Soccer Europe |
- Arsène Wenger deserves a trophy
- Season Preview – VfL Wolfsburg – The Pack Is On the Prowl
- Inter seal Cassano deal and move for Gargano
- What We Learned About London From Week 1 of the EPL
- Ballers and their Cars: Patrice Evra
- Santi Cazorla: Arsenal’s key to success in 2012-13
- Goodison Park erupts as Fellaini leads Everton to victory over Manchester United
- Twitter Top – Week of August 21, 2012
| Arsène Wenger deserves a trophy Posted: 22 Aug 2012 09:13 AM PDT Just over 16 years ago, an unknown French bloke rocked up at Arsenal amid a sea of confusion and doubters, many of them amongst the mainstream media. Fast forward to the present day, and he has taken his side to three Premier League trophies (one during an unbeaten league campaign) and three FA Cup triumphs, of which two were a part of domestic league and cup doubles. And yet still Arsène Wenger has many doubters. Of course, nobody should be able to dine out on past glories alone. Paul McCartney still performs 'Hey Jude' at every significant British event, much to the dismay of many. But although Arsenal have stagnated under Wenger, the circumstances have not been ideal and he in fact deserves credit for keeping Arsenal at a competitive level. People expect Arsenal to be winning trophies, and you could easily say that Wenger is a victim of his own success. He created these expectations after turning Arsenal into a global super-club; consistent challengers to the colossus that is Manchester United, but for a plethora of reasons was unable to continue out-doing the Red Devils. There are two main ones that sit atop of the tree of problems in Arsène Wenger's way, with others branching off from them. In fact, they're slightly linked as it is. Firstly, there's the move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium. Secondly, the huge influx of foreign owners in the Premier League. The move to the Emirates Stadium landed Arsenal with a large amount of debt and, rather than disregard it and spend money that wasn't available to him, tried to manage the finances in a way that would keep the club in the Champions League without compromising the future. But hey, a degree in Economics counts for nothing in an industry where finances are as dominant as in any other, right? It's only now that Wenger's policy should really begin to pay off, in theory. 'Project Youth' seems to be over, with the likes of Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla, two highly-rated internationals in their respective peaks, brought-in for sizeable fees, rather than Wenger relying on youngsters. The shackles are off. No longer does Wenger have to persist with players who really aren't good enough, and were signed because they were cheap options in a market full of bloated fees. Alex Song was dispensed of after the manager grew tired of his indiscipline, and you sense that finally we're seeing the ruthless Wenger of a few years past. The Wenger of recent seasons, who, seemingly stubbornly, defended his weak players, is gone. It was sad to see Van Persie, Adebayor, Flamini, Nasri and others let Wenger down after years of nurturing for the promise of instant success and/or financial reward. The man who led a team to 49 games unbeaten deserved more faith, and if his players hadn't often walked out on him when they were on the verge of something special, there might not be incessant jokes about Arsenal's trophy room. And those jokes massively overlook how much of an achievement a trophy would have been in the recent times, and how close Arsenal have come in the past few years. In 2005/06 there was the Champions League final. In 2007/08 Arsenal looked like they would win the league title until late in the season. In 2008/09 it was Champions League semi-final heartbreak. 2009/10 and 2010/11 both saw title challenges. 2006/07 and 2009/10 contained Carling Cup final defeats. Arsenal have been consistently up there, despite competing with financial juggernauts Chelsea and Manchester City, who spend and spend and spend, with no regard for prudency, and Manchester United, a global power with a relentless manager in Sir Alex Ferguson. A man who, let's not forget, has been consistently pushed closer and beaten more often by Arsène Wenger than any other manager. Mourinho was up there, but Wenger was Ferguson's real rival. It says a lot that even Ferguson has defended his greatest rival during a time where he's criticised more often than praised in the media. Wenger has been the victim of circumstance – the stadium move he could have managed, but not while clubs were throwing money around like it was going out of style, including at his own players. Some say Wenger's stubborn for sticking to his principles, but surely it's admirable that he sticks to his guns and takes the high road? Wenger takes all kinds of criticism from fans and journalists alike, but do they all really know so much better than such an intelligent man? He's been proven right before – a small example being the maturing of Laurent Koscielny into a superb centre back after people wrote off the signing due to the defender's plucking from obscurity. But Wenger was plucked from relative obscurity by David Dein in 1996, and those who doubted were quickly proven wrong with a league and cup double in 1998, as well as the successes of his teams and individual signings that followed. Wenger doesn't deserve the vitriol he receives, or to be the butt of jokes that aren't even that funny. He deserves vindication, and there would be no grander vindication than a trophy when the doubts from the outside world seem to be at an all time high. | ||||||||||
