The North London Derby, arguably the most heated rivalry in English football, never ceases to amaze me. In the time that I have followed the beautiful game, Tottenham have faced Arsenal 7 times, with a record of 1 win, 2 losses and 4 draws, with the only win being the unforgettable 5-1 triumph in the Carling Cup semis. What was remarkable about this most recent draw was the scoreline: 0-0. The aggregate score of the two previous meetings was 9-5 in favor of Tottenham- an average between the clubs of 7 goals per game. And then they come in with a 0-0? Que bizarro.
Some notes from the game:
1. Wilson Palacios looks like the best player on Tottenham's roster at the moment, and no I am not exaggerating. He was ridiculous today. Maybe I'm just a Tottenham fan who has been starved of great defensive performances all these years, but Palacios looked like a puma out there, and the ball was his prey. I see now what they mean when they say he "breaks up play well." They mean that he is really good at disrupting the opponent's passing game and overall flow. And to top off his defensive performace, he can pass AND shoot! I am very excited to see this man in a Lillywhite jersey in the future. Plus he hails from Honduras, a CONCACAF nation (represent, son!), and I just kind of always cheer for CONCACAF players in Europe.
2. Spurs miss Berba a lot. We looked good today with creating chances but man did we look bad when we tried to finish them. If only we had Berbatov still, we probably would have won today, cause honestly we missed 2 or 3 solid chances as well as a handful of half-chances. If only he would have been relegated to the practice squad at Man United and then sold back to us at 75%...
3. Eboue is a retard. I don't think this needs much more explanation, but in case you didn't see the game, he is a summary of Eboue's performace:
17': Eboue talks himself into a yellow card
28': Eboue scores, but it is dissallowed after he table-topped Woodgate in the box.
37': Eboue is sent off for kicking out at Luka Modric after play was called dead.
Arsenal probably could have won had they not played 63 minutes with 10-men. Tisk, tisk, Mr. Eboue.
4. Adel Taarabt can play with his head UP!! Usually when we see the French youngster, he literally stares at the ball when it is in his possession as he attempts to run through the entire defense. But today he was passing very well, he looked like (dare I say it) Ricky Kaka. Hopefully this continues, as he was very highly rated coming into Tottenham (dubbed "the next Zidane" by some in France).
It was a great game as far as nil-nil draws go.
The repurcussions of this game: Arsenal missed an opportunity to close the gap with Chelsea, while Tottenham continue to struggle to pull away from the relegation pack.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The North London Derby (Pre-game)
Allright y'all, get ready for some football action coming your way! That's right, its the North London Derby again today. Following up Giblinho's post about transfer season, I'm sure excited to see what lineups Wenger and Houdini throw on the pitch. Will Arsenal sport their newly acquired Andrei Arshavin? And, as Giblinho noted, how will Redknapp round out his front line, knowing how difficult it can be to establish good chemistry among players? One pro in this category is that he won't be dealing with fresh meat, as the return of Keane and Defoe bring back old faces and not new questions of strengths and weaknesses. Well now I'm just getting chatty, so lets get pumped for the game! I'm heading to The Lions here in Paris to catch the action, I suggest all of you flip on Setanta, Fox Soccer, or run to the nearest Irish Pub around and enjoy the DERBY!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Look Back At The Season (Transfer Season That Is)
Well, the transfer is officially shut, though apparently those sort of deadlines don't mean much in North London. Obviously, almost all of the transfer talk is of the eleventh hour of Andrei Arshavin, but in reality, I think he may be the most inconsequential big-name transfer to be made in the Premiership. In terms of real impact, I don't see Arsenal catching Villa with this latest signing, especially considering their respective coup of Emilie Heskey. But before I spoil anything, lets analyze what these moves realistically mean for each club.
Andrei Arshavin
Arsenal (Zenit St. Petersburg, Undisclosed)
Well, lets start with the big one shall we? Before we delve into this from every possible dramatic angle, lets just look at the technical aspect. Arsenal needed help in the "enforcer" department. The fact they trail Aston Villa is every Englishman's dream: a gutty, strong team full of hard-nosed players is five points clear of a team full of flighty foreigners who are upended by a strong breeze, and offer their greatest resistance to their own teammates (see Gallas, William). I don't think Arshavin changes that. He's a genius on the ball, and maybe a little over-hyped, but he'll still be a very effective attacking player in the Premier League. He succeeded at Euro08, and the only reason he hadn't left Russia sooner was the large sums of money he was getting from Zenit. However, I don't think Arshavin will help Arsenal in their fundamental quest for strength, and while much of the Arsenal attack has been rendered toothless by the injuries to Fabs, Walcott and Rosicky, I don't think Arshavin covers up enough holes, and I predict Arsenal still finishes fifth. In the long run, it's a good signing. While Wenger will have a crowded midfield for sure, a healthy Arsenal looks to be overflowing with talent. Fabs, Walcott, Adebayor, Van Persie, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo (he's on his way back!), Rosicky and lest our forget Wenger's Wonderboys coming up the ranks such as Jack Wilshere. The future is bright for Arsenal, but Andrei won't deliver them Champions League football this year, and in the long run, will probably be sold in a few years, being not as coveted as Wenger's own homegrown products, and effectively filling the same role around 20 other Arsenal players like to play.
