match day one, part one

By: j | July 17th, 2008

As the Mark Hughes reign at Manchester City begins today at little Tórsvøllur Stadium I can’t ignore the brilliant irony of a return to the games roots amongst all the talk of stratospheric transfer prices and the saga of prima donna’s. All too often in the elite levels of the game, its simple beauty and the connection to our childhood is lost yet as we find it, our game is re-born with a youthful enthusiasm. It is quite possible that the sojourn to the Faroes will do just that, to bring this group with incredibly different backgrounds, together as a team.

While Mark Hughes has gone to great length to cast a dark pall of concern over this match, EB/Streymur, which is comprised of amateur players with normal everyday jobs, should be no match. However before we cast them aside and down a celebratory pint or two, this is a critical match for a number of players. However the biggest of challenges might be with Mark himself as he searches for ways to bring the best out of his squad. While much of the attention will naturally be directed towards Jô, two key players to watch are Rolando Bianchi and Stephen Ireland

Probably on the hottest of hot-seats is Rolando Bianchi. Quite frankly, I never felt Rolando was given a fair-shake and the chance to adapt to a Mancunian’s life after coming from Reggina and his talents were forgotten. Mark Hughes coaching prowess will be tested because if he can find a way to rekindle the confidence of the prolific scorer, his search for another goal scorer is complete. Once again, in the beautiful twist of fate, do we see Rolando Bianchi’s career take a positive turn on a simple pitch much like those he played growing up outside of Bergamo, Italy? His cohesiveness with new signing Jô from CSKA Moscow and up and coming Welshman Ched Evans, will dictate much of transfer goings on and a keen area to watch.

While of a completely different nature, the former Striker Mark Hughes is looking to cultivate a more mature, leadership role in the feisty Stephen Ireland and cut him in the mold of some of the men he played with. Stephen who blends flashes of brilliance with youthful madness possesses the talent to change the course of a match and to be a champion he must find a new level of focus. This of course is challenging puzzle but if Mark Hughes can find the solution, the young midfielder will go far in solving the attacking woes of the previous campaign.

Match day one – more updates to follow.