| Season Preview – VfL Wolfsburg – The Pack Is On the Prowl Posted: 22 Aug 2012 03:13 AM PDT
After leaving Wolfsburg for the ‘higher road’ at Schalke and finding it impassable, the alpha male has returned to head the pack. Unsurprisingly, it has been the same old scene at Volkswagen Arena: Coach and player butting heads and then the quick dismissal of those players that Magath doesn’t favor in return for new ones who will do his bidding. There has been one success story though; Brazilian midfielder Diego has decided to turn a new leaf and strive to impress the master…good luck to him. Here's what has happened so far over the summer: In: Bas Dost -sc Heerenveen, Ivica Olic -Bayern Munich, Vaclav Pilar -Viktoria Plsen, Kevin Pannewitz -F.C. Hansa Rostock, Emanuel Pogatetz -Hannover 96, Naldo -SV Werder Bremen, Fagner -Vasco da Gama Out: Mario Mandzukic -FC Bayern Munich, Andre Lenz -retired, Chris -1899 Hoffenheim, Hasan Salihamidzic -released, Thomas Hitzlsperger -released, Sebastian Polter -1. FC Nuremberg (loan), Nassim Ben Khalifa -Grasshopper Club (loan), Ibrahim Sissoko -Panathinaikos (loan), Giovanni Sio -FC Augsburg, (loan), Akaki Gogia -FC St. Pauli (loan) Clearly, the biggest departure is Mandzukic going to Bayern. This move leaves a gaping hole up front. One can hardly blame him for going, after his illustrious Euro campaign for Croatia and his desire to play at a bigger club. The early signing that Bayern Munich performed for him appears to be an intelligent one, especially if preseason is anything to go by. Otherwise, most of the departures are less of an impact and were necessary in order to take on new acquisitions. One may mention Chris; the Brazilian defender who has made his way to Hoffenheim, as another presence (or lack thereof) that may be felt. Magath has brought in exciting additions to the squad. Bas Dost is a young, thrilling prospect tasked to fill in for Mandzukic. The Dutch striker will likely get his first taste of the Bundesliga right away in the opener against Stuttgart. He scored 47 goals in 66 appearances at Heerenveen, between 2010 and 2012. There are many in Holland who have been calling his name to join the Oranje. If Dost (whose name has to be one of the best in the biz) does well at Wolfsburg, it won’t be far off. Ivica Olic will also strengthen the squad going forward. His presence will likely be felt on the left wing, and will offer a great partnership with Diego in the center and Rodriguez behind him. The left side has great potential and could be a focal point for the attack in this squad. Both new signing Viclav Pilar and Patrick Helmes suffered huge setbacks during the preseason. Both suffered long term injuries. However with Diego in the center and Olic, Dejegah and Dost all up front the Wolves should be able to fight through it. Magath bought two of the best centerbacks in the Bundesliga this summer: Naldo, from Werder Bremen and Emmanuel Pogatetz, formerly from Hannover 96. These solid additions, along with newcomer Fagner on the right, will anchor a solid backline. Magath certainly had a good summer, and is set to have a good season. A top 6 finish is not out of the question, but the Bundesliga is stacked. With the late injuries to Pilar and Helmes, my prediction is a 7th place finish. Can the Wolves prove me wrong? | ||||||||||
| Inter seal Cassano deal and move for Gargano Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:59 PM PDT
Pazzini has yet to pass his medical but should he do so, the move will be complete. The deal works out for both teams because Milan has been in search of a striker to replace Ibrahimovic. Though he is unable to duplicate Ibra’s world-class hold up play, he adds a different dimension to the Milan attack given his ability in the air. Inter has been after a creative midfielder who can play alongside Wesley Sneijder and Rodrigo Palacio; Cassano fits that billing. Inter has also been in pursuit for a holding midfielder for the majority of the summer and have set their sights on Napoli hardman, Walter Gargano. Sky Sport Italia reports that Gargano is at odds with Napoli boss, Walter Mazzarri and the Nerazzurri look to capitalize on his unhappiness. Gargano would likely start the season on the bench. It seems that coach Andrea Stramaccioni will favor Esteban Cambiasso alongside Fredy Guarin as the holding midfielders. It’s also reported that the Uruguayan international will arrive to the San Siro on loan with an option to buy after the initial loan period. The Serie A season starts this coming weekend and Inter hope to complete the Gargano deal beforehand. They will look to improve upon their abysmal 6th place finish, as they found balance once Stramaccioni was appointed manager. With Diego Milito in sensational form, an attacking midfield trio of Rodrigo Palacio, Wesley Sneijder and Antonio Cassano, the Nerazzurri will have opposing defenses reeling. Their defense last season was abhorrent as they leaked goals, but the coaching change added stability to the back-line. Look for a season similar to the 2011-12 EPL campaign. Inter and Juventus should hold the top two spots by a large margin, as other notable clubs like Milan, Napoli, Lazio and Roma didn’t do enough in the transfer window to challenge the aforementioned clubs. | ||||||||||