Emilie Heskey
Aston Villa (Wigan Athletic, £3.5m)
Hmm, considering that Arsenal paid most likely 20m for a player they already have five of, spending 3.5m on a striker who is reliable and effective in the Premier League seems like quite good business. Liverpool was expecting to have Heskey fall into their laps for free this summer, but last time I checked, too good to be true applies equally to football as everything else. While Liverpool throws another 15m into the pot, a forceful forward who seems like he'd be a natural complement to Torres slips through the cracks. But regardless, this is not Liverpool's transfer, it is Villa's and congratulations to them. They are proven themselves to be amongst the best-run clubs in England, and when contrasted to the spend-happy and illogical Spurs, they seem like a much more likely candidate to upset the Big Four oligarchy that has ruled football for the much of this past decade, and with a few exceptions, most of the history of the Premier League. Heskey gives them a great goal-scorer who will fit into their no-frills mode of good football, and Emilie will be wearing Champions League patches on his shirts this autumn.
Ricardo Quaresma
Chelsea (Inter Milan, Loan)
Speed and stepovers, two S's that will give you infinite chances in football. Now, that's rather unfair on Quaresma, but at the end of the day, he has only played well in Portugal, and not even particularly for Portgual. And while many players can't replicate their club form for country (see England 1966-present), it's hard to be considered elite if they can't replicate their lower league form with the big boys. While he has shone in Porto and Benfica, he has flopped at Barca and Inter. Mourinho must have enough faith in him to not sell him, or maybe the right offer wasn't received. I can't say I can see him having a great impact with Chelsea. He failed to make an impact in La Liga and Serie A, why will he suddenly storm down the wings of the Premiership? And more so, if Jose Mourinho couldn't get anything out of him, how the hell will a man who has shown himself to be in every way his inferior in Scolari get anything out of him? There are too many question marks, and considering the pressure will be immense for a player who is historically not of the thickest skin, this may prove to be the last flop before Quaresma returns to Portugal for good.
Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane
Tottenham Hotspur (Portsmouth, £15m), (Liverpool, Undisclosed)
You might be wondering why I would place these two transfers, from different clubs and in different weeks, together. Well, they're the same transfer. And they'll have the same result as before. Thirteen months ago, these players were both playing for Tottenham, both left for a while and now both are back. I'd say both players shouldn't be blamed for wanting to transfer. Defoe wasn't getting playing time and still didn't even want to leave, but was sold when the club made it clear he was no longer needed. Keane got an offer from his dream club, and was given the chance at Trophies that aren't named Carling. Fast-forward a year, and Defoe was able to engineer his way back home, using his prolific form on the South coast into a doubling of his supposed transfer value (what recession?) and Keane is coming back to Tottenham with his tail between his legs, humbled by the "rotation" policy of Rafa that seemed to do a great job of rotating him out, but not a particularly good one of rotating him back in. The last year of both these players are worthy of their own articles, so I won't delve much further, but at the end of the day, we've seen this from Tottenham before. Keane and Defoe do not play well together, and this will not change considering their recent hiatuses from London. When you have two players who look like they're filming for Little People, Big World, you're in hot water. And of all teams to add an undersized player, Tottenham may be the worst. So now, 'Arry Houdini is going to have to figure out to play Bent, Pavs, Defoe and Keane. Hmmm, four strikers vying for two places? Defoe and Keane can't play together so one of them is inevitably going to be dropped, hopefully (for Tottenham's sake) one of them can strike up a partnership with Pavs or Bent (I'd bet Pavs and Keane), leading to two unhappy strikers languishing on the pine and fueling transfer speculation all over the club, and suddenly Tottenham is a mess of a clubhouse, trying to figure who can score goals and who they can make money on, and trying to keep themselves above water while they're on the back pages every day. God, that sounds awfully familiar doesn't it?
James Beattie
Stoke City (Sheffield United, £3.5m)
What a whirlwind career for Beattie, and while he is definitely Premiership quality, you have to say the former England International has had quite the wild ride. While I don't think Fabio Capello will be giving him a call anytime soon, he'll have all of Stoke in ecstasy as he, and fellow newcomer Etherington, keep Stoke City in the Premiership. Their home form is already enviable, and with a real goalscorer up front, their strong defensive style coupled with a few goals here and there will be more than enough to survive this 13 horse relegation race. Great business for Stoke, and while every year will be a challenge for this small club, the signing of Beattie is a great step towards making sure it's a challenge they'll have the opportunity to meet next year.
