There has been a lot of soccer played recently in various competitions, ranging from internationals friendlies to the African Cup of Nations to league matches to all manner of domestic cup competitions.
So, here's some quick hitting thoughts about all that's been happening.
--Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 over the weekend, lead by a scintillating performance from Nani and Wayne Rooney as bullish as ever.
Nani may never become the next Ronaldo, and really, the whole talk about "Ronaldo who?" is nonsense, but that was about as close to replicating a Ronaldo performance as you get. Rooney meanwhile scares the daylights out of me because if he keeps this up, I do not want to see a just recovered Oguchi or slow footed Carlos Bocanegra having to contain him. Maybe they can do it, but he's single handedly keeping Man U in the EPL title race.
--Speaking of which, have you tried to keep up with the EPL table lately? I recently looked at the table and was stunned to see Arsenal on top! With all the cup competitions, they top teams haven't been on equal games in some time, but after today's Chelsea-Hill City draw, the top five have all played 24 games. Suddenly Chelsea's big lead is just two over Man U, while Arsenal are four points further back. Arsenal are not a title-worthy team. In the key games of their season, the Blues and Red Devils tore them apart. One of the small pleasures in life is seeing Arsene Wenger slumped over in his seat with that look of a bewildered and disconcerted look on his face.
--Liverpool continues to hang around in fifth place, one point behind Tottenham and tied on points with Man City, who have two games in hand, and one point ahead of Aston Villa, who have a game in hand. Liverpool has had quite the ignominious season so far, and it wouldn't surprise to see them drop out of a European spot altogether if Gerrard and Torres aren't healthy. Rafa Benetiz has long worn out his effectiveness and needs to go...
--...but he shouldn't go to Juventus. Juve has also had a disappointing season. Their campaign was probably doomed from the start by expectations that were far too high. Realistically no one should have expected a title challenge. Yet they too might miss out on Champions League football next year, after being embarrassed on the final match of group play by Bayern at home. Ciro Ferrara is probably a really nice guy, and could be a decent manager in the future, but he doesn't have the experience or gumption to direct a team as demanding as Juventus. It will be interesting to see how the season plays out under Alberto Zaccheroni. I will say that if Rafa comes to Turin, it would something to see him matching wits against Jose Mourinho again.
--Landon Donovan has put in some excellent early displays for Everton. It's always great to see an American so successful abroad, and it bodes well for South Africa this summer. I hope Everton tries to buy him from LA once his loan spell runs out, but we'll see. The Galaxy will probably play hard ball and demand a huge transfer considering his worth to the team. LA without Donovan are suddenly a last place team again, Beckham and a young and improving defense regardless.
--Meanwhile, the Serie A and La Liga have had far less exciting titles race so far. In Italy it's not so much a race between equals as it is all other teams running a Special Olympics race to Inter Milan's Usain Bolt. Their lead is only eight points, but has seemed much more than that. Inter may not inspire much admiration, and it certainly wouldn't surprise to see them lose to Chelsea in the Champions League, but they sure can dominate the boring Serie A. In Spain, Barcelona are still five points up on Real Madrid. I haven't followed it that closely, other than the countless articles that have been written, and will become nothing short of a cottage industry come this summer, about how Messi has shone for club but not country. The real disappointment in Spain is that the third place team is eight points below second place Real Madrid. So much for being more balanced at the top of the table.
--Finally, Egypt won the African Cup of Nations again, despite not qualifying for the World Cup again. That's three African championships in a row while not qualifying for the World Cup since 1990. That's quite amazing. I think that puts them squarely on notice for being huge chokers (they did after all beat Algeria 2-0 during group play only to lose the playoff match four days later). Can you even think of an equivalent? Sucks for them, but I suppose I can only thank them for letting Algeria into the World Cup draw. Just 128 more days...
Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EPL. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Chelsea Victory Defines Early Season Title Race
Chelsea looked like potential champions all season until the week before the Liverpool game. But a loss to Wigan and an unimpressive win midweek in Champions League led to questions about the Blues heading into their clash with Liverpool. But a comfortable 2-0 win will quiet the critics for the moment.
Liverpool started the game on the front foot, and had occasional quality chances throughout. Most of those chances fell for super-striker Fernando Torres, just as the Reds would have hoped. But Torres seemed a touch off and did not convert either his free header from 12 yards out, or the bouncing ball that came to his left foot (or shin, as it turned out) while he was unmarked 15 yards from goal. Not Fernando's day. Otherwise, Chelsea's defense held firm, with John Terry clearly cross after cross and generally looking confident in leading the backline.
There was little doubt Chelsea's time was coming, as the chances they created increased in quality throughout the match. Finally, Deco played Drogba through on the wing, who found a streaking Anelka in front of goal. Anelka got behind Carragher and managed to keep the bouncing ball down rather than sending it over the crossbar. The second goal was a tap in for Malouda after Drogba again dispatched a helpless Carragher. Overall, the performance from the Liverpool central defense was actually an improvement, but was still not good enough against a side of Chelsea's quality.
Heading into the break for international play, the two sides are in two very different places. Chelsea now top the table by two points and have to be at least co-favorites with Manchester United. Drogba and Anelka continue to play well together, and refusing to deploy both of their talents at the same time for so long now seems silly. The defense is strong, with only six goals allowed, tied for lowest in the Premier League with Villa. The midfield looks solid, and there is quality on the bench. Hilario looked solid as well in relief of Cech. Chelsea is primed in both England and Europe.
For Liverpool, three losses in eight games leave them sixth in the table, and Villa is two points back with a game in hand. Their three losses came in the three matches they actually played quality opposition: Tottenham, Villa and Chelsea. They also lost midweek to Fiorentina and looked awful. Are they legitimate title contenders at this point? It's hard to say yes, and not just because of the results; Liverpool have problems all over the pitch, with the exception of striker and goalkeeper. Gerrard is the engine that makes the side go, and has been below par to this point. Lucas is awful. Why Benitez continues to put him out there every match is mystery, aside from a total lack of other options. Insert generic comment about missing Xabi Alonso here. One would presume that Aquilani would take Lucas' place in the lineup when healthy, but Aquilani is still a couple weeks away. The central defense is still a question mark and the defense in general lacks depth. Riera is inconsistent and can't find his way into the lineup regularly. The lack of attacking options on the bench was particularly highlighted by Rafa's last substitution at Stamford Bridge. Trailing 1-0 late, Benitez' final move was...to replace Insua at left back with Fabio Aurelio. At least Aureilo wasn't playing in midfield, like he did midweek in Champions League.
After the break, the next two matches for Liverpool are at surging Sunderland, currently sitting eighth in the table, and home for Manchester United. Another loss (or two) may bring an early end to any title aspirations. Likewise, the next two Champions League matches are against group leaders Lyon. It's not unthinkable that by early November, the goals for Liverpool this season may go from "winning the league and in Europe" to "retaining a Champions League spot". Even that last part may not be guaranteed. Tough times for Benitez, and the next month will define the season.
Elsewhere this weekend, United managed a late draw against the previously mentioned Sunderland side thanks to a deflected own goal. The Sunderland striker partnership of Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones continue to cause havoc for defenses across England, and both scored in the match. Bent's strike was taken beautifully, and though there was some question of a foul on Jones' header against the goalkeeper I believe the referee appropriately did not blow his whistle, as Foster arrived late and did not deserve to be bailed out. Otherwise United struggled and probably didn't deserve a point. It's hard not to think of Chelsea as the favorites after this weekend.
Arsenal have missed their opportunites against other top flight competition, but no one plays more beautiful, flowing football in England than the Gunners. Their attacking display in a 6-2 victory over Blackburn was pure joy. Despite twice stunningly falling behind, Arsenal kept their nerve and kept pressing forward. The end result was a celebration of football to commerate Arsène Wenger becoming Arsenal's longest serving manager. As a neutral, it's hard not to admire Arsenal, once known for playing some of the ugliest football in England, but now created in Wenger's image as just the opposite.
As ARF mentioned, Man City and Villa drew Monday, a just outcome given the even nature of the contest. Villa are a solid side, but it's hard to imagine them legitimately threatening for the top four. I wouldn't say the same about City. Tottenham drew at Bolton, and sit third for the moment, but both City (even on points) and Arsenal (one behind) have a game in hand on Spurs. Portsmouth managed to win, though ARF's Championship diagnosis is surely correct. At least they've paid their wages now, and Saudi oil money is on the way. Hull also managed to win. Those two sides won't win on the same weekend very often. Burnley defeated Birmingham in a contest of newly promoted sides, and the Clarets are still perfect at home with four wins and sit in the top half of the table. Of course Hull started off hot last season and barely stayed up, so nothing is guaranteed.
Key matches two weeks from now: Villa hosts Chelsea on ESPN2 (at 7:45 ET, so set the DVR if you plan on sleeping in), while Liverpool must travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. Darren Bent against Jamie Carragher should be enough to give Liverpool fans nightmares for the next two weeks.
Liverpool started the game on the front foot, and had occasional quality chances throughout. Most of those chances fell for super-striker Fernando Torres, just as the Reds would have hoped. But Torres seemed a touch off and did not convert either his free header from 12 yards out, or the bouncing ball that came to his left foot (or shin, as it turned out) while he was unmarked 15 yards from goal. Not Fernando's day. Otherwise, Chelsea's defense held firm, with John Terry clearly cross after cross and generally looking confident in leading the backline.
There was little doubt Chelsea's time was coming, as the chances they created increased in quality throughout the match. Finally, Deco played Drogba through on the wing, who found a streaking Anelka in front of goal. Anelka got behind Carragher and managed to keep the bouncing ball down rather than sending it over the crossbar. The second goal was a tap in for Malouda after Drogba again dispatched a helpless Carragher. Overall, the performance from the Liverpool central defense was actually an improvement, but was still not good enough against a side of Chelsea's quality.
Heading into the break for international play, the two sides are in two very different places. Chelsea now top the table by two points and have to be at least co-favorites with Manchester United. Drogba and Anelka continue to play well together, and refusing to deploy both of their talents at the same time for so long now seems silly. The defense is strong, with only six goals allowed, tied for lowest in the Premier League with Villa. The midfield looks solid, and there is quality on the bench. Hilario looked solid as well in relief of Cech. Chelsea is primed in both England and Europe.
For Liverpool, three losses in eight games leave them sixth in the table, and Villa is two points back with a game in hand. Their three losses came in the three matches they actually played quality opposition: Tottenham, Villa and Chelsea. They also lost midweek to Fiorentina and looked awful. Are they legitimate title contenders at this point? It's hard to say yes, and not just because of the results; Liverpool have problems all over the pitch, with the exception of striker and goalkeeper. Gerrard is the engine that makes the side go, and has been below par to this point. Lucas is awful. Why Benitez continues to put him out there every match is mystery, aside from a total lack of other options. Insert generic comment about missing Xabi Alonso here. One would presume that Aquilani would take Lucas' place in the lineup when healthy, but Aquilani is still a couple weeks away. The central defense is still a question mark and the defense in general lacks depth. Riera is inconsistent and can't find his way into the lineup regularly. The lack of attacking options on the bench was particularly highlighted by Rafa's last substitution at Stamford Bridge. Trailing 1-0 late, Benitez' final move was...to replace Insua at left back with Fabio Aurelio. At least Aureilo wasn't playing in midfield, like he did midweek in Champions League.
After the break, the next two matches for Liverpool are at surging Sunderland, currently sitting eighth in the table, and home for Manchester United. Another loss (or two) may bring an early end to any title aspirations. Likewise, the next two Champions League matches are against group leaders Lyon. It's not unthinkable that by early November, the goals for Liverpool this season may go from "winning the league and in Europe" to "retaining a Champions League spot". Even that last part may not be guaranteed. Tough times for Benitez, and the next month will define the season.
Elsewhere this weekend, United managed a late draw against the previously mentioned Sunderland side thanks to a deflected own goal. The Sunderland striker partnership of Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones continue to cause havoc for defenses across England, and both scored in the match. Bent's strike was taken beautifully, and though there was some question of a foul on Jones' header against the goalkeeper I believe the referee appropriately did not blow his whistle, as Foster arrived late and did not deserve to be bailed out. Otherwise United struggled and probably didn't deserve a point. It's hard not to think of Chelsea as the favorites after this weekend.
Arsenal have missed their opportunites against other top flight competition, but no one plays more beautiful, flowing football in England than the Gunners. Their attacking display in a 6-2 victory over Blackburn was pure joy. Despite twice stunningly falling behind, Arsenal kept their nerve and kept pressing forward. The end result was a celebration of football to commerate Arsène Wenger becoming Arsenal's longest serving manager. As a neutral, it's hard not to admire Arsenal, once known for playing some of the ugliest football in England, but now created in Wenger's image as just the opposite.
As ARF mentioned, Man City and Villa drew Monday, a just outcome given the even nature of the contest. Villa are a solid side, but it's hard to imagine them legitimately threatening for the top four. I wouldn't say the same about City. Tottenham drew at Bolton, and sit third for the moment, but both City (even on points) and Arsenal (one behind) have a game in hand on Spurs. Portsmouth managed to win, though ARF's Championship diagnosis is surely correct. At least they've paid their wages now, and Saudi oil money is on the way. Hull also managed to win. Those two sides won't win on the same weekend very often. Burnley defeated Birmingham in a contest of newly promoted sides, and the Clarets are still perfect at home with four wins and sit in the top half of the table. Of course Hull started off hot last season and barely stayed up, so nothing is guaranteed.
Key matches two weeks from now: Villa hosts Chelsea on ESPN2 (at 7:45 ET, so set the DVR if you plan on sleeping in), while Liverpool must travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. Darren Bent against Jamie Carragher should be enough to give Liverpool fans nightmares for the next two weeks.
Monday, October 5, 2009
International Fixtures Are A Coming
Today's draw between top four hopefuls Manchester City and Aston Villa signals an end to the most recent round of European League fixtures and a shift to the crucial final matches of World Cup Qualifying. The draw keeps Villa fourth, tied with Tottenham on points for third and one point ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal. Villa stays seventh, a further two points below 'Pool and Arsenal, while also tied on points with somewhat surprising Sunderland. The top seven were pretty much expected, with the only other team with honest lofty ambitions, Everton, sitting 10th after a slow start. As they continue to get healthy they could continue to move up the table, but I'd be surprised if the current top seven aren't the same come May, if not necessarily the same order. The season may end up a two-horse race between Chelsea and Man U for the title, but the season is shaping up nicely with the annual Big Four monopoly under serious threat this season. It's also very early in the relegation battle, with the bottom seven teams separated by four points. However, Portsmouth can be penciled in for the Championship next year. Done.
Maybe I (or someone else here) will go into detail about an early season review/outlook for the EPL, but it's still early and while some trends are shaping up, there's plenty other more pressing matters to attend to. (One last thing before moving on from European leagues, I can't forget to note Sevilla's nice 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, and though I can't provide any analysis of that match, I have noticed some slight hysteria at how the team performed absent one Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo).
The international date is upon us, with the USA taking on Honduras, who has a perfect record at home in San Pedro Sula, then Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in the Nation's Capital. To bzimzim's delight, as well as many others, it looks like usual starter Clint Dempsey is out for the match after suffering a shoulder injury. This could be a blessing in disguise considering Dempsey's recent form, and the fact that he defends as well as a lampost. Dempsey does not have the workrate needed on the road against a fairly loaded (by CONCACAF standards) Honduras squad, and both Jose Francisco Torres and Benny Feilhaber have shown the ability to possess the ball well. The other easy option is starting Stuart Holden in his place, which provides more energy than Torres or Feilhaber. I don't have an opinion on that yet. Yet.
I'm sure I'll be back later with more previewing the big US games.
There are a bunch of do or die games coming up elsewhere for WCQ. Portugal takes on Hungary, and anyone who is a fan of the game has to be rooting for Portugal to win and for Denmark to either tie or beat Sweden so that Portugal can get into a playoff spot. Who doesn't want Ronaldo at the World Cup? No doubt Ronaldo will be shaking off his ankle injury for this match. In another match of Earth-shattering significance, Armenia will look to build on its upset of Belgium by getting something from already qualified Spain in the great city of Yerevan. France take on minnows Faroe Islands, hoping they can catch first place Serbia, who take on Romania. The question really isn't whether France will win, but how will they look in doing so? They seemingly have a lot of young talent, but Domenech seems to have lost the team. My man Yoann Gourcuff is out due to injury, but Ribery and Benzema alone should beat Faroe Islands with an amateur side. Of course France still only won their first meeting 1-0 away in front of 2,000 people. Not exactly confidence inspiring. In South America, Argentina faces bottom side Peru, while hoping Uruguay can hold Ecuador and allow the Albicelestes to jump Ecuador into the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot. HalaMadrid's Chile is within reach of qualifying, taking on Colombia. Whoever finishes fifth will play the fourth place CONCACAF team, which could be any of the top four teams, including the USA even though they currently sit first. Mexico and Costa Rica host El Salvador and Trinidad respectively, so they have easier matches on paper than the US.
