Welcome to the "Frog," my little piece of cyberspace to talk about my passion - le foot (or soccer for my North American friends) especially anything around French football. Of course I will have some guest contributors that might want to discuss other aspects of footy!
I support Les Bleus, Arsenal and PSG but really just love watching, analyzing and following the beautiful game.
"You have to trust your teammates, always. If not we are lost."
The following is a post from a guest blogger - Matthew "Ice" Rybak. Look for him to contribute to the Bean Town Frog. Unfortunately he is a Manchester United fan, but is semi intelligent so we will accept his contributions. Welcome aboard Matty Ice!
-->
Congrats to Chelsea for being the Floyd
Mayweather of Soccer and Manchester Utd. Stumble once again. Transfer Rumors.
Congrats to Chelsea for being the most boring
Champion ever. (Sorry Chelsea fans but you only deserve one sentence for the
display of football you made me sit through this season.) If I am setting a
precedent based off of my last statement, then Manchester United doesn’t even
deserve a mention after their past two weeks performances. However Louis Van
Gaal doesn’t deserve to get off that easy. The definition of insanity is doing
the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. LVG is insane,
after two weeks of nothing being delivered from the midfield of Fellaini,
Young, Mata and Herrera he went back to them again. And again the same result,
dominant in possession but lacked that special imagination to break through the
wall of defense that West Brom constructed.
The start of the second half
brought about the typical LVG substitutions of Di Maria and
Mad Dutchman??
Falcao (which lead
to disjointed play and more frustration from the home crowd). However Louis
tried to shake things up by dropping Robin Van Persie into a central midfield
position. This decision infuriated the striker whose body language went from
poor to shit and left Rooney running around aimlessly with no true position.
This decision just makes you scratch your head especially since RVP has been on
the bench for the past month with an injury. Then LVG choose him for the PK,
nothing about RVP’s play warranted that decision. Everyone in the building knew
Robin wanted nothing to do with that free kick. He steps up with the chance to
tie the game and make up for all his blown chances earlier in the game but
except he floats a duck to the right side of the goal for a relatively easy stop
from the goalkeeper. It is time for Louis Van Gaal to pivot his soccer
philosophy before Manchester Utd finds themselves on the outside of the top 4.
LVG seems to have the infatuation level with his system that a 13 year old girl
does with Justin Beiber. No matter how many DUI’s or arrests that clown has,
that 13 year old will always love him. It seems about two months ago LVG struck
gold with the combination of Mata Herrera and Young but now the three of them
produce nothing more than aluminum. Manchester United experienced a similar
issue earlier in the season when they were playing with two wing backs and
after multiple dismal performances he reluctantly decided to switch to a four
man back. Hopefully LVG can see the light again and make another brilliant
tactical change to secure that coveted Champions League birth. Transfer Rumors:
Everyone to United, De Gea to Madrid.
So Chelsea did what we all knew they were capable of, but were hoping they wouldn't. After being down 3-1 they had to keep a clean sheet and score two goals. Mission accomplished. And they did so through the most improbable player - Ba. From the outset it was clear that Chelsea were laser focused on getting the necessary goals. PSG seemed to be happy to sit
back and defend. Not unexpected coming from a team sitting with a two goal lead, playing in a hostile environment of Stamford Bridge. It is easy to go back and change history. I do not think that Blanc made any errors in his line up, other than, I might have started Cabaye over Verratti from the beginning. Verratti was being mugged in the game in Paris and this only continued this time around. Maybe Blanc should have started Cabaye. For a few reasons:
His experience with Newcastle and having played in the EPL could have settled down the midfield. I realize that Blanc wanted to stick with the formation that brought him here.
Add some steel to the midfield. Chelsea seemed to have their way in the midfield. Especially with big bird - David Luiz. Luiz ran around like a chicken with his hair on fire.
Brought a bit more of a deep shooting threat to the midfield. Chelsea was pressing hard but doing that created some spaces for shooting from distance. Something Cabaye brings to the table.
Alas, I am not sure if that move would have made much of a difference. End of the day Chelsea earned the victory because they controlled the game and how it was played. PSG did not do enough to get their offensive players, such as Cavani, involved.
