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."
Showing posts with label Manchester United. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester United. Show all posts
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!
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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.
No surprise that David Moyes was sacked today from Manchester United. In the midst of one of the worst seasons the Red Devils have suffered in ages, it is no surprise that the replacement for SAF takes the responsibility by losing his job. Alas I think that Moyes was dead man walking from day 1. Here is why:
SAF worked his magic in his final season, willing the Red Devils to a title. Manchester United has been a flawed side for a few seasons now, the cracks had started to show. Age, lack of youth coming up and poor track record in the transfer market were masked by a phenomenal season from Van Persie and Ferguson working his magic. This fool's gold did bring another title to Old Trafford, but it was like painting over rust...that rust was still there. Add to this mix the sketchy finances that surround the club (when I say sketchy I am not saying there is anything illegal just not great
Sorry I left you with such a $%^& situation
financial backing for a football club) and you have a situation that is truly fool's gold.
Speaking of RVP, does he still play for Manchester United? Other than a goal against Arsenal in the beginning of the season, where he celebrated like a wanker (most players show some class when playing their old clubs and don't celebrate like 12 year old girls at a Beiber concert). Van Persie has reverted back to the injury plagued ways Arsenal fans were so accustomed in seeing. Throw in the fact he was rumored to be running "upstairs" to complain about his manager, and you have a cancer in the club house. RVP was a good boy for his first and only season under SAF, but quickly reminded everyone what a wanker he can be at times.
Not all the player blame falls on the Dutchman's shoulders...age also reared its ugly head this season. Evra, Ferdinand, Giggs, Vidic to name a few reminded us that this is 2014 not 2008. It is especially challenging when that age hits your back line at the same time. Add to this that Moyes, just like Ferguson, could not find some steel for his midfield, and you have a bad combination. Let's not forget that SAF had to get Scholes to come back out of retirement to bolster his midfield.
Speaking of lack of midfield steel...Moyes put a lot of his eggs in the Fellaini basket. The tall Belgium international was synonymous with Moyes' success at Everton. But that mojo did not carry over to Old Trafford. On the contrary the afro wearing midfielder was more of a negative than a positive for the Red Devils. He never seemed to fit into the system. Add to this the lack of midfield creativity...until Mata was purchased...and you have a shell of a midfield to work with.
So Moyes was heading into a situation fraught with landmines, and he found a way to step in all of them. Some were his faults others were not of his control. He should have know things were not going to be easy when the whole Rooney for sale fiasco went unresolved in the beginning of the season. The Scotsman remains a good manager and I am sure will find himself employed by the summer (Tottenham maybe?). And now Manchester United will start the process of finding a new manager. With the rumored 200 sterling pound transfer kitty for this summer the hire will be vital for Manchester United's near term success.
I feel for Moyes, he was in a no-win situation. I do not feel badly for Manchester United! Should be interesting in Manchester England this summer.
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.
If you watched the Manchester United v Real Madrid match at Old Trafford the one incident that has stirred the most controversy, rightfully so, was the sending off of Nani for what appeared to be a studs high challenge on Arbeloa.
When you see the play in real time it does appear to be a malicious challenge. However, and of course the official on the pitch does not have this luxury, when you see the play in replay it is clear that Nani does not have an intent on driving his boot through the Spaniards chest. But rather Nani is clearly looking to trap a high ball that is spinning away from him, reason for his toes pointing up (to curl around the ball...I have tried to do this but alas do not have that level of ability). Good video and analysis below:
Is it a red card? I have to say no. Was it reckless? Yes. A yellow and a warning, but no red. This incident did get me thinking about red cards and how they really impact a game. Clearly with Nani out, Manchester United lost their shape and being a man down conceded two goals to the Spanish giants. A lack of red card also impacted the World Cup final in 2010 between Holland and Spain. When De Jong gave his best impression of Mortal Kombat and kicked Alonso, studs high, right in the chest.
Did the Dutch midfielder get a red? Which he should have! No. Instead he got a yellow and was allowed to continue playing in the finals. I am sure that Howard Webb, the official for the finals, was aware that sending off a player in a World Cup final, at the beginning of the match, would have changed the face of the game. Drastically. So instead of doing what was right - straight red - he did what was right for the moment.