While not related to the international fixtures, still an international issue is the debate amongst the European leagues on how to curtail the outrageous spending by a few teams to the detriment of others. Well MLS commissioner Don Garber will be giving a speech to his European comrades on the benefits of applying the US sports model of a salary cap, revenue sharing, and the players unions and collective bargaining agreements to help level the playing field. Certainly he won't be slipping in slides of how the US model allows the Pittsburgh Pirates to compete with the New York Yankees. One of the interesting facts in support of his claim is that since its inception in 1996, MLS has featured seven different champions (DC United, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Jose, Houston, Columbus, and Kansas City - note I was actually shocked to learn that KC had actually won a championship!) whereas in the same time frame the EPL has seen only three (Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea). Not noted in that piece is that in that time frame, La Liga has seen four winners (Barca, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Deportivo de La Coruña), the Serie A has had five champions (Juve, Inter, Milan, AS Roma, and Lazio), while the Bundesliga has had six champions (Bayern Munich, Kaiserslautern, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart, and VfL Wolfsburg). So by reasoning of most number of champions means most balanced league, the tally looks like this: Premier League < La Liga < Serie A < Bundesliga < MLS. I've now proved that MLS is the greatest league in the world. It's science.
Meanwhile, the U20 World Cup unglamorously continues with the round of 16. In today's matches, Korea crushed Paraguay 3-0 and Italy beat Spain 3-1 thanks to two goals from Mattia Mustacchio. His cousin Frederico Fumanchu was unavailable for comment.
Coincidentally enough, all the English speaking sides crashed out of the tournament rather pitifully: England, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Cameroon (English is an official language with French), and the United States. It seems I've stumbled upon a second scientific truth today. Turns out the reason teams like the USA and England can't win the World Cup is because the English language is not proper enough, nay beautiful enough, for the beautiful game. What's that you say, Germany has how many World Cups? Hmm... Actually, two English speaking sides did advance: South Africa and Nigeria. Of course both sides have multiple official languages, of which English is just one, but still.
This US team was particularly pathetic. I've already bemoaned Thomas Rongen once before, and I'll do it again. His tactical choice of a 4-3-3 against Germany and Korea backfired spectacularly. And his team selections were just bizarre. One of the best players for the US was Bryan Arguez, who was only added to the tournament roster as a late injury replacement. Clearly Rongen has an eye for talent. I realize the US at least qualified and other teams like Mexico and Argentina did not, but let's just hope the USA is not relying on any of these players in the 2014 World Cup qualifying the way the current squad relies on players from the previous u20 team.
Maybe I (or someone else here) will go into detail about an early season review/outlook for the EPL, but it's still early and while some trends are shaping up, there's plenty other more pressing matters to attend to. (One last thing before moving on from European leagues, I can't forget to note Sevilla's nice 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, and though I can't provide any analysis of that match, I have noticed some slight hysteria at how the team performed absent one Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo).
The international date is upon us, with the USA taking on Honduras, who has a perfect record at home in San Pedro Sula, then Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in the Nation's Capital. To bzimzim's delight, as well as many others, it looks like usual starter Clint Dempsey is out for the match after suffering a shoulder injury. This could be a blessing in disguise considering Dempsey's recent form, and the fact that he defends as well as a lampost. Dempsey does not have the workrate needed on the road against a fairly loaded (by CONCACAF standards) Honduras squad, and both Jose Francisco Torres and Benny Feilhaber have shown the ability to possess the ball well. The other easy option is starting Stuart Holden in his place, which provides more energy than Torres or Feilhaber. I don't have an opinion on that yet. Yet.
I'm sure I'll be back later with more previewing the big US games.
There are a bunch of do or die games coming up elsewhere for WCQ. Portugal takes on Hungary, and anyone who is a fan of the game has to be rooting for Portugal to win and for Denmark to either tie or beat Sweden so that Portugal can get into a playoff spot. Who doesn't want Ronaldo at the World Cup? No doubt Ronaldo will be shaking off his ankle injury for this match. In another match of Earth-shattering significance, Armenia will look to build on its upset of Belgium by getting something from already qualified Spain in the great city of Yerevan. France take on minnows Faroe Islands, hoping they can catch first place Serbia, who take on Romania. The question really isn't whether France will win, but how will they look in doing so? They seemingly have a lot of young talent, but Domenech seems to have lost the team. My man Yoann Gourcuff is out due to injury, but Ribery and Benzema alone should beat Faroe Islands with an amateur side. Of course France still only won their first meeting 1-0 away in front of 2,000 people. Not exactly confidence inspiring. In South America, Argentina faces bottom side Peru, while hoping Uruguay can hold Ecuador and allow the Albicelestes to jump Ecuador into the fourth and final automatic qualifying spot. HalaMadrid's Chile is within reach of qualifying, taking on Colombia. Whoever finishes fifth will play the fourth place CONCACAF team, which could be any of the top four teams, including the USA even though they currently sit first. Mexico and Costa Rica host El Salvador and Trinidad respectively, so they have easier matches on paper than the US.
While not related to the international fixtures, still an international issue is the debate amongst the European leagues on how to curtail the outrageous spending by a few teams to the detriment of others. Well MLS commissioner Don Garber will be giving a speech to his European comrades on the benefits of applying the US sports model of a salary cap, revenue sharing, and the players unions and collective bargaining agreements to help level the playing field. Certainly he won't be slipping in slides of how the US model allows the Pittsburgh Pirates to compete with the New York Yankees. One of the interesting facts in support of his claim is that since its inception in 1996, MLS has featured seven different champions (DC United, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Jose, Houston, Columbus, and Kansas City - note I was actually shocked to learn that KC had actually won a championship!) whereas in the same time frame the EPL has seen only three (Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea). Not noted in that piece is that in that time frame, La Liga has seen four winners (Barca, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Deportivo de La Coruña), the Serie A has had five champions (Juve, Inter, Milan, AS Roma, and Lazio), while the Bundesliga has had six champions (Bayern Munich, Kaiserslautern, Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart, and VfL Wolfsburg). So by reasoning of most number of champions means most balanced league, the tally looks like this: Premier League < La Liga < Serie A < Bundesliga < MLS. I've now proved that MLS is the greatest league in the world. It's science.
Meanwhile, the U20 World Cup unglamorously continues with the round of 16. In today's matches, Korea crushed Paraguay 3-0 and Italy beat Spain 3-1 thanks to two goals from Mattia Mustacchio. His cousin Frederico Fumanchu was unavailable for comment.
Coincidentally enough, all the English speaking sides crashed out of the tournament rather pitifully: England, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Cameroon (English is an official language with French), and the United States. It seems I've stumbled upon a second scientific truth today. Turns out the reason teams like the USA and England can't win the World Cup is because the English language is not proper enough, nay beautiful enough, for the beautiful game. What's that you say, Germany has how many World Cups? Hmm... Actually, two English speaking sides did advance: South Africa and Nigeria. Of course both sides have multiple official languages, of which English is just one, but still.
This US team was particularly pathetic. I've already bemoaned Thomas Rongen once before, and I'll do it again. His tactical choice of a 4-3-3 against Germany and Korea backfired spectacularly. And his team selections were just bizarre. One of the best players for the US was Bryan Arguez, who was only added to the tournament roster as a late injury replacement. Clearly Rongen has an eye for talent. I realize the US at least qualified and other teams like Mexico and Argentina did not, but let's just hope the USA is not relying on any of these players in the 2014 World Cup qualifying the way the current squad relies on players from the previous u20 team.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wigan Shocks Chelsea
By far the most notable EPL outcome of the week was Wigan's stunning 3-1 victory over Chelsea. Wigan were greatly helped by the penalty/red card combination that came from Cech bringing down Hugo Rodallega in the box. I still think this decision is far too harsh. The red card rule of the last defender bringing down an attacker is largely just, and certainly so if the foul is deliberate. However, the goalkeeper is hardly ever trying to bring the player down deliberately; it's usually a matter of the keeper going to ground to attempt to win the ball and/or trying to block a possible shot. When the goalkeeper brings down the player unintentionally, giving a red card and a man advantage for the rest of the match, as well as a penalty that is likely to be converted into a goal, is just way too harsh a price for a mistimed challenge.
Still, Carlo Ancelotti had no complaints after the match, saying he thought the result was correct and he did not know why the team did not play well. Chelsea is the last team in the Premier League to taste defeat, though their perfection had to end sometime. Manchester United now find themselves at the top of the table, thanks to a one score advantage in goal difference. United survived a "tricky" (quoting every single analyst before the match) fixture at Stoke that United saw the better of. Stoke created very little, but United failed to finish until the addition of Ryan Giggs for Nani. Nani did have one very good strike on goal, but otherwise hopes for a "breakout" year have gone wanting so far. Giggs, meanwhile, assisted on both United goals, leaving Berbatov a mere tap-in and providing wonderful service on a (dubiously given) free kick headed home by John O'Shea. United continue to win matches while not totally impressing, but with victories over Arsenal, Tottenham (away), and Man City in the bank, it would be hard to find any Red Devils' fans complaining about eighteen points from seven matches.
The Fernando Torres show rolls on. Torres leads the EPL with eight goals early in the season, and nearly all of them featured delightful quality. Torres' hat trick against Hull City in a 6-1 romp featured no exceptions to this rule. El Niño is possibly in the top form he's ever been in. He scored 33 goals in all competitions in his first season in Liverpool, and if he stays healthy the whole season (a significant "if") and stays in current form, he should blow by that figure. Not all is well for Liverpool though, as botched clearances and poor defensive play leave them vulnerable against more talented sides that will make them pay the price. Daniel Agger returning from injury would help provide some valuable depth. On a positive note, Emiliano Insúa seems to have established himself at left back with solid play and useful distribution going forward and within the attack. Liverpool also have ownership news this week, with Prince Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdullah Al Saud (hope that doesn't have to fit on a jersey) expressing his desire to purchase a 50% stake in the club. Despite the 350 million pound figure being thrown about, owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are both playing down expectations about that money being invested in the club. Also they don't have the best relationship, you may have heard. Who knows what's really going on there.
Fulham showed improved form against Arsenal, but still lost 1-0 thanks to Robin van Persie and the heroics of third-string Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone, who made several spectacular saves. It wasn't the brightest performance for Arsenal, but they showed some needed grit that they didn't display in losses to the Manchester clubs. Still, given City's early season form, Arsenal is going to need every point they can get in order to qualify for the Champions League next year. City themselves defeated West Ham 3-1, and were mostly impressive, dominating long stretches of play.
Also notable this weekend was the performance of Robbie Keane in Tottenham's 5-0 thrashing of Burnley. Keane's had four of the goals, and had a wonderful opportunity for a fifth. It's hard not to be skeptical of Tottenham's chances to stay in the midst of the Big Four and Man City in the table. But with Keane, Defoe and Crouch (who scored a Carling Cup hat trick midweek) on the bench, Tottenham have a potent strike force as well as a very capable midfield, particularly when Modrić is healthy.
This upcoming weekend features struggling West Ham hosting struggling Fulham in a surprise relegation battle (for now, anyway). On Monday, Villa look to shrug off a disappointing loss to Blackburn by hosting Manchester City. And by far the biggest clash of the weekend will be Sunday at Stamford Bridge, with Liverpool traveling to face Chelsea. It's too early to eliminate a team like Liverpool from the title chase, but a loss would put them six points behind thanks to their early season losses. Meanwhile Chelsea have feasted on a fairly light schedule to this point, and will be looking to pick up some points against other top competition for the title.
Until then, football all week! The USA-Cameroon U-20 World Cup match is in progress, and the sides will likely be scoreless heading to the break in a mostly uneventful half (edit: USA 1-0! Bryan Arquez pounds home from short distance after a scrum on a free kick). And Champions League matches are today and tomorrow, with Rubin Kazan and Inter currently locked up at 1 at the half. The day's other matches will get going in an hour or so.
Still, Carlo Ancelotti had no complaints after the match, saying he thought the result was correct and he did not know why the team did not play well. Chelsea is the last team in the Premier League to taste defeat, though their perfection had to end sometime. Manchester United now find themselves at the top of the table, thanks to a one score advantage in goal difference. United survived a "tricky" (quoting every single analyst before the match) fixture at Stoke that United saw the better of. Stoke created very little, but United failed to finish until the addition of Ryan Giggs for Nani. Nani did have one very good strike on goal, but otherwise hopes for a "breakout" year have gone wanting so far. Giggs, meanwhile, assisted on both United goals, leaving Berbatov a mere tap-in and providing wonderful service on a (dubiously given) free kick headed home by John O'Shea. United continue to win matches while not totally impressing, but with victories over Arsenal, Tottenham (away), and Man City in the bank, it would be hard to find any Red Devils' fans complaining about eighteen points from seven matches.
The Fernando Torres show rolls on. Torres leads the EPL with eight goals early in the season, and nearly all of them featured delightful quality. Torres' hat trick against Hull City in a 6-1 romp featured no exceptions to this rule. El Niño is possibly in the top form he's ever been in. He scored 33 goals in all competitions in his first season in Liverpool, and if he stays healthy the whole season (a significant "if") and stays in current form, he should blow by that figure. Not all is well for Liverpool though, as botched clearances and poor defensive play leave them vulnerable against more talented sides that will make them pay the price. Daniel Agger returning from injury would help provide some valuable depth. On a positive note, Emiliano Insúa seems to have established himself at left back with solid play and useful distribution going forward and within the attack. Liverpool also have ownership news this week, with Prince Faisal bin Fahad bin Abdullah Al Saud (hope that doesn't have to fit on a jersey) expressing his desire to purchase a 50% stake in the club. Despite the 350 million pound figure being thrown about, owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are both playing down expectations about that money being invested in the club. Also they don't have the best relationship, you may have heard. Who knows what's really going on there.
Fulham showed improved form against Arsenal, but still lost 1-0 thanks to Robin van Persie and the heroics of third-string Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone, who made several spectacular saves. It wasn't the brightest performance for Arsenal, but they showed some needed grit that they didn't display in losses to the Manchester clubs. Still, given City's early season form, Arsenal is going to need every point they can get in order to qualify for the Champions League next year. City themselves defeated West Ham 3-1, and were mostly impressive, dominating long stretches of play.
Also notable this weekend was the performance of Robbie Keane in Tottenham's 5-0 thrashing of Burnley. Keane's had four of the goals, and had a wonderful opportunity for a fifth. It's hard not to be skeptical of Tottenham's chances to stay in the midst of the Big Four and Man City in the table. But with Keane, Defoe and Crouch (who scored a Carling Cup hat trick midweek) on the bench, Tottenham have a potent strike force as well as a very capable midfield, particularly when Modrić is healthy.
This upcoming weekend features struggling West Ham hosting struggling Fulham in a surprise relegation battle (for now, anyway). On Monday, Villa look to shrug off a disappointing loss to Blackburn by hosting Manchester City. And by far the biggest clash of the weekend will be Sunday at Stamford Bridge, with Liverpool traveling to face Chelsea. It's too early to eliminate a team like Liverpool from the title chase, but a loss would put them six points behind thanks to their early season losses. Meanwhile Chelsea have feasted on a fairly light schedule to this point, and will be looking to pick up some points against other top competition for the title.
Until then, football all week! The USA-Cameroon U-20 World Cup match is in progress, and the sides will likely be scoreless heading to the break in a mostly uneventful half (edit: USA 1-0! Bryan Arquez pounds home from short distance after a scrum on a free kick). And Champions League matches are today and tomorrow, with Rubin Kazan and Inter currently locked up at 1 at the half. The day's other matches will get going in an hour or so.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Derby Highlight of EPL Weekend
Most of the substance of the terrific Manchester derby has already been covered by ARF, but there's just too much to say about it to not weigh in. As far as the timing issue, I couldn't agree more with the referee who allowed the minute and a half beyond the posted extra time in order to allow for the goal celebration and for the late substitution. Too often referees just blindly follow the posted time as if it were some sort of absolute figure. This avoids controversy, but fails to adhere to the purpose of stoppage time: to allow a full ninety minutes to be played, not including the times spent on goal celebrations, substitutions and injuries. To rigidly follow the posted extra time allows teams with the lead to stall by substituting; ironically, if the substitution was in normal time, this time would be added back on! Now whether Owen's game-winning goal was within the minute and a half was close and debatable. It appeared the goal celebration was fifty-five seconds and the substitution took about thirty seconds. So it's possible the goal was beyond time, though it can the be argued the referee didn't want to stop play in the middle of a threat to score. Regardless, I applaud the impulse to actually play the match to its finish.
Of course, Mark Hughes is still furious, wanting an explanation why ninety-seven mintes were played in total. The ninety-seven minute figure is silly, unless Hughes wanted the final whistle to be blown during the goal celebration. Hughes will get even less comfort from this Guardian study finding Manchester United typically receive an extra minute of stoppage time at home when they are behind or tied compared to when they are ahead. There's an obvious sample size problem when only twelve matches in the study are on the "losing or tied" end, but it's interesting nonetheless. Sir Alex promptly rubbed salt in Hughes' wounds by referring to City as "noisy neighbors" again and insinuating they could have won 6-0. Stay classy "Sir" Alex. And for further good news for City, the Manchester police and the FA are investigating an incident of Craig Bellamy shoving a fan who came onto the field after the game. If you charge the field and confront an opposing player, there's a good chance you'll get shoved. The real question is whether it was a punch rather than a shove. The photograph attached to this story isn't helping Bellamy's cause.