A tough loss for PSG, no doubt. But back to back 1/4 finals are something to build on. However PSG need to learn from this and go further if they want to be considered a real European power.
As we wind down 2012, here are what I see as the top 5 footballing moments of the year. Enjoy!
Messi unstoppable -The Barcelona and Argentinian superstar broke Das Bomber's 40 year old record for goals in a calendar year. Messi finished the year with 91 goals compared to Muller's 85 in 1972. Yikes.
Manchester City winning the EPL. The Citizens finally captured a little bit of the glory versus their cross town rivals - United. They did so in dramatic fashion during the last game of the year. The question becomes, can City continue to challenge and have they built their team for the long run? Their early crashing out of the Champions League leaves some wondering what this means long term.
PSG being acquired by a bottomless money pit. Speaking of Manchester City, the Man City of the Seine has seen a similar level of cash made available. Leading to the signings of the likes of Ibra and Silva. PSG has even found itself in the conversation for the likes of Ronaldo. Much like City, PSG will have to see if this new strategy will pay off in the long term.
Drogba goes out on top. Before heading off to China to join his Chelsea buddy - Anelka, Drogba found a way to put his stamp on the season by pulling Chelsea to Champions League glory. His equalizer in the dying moments of the finals and then his cool penalty kick were the final acts, but his play during the entire Champions League showed why he remains a force in football.
Spain does the unthinkable. The only story that could be #1 for the year - La Roja winning another international title! And with such devastating effect. Spain completely took apart Italy in the finals and in doing so became the first nation to win 3 international tournaments in a row. Unbelievable.
It has been a great football year, without a major tournament in 2013 things might be a little more quiet. Although I think that the Confederation Cup will be worth watching - Brazil, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico and Italy all present. What stories will you remember from 2012?
Um okay, £50m for Torres...making it the 4th biggest transfer in history. Wow.
BIGGEST WORLD TRANSFERS
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m)
Man Utd-Real Madrid (July 2009)
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£56.5m)
Inter Milan-Barcelona (July 2009)
3. Kaka (£56m)
AC Milan-Real Madrid (June 2009)
4. Fernando Torres (£50m)
Liverpool-Chelsea (Jan 2011)
Not bad for a player that Liverpool spent £20m for - 81 goals over 142 matches while playing for the Reds - a good return. With the acquisition of Suarez and Carroll, for a combined £57.7m, Liverpool is still at a loss during this transfer window. I am also not sure that spending £35m for Carroll was a wise purchase. I realize that the former Newcastle striker earned a recent cap for England and has scored 31 goals over his 81 game career with Newcastle, but is he really worth such a large transfer sum? For another 10m pounds Liverpool could have pried away Aguero from Atletico Madrid...who would you rather have? I would opt for Maradona's son-in-law.The acquisition of Suarez appears like a wiser purchase for Liverpool, while the Uruguayan striker might not be as much of a "star" as Torres, he remains one of the games deadliest strikers - same number of goals as Torres, 81 but in 32 fewer games...that is efficient. Seems like the Liverpool moves were questionable at best...a deeper look at the numbers:
Carroll 0.38 goals per game - £35m
Torres 0.57 goals per game - £50m
Aguero 0.38 goals per game - NA
Suarez 0.73 goals per game - £22.7m
Looks like Liverpool made a smart purchase on Suarez and very questionable with Carroll. I am not sure the Reds needed another striker after acquiring Suarez.
Not overpaid -
Could they have been better served getting another midfielder to help shoulder the creative midfield load from Gerrard? Maybe another play making midfielder such as Honda. Rumor is CSKA was willing to shop him this transfer season. Or a defensive minded midfielder, something that Liverpool has been severely lacking since Mascherano and Alonso both left - I am sure that Rennes would have been willing to part with their starlet M'Vila, which was rumored to be in the works - and for far less much money (£15m +). This would have been a better move for Liverpool than acquiring two strikers, one of which was way overpaid for!