The Man City Boys
Shay Given (Newcastle United, £6m), Craig Bellamy (West Ham United, £14m), Nigel De Jong (Hamburg SV, Undisclosed)
So, the absolutely batshit crazy, the spend-crazy insane club that is Manchester City spent their entire transfer window threatening to throw entire nation's GDPs at players and ended up...making rather sensible moves at somewhat inflated prices. While the De Jong signing has been routinely mocked for his buyout clause, but considering what happened to Liverpool when they waited for a player, it's not as much of a joke anymore. 14 for Craig "Five Iron Frenzy" Bellamy is rather steep, but if they have the money, I'd say he's not much worse in quality than Defoe (though I'd assume MUCH worse for team chemistry, poor Riise ran all the way to Rome) so the deal isn't that bad. And Given is a steal at that price, which more than makes up for it. Given is one of the most underrated keepers in the world, as he kept two rather awful sides in Newcastle and Ireland in many matches they should be out of. I should note I mean no disrespect to my home nation, but when your team is full of headcases who can't handle a little jabbing (see Dunne, Richard) and then needs the full 90 minutes to beat San Marino 2-1, lets just say we could use a little shakeup. Back to City, and to be honest, these are all signings that will serve them well. If Bellamy is playing there in two years, I'll be shocked, but he gives them the goals for now and that's what they needed. If City can push into a place in Europe, that might be enough to show possible transfers that they're serious about becoming a top club. And when their Champions League days do eventually come, Given surely has the quality to still be there, and all I've seen of De Jong is encouraging, so he may survive as well. After spending a month profoundly mocked for their outlandish attempts at players who didn't even know Manchester had two premiership teams, it's rather ironic that they were able to have a very effective January, for today and tomorrow.
Jimmy Bullard
Hull City (Fulham, £5m)
A great move for everyone involved. Bullard was itching to move, and while Fulham doesn't need the money badly like some of the London neighbors, they were able to get a decent sum for him. And Hull City, desperate for anything to click after their amazing start, just got themselves a match-winning midfielder who has some experience in great escapes. Fulham looks rather safe right now, but then again, everyone was saying Hull City at the very least had insured their safety by October, and many many losses later it looks like they're in very hot water. Both sides don't look like they'll be world-beaters anytime soon, and relegation will be a legitimate fear for the foreseeable future, so while Fulham looks safe this year and Bullard may save Hull, Fulham could miss him quite dearly as soon as next year. Hull City will either get great performances from Bullard for years to come, or they'll hopefully ride him into another Premier League season and sell him for profit this summer. Win-win if you ask me.
The Real Madrid Boys
Klass-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax Amsterdam,€20m), Lassanna Diarra (Portsmouth, €20m), Julien Faubert (West Ham United, Loan)
Note: Not sure if any of those players are any of these three. Anyways, I have mixed feelings about these signings. Diarra is a world-class player, and we all knew from the moment he signed for Portsmouth that it would be short-lived. I think he'll be a real difference maker, and while Huntelaar is a class player, he might just be another Dutch player who is a goal machine in Holland but flames out in the big leagues. He's a poor man's Van Nistelrooy at best, and while most players would love to have that moniker, it's one he'll have to earn. I wasn't overly impressed with his international performances, and Michael Bradley ripped the Dutch league apart last year, so I'm reserving judgment for now. I think Faubert is just going to be a bench player, or at best be a non-negative. I just don't understand his hype, as a team that's fighting relegation didn't feel like he was an automatic choice. Maybe papers are slow in Madrid, as they were also chasing another player who would ride their pine in Jermaine Pennant. Don't expect Real to splash out the cash to keep him at the Bernabeu. Diarra will prove to be a great signing, and Huntelaar does have the ability to be a world-class poacher, but that's something that remains to be seen. All that's for sure is, this is a club that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of catching Barca.
Carlo Cudicini
Tottenham Hotspur (Chelsea, Free)
Alright, well this is the last transfer I'll cover. Obviously there were other moves, Diouf switched one club in distress for another, and remained highly overrated throughout the entire process, and then there were plenty of players from lower leagues who moved their way up, but to be honest I don't know enough about them to accurately report. But enough about whom I'm not writing about, and more onto Carlo Cudicini. I've lambasted Tottenham for their rather dodgy transfer policies in the past, but I really can't say anything negative here. They have a shaky goalkeeper, who has weeks where he looks like Schmichael reincarnated (hyperbole) and others where he looks like he's training for hot potato with his kids that night. Cudicini is a world-class keeper, and is one of the stayovers from Chelsea's "two World Class players at every position" policy that Abramovich seems to have abandoned as of late (as a supporter of a club who claims to have title aspirations while having the useless Lucas as an often-used substitute, lets say I have little sympathy). Considering that Daniel Levy didn't even have to open his purse to buy him (which I'm sure was quite bizarre for the poor man, he must have burnt a hole in every pocket of every pant he owns). It very well may be Cudicini's saves and not Keane or Defoe's goals that keeps Tottenham in the top flight, and he is the type of keeper you can build a defense around. The wonder is how low-profile this move is compared to the far less consequential moves of Quaresma and Flaubert.