Outside the city of Manchester, the two most significant matches were at Stamford Bridge and Upton Park. Chelsea defeated Tottenham 3-0 to remain perfect after six matches, and are the lone side without a loss. Chelsea are of course expected to go the distance in the title race and compete to the end. After earning the full twelve points in the first four matches, the question was whether Spurs could do the same. That question appears to have been negatively over the last two matches against United and Chelsea: six goals conceded and only one goal scored. To be fair, those scorelines are somewhat harsh. Tottenham scored first against United and were in it until Rooney's late goal finished the match. Against Chelsea, Tottenham controlled play at times and created chances. But they didn't convert and Chelsea did, and that one phrase sums up the difference in quality between the sides. Perhaps the match would have been different had Robbie Keane been given the penalty he deserved before the second Chelsea goal. Perhaps not. Tottenham do have a much lighter schedule to come, having already faced Liverpool and United at home and Chelsea and West Ham on the road. A string of wins might once again establish the possibility of their title contention.
Liverpool's three points at West Ham were the result of one man, at least as much as that can ever be true in the game of football. Fernando Torres scored twice, single-handedly creating the first goal by beating his defender and toe-poking the ball past the keeper. The second goal came off a wonderfully directed header on a cross from the shockingly useful Ryan Babel. Babel has spent most of the season on the bench whining to the press about not being in the first team (while not deserving it), but now says he was misquoted and will attempt to earn his spot. Babel actually injected energy off the bench, and may find more playing time as a result. Liverpool continue to struggle at the back, with both Skrtel and Carragher in poor form especially in the first half, Carragher having also conceded a borderline penalty. Liverpool also conceded yet another goal off a set piece, this time a corner. The nine goals conceded already this season are not impressing anyone. But the Reds found three points thanks to brilliance from Torres, and remain in the early season title hunt. Liverpool now face a once-great Leeds side in the Carling Cup mid-week and host Hull next weekend. The schedule really ramps the next week with an away Champions League visit to Fiorentina and then a visit to Stamford Bridge. Liverpool will not want to let Chelsea open an early nine point gap with an away loss.
After the Carling Cup fixtures mid-week, next weekend doesn't contain any premier matches. United does face a tricky away fixture at Stoke, while Arsenal have to visit Craven Cottage and Fulham. Fulham lost unimpressively to Wolves and will be looking for a change in form. Chelsea go away to Wigan, while Man City host West Ham on a Monday fixture that will be televised on ESPN2.
Of course, Mark Hughes is still furious, wanting an explanation why ninety-seven mintes were played in total. The ninety-seven minute figure is silly, unless Hughes wanted the final whistle to be blown during the goal celebration. Hughes will get even less comfort from this Guardian study finding Manchester United typically receive an extra minute of stoppage time at home when they are behind or tied compared to when they are ahead. There's an obvious sample size problem when only twelve matches in the study are on the "losing or tied" end, but it's interesting nonetheless. Sir Alex promptly rubbed salt in Hughes' wounds by referring to City as "noisy neighbors" again and insinuating they could have won 6-0. Stay classy "Sir" Alex. And for further good news for City, the Manchester police and the FA are investigating an incident of Craig Bellamy shoving a fan who came onto the field after the game. If you charge the field and confront an opposing player, there's a good chance you'll get shoved. The real question is whether it was a punch rather than a shove. The photograph attached to this story isn't helping Bellamy's cause.
Outside the city of Manchester, the two most significant matches were at Stamford Bridge and Upton Park. Chelsea defeated Tottenham 3-0 to remain perfect after six matches, and are the lone side without a loss. Chelsea are of course expected to go the distance in the title race and compete to the end. After earning the full twelve points in the first four matches, the question was whether Spurs could do the same. That question appears to have been negatively over the last two matches against United and Chelsea: six goals conceded and only one goal scored. To be fair, those scorelines are somewhat harsh. Tottenham scored first against United and were in it until Rooney's late goal finished the match. Against Chelsea, Tottenham controlled play at times and created chances. But they didn't convert and Chelsea did, and that one phrase sums up the difference in quality between the sides. Perhaps the match would have been different had Robbie Keane been given the penalty he deserved before the second Chelsea goal. Perhaps not. Tottenham do have a much lighter schedule to come, having already faced Liverpool and United at home and Chelsea and West Ham on the road. A string of wins might once again establish the possibility of their title contention.
Liverpool's three points at West Ham were the result of one man, at least as much as that can ever be true in the game of football. Fernando Torres scored twice, single-handedly creating the first goal by beating his defender and toe-poking the ball past the keeper. The second goal came off a wonderfully directed header on a cross from the shockingly useful Ryan Babel. Babel has spent most of the season on the bench whining to the press about not being in the first team (while not deserving it), but now says he was misquoted and will attempt to earn his spot. Babel actually injected energy off the bench, and may find more playing time as a result. Liverpool continue to struggle at the back, with both Skrtel and Carragher in poor form especially in the first half, Carragher having also conceded a borderline penalty. Liverpool also conceded yet another goal off a set piece, this time a corner. The nine goals conceded already this season are not impressing anyone. But the Reds found three points thanks to brilliance from Torres, and remain in the early season title hunt. Liverpool now face a once-great Leeds side in the Carling Cup mid-week and host Hull next weekend. The schedule really ramps the next week with an away Champions League visit to Fiorentina and then a visit to Stamford Bridge. Liverpool will not want to let Chelsea open an early nine point gap with an away loss.
After the Carling Cup fixtures mid-week, next weekend doesn't contain any premier matches. United does face a tricky away fixture at Stoke, while Arsenal have to visit Craven Cottage and Fulham. Fulham lost unimpressively to Wolves and will be looking for a change in form. Chelsea go away to Wigan, while Man City host West Ham on a Monday fixture that will be televised on ESPN2.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Adebayor Ugliness Mars Man City Victory Over Arsenal
Manchester City's title hopes are up in stock this week, thanks to their 4-2 home win over Arsenal. They played some wonderful flowing football, dominating play toward the end of the match. After coming over from Arsenal during the summer, Emmanuel Adebayor particularly showed his ability on the pitch. He prevented a goal while manning the post during a corner. His beautiful flowing move left Bendtner, then Eboue, then Gallas in the dust before he slotted the ball in front to Shaun Wright-Phillips, who sadly struck the ball wide to prevent a highlight goal for the ages. He then scored soon after on a delightful header. Obviously the post-match focus was on Adebayor's wonderful play and how he let talent be the best revenge against his former club.
Or, maybe not.
Two ugly incidents have instead dominated the headlines: 1) Adebayor's stomp on Robin Van Persie's face 2) Adebayor running to the complete other side of the pitch to the Arsenal fans to celebrate his goal, prompting a near riot. In the aftermath of the match, Mark Hughes said that he hoped "that the game itself will be the shining light rather than any one incident." Not likely, Mark. In post-game remarks, Adebayor did apologize for the run across the field. So let's deal with that first. The FA Chief Executive said he was "unimpressed" with Adebayor's actions and that he would look at them. The Manchester police then had a go at Adebayor as well, saying he intentionally aggravated the crowd, leading to a steward being knocked unconscious. Perhaps if it were just the celebration the striker might get off the hook. However, the boot to his former teammate's face was an even more appalling act. Van Persie has attacked his former teammate, saying in a statement, "I am sad and disappointed by my former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor's mindless and malicious stamp on me. He set out to hurt me and I feel lucky that I have not suffered a greater injury. The contact was only centimeters from my eye." Adebayor says it was not intentional. Mark Hughes defended Adebayor, because what else is he going to do.
The replay doesn't do the Togo striker any favors. While it is impossible to know exactly what was going on in his mind, the stomp certainly looks deliberate. The speculation is that he will be suspended for at least three games, and possibly longer than that. Frankly, three games isn't near enough. Mark Hughes has to defend his player, but none of his claims for leniency pass the laugh test. He said that other player's have celebrated similarly (and gotten suspended), that Van Persie did the same earlier after his goal (not even close), that Adebayor should be cut slack because he is an emotional player (what?), the referee had a great view and didn't issue a card for the play on Van Persie (clearly he did not), that Arsenal fans subjected their former player to a great deal of abuse (shocking), and that Adebayor was actually celebrating with the small group of City fans near the giant group of Arsenal fans (utterly preposterous). Even if those things were true, Adebayor stomped on another player's face, and appeared to do it on purpose. That's really the end of the discussion. He couldn't face a long enough suspension as far as I'm concerned.
Back to things dealing with football and not acts of thuggery, it's possible Hughes won't have Adebayor, Robinho, Tevez or Roque Santa Cruz for next week. That sounds like a good time for...a derby against Manchester United.
Speak of the Red Devils, they again showed their mettle with a 3-1 victory against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, despite the sending off of Paul Scholes in the second half. Sir Alex complained after the game and appeared to have a case, as Scholes went to ground but appeared to be trying to pull away from the challenge. United also survived a brilliant strike from Jermain Defoe to open the scoring in the first minute, with Ryan Giggs spectacularly equalizing from a free kick. Both teams had good chances, but Anderson and Rooney converted. That's why they're the champions.
A brief roundup elsewhere: Liverpool dominated Burnley, but Chelsea needed an extra time strike from Malouda to rally from behind against Stoke and remain perfect. Aston Villa continued their rally in form with a win in the Second City derby against Birmingham City, and now sit with nine points from four matches. Everton continued their dismal start with an away loss to Fulham and currently sit in the relegation zone. Not the expected start for a side that finished fifth last year.
After European play mid-week, next week's fixtures are highlighted by Liverpool on the road at West Ham, Chelsea hosting Tottenham, and of course the Manchester derby. So as you can imagine, the game ESPN is showing is Burnley-Sunderland (??). Ugh. Also this will be the third ESPN match in a row featuring Burnley. Does someone in Bristol have a cousin on that team or something? Although on the upside, I'll be a lot less annoyed during the seemingly inevitable technical difficulties during the Burnley-Sunderland match.
Or, maybe not.
Two ugly incidents have instead dominated the headlines: 1) Adebayor's stomp on Robin Van Persie's face 2) Adebayor running to the complete other side of the pitch to the Arsenal fans to celebrate his goal, prompting a near riot. In the aftermath of the match, Mark Hughes said that he hoped "that the game itself will be the shining light rather than any one incident." Not likely, Mark. In post-game remarks, Adebayor did apologize for the run across the field. So let's deal with that first. The FA Chief Executive said he was "unimpressed" with Adebayor's actions and that he would look at them. The Manchester police then had a go at Adebayor as well, saying he intentionally aggravated the crowd, leading to a steward being knocked unconscious. Perhaps if it were just the celebration the striker might get off the hook. However, the boot to his former teammate's face was an even more appalling act. Van Persie has attacked his former teammate, saying in a statement, "I am sad and disappointed by my former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor's mindless and malicious stamp on me. He set out to hurt me and I feel lucky that I have not suffered a greater injury. The contact was only centimeters from my eye." Adebayor says it was not intentional. Mark Hughes defended Adebayor, because what else is he going to do.
The replay doesn't do the Togo striker any favors. While it is impossible to know exactly what was going on in his mind, the stomp certainly looks deliberate. The speculation is that he will be suspended for at least three games, and possibly longer than that. Frankly, three games isn't near enough. Mark Hughes has to defend his player, but none of his claims for leniency pass the laugh test. He said that other player's have celebrated similarly (and gotten suspended), that Van Persie did the same earlier after his goal (not even close), that Adebayor should be cut slack because he is an emotional player (what?), the referee had a great view and didn't issue a card for the play on Van Persie (clearly he did not), that Arsenal fans subjected their former player to a great deal of abuse (shocking), and that Adebayor was actually celebrating with the small group of City fans near the giant group of Arsenal fans (utterly preposterous). Even if those things were true, Adebayor stomped on another player's face, and appeared to do it on purpose. That's really the end of the discussion. He couldn't face a long enough suspension as far as I'm concerned.
Back to things dealing with football and not acts of thuggery, it's possible Hughes won't have Adebayor, Robinho, Tevez or Roque Santa Cruz for next week. That sounds like a good time for...a derby against Manchester United.
Speak of the Red Devils, they again showed their mettle with a 3-1 victory against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, despite the sending off of Paul Scholes in the second half. Sir Alex complained after the game and appeared to have a case, as Scholes went to ground but appeared to be trying to pull away from the challenge. United also survived a brilliant strike from Jermain Defoe to open the scoring in the first minute, with Ryan Giggs spectacularly equalizing from a free kick. Both teams had good chances, but Anderson and Rooney converted. That's why they're the champions.
A brief roundup elsewhere: Liverpool dominated Burnley, but Chelsea needed an extra time strike from Malouda to rally from behind against Stoke and remain perfect. Aston Villa continued their rally in form with a win in the Second City derby against Birmingham City, and now sit with nine points from four matches. Everton continued their dismal start with an away loss to Fulham and currently sit in the relegation zone. Not the expected start for a side that finished fifth last year.
After European play mid-week, next week's fixtures are highlighted by Liverpool on the road at West Ham, Chelsea hosting Tottenham, and of course the Manchester derby. So as you can imagine, the game ESPN is showing is Burnley-Sunderland (??). Ugh. Also this will be the third ESPN match in a row featuring Burnley. Does someone in Bristol have a cousin on that team or something? Although on the upside, I'll be a lot less annoyed during the seemingly inevitable technical difficulties during the Burnley-Sunderland match.
Monday, August 31, 2009
United Finds Unlikely Victory
This weekend's premier EPL matchup didn't lack for drama, but it did lack a just result. Arsenal played better football and created more chances, but a penalty and an own goal saw United to a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Arsenal's goal came on a blistering strike from Andrei Arshavin. Impressive though it was, United keeper Ben Foster should have done better. That's par for the course for Foster, who simply doesn't play with world-class consistency the way the injured Edwin van der Sar does, though Foster does have flashes of brilliance. Arshavin's goal came just after there were questions of a penalty after Darren Fletcher's totally reckless challenge on the Russian in the box. Fletcher may have nicked the ball with his knee, which might have been the saving grace in the referee's mind. Earlier in the half Van Persie had a fantastic chance deflected away by Evra, and Arshavin had sent another shot just wide. Arsenal's lead was well-earned, and they easily could have added another goal.
The second half was more of the same in the opening moments, with Arshavin beautifully setting up Van Persie. This time Foster kept United in match with a fantastic back leg kick save that was purely instinctual. His counterpart Manuel Almunia managed to do the opposite a few minutes later when he rashly brought down Wayne Rooney after Rooney sent the ball by. Wenger later described the penalty as "Old Traffordish", and it does appear that Rooney anticipated the contact a bit. That said, Rooney likely would have gone down regardless, and Almunia's challenge completely missed the ball. That's a penalty whether or not Rooney made the most of it, and comparing it to Eduardo's total fabrication is ridiculous. Matters only got worse after Rooney hammered home the penalty opportunity, when a free kick saw Abou Diaby head the ball into his own net to put Arsenal behind for good. Diaby wasn't truly pressured, so his error was particularly egregious. United had two goals despite creating very little in the game, and were content to sit back with the lead. Having survived Van Persie's free kick coming off the crossbar, United even survived Arsenal picking the ball out of the net, when Gallas was (rightfully) adjudged to be offside and part of the play. To add to the indignity of it all, Wenger was then sent off in the final moments, though he has since received an apology. Little solace for Wenger, no doubt.
Wenger hasn't cooled down since the match, accusing Manchester United of "anti-football" for their persistent fouling. Wenger particularly focused on Fletcher, who committed six fouls while not picking up a booking, not to mention the penalty call that wasn't for tackling Arshavin. Wenger probably has point about Fletcher, though Van Persie also committed six fouls (but saw yellow), and about singling out Eduardo for diving when there are plenty of diving incidents to go around. Hopefully instead of practicing selective enforcement, UEFA will actually attempt to punish diving after the fact in order to discourage the practice. Ironically, the most blatant dive I saw this weekend was...Eboué for Arsenal, who was rightfully booked for his cynicism. Wenger should remove his focus from UEFA and focus on his side. As wonderfully as they've played, they managed to give away three crucial points at Old Trafford through unforced mistakes. Fortunate as United were, finding ways to win games they shouldn't is part of what makes them what they are. The young Gunners could use a little of that fortitude.
Despite the three points, Man U have their own problems. They've really only played one good half, when they scored the five goals against Wigan. Otherwise they've slogged through a match against newly promoted Birmingham, lost to Burnley, and been out-played by Arsenal at home. Their nine points are mostly the result of luck and guile. No one has come close to filling the Cristiano Ronaldo-sized hole in the lineup, with Valencia and Nani showing only inconsistent quality. Even Sir Alex's tactics were odd Saturday, leaving the effective if not spectacular Berbatov on the bench and playing Rooney alone up top. Despite the victory, it was hard to say this was a success, as Rooney wandered alone up front and created very little, Almunia's mistake on the penalty notwithstanding. Nor did this defensive alignment prevent Arsenal from creating their own quality chances. It was almost as if the lineup indicated Ferguson was afraid of Arsenal, something one would never expect from United at home (perhaps barring a visit from Barcelona, or now Real Madrid).
