Oh Manchester United...

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.

Fantastic spoof by NBC before they start with their EPL coverage

The Special One - pouting in Madrid wants back to the Prem

Lets put aside the 7-1 drubbing that Arsenal handed out this weekend of the ridiculous defense at Chelsea, up 3-0 in the second half!! The intriguing story that I have been meaning to write about - the Special One and his desire to return to England. Actually the Chelsea game might flame the fires of seeing Mourinho coming back to his old stomping grounds - Chelsea.

Together at last??

How did this all start? With the Special One whining about his role at Real Madrid that his players don't listen to him and that he cannot get the best of Barcelona. But is a return to England really that viable? What clubs have the ability to attract the Special One? There need to be a few things in place to even consider reaching out to Mourinho and his gigantic ego: deep transfer kitty, brand name and money to fuel his ego. That basically eliminates all but a handful of teams: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are the ones that fit the bill:

• Manchester United - SAF isn't going anywhere next season, although this would be the natural fit for Mourinho. After managing Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid the Red Devils would be one of the few clubs at the level of Real Madrid. He has expressed interest in succeeding Sir Alex but I do not see that happening right away. Odds - 250:1
• Manchester City - the nouveau riche of football, would look very similar to the situation he took on at Chelsea. A club that has been toiling away in the shadow of the bigger club in the city it plays in that has a massive cash infusion and can all of sudden compete. If Mancini fails to win the league, and even if he does win, I could see the Citizens look to add another superstar this time on the touch line. Unlike with Chelsea, I am not sure Manchester City's owners are going to be as meddling down the road, the reason why Jose decided to leave the Blues. Odds - 7:1
• Liverpool - Mourinho turned them down once, but what greater challenge than taking over the storied club and win the league! Something that has not happened in ... well forever. Also, the Special One and his ego would LOVE doing something one of his rivals - Benetiz - failed to do, beat Manchester United for the Premiership. However, Liverpool look like a long shot for Champions League football and not sure that Henry et al will make a move to move away from Dalglish just to get Mourinho. Then again, Liverpool might need a Jose to lift them to levels that haven't been enjoyed in a very long time. Odds 10:1
• Arsenal - Ugh, now that would be a headline, Mourinho taking over for Wenger.  Much like with the Liverpool opportunity, I am sure that somewhere in Mourinho's ego there is a burning desire to take over Arsenal and win what Wenger could not, but Jose has done twice - win the Champions League. Arsenal have the funds to both support Jose's salary and transfer desires, but would they open the purse strings? Unlikely. But what a juicy situation that would be if we say Jose patrolling the Emirates home touch line. Odds 50:1
• Tottenham - The Spurs are the darlings of this season, sitting third with some pundits claiming they might actually have a run in them to contend for the title, doubtful. With Harry Redknapp embroiled in a tax evasion trial but more importantly the fact Capello is doing everything he can to get out of managing the Three Lions, there could be a natural landing sport for Harry. Fact of the matter is, Harry has never been shy about wanting to manage at the international level. The main issue is can Tottenham afford the Special One? That is where I think they fall short...well short. Odds 75:1

End of the day I think we see Mourinho make the shock move to take over Liverpool. Assuming the Crypt Keeper John Henry agrees to open the purse strings...Jose will see this as a challenge to take over one of football's most storied clubs, but one that has been left in the dust during in the Premiership era. His giant ego will not be able to turn down the challenge and to stick it to Benetiz by winning a Prem title.

Ah Jose, it would be good to have you back in England!

No more relegation? Hogwash

A recent story from England that the foreign owners might look to get rid of relegation and promotion, click here. Are you kidding me? For what reason? So they can ensure their little toy stays firmly planted in the Premier League? First of all who would decide this? Would you set a date and say, by 2019 the teams in the Premiership will be there permanently. In recent history, storied clubs like Newcastle, West Ham, Leeds and the likes have been relegated. Some have come back to the Prem some, like Leeds, are still working their way up the ladder. But imagine shutting the door on such clubs from ever coming back to top tier football.