Andrei Arshavin
Arsenal (Zenit St. Petersburg, Undisclosed)
Well, lets start with the big one shall we? Before we delve into this from every possible dramatic angle, lets just look at the technical aspect. Arsenal needed help in the "enforcer" department. The fact they trail Aston Villa is every Englishman's dream: a gutty, strong team full of hard-nosed players is five points clear of a team full of flighty foreigners who are upended by a strong breeze, and offer their greatest resistance to their own teammates (see Gallas, William). I don't think Arshavin changes that. He's a genius on the ball, and maybe a little over-hyped, but he'll still be a very effective attacking player in the Premier League. He succeeded at Euro08, and the only reason he hadn't left Russia sooner was the large sums of money he was getting from Zenit. However, I don't think Arshavin will help Arsenal in their fundamental quest for strength, and while much of the Arsenal attack has been rendered toothless by the injuries to Fabs, Walcott and Rosicky, I don't think Arshavin covers up enough holes, and I predict Arsenal still finishes fifth. In the long run, it's a good signing. While Wenger will have a crowded midfield for sure, a healthy Arsenal looks to be overflowing with talent. Fabs, Walcott, Adebayor, Van Persie, Nasri, Arshavin, Eduardo (he's on his way back!), Rosicky and lest our forget Wenger's Wonderboys coming up the ranks such as Jack Wilshere. The future is bright for Arsenal, but Andrei won't deliver them Champions League football this year, and in the long run, will probably be sold in a few years, being not as coveted as Wenger's own homegrown products, and effectively filling the same role around 20 other Arsenal players like to play.
Emilie Heskey
Aston Villa (Wigan Athletic, £3.5m)
Hmm, considering that Arsenal paid most likely 20m for a player they already have five of, spending 3.5m on a striker who is reliable and effective in the Premier League seems like quite good business. Liverpool was expecting to have Heskey fall into their laps for free this summer, but last time I checked, too good to be true applies equally to football as everything else. While Liverpool throws another 15m into the pot, a forceful forward who seems like he'd be a natural complement to Torres slips through the cracks. But regardless, this is not Liverpool's transfer, it is Villa's and congratulations to them. They are proven themselves to be amongst the best-run clubs in England, and when contrasted to the spend-happy and illogical Spurs, they seem like a much more likely candidate to upset the Big Four oligarchy that has ruled football for the much of this past decade, and with a few exceptions, most of the history of the Premier League. Heskey gives them a great goal-scorer who will fit into their no-frills mode of good football, and Emilie will be wearing Champions League patches on his shirts this autumn.
Ricardo Quaresma
Chelsea (Inter Milan, Loan)
Speed and stepovers, two S's that will give you infinite chances in football. Now, that's rather unfair on Quaresma, but at the end of the day, he has only played well in Portugal, and not even particularly for Portgual. And while many players can't replicate their club form for country (see England 1966-present), it's hard to be considered elite if they can't replicate their lower league form with the big boys. While he has shone in Porto and Benfica, he has flopped at Barca and Inter. Mourinho must have enough faith in him to not sell him, or maybe the right offer wasn't received. I can't say I can see him having a great impact with Chelsea. He failed to make an impact in La Liga and Serie A, why will he suddenly storm down the wings of the Premiership? And more so, if Jose Mourinho couldn't get anything out of him, how the hell will a man who has shown himself to be in every way his inferior in Scolari get anything out of him? There are too many question marks, and considering the pressure will be immense for a player who is historically not of the thickest skin, this may prove to be the last flop before Quaresma returns to Portugal for good.
Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane
Tottenham Hotspur (Portsmouth, £15m), (Liverpool, Undisclosed)
You might be wondering why I would place these two transfers, from different clubs and in different weeks, together. Well, they're the same transfer. And they'll have the same result as before. Thirteen months ago, these players were both playing for Tottenham, both left for a while and now both are back. I'd say both players shouldn't be blamed for wanting to transfer. Defoe wasn't getting playing time and still didn't even want to leave, but was sold when the club made it clear he was no longer needed. Keane got an offer from his dream club, and was given the chance at Trophies that aren't named Carling. Fast-forward a year, and Defoe was able to engineer his way back home, using his prolific form on the South coast into a doubling of his supposed transfer value (what recession?) and Keane is coming back to Tottenham with his tail between his legs, humbled by the "rotation" policy of Rafa that seemed to do a great job of rotating him out, but not a particularly good one of rotating him back in. The last year of both these players are worthy of their own articles, so I won't delve much further, but at the end of the day, we've seen this from Tottenham before. Keane and Defoe do not play well together, and this will not change considering their recent hiatuses from London. When you have two players who look like they're filming for Little People, Big World, you're in hot water. And of all teams to add an undersized player, Tottenham may be the worst. So now, 'Arry Houdini is going to have to figure out to play Bent, Pavs, Defoe and Keane. Hmmm, four strikers vying for two places? Defoe and Keane can't play together so one of them is inevitably going to be dropped, hopefully (for Tottenham's sake) one of them can strike up a partnership with Pavs or Bent (I'd bet Pavs and Keane), leading to two unhappy strikers languishing on the pine and fueling transfer speculation all over the club, and suddenly Tottenham is a mess of a clubhouse, trying to figure who can score goals and who they can make money on, and trying to keep themselves above water while they're on the back pages every day. God, that sounds awfully familiar doesn't it?
James Beattie
Stoke City (Sheffield United, £3.5m)
What a whirlwind career for Beattie, and while he is definitely Premiership quality, you have to say the former England International has had quite the wild ride. While I don't think Fabio Capello will be giving him a call anytime soon, he'll have all of Stoke in ecstasy as he, and fellow newcomer Etherington, keep Stoke City in the Premiership. Their home form is already enviable, and with a real goalscorer up front, their strong defensive style coupled with a few goals here and there will be more than enough to survive this 13 horse relegation race. Great business for Stoke, and while every year will be a challenge for this small club, the signing of Beattie is a great step towards making sure it's a challenge they'll have the opportunity to meet next year.