Elsewhere this weekend, Chelsea continues to roll on with an easy 3-0 victory over Burnley. At the moment Chelsea have beaten Hull, Sunderland, Fulham and Burnley, all teams that seem destined for the bottom half of the table. So perhaps one shouldn't be too impressed just yet. But Chelsea have taken a veteran, business-like attitude to their matches that serves them well. Chelsea are probably title favorites for the moment, but there's plenty more to learn about them. In similar fashion, though not quite as impressively, Manchester City continue to roll on thanks to Adebayor's rebirth, his goal the lone tally in a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth. Adebayor claims the City fans have made him a "special player." No doubt Arsenal fans are thrilled. And rounding out the still-perfect sides, Tottenham made it four wins in as many matches with a last minute strike from Aaron Lennon to defeat Birmingham 2-1. But the victory was marred by the injury to midfielder Luka Modric, who has a broken leg and is out at least six weeks. Spurs are already short in midfield depth, so it's hard to imagine their current place atop the table lasting much longer. But after last year's disaster start, it's hard for Spurs to complain.
Liverpool's title chances avoided (another) early disaster when they came back to win 3-2 at Bolton. Both of Bolton's goals were the result of some fairly pathetic defending. Zone marking was again partly to blame, but the real culprit was the willingness of the Liverpool players to stand there ball-watching. A high school coach would have been embarassed by the display. Liverpool did show resiliency, though not before they benefited from the sending off Sean Davis in the 54th minute. Davis grabbed Lucas in the first half, then tripped him from behind in the to earn the second booking. The trip appeared to be unintentional, so the booking was perhaps harsh, but it certainly stopped the threat and Davis never had any prayer of being near the ball. After Glen Johnson scored in the first half, Torres and Gerrard found answers in the second half. Torres was set up by a gorgeous chested ball from Kuyt, while Gerrard's half volley from 15 yards was trademark Stevie G. A day of survival for the Reds, who still haven't found their form.
Aston Villa appear to have found momentum from their shock victory at Anfield, dispatching a struggling Fulham side 2-0. And Everton finally found a result in a 2-1 victory over Wigan, finding three points after earning a 90th minute penalty. It still wasn't exactly impressive for a side with European aspirations. At least Everton will get Fulham after the international break, who look even worse. The two most interesting fixtures two weeks from now will be United traveling to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham, and Manchester City facing their first real test by hosting Arsenal. Attacking football, talented players, teams with something to prove: the City-Arsenal fixture should provide high entertainment.
Arsenal's goal came on a blistering strike from Andrei Arshavin. Impressive though it was, United keeper Ben Foster should have done better. That's par for the course for Foster, who simply doesn't play with world-class consistency the way the injured Edwin van der Sar does, though Foster does have flashes of brilliance. Arshavin's goal came just after there were questions of a penalty after Darren Fletcher's totally reckless challenge on the Russian in the box. Fletcher may have nicked the ball with his knee, which might have been the saving grace in the referee's mind. Earlier in the half Van Persie had a fantastic chance deflected away by Evra, and Arshavin had sent another shot just wide. Arsenal's lead was well-earned, and they easily could have added another goal.
The second half was more of the same in the opening moments, with Arshavin beautifully setting up Van Persie. This time Foster kept United in match with a fantastic back leg kick save that was purely instinctual. His counterpart Manuel Almunia managed to do the opposite a few minutes later when he rashly brought down Wayne Rooney after Rooney sent the ball by. Wenger later described the penalty as "Old Traffordish", and it does appear that Rooney anticipated the contact a bit. That said, Rooney likely would have gone down regardless, and Almunia's challenge completely missed the ball. That's a penalty whether or not Rooney made the most of it, and comparing it to Eduardo's total fabrication is ridiculous. Matters only got worse after Rooney hammered home the penalty opportunity, when a free kick saw Abou Diaby head the ball into his own net to put Arsenal behind for good. Diaby wasn't truly pressured, so his error was particularly egregious. United had two goals despite creating very little in the game, and were content to sit back with the lead. Having survived Van Persie's free kick coming off the crossbar, United even survived Arsenal picking the ball out of the net, when Gallas was (rightfully) adjudged to be offside and part of the play. To add to the indignity of it all, Wenger was then sent off in the final moments, though he has since received an apology. Little solace for Wenger, no doubt.
Wenger hasn't cooled down since the match, accusing Manchester United of "anti-football" for their persistent fouling. Wenger particularly focused on Fletcher, who committed six fouls while not picking up a booking, not to mention the penalty call that wasn't for tackling Arshavin. Wenger probably has point about Fletcher, though Van Persie also committed six fouls (but saw yellow), and about singling out Eduardo for diving when there are plenty of diving incidents to go around. Hopefully instead of practicing selective enforcement, UEFA will actually attempt to punish diving after the fact in order to discourage the practice. Ironically, the most blatant dive I saw this weekend was...Eboué for Arsenal, who was rightfully booked for his cynicism. Wenger should remove his focus from UEFA and focus on his side. As wonderfully as they've played, they managed to give away three crucial points at Old Trafford through unforced mistakes. Fortunate as United were, finding ways to win games they shouldn't is part of what makes them what they are. The young Gunners could use a little of that fortitude.
Despite the three points, Man U have their own problems. They've really only played one good half, when they scored the five goals against Wigan. Otherwise they've slogged through a match against newly promoted Birmingham, lost to Burnley, and been out-played by Arsenal at home. Their nine points are mostly the result of luck and guile. No one has come close to filling the Cristiano Ronaldo-sized hole in the lineup, with Valencia and Nani showing only inconsistent quality. Even Sir Alex's tactics were odd Saturday, leaving the effective if not spectacular Berbatov on the bench and playing Rooney alone up top. Despite the victory, it was hard to say this was a success, as Rooney wandered alone up front and created very little, Almunia's mistake on the penalty notwithstanding. Nor did this defensive alignment prevent Arsenal from creating their own quality chances. It was almost as if the lineup indicated Ferguson was afraid of Arsenal, something one would never expect from United at home (perhaps barring a visit from Barcelona, or now Real Madrid).
Elsewhere this weekend, Chelsea continues to roll on with an easy 3-0 victory over Burnley. At the moment Chelsea have beaten Hull, Sunderland, Fulham and Burnley, all teams that seem destined for the bottom half of the table. So perhaps one shouldn't be too impressed just yet. But Chelsea have taken a veteran, business-like attitude to their matches that serves them well. Chelsea are probably title favorites for the moment, but there's plenty more to learn about them. In similar fashion, though not quite as impressively, Manchester City continue to roll on thanks to Adebayor's rebirth, his goal the lone tally in a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth. Adebayor claims the City fans have made him a "special player." No doubt Arsenal fans are thrilled. And rounding out the still-perfect sides, Tottenham made it four wins in as many matches with a last minute strike from Aaron Lennon to defeat Birmingham 2-1. But the victory was marred by the injury to midfielder Luka Modric, who has a broken leg and is out at least six weeks. Spurs are already short in midfield depth, so it's hard to imagine their current place atop the table lasting much longer. But after last year's disaster start, it's hard for Spurs to complain.
Liverpool's title chances avoided (another) early disaster when they came back to win 3-2 at Bolton. Both of Bolton's goals were the result of some fairly pathetic defending. Zone marking was again partly to blame, but the real culprit was the willingness of the Liverpool players to stand there ball-watching. A high school coach would have been embarassed by the display. Liverpool did show resiliency, though not before they benefited from the sending off Sean Davis in the 54th minute. Davis grabbed Lucas in the first half, then tripped him from behind in the to earn the second booking. The trip appeared to be unintentional, so the booking was perhaps harsh, but it certainly stopped the threat and Davis never had any prayer of being near the ball. After Glen Johnson scored in the first half, Torres and Gerrard found answers in the second half. Torres was set up by a gorgeous chested ball from Kuyt, while Gerrard's half volley from 15 yards was trademark Stevie G. A day of survival for the Reds, who still haven't found their form.
Aston Villa appear to have found momentum from their shock victory at Anfield, dispatching a struggling Fulham side 2-0. And Everton finally found a result in a 2-1 victory over Wigan, finding three points after earning a 90th minute penalty. It still wasn't exactly impressive for a side with European aspirations. At least Everton will get Fulham after the international break, who look even worse. The two most interesting fixtures two weeks from now will be United traveling to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham, and Manchester City facing their first real test by hosting Arsenal. Attacking football, talented players, teams with something to prove: the City-Arsenal fixture should provide high entertainment.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
And the Pendulum Swings: La Liga Rules the World - Again
Oh, it's time for this one. I've been anxiously anticipating writing this post. Make sure you've got some time for the cathartic unloading of resentment I'm about to drop on the Premiership-ophiles out there. La Liga starts this weekend, and what better time to tell you why it's the best league in the world than before any games have been played?
After three years of hearing EPL fans announce their supremacy to the four corners of the world, hitching their arguments to three consecutive years with three of four Champions League semifinalists, finally, at long last, La Liga has returned to its rightful place in world football - the pinnacle, the apex, the zenith. The past three years have seen me grasping at straws defending la Liga. Barcelona's undeniable class and a superior middle class of teams were my calling card in these debates. Sevilla's consecutive Europa Cups, and parity among quality sides like Villarreal, Valencia, and Atletico Madrid were needed to mask a poor Real Madrid side who had underperformed dramatically in Europe while contending in Spain. Throw in quality sides like the Euro-Getafe that gave the mighty Bayern Munich all they could handle in the Europa Cup, and Espanyol who lost a Europa Cup final to Sevilla, and I was always willing to go to bat for la Liga as a better all around league.
Not to mention the drastic fall-off of EPL sides beyond the Big Four, with talent-starved teams like Everton, Aston Villa, or Tottenham occupying spots five through seven. Where's their David Villas, Luis Fabianos, or Kun Agueros? That's right - they don't have them. And then, of course, there was my trump card - style, technique, grace, or tiqui-taka as the Spanish call it. Even the worst Liga team attacked, triangulated a path towards goal, and played attractive champagne football. Turn on a Mallorca v. Racing Santander I'd say, and tell me you don't have fun. Then watch Wigan v. Stoke, and wake me up when I fall asleep after the 47th long ball upfield.
But, at the end of the day, Europe was always the final arbiter of quality. Despite Barcelona's historic rise, the truth was that Real Madrid has struggled mightily in recent years, and managed to win la Liga with little more than testicular fortitude, Higuain, Casillas, and Robben. So what's changed, you ask? Shouldn't I wait to write this in May, once Champions League has shaken out? Of course not. That'd be silly, and it would deny me the chance to write another post then about how right I am now. Plus, the EPL's own players have seen the writing on the wall this summer. Torres still thinks the EPL is better, but Ferdinand concedes la Liga is better.
There is no debate that the EPL and la Liga are vying for the top spot in world football leagues. Italy is still rebuilding after the match-fixing scandals, and their economic woes. Germany may or may not jump over their southern competitors, but lack the number of quality sides to compete with England or Spain. So how do I know la Liga is better than the EPL? Easy.
1) Better football. The foundation of la Liga is attacking, champagne football. Fun to watch and highly technical, these tenets of the league as a whole have bolstered la Liga in the past few lean years. This mentality remains, and will remain. Less direct and aggressive than its English counterpart, the only thing it envies the EPL is sheer velocity, a product of the EPL's direct style. The Spanish prefer to "controlar los tiempos" that is to "control the time" or manage the pace and rhythm of the game. I prefer it too.
2) La Liga kept its stars. World class players such as Kun Aguero, Diego Forlan, David Villa, David Silva, Cazorla, Luis Fabiano, and Frederic Kanoute all stayed on Spanish shores. Arguably Samuel Eto'o was the only world class player to leave la Liga this year - and he went to Italy. So Valencia, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla will all build on their past successes with largely identical teams composed of elite talent. Villarreal - well they never had stars, but always achieved well above their lot in life, and I expect that to continue. And Barcelona - well, last I checked Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, and Dani Alves still play for the blaugrana. La Liga's only top losses were Eto'o and Robben. Otherwise, stability reigned in Spain's export market this summer.
3) An influx of stars and quality. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Ibrahimovic were the biggest names of the summer. In Ronaldo the EPL saw its brightest light find his way to Spain. Brazilian star Nilmar joined Villarreal. A series of lesser-known EPL players found their way to Spain as well: Jermaine Pennant, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Didier Zokora. Throw in some transfers whose footballing may be overshadowed by their goegraphical marketing reach, such as Nakamura, Manucho, and Boateng, and la Liga's visibility is on the rise too. Jozy Altidore is the only significant loss in this respect, but he'll be back at Villarreal soon enough. The EPL meanwhile, has largely cannibalized itself. Manchester City's big signings all came from the EPL. Manchester United signed Valencia from Wigan and Owen on a free transfer. Arsenal signed no one of great consequence. The fact is, in a list of the top ten players in the world - most are in la Liga. Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka, Ibrahimovic, Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas, Villa, and Aguero. The EPL has Rooney, Gerrard, Drogba, Cesc, Ferdinand, Torres and Lampard. Ribery looks set for Spanish sun next summer, as does Cesc. But we need not go that far - even now, la Liga's burgeoning superiority is apparent.
Don't get me wrong - the game's still played on the field. And la Liga has to prove its superiority there. But when la Liga was a cut below, I liked to remind the EPLites surrounding me that these things tend to be cyclical (something I'll promptly forget when four Spanish teams make the Champions League semis). It seems that the pendulum is swinging back towards the Mediterranean, and a chapter is closing on the EPL. The Big Four will compete in Europe, no doubt. But with la Liga looking to field Barcelona and Real Madrid, plus Sevilla, Atletico, Valencia, and Villarreal la Liga looks to have the best elite teams, the best upper middle class, and the best players. What more do you want? Real Madrid lifting their tenth European Cup in the Bernabeu over a weeping Puyol? Just wait for it. Valencia winning the inaugural Europa Cup. No prob. The EPL can have the marketing titles, Spain will settle for the footballing ones. And believe me when I tell you the European silverware is postmarked for somewhere in Spain this year. I'll leave those ridiculous arguments about the middle class and cycles to the EPL. Loser talk if you ask me.
After three years of hearing EPL fans announce their supremacy to the four corners of the world, hitching their arguments to three consecutive years with three of four Champions League semifinalists, finally, at long last, La Liga has returned to its rightful place in world football - the pinnacle, the apex, the zenith. The past three years have seen me grasping at straws defending la Liga. Barcelona's undeniable class and a superior middle class of teams were my calling card in these debates. Sevilla's consecutive Europa Cups, and parity among quality sides like Villarreal, Valencia, and Atletico Madrid were needed to mask a poor Real Madrid side who had underperformed dramatically in Europe while contending in Spain. Throw in quality sides like the Euro-Getafe that gave the mighty Bayern Munich all they could handle in the Europa Cup, and Espanyol who lost a Europa Cup final to Sevilla, and I was always willing to go to bat for la Liga as a better all around league.
Not to mention the drastic fall-off of EPL sides beyond the Big Four, with talent-starved teams like Everton, Aston Villa, or Tottenham occupying spots five through seven. Where's their David Villas, Luis Fabianos, or Kun Agueros? That's right - they don't have them. And then, of course, there was my trump card - style, technique, grace, or tiqui-taka as the Spanish call it. Even the worst Liga team attacked, triangulated a path towards goal, and played attractive champagne football. Turn on a Mallorca v. Racing Santander I'd say, and tell me you don't have fun. Then watch Wigan v. Stoke, and wake me up when I fall asleep after the 47th long ball upfield.
But, at the end of the day, Europe was always the final arbiter of quality. Despite Barcelona's historic rise, the truth was that Real Madrid has struggled mightily in recent years, and managed to win la Liga with little more than testicular fortitude, Higuain, Casillas, and Robben. So what's changed, you ask? Shouldn't I wait to write this in May, once Champions League has shaken out? Of course not. That'd be silly, and it would deny me the chance to write another post then about how right I am now. Plus, the EPL's own players have seen the writing on the wall this summer. Torres still thinks the EPL is better, but Ferdinand concedes la Liga is better.
There is no debate that the EPL and la Liga are vying for the top spot in world football leagues. Italy is still rebuilding after the match-fixing scandals, and their economic woes. Germany may or may not jump over their southern competitors, but lack the number of quality sides to compete with England or Spain. So how do I know la Liga is better than the EPL? Easy.
1) Better football. The foundation of la Liga is attacking, champagne football. Fun to watch and highly technical, these tenets of the league as a whole have bolstered la Liga in the past few lean years. This mentality remains, and will remain. Less direct and aggressive than its English counterpart, the only thing it envies the EPL is sheer velocity, a product of the EPL's direct style. The Spanish prefer to "controlar los tiempos" that is to "control the time" or manage the pace and rhythm of the game. I prefer it too.
