Another chance to turn on the television and turn down the sound.
Manchester United are attempting what no other team has been able to achieve – a successful defence of the Champions League title. Under the old name and format of the European Cup there were a few dynasties and a handful of back-to-back wins.
Real Madrid (1956-60) set a standard that has yet to be bettered of five consecutive wins. Triple season victors came in the seventies with Ajax (1971-73) and Bayern Munich (1974-76). Consecutive season wins came from Inter Milan (64/65), Liverpool (77/78), Nottingham Forest (79/80)and finally Milan (89/90).
However, the dearth of back-to-back winners does not mean that the race for Europe’s top trophy is wide-open. A look at the make-up of the group stage over the last six seasons and the knock out rounds over the last five paints a picture of a pretty select group of teams that can be relied upon to be there or thereabouts when the appearance money is dished out.
Here are some facts gleamed from a look at the last six seasons of the Champions League.
Group Stage (Last 32) - Number of teams that have qualified:
In the last six seasons – 69 out of 192 available spots
In each the last six seasons – 8 (Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Lyon, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven, and Porto), 25%
On multiple occasions over the last six seasons – 36, 62%
Only once for the group stage in the last six seasons – 25, 13%
Knock Out Stage (Last 16) - Number of teams that have qualified:
In the last five seasons – 30 out of 90 available spots
In each of the last five seasons – 4 (Chelsea, Lyon, Arsenal, Real Madrid), 22%
Only once in the last five seasons – 14, 15.5%
On multiple occasions in the last five seasons – 12 (Roma, Inter Milan, Juventus, Milan, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven, Celtic, Porto), 62.5%
A closed-shop or is there an upset or two possible this season?
Austria found a way to build on a better than expected European Championship (competitive without being threatening) by beating France 3-1. Ironically their next match is on Wednesday against Lithuania who also pulled of a fantastic result by beating Romani 3-0 in Bucharest.
Lithuania had lost the previous seven international matches versus Romania and this win is arguably the biggest in the country’s history. Lithuania have one won away from home on numerous occasions but none of the wins have come against a country of Romania’s calibre.
A huge 1-0 away win for Uruguay against Colombia. The Villarreal midfielder Sebastian Eguren scored in first 15 minutes as Uruguay leapfrogged Colombia. The win put Uruguay third on Saturday evening pending the Sunday match between Chile and Brazil.
Andy Murray’s four set win over Rafael Nadal at the USA Open. A fantastic match and I am in total awe of how hard these players hit the ball and how well they get around the court. Tennis is a game in which if you are not mentally strong you are nothing. It puts into perspective some of John Terry's comments about England's millionaires lacking confidence. Confidence comes from knowing that you can execute under pressure and that comes from exceptional technical skills that have been honed over time and perfected.
Way back in my teenage years tennis was one of my summer sports and I played poorly in a number of junior tournaments around Scotland. It wasn't until a few months ago that I found out that Andy Murray's mum is Judy (then) Erskine whose name I remember from that time as she played in a number of the same competitions.
Best forgotten…..
Yes it was a win but by any criteria it was a labored and uninspired performance by England that needed two second half goals from Joe Cole to see off Andorra 2-0 in Barcelona.
The first forty five minutes of the home game against Paraguay was a nightmare for Argentina. Carlos Tevez picked up his second red card of World Cup qualifying but this only served to increase Argentina’s problems. Full back Gabriel Heinze had already put through his own goal and injured goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri in the process. The goalie had to be replaced and Heinze was substituted at the break. As it was a second half equalizer from Sergio Aguero salvaged a point.
Best goals….
Jason Garey had just set foot on the park and with his first touch he cushioned the ball and with his second he scored past Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis. It was the Columbus Crew’s third goal of the game in a match that would finish 4-0. It was the simplicity of the goal stood out. Chad Marshall broke up a Revolution attack in his own penalty area and played the ball forward. After a series of quick one touch passes the ball was played to the Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto. As Schelotto attacked the Revolution defence Garey strayed offside forcing the Argentine to hold the ball. Eschewing an obvious pass out to the right Schelotto allowed Garey to get back onside before clipping a reverse pass to him. Garey did the rest.
A beautifully weighted pass from Cesc Fabregas was played through to Spain’s David Villa. His first touch took him wide and beyond the Bosnia goalkeeper but as the Valencia striker reached the ball it looked as if the final angle was too acute. Nevertheless despite being only a matter of inches from the byline Villa stroked the ball into the net to give Spain the win and to make up for a first half penalty that he had missed.
