Arsenal lose some potential midfield metal

Arsenal target, the Brazilian Melo will stay in Italy and head to the Old Lady rather than come to London:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=659996&sec=transfers&cc=5901

Hmmmm, not good for Wenger and Arsenal, while I will admit I have not seen much of the Brazilian holding midfielder, based on reports as well as Sam, it sounds as if he would have given Arsenal exactly what they needed - a tough, ball winning, holding midfielder. Unfortunately he now stays in Italy...and forces Arsenal to keep searching for that player. Looking out over the transfer market potentials, not sure who and where Arsenal can turn.

Yaya Toure - signed an extension
Mascherano - doubtful they can afford him
Toulalan - maybe a good option but not sure if Lyon want to sell another player

I fear that Arsenal will come into the season without a solid option at holding midfield. Alas, I fear that Arsenal will not be able to add the necessary metal to the club to really challenge for any silverware next season.

Oh the Landycakes - MLS - Spiceboy drama

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=659931&sec=mls&cc=5901

Ah where to start with this one....Landycakes calling out someone for not showing up, Lalas telling a player he is not the MVP, Lalas being called out as being over his head....oh my. Not quite sure what to make of this, but if this is a teaser to purchase the book it might just have worked with me! I think it is a bit ironic that Landycakes calls out a player for not "showing up." Something that I would accuse Donovan of doing in big games. And based on this short blurbs, what we thought was all true but glossed over - Beckham did not want to come to the MLS and the only reason he did was that at the time no major European club wanted him! Of course Lalas, another beacon of intelligent American soccer management, made it a huge affair when they signed him...while he should have, but I fear he believed his own spin and thought that Becks really wanted to play in the MLS and that he was going to give 110%. Funny, but once a big club like Milan calls, who goes running back to Europe? And who can blame Becks??? It will be interesting to see what else is in the book, but from this snippet it is clear that the Beckham experiment did not turn out as the MLS hoped.

I might have to put this on my amazon list.

Olympique Lyonnais, let the rebuilding truly begin

So this has been quite the season for OL, they did not win the French League title for the first time since 2001 and they might have finally sold off one too many players in seeing their 21 year old star striker, Benzema heading off to Real Madrid. I was reflecting on the team that Lyon had become and was during the amazing run of 7 straight League 1 titles.

Lyon were at their peak the middle of the decade when the teams made 3 straight Champions League 1/4 finals, losing once to eventual champs Porto, cruelly falling to PSV Eindoven when they should have advanced, and finally being 15 minutes from the 1/2 only to see Milan score a flury of goals to advance to the 1/2 finals. Lyon deserved better in Europe, and based on the players they had and lost should have been a bigger force in Europe. Alas, that team is now history, and the rebuilding truly begins. While Lyon have brought in some large sums of money via selling of players, I just do not see players on the roster or rumored to be heading there that will allow them to find the dominance they so enjoyed.

First, they have one striker - Piquionne - currently, not exactly sure where the goals will come from. Second, their midfield has no more "conductor" with Juninho leaving (granted he was done) and Lyon have no natural replacement. Pjanic and Mounier are expected to one day be the offensive midfielders to carry the game, but they are still young, plus Mounier is rumored on his way out as well! Defensively is where there is the most "stability." Cris, Reveillere, Clerc and yes Boumsong remain, Grosso most likely on his way out. With Lloris in goal, this is the one area that Lyon can build from. The question becomes, how will Lyon compete next season with a revitalized Marseilles, defending champs Bordeaux, as well as others such as Lille, Rennes, TFC and even PSG.

I am not sure that Gignac is the answer for Lyon, while the striker had a fantastic season for TFC, I am not convinced he will fill the boots of a Benzema. Another rumored move is Remy from Nice, a nice player indeed, but they had someone as talented even more so, granted more of a head case, in Ben Afra who they allowed to walk last season. They are also supposedly on the trail of one David Trezeguet, which would be a nice addition, however not sure who would get him the ball since the midfield remains a bit light with no one on the horizon. I think a lot will be expected of the likes of Kallstrom, but not sure he can carry the creative burden of the side. I think Lyon will look very different next season, what a bold prediction that is! They will play a much more defensive style of game, looking to beat teams on the counter. With workman Toulalan and a veteran defense they should be able to defend well, depending on which offensive options they can find - Remy, Gignac, Trezeguet, or unknown - they could be a solid club, but challenging for the title might be, for the first time in a long time, not realistic.

Just for fun, here is a team that you could assemble from the players OL have lost recently, I will play a 4-2-3-1:

Goal - Coupet
Defense - Grosso, Squillaci, Abidal, Essien (playing at left back)
Holding Midfield - MDiarra, Tiago
Offensive midfield - Malouda, Juninho, Ben Afra
Striker - Benzema

Bench - Fred, Kanoute, Baros, Carew, Wiltord, Luyindula, ADiarra, Clement (very offensive minded I realize)

Not a bad side to line up....