2) La Liga kept its stars. World class players such as Kun Aguero, Diego Forlan, David Villa, David Silva, Cazorla, Luis Fabiano, and Frederic Kanoute all stayed on Spanish shores. Arguably Samuel Eto'o was the only world class player to leave la Liga this year - and he went to Italy. So Valencia, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla will all build on their past successes with largely identical teams composed of elite talent. Villarreal - well they never had stars, but always achieved well above their lot in life, and I expect that to continue. And Barcelona - well, last I checked Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, and Dani Alves still play for the blaugrana. La Liga's only top losses were Eto'o and Robben. Otherwise, stability reigned in Spain's export market this summer.
3) An influx of stars and quality. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Ibrahimovic were the biggest names of the summer. In Ronaldo the EPL saw its brightest light find his way to Spain. Brazilian star Nilmar joined Villarreal. A series of lesser-known EPL players found their way to Spain as well: Jermaine Pennant, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Didier Zokora. Throw in some transfers whose footballing may be overshadowed by their goegraphical marketing reach, such as Nakamura, Manucho, and Boateng, and la Liga's visibility is on the rise too. Jozy Altidore is the only significant loss in this respect, but he'll be back at Villarreal soon enough. The EPL meanwhile, has largely cannibalized itself. Manchester City's big signings all came from the EPL. Manchester United signed Valencia from Wigan and Owen on a free transfer. Arsenal signed no one of great consequence. The fact is, in a list of the top ten players in the world - most are in la Liga. Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka, Ibrahimovic, Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas, Villa, and Aguero. The EPL has Rooney, Gerrard, Drogba, Cesc, Ferdinand, Torres and Lampard. Ribery looks set for Spanish sun next summer, as does Cesc. But we need not go that far - even now, la Liga's burgeoning superiority is apparent.
Don't get me wrong - the game's still played on the field. And la Liga has to prove its superiority there. But when la Liga was a cut below, I liked to remind the EPLites surrounding me that these things tend to be cyclical (something I'll promptly forget when four Spanish teams make the Champions League semis). It seems that the pendulum is swinging back towards the Mediterranean, and a chapter is closing on the EPL. The Big Four will compete in Europe, no doubt. But with la Liga looking to field Barcelona and Real Madrid, plus Sevilla, Atletico, Valencia, and Villarreal la Liga looks to have the best elite teams, the best upper middle class, and the best players. What more do you want? Real Madrid lifting their tenth European Cup in the Bernabeu over a weeping Puyol? Just wait for it. Valencia winning the inaugural Europa Cup. No prob. The EPL can have the marketing titles, Spain will settle for the footballing ones. And believe me when I tell you the European silverware is postmarked for somewhere in Spain this year. I'll leave those ridiculous arguments about the middle class and cycles to the EPL. Loser talk if you ask me.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Serie A Breaking Away, Emulating the Premier League
In rather important news regarding Italian football, Serie A club presidents ratified the split of the Serie A from Serie B. The move is intended to emulate the creation of the Premier League and bring the Italian league back onto par with the EPL and La Liga.
As I noted in my preview/state of the league on the Serie A, Italian football suffers from individual TV contracts that benefit the big teams (Milan, Juve, Inter) and the league also distributes funds to their Serie B counterparts. In England, the old First Division broke away from the English Football League to become the Premier League, while the First Division (now known as the Football League Championship) remained but became what was previously the second division. The Premier League also negotiated collective television rights and corporate sponsors, infusing massive amounts of money to its clubs.
The Serie A will begin its breakaway league in 2010/11 and will no longer pay Serie B clubs. Although collective TV rights have not been negotiated yet, it can only be a matter of time before that happens. It will be interesting to see how that process plays out.
This news is particularly big and will have a very immediate effect on league play this season because relegation and survival have suddenly become much much more important. Serie B teams will also have that much more of an incentive to claim one of the promotion spots. There has been a long and sordid history in Italy regarding shady deals and payoffs at the end of the season when teams are fighting for relegation, survival, and promotion. You would think that the clubs involved this year will be watched closely to ensure a fair end to the season.
This was one of my keys to spurring a revival in the Serie A, and it is certainly a major step forward. Next will be negotiating the the collective TV deal, and finally improving the stadium situations (ownership, atmosphere, violence). I doubt this changes anything dramatically in the near future, particularly because rectifying the issue with stadiums will take a long time, but it certainly is a positive step for fans of Italian football.
As I noted in my preview/state of the league on the Serie A, Italian football suffers from individual TV contracts that benefit the big teams (Milan, Juve, Inter) and the league also distributes funds to their Serie B counterparts. In England, the old First Division broke away from the English Football League to become the Premier League, while the First Division (now known as the Football League Championship) remained but became what was previously the second division. The Premier League also negotiated collective television rights and corporate sponsors, infusing massive amounts of money to its clubs.
The Serie A will begin its breakaway league in 2010/11 and will no longer pay Serie B clubs. Although collective TV rights have not been negotiated yet, it can only be a matter of time before that happens. It will be interesting to see how that process plays out.
This news is particularly big and will have a very immediate effect on league play this season because relegation and survival have suddenly become much much more important. Serie B teams will also have that much more of an incentive to claim one of the promotion spots. There has been a long and sordid history in Italy regarding shady deals and payoffs at the end of the season when teams are fighting for relegation, survival, and promotion. You would think that the clubs involved this year will be watched closely to ensure a fair end to the season.
This was one of my keys to spurring a revival in the Serie A, and it is certainly a major step forward. Next will be negotiating the the collective TV deal, and finally improving the stadium situations (ownership, atmosphere, violence). I doubt this changes anything dramatically in the near future, particularly because rectifying the issue with stadiums will take a long time, but it certainly is a positive step for fans of Italian football.
Monday, August 24, 2009
News from Around FutbolNation
Before commenting on some of the weekend's action, some other news percolating around today:
Everton and Manchester City have agreed on a £22m transfer for defender Joleon Lescott, subject to his agreeing to terms with City and passing a medical. City has started strong with a pair of shutout victories, and this move only bolsters their ambition to finish not just into a Champions League spot or better. Additionally, Man City brought in ex-Barca vet Sylvinho to back up Wayne Bridge. Carlos Tevez, for his part, thinks that Sir Alex and Man U are scared of new look Man City.
The biggest surprise of the early EPL season is Burnley, who followed up their upset of Man U with a victory over Everton. Everton on the other hand have looked poor in losing their opening two matches, and it could be a long season for the Toffees. They will hope that the Lescott transfer removes a large distraction that will allow them to move forward, but their squad remains thin and unable to cope with key injuries, as evident by their current play in missing Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal and Tottenham continued very strong starts, and one has to hope that the two can sustain their excellent play and make for an exciting race at the top third of the table. Not to be outdone, Man U responded from their loss to Burnley by putting five past Wigan. Wayne Rooney and Nani in particular looked devastating in the second half, including a beautiful through ball from Nani that set up a delightful finish that opened up Michael Owen's Man U account. You can see the goal below.
The Serie A kicked off with AC Milan and Juventus winning. Diego looked very good for Juventus and I am hopeful for a resurgent season that will see Inter's domestic hegemony come to an end. For their part Inter were held by Bari. And proving there is still some thrilling football left in Italy despite my bleak assessment of the league, Genoa beat Roma 3-2 and Udinese tied Parma 2-2 in two matches highlighting teams that are vital to the healthy balance of the league.
The Bundesliga saw some nice goalscoring action, with Werder Bremen, Hamburger, and Bayer Leverkusen scoring 3, 4 and 5 goals in their respective victories. Bayern Munich lost 2-1, the lone goal being a consolation own goal in the 90th minute. Starting 0-2-1, how long is it before crisis mode hits Bavaria and we hear renewed rumours about Franck Ribery's discontent?
Over in MLS, the amazing happened: the Red Bulls won their third match of the season! I was really hoping for an unprecedented run of futility. Not that beating Dallas is anything special. New York was led to victory by interim manager Richie Williams, who took over for Juan Carlos Osorio, who resigned after being told he was being fired at the end of the season anyway. Ives Galarcep covers how the mismanagement by the Red Bull owners, combined with poor decision making by Osorio and technical director Jeff Agoos, have led the historical bad club to new depths.
This led me to think about the different expectations for MLS coaches than coaches in other leagues around the world, and even in different US sports. In two seasons Osorio was 12-27-13 and he was just 2-16-4 this season. Certainly that record and the on-the-field product would have resulted in a firing much earlier had this been in the EPL or Serie A. Can you imagine any team in England going 13 games without a win and not getting rid of their manager? Juventus fired its coach with two games remaining last season because they were in danger of finishing in third rather than second!
Closer to home for me, DC United continue to show little life this season under Tom Soehn. Under his guidance, DC has finished first in the regular season but flamed out spectactularly in the playoffs, missed the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons, and are in danger of missing the playoffs again. For the most successful and decorated club in MLS, it's surprising that there isn't more pressure on Soehn. If this were the Redskins or Capitals (Nationals don't count, they have gone through such miserable stretches and it's to be expected) you can bet that the coach would be on the hot seat pending the final results of the season. Certainly there is less pressure in MLS due to the greater inclusiveness of the playoffs, less overall establishment within the community, the recognition that working with a small salary cap limits each team's resources, and general league parity that prevents too many teams from being either too good or too awful. But at the same time, winning is that much more important in MLS because many teams cannot draw viable crowds based on die hard supporters alone and will need successful teams to draw in more fans. Even DC, with the best fan base in MLS prior to recent expansion teams Seattle and Toronto and the fervent crowds at their home fields, is suffering and the dip in play is in many ways responsible for the continued depletion of crowds at RFK. It's sad to show up to games and look around and I see smaller crowds than in the past. I'm not necessarily calling for Soehn to be fired, but his situation and that of Osorio made me wonder about the different expectations in MLS and whether that plays a role in the overall quality of play in the league.
So as not to end on that sour note, check out these highlights from Hull City v. Bolton, including Jozy Altidore's fantastic EPL debut, setting up the game winning goal with his first touches.
Everton and Manchester City have agreed on a £22m transfer for defender Joleon Lescott, subject to his agreeing to terms with City and passing a medical. City has started strong with a pair of shutout victories, and this move only bolsters their ambition to finish not just into a Champions League spot or better. Additionally, Man City brought in ex-Barca vet Sylvinho to back up Wayne Bridge. Carlos Tevez, for his part, thinks that Sir Alex and Man U are scared of new look Man City.
The biggest surprise of the early EPL season is Burnley, who followed up their upset of Man U with a victory over Everton. Everton on the other hand have looked poor in losing their opening two matches, and it could be a long season for the Toffees. They will hope that the Lescott transfer removes a large distraction that will allow them to move forward, but their squad remains thin and unable to cope with key injuries, as evident by their current play in missing Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal and Tottenham continued very strong starts, and one has to hope that the two can sustain their excellent play and make for an exciting race at the top third of the table. Not to be outdone, Man U responded from their loss to Burnley by putting five past Wigan. Wayne Rooney and Nani in particular looked devastating in the second half, including a beautiful through ball from Nani that set up a delightful finish that opened up Michael Owen's Man U account. You can see the goal below.
The Serie A kicked off with AC Milan and Juventus winning. Diego looked very good for Juventus and I am hopeful for a resurgent season that will see Inter's domestic hegemony come to an end. For their part Inter were held by Bari. And proving there is still some thrilling football left in Italy despite my bleak assessment of the league, Genoa beat Roma 3-2 and Udinese tied Parma 2-2 in two matches highlighting teams that are vital to the healthy balance of the league.
The Bundesliga saw some nice goalscoring action, with Werder Bremen, Hamburger, and Bayer Leverkusen scoring 3, 4 and 5 goals in their respective victories. Bayern Munich lost 2-1, the lone goal being a consolation own goal in the 90th minute. Starting 0-2-1, how long is it before crisis mode hits Bavaria and we hear renewed rumours about Franck Ribery's discontent?
Over in MLS, the amazing happened: the Red Bulls won their third match of the season! I was really hoping for an unprecedented run of futility. Not that beating Dallas is anything special. New York was led to victory by interim manager Richie Williams, who took over for Juan Carlos Osorio, who resigned after being told he was being fired at the end of the season anyway. Ives Galarcep covers how the mismanagement by the Red Bull owners, combined with poor decision making by Osorio and technical director Jeff Agoos, have led the historical bad club to new depths.
This led me to think about the different expectations for MLS coaches than coaches in other leagues around the world, and even in different US sports. In two seasons Osorio was 12-27-13 and he was just 2-16-4 this season. Certainly that record and the on-the-field product would have resulted in a firing much earlier had this been in the EPL or Serie A. Can you imagine any team in England going 13 games without a win and not getting rid of their manager? Juventus fired its coach with two games remaining last season because they were in danger of finishing in third rather than second!
Closer to home for me, DC United continue to show little life this season under Tom Soehn. Under his guidance, DC has finished first in the regular season but flamed out spectactularly in the playoffs, missed the playoffs for the first time in 6 seasons, and are in danger of missing the playoffs again. For the most successful and decorated club in MLS, it's surprising that there isn't more pressure on Soehn. If this were the Redskins or Capitals (Nationals don't count, they have gone through such miserable stretches and it's to be expected) you can bet that the coach would be on the hot seat pending the final results of the season. Certainly there is less pressure in MLS due to the greater inclusiveness of the playoffs, less overall establishment within the community, the recognition that working with a small salary cap limits each team's resources, and general league parity that prevents too many teams from being either too good or too awful. But at the same time, winning is that much more important in MLS because many teams cannot draw viable crowds based on die hard supporters alone and will need successful teams to draw in more fans. Even DC, with the best fan base in MLS prior to recent expansion teams Seattle and Toronto and the fervent crowds at their home fields, is suffering and the dip in play is in many ways responsible for the continued depletion of crowds at RFK. It's sad to show up to games and look around and I see smaller crowds than in the past. I'm not necessarily calling for Soehn to be fired, but his situation and that of Osorio made me wonder about the different expectations in MLS and whether that plays a role in the overall quality of play in the league.
So as not to end on that sour note, check out these highlights from Hull City v. Bolton, including Jozy Altidore's fantastic EPL debut, setting up the game winning goal with his first touches.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Burnley Stuns United
Burnley couldn't have asked for more from their first win in the top flight in thirty-three years, stunning Manchester United 1-0 behind Robbie Blake's blistering strike. Burnley somehow managed to make that lone goal hold up, with goalkeeper Brian Jensen playing the hero for saving the penalty oddly taken by Michael Carrick. The Clarets certainly announced their return to the Premier League with style. Meanwhile, United have to be concerned, having only scored one goal in 180 minutes and turning in two fairly listless performances. The schedule does not allow the Red Devils time to ease into the season; their next four fixtures are away to a Wigan team that won at Villa, home for Arsenal, away to Spurs, and home for Manchester City. Arsenal and Tottenham look particularly sharp at the moment, and the City fixture will be fascinating. United need to find another gear fast.
Liverpool took out their disappointment from the opener on Stoke, winning 4-0 at Anfield. Torres opened the scoring four minutes in and the Reds were in control throughout. If Glen Johnson continues in his current form, he'll quickly shed the "overpriced" tag that accompanied his move from Portsmouth. Johnson scored the second goal and had a hand (or boot) in the third and fourth. Despite the three points, Liverpool still have defensive concerns with Skrtel out two weeks, and were forced to start 18-year-old Daniel Ayala. In order to solidify the back line, Benitez acquired center back Sotiris Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. Benitez also had to rebut sudden rumors he was quitting, saying he is "100% commited to the club."
Tottenham also won Wednesday, throttling Hull City 5-1 on the road. Hull will finish somewhere in the bottom half of the table, but were playing at home and gave Chelsea all they could handle over the weekend. But Spurs dispensed of the Tigers easily, with Jermain Defoe finishing a hat trick in the 90th minute. Their reward is the opportunity to sit atop the early season table. Only 36 matches left.
Looking ahead to this weekend, United need a result and improved play at Wigan. Spurs travel to West Ham in a match of two sides looking to move up the table this year. Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage Sunday, while Villa visits Anfield on Monday.
Liverpool took out their disappointment from the opener on Stoke, winning 4-0 at Anfield. Torres opened the scoring four minutes in and the Reds were in control throughout. If Glen Johnson continues in his current form, he'll quickly shed the "overpriced" tag that accompanied his move from Portsmouth. Johnson scored the second goal and had a hand (or boot) in the third and fourth. Despite the three points, Liverpool still have defensive concerns with Skrtel out two weeks, and were forced to start 18-year-old Daniel Ayala. In order to solidify the back line, Benitez acquired center back Sotiris Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. Benitez also had to rebut sudden rumors he was quitting, saying he is "100% commited to the club."
Tottenham also won Wednesday, throttling Hull City 5-1 on the road. Hull will finish somewhere in the bottom half of the table, but were playing at home and gave Chelsea all they could handle over the weekend. But Spurs dispensed of the Tigers easily, with Jermain Defoe finishing a hat trick in the 90th minute. Their reward is the opportunity to sit atop the early season table. Only 36 matches left.
