shock Champions League defeat against Ajax.

The Premier League champions slumped to a 3-1 loss away in Amsterdam, which leaves their chances of advancing beyond the group stages in the balance.

Despite a lacklustre display from his side, Mancini took responsibility for the result:

“I think they played better than us, they played better football,” he said to SkySports after the game.

“Probably, it is my fault because I did not prepare the players well for this game and I am at fault for the defeat.

“I thought in one way and it was very different and probably for this reason (we lost).”

The City boss also confessed that getting into the final 16 will be problematic:

“I think that it is very difficult (to qualify), very difficult.”

The Citizens took the lead early on through Samir Nasri, but a Siem de Jong effort on the stroke of half-time levelled the scores.

Ajax then took the lead in the second period through defender Nikolas Moisander, before Danish starlet Christian Eriksen completed the scoring.

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The defeat, coupled with Borussia Dortmund’s win over Real Madrid leaves City some way adrift of the top two slots in the group.

The Manchester club will host the Dutch side in their next European game.