Los Galaticos part II - Real keeps on spending

Ribery...Villa...Eto'o...Maradona...Pele???? The question for the past few weeks was not when but who Real Madrid would add to their new version of the Galaticos. After Kaka and Ronaldo it is the turn of Benzema to head to Spain. Slightly surprising since the young French striker kept saying he wanted to stay in France until after the world cup, but the lure of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs was too much...as were the 35m Euros for his transfer. I am happy he went there rather than the other rumored landing spot...Manchester United. Also, I also think for the player this is the better move. With the supposed exit of Van Nistelrooy, the aging of Raul...Benzema will have an opportunity to become the #1 striker fro Real. Not a bad place to be with Ronaldo on one wing and Kaka slotted behind you. Benzema had an "off year" last season but still racked up healthy goal totals - 17 total. Playing in Spain, with this cast, should only help the young striker grow. He had no challenges left in France, so the move makes sense.

Wonder if Real will buy a defender any time soon?

What could have been....Confederation Cup finals

Ahhh, what might have, could have, maybe should have been....for 45 minutes it appears as if the US might pull off another huge upset and knock off the Samba Boys to capture their first "major" international tourney. However in the end the class of Brazil showed itself too mighty for the unbridled enthusiasm of the Americans. A couple of thoughts:

The Good:

• Clint Dempsey was solid through out the entire tourney, but showed how dangerous he can be when given the smallest of chances. The first goal of the game was really a simple redirect of a long distance shot from Spector, but Deuce demonstrated what makes him dangerous, he fought to get himself in a dangerous position and capitalized. The same thing he did scoring the US' second goal against Spain when he was opportunistic when Ramos botched a clearance and was able to guide in the ball for the sealing goal. While I am not ready to proclaim Dempsey as some one that might become one of the world's best, he is and will continue to develop in a solid international player.
• Fabiano....speaking of being in the right place at the right time as well as being lucky...the Sevilla striker showed his class the entire tournament but more specifically the second half of the finals. The first goal he scored he showed his ability but getting position on DeMerit and execting a deadly turn and volley, easier said than done, but he should have never been allowed to establish that position. The second goal was the true sign of a "fox in the box" type striker, after a missed shot by Kaka, the Brazilian #9 was prowling the box to latch onto the rebound to head home his second. His stock in Europe just went up...wonder if SAF will sniff around since he is flush with cash!
• Another American player that should leave head high is Tim Howard. As I stated in a previous post, only way the US had a chance was for their keeper to have an A+ game. While giving up 3 goals might not warrant such a grade I will at least give him an A-. He can hardly be blamed for any of the three goals, the last one especially when Lucio was inexplicably allowed to attack the corner kick, watching the replay there was not a single US defender there to attempt to defend him! Were the Americans being coached by the Domenech method of defending set pieces??? Ugh.

The Bad:

• Ok I know I like to picking on this player....but LandyCakes I am going to call bad...why? Yes I realize he scored. But what happened to him in the second half???? If he is suppose to be a world class player, if he is suppose to be the face of US soccer, if he suppose to be the American star.....then he needs to step it up when it most counts! His goal was very nice, granted, a great example of how to play counter attacking footie. But what happened when the team came back from the locker rooms? He all but disappeared. Granted the US was a bit back on their heels after the quick strike, but that is exactly when your stars are suppose to step up. I do not recall seeing Donovan back tracking to collect the ball, calling for long clearances or pressuring Brazil in their half. I never felt he was dangerous after scoring the second goal.
• Bradley taking off Altidore. I realize that the youngster had been taken off around the 60 minute mark in prior matches, but this is the finals. At the time the Brazilians had just drawn level, so you need to keep your offensive threat out there! Altidore is the only American striker with the size, pace and skill to truly threaten a defense on the break. Maybe Landycakes should have been the one substituted for!

The Ugly:

• US defending set pieces....ugh, for a while I thought I was watching Arsenal or a Domenech led team. How can you allow an opposing player get a free run at a corner kick, especially in the last 5 minutes of the game???? Inexcusable.
• Brazil's start. It was clear that the Samba Boys thought the very sight of their yellow kit would give them the victory. Unlike Spain, they were able to overcome this poor approach.
  