The Man City Boys
Shay Given (Newcastle United, £6m), Craig Bellamy (West Ham United, £14m), Nigel De Jong (Hamburg SV, Undisclosed)
So, the absolutely batshit crazy, the spend-crazy insane club that is Manchester City spent their entire transfer window threatening to throw entire nation's GDPs at players and ended up...making rather sensible moves at somewhat inflated prices. While the De Jong signing has been routinely mocked for his buyout clause, but considering what happened to Liverpool when they waited for a player, it's not as much of a joke anymore. 14 for Craig "Five Iron Frenzy" Bellamy is rather steep, but if they have the money, I'd say he's not much worse in quality than Defoe (though I'd assume MUCH worse for team chemistry, poor Riise ran all the way to Rome) so the deal isn't that bad. And Given is a steal at that price, which more than makes up for it. Given is one of the most underrated keepers in the world, as he kept two rather awful sides in Newcastle and Ireland in many matches they should be out of. I should note I mean no disrespect to my home nation, but when your team is full of headcases who can't handle a little jabbing (see Dunne, Richard) and then needs the full 90 minutes to beat San Marino 2-1, lets just say we could use a little shakeup. Back to City, and to be honest, these are all signings that will serve them well. If Bellamy is playing there in two years, I'll be shocked, but he gives them the goals for now and that's what they needed. If City can push into a place in Europe, that might be enough to show possible transfers that they're serious about becoming a top club. And when their Champions League days do eventually come, Given surely has the quality to still be there, and all I've seen of De Jong is encouraging, so he may survive as well. After spending a month profoundly mocked for their outlandish attempts at players who didn't even know Manchester had two premiership teams, it's rather ironic that they were able to have a very effective January, for today and tomorrow.
Jimmy Bullard
Hull City (Fulham, £5m)
A great move for everyone involved. Bullard was itching to move, and while Fulham doesn't need the money badly like some of the London neighbors, they were able to get a decent sum for him. And Hull City, desperate for anything to click after their amazing start, just got themselves a match-winning midfielder who has some experience in great escapes. Fulham looks rather safe right now, but then again, everyone was saying Hull City at the very least had insured their safety by October, and many many losses later it looks like they're in very hot water. Both sides don't look like they'll be world-beaters anytime soon, and relegation will be a legitimate fear for the foreseeable future, so while Fulham looks safe this year and Bullard may save Hull, Fulham could miss him quite dearly as soon as next year. Hull City will either get great performances from Bullard for years to come, or they'll hopefully ride him into another Premier League season and sell him for profit this summer. Win-win if you ask me.
The Real Madrid Boys
Klass-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax Amsterdam,€20m), Lassanna Diarra (Portsmouth, €20m), Julien Faubert (West Ham United, Loan)
Note: Not sure if any of those players are any of these three. Anyways, I have mixed feelings about these signings. Diarra is a world-class player, and we all knew from the moment he signed for Portsmouth that it would be short-lived. I think he'll be a real difference maker, and while Huntelaar is a class player, he might just be another Dutch player who is a goal machine in Holland but flames out in the big leagues. He's a poor man's Van Nistelrooy at best, and while most players would love to have that moniker, it's one he'll have to earn. I wasn't overly impressed with his international performances, and Michael Bradley ripped the Dutch league apart last year, so I'm reserving judgment for now. I think Faubert is just going to be a bench player, or at best be a non-negative. I just don't understand his hype, as a team that's fighting relegation didn't feel like he was an automatic choice. Maybe papers are slow in Madrid, as they were also chasing another player who would ride their pine in Jermaine Pennant. Don't expect Real to splash out the cash to keep him at the Bernabeu. Diarra will prove to be a great signing, and Huntelaar does have the ability to be a world-class poacher, but that's something that remains to be seen. All that's for sure is, this is a club that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of catching Barca.
Carlo Cudicini
Tottenham Hotspur (Chelsea, Free)
Alright, well this is the last transfer I'll cover. Obviously there were other moves, Diouf switched one club in distress for another, and remained highly overrated throughout the entire process, and then there were plenty of players from lower leagues who moved their way up, but to be honest I don't know enough about them to accurately report. But enough about whom I'm not writing about, and more onto Carlo Cudicini. I've lambasted Tottenham for their rather dodgy transfer policies in the past, but I really can't say anything negative here. They have a shaky goalkeeper, who has weeks where he looks like Schmichael reincarnated (hyperbole) and others where he looks like he's training for hot potato with his kids that night. Cudicini is a world-class keeper, and is one of the stayovers from Chelsea's "two World Class players at every position" policy that Abramovich seems to have abandoned as of late (as a supporter of a club who claims to have title aspirations while having the useless Lucas as an often-used substitute, lets say I have little sympathy). Considering that Daniel Levy didn't even have to open his purse to buy him (which I'm sure was quite bizarre for the poor man, he must have burnt a hole in every pocket of every pant he owns). It very well may be Cudicini's saves and not Keane or Defoe's goals that keeps Tottenham in the top flight, and he is the type of keeper you can build a defense around. The wonder is how low-profile this move is compared to the far less consequential moves of Quaresma and Flaubert.