Taking away relegation and promotion is an abysmal idea. Construed by a bunch of owners who have little clue about the history of the game and all they worry about is the revenue stream being in the top flight guarantees. Sometimes I think relegation needs to be brought to US sports, maybe it would make the owners of the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates invest in their teams to make sure they stayed in the top flight rather than just collect the gate, shared revenue and TV money while their team toils in mediocrity.

There are problems with European football no doubt, but one of them is not the promotion and relegation system.

Premier league race over?

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.

Arsenal v Chelsea...the Gunners get pushed around

So the London derby between The Blues and the Gunners was rather one sided...for the club from Stamford Bridge. The final 3-0 scoreline was actually somewhat kind to the North Londoners. What struck me was the fact that Chelsea manhandled the Gunners. The way Drogba owned the Gunners was the best example of this and we do not even have Senderos to blame! Arsenal had no answer for the Ivory Coast international. He ran through and around the Arsenal defenders. What is frightening is that it appears that Drogba is once again motivated and that is dangerous for Chelsea opponents.

This match showed why I think Arsenal are going to be playing catch up with their London rivals. Two main reasons: First, Arsenal do not have the physical edge they once had when the likes of Vieira, Parlour, Gilberto, Edu, Adams to name a few. Now they have a collection of outstandingly talented players, but lack a certain physical edge. They do not have players such as Essein or Drogba who are incredibly physical players on the pitch. Second, Chelsea has the depth needed to win the Premiership - being able to bring players such as Malouda and Deco off the bench and leave the likes of Ballack and Kalou on the bench. Arsenal have better depth than the likes of Wigan or Fulham, but not teams such as Chelsea. Granted much of this is due to their limitless funds, but it is not as if Arsenal is a have not club.

If this game is any indication, Arsenal will and do have enough talent to remain part of the "big 4" but the chasm between the bottom of the big 4 and the top grows greater by the day. Come on Wenger go out and get some steel for this side!

Chelsea gets knocked down

Chelsea has just been handed a stern punishment for tampering with French youngster Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens to sign with the London club. Chelsea will not be able to participate in the next two transfer windows....wow. That is a harsh, but correct punishment. What alternative did FIFA have? Fine the club? Um Abramovich would have chuckled and found some loose change in his sofas to pay whatever fine there was (they did get a monetary penalty to be paid to Lens). This penalty will be felt. Can Chelsea survive not participating in the winter transfer window? Maybe. Assuming that they do not suffer any injuries to their primary players - Cech, Terry, Drogba, Lampard, Anelka, etc - they will be able to make it through the season without needing to add resources over the January window. Although it will be difficult, they added Anelka a few seasons ago during the winter transfer window. What could prove damaging is not being able to add during the summer. This is when teams make major changes to their effective, adding big names such as Kaka and Ronaldo, and jettisoning players no longer needed. With aging players such as Deco and Ballack in the midfield, players like Mikel ending their contracts, there will be a need to reinforce the midfield and the rest of the team. That ability has been taken away from Chelsea.

Knowing this might push the Blues even harder this season to grab as much silverware as possible realizing that next season might be tough sledding. I am not going to cry over this, Chelsea will be fine, they have depth and talent. Not being able to add players this winter and next summer will make things difficult but this is not Hull, Chelsea will still contend for the Premiership Title. Now if we could only prove that Manchester United did the same!

Arsenal romps again

Another cake walk for the Gunners: 4-1 against Portsmouth. Goals from the Frenchies - 2 from Diaby and 1 from Gallas...oh and 1 from Kaboul for Portsmouth, another Frenchie. So the second straight week, and really the third straight match (that counts) where Arsenal looked very dangerous - interesting player ratings from the match from ESPN. What is very telling is that of the 10 goals they have scored in 2 Premiership games, only one comes from a striker, and that was a tap in for the 6th goal against Everton by Eduardo. Van Persie and Arshavin have not tallied themselves, nor has Bendtner. Vela remains sidelined. Nasri and Rosicky are still injured. Look out once they all return!! So should we give Wenger the title? Are we seeing another run of the invincibles? Um, no and no.