But that isn't right either! The rules of the game should not change depending on the situation. So here is a thought about the straight red card. If a player receives a straight red card, like Nani did for Manchester United or what De Jong should have received for Holland, that player is still taken off the pitch. However, the team, if they have a substitution available, can bring on another player. Nani got his red at the 57th minute, United still had all three of their substitutions available. If Webb had done what he should have - red carded De Jong - the Dutch could have inserted a new player in his place. I would make this rule hold only for the first red card, and only on a straight red card. If you get a red for two yellows, sorry, you had your warning and shouldn't have been an idiot. If your team is undisciplined enough to get more than 1 straight red a game...sorry play a man down.
This change would allow officials to properly call red cards when necessary - De Jong. As well as allow teams that suffer a red car - Manchester United - from losing a key player but not losing a man on the pitch. I think that losing a starter, as well as a substitution are not "light" punishments. At least the game would not be bastardized as it was at Old Trafford...or in South Africa.
Referee: Felix Brych (GER) – Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid (ESP)
Some interesting clashes, none more interesting than the Real Madrid v Man United tie!
Celtic v Juventus: The Italian giants are playing well these days, quietly. While the Scottish giants are without their traditional rivals, as Rangers have been dropped into what appears to be purgatory! Both sides had some surprises in the group stages, most notably Celtic defeating Barcelona at home. Unfortunately I think the Old Lady is poised for a deep run. Juventus get through 3-1 on aggragate
Valencia v PSG: Ah the Manchester City on the Siene. They are starting to click in Ligue 1 and I think they will do so in Champions League. Valencia is no push over, and could be a dark horse themselves. They did have a relatively easy group BATE and LOSC not providing much resistance Valencia and Bayern. I just think that Ibra and co will find a way to get through. PSG go forward 3-3 on away goals.
Shakhtar v Dortmund: The Ukraine giants always seem to be in the mix...but get no respect. Unfortunately I think Dortmund will get through on their creative genius Gotze. Remember that Dortmund finished tops of what was seen as the group of death, besting the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Ajax. Nothing to sneeze at. Dortmund advance 5-2 on aggragate.
Real Madrid v Manchester United: Wow, talk about story lines. The Special One facing off against the team many believe is the one he will head to once SAF retires. Ronaldo heading back to Manchester! The key is that the first leg is in Spain, which I think plays to the United favor. SAF will probably look to play conservative, maybe hold RVP or Rooney on the bench to try and get a late goal, head back to Manchester even and win back home. But could Ronaldo have something to say, he is wonderful form currently...but so is RVP. Real Madrid go through on PKs when it ends 4-4 on aggragate, Ronaldo strikes home the winning PK something he did not have the chance to do at the Euros!
8-2...8-2.......EIGHT goals...a snow man in golf terminology. Just plain awful. The nice thing for me was because of hurricane Irene I had no power and therefore "watched" the game through my iPhone. Thankfully. Too bad Arsenal are no refunding fans who had to suffer through that match away from Old Trafford. Alas, after 3 games in the young season, Arsenal are just above the drop zone.
The only funny part is who is in last place! Hey maybe next season Arsenal and Tottenham can battle it out in the Npower Championship, might actually make Wenger happy, he can start a bunch of teenagers all season!
I don' really know where this post will head so please bare with me...a couple of thoughts:
There are three entities that should shoulder the blame: Wenger the coach, Wenger the manager and the board.
Wenger the coach - cannot be sacked today, what could another coach do with this ragtag bunch of players? Can a new manager teach his defenders how to ... defend? Or somehow find a way to get the Arshavin of Euro 2008 to show up? Or get the likes of Walcott to live up to their over-hyped potential? Or keep Diaby on the field? Like or not we are stuck with Wenger the coach at least until the January transfer window.