| What We Learned About London From Week 1 of the EPL Posted: 21 Aug 2012 07:39 PM PDT
Much of what happens in the off-season is a mystery, so the opening few weeks of the Premier League can be an indication of where a team is likely to end up in May. For the six London teams in the league this season—Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, QPR, Tottenham and West Ham—the opening round brought mixed results and information; some excited by the year to come and others desperately hoping that they can bounce back from their poor showing in the first week. Here’s what we learned about the six London clubs in Week 1 of the EPL. Arsenal Arsenal kicked off their season with a scoreless draw against Sunderland at the Emirates—a dream result for all those that felt Arsene Wenger shouldn’t have let star striker Robin van Persie leave to Manchester United over the summer transfer window. But, the truth is that the Gunners were much better than the score indicates; they were dominant in attack and had more shots than any other team in the opening round. New signing Santi Cazorla looked right at home in the Gunners’ midfield and will prove to be an excellent signing this season. The expectations are high for Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud also, although both struggled to have any real impact against the Black Cats. On the other end, Arsenal’s defense looks strong and should hold them in great stead this season. Thomas Vermaelen—now captain of the side—looks to be relishing his new opportunities and will organize the defense well this year. Life without Robin van Persie will take time—meaning Arsenal fans need to be prepared to give their club time to move on and “gel” once more. Chelsea Six minutes in, it looked like Chelsea were going to net a million goals against Wigan Athletic. They were 2-0 up and cruising in every way, but then shut the gas off and the match didn’t produce any more goals. That was all the Blues needed to pick up a clean sheet and three points. Few can argue against the performance of Roberto Di Matteo’s men in this one. Wigan did expose them defensively at times, and were it not for the brilliant goalkeeping of Petr Cech and solid defending of John Terry, most likely would have found the back of the net once or twice. They’ll know they cannot simply “park the bus” all season, and will no doubt put out another strong performance against Reading when they clash mid-week. New signing Eden Hazard looks like he might live up to his price tag. Fulham Clint Dempsey didn’t feature for the Cottagers, and many thought that without their American sensation Fulham would struggle in attack. A 5-0 victory should silence most of those critics, as Mladen Petric and Fulham simply blew past Norwich City. They’ll face a much tougher task next week, however, when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford, which will give us a good indication of whether this team is a legitimate threat this season. Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers were horrendous to start the season. Up against a new-look Swansea side that had lost their manger, best midfielder and striker in the summer transfer window, Mark Hughes’ men conceded five goals and didn’t offer much in attack. Their summer recruits simply weren’t good enough for the opening round of the EPL—receiving the flogging that they deserved for their hapless performance. QPR take on Norwich—the battle of the 5-0 losers—this week; a match that they should walk away from with a win if they are serious about avoiding relegation this season. Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham were strong in their opening match, but they were simply beaten by a better Newcastle side at home. Spurs new signings were good, but they just weren’t on the same level as the Magpies. Andre Villas-Boas’ reign at White Hart Lane is just beginning, and with the summer that they’ve had you’d expect Spurs to be in contention for a top-four spot this season. The signing of Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent deal should help. West Ham United West Ham kicked off their season in the best way possible—picking up all three points in a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. The Hammers didn’t set the world on fire, but showed enough class to get the job done—suggesting that they will be more than just a cellar-dweller this season in the Premier League. Their next two fixtures against Swansea City and Fulham will give a good indication of where this team stands. Overall You’d have to say it was a strong week for London in the EPL. Fulham and Chelsea were the best teams this week, while QPR were by far the worst out of the six. What was your impression of the London teams’ performances? | ||||||||||
| Ballers and their Cars: Patrice Evra Posted: 21 Aug 2012 04:01 PM PDT Patrice Evra has won a lot of trophies. Having played over 200 Premier League games for Manchester United since his move from AS Monaco in 2006, the United left back has enjoyed continued success in England. After picking up Mercedes’ lateset SLS two-door coupe in silver, Evra was sure to get a custom color-way thrown on top of it. Red and black? It’s no coincidence the French star opted for the colors of the team he has won so much with.