First of all, Arsenal have played a team they traditionally do well against - Everton and one that might be in a fight for maintenance in the Premiership this season - Portsmouth. So clearly we cannot get ahead of ourselves. Second, it is a long season. Cliche I realize, but true. Arsenal have started like gang busters in the past only to fade during the cold days of the winter. Nothing tells me that this can be avoided this season. Arsenal still need, during these last days of the transfer season, to find some more steel for the team. In addition, I think that Eboue needs to be kept. He will prove incredibly valuable, playing both in the midfield and on defense, especially if Arsenal stick with the 4-3-3 formation. In addition, I would like to see another central defender, Vermaelen looks like the real deal, but I would like some cover at that spot. What I would really like to see is another strong midfielder, of the holding type. Arsenal will need a player that can act as the "engine" and will be able to run hard for 90 minutes. Clearly Arsenal wants to play offense with their slick passing, overlapping runs, dribbling, and overall offensive talent. This means that they will need a player that can cover defensively and keep the pressure off the back 4. Not sure where that player is, with Vieira likely not coming back, Melo playing for the Old Lady, Yaya extending at Barcelona. So here is a name for everyone to chew on - Mikel.

Ok I realize he plays for cross town rival Chelsea...however, there is a regime change there as well. With Mourinho gone, there is not the same level of rancor that otherwise permeated the relationship between the clubs. Rumor has it that Ancelotti is also not entirely pleased with the Nigerian. It is also not clear where he will fit into the diamond formation Chelsea want to run in the midfield, where Essein would most likely be the first choice to be the base of the diamond. Granted Mikel has signed a new extension, but when has that ever stopped a player from moving. Mikel would slot in nicely into the Arsenal game acting as the holding player with Denilson. I could see Mikel getting the bulk of run against some of the more physical teams and when the pitches get heavy. I realize this might be a pipe dream....but who would have thought Manchester United would sell Silvestre to Arsenal??

Premier League starting up...4 tops again

It appears that the summer vacation and time off for the footie teams is shorter and shorter...I guess all the better for us soccer starved fans! To many out there, the true soccer season starts tomorrow with the beginning of the English Premier League (btw I like the old badge up top)...the other big leagues, Italy and Spain, start later in the summer.

So the first question, will the "big 4" remain the same? Answer...and I have been thinking about this all summer...will be yes. Second question, will all the big spending at Manchester City mean they will threaten for the title. Answer...no. Third question, will Everton or Aston Villa threaten the top 4. Answer...maybe. And finally, will Benetiz and SAF continue their war of words. Answer...ABSOLUTELY! Ok let us look at the the top 5 and some other observations before the season opener tomorrow.

#5 Aston Villa. The Villians threatened to oust Arsenal last season from the top 4 late into the year, only to lose their steam. Probably the most English of all teams they are managed by one of the Premierships best managers in Martin ONeil. The loss of Barry will be difficult to overcome, but with the likes of Agbonlahor, Carew, Freidel, Sidwell, Young etc they have enough talent to maintain aspirations of being in the top 5. I also think that Heskey will prove important in this campaign, while not the striker some thought he might become, if he can chip in double digit goals and bring some veteran leadership to the side they will perform well enough to knock on the door of the big 4.

#4 Liverpool. Ok I have never made it a secret that I think Benetiz is an overrated blowhard. And had the Reds not had 15 minutes of craziness in Athens to win the Champions League, the Spaniard would be back in his home land looking for work. I think losing Garcia will be more difficult to over come than Benetiz thinks. I realize that Benetiz brought in Aquilani from Italy to replace Garcia, but not sure how he will acclimate himself to England. I think that he still has not addressed the goal scoring issue, can Torres and Gerrard still be expected to score the bulk of the goals for the Reds? If Mascherano ends up leaving as the rumors claim, then the Reds will be in real trouble.