Looking ahead to this weekend, United need a result and improved play at Wigan. Spurs travel to West Ham in a match of two sides looking to move up the table this year. Fulham host Chelsea at Craven Cottage Sunday, while Villa visits Anfield on Monday.
Wither the Serie A?
Beginning its 80th season this weekend, the Serie A returns to action, with many questions pertaining to its decline and relevancy. If you want a team-by-team preview, Roberto Gotta covers Atalanta-Juve here and Lazio-Udinese here.
There was once a time when the Serie A could claim to be the best league in the world. While it is still considered one of the big four leagues with La Liga, Premier League, and Bundesliga, it would be hard to argue that the Lega Calcio has not fallen behind La Liga and the EPL.
Could there be a silver lining or a ray of sunshine on the horizon? Italian supporters only need look to their history for a model of hope.
The Serie had its first big match fixing scandal in 1980, the Totonero. This resulted in Milan and Lazio being relegated, as well as five teams being penalized points the following season. Caught up in the scandal was Paolo Rossi, the star striker who broke out for the Azzurri at the 1978 World Cup.
Yet, in the midst of reeling from scandal, in 1982 Italy won its first World Cup title since 1938, led by Rossi and goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff. Building on this victory, the Serie A entered its heyday of the 80s and early 90s, which saw many of the world's top footballers playing in Italy while the Azzurri also challenging regularly for world championships in the international stage.
The early golden period was led by Juventus, as the Old Lady dominated the Serie A in the late 70s and early 80s, culminating with the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and Super Cup championships in 1984 and the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup triumphs in 1985. These teams were lead by three-time European Footballer of the Year Michel Platini, along with Rossi. Unfortunately the 1985 European Cup was also the Heysel Stadium disaster. That tragedy resulted in English teams being banned from European competition, in many ways aiding the Serie A's ascendancy in European football.
The late 80s saw the rise of Napoli, led by the great Maradona, and the Milan teams. Milan famously built its two all-conquering Dream Teams, the 1989 European Champions with Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni, Ruud Gullit, and Marco van Basten. The 1994 version had one of the most famous European Cup championship victories in the competition's history, crushing Barcelona 4-0. Future world players of the year continued to be found in the Serie A, with Roberto Baggio and George Weah. Baggio also helped lead Italy to the 1994 World Cup final. During the same period, Italian teams dominated the UEFA Cup, with Juve, Inter, Fiorentina, Napoli, Parma, Torino, and Roma all playing at least one final from 1989 to 1995.
However, it was in the late 1990s that things began to slip in the Serie A, even if observers didn't immediately notice it.
By this time, Juventus was once again a European power on the back of the incomparable Zinedine Zidane. However, stadium infrastructure and TV contracts, both in Italy and in England, were beginning to take their toll. Most stadiums in Italy are owned by local city councils, and the clubs pay a percentage of their gate profits for their use. Many stadiums were built for the 1990 World Cup and they lacked the atmosphere and amenities of new, modernized, or renovated stadiums that came during the mid- to late-90s. Many were built with tracks separating the stands from the field, further reducing atmosphere and visibility. The Stadio delle Alpi in Turin is a prime example.
TV contracts were the second major factor reducing competitiveness. Deregulation led to cheap pay-TV, and clubs were able to strike their own deals. Obviously this led to the big clubs like Juve, Inter and Milan, and to a lesser degree Napoli, Lazio, Roma, and Fiorentina, signing contracts worth more than the smaller clubs. Ultimately the Serie became a two league team, with Juve and Milan dominating and Roma and Inter occasionally challenging. The supposed high water mark for the Serie A was the 2003 Champions League final, pitting Milan against Juventus, one of the worst finals ever. Many claimed this was the peak of the Serie A, but all the final did was serve to hide the ultimate collapse that was to come.
In addition to aging stadia, poor stadium and TV contracts, and an extremely top-heavy imbalance in quality, the Serie A's demise was aided by three other important factors: the rise of the Premier League, scandal, and hooliganism.
As just noted, the Serie A's TV contracts put smaller clubs in a severe disadvantage. On the other hand, the Premier League introduced collective and exclusive TV rights, as well as league corporate sponsorship. The dramatic increase in revenue for all teams in the Premier League substantially improved each team's relative ability to improve itself and attract top foreign talent, finally able to compete with the likes of Milan, Juve, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. Add in the influx of rich foreign ownership, and you get Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Liverpool dominating Europe along with Spanish teams during this decade.
Of course, corruption was the final stake in the heart of Serie A prominence. The Calciopoli scandal led to Juventus being relegated and Milan, Lazio, Reggina, and Fiorentina penalized (and I will maintain that after everything, the fact that Milan was not as severely punished as Juve and Inter was not punished at all was the result of corruption itself - Inter was heavily involved in illegal phone tapping and referees testified to Inter's involvement in tampering back to 2002).
The scandal clearly weakened Serie A competitively and certainly left a black eye on its reputation. Afterwards, only one team was left untouched that could be a true representative in Europe, namely Inter. However, Inter was never good enough to grab hold of the imagination, even after raiding Juventus for player reinforcements. Additionally, Roma, who was the next biggest beneficiary of the scandal, failed to take advantage of its new position as the number two team in Italy. With the severe penalties temporarily crippling Milan and Juventus, both teams are still in the midst of rebuilding their teams. Juve is ahead of Milan in this respect.
The final and currently ongoing source of decline in the Serie A is hooliganism, including racism. Much has been made of the right-wing ultras at many teams, especially those at Lazio that have been linked with fascism. Repeated violence in January 2007 threatened to halt the Serie A entirely, and as recently as this February Roma hooligans stabbed four Liverpool fans. In April, Juve fans racially abused Italian-born Mario Balotelli and were forced to play a game behind closed doors, not the first time such a penalty has been forced on an Italian team in recent times.
As for the actual talent on the field, this summer was notable in Italy for the star players leaving rather than joining Serie A clubs, with Kaka joining Real Madrid from Milan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining Barcelona from Inter in a swap for Samuel Eto'o.
So, after all that history and an examination of the current problems plaguing the Serie A, where does that leave us? In the wake of a scandal, Italy won the 2006 World Cup, so can the Serie A replicate its post-1982 rise to prominence?
Juventus and Milan are slowly trying to rise again and both appear entrenched in European competition along with Inter and Roma. Juve made the biggest moves, adding Diego and Felipe Melo to play with young Italians like Giovinco, Chiellini, and Marchisio, and it looks like they could be the team ready to step up and challenge Inter at home and possibly the big boys in Europe. Unfortunately, despite having budding star Alexandre Pato, Milan has been in disarray following Kaka's departure and many of their key players are aging. Milan must be hopeful that Ronaldinho can some how rekindle his former magic (remember how amazing it was to watch him in action at the top of his game for Barca?).
Still, I can't really see the a new renaissance coming right now. Like it or not, big clubs largely influence how a league is perceived. Milan is in transition and Inter simply has never been the type of team with a world following that can bring attention to the Serie A the way Milan and Juve can, or Man U, Liverpool, Barca, Real Madrid, and even Bayern Munich do for their leagues. Even though Inter smartly added Eto'o this summer, who is the first person you think of when you think of Inter? Jose Mourinho, their coach, not any player.
Of course the real test of a league's strength is the second tier of teams. England tries to claim superiority because it can trot out the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham, the new Man City, and Everton. Spain has strong claims due to its deep roster of quality sides that have over the years challenged in Europe, such as Valencia, Villareal, Deportivo, and Sevilla.
But what of the second tier Serie A teams? Fiorentina and Roma will continue to try to play attacking football, and Roma on their day can still produce beautiful displays. But Roma's problem is its huge debt, preventing them from building depth that could push a very strong first 11 to the level of true challenger to Inter and in Europe. Udinese provides the occasional sublime football and had a roster full of up and coming Italians, but losing its fulcrum D'Agostino to Liverpool will be a big blow. Palermo and Genoa also raised the level of play in Serie A last year, but both look poised to be feeder clubs as teams like Inter pick off their best performers. Genoa alone lost Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter. An entertaining and competitive middle third of the Serie A consisting of teams like Udinese, Palermo, Genoa, Sampdoria, and Napoli is vital to the Serie A's health, but these teams have either underperformed in Europe or they get virtually no exposure on TV (at least in the US). And when the games are shown in the US, poor broadcast production and poor atmosphere (or in some cases the broadcast fails to adequately convey the atmosphere) often make the games unwatchable.
Ultimately the only way the Serie A will rise again is by having Milan and Juve reach their former levels, but not at the expense of teams like Inter or Roma, while modernizing competitiveness at the gate and on the airwaves. In positive news, Juve's new stadium is still on schedule for completion in time for the 2011 season despite the economic collapse that has deranged many a development project. With a new stadium and new team, Juventus could be regaining its old luster, and doing so may prove a stimulus that forces other teams to do what's necessary to remain competitive. MLS actually provides a good model for the Serie A. In MLS the main goal of the league has been to get every team eventually into small, soccer-specific and atmospheric stadiums. I understand it's asking a lot to redo both the television and stadium infrastructure of the league, but if the Serie A doesn't do something soon, it will fall further and further behind. As it is, Italy has geographic and other advantages to England (e.g., women and food), so if new stadiums produce new atmospheres and safer crowds, then coming to Italy suddenly becomes much more appealing.
Thank you for bearing with this long post, but as someone with an interest in Juventus and in competitive, beautiful soccer generally, it's sad to see a storied league fall so hard and I can only hope things turn around.
There was once a time when the Serie A could claim to be the best league in the world. While it is still considered one of the big four leagues with La Liga, Premier League, and Bundesliga, it would be hard to argue that the Lega Calcio has not fallen behind La Liga and the EPL.
Could there be a silver lining or a ray of sunshine on the horizon? Italian supporters only need look to their history for a model of hope.
The Serie had its first big match fixing scandal in 1980, the Totonero. This resulted in Milan and Lazio being relegated, as well as five teams being penalized points the following season. Caught up in the scandal was Paolo Rossi, the star striker who broke out for the Azzurri at the 1978 World Cup.
Yet, in the midst of reeling from scandal, in 1982 Italy won its first World Cup title since 1938, led by Rossi and goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff. Building on this victory, the Serie A entered its heyday of the 80s and early 90s, which saw many of the world's top footballers playing in Italy while the Azzurri also challenging regularly for world championships in the international stage.
The early golden period was led by Juventus, as the Old Lady dominated the Serie A in the late 70s and early 80s, culminating with the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and Super Cup championships in 1984 and the European Cup and Intercontinental Cup triumphs in 1985. These teams were lead by three-time European Footballer of the Year Michel Platini, along with Rossi. Unfortunately the 1985 European Cup was also the Heysel Stadium disaster. That tragedy resulted in English teams being banned from European competition, in many ways aiding the Serie A's ascendancy in European football.
The late 80s saw the rise of Napoli, led by the great Maradona, and the Milan teams. Milan famously built its two all-conquering Dream Teams, the 1989 European Champions with Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni, Ruud Gullit, and Marco van Basten. The 1994 version had one of the most famous European Cup championship victories in the competition's history, crushing Barcelona 4-0. Future world players of the year continued to be found in the Serie A, with Roberto Baggio and George Weah. Baggio also helped lead Italy to the 1994 World Cup final. During the same period, Italian teams dominated the UEFA Cup, with Juve, Inter, Fiorentina, Napoli, Parma, Torino, and Roma all playing at least one final from 1989 to 1995.
However, it was in the late 1990s that things began to slip in the Serie A, even if observers didn't immediately notice it.
By this time, Juventus was once again a European power on the back of the incomparable Zinedine Zidane. However, stadium infrastructure and TV contracts, both in Italy and in England, were beginning to take their toll. Most stadiums in Italy are owned by local city councils, and the clubs pay a percentage of their gate profits for their use. Many stadiums were built for the 1990 World Cup and they lacked the atmosphere and amenities of new, modernized, or renovated stadiums that came during the mid- to late-90s. Many were built with tracks separating the stands from the field, further reducing atmosphere and visibility. The Stadio delle Alpi in Turin is a prime example.
TV contracts were the second major factor reducing competitiveness. Deregulation led to cheap pay-TV, and clubs were able to strike their own deals. Obviously this led to the big clubs like Juve, Inter and Milan, and to a lesser degree Napoli, Lazio, Roma, and Fiorentina, signing contracts worth more than the smaller clubs. Ultimately the Serie became a two league team, with Juve and Milan dominating and Roma and Inter occasionally challenging. The supposed high water mark for the Serie A was the 2003 Champions League final, pitting Milan against Juventus, one of the worst finals ever. Many claimed this was the peak of the Serie A, but all the final did was serve to hide the ultimate collapse that was to come.
In addition to aging stadia, poor stadium and TV contracts, and an extremely top-heavy imbalance in quality, the Serie A's demise was aided by three other important factors: the rise of the Premier League, scandal, and hooliganism.
As just noted, the Serie A's TV contracts put smaller clubs in a severe disadvantage. On the other hand, the Premier League introduced collective and exclusive TV rights, as well as league corporate sponsorship. The dramatic increase in revenue for all teams in the Premier League substantially improved each team's relative ability to improve itself and attract top foreign talent, finally able to compete with the likes of Milan, Juve, Real Madrid, and Barcelona. Add in the influx of rich foreign ownership, and you get Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Liverpool dominating Europe along with Spanish teams during this decade.
Of course, corruption was the final stake in the heart of Serie A prominence. The Calciopoli scandal led to Juventus being relegated and Milan, Lazio, Reggina, and Fiorentina penalized (and I will maintain that after everything, the fact that Milan was not as severely punished as Juve and Inter was not punished at all was the result of corruption itself - Inter was heavily involved in illegal phone tapping and referees testified to Inter's involvement in tampering back to 2002).
The scandal clearly weakened Serie A competitively and certainly left a black eye on its reputation. Afterwards, only one team was left untouched that could be a true representative in Europe, namely Inter. However, Inter was never good enough to grab hold of the imagination, even after raiding Juventus for player reinforcements. Additionally, Roma, who was the next biggest beneficiary of the scandal, failed to take advantage of its new position as the number two team in Italy. With the severe penalties temporarily crippling Milan and Juventus, both teams are still in the midst of rebuilding their teams. Juve is ahead of Milan in this respect.
The final and currently ongoing source of decline in the Serie A is hooliganism, including racism. Much has been made of the right-wing ultras at many teams, especially those at Lazio that have been linked with fascism. Repeated violence in January 2007 threatened to halt the Serie A entirely, and as recently as this February Roma hooligans stabbed four Liverpool fans. In April, Juve fans racially abused Italian-born Mario Balotelli and were forced to play a game behind closed doors, not the first time such a penalty has been forced on an Italian team in recent times.
As for the actual talent on the field, this summer was notable in Italy for the star players leaving rather than joining Serie A clubs, with Kaka joining Real Madrid from Milan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining Barcelona from Inter in a swap for Samuel Eto'o.
So, after all that history and an examination of the current problems plaguing the Serie A, where does that leave us? In the wake of a scandal, Italy won the 2006 World Cup, so can the Serie A replicate its post-1982 rise to prominence?
Juventus and Milan are slowly trying to rise again and both appear entrenched in European competition along with Inter and Roma. Juve made the biggest moves, adding Diego and Felipe Melo to play with young Italians like Giovinco, Chiellini, and Marchisio, and it looks like they could be the team ready to step up and challenge Inter at home and possibly the big boys in Europe. Unfortunately, despite having budding star Alexandre Pato, Milan has been in disarray following Kaka's departure and many of their key players are aging. Milan must be hopeful that Ronaldinho can some how rekindle his former magic (remember how amazing it was to watch him in action at the top of his game for Barca?).
Still, I can't really see the a new renaissance coming right now. Like it or not, big clubs largely influence how a league is perceived. Milan is in transition and Inter simply has never been the type of team with a world following that can bring attention to the Serie A the way Milan and Juve can, or Man U, Liverpool, Barca, Real Madrid, and even Bayern Munich do for their leagues. Even though Inter smartly added Eto'o this summer, who is the first person you think of when you think of Inter? Jose Mourinho, their coach, not any player.
Of course the real test of a league's strength is the second tier of teams. England tries to claim superiority because it can trot out the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham, the new Man City, and Everton. Spain has strong claims due to its deep roster of quality sides that have over the years challenged in Europe, such as Valencia, Villareal, Deportivo, and Sevilla.
But what of the second tier Serie A teams? Fiorentina and Roma will continue to try to play attacking football, and Roma on their day can still produce beautiful displays. But Roma's problem is its huge debt, preventing them from building depth that could push a very strong first 11 to the level of true challenger to Inter and in Europe. Udinese provides the occasional sublime football and had a roster full of up and coming Italians, but losing its fulcrum D'Agostino to Liverpool will be a big blow. Palermo and Genoa also raised the level of play in Serie A last year, but both look poised to be feeder clubs as teams like Inter pick off their best performers. Genoa alone lost Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter. An entertaining and competitive middle third of the Serie A consisting of teams like Udinese, Palermo, Genoa, Sampdoria, and Napoli is vital to the Serie A's health, but these teams have either underperformed in Europe or they get virtually no exposure on TV (at least in the US). And when the games are shown in the US, poor broadcast production and poor atmosphere (or in some cases the broadcast fails to adequately convey the atmosphere) often make the games unwatchable.