Wenger the manager - to me he is the main culprit in this debacle. So you sell Clichy, Nasri and Cesc...you would think that with that cash windfall you would have some plan in mind on how to back fill these roles. Instead all Wenger does is talk about how the squad will rally behind this and close ranks. Rather than wasting our time telling us that Nasri and Cesc were going to stay, maybe Arsene should have been devising a plan on how to fill in these gaps. Maybe he did, in the back ground, but he seemed to keep saying that both players were going to stay that he convinced himself that it might be true! Feels like Rain Main - three minutes to Wapner...yeah....Wenger talks now of Hazard, well maybe making bids a month ago would have been good. M'Vila? Same thing...Kaka on loan, how about approaching your buddy Mourinho when the Special One was all but buying Kaka a bus ticket out of town? Instead Wenger the manager has stockpiled a boat load of cash and with 48 hour left in the transfer window would like us to believe that he will purchase 3-4 players. FAIL.
A lonely lonely man
The board -where have they been during this whole time? According to this post, Kroenke might not even care that his team will be lucky to get to the Europa League next year - click here. If that is the case then...ugh...not much one can do. And Manchester United fans think the Glazers are crocks, at least they SPEND and borrow and use ManU as a cash register, but they are winning and I am sure the value of the club is higher now than when they acquired it! If Kroenke and his cronies are satisfied to have a world class stadium that throws off cash then so be it, smells too much like the Boston Bruins under the Jacobs family, but at least they spent some money! If Kroenke really does want to win or at least feign competitiveness then what were they doing this summer??? WAKE UP!!
Wenger's time is coming to an end. His self imposed rules about not signing players over 30 to multi-year deals is asinine - you mean to tell me that the likes of Pires, Gilberto, et al could not have contributed to the team when they hit 30? Instead they were jettisoned due to the Wenger rule, of course until he decided to sign Squillaci.... What about the self imposed rule of running transfer as a business? I realize that the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and the likes have taken all semblance of reality and spending and thrown in into the trash compactor, but as far as I can tell they seem to be finding ways to survive and WINNING.
The season is young...Arsenal might surprise us and come roaring back with a collection of no names. Or they might toil in the middle of the table...more likely. The sad part to this weekend's thrashing - Manchester United's starting line up was younger than Arsenals....sad day for the Gooners, could be a sadder day as the end of the Wenger era seems to be crashing to a abrupt end.
The latest from our favorite family owned business - Manchester United - has them losing a tidy sum of $171million. Yikes. Couple this with the shenanigans that went on last year with Barcelona just to ensure they could keep the lights on and once again we are reminded of how disjointed some of the business of football has become. I realize that the reality is you cannot run a sports team like a business, your goal is not to own a team to make money and gobs of profits. On the flip side you cannot run a sports team like a drunken sailor on 24 hour shore leave: completely disregarding financial responsibility. So the Glazers lost A LOT of money...and still need to service debt on the Red Devils. We all witnessed what happened when another North American partnership bought a storied English football side - Liverpool. Can this be far into the future for Manchester United? I, as are many Manchester United fans, am convinced that the Glazers never bought Manchester United for the love of the squad or the storied history, but because they saw an asset they could leverage. An asset they could milk for money and loans. An asset they could bleed dry to line their collective pockets. Thankfully for them, they have continued to win, but at some point the financial irresponsibility will catch up to them. We already started seeing some of this with the sale of Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Can further sales be far behind?
I certainly will not shed a tear over their hardship, but for the overall benefit of the game something must change.
So Manchester United go out and slap a 5-0 score line versus lowly Birmingham, another hat trick from Berbatov and another game without a loss for Manchester United. The unthinkable...could the Red Devils match the exploit of the 2003-2004 Arsenal squad - and not suffer a loss this campaign? With 16 games to go in the season there are many more mountains to climb for the Red Devils, in addition to still being in the FA Cup and Champions League. So could they become the second side in modern time to go a full season without tasting defeat in their league championship? I think it will be difficult, they still have a game versus cross town rivals Manchester City, 2 games against Chelsea and games versus Arsenal and Liverpool. Granted the way Chelsea is playing there is greater risk of losing to Newcastle than to the Blues!
Feels like so long ago...
The biggest challenges will come during the early March fixtures where they have to play both Chelsea and Liverpool in back to back EPL matches, bracketed around those fixtures is their Champions League matches against Marseilles. This will test the depth of Manchester United and their ability to scrap out points in challenging situations. The second difficult block will be in April when they face Fulham, Newcastle, Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea. Fulham, let us not forget, have given the Red Devils fits the past few seasons. Depending on how Manchester United does in the Champions League there could be some challenging matches during this time frame as well.