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| Santi Cazorla: Arsenal’s key to success in 2012-13 Posted: 21 Aug 2012 12:41 PM PDT
Spanish club Malaga is in the midst of financial crises and has been forced to begin selling off their prized assets. Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger made a steal in the signing of world-class midfielder Santi Cazorla.The Spanish international has been part of La Roja’s golden era during a four year run that has seen them win two UEFA European Championships in 2008 and 2012, as well as the 2012 World Cup. Cazorla is coming into a club that recovered from a massive crisis last summer to finish third in one of the world’s toughest and most competitive leagues. It was probably the lure of Champions League football that lured Santi in. And if that’s what it takes to go through the 'phoenix-like rebirth' for Arsenal, then so be it. This Spaniard has already shown he will be the keystone to an Arsenal attack that has missed a true maestro to conduct pace, precision and venom in recent years. Sure, there have been players who somewhat held that place. But it’s always been multiple players, doing this in sprints and spurts throughout the past 7 seasons, never a true dictator from whence the take unfolds. The first Premier League game for Arsenal’s brand-new, fresh-out-of-the-box attacking midfield was unbelievably impressive, especially for a draw! Cazorla amassed an impressive stat sheet from his first game for the Gunners, completing 94% of all of his passes, controlling the pace and tempo of the game with 103 touches of the ball, taking 4 shots (3 of which were on-frame) and splitting the Sunderland defense open seven times. This man is going to be massive for Arsenal. True form will, of course, be seen over the course of the first five to ten games, but he is a proven quantity. His technique and vision drives defenses mad and he will be a key to the transition of new players becoming comfortable with established players in the squad. As well as helping the new striker duo, Podolski and Giroud, get settled in the lightning-fast Premier League. With the potential of a replacement for Alex Song (Yann M’VIla, anyone?), the signing of a proven defender to stabilize the wonky Arsenal defense and maybe even another forward to add depth to the forward rotation-this is going to be a very exciting season for Arsenal players and Arsenal fans, alike. | ||||||||||
| Goodison Park erupts as Fellaini leads Everton to victory over Manchester United Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:21 AM PDT Sparked by a clever David Moyes game-plan, a ferocious Goodison Park and a demonically possessed Marouane Fellaini; Everton beat down a star-studded Manchester United 1-0, climbing to the top of the Premier League table. The win marked Everton’s first opening day victory since a 2-1 scalping of Wigan to begin the 2007-2008 season. United dominated the pre-match headlines as pundits across the world sat googly-eyed inventing infinite formation options that Sir Alex Ferguson could use to disembowel the blue side of Liverpool. But not even the most prescient of football analysts could’ve come up with what Fergie ended up deploying: a 4-3-2-1 that had Patrice Evra and Antonio Valencia flanking Michael Carrick and Nemandja Vidic in the back, Paul Scholes and Tom Cleverly as holding midfielders, Danny Welbeck and Nani on the wings, and Shinji Kagawa in the hole behind Wayne Rooney. Quite a concoction, but one that we aren’t likely to see again anytime soon. While the shock omissions of Robin van Persie and Ashley Young stood out to most, it was the pairing of Carrick and Vidic that caught the attention of David Moyes, prompting him to make two key decisions: First Jonny Heitinga, last season’s player of the year at Everton, was to start on the bench in favor of French behemoth, Sylvain Distin. The move raised eyebrows but was not revolutionary given that Heitinga got burned by United when these two sides met in last April’s 4-4 thriller. Second, Moyes inserted Fellaini into the second striker role behind Nikica Jelavic. At first, this seemed aggressive. Fellaini had seldom played that far up the pitch since the 2008-2009 season when he arrived at Goodison from Standard Liege for a record transfer fee of £15 million. Plus, new-boy Steven Naismith or the Nigerian man-child, Victor Anichebe, could easily have joined Jelavic so Fellaini could play in his favored central defensive midfield position. But Moyes smelled blood.  