Best Players….
Antonio di Natale had a couple of goals on the opening day of Serie A last weekend and followed up with another pair, this time for Italy in a 2-1 away win to Cyprus. The second goal finished off a neat move involving Gilardino, Del Piero and Camoranesi and came in the 90th minute.
The Ramon Nunez playing for Honduras against Canada was unrecognizable as the player that formerly lined up for FC Dallas and Chivas USA in MLS. During the first hour Nunez was a bundle of energy, creativity and finishing. He was a source of discomfort to the Canadian midfield and scored twice in a ten minute period at the start of the second after Canada had led 1-0 at the break. The first goal he created from first running at the Canadian defence and moving the ball out to the left side. He then drifted towards the far post and unmarked gathered the return pass and slotted the ball home.
Austrian captain Andreas Ivanschitz set up the first two goals for his country through well delivered free kicks and he finished the job by scoring from the penalty spot to give Austria a 3-1 win over France.
Goal feast……
There were a total of twelve goals in the two CONCACAF Group 3 qualifying matches. Costa Rica thumped Suriname 7- 0 while El Salvador went nap on Haiti winning 5-0.
Biggest Howlers……
This one was not an on-field howler but well worth mentioning. Chivas goalkeeper Zack Thornton went down injured after a collision with Toronto FC’s Danny Dichio in the second half of Saturday’s MLS game. The referee called for the stretcher crew who then had to lift the 6’ 3” goalkeeper weighing a conservative 235 lbs. on to the carrier.
As the stretcher bearers turned at the corner flag it was patently obvious that Thornton’s attendants were struggling with their cargo. The camera then moved back to the action but only a few moments later CBC colour commentator and former Canadian captain Jas de Vos could not hold it in a moment longer.
Apparently the load had proved too much and the four man crew had dropped the Chivas keeper as they passed the bench area and it forced him to continue his trip to the dressing room under his own steam.
It was a miserable day for French central defender Philippe Mexes against Austria. France conceded two goals from free kicks played high into the penalty box and down the middle. The other came from a penalty conceded by Mexes as he dragged down Janko in full view of the referee. It was France’s first loss to Austria in nearly four decades.
New York Red Bulls’ Diego Jimenez sliced a clearance square across his own penalty area to a waiting Stephen King who scored the only goal of the game for Chicago Fire. I’m not sure what was more memorable – the awful clearance or match commentator Max Bretos who managed to work both “horror show” and “Stephen King” into the goal description.
Stat facts
Israel and Switzerland drew for the third straight game in World Cup qualifying. This time it was 2- 2 with Israel coming back from two goals down with 17 minutes to go. The Israeli fight back should have come as no surprise to the Swiss as four years ago Israel had to come from 2-1 down to draw. The Swiss also led 1-0 in the return game before giving up an equalizer.
It was France’s first loss to Austria in nearly 38 years.
WSC comments on this week's problems and departures at Newcastle and West Ham.
Simon Barnes tests his law – “anyone who buys a football club will end up looking an #### within a year and a bloody fool within two”.
Ian Plenderleithlooks at the opening of the NFL regular season and draws potential parallels with the Premiership.
Coming up this week…..
World Cup qualifiers continue with a more interesting schedule in Europe. Some of matches that catch the eye include: Portugal vs. Denmark; Russia vs. Wales (replay of Euro 2004 play off won by Russia); Turkey vs. Belgium; Croatia vs. England; France vs. Serbia; and surprisingly Lithuania vs. Austria.
In CONCACAF qualifying Mexico and the USA have a chance to all but wrap up a spot in the final round with Canada and Trinidad and Tobago providing the visiting opposition.
The most crucial game in South America might be Chile vs. Colombia.
Serie A kicks off this weekend and here is a quick preview of what might be in store with the dreaded prediction at the end.
Contenders? When many expected Fiorentina to fold late last season they held their nerve and it paid off with a fourth place finish and a spot in this season’s Champions League. What is more is that of the contenders no other team has done better than Fiorentina at strengthening their squad. Although Ujfalusi will be missed (moved to Atletico Madrid) Cesare Prandelli can look to some excellent acquisitions.