The Red Devils, alas, have a chance of going unbeaten, but I believe it will be very difficult and the squad is a bit too old for my liking. I am not sure they have the legs it will take to manage what appears to be a rough patch of games coming up in early Spring. Let us hope for the invisible Arsenal team as well as the current Arsenal side that Manchester United starts feeling its age and drops points. Otherwise the record of invincibility and the EPL title might both be heading to Manchester.
No surprise but Sir Alex seems to be onto the young Belgium sensation - Hazard. Manchester United clearly needs to find some youth to replace the aging Giggs and Scholes, the Lille play-maker seems to have all the attributes that would appeal to the big European clubs. Gooner and I brought up his name during our last podcast, to which I said no way Arsenal get him since he is already being tracked by Real Madrid...add to this Manchester United and I highly doubt the Gunners will be able to out spend their rivals to secure the services of the young Belgium Messi. Alas. Wenger should have pursued him last season when he was already a known entity in Ligue 1.
Accepting the fact that Hazard will most likely be gone sooner rather than later, it is imperative for Lille to do all it can to win the title this season. I would also expect Gervinho to be out this summer as well, he almost left this past transfer season.
So now Wayne Rooney is staying in Manchester. I should be more specific, obviously. He's staying in the red-half of Manchester with United and with Sir Alex. I'll be interested to see how long it takes the fans and his teammates to truly welcome him back to the fold.
For me, this is not particularly surprising. Their seemed to be an element of contract negotiation brinksmenship to the whole story (I know that's easy to say in hindsight). But it would have been hard for him to leave United and go anywhere but City, as they're in a financial position to outbid everyone else, and United are in a position of desperately needing cash.
Further, leaving Manchester United, but not leaving Manchester would have made his life miserable.
Also, when you compare Rooney and Tevez on form this year, Rooney doesn't make the starting 11 (City don't play with more than one striker). Tevez has been on-fire, Rooney has been slowed by injuries, and has lost his goal-scoring touch.
And finally, in my opinion, I think Rooney has actually entered the decline phase of his career. Yes, he's only 24. But Michael Owen was on the decline at a similar age, if not earlier. Rooney rose to prominence at an early age with Everton. He has a lot of games under his belt, especially when you think of all his England Caps (67 senior Caps so far). He's rarely had a summer off. And worse, he's had a number of major injuries. Games and injuries add up, especially with the all-action style in which he plays.
Are Manchester United better off with Rooney? Absolutely, for now, though I still think they'll struggle to stay in the Top 4 this year. But check back in years 4 and 5 of the new contract. He might end up being a millstone around their neck.
So Rooney wanted 14 million pounds in salary...well well well. He clearly wanted to be the highest paid player, good for him - and earn more than former teammate Ronaldo.
Is he one of the worlds greatest players? Maybe. Off the cuff - Messi, Iniesta, Ronaldo, Mullerto to name a few are in a top 10 list. Rooney deserves to be in the conversation...whether because of his on field talent or the perception of his talent.
He is still young - 24. He single handily carried the Red Devils last season and his drop off in goals this season is one of the main reasons Man U is not closer to first place.
Is player greed a primary reason why Rooney seems to be heading elsewhere? Yes...in part I am sure the Man U financial problems hamper their ability to afford Rooney and his salary but also other big name players. this combination is the reason why the former golden child will be elsewhere as early as early as this winter.
After watching, and enjoying some schandenfreude, the Liverpool saga, I can only look to the Reds' historical rival - Manchester United - as a potential for a similar fall from grace. The Liverpool saga boils down to simple greed - Hicks and Gillett thought they could make a quick buck off a historical sports franchise. They purchased the club through heavy leverage and when the economy tanked and they could not service the debt they had to sell. They did not purchase the club because they were life long fans of the Reds or of football...now who knows what John Henry and his NESV group will do with Liverpool, but if what they have done with the Red Sox is any indication, they understand that the product on the pitch is what makes the value of the asset rise, not playing some financial shell games to make a buck. So how does this relate to Manchester United?