Monday, January 19, 2009
On Manchester City's Mega-Millions
If you've been following this year's transfer season, one overwhelming theme develops: Manchester City wants to buy the world. This isn't a new phenomenon. For years teams of every level have been complaining of bigger, richer clubs cherry-picking their best talent. But what do the British, and really the soccer world, truly expect? In a capitalist system, cash is king (particularly in a recession) and there will always be someone richer and more willing to spend money on their club. To be honest though, it doesn't really matter. Chelsea was comparatively rich when Roman felt like spending his millions (and not losing them) and last I checked, two Premier League titles and a couple Cups (and a notably absent champions league trophy) didn't destroy the balance of football. And that was with a club that would be highly desirable for a player: already storied and in west London (and not to mention rather slick uni's)
Last I checked, everyone is counting Chelsea out for dead, and chalked off Liverpool for a late-season collapse and then yet another Premier League title for the true monster of Manchester, good ole United. If Manchester City wants to spend ludicrous amounts of money on transfer fees, they're actually rejuvenating football. Let's say for instance, Milan was to sell Kaka for 107 million pounds. Well, who do you think is going shopping now? Just like Chelsea used to face inflated prices when they were swimming in cash, City will face this to an even greater degree. Milan can then turn that 100 million into basically a whole new squad to replace their ever-aging core. Other teams will not be as foolish as Manchester City to buy Nigel de Jong for 17 when they could have had him for 2.3 (well, except for maybe Tottenham). Manchester City will build a great team in time, but it will take time, and they will not dominate. Someone has to catch all the money they're throwing around, and that money will be smartly invested into enriching all teams they buy from, and in the end, all we've added is another G14 caliber club, and nothing more. G
Last I checked, everyone is counting Chelsea out for dead, and chalked off Liverpool for a late-season collapse and then yet another Premier League title for the true monster of Manchester, good ole United. If Manchester City wants to spend ludicrous amounts of money on transfer fees, they're actually rejuvenating football. Let's say for instance, Milan was to sell Kaka for 107 million pounds. Well, who do you think is going shopping now? Just like Chelsea used to face inflated prices when they were swimming in cash, City will face this to an even greater degree. Milan can then turn that 100 million into basically a whole new squad to replace their ever-aging core. Other teams will not be as foolish as Manchester City to buy Nigel de Jong for 17 when they could have had him for 2.3 (well, except for maybe Tottenham). Manchester City will build a great team in time, but it will take time, and they will not dominate. Someone has to catch all the money they're throwing around, and that money will be smartly invested into enriching all teams they buy from, and in the end, all we've added is another G14 caliber club, and nothing more. G
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Case For (More) Retroactive Punishment
In the past few weeks, we've seen the league flush with a variety of kick-outs, thrown elbows and various dirty tactics by some very high profile players (Rooney, Ronaldo, Ballack to name a few) and while hard-line tactics have been a part of the game forever, if the NFL can retroactively ban a player or fine a player for hits that he didn't even get flagged for in the match, I don't see why the FA should act any differently. Just because a referee caught in the match couldn't see a dirty trick 40m away doesn't mean it should go unpunished. Here are the Rooney transgressions:
At 5.50 in the video
And then the Ronaldo kicks
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1902679/ (Yeah HTML FAIL)
This is within the last couple weeks, and those are 5 card, and most red-card, worthy challenges. Players do get caught up in the moment, but at the end of the day, cheap shots like this should not be tolerated. The fact that two young star players on Manchester United have done most of it isn't too surprising. They feel invincible and invulnerable. Both of them had these transgressions when they lost possession or were beat in some way. Basically, when things don't roll their way, they'll lash out like petulant children and expect the world to look the other way. Unfortunately, they are looking the other way, and these two, as well as other superstars, are going to keep getting the superstar treatment and lashing out. Suspend Rooney for a couple games, and sure Ferguson will raise hell, but what power does he really have. He can't secede into another league, he can't sue them for suspending a player for cheap shots and really all he do is make a lot of noise. And that should be nothing new for the FA. I personally would have given Rooney a five match ban for his near elbow. He was clearly trying to take the poor defender's head off there, and had he connected, we'd be looking at a broken nose. So, save the next defender's face, and ban players who are clearly caught throwing dirty moves and fouls after the fact. Sure the clubs will complain, but if you want to keep the beautiful game beautiful, there's no other way.