A few years back when he in charge of Parma Prandelli helped Alberto Gilardino become one of Europe’s most sought after strikers. It’s fair to say that Gilardino never reached his potential at Milan but don’t be surprised if he starts scoring regularly once more. (it is also worth noting that Adrian Mutu played with Gilardino at Parma although the Italian only saw sporadic game time in 02/03.) Juan Vargas (Catania) and Zauri (Lazio) add to Fiorentina’s defensive options and Sergio Almiron from Juventus on loan could turn out to be a steal. If Almiron can rediscover his Empoli form then he will add to an already strong midfield.
With Jose Mourinho in charge it will never be quiet and predictable for Inter this season. However, any thoughts of a raft of summer signings have been dispelled with Mancini (Roma) and Muntari (Portsmouth) the only two high profile additions to an already extensive squad. Adriano returns from a loan spell at Sao Paulo and he probably has one last chance to get his Inter career back on track before he is shipped out. Although there is much talk of Inter’s focus turning to the Champions League this season I’m not sure I believe it.
Juventus’ third place last season surprised a lot of fans but without the pressure of a European campaign Juventus proved to a consistent performer without ever threatening to take the title. An area that begs for improvement is the results away from home and in particular the number of goals conceded. The addition of Olaf Mellberg (defense) and Christian Poulsen (holding midfielder) should improve Juve at the back and Amauri (former Palermo) should contribute double figures in the goal scoring department. Some younger players have been shipped out which would seem to indicate that Juventus are battening down for a tough season on all fronts.
For the first time in years Milan is not in the UEFA Champions League but is relegated instead to the UEFA Cup. Some may argue that in the absence of the Champions League Milan will be free to concentrate on Serie A. Veterans have gone (Cafu and Serginho) and Gianluca Zambrotta, Ronaldinho and Andryi Shevchenko have arrived at the San Siro along with some young whippersnappers (relatively speaking) such as Mathieu Flamini, Philippe Senderos and high scoring Marco Borriello. How Carlo Ancelotti goes about fitting all these pieces together into a cohesive unit will of particular interest over the first few weeks of the season.
Roma would just not give up last season and pushed Inter right to the final round of games before finally finishing three points behind in 2nd spot. The club has continued to improve under Luciano Spalletti but it difficult to see where any further improvement will come from. John-Arne Riise and Julio Baptista have been added to the squad although Mancini left for Inter. If Roma is to push for the title then it will need Aquilani and De Rossi to step up.
UEFA Cup prospects?
Napoli at home was a very different prospect than Napoli away last season. Nearly 75% of their points came at home Milan, Fiorentina, Inter, Juventus, Udinese and Sampdoria all left pointless. Defensive problems cost them a lot of points away from home as the conceded 37 goals as opposed to 16 on home turf. No problems on the horizon for Napoli but not much of an improvement either.
Palermo fans are left to mourn the loss of Amauri to Juventus but the money they got did not burn a hole in anyone’s pocket. Palermo has been one of the busiest teams and when the season kicks off this weekend there will be more than a few new faces. Possibly the shrewdest piece of business has been the signing of goalkeeper Marco Amelia from Livorno. Defenders Bova (Genoa) and Carrozzieri (Atalanta) have been brought in while Liverani should add composure and touch to the midfield. Liverani’s presence should also help Antonio Nocerino who arrived as part of the Amauri deal.
Túlio de Melo has parleyed a good season with Le Mans into a Serie A although many suspect that the Brazilian’s performance at the start of last season was a flash-in-the-pan. With the number of new arrivals it make take some time for the new Palermo to bed down which will cause problems for Manager Stefano Colantuono. There again when you consider that Palermo Chairman Maurizio Zamparini hired-fired-rehired him in a ten month period last season Colantuono is probably renting rather than buying.
It turned out to be a good season for Sampdoria as they finished 6th and with 60 points. But it was not a season without highs and lows. Antonio Cassano’s arrival on loan (now permanent) gave Sampdoria a bona-fide match winner and a player that can frighten the daylights of any defence in the world when he is on song. This also got someone who can be his own worst enemy and capable of destroying his own side.
A strong home record was Samp’s foundation last season with only two losses and 18 goals conceded. Eighteen against might not be overly impressive but eight came in just two games – Milan 5-0 and Roma 3-0. If Sampdoria is to move up then they have to hold their home form while improving away from home – only Napoli with 12 losses had more than Sampdoria’s 10. It is hard to discern any significant improvement in the squad and a case could be made that the players leaving (Volpi and Zenoni to Bologna in particular) have not been adequately replaced.