Happier days for SAF and Rooney
The Red Devils are in a very similar situation. They were purchased by the Glazers, another North American based ownership that acquired the asset not because of love of the game or the history of Manchester United, but because they identified what they thought was a good asset they could acquire...again via debt, and then leverage to line their own pockets but also keep the value high enough that when the need arose could be sold at a reasonable price - see profit. This financial structure has started to take its toll on the club. The sales of Ronaldo and Tevez over the past 2 seasons were the first signs that the financial burden the Glazer's have placed on the club were starting to take their tolls on the club. The latest from the Rooney saga only reinforces this brutal financial reality. Why did Rooney not resign with Manchester United? Because he wants a big pay bump? Maybe. Because he wants out of Manchester United to escape the spotlights of the English tabloids? Um no where on this planet can get you away from that light...the reality it I think he has seen his mates like Ronaldo and Tevez leave with no one coming back in return. Rooney might need some lessons in maturity off the pitch, but his competitive desire and motivation to win on it cannot be questioned. Clearly he doubts the club's ability to compete in the transfer market and by extension on the pitch....so why should he look to stay?
Bottom line - the debt and business aspects of the club have started to catch up with Manchester United. Whether or not SAF or the Glazers want to admit it, the club no longer can look to go out and acquire top talent. Couple this with their city neighbors and their new bottomless pit of money as well as the Russian billions that are still in Stamford Bridge and one could envisage a similar situation that struck Liverpool happening at Old Trafford. Could SAF be close behind to Rooney?
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!
News bulletin!!! Owen Hargreaves will miss the opening of the EPL season for Manchester United!!! I find this slightly amusing, sorry I know this is schadenfreude towards SAF and Manchester United. I have nothing against the Canadian holding midfielder. However could he be one of the worst signings in the recent past? First Bayern sold the midfielder for 34m pounds to Manchester United in 2006. Since then the midfielder has played...drum roll...stoppage time versus Sunderland last May and has played with the reserves! Great return for the investment. Hargreaves has basically not played for his entire Manchester United career. The fact that Capello almost called him up for the England national team for the South Africa World Cup is mind baffling, that actually makes the fact Domenech wanted to call up Makelele seem sane.
Does the 34m pounds for a player that has given you a stoppage time appearance over the past 2 seasons a good investment? Um no. Shocking. It is not as if SAF was not aware that Hargreaves was brittle and has some injury concerns. Granted Manchester United can throw that kind of money away, but still one of the worst transfers ever.
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.
Some interesting story lines are emerging from the Champions League and the first day of 1/4 final matches. First Bayern Munich find a way to come back after an early Rooney strike to find a 2-1 victory. A little bit of revenge from the 1999 finals where Manchester United pulled back 2 goals in the dying minutes to complete their treble. Granted this is the 1/4 finals and there remains the difficult return leg in Manchester. However if Rooney, who limped off late and was seen on crutches, is not available for the return leg while Bayern might be getting Robben back it might be game over for the Red Devils. Ribery already terrorized the English champions with his runs on the left wing, add a healthy Robben to the right wing and I am not sure Manchester United will be able to pull back the victory. With the two fast wingers, SAF will need to change his midfield allowing for Park and Valencia to assist the wide defenders in containing the Bayern wingers. This might limit the ability for the Red Devils to take advantage of the offensive runs from Evra. Of course Manchester United do have the away goal and are heading home, so they technically sit in the driver's seat, however if Bayern score first and if Rooney is not 100% that advantage is minimal. Throw into this equation the fact Manchester United are playing Chelsea this weekend in what many are touting the match for the league title and the next few days will be difficult for Manchester United to navigate.
The second, all French affair, was not as one sided as the final score would indicate with Lyon securing a 3-1 victory over Bordeaux. The game was wide open with both sides with great opportunities and Lloris making some tremendous saves to keep his team at 1 goal against. Bordeaux had some chances with Gourcuff playing closer to his top level than he has in the past few months. Lyon did show an ability to sustain their game, to constantly attack from any area of the pitch and defend as a block. With Lloris playing the way he is, Lyon have to believe in their ability to get to their first semi finals of the Champions League. This might be a bad omen for Bordeaux who lost to Marseilles this past weekend in the League Cup finals, if they cannot find a way to climb out of the 2 goal hole next week they will drop out of another competition. What started as a very promising week is not looking as positive.
