Archive for the ‘Player of the Week’ Category

SFG Player of the Week: Shimelis Bekele

Posted: April 23, 2013 by Salim Masoud Said in Player of the Week
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“Shimelis Bekele is a little magician on the pitch in the manner of a classic number 10,” enthused former Ethiopia coach Iffy Onouora in the prelude to the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. “He can play wide or behind a striker, and can see a pass in the manner that Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla can.”

In an Africa Cup of Nations that flattered to deceive for connoisseurs of aesthetically-pleasing football, ten-man Ethiopia’s slickness against Zambia was one of the highlights of the tournament in what was arguably the match of the tournament. Bekele, dubbed The Ethiopian Messi, would be the man sacrificed after goalkeeper Tassew’s 39th-minute sending off, but he did manage to leave positive footprints on the tournament with some eye-catching performances in the forthcoming matches.

The attacking midfielder was deployed on the left-wing for St George in their commendable CAF Champions League second round 1-1 draw against Egyptian giants Zamalek in Cairo, and razzle-dazzle was aplenty with his direct running and backheels to bring team-mates into play; the protagonist in St George’s buckle-swashing fervor-filled forward forays. With Ethiopian football awakening from its slumber, and Bekele just having turned 23 in January, you get the feeling that a move to more lucrative pastures beckons.

Gervinho: a lighter man in orange

Posted: April 4, 2013 by Dante in Africans Abroad, Player of the Week
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Jonathan Wilson published an editorial during the 2013 African Cup of Nations in late January. The short piece highlighted the difference in Gervinho’s demeanour when playing for Arsenal and when playing for la Cote D’Ivoire.

Wilson concluded that Gervinho’s delicate mindset dramatically affects his form. Cote d’Ivoire deal with his shortcomings by sheltering him, but he’s often left stranded in front of Arsenal’s fickle 60 000 on Saturday afternoons.

Arsene Wenger commented on Gervinho’s psychological fragility in a recent post-match press conference:

“I believe that sometimes Gervinho has lost confidence because he played in a very negative atmosphere during a period. Strikers need confidence, and [with] his game, even more.”

So why is it that Gervinho is so diametrically different in Abidjan than at Ashburton Grove? A few factors come into play…

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SFG Player of the Week: Alain Traore

Posted: September 18, 2012 by Salim Masoud Said in Player of the Week
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SFG were spoilt for choices for the Player of the Week gong after the superabundance of outstanding performances.

On Friday, it seemed Al Hilal attacking midfielder Mudathir ‘Karika’ El Tahir’s glittering first-half display that mutilated Inter Luanda 3-0 in the CAF Confederations Cup, Africa’s equivalent of the Europa League, had already raised the bar too high. But several other contenders arose during the weekend – Ahmed Musa continued putting in impressive shifts for CSKA Moscow as a makeshift centre forward; Mbark Bossoufa managed 4 assists and a goal in Anzhi’s victory 5-2 over Krasnodar; Zamalek’s Mohamed Ibrahim was outstanding throughout the Egyptian Derby and scored with a wonderful solo effort; and the Berekum Chelsea trio of Richard Kissi Boateng, Jordan Opoku and inspired goalkeeper Collins Addo were terrific in Chelsea’s slaying of TP Mazembe in the CAF Champions League.

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SFG Player of the Week: Yaya Toure

Posted: May 8, 2012 by Sagar in Player of the Week
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No, you’re not going crazy but nor is this a duplicate post. His two goals put Manchester City within touching distance of their first title in 44 years, so it’s no surprise that Yaya Toure becomes Sandals For Goalposts’ Player of the Week for the second week running. What can be said about him that wasn’t posted last week? Many people have said that he symbolises what Man City is all about, and who can argue? For one, while City’s muscle is purely financial, Yaya is nothing but a man of physical strength and force. The determined approach of City to become the leading football club in the world is the same possessed by Toure everytime he steps on to the field of play. The beauty of having a player like Toure is that you almost get two players at once. At times he can be the enforcer in midfield and, in other moments, can be that player who makes the surging runs from midfield. Fans got to see both sides of him last Sunday at Newcastle when Roberto Mancini replaced Samir Nasri for Nigel de Jong after failing to break the Magpies down for 60 mins. This saw Toure move further up the field and the result never really seemed in doubt after he grabbed the first goal. Had they not won the game, the tactical decision would almost certainly have backfired and be considered ‘defensive’ and ‘typically Italian’ by critics. In getting the two goals, Toure not only put his club in the driver’s seat for the Premier League trophy but also justified Mancini’s tactics.

SFG Player of the Week: Yaya Toure

Posted: May 1, 2012 by Salim Masoud Said in Player of the Week
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How do you stop a runaway freight train? Well, you don’t stop it by placing Park Ji Sung in front of it. The runaway freight train I’m alluding to is Yaya Toure, this week’s Player of the Week after his magnificent performance against Manchester United. The Ivorian was simply unstoppable in the Manchester derby, proving yet again that he is one of the most complete footballers in the world at the moment. With Manchester United reticent in their set up, Toure destructed their parked bus with his forceful, regal runs severely exposing the weak core of their midfield. A common criticism of the Ivorian is the way he visibly fades towards the final third of games (this weakness was apparent at the Africa Cup of Nations – he was notably withdrawn after 87 minutes in the final after beginning to look clumsy, not playing extra-time), but there was little sign of fatigue on Monday night. With Man Utd’s midfield battered and bruised and space opening up in the final third of the game, Toure finished the game strongly, threatening on more than one occasion to add the oomph to the scoreline that Manchester City’s dominance deserved.

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