Udinese finished in a very respectable seventh place at the end of last season. Manager Pasquale Marino was widely praised for playing a 4-3-3 formation although the attacking intent did not translate into the goals column – 48 goals was not a great return. Di Natale (17) and Quagliarella (12) carried the scoring load last but help is on the way. Finally two years after signing Alexis Sanchez it looks as if the Chilean will finally turn out for Udinese. However, there looks to be more down side season-to-season for Udinese than upside and they will do well to hold their position.
Safe Mid Table?
Atalanta is the consummate yo-yo team in Europe let alone Italy with 18 relegations and promotions in the last 50 years. That should be enough to caution anyone to pick them for a comfortable mid-table finish. Manager Gigi Del Neri (arguably a yo-yo manger over the last few seasons!) managed to rehabilitate his reputation to a great extent last season has he guided his charges to a 9th place finish. The same finish might be the best that can be expected.
Genoa finished in a very comfortable 10th place last season and if than can reach the same heights this season then they will be punching well above their weight. Marco Borriello scored 19 goals out of a total of 44 and he headed back to Milan this summer. Genoa’s next leading scorer notched 4 and there seems little indication that any of the summer arrivals can come close to filling the void. A plummet into trouble would not be a surprise.
Battling on the European front in the Champions League and domestically was too much for Lazio last season. After breaking into the top four the season before last Lazio slumped to 12th in Serie A last season. During this transfer window Lazio have added some quality players to their squad. After failing to get the necessary documentation twelve months ago it looks as if goalkeeper Juan Carrizo will finally start for the Rome side.
Midfielder Matuzalem left Serie A (Brescia) for Shakhtar Donetsk four summers ago and has now found his way back via a very acrimonious “transfer” involving Real Zaragoza. It’s not clear that the move to Zaragoza has ever been settled – to Shakhtar’s satisfaction anyway – but the Spanish club has agreed to loan the Brazilian to Lazio for the season. Mauro Zarate is another exciting capture and someone capable of adding some flair and goals to the Lazio attack. All-in-all a better season ahead but not enough to get back into a Champions League spot.
Siena led the league in draws last season (17) and a fine run under manager Mario Beretta helped the club to a record 44 points and 13th place. Beretta resigned at the end of last season and has been replaced by Marco Giampaolo – a coach who seems to be always on the brink of either joining Cagliari or being fired by Cagliari. The summer transfer moves do not appear to have solved their goal scoring problems (only Maccarone with 13 goals was close to adequate) and so mid table is as good as it will get with the threat of a relegation battle a possibility.
Relegation Battlers?
Bologna returns to Serie A after a three season absence. They finished as runners up in Serie B last season but achieved an automatic promotion spot. Last season the goals came from Massimo Marazzina (23) but there is a question mark over his ability to contribute at a higher level. Bologna has spent some money in an attempt to maintain a Serie A lifestyle with Volpi and Zenoni (Sampdoria) and Marco Di Vaio some of the better known acquisitions. If the new additions can click then Bologna might enjoy a comfortable season but the priority is still survival.
If the bookies were not prematurely paying out on Cagliari to be relegated last season I would be surprised. Then Davide Ballardini arrived and the Sardinians picked up 32 points (out of a season total 42) in the second half of the season and Cagliari avoided the drop. Most clubs with have showered Ballardini with riches; Cagliari let him walk away and replaced him with the much travelled Massimiliano Allegri.
As a player Allegri made 13 pit-stops in two decades and as a manager he is now on his fifth club in five seasons. Don’t expect Allegri to be around at season’s end given owner Massimo Cellino for blowing coaches out of the door. David Suazo saved the club two seasons ago, Ballardini pulled off the impossible last season – i
Two draws in last two matches of the 2007/08 season meant that Catania stayed up but for the second straight season it was a close run thing. Catania was winless away from home but how can you explain a home record that contributed 30 out of 37 points and conceded only 14 goals at home – only Juventus had a better defensive record. A large part of Catania’s problems was an anemic attack that scored only 33 goals – only relegated Empoli scored fewer. It is hard to see who of the summer signings are going to score goals so it looks as if will be another close run thing for Walter Zenga’s side.
