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."
So we have another start of the EPL, one with some serious changes. This will be the first time Ferguson will not be part of the league. He managed every Premiership season for Manchester United (SAF got to ManU in 1986...the EPL started in 1992). Clearly the biggest change in this season. Of course we welcome "The Special" one back to London as well. That should be highly entertaining! But one change we are not seeing is - any major changes with Arsenal's squad! Ugh. So rather than giving my predictions of who finish where, let us face it the winner will come from the following trio: Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea, here is my open letter to Monsieur Wenger.
The start of a great run...can we go back to those days?
Mon Cher Arsene,
Welcome to the 2013-2014 EPL season, your 18th at the helm of the Gunners. With the retirement of your nemesis - Alex Ferguson - you are now the most tenured manager in the EPL. What you did with Arsenal was nothing short of fabulous. When you took over the club it had hit a rough patch of a few seasons. You institute new training, new dieting and a new mentality. A new winning mentality. You brought doubles to the club, invincible seasons and even European finals (unfortunately neither the UEFA Cup nor the Champions League found their way back to North London).
You introduced us to players such as Anelka, Vieira, Berkhamp, Overmars, Henry, Cesc, Van Persie, Pires, Wiltord, Ljunberg, Toure and even stealing the likes of Campbell from hated rivals Tottenham. Many of these players were vital to our success. The battles between Vieira and Keene were the stuff of legends. For a few seasons Henry could lay claim to being the greatest striker in the world.
Many of these players brought us titles and glory. Yet we have not tasted glory since 2005, when Vieira was wearing the captain's arm band. He is now retired...we have not even sniffed an FA Cup final since that 2005 win against Manchester United, let alone come close to winning the EPL...we did get to a Carling Cup final in 2011. But we lost to Birmingham...ugh. Oh yes we consistently qualify for the Champions League. Because the current structure rewards not winning! Don't forget Arsene that back in the good old days of three European cups, only the CHAMPION of domestic leagues would go to the Champions League. We would have been playing for the UEFA Cup. But yes we go every season, get out of the group stage, maybe get to a 1/4 final, collect our money and then go home. Without a trophy. During this time we have suffered through watching our rivals Chelsea and Manchester United collect their own "big eared" trophies. If there was a trophy given for getting to the Champions League, we would need to expand our trophy case. Alas, all that comes with 4th place in the EPL and Champions League is money. Which you don't spend.
Speaking of spending. Arsene, your frugal and fiscally conservative ways would be wonderful for a corporation. But you are not managing a business. You are managing an entertainment entity. While I am not asking for you to spend like a drunken sailor. Spend something. Please. We moved from Highbury to a larger stadium so as to be competitive with other clubs. Arsenal has the commercial and financial clout to compete with the largest clubs in Europen, not just England. Recent reports even demonstrate that we should be able to compete for wages with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. We are rumored to be signing a large kit deal with Puma, which will infuse our coffers with plenty more cash. Yet who have we purchased? Who have we even been in the running for?
You want to spend, or at least rumored to want to spend, on the likes of Suarez (no thanks). We were supposedly in the running for Higuain, who would have been a great signing. But it feels like every season for the past few seasons..."rumored" to be looking at a big name player. Only to see them go elsewhere. Meanwhile we let our stars walk - Cesc and Van Persie come to mind. This is what a mid-tier club does. Not one of the largest clubs in the world does.
So what to do? Mr Wenger please remember what made you successful. Spend some money on a few proven players. When I say proven, I mean go out and be aggressive and get a Higuain or Mario Gomez type. Don't worry if they are over 30 and sign them to a longer deal if need be. When you target a youngster - sign them, regardless if you think you are overspending. I realize that Hazard might not have come, but you had your eyes on the youngster early in his Lille career. Make it happen. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish.
What you need to buy. A striker. Giroud is nice, but having another legitimate goal scorer would be nicer. I am not expecting you to purchase Zlatan from PSG but go out and close Higuain when you could have. Get another creative player in the middle of the park. I realize we have lots of creativity but I feel we need some new blood, new ideas in the middle of the park. A world class goalkeeper would be nice. Ever since "safe hands" Seaman left we really have not had a steady world class keeper. Please don't mention Lehmann. Finally get another "hard man" in the midfield. Since we let the likes of Vieira, Silva, Edu, Flamini et al leave, we have not really had a player in the midfield who provides the muscle and intimidation needed.
I understand that your Alsacetian stubbornness is a major factor. But as the saying goes - insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. We have not won a trophy in forever. We used to win silverware, we used to contend for Premiership titles we used to be a legitimate threat for European titles. Now we are content for 4th place. Unacceptable.
Please go back to your early day ways. Otherwise I will see you in Paris in a season.
After a decade of rumors, SAF finally decides that he has had enough and announced that he will be retiring after this season. The 71 year old, at times cranky old man, legendary manager will not longer be patrolling the side lines at Old Trafford, harassing every official in the EPL and finding ways to always get an extra 5 minutes of injury time when his side needed a goal. His legacy speaks for itself:
26 years in charge of the club - he has been at Manchester United longer than most of his current squad has been alive! (average age of ManU is 27.2 years old, that includes grandpas like Giggs and Scholes)
38 trophies. No qualifier needed on that statistic.