Coming to Stanford Bridge
What about the move from the Chelsea side? £50m for Torres was a lot of money to spend for the Spanish striker. Granted, when it comes to Chelsea there is no such thing as a "budget" or financial constraints. Taking the amount of money spent aside, add to this the £25.5m spent on defender Luiz from Benefica and the "old" drunken sailor Chelsea is back, however from a football stand point I think the moves were wise. Chelsea are an old team, the addition of two high level players who are 23 and 26 years old (Torres being the older of the two), will add some much need youth to a team desperate to infuse their talent base with younger talent. I think that Torres' time at Liverpool had run its course - I think the Spaniard's form dipped when his countryman (Rafa) was ousted as manager. The change of scenery will benefit Torres as well as being part of a solid strike force of Drogba, Anelka and Kalou. As well as having the likes of Lampard and Malouda feeding him up front. The addition of the young Brazilian center back, Luiz, will infuse some youth in an aging central defensive pairing of Terry and Alex. These moves might thrust Chelsea back into the title race, especially since Arsenal and Manchester United did not do much during the transfer window.
Finally, not surprising that Wenger and Arsenal basically did nothing...other than loaning out a disappointing Vela. No center back, no keeper, no striker....oh well.
The transfer window closes, with some moving parts in the EPL it will be interesting to see how this impacts the race. Chelsea clearly realizes it had to do something but will it prove to be too little tool late? Liverpool splashed some serious cash, but not sure their purchases were 100% wise...Carroll...seriously? The other contenders - Tottenham (rebuffed in their advances for the aforementioned Aguero), Arsenal and Manchester United stayed pat.
Of course cannot overlook Manchester City who splashed out £27m for Dzeko - who has a 0.59 goals per game yet comes in cheaper than Carroll!!!! Just makes you wonder what Liverpool is thinking!
I realize the season is not even half way done and Arsenal remain within striking distance of leaders Manchester United - 5 points back - however the season rides on the London derby this Monday between the Gunners and Chelsea. This is by no means an exaggeration, if Arsenal do not win this match their title hopes are finished. Why? Arsenal are 0-2 against their main competitors for the title - Manchester United and Chelsea (they did defeat Manchester City, but I am no ready to pronounce them a true competitor for the league title). More shocking is the fact Arsenal, since the 2003 Champions League 1/4 finals have fallen victim to their London neighbor more often than not. Prior to that season, it was the Gunners that usually had the upper hand on the Blues (Chelsea have only dropped 2 of the last 18 matches to the Gunners in all competitions). This continued this season when Chelsea handled Arsenal in an early season fixture.
More of this attitude please...
If Wenger and the Gunners are serious about contending this season they must take the full 3 points from the Blues. The Gunners are currently sitting one point ahead of Chelsea, so losing or even drawing this match will not mathematically eliminate the Gunners, but it is the mental aspect that will take a hit.
Recently, Wenger and Arsenal have not been able to hold their own versus the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. What is telling is the comment from team captain Cesc who admitted that he and his clubmates were "too scared:"
"Sometimes we seem scared of losing these big games. We don't really go for it and we're tempted to drop back and see what the opposition will do" Cesc
Not words of confidence,not words you want to hear from your captain, not words that you would have heard from an Arsenal team led by Bergkamp, Vieira, Keown, Parlour, Henry, Pires, Wiltord, Seamanor the likes. Arsenal have constantly been chasing some of that snarl and attitude of former teams. It is in games such as the one coming up Monday where championship aspiring sides need to find some of this fight. No one would question the talent playing for Wenger, but I would still question whether or not the heart and attitude is there to match. The only way Arsenal can truly contend for the EPL title is to show the metal to go with the talent they unquestionably possess. This has to start from the top and the captain. We will see if the Gunners can dig up some of this attitude and desire, otherwise I fear that Drobga and his mates will once again emerge victorious from their London derby.
We had Ligue 1 kick off, I provided Frog's predictions a few posts ago, clearly Goal.com read that post since we have similar predictions for the final standings! Couple this with the Community Shield - the first match to announce the start of the EPL season, I figured I would lean on my predictive powers to provide some thoughts on how the EPL will finish this season. By the way, Chelsea won both the FA Cup and EPL title, so why is it Manchester United in the Community Cup? Shouldn't Portsmouth have some claim to the match as well?? They did finish runners up in the FA Cup final...just saying...anyways on to the predictions.