At 5.50 in the video
And then the Ronaldo kicks
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/1902679/ (Yeah HTML FAIL)
This is within the last couple weeks, and those are 5 card, and most red-card, worthy challenges. Players do get caught up in the moment, but at the end of the day, cheap shots like this should not be tolerated. The fact that two young star players on Manchester United have done most of it isn't too surprising. They feel invincible and invulnerable. Both of them had these transgressions when they lost possession or were beat in some way. Basically, when things don't roll their way, they'll lash out like petulant children and expect the world to look the other way. Unfortunately, they are looking the other way, and these two, as well as other superstars, are going to keep getting the superstar treatment and lashing out. Suspend Rooney for a couple games, and sure Ferguson will raise hell, but what power does he really have. He can't secede into another league, he can't sue them for suspending a player for cheap shots and really all he do is make a lot of noise. And that should be nothing new for the FA. I personally would have given Rooney a five match ban for his near elbow. He was clearly trying to take the poor defender's head off there, and had he connected, we'd be looking at a broken nose. So, save the next defender's face, and ban players who are clearly caught throwing dirty moves and fouls after the fact. Sure the clubs will complain, but if you want to keep the beautiful game beautiful, there's no other way.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Messi: Diver or Victim?
Much has been made of the recent brutality in El Clasico this past weekend. On the receiving end of this was, unsurprisingly, Leo Messi. You could easily make a case that Messi is the best player in the world, but even easier, you could make a case that he is by no means the strongest. At 5'6" and wire-thin, it's somewhat odd that thug tactics aren't used more often against him. Here are the fouls:
Now, I'd say many of those were hard fouls, and maybe a couple were a tad dirty, but to be fair, I just don't think any of this is deliberately malicious. This was just hard football. Messi did act up quite a bit, but to be fair, you try running at full speed and getting a cleat to the calf. And his resiliency was shown by his late goal and his refusal to be taken out of the game. Overall, you'd have to say that was a painful but effective performance for Messi. He got a goal, had the defense completely focused on him and had his archrivals rack up 6 yellow cards in the process. And did I mention Barca won?
While I think Messi gave a decent performance, what is perplexing is the public outrage that followed the match. These weren't Wayne Rooney Tackles:
What happened was a team sent its big guys to bully a diminutive finesse player (have these journalists watched an Arsenal game this season?) and used up all their yellow cards, and the official's goodwill, in the process. This is like saying an intentional foul in basketball is poor sportsmanship. You have a foul to give up, it could be advantageous to take that foul now, and so you commit a foul. Obviously, no one wants to see a repeat of the Eduardo injury (or the countless others like it) but those can happen on any number of tackles, clean and dirty, not to mention with no one around at all. I couldn't find a video of it, but McBride's injury with Fulham two years ago springs to mind, where after a goal he lands awkwardly and tore his ACL. My only point is, soccer is a contact sport with fouls. In a situation where players have a certain amount of leeway before they're red carded, players will, and should, use all of that leeway if they so choose. I think it's more damning that Barca didn't have their own hard men stand up for Messi, but to the same degree, I'm not sure who they would be. I found Cruyff's analysis interesting, with him stating:
"They [Madrid] kicked him about all throughout the game but he was partly asking for it. You are always going to be fouled when you play in the centre of the field. Madrid knew this and they were ready and they kept kicking him knowing they won’t be punished. If he [Messi] had played closer to the penalty area, then he would have drawn a direct freekick when he was fouled, or even a penalty if he was inside the box. If you know that you are going to get beaten up, then at least make sure the team benefit from it."
I would say there is some merit to Cruyff's thoughts, but I find them to be exceedingly harsh. Messi is an engine for the Barcelona offense, and it's quite difficult to really power the offense from the penalty box. To a certain degree, he couldn't do much if he wanted to stay an active part of the game, and to resign himself to penalty-hunting in the box would have been the biggest victory for Los Blancos. That strategy would only encourage all other teams who aren't in Barcelona's class (which at the moment could be almost any other team on the planet) to just rack up foul after foul on Messi knowing that they can completely neutralize him. The only thing I would have changed from Barcelona's response is I would have had Puyol absolutely upend Raul, say a nice few words, and let Madrid know that Barcelona may be more talented, but they are no pansies.
Now, I'd say many of those were hard fouls, and maybe a couple were a tad dirty, but to be fair, I just don't think any of this is deliberately malicious. This was just hard football. Messi did act up quite a bit, but to be fair, you try running at full speed and getting a cleat to the calf. And his resiliency was shown by his late goal and his refusal to be taken out of the game. Overall, you'd have to say that was a painful but effective performance for Messi. He got a goal, had the defense completely focused on him and had his archrivals rack up 6 yellow cards in the process. And did I mention Barca won?
While I think Messi gave a decent performance, what is perplexing is the public outrage that followed the match. These weren't Wayne Rooney Tackles:
What happened was a team sent its big guys to bully a diminutive finesse player (have these journalists watched an Arsenal game this season?) and used up all their yellow cards, and the official's goodwill, in the process. This is like saying an intentional foul in basketball is poor sportsmanship. You have a foul to give up, it could be advantageous to take that foul now, and so you commit a foul. Obviously, no one wants to see a repeat of the Eduardo injury (or the countless others like it) but those can happen on any number of tackles, clean and dirty, not to mention with no one around at all. I couldn't find a video of it, but McBride's injury with Fulham two years ago springs to mind, where after a goal he lands awkwardly and tore his ACL. My only point is, soccer is a contact sport with fouls. In a situation where players have a certain amount of leeway before they're red carded, players will, and should, use all of that leeway if they so choose. I think it's more damning that Barca didn't have their own hard men stand up for Messi, but to the same degree, I'm not sure who they would be. I found Cruyff's analysis interesting, with him stating:
"They [Madrid] kicked him about all throughout the game but he was partly asking for it. You are always going to be fouled when you play in the centre of the field. Madrid knew this and they were ready and they kept kicking him knowing they won’t be punished. If he [Messi] had played closer to the penalty area, then he would have drawn a direct freekick when he was fouled, or even a penalty if he was inside the box. If you know that you are going to get beaten up, then at least make sure the team benefit from it."