Everyone’s favourite Flying Donkeys bounced back to Serie A at the first attempt. Sergio Pellissier’s 22 goals were a major contributor to Chievo’s rapid return and he should get help from recent arrival Antonio Langella from Udinese. Langella had a productive season with Atalanta last season (8 goals) and signed for Udinese at the beginning of the summer. However, things did not work out and he moved again last week – this time to Chievo. There looks to be goals in this Chievo side and probably enough to keep them in Serie A.
In 2004/05 when Zdenek Zeman was in charge of then newly promoted Lecce there was no more entertaining team to watch. Only then champions Juventus scored more goals (67 to 66) and no team let in more – an incredible 73 goals. Even so, Zeman took the team to a 12th place finish before resigning at the end of the season. Zeman later returned but it was too late to save the side from relegation and this will be their first appearance since demotion in 2006.
Mario Beretta who produced miracles at Siena last season replaces the man that got the team promoted through a promotion play off, Giuseppe Papadopulo. Simone Tiribocchi proved the cutting edge up front last season with 17 goals and he will be carrying much of the responsibility. Beretta, however, may be more important than any of the other Lecce summer signings.
Reggina was another club that avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth for the second straight year. The difference last season was that their performances got them into too deep trouble while twelve months before they had what was arguably their best ever season but laboured under the handicap of a points deduction.
Every vital sign moved into reverse gear last season as the goals scored melted away and the defence started to concede at a worrying rate. Only their three wins and a draw in the last four games against their relegation rivals was a source of encouragement. Off the summer acquisition Chilean Carlos Carmona is the most interesting but it is doubtful that the 21-year-old can fix all of Reggina’s problems.
For a side that appeared to have made all the right moves last summer the 2007/08 season was a bitter disappointment for Torino. However, if you want to look on the bright side there is hope behind last season’s statistics. For a start there were 16 draws that with a break here or there could have turned out very differently. There was also Torino’s home form. On the face of 5 wins, 7 draws and another 7 losses is no great shakes but all seven defeats came by a single goal. And although Torino’s goal output rose by 33% it still only generated a paltry 36 goals in 38 games. Rolando Bianchi arrives in the hope that he can find the form that brought him 18 goals alongside Nicolas Amoruso. Amoruso also moved from Reggina to Torino earlier this summer. If these two can click once more then the long suffering Torino fans may finally get a season to enjoy – relatively speaking.
Prediction (in brackets 2007/08 finish and my prediction one year ago) 1. Inter (1 – 1) 2. Roma (2 - 4) 3. Milan (5 – 2) 4. Fiorentina (4 – 5) 5. Juventus (3 – 3) 6. Palermo (11 – 9) 7. Sampdoria (6 – 8) 8. Napoli (8 – 15) 9. Udinese (7 – 7) 10. Lazio (12 – 6) 11. Torino (15-17) 12. Atalanta (9 – 12) 13. Bologna (Serie B) 14. Chievo (Serie B) 15. Siena (13 – 20) 16. Lecce (Serie B) 17. Catania (17 – 19) 18. R- Genoa (10 – 16) 19. R- Cagliari (14 – 18) 20. R - Reggina (16 – 13)
The bigger misses (5 places or more) last season were the three relegated clubs (Empoli, Parma and Livorno), two of the promoted teams Napoli and Genoa, Lazio and the surprise team of last season Siena.
None of the promoted clubs were relegated last and I’m predicting the same this season – admittedly a bit of a long shot. It is worth noting that Empoli slumped from 10th the season previous and Livorno from 11th to relegation.
I don’t have the stats to prove it but Serie A seems to be prone to mid table melt-down - teams plummeting to relegation a season after prospering - to a far greater extent than other big leagues. I could have something to do with teams being pillaged after a good season but as I said I don’t have anything to back that one up.
Hull has a tough season
in front of them but no matter what happens from here they will always have
their first win to remember. Down 1-0 to an early Fulham goal at KC Stadium the
Tigers fought back with goals from Geovanni and Caleb Folan. Thirty-seven games
to go but Hull already have a win and a #### off their backs.
A week or so ago the
Football Association announced a program aimed at improving the on-field
discipline of players especially towards match officials. Despite the
complaints emanating from a couple of pundits over the weekend there is a sense
amongst fans in general that such an initiative is overdue.
Although the
program is aimed at all levels of the game in England a particular focus is
dissent in the Premiership. It may just
be a coincidence but the Premier League saw a substantial drop in cards issued
on the opening weekend compared with one year ago. Last year there was 35
yellow cards and one red issued – this weekend just past the total was 24
yellow and no reds.