2 European Champions league titles.
13 League titles.
All amazing numbers. But two things stand out for me and SAF:
What he did before Manchester United. Before he became a legend at Old Trafford, he had
The beginning of the legacy
worked miracles in his native Scotland with Aberdeen. Winning the league title, something that is nothing short of amazing considering how strong a grip Celtic and Rangers have on that title. More impressive was finding European glory by defeating Real Madrid for the 1983 Cup winners Cup title. Winning with the resources that Manchester United bring could be devalued, but bringing in titles with a side like Aberdeen would almost be like a AA baseball team in the United States winning the World Series.
His longevity. 26 years. That is beyond impressive. And I highly doubt we will ever see another manager reach that longevity...If a manager can survive and do well for a decade that is already impressive. But over a quarter century??? He is also leaving (by all indications) on his own accord. I am sure he could have added a few more years to this run had he decided to. Impressive.
So we will say good bye to a legendary manager. One, the likes, will never be seen again. Good luck Sir Alex. I never really liked you, I had to respect you but I am glad you are leaving.
Manchester City, the most expensive team ever assembled in England came to North London and played 10 men behind the ball against Arsenal. The Gunners enjoyed 2/3 possession, all of the best chances - hitting the woodwork several times - but they couldn't score.
The game ended on a strange note with Bacary Sagna, normally one of the calmest footballers on the planet absolutely losing his mind after a collision with Pablo Zabaleta. Total speculation, but my guess is that Zabaleta said something nasty possibly racist to Sagna when he stood over him. There's no way Sagna reacts that way otherwise. On the weekend Lee Bowyer stamped on Sagna and he acted like nothing had happened. Good timing anyway, as Arsenal can play Eboue for the two cup games and the West Ham game in the league.
Anyway, Roberto Mancini, who should definitely be played by Eric Roberts (see below) in the Man City movie, should be embarassed. If I were a Qatari trillionaire, I'd want more for my money than that.
Frog will probably disagree, but I thought Arsenal played well and were unlucky. One of those close, early efforts goes in and they probably win 3-0 as City would have had to come out from their defensive crouch. The shame is that Manchester United are almost out of sight at this point.
As it stands, they could reasonably expect to get through the rest of January without dropping more points. FA Cup against Leads, the two legs of the Carling Cup Semis against Ipswich, and West Ham and Wigan in the league. Take care of business in those matches, and they'll have a cup final and surely a lofty league position as they approach the business end of the season.
The Arsenal winger/midfielder was elected best French player for 2010 by France Football. At 23 years of age, a great reward for a player that is beginning to find his way in London and has been allowed to reestablish himself for his national team.
The top 3:
1.- Samir Nasri (Arsenal) : 99,5 points
2.- Florent Malouda (Chelsea) : 90 pts
3.- Hugo Lloris (Lyon) : 83 pts
Clearly the recent form by Nasri, coupled with the fact he was not in South Africa and therefore avoided being painted with the brush of the malcontents and striking players, elevated him in he eyes of the voters. Both his club and country form of late have been nothing short of top notch. He already has more goals for Arsenal (8 EPL goals, 11 total for the season) than he has had in a full season in North London, including a brace versus cross town rivals Fulham that propelled the Gunners to the top of the EPL table. For Les Bleus he has established himself as one of Blanc's "core" players, being able to play on the right wing or higher up the pitch behind the stikers, he has also demonstrated an ability to be partnered with the other French playmaker Gourcuff in the middle of the midfield.
I thought the award would go to Malouda, based on his form at Chelsea and the fact he was one of the few French players in South Africa to have played with some level of respectability. Nasri is, however, a deserving choice and offers a bright future for Arsenal and Les Bleus.
Great goal from the Aston Villa game, demonstrates that placement of the shot is better than power on the shot!
Former Arsenal winger, Robert Pires, will join the Villans this week after being let go by his Spanish side Villarreal earlier this season. The 37 year old winger is clearly on the down slope of his career but can still bring some veteran leadership to the Birmingham side. After having trained with his former side Arsenal he has found himself a new footballing home. A couple of aspects of this move struck me:
Had Wenger not stuck to his - no long term contract for players over 30 policy - could the Gunners have benefited from the veteran French international the past few seasons? I will say yes. I realize that Pires was not the player that Wenger first brought to north London from OM as a 26 year old. Pires became a vital cog in the Arsenal machine and I will contend that had he not injured a knee in 2002 he would have given Les Bleus great cover for Zidane during the World Cup and Les Bleus would have made a run in South Korea/Japan. Having said that, I also think Arsenal would have benefited from having the veteran for the past 4 seasons. Would he have been an uncontested starter? No. But spot starting and being leveraged off the bench would have given Wenger a valuable, trusted and solid option in the midfield.