#3 Manchester United. Whoooaaaaa you might say, the Red Devils, winners of 3 straight titles...fall to 3rd???? Um yes. Why? You cannot lose arguably the best player in the world in Ronaldo as well as one of the games top 10 strikers and expect to win a 4th straight title. Van de Sar is out for the first part of the season. Hargreaves, yes remember him, appears closer to being forced into retirement. Giggs and Scholes are one year older. Owen? Just because you gave him the #7 shirt does not mean he is the next Best, Cantona, Beckham or Ronaldo. Michael Owen has not been the same for a very long time. Not sure if the change of scenery will make him the young prodigy we saw score one of the greatest goals in the 1998 World Cup. I think that Manchester United are in a transition season and they will drop in the table.

#2 Arsenal. I have given the Gunners a lot of thought recently. For a while I thought they would be out of the top 4...and then I will admit I read Bobby's blog on Fox Soccer and it changed my mind. Now I am not ready to crown the Gunners league winners but I think they will improve on last season and that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United will drop. A full season of Arshavin a healthy Eduardo the lack of headache from Adebayour are the keys. Of course this ranking will change if Cesc leaves for Barca. Also, Wenger still needs to bring in some defensive and midfield help before the end of the month. In addition, Rosicky needs to come back close to 100%, Nasri needs to come back, Diaby needs to find some health potion...again a lot of other ifs, but no reason to believe most cannot come to fruition.

#1 Chelsea. Not much suspense here...but the Blues have the talent, manager, and deep pockets to regain the title. They were able to keep Terry and Drogba during the off season. Malouda looks like the Malouda from Lyon. Anelka could have a new contract to make him happy. Finally Ancelotti should bring some stability to the management role. Oh and let us not forget Shevchenko is back from ACMilan. I have a feeling the Ukrainian striker will have a nice season for the Blues. He will give some good depth up front and be a solid substitute during the season. Of course if there are any needs during the winter transfer window, we all know that Abramovich will not hesitate to splash out the cash. The Blues are too deep and talented not to regain the title this season. The one question mark is in goal, if Cech plays the way we know he can then no worries....if he plays the way he did for part of last season, they could be in trouble.

Other teams to watch -

Manchester City - How can you not keep a keen eye to the other team in Manchester. After dropping A LOT of cash this transfer season, they have, on paper, the talent to challenge anyone. However I question if there was any strategy behind the acquisitions or just...buy who you can to make us look like a contender spending. Adebayour...ok. But how will he fit with Santa Cruz and Tevez? Who will defend? Is Toure the Toure of old or the one we saw the past few months for Arsenal? The Citizens should still do better than last season, I think that Ireland will be shown as one of the best playmakers with the offensive additions he will be able to leverage.

Everton - David Moyes always has his team ready to play. Fellaini, Arteta, Cahill and a rejuvenated Saha are a solid foundation for the club. They will once again be one of the best teams in the second tier of the Premiership

Cannot believe the season starts tomorrow, I do not see anyone breaking into the top 4, but I do think that clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United will come back to the pack which should make for an interesting Premiership season.

Is the Premiership the best league in the world?

After the first round of Champions League knock out games, all the "big four" are in good positions to be in the final 8, and giving the Prem half the slots in the final 8. That would be impressive. Since the 2003-2004 edition, England has always had at least one club in the Champions League semi finals. During that span, the Premier has secured two titles and had 3 teams earn runner up medals. So does this mean that the Premiership is the dominate league in footie?

It would be hard to argue against the Premiership's current form. Arsenal is the weakest of the 4 clubs from England and from all reports they dominated AS Roma (I have not had a chance to watch my DVR). Chelsea scored a famous victory against the Old Lady. Manchester United secured the essential, a road draw. And Liverpool scored a huge 1-0 win away to Real Madrid and will force Real to have to come to Anfield and win a game. I am not ready to crown one of the big four as this year's champion, but the odds are that one of them will be Rome in May. Of course Athletico, Real, Barca and Villereal could also turn their ties around and place 4 Spanish clubs in the final 8 as well!