Ultimately the only way the Serie A will rise again is by having Milan and Juve reach their former levels, but not at the expense of teams like Inter or Roma, while modernizing competitiveness at the gate and on the airwaves. In positive news, Juve's new stadium is still on schedule for completion in time for the 2011 season despite the economic collapse that has deranged many a development project. With a new stadium and new team, Juventus could be regaining its old luster, and doing so may prove a stimulus that forces other teams to do what's necessary to remain competitive. MLS actually provides a good model for the Serie A. In MLS the main goal of the league has been to get every team eventually into small, soccer-specific and atmospheric stadiums. I understand it's asking a lot to redo both the television and stadium infrastructure of the league, but if the Serie A doesn't do something soon, it will fall further and further behind. As it is, Italy has geographic and other advantages to England (e.g., women and food), so if new stadiums produce new atmospheres and safer crowds, then coming to Italy suddenly becomes much more appealing.
Thank you for bearing with this long post, but as someone with an interest in Juventus and in competitive, beautiful soccer generally, it's sad to see a storied league fall so hard and I can only hope things turn around.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday Rebounds
So yesterday in my Toe Pokes I apparently jinxed Sunderland by noting they were at the time leading Chelsea, but needed to do better than the 8 goals allowed against the Blues in the 2008-09 season if they were to hold on. Of course the Black Cats capitulated and allowed three goals for 3-1 loss. If there's a bright spot for Sunderland, it's that Darren Bent, who I think is extremely overrated, is starting strong with goals in their opening two games.
Here are highlights before they get snatched from YouTube.
On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers ended up holding on to their 1-0 lead to get their first win of the season against Wigan.
DC United suffered another setback, losing 3-1 to Marathon in San Pedro Sula. DC United was actually the better team on the night, dominating probably 70% of the game. Unfortunately for DC, the other 30% involved Greg Janicki. I noted before that this season he's shown why he was just a USL-2 player prior to his loan to DC. Well let's just say that Janicki is an unmitigated debacle in the back. I'm pretty sure that he couldn't play for either of my men's teams, one of which has players who had never played soccer before. I won't post highlights because it's not even worth watching Janicki being specifically, 100% responsible for all three goals.
On the more humorous side, if you watched the game, you were treated to the San Pedro Sula p.a. and the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast team. As Washington Post reporter Steven Goff put it, it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher found a new job. I think they just outsourced the job to the DC Metro. As for Christian Miles and the FSC boys, well, they simply need to do better as professionals. I kept thinking during the game about how awful and plain wrong they constantly were, and you should never get caught up in the broadcasters when watching the game. At times it's humorous to listen to someone so bad, but I guess there's not much that can be done. Oh well.
Today brings some more action, including CONCACAF and UEFA Champions Leagues. In CONCACAF, Houston takes on Metapan of El Salvador. In UEFA the games of note are Lyon against Anderecht and Panathinaikos against Atletico Madrid. Read up on HalaMadrid's informative take on the new Champions League qualifying rules.
Here are highlights before they get snatched from YouTube.
On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers ended up holding on to their 1-0 lead to get their first win of the season against Wigan.
DC United suffered another setback, losing 3-1 to Marathon in San Pedro Sula. DC United was actually the better team on the night, dominating probably 70% of the game. Unfortunately for DC, the other 30% involved Greg Janicki. I noted before that this season he's shown why he was just a USL-2 player prior to his loan to DC. Well let's just say that Janicki is an unmitigated debacle in the back. I'm pretty sure that he couldn't play for either of my men's teams, one of which has players who had never played soccer before. I won't post highlights because it's not even worth watching Janicki being specifically, 100% responsible for all three goals.
On the more humorous side, if you watched the game, you were treated to the San Pedro Sula p.a. and the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast team. As Washington Post reporter Steven Goff put it, it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher found a new job. I think they just outsourced the job to the DC Metro. As for Christian Miles and the FSC boys, well, they simply need to do better as professionals. I kept thinking during the game about how awful and plain wrong they constantly were, and you should never get caught up in the broadcasters when watching the game. At times it's humorous to listen to someone so bad, but I guess there's not much that can be done. Oh well.
Today brings some more action, including CONCACAF and UEFA Champions Leagues. In CONCACAF, Houston takes on Metapan of El Salvador. In UEFA the games of note are Lyon against Anderecht and Panathinaikos against Atletico Madrid. Read up on HalaMadrid's informative take on the new Champions League qualifying rules.
MLS and EPL also have some games to play today. Chicago facing a David Beckham-less LA Galaxy thanks to his red card over the weekend. LA has the potential to have a very strong offense, with a young and promising defense that still leaks goals, but they're still positioned well to make the postseason, while Chicago is strong but uninspiring, as always.
In England, Liverpool needs to pick up three points at Stoke or else their EPL championship bid will end before it really begins. Tottenham has a great chance of getting out to a solid early start with a second win against shorthanded Hull City. Portsmouth and Birmingham face off in what many would predict is going to be an important relegation match when all is said and done. Man U also faces newly promoted Burnley (as of this writing Burnley is leading 1-0, will they suffer the same fate as Sunderland after I wrote about their lead yesterday?).
And finally, after the off season drama and the horrible showing against Arsenal, David Moyes has shaken things up by dropping Joleon Lescott for a poor attitude. Could this be a prelude to an exit to Manchester??
Monday, August 17, 2009
Return of the EPL
English football has returned and there's no shortage of storylines with only one match in the books. Looking over the scoresheet, there's only one place to begin: Goodison Park, where Arsenal thrashed Everton 6-1. Wenger did his best not to overreact after the match and rightfully so. Only three points is the end result, no matter how many goals are scored or how much champagne football flows. And to be honest, Everton displayed some truly awful defending. The second and third goals were scored on totally free headers from free kicks. Certainly a memorable debut for import Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen and a necessary start to the year for William Gallas, following last year's controversies. Cesc Fabregas found the defending similarly generous when he received an outlet throw from Almunia in his own half and simply dribbled down the pitch unimpeded before calmly depositing the ball in the corner from twenty yards. Louis Saha did score in the 90th minute for Everton to salvage some dignity. But not much.
For Arsenal, this is a statement of intent that they will be a legitimate threat to win the league. Wenger has been proclaiming that his young side is up to the task. This astonishingly good result aside, I have my doubts. Last year Arsenal were nowhere close to winning the Premier League, and with the departure of Toure and Adebayor to Man City, the talent level is surely lower this year than last. Arsenal will get a boost from having the dynamic Arshavin for the full season, but it's hard to imagine that will be enough, unless the youth develops faster than could be imagined. At least Fabregas is staying, for now. Now Arsenal have to worry about qualifying for the group stages of Champions League, as the new qualifying format has "rewarded" them with a two-legged fixture against Celtic, beginning tomorrow in Glasgow.
Everton, last year's fifth place finisher, have to be mortified by their season opener. They harbor outside thoughts of finishing in a Champions League spot, but looked nowhere near a capable side on Saturday. Perhaps they were distracted by the international week or by the continued distraction of the possible transfer of Joleon Lescott to (who else) Manchester City. David Moyes' continues to nearly hyperventilate while insisting that Everton are not selling. Perhaps too much of the week was focused on Lescott and not nearly enough on the rest of the squad. Now that the season has begun, it's best for that situation to be resolved, one way or another.
Elsewhere, Manchester United and Chelsea both opened the season with wins, but neither exactly impressed. Man U won 1-0 at home against newly promoted Birmingham, scoring when Wayne Rooney finished off his own rebound off the woodwork. United had several other good chances, including a breakaway for Michael Owen that he failed to finish. But Birmingham were not without chances, and Ben Foster's quick instincts prevented a potentially embarassing draw to begin the season. Chelsea were even more fortunate against Hull City, who barely escaped relegation last year while proving that Phil Brown shouldn't sing. Chelsea fell behind in the first half, then saw Drogba equalize on a superbly taken free kick. But despite several opportunites, Chelsea were still level in extra time until Drogba's chip shot (er, cross?) from no angle. Regardless of intent, a great goal, and Chelsea will gladly take the three points.
While the other three "Big Four" (assuming that's still what they are) found victory this weekend, Liverpool suffered defeat at Tottenham. Last year Liverpool were the better side but managed to lose 2-1 anyway. No one would argue that Liverpool were the better side this time. The first half was particularly listless for the Reds, while Spurs had a few good chances before finally scoring on a wicked strike from Benoit Assou-Ekotto on a rebound off a free kick shot directly into the wall. Liverpool managed to equalize on a second half penalty on a dangerous run by the newly acquired Glen Johnson. After dribbling past two defenders, Johnson parried the ball to the side of goalkeeper Gomes, who recklessly (and needlessly) brought him down. But Spurs were in front to stay three minutes later when new arrival Sebastien Bassong beat Carragher on a free kick and headed the ball past Reina. Liverpool did manage to find their gear somewhat in the second half, particularly after the introduction of Yossi Benayoun, but could not find the back of the net. There were calls for one more penalty after Assou-Ekotto shoulder-barged substitute Andriy Voronin in the box. The ball was likely rolling through to the goalkeeper anyway, so it was understandable why it wasn't given. But Assou-Ekotto certainly made matters interesting by making no attempt to play the ball whatsoever and hip-checking Voronin to the ground. Opinions on the matter varied: the match commentators thought it was a penalty, as did Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee, who was ejected for arguing. The FSC post-match commentators, as well as the Guardian post-match commentary, agreed it was not a penalty. In the end, Tottenham got the decision from the only man that mattered. That hasn't stopped Benitez from complaining the day after.
Almost nothing positive to take away from this effort for Liverpool. Carragher and Skrtel banged heads in the first half (after some awful miscommunication); as a result, Carragher had his head bandaged the rest of the match and Skrtel eventually had to leave for young Daniel Sanchez Ayala. The backline for Liverpool is plagued with injuries right now: Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio were out for the match, and both Carragher and Skrtel were question marks entering the week. With Arbeloa gone, there isn't much to choose from if there are further injuries to the defense. Gerrard was also nicked but managed to play. On the pitch there was little to inspire. Gerrard was mostly ineffective, though he was more effective than his fellow star Torres, who consistently gave away possession and created almost nothing. It goes without saying that without stellar play from Gerrard and Torres, Liverpool aren't a team to be feared. Ryan Babel got the start instead of Benayoun, and that was a dreadful decision. Benitez attempted to hype Babel for a big year over the summer, but there was no indication he was capable of that yesterday. As long as Aquilani is out, there is simply no way Benayoun can be left out of the starting eleven; he and Reina were clearly the two best players for the Reds. And yes, Xabi Alonso was missed. The squad missed his probing balls from midfield to liven the attack. Now Liverpool must win at home against Stoke on Wednesday, and every player will need to improve their performance. In case the results on the pitch aren't enough to be concerned about, Liverpool now apparently have to fend off Barcelona for Riera.
Elsewhere, Manchester City opened with a 2-0 road victory at Blackburn. Their stylish first goal, scored on the counterattack and finished by Adebayor, demonstrated the kind of attacking flair they will be capable of. Blackburn created their share of chances though, and Man City still have defensive worries. Still, they fared much better than another team with European aspirations: Aston Villa were resoundingly beaten at home by Wigan, 2-0. Since last midseason, when they seemed a good bet to finish ahead of Arsenal for a Champions League spot, Villa have fallen apart. Combined with Everton's horrid showing, the "Big Four" and Man City certainly have the look of the top five finishers come season's end. Though perhaps that's making too much of one result.
There are six mid-week matches this week, though none really jump off the page for neutrals. Wigan do have a great chance to get to six points in two matches hosting Wolves. Liverpool try to right the ship against Stoke, Man U travel to Burnley, and Spurs try to sustain the momentum traveling to Hull.
For Arsenal, this is a statement of intent that they will be a legitimate threat to win the league. Wenger has been proclaiming that his young side is up to the task. This astonishingly good result aside, I have my doubts. Last year Arsenal were nowhere close to winning the Premier League, and with the departure of Toure and Adebayor to Man City, the talent level is surely lower this year than last. Arsenal will get a boost from having the dynamic Arshavin for the full season, but it's hard to imagine that will be enough, unless the youth develops faster than could be imagined. At least Fabregas is staying, for now. Now Arsenal have to worry about qualifying for the group stages of Champions League, as the new qualifying format has "rewarded" them with a two-legged fixture against Celtic, beginning tomorrow in Glasgow.
Everton, last year's fifth place finisher, have to be mortified by their season opener. They harbor outside thoughts of finishing in a Champions League spot, but looked nowhere near a capable side on Saturday. Perhaps they were distracted by the international week or by the continued distraction of the possible transfer of Joleon Lescott to (who else) Manchester City. David Moyes' continues to nearly hyperventilate while insisting that Everton are not selling. Perhaps too much of the week was focused on Lescott and not nearly enough on the rest of the squad. Now that the season has begun, it's best for that situation to be resolved, one way or another.
Elsewhere, Manchester United and Chelsea both opened the season with wins, but neither exactly impressed. Man U won 1-0 at home against newly promoted Birmingham, scoring when Wayne Rooney finished off his own rebound off the woodwork. United had several other good chances, including a breakaway for Michael Owen that he failed to finish. But Birmingham were not without chances, and Ben Foster's quick instincts prevented a potentially embarassing draw to begin the season. Chelsea were even more fortunate against Hull City, who barely escaped relegation last year while proving that Phil Brown shouldn't sing. Chelsea fell behind in the first half, then saw Drogba equalize on a superbly taken free kick. But despite several opportunites, Chelsea were still level in extra time until Drogba's chip shot (er, cross?) from no angle. Regardless of intent, a great goal, and Chelsea will gladly take the three points.
While the other three "Big Four" (assuming that's still what they are) found victory this weekend, Liverpool suffered defeat at Tottenham. Last year Liverpool were the better side but managed to lose 2-1 anyway. No one would argue that Liverpool were the better side this time. The first half was particularly listless for the Reds, while Spurs had a few good chances before finally scoring on a wicked strike from Benoit Assou-Ekotto on a rebound off a free kick shot directly into the wall. Liverpool managed to equalize on a second half penalty on a dangerous run by the newly acquired Glen Johnson. After dribbling past two defenders, Johnson parried the ball to the side of goalkeeper Gomes, who recklessly (and needlessly) brought him down. But Spurs were in front to stay three minutes later when new arrival Sebastien Bassong beat Carragher on a free kick and headed the ball past Reina. Liverpool did manage to find their gear somewhat in the second half, particularly after the introduction of Yossi Benayoun, but could not find the back of the net. There were calls for one more penalty after Assou-Ekotto shoulder-barged substitute Andriy Voronin in the box. The ball was likely rolling through to the goalkeeper anyway, so it was understandable why it wasn't given. But Assou-Ekotto certainly made matters interesting by making no attempt to play the ball whatsoever and hip-checking Voronin to the ground. Opinions on the matter varied: the match commentators thought it was a penalty, as did Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee, who was ejected for arguing. The FSC post-match commentators, as well as the Guardian post-match commentary, agreed it was not a penalty. In the end, Tottenham got the decision from the only man that mattered. That hasn't stopped Benitez from complaining the day after.
Almost nothing positive to take away from this effort for Liverpool. Carragher and Skrtel banged heads in the first half (after some awful miscommunication); as a result, Carragher had his head bandaged the rest of the match and Skrtel eventually had to leave for young Daniel Sanchez Ayala. The backline for Liverpool is plagued with injuries right now: Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio were out for the match, and both Carragher and Skrtel were question marks entering the week. With Arbeloa gone, there isn't much to choose from if there are further injuries to the defense. Gerrard was also nicked but managed to play. On the pitch there was little to inspire. Gerrard was mostly ineffective, though he was more effective than his fellow star Torres, who consistently gave away possession and created almost nothing. It goes without saying that without stellar play from Gerrard and Torres, Liverpool aren't a team to be feared. Ryan Babel got the start instead of Benayoun, and that was a dreadful decision. Benitez attempted to hype Babel for a big year over the summer, but there was no indication he was capable of that yesterday. As long as Aquilani is out, there is simply no way Benayoun can be left out of the starting eleven; he and Reina were clearly the two best players for the Reds. And yes, Xabi Alonso was missed. The squad missed his probing balls from midfield to liven the attack. Now Liverpool must win at home against Stoke on Wednesday, and every player will need to improve their performance. In case the results on the pitch aren't enough to be concerned about, Liverpool now apparently have to fend off Barcelona for Riera.