I would say there is some merit to Cruyff's thoughts, but I find them to be exceedingly harsh. Messi is an engine for the Barcelona offense, and it's quite difficult to really power the offense from the penalty box. To a certain degree, he couldn't do much if he wanted to stay an active part of the game, and to resign himself to penalty-hunting in the box would have been the biggest victory for Los Blancos. That strategy would only encourage all other teams who aren't in Barcelona's class (which at the moment could be almost any other team on the planet) to just rack up foul after foul on Messi knowing that they can completely neutralize him. The only thing I would have changed from Barcelona's response is I would have had Puyol absolutely upend Raul, say a nice few words, and let Madrid know that Barcelona may be more talented, but they are no pansies.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Columbus Crew Stadium and The Future of American Soccer
Much has been made of the choice of Columbus as the venue of the World Cup qualifier between the United States and Mexico on February 11, and I will have to join the chorus of praise. In all honesty, we should never play another game against Mexico in any state that borders Mexico, and should really look for these cold-weather venues they are unaccustomed to playing in. With the exception of Giovanni Dos Santos, who happens to train for Spurs and once in a blue moon gets an appearance, all of them play in sunny Mexico or Spain. The United States' biggest problem with soccer in comparison with other countries is the relative lack of home support, but this is largely overcome with Columbus. You get a very pro-US crowd, pro-US conditions and a stadium with a growing history. After all, it was here where the Gooch announced himself to the world by beating the crap out of Borghetti.
Surf Dad has spoken at length about his plans for the MLS, but in reality, it'll take a long, long, long time for real change to happen in US Soccer. In a recent poll, 36% of US soccer fans follow the MLS. For every three soccer fanatics, only one actually could tell you the teams in the league, or possibly the reigning MVP. I won't lie; I'm in the 64%. I could tell you (probably) all the teams and maybe a handful of notably players, but I really don't know much more about the MLS than I would the Austrian Bundesliga (Janko has 30 goals in 18 appearances!!!! Absurd!). To be honest, this isn't for a lack of trying. I've watched plenty of MLS games and tried to follow, but I never can keep up. It's a combination of plenty of borderline unwatchable games as well as the nagging fact that you always feel like you're watching AAA. And after watching the obsessive soccer following in my apartment, of Mancester United, Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and my beloved Liverpool, it's rather difficult to a game where I don't have the same passion for the outcome and the quality is so much lower. To be honest, when I watched the Championship promotion playoffs last year, I had a better time. With good reason, the passion of the fans is just too infectious
I love my USA Soccer, and given my tie to the outcome, I always cheer passionately and enjoy myself, but for whatever reason I can't do this with the Revs. The real questions are: Why, and what can be done?
Quality of Play To be honest, this is somewhat a moot point. Like I said, I had a great time watching the promotion playoffs, and while I might argue that the Coca-Cola Championship is more talented than the MLS, I would never say by a considerable margin (and a great counterpoint would be that the best player in the Championship isn't being sought by Bayern Munich anytime soon).
Star AppealAgain, I think an overrated point, but one worth mentioning. Obviously casual fans like superstars, and it's difficult to sell a league without one. Beckham is much more of a brand than a superstar at this point, and Landycakes isn't exactly Hollywood A-List material. Seeing as Club Football isn't very popular in the United States, but the World Cup is, we really have one option for Americans to learn about players. A best-case scenario is to have a Golden Generation explode onto the MLS, and have these stars have a huge World Cup splash, but the problem is that these players would surely not stay in the MLS. This leads to one of the biggest issues in the MLS
Money If you're not a star in the MLS, you are making peanuts. The salary cap is smaller than most mediocre premiership players salaries. And with a limited cash flow, and no golden parachute on the horizon, it's unlikely to see any of that change anytime soon unless business owners see this as a viable venture. How will this happen?
BUILD FAN SUPPORT It seems like a no-brainer, but really, the best way to build fan support is through kids. There's really no market for having adult fans suddenly declare allegiance, especially if they weren't large soccer fans to begin with. But if their sons and daughters become large fans of a certain team, to a certain degree I feel like parents will follow suit. MLS teams should be gun-ho about getting involved in the community, the USSF should be trying to make soccer fields and facilities for underprivileged kids in the city and all of our efforts should be a long-term plan with plans with the youth. This will obviously take a couple decades to really start paying dividends, but without this, we will never be more than a farm league, waiting for our best stars to be willingly poached by the best clubs (and often, just the mediocre ones) in Europe. With this built-in fan support, owners will be more willing to splash the cash and within my lifetime, you're looking at a vibrant soccer league in the United States, and combined with the ever-growing Hispanic contingent (which is largely soccer-rabid), it's a plan that could really build the MLS into a true contender.
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