The apparent "snubbing" of the MLS and the Philadelphia Union, is ironic on many levels. First because Pires claims to have turned down the MLS side because the city was not beautiful enough....and now he is going to Birmingham. However who can blame him? Rather than moving to a Tier 2 domestic league (at best) he is heading back to one of the most popular domestic football leagues in the world and playing for a solid team with aspirations for Champions League football and beyond. I realize that players such as Henry and Marquez sought the MLS, but in the case of Titi he clearly wanted to enjoy life in America and specifically New York City. I would doubt that Henry or Marquez made the moves because they wanted to play in a more competitive league than La Liga or the EPL...then again according to Alexi Lalas the MLS would do more than hold their own in the EPL.
I think Houllier will leverage Pires as would have Wenger had he stayed at Arsenal - spot starting duty, option off the bench and selective games off (Carling Cup, early FA Cup games). He will be a welcome return to the EPL, I just wish he had never left.
Good for the Dutch national team manager to drop the Manchester City hard man from the Dutch squad after what transpired this weekend. For those of you that do not know about the incident - it occurred in the 4th minute of the Manchester City v Newcastle match where the Dutch international went in very hard and with bad intent on Ben Arfa which resulted in a badly broken leg for the Newcastle man.
Video of the tackle - not as graphic, thankfully, as others we have seen on the pitch:
Clearly de Jong's intent was to stop the man and not the ball. I realize that football has elements of violence and these things happen. There is also room and at times needs to be "hard" players on the pitch. Players like Keane, Gattuso, Vieira, Essien or past players like Terry Butcher and Claudio Gentile are vital cogs to any team that can find such talents. Why? They do the dirty work, go after all 50-50 balls, stick their heads where boots are flying, are asked to shut down the opponents creativity and are expected to run hard for 90+ minutes and take a physical beating.
To be successful these players have to push the boundary with their physical play, but that is part of the job description. Will an opposing forward stick his boot somewhere if he knows he might get chopped down or go for a cross if he fears he might get an elbow to the ribs? Of course not, fear of pain and to some extent injury gives players pause and gives the defender an edge and therefore the advantage.
However de Jong has demonstrated that he regularly crosses this line when it comes to be the enforcer for his teams. Remember the karate kick for Holland in the World Cup finals, for which he should have been shown the straight red! I am still surprised that Alonso didn't crack a rib or worse! This latest incident falls into this category of crossing the line. Do I think his intent was to break Ben Arfa's leg? No. But his tackle was clearly meant to send a message, no intent of winning the ball just an opportunity to go after a creative player's legs to tell him "be careful dribbling around me because you might get hurt." No surprise that the tackle was early and targeted one of Newcastle's more creative players.
The fact at de Jong did not get a foul let a lone a card given, just as it happened in the World Cup final, is what is most criminal about the situation. As I stated, there needs to be some aspect of tough play in football, always has been always will be. However plays such as what happened needs to be policed whether on the pitch by the official or after the fact by the league. If reckless fouls are permitted on the games creative players how can we expect the game to be played as it was intended? I would rather see a Van Basten's career continue than be cut short because teams constantly hacked his ankles and legs to slow him down. The FA has been mum on this, to no surprise, the EPL has always been regarded as one of the most physical leagues in the world. However the money flows into the EPL because talented players come to play in the league, if they begin to fear for their safety that tide might shift elsewhere. I am glad the Dutch national team manager took a stand and dropped the player. Now up to the FA to do something about it.
Broken bones, sprains, bruises and tears will happen, it is part of the game. But blatant attempts to injure and egregious goon like tactics must be curbed.
The last report out of North London is that Arsenal will post a record profit of £56m...impressive. Especially when you consider clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United are dealing with massive debt concerns every season or Barcelona who had to take a 150m Euro bank loan just to survive the summer. Chelsea would be facing massive financial problems if Abramovich didn't absorb all their financial shortfalls and they still could face huge financial problems if the Russian decides to move on from the London club. The reality is sports teams are not businesses, and while profitability and intelligent business practices are helpful, they do not equate to silverware. In the book Soccernomics, there is a great analysis that sporting teams that are run "like a business" - focus on cost control, profitability, controlling expenses to name a few do not lead to success on the pitch. Football clubs tend to be a status symbol for wealthy owners who want to show off their "toy" to other absurdly wealthy owners. Therefore they are not seen as entities that fall under the business umbrella. I am sure that when Abramovich or the Glazers buys a multi-million dollar yacht he does not worry about the maintenance cost or the business reason behind such a toy. Same thing for a football club.
The bottom line...pun intended...is that while this is commendable from a business standpoint, unless Arsenal reinvest the profits into the club and unless those investments lead to silverware, Arsenal fans will not be looking for a parade through North London with the title "most profitable EPL club." Of course I am sure that the alternative is not pleasant - see Leeds United - running your team well from a business stand point is not why fans buy seats, purchase replica kits and cheer your team every week. Granted there must be a balance between financial sanity and putting a competitive squad on the pitch. However when the best headlines for your club in the past few seasons is the fact you have been run well from a business stand point is not really what fans gravitate towards.
Makes you wonder why Arsene could not shell out an extra million or two million pounds into getting Schwartzer this off season. Of course the Professor is already responding to criticism around this topic!
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!