• Bradley, okay this might be harsh, but I think the substitutions were poor....see Altidore... I think the intensity coming out of the locker room was terrible. The US started the game strong showing no fear, but seemed to come out for the second half...with a 2-0 lead and did not look ready, did not look prepared for what they knew would be a Brazilian attack. The most important times are the first and last 5 minutes of a half, Bradley needed to ensure his team came out with the same level of intensity as it had left the field! The one thing that the US could not afford to allow happen...they did, an early goal in the second half. Yes the players shoulder some responsibility but that is up to the coach to remind each player upon leaving the warmth of the changing room.
• The commentating on ESPN...ugh no surprise, but listening to the pundits talk about how US soccer is no longer the laughing stock of the world and how great this was made me sick...not sure what these talking heads have been watching but clearly international soccer is very different than it once was. While the big nations still dominate the collecting of silverware, clearly the smaller or less footie savvy nations are no longer the push overs they once were. Ask Argentina that lost to Ecuador, or I recall the defending WC champs, France barely beating Andorra in 1999 qualifiers for the Euros, or Greece winning the Euros 5 years ago, and the list goes on. The International footie scene is one where minnows can sometimes eat a shark. So let us not try to make a story out of an old complaint about American soccer not getting any respect. Players like Dempsey and Howard play in the Premiership, and outside of Landycakes, most of the team has aspirations to play overseas. Least we forget, this is the same hype machine that proclaimed Freddie Adu was going to be greater than Pele...btw did he get any minutes?

Overall this was a very entertaining tourney (the 3rd place game was great as well!), but let us not put too much stock in the results. Brazil, Spain, US, South Africa, and Italy will all most likely be there next year, but if any of these teams face one another then, the stakes will be much higher.

Brazil vs USA....who would have seen this final??

So the US will face Brazil tomorrow for the Confed Cup champions, who would have ever expected these two teams to face one another in the finals? The US has found itself on cloud 9 for the past 2 games - after being left for dead after being trounced the opening games against Italy and Brazil they did the necessary versus Egypt and received help from Brazil to move on to the semis. Where we all know they posted one of the biggest upsets in international footie beating the FIFA #1 team - Espana. But now they face Brazil, in a final, and regardless of the world rankings it is Brazil.

The US has only beaten the SambaBoyz once, over 10 years ago during the Gold Cup semi finals. Earlier in the Confed Cup they were outclassed by Brazil losing 3-0. The US will also be without key midfielder Bradley. So does Sam's Army have a shot?



Surprisingly I am going to say yes, and I am one of the hardest critics on US footie. However, the US seems to not fear the Brazilians (granted the series would dictate otherwise) they played them tough years ago during the World Cup in the US. They have played Brazil tough in the other matches during past Confed Cups as well. Also, the US is on a roll, realizes they are heavy underdogs, and should be the fan favorites. The US will have to play a similar style as to the one against Spain - back 4 needs to defend in unison, midfield needs to be highly active closing down Kaka and Robinho, the stikers will need to take chances on the counter and Howard will need to be solid as a back stop. Oh one more thing, Brazil needs to take the US for granted, much like Espana did for the first half of the game...and it would be nice if the US could score an early goal. Will all this happen? Can it happen? Maybe.

Here is what I see unfolding - Brazil will come out fast and furious, the US will stem the tide and Howard will make some big saves. Dempsey will find a way to score on the counter. Brazil will equalize midway in the second half. The game will go to extra time where the US will defend like a the Alamo and we will end up in PKs....where Howard will make some big saves to give the US an improbable Confed Title. This will unleash a deluge of American pundits predicting the US will do the same next year during the real tourney....ok this might be fantasy. But more fun to predict an improbable US win than another Brazil victory (which is really more likely to happen...how is that for covering all my bases)

US v Spain....more thoughts

Ok I was able to watch the game, since it was an "instant classic" on ESPN. Clearly the US brought their A game, yes Torres and Villa made some poor judgments on certain occasions, Howard was solid and made a few big saves, Casillas was unlucky on the first goal (granted Altidore abused his marker to turn on him and get the shot off), Ramos should get the second goal (he just teed it up for Dempsey), but in the end when you score such an upset you need to be a bit lucky. However, I think the US deserved this win, they played well as a unit, did not allow the fancy Spanish passing to get to them, shut down Xavi and did not allow Fabergas to do much in the midfield. They frustrated Torres and Villa enough to make them waste the opportunities they had.

Congrats to Bradley and his team. However let us not forget, it is 2009, much will change over the next year so I am not ready to proclaim the US as a team that will go deep in next year's World Cup. But for today, hats off to them, they deserve the accolades.

SHOCKER!!!

Wow the US defeats Espana 2-0...I wonder if my friend Jose is doing ok. Unfortunately I was not able to watch the game, being employed will do that to you. However from the game cast it would appear the US did exactly what I said they needed to - defend tight the first 20 minutes, rely on Howard to play an outstanding game, hope Spain was lackluster and look to get the opportunistic goal(s). Based on the 29 - 9 shot difference, clearly Howard played a superb match. The fact Spain had so few of those 29 shots in the first half attests to their not taking the match as serious as they should have as well as the Americans having the right defensive game plan to counter the Spaniards.

I would argue this is the second biggest win for the US, the first being their defeat of Mexico in the 2002 World Cup that propelled them into the 1/4 finals. After being trounced the first two matches, Bradley's men have gone out and shown their mettle. They are guaranteed a final of an international tournament, and that is nothing to sneeze at based on where US soccer was a decade ago.