Elsewhere, Manchester City opened with a 2-0 road victory at Blackburn. Their stylish first goal, scored on the counterattack and finished by Adebayor, demonstrated the kind of attacking flair they will be capable of. Blackburn created their share of chances though, and Man City still have defensive worries. Still, they fared much better than another team with European aspirations: Aston Villa were resoundingly beaten at home by Wigan, 2-0. Since last midseason, when they seemed a good bet to finish ahead of Arsenal for a Champions League spot, Villa have fallen apart. Combined with Everton's horrid showing, the "Big Four" and Man City certainly have the look of the top five finishers come season's end. Though perhaps that's making too much of one result.
There are six mid-week matches this week, though none really jump off the page for neutrals. Wigan do have a great chance to get to six points in two matches hosting Wolves. Liverpool try to right the ship against Stoke, Man U travel to Burnley, and Spurs try to sustain the momentum traveling to Hull.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Bundesliga and a World Where Football is Not Enough
Probably couldn't have asked for a better segueway into this post than ARF's last posting. Read below for his take on the EPL and the Bundesliga this year. My focus, however, is on the Bundesliga generally. About two weeks ago I spoke with a German friend about the Bundesliga, and I compared it to Ligue 1, in the sense that the Bundesliga seems perfectly content to be the fourth best league in Europe. In other words, it is satisfied with its lot in life.
Everyone knows not to expect any big moves from France. The French and their league are content with their middle-of-the-road status in Europe. Lyon has been competitive to an extent, and no other team in France seems to aspire to much in Europe. The days of Marseille are over. But my German friend vociferously disagreed with extending this analogy to Germany. The Bundesliga and Ligue 1, he asserted, had nothing in common.
And the truth be told, he was right. As ARF stated below, the Bundesliga tends to be an exciting competition, with close league finishes, lots of goals, some attractive play, and a competitive level that goes deep into the table. Add to that the fact that the Bundesliga has numerous "historical" teams that have marked eras, and several dark horses that have truly achieved (see Wolfsburg, 2009). At least one team, Bayern Munich, is willing to splash around some serious coin in its pursuit of glory (Ribery, Toni, and Klose were all signed in one summer).
And yet, I didn't even know the proper name of the German league tournament, or who had won it (the DFB-Pokal or German Football Federation Cup, and Werder Bremen beat Leverkusen in 2009). Now part of my ignorance, and it seems the greater ignorance towards the Bundesliga, has to do with time. If one follows la Liga, the EPL, Champions League and international play, it doesn't leave much for other leagues. But I'll still watch the Turin and Milan derbis. I'll check out Boca-River and Copa Libertadores knockout games. Yet aside from three or four Bundesliga games preceding Liga games on GolTV I've seen very little of the Bundesliga.
But teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Dortmund, Hamburger, Werder Bremen, and recently Schalke and Wolfsburg have impressed both in the win column and in their play. So what's wrong with the Bundesliga? Why didn't it step out of the shadow of Serie A during the Moggiopoli and ascend to be the third best league in Europe? That moment was a singular opportunity to do so, and maybe even grab a fourth Champions League spot. The answer to these questions, at its base, is rather simple: marketing. The Bundesliga, despite its historical and present quality, has failed almost remarkably to market itself.
First off, there is no true grudge match in Germany. Bayern Munich v. Munich 1860 is not going to draw the international masses. Indeed, the parity in German football has removed this critical element from the mix. Second, the Bundesliga has not had a true golden age from which to capitalize recently. Bayern has faltered internationally since their Champions League win in 2001, and no other Bundesliga teams have truly stepped up. During the Bundesliga's true golden age, the 1970s, global marketing of club teams as we know it today didn't exist. Neverthless, it's worth noting that this "golden age" was just that - during that decade one German club made the semifinals of European play every year, Bayern Munich won three European Cups back-to-back, and several Bundesliga teams won the UEFA Cup (remember this was when only champions made the European Cup, so the UEFA Cup was a bigger deal). Sadly, the 1970s saw the domestic popularity of the Bundesliga go down due to a 1970 match-fixing scandal.
In the 1980s the Bundesliga witnessed reduced European success, though again, Bundesliga teams made four Champions League and four UEFA Cup finals that decade. Hamburger even won it in 1982. The 1990s continued the reduced visibility of the Bundesliga, despite Borussia Dortmund's 1996 Champions League victory. But even then, the Asian and North American football markets weren't being mined the way they are today. Further, my German companion pointed out, German clubs work within a legislative and financial framework that may restrict the lavish spending of other leagues. I won't pretend to know the intricacies of German ownership laws, but if true, this only adds to the Bundesliga's difficulties. And so the Bundesliga, like every other league except the EPL, was left marketing its best teams. Internationally, that left Bayern Munich, a team that has struggled to assert itself this decade, despite having initial successes in the 2000s.
No league has marketed itself as well as the EPL. While it's elite teams market themselves to the fullest, the EPL has also worked on marketing the league as a product, so that people actually care about the Hull City's of the world. La Liga has much to learn from the EPL in this respect, but has survived on the individual marketing prowess of Real Madrid and Barcelona, their rivalry, and extensive European success from those teams as well as at times Valencia, Deportivo, Villareal, and Sevilla. Serie A too has taken advantage of its world brands (AC Milan, Inter, and Juve) and Italy's success in international competition. The Bundesliga, on the other hand, has regressed in European competitions, precisely at the moment the German national team has failed to achieve as it usually does. And so it seems the Bundesliga has fallen victim to two, equally important factors, at least in terms of world renown. The first, is plainly recent on the pitch performances, both in Europe and for the national team. The second is failing to market the Bundesliga as a whole, so that Bayern Munich's drop in form doesn't diminsh the accomplishments of the Werder Bremens, Stuttgarts and Wolfsburgs of the league.
Truth be told, aside from the EPL no European league has grasped the idea of deliberately marketing their national league as a product aside from the individual teams or stars. This is a concept pioneered by the United States where a sports business model is built on selling the NBA or NFL rather than the Lakers or the Patriots. Just like people care about Hull City or West Ham, people need to care about Eintracht or Udinese or Malaga. Otherwise a league runs the risk of losing its appeal simply because its big clubs have off-years. That is what the Bundesliga has fallen victim to. The league's star (Bayern Munich) hasn't done much recently, and world fans live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world. Add to that a failure to market the league as a whole, and its a recipe for problems. But that doesn't change the fact that ARF is right. The Bundesliga is an interesting and exciting league that deserves much more credit than it's given. Hopefully, for the good of the Bundesliga and European parity, we see its teams return to the European stage and reveal one of the best kept secrets in football: the Bundesliga's a quality product, and we should all be watching a bit more of it.
Everyone knows not to expect any big moves from France. The French and their league are content with their middle-of-the-road status in Europe. Lyon has been competitive to an extent, and no other team in France seems to aspire to much in Europe. The days of Marseille are over. But my German friend vociferously disagreed with extending this analogy to Germany. The Bundesliga and Ligue 1, he asserted, had nothing in common.
And the truth be told, he was right. As ARF stated below, the Bundesliga tends to be an exciting competition, with close league finishes, lots of goals, some attractive play, and a competitive level that goes deep into the table. Add to that the fact that the Bundesliga has numerous "historical" teams that have marked eras, and several dark horses that have truly achieved (see Wolfsburg, 2009). At least one team, Bayern Munich, is willing to splash around some serious coin in its pursuit of glory (Ribery, Toni, and Klose were all signed in one summer).
And yet, I didn't even know the proper name of the German league tournament, or who had won it (the DFB-Pokal or German Football Federation Cup, and Werder Bremen beat Leverkusen in 2009). Now part of my ignorance, and it seems the greater ignorance towards the Bundesliga, has to do with time. If one follows la Liga, the EPL, Champions League and international play, it doesn't leave much for other leagues. But I'll still watch the Turin and Milan derbis. I'll check out Boca-River and Copa Libertadores knockout games. Yet aside from three or four Bundesliga games preceding Liga games on GolTV I've seen very little of the Bundesliga.
But teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Dortmund, Hamburger, Werder Bremen, and recently Schalke and Wolfsburg have impressed both in the win column and in their play. So what's wrong with the Bundesliga? Why didn't it step out of the shadow of Serie A during the Moggiopoli and ascend to be the third best league in Europe? That moment was a singular opportunity to do so, and maybe even grab a fourth Champions League spot. The answer to these questions, at its base, is rather simple: marketing. The Bundesliga, despite its historical and present quality, has failed almost remarkably to market itself.
First off, there is no true grudge match in Germany. Bayern Munich v. Munich 1860 is not going to draw the international masses. Indeed, the parity in German football has removed this critical element from the mix. Second, the Bundesliga has not had a true golden age from which to capitalize recently. Bayern has faltered internationally since their Champions League win in 2001, and no other Bundesliga teams have truly stepped up. During the Bundesliga's true golden age, the 1970s, global marketing of club teams as we know it today didn't exist. Neverthless, it's worth noting that this "golden age" was just that - during that decade one German club made the semifinals of European play every year, Bayern Munich won three European Cups back-to-back, and several Bundesliga teams won the UEFA Cup (remember this was when only champions made the European Cup, so the UEFA Cup was a bigger deal). Sadly, the 1970s saw the domestic popularity of the Bundesliga go down due to a 1970 match-fixing scandal.
In the 1980s the Bundesliga witnessed reduced European success, though again, Bundesliga teams made four Champions League and four UEFA Cup finals that decade. Hamburger even won it in 1982. The 1990s continued the reduced visibility of the Bundesliga, despite Borussia Dortmund's 1996 Champions League victory. But even then, the Asian and North American football markets weren't being mined the way they are today. Further, my German companion pointed out, German clubs work within a legislative and financial framework that may restrict the lavish spending of other leagues. I won't pretend to know the intricacies of German ownership laws, but if true, this only adds to the Bundesliga's difficulties. And so the Bundesliga, like every other league except the EPL, was left marketing its best teams. Internationally, that left Bayern Munich, a team that has struggled to assert itself this decade, despite having initial successes in the 2000s.
No league has marketed itself as well as the EPL. While it's elite teams market themselves to the fullest, the EPL has also worked on marketing the league as a product, so that people actually care about the Hull City's of the world. La Liga has much to learn from the EPL in this respect, but has survived on the individual marketing prowess of Real Madrid and Barcelona, their rivalry, and extensive European success from those teams as well as at times Valencia, Deportivo, Villareal, and Sevilla. Serie A too has taken advantage of its world brands (AC Milan, Inter, and Juve) and Italy's success in international competition. The Bundesliga, on the other hand, has regressed in European competitions, precisely at the moment the German national team has failed to achieve as it usually does. And so it seems the Bundesliga has fallen victim to two, equally important factors, at least in terms of world renown. The first, is plainly recent on the pitch performances, both in Europe and for the national team. The second is failing to market the Bundesliga as a whole, so that Bayern Munich's drop in form doesn't diminsh the accomplishments of the Werder Bremens, Stuttgarts and Wolfsburgs of the league.
Truth be told, aside from the EPL no European league has grasped the idea of deliberately marketing their national league as a product aside from the individual teams or stars. This is a concept pioneered by the United States where a sports business model is built on selling the NBA or NFL rather than the Lakers or the Patriots. Just like people care about Hull City or West Ham, people need to care about Eintracht or Udinese or Malaga. Otherwise a league runs the risk of losing its appeal simply because its big clubs have off-years. That is what the Bundesliga has fallen victim to. The league's star (Bayern Munich) hasn't done much recently, and world fans live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world. Add to that a failure to market the league as a whole, and its a recipe for problems. But that doesn't change the fact that ARF is right. The Bundesliga is an interesting and exciting league that deserves much more credit than it's given. Hopefully, for the good of the Bundesliga and European parity, we see its teams return to the European stage and reveal one of the best kept secrets in football: the Bundesliga's a quality product, and we should all be watching a bit more of it.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thoughts on the Bundesliga and EPL Seasons
Things are about to ratchet up in world football, so I'd like to give some thoughts on the upcoming EPL season, as well as the Bundesliga.
First however, I want to start with big news coming after the USA-Mexico match, namely the diagnosis that Landon Donovan has the swine flu, which in part explains why he didn't play up to his recent hot form. I'll take a look at the future state of the US team in a post coming soon.
First however, I want to start with big news coming after the USA-Mexico match, namely the diagnosis that Landon Donovan has the swine flu, which in part explains why he didn't play up to his recent hot form. I'll take a look at the future state of the US team in a post coming soon.
The big news internationally is the start of the 2009-2010 Premier League season. The Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Eredivisie already kicked off, and the Serie A and La Liga begin next weekend and the weekend thereafter, respectively.
In the Bundesliga, many will hope that last season's tight title race between Wolfsburg, Bayern, and Stuttgart will repeat itself. This is a big year for Bayern. They will need to keep Ribery happy and find time for all the firepower they've added, including the dangerous Mario Gomez and Ivica Olic, who join Miroslav Klose, Luca Toni, Ribery, and Bastian Schweinsteiger. Bayern will be expected to win the title and challenge in Europe.
In their way will be defending champions Wolfsburg, who already started strong by beating Stuttgart. Edin Dzeko and Grafite, who scored a record 54 goals last season, lead a high scoring, entertaining attacking team. If you get the chance, watch this team (in fact, the Bundesliga is an entertaining league that more people should pay attention to). TSG Hoffenheim made a remarkable run from the fifth division to leading the Bundesliga at the halfway point of their first season in the top flight last year, and they will hope Vedad Ibišević returns healthy from his ACL tear to replicate that start.
Schalke will be another team to watch, with Kevin Kuranyi, Jefferson Farfan, Gerald Asamoah, Rafinha, and future US man Jermaine Jones. In addition, they had the best defensive record last season. I'll certainly watch them with interest this year. Werder Bremen are coming off a disappointing season and will likely be in the same boat this season without talisman Diego. Bremen used to be a fun, attacking team, but losing players like Klose and Diego is too much. Much of their attacking threat comes from set pieces with targets like Naldo and Per Mertesacker. Like Schalke, Borussia Dortmund has a solid defense and will challenge for a Europa spot.
Hertha Berlin and Hamburg finished with Europa League spots last season with goal differentials of 7 and 2 respectively, which is needless to say very precarious. Hertha has a decent team, but I wouldn't bet on Hamburg repeating its success, particularly with the additional games in Europe. Unfortunately I can't speak to the Bundesliga relegation battle. Sorry.
As for the Premier League, there are plenty of sites with detailed previews, including ESPN Soccernet and The Guardian to name just two.
There are certainly lots of story lines to look out far and I'll touch on a few briefly:
Can Man U win the title again without Ronaldo? One of the major stories will be how Man U copes without the prolific winger. Will Rooney step into the void to score goals (and the same for Berbatov)? Can Antonio Valencia fill the void on the wing? Will Nani ever begin to fulfill his potential? I think Man U may struggle to find an identity in a few games where Ronaldo would have otherwise stolen the game with individual brilliance, but they will be there at the wire.
At the same time, will someone step up and take the title away from the Red Devils? Chelsea looks poised to have another strong season and could be a danger in both England and Europe under Carlo Ancelotti. Liverpool gave it a good run last year, and will be dangerous anytime Gerrard and Torres are healthy, but will the loss of Xabi Alonso be too devastating?
Will it be the Big Five? The other big story line of course is how big spending and striker heavy Man City will fare. With such an expensive team, they will look to displace Arsenal at least for fourth. It's even possible Man City could challenge Liverpool for third if Gerrard or Torres get injured and if Aquilani proves an inadequate replacement for Alonso.
How will Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham fare in the Europa League? Fulham in particular could fall out of the top ten in the EPL if they get stretched by playing in Europe. Villa's youngsters continue to develop and it will be interesting to see if they will try to mount a challenge on fourth, especially with Man City looming.
Can Tottenham or West Ham challenge for Europa? Tottenham certainly fancies themselves a big club deserving of play in Europe, but the race for those spots will be tougher this season. They will have to hope that Fulham will fade and that Man City or someone else doesn't play up to their potential, otherwise it could be another disappointing season for the Spurs. However, I think they end up above Fulham.
How will the Yanks play? Tim Howard will be a constant, and Dempsey will look to build on another good season. But what about Jozy Altidore? Will he play regularly for Hull, and will he provide the goals necessary to save them from relegation?
Speaking of relegation, who will it be? Hull seems a consensus after barely managing to stay up last season. I say they manage it again. Portsmouth is one team that could be in for a very poor season, having offloaded so much of the team in order to pay its debts. Newly promoted Birmingham City, Burnley, and Wolverhampton will be fighting for their EPL lives, but someone will inevitably stay up, maybe even two. Burnley has the misfortune of facing Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea in its first five games, Birmingham opens at Old Trafford, while Wolves wait until November for such a fixture. How that plays out could determine who stays up. Last year Hull parlayed a strong start into another season with the big boys, and Wolves have a chance to do the same.
My prediction at the top is Chelsea, Man U (I'm torn here, and think they are capable of proving me wrong and beating out Chelsea), Liverpool (I think they win some silverware this year, FA Cup or League Cup maybe), Man City, Arsenal, Villa, Tottenham. That means Everton's thin squad gets too stretched in Europa, finishing just behind Spurs. At the bottom, Portsmouth, Burnley, and Birmingham will be relegated. Agree, disagree? Thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