The Glaswegian gaffer knew that United, despite having far superior talent, was a squad that Everton matched up with very well. He also knew that his players were buzzing with confidence after last Spring’s draw at Old Trafford. So Moyes (a manager who’s been criticized for not putting out lineups designed to win matches) inserted Fellaini to attack a physically-underwhelming Carrick and an on-the-mend Vidic, who had not played since last December due to a knee injury. It was this move that changed the collective mindset around Goodison Park from: ‘we’ve got nothing to lose’, to ‘holy crap, we can win this match’. And when the opening whistle blew, the rafters at The Grand Old Lady were reverberating: And it’s Everton, Everton F.C.! We’re by far the greatest team, The world has ever seen… And it’s Everton, Everton F.C.! We’re by far the greatest team, The world has ever seen… While Moyes’ tactical decision was essential to the victory, journalists will be cutting down trees to write about Fellaini. The Belgian giant was simply fantastic – the best player on a pitch full of world-class footballers. He took his position like an 18 wheeler unloading a haul. Backing his way into the United defense, Fellaini spent the entire first half flicking-on headers to Jelavic and chesting-down and laying-off balls to un-rushing teammates. Early on, he settled a Leighton Baines throw-in and spun himself into the box, dropping Antonio Valenica in his wake. With a single cross-body nick of the ball, the Belgian abused Carrick and was in on goal. From a tight angle his shot rang the outside of the post. Two minutes later Fellaini was at it again. Rising high for a Baines free-kick and knocking David de Gea to the ground. The challenge was not dirty but one would be foolish to think that Fellaini didn’t want to send a message to the Spaniard (whose susceptibility to physical intimidation is well-chronicled). Before the half ended Fellaini created two more opportunities: one-timing a chest pass to the lively Steven Pienaar-who sliced his shot wide, and knocking down a cross to Leon Osman-who turned and hit a flush strike that de Gea did well to bat away. By the end of the first 45, Fellaini had the United defense downright perplexed, and rightfully so. How is one supposed to defend a 6’4″ striker with a silky touch and shoulders that you can serve dinner on? When the second half commenced, Fellaini was at it again ravaging the United defense with a header across goal that Osmon smashed against the bar. By the time the Toffees earned a corner in the 57th minute, Goodison was positively shaking in anticipation. The cameras panned to Fellaini, who was wide-eyed and nodding his head, begging for the ball to be sent his way. As Gibson’s luscious corner came in, Fellaini strong-armed Carrick to the turf, rose high and afro-snapped a ferocious header into the side netting. Chaos insued.  The Belgian continued frustrating the United defense until the 70th minute when he and the rest of the ragged boys in blue dropped deep to defend. It wasn’t so much a tactic as a necessity – such is the case when you’ve been frantically pressuring for 70 minutes and your opponent brings on the likes of van Persie, Young and Anderson. In the 90th minute, Moyes gave Fellaini his due by bringing on Heitinga to defend for the final four minutes. The Goodison crowd responded to the substitution by showering their hero with unabashed adulation. As Fellaini took his seat Kevin Mirallas, the £5.3 Belgian striker who was signed to partner Jelavic just 24 hours beforehand, gazed at his country-mate in utter astonishment. Welcome to Everton, kid. | ||||||||||
| Twitter Top – Week of August 21, 2012 Posted: 20 Aug 2012 11:51 PM PDT The Premier League starts, Robin van Persie moves on from Arsenal, Manchester United are shocked in their opener, Barcelona secure the services of a certain Cameroonian international, and so much more in this week’s Twitter Top. |
The English Premier League is under way for the 2012/13 season, and despite being just one week into the competition we’ve already learned much about the league and teams.
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