5th Place:Liverpool Football Club: So the Benetiz-less Reds will scrap and fight their way back to knocking on the top 4. The loss of Mascherano will be a difficult hole to fill in the midfield. Granted Hodgson is looking to sign Juventus midfielder Poulsen to slot in that holding spot. However make no mistake, the Argentine was a tough tackling midfielder that gave that team much of its metal in the midfield and provided much needed cover to the back 4. However I think with Hodgson in place, the team will have a better defensive discipline and game. Similar to what we saw from the English manager last season with Fulham, expect him to get the most out what he has on his roster. Unlike his predecessor, I have faith that Hodgson will squeeze the most value out of this roster. The biggest questions will revolve around Torres and his health. The fact he decided to stay with the Reds is clearly a huge plus. Add Joe Cole and I think you will have a revitalized strike force. Maybe Hodgson will be able to do with Kuyt what he did in London with Zamora. Don't laugh, but the Dutch player might fit that mold. A player that can hold the ball allow the Coles and Torres and Gerrards to get into position offensively. Whether or not Hodgson will get the most out of the likes of Babel and Aquilani - some players that have failed to live up to expectations will determine how far Liverpool can go. I think that the Reds finally have a manager that can manage over a championship season and not just for a knock out tournament. Look for the Reds to get back into the picture for potential Champions League.
4th Place: Manchester United FC: What...the Red Devils....4th place!!! Sir Alex Ferguson not in the top 2!!!!! That's right, you read it here first. Manchester United is due for a fall from grace, still get Champions League football but just barely. Why? Simple - Manchester United's age, injuries and heavy work load will final catch up to them. In addition the lack of big name signing over the past 2 seasons will be difficult to overcome. The last time Manchester United won the title it was on the backs of Tevez, Ronaldo and Rooney and their scoring talents that carried the team. Hmmmm, Tevez and Ronaldo gone and that scoring gap is now up to Owen and Berbatov to make up. Mind you this is not Owen from 1998 or Berbatov from his Tottenham days, both strikers' better days are clearly behind them...add to this a Rooney that has clearly shown wear and tear of too many games and being brought back too quickly from his ankle injury (and a number of other knocks) last season. This team played back to back Champions League finals then made it to the 1/4 finals last season over the past 3 years, add to this the amount of international football players such as Evra, Rooney, Ferdinand have in their boots as well. Oh yeah, Ferdinand is clearly succumbing to the injury bug as well, not a good sign. Also how much more can SAF get out of Giggs, Scholes and Neville? Last I checked these three AARP players still seem to play important roles for SAF, especially Neville at right back...frightening. Not sure what to expect from Nani and Anderson...both were suppose to be the next generation to relief Giggs et al. There is some youth - Macheda, Fabio, Rafael and Cleverly (nice goal from the youngster below) - however not sure if they are ready to really take on a greater responsibility.
Add all this together and I think we are going to see a Red Devil team that takes a serious drop in form. They have not made a big signing, that has worked out, in a few seasons. They are older, the names they signed to replace the likes of Ronaldo and Tevez have not lived up to their billing, Van Der Saar has a lot of wear on those tires, the youth is too immature and this team has played a lot of football over the past 3-4 years. They will go backwards this season.
3rd Place: Manchester City FC: Whooohooo, yup the Frog thinks the Citizens will take a major step up the standings. I think they might have been here last season had they not wasted the first half of the season with Mark Hughes at the helm. I think the Citizens under Hughes dropped at least 15 points due to drawing games rather than winning. Turn that around and you have a team that team gets Champions League football this season. With Mancini in place for the start of the season, I doubt the Citizens will be dropping silly points. Of course with the deep pockets of the Abu Dhabi United Group, ManCity has gone on another shopping spree adding the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Jerome Boateng and Aleksander Kolarov to the likes of Adebayor, Tevez, Vieira and Barry to name some of the players added to the roster last season. They have 2 solid keepers - Given and Hart. Their defense should be good and offensively will be carried again by Tevez. If Mancini can convince Robinho to come back and play, I think that will only add to what could be a strong offense. Even if the Brazilian stays at Santos, Manchester City have many other offensive options. The other question is can Stephen Ireland be motivated and convinced to give it his all for the Citizens? If he does leave for Milner than that would be a net positive for Manchester City. Add to this the potential for the Inter strikerBallotelli coming to play at the City of Manchester Stadium and look out! The question still remains if the Italian manager can motivate and manage this assembly of high paid hired guns for an entire season. My bet is yes, well enough to get into the top 3.
2nd Place: Chelsea Football Club: The defending champions will not defend their title. But it will be a good battle between themselves and their rest of the league. I think Chelsea falls into the same dilemma as does Manchester United...which big players have they signed the past 2 seasons? They lost Ballack and Joe Cole. Signed Yossi Benayoun to wear the #10 shirt...um okay. Ashley Cole might be on his way out to Real Madrid. Essien is back, but is he 100% healthy? Rumors swirl around Drogba leaving to Marseilles....unlikely but still. Anelka? Who knows what to expect after the summer debacle. Carvalho and Terry are not getting any younger, and both started showing signs of decline last season. What about Lampard? Not sure he is not also on the back 9 of his career. Can some of the youth step up such as a Kakuta who was the star for the U19 European Champions - France. Without Joe Cole we might see the young French striker get more time with the first team. Of course much of these issues could be resolved if Abramovich opens his deep wallet and goes out and acquires an Aguero or even goes after Torres. Problem for me is this side has made their runs with the same core for a few seasons - Terry, Drogba, Lampard, Essien, Cech - they have not done enough to refresh some of these pillars. They had enough to make it work last season for the double, but is this a season too far for the core? I think so.
1st Place: Arsenal F.C.: So that leaves us with....the Gunners! Okay okay I might be called a homer since I am a Gunner fan. However here is my reasoning: the Arsenal team has the talent on the rise and talent that has not been as beat up as their other contenders over the past 2-3 years. Let us play a quick game - Nasri, Chamakh, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Rosicky, Arshavin, Walcott - what do they have in common? No World Cup. Add to this Cesc, did not log a ton of minutes, Bendtner same and Van Persie yes played a lot for Holland...but he barely played last season so overall he has not logged a huge number of minutes over the past few seasons. Sagna, Clichy and Diaby...well we know they only played 3 games in South Africa and skipped a practice so they are fresh! I think that the 3 headed striker monster of Chamakh, Bendtner and Van Persie will play very well in front of a midfield of Diaby, Cesc, Walcott, Rosicky,
Arshavin, Nasri etc (I realize that Walcott and Arshavin can be seen as strikers but I consider then hybrid midfield wide players and strikers/wingers). The duo of Vermaelen - Koscielny look very strong, and the addition via subtraction aka letting Gallas walk will be a big boost for the team especially in the dressing room. I also think Wilshere is poised for a solid season (so does Capello as he gave the young Gunner his first call up for the England v Hungary friendly). Of course, Wenger will need to make a few more moves prior to the end of the transfer window - get a keeper, fellow podcaster Sam the Gooner made it very clear "If Wenger does not sign a keeper by the end of the transfer window he should be fired on the spot." and second I think Wenger needs to find another central defender. The Gunners always have the talent. I think the core that Wenger has been grooming is ready to make the big move to winning the EPL. Part of that is also the fact time is ticking...on Cesc. Clearly he appears to have one of his Nike boots in Barcelona, so the Gunners better get the most of out of their captain this season. Wenger sign a keeper...even Schwarzer would be a huge step in the right direction of course Eduardo would be better! Over the weekend the rumors of a daring swoop for World Cup champion and Liverpool #1, Riena has picked up some steam, but that might just be that...a rumor. I see Chelsea and Manchester United slipping due to age and too much wear and tear...while Arsenal are ready to hit their stride and have plenty in the tank. Wenger gets back on top!!!
So the Gunners win silverware for the first time since they had Pat Vieira roaming the midfield. Tottenham will be a one and done when it comes to the Champions League, I just did not see the North London club bringing in any talent this transfer season and that will hurt their chances to stay ahead of Liverpool or Manchester City.
Player of the Year: Cesc. The Arsenal captain will mark his last season in the EPL with a player of the year title and lead his club to the domestic title...and then will scamper off to Barcelona.
Manager of the Year: Hodgson. The former Fulham manager will take Liverpool and make the most out of a roster Rafa could never do enough with because he had no "money."
Cannot believe the season is starting, I am looking forward to watching the Gunners get back to the top!
Chelsea secure the full 3 points with a relative easy win at Anfield over Liverpool while Manchester United kept pace with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. With one game left Chelsea hold a slim 1 point lead over the Red Devils with one game to go, both matches should be sitters: Chelsea host Wigan and Manchester United host Stoke. Both sides are safe from the drop zone so will not be playing for the Premiership lives. Baring a major upset, Chelsea should be winning the Premiership crown next week in London.
The one side story, with the loss, Liverpool is assured that they will not have Champions League football next season. And with that miss out on the cash associated with the competition. This will be telling this off season since Liverpool has amassed some huge debts and is struggling to ensure they can service this debt. With Rafa already turning his eyes to Italy and the Old Lady this might mark the beginning of a dark time for Liverpool. They are further away from a Premiership title then when Rafa took over the club. However I am sure the Spaniard will have some spin on his way out of Anfield that he was never given the budget or the resources to succeed.
Granted it was bad to drop 2 points this weekend while Manchester United and Chelsea thumped their opponents. However the race remains a 3 horse race, why? Look at the upcoming fixtures: Manchester United have to face Chelsea and Man City - both games will be highly charged. Chelsea also have to travel to Liverpool. Throw in Bayern matches for Manchester United and FA Cup for Chelsea - granted Arsenal have a difficult Champions League tie versus Barca. However this adds up to some landmines for the clubs Arsenal are chasing. Add to this mix the injuries that are besetting the Blues and the door remains open for Arsenal to sneak back and take the title. Of course much will be determined this weekend when Chelsea face Manchester United. Arsenal need to hope for a draw (and that the Gunners beat Wolves), that will leave Arsenal 2 points behind Manchester United and 1 behind Chelsea. At worst, Arsenal need to hope for a Chelsea victory, otherwise if Manchester United are 4 points clear they will have to drop two matches and see Arsenal win out for the Gunners to leap frog them.
While the Premiership remains a league of the haves and have nots, at least the race between the haves is an interesting three horse race!
What a difference a weekend can make. The Citizens headed into Stamford Bridge and dominated the Premier League leading Blues winning 4-2, ending the Chelsea home unbeaten streak and putting the entire league race back to a 3 horse competition.
Manchester City demonstrated no fear of heading into a very hostile environment. Tevez and Bellamy both proved incredibly dangerous to the Chelsea defense. Chelsea also looked rattled after finding themselves down at the start of the second half. Their defense looked very shaky with Terry and Carvalho both being completely turned around by the first Tevez goal. Chelsea fans also thought that Peter Cech was a disaster this season, unfortunately his understudy - Hilario - is not making anyone forget the Czech Republic keeper. Clearly Chelsea miss the presence of Essien. In the past, the Blues could count on Essien and Makelele to hold down the defensive midfield and really provide the glue that kept the team in one piece - allowing players such as Ballack, Lampard, Cole and the likes to play their offensive game without any real focus on their defensive duties. Without these two defensive workhorses, Chelsea has a gaping hole between the back 4 and the offensive players. While this can be overcome for the majority of their matches, against a quality attacking such as the Citizens they end up paying the price.
The John Terry and Wayne Bridge off field news dominated the pre-game hype, but in the end it was a game between two teams that have followed a similar path. Prior to both teams being taken over by absurdly wealthy owners, they were both good clubs, but clearly second tier in both England and in their own cities. Now both sides are backed by owners with deep pockets and can have rebuilt both sides through outrageous spending on players (ironically one player - Sean Wright Phillips was one of Chelsea's big early acquisition once Abramovich bought the side is now back with his original club who is now also a big spender).
Manchester City has some top quality scalps this season - Chelsea (twice!) and Arsenal. They also had a spell of dreadful draws which got Hughes sacked. Much like Chelsea with Abramovich, Manchester City is looking to break into the top of the Premiership on the backs of mountains of funds to go out and acquire what ever player they see fit. That strategy has worked for Chelsea - 2 Premier League titles with the Russian billionaire's rubles - and appears to be relatively successful for the Citizens - currently tied with Tottenham for 4th spot in the Premiership.
What remains to be seen is if Manchester City can sustain this form and truly maintain itself at the top of the table for seasons to come. On the pitch, at least this past weekend, they seemed to clearly make the claim that they do not feel threatened by any of the established big clubs.