Bundesliga newcomers 1899
Hoffenheim beat Energie Cottbus 3-0 to kick off the new season. Hoffenheim success
has come as a surprise to many in Germany and some see parallels with Gretna’s
rapid ascent in Scotland – and are concerned of a similar meltdown should the
wheels sheer off. Dominic Hinde explains Hoffenheim’s situation in the
September edition of “WSC When Saturday Comes.”
Hinde points out that less
than seven years ago Hoffenheim were playing two rungs below the regional
leagues in front of only a few hundred spectators. Little wonder when you
consider the village of Hoffenheim has a population of just over 3,000. The club’s
fortunes changed when a former player turned very successful business man called
Dietmar Hopp bought the club and started pumping money in. This season Hoffenheim
will groundshare with SV Waldhof Mannheim before moving to a new 30,000 seat
stadium sometime next year.
Belgium became a surprise
Olympic soccer semi-finalist on Saturday. Despite playing a man short for 63
minutes Belgium beat Italy 3-2 after falling behind 1-0 in the quarter final on
Saturday. In group play the Belgians lost their first match to Brazil 1-0 before
rebounding to beat host nation China 2-0 and New Zealand by the only goal of
the game. The referees have been kept busy whenever Belgium has played. In the
four games so far there have been seven red cards handed out – three to Belgian
players, two to China and one each to New Zealand and Italy.
Liverpool and Arsenal won
by single goals while Manchester United was held at home by Newcastle United.
On the other hand Chelsea demolished Portsmouth 4-0 with a magnificent display of
power, speed, passing, mobility and finishing. With full backs Bosingwa and
Ashley Cole being given free rein to get forward and Deco, Lampard and Mikel
controlling the midfield, Chelsea dominated the game and if it was not for
Portsmouth opting for a damage control strategy after the first thirty minutes
the scoreline would have been an absolute embarrassment.
Honourable mention – Newcastle
United showing great spirit and resilience at Old Trafford.
Best forgotten…..
It has been a bad week
for Manchester City. First there was the ongoing distraction of charges facing
owner Thaksin Shinawatra in his native Thailand; then came a 1-0 home loss to Danish side FC
Midtjylland in the UEFA Cup on Thursday. That was followed by Bulgarian striker
Valeri Bojinov who missed close to the entire 2007/08 season breaking down
during the warm up at Villa Park. It
seems likely that he will be out once again for an extended period after
damaging his Achilles. Finally Villa beat City 4-2. Mark Hughes must be hoping that
bad news comes in fours. Next Sunday City is at home to West Ham.
The pre-season was a
terrific time for Spurs but after their display at the Riverside on Saturday
they must be regretting that other teams are now playing for real. With points at stake Spurs were anemic for
large stretches of the match and badly outplayed and outfought by a more
spirited Boro squad. The poor performance was compounded by a strange decision
by manager Juande Ramos to start Dimitar Berbatov on the bench. The
apparent rationale was that with talk of an imminent transfer to Old Trafford
that the Bulgarian would not be focused. That’s fine except Ramos threw on the
striker on with twenty-five minutes left. Tough to understand what changed in
little over an hour apart from Ramos regretting his initial decision.
Best goals….
Gretar Steinsson gets the
benefit of the doubt with his cracking angled drive that put Bolton on the road
to a comfortable win over Premiership new boys Stoke City.
Two beautiful left footed
curling long range efforts. The first was by Geovanni for Hull against Fulham
and the second by David Dunn for Blackburn against Everton.
Another great goal from
the Everton – Blackburn game. Yakubu’s header after Arteta floated a perfect
left footed cross beyond Paul Robinson in the Blackburn goal.
Ricardo Clark’s 35-yard
laser that gave Houston the lead against Real Salt Lake at 3-2.
Goal feast……
Houston Dynamo edged Real
Salt Lake by the odd goal in seven and in the process leapfrogged them and took
over top spot in the Western Conference of MLS. Six goals came in the first half
with Houston twice pegging RSL back before goals from Clark and Jaqua sent them
into at half time with a two goal lead. Kenny Deuchar pulled Real within a goal
with ten minutes left but that was as close as it would get.
Best Howlers……
What was Fulham’s left
back Paul Konchesky thinking? Caught in possession in his own penalty area by
Craig ####en with less than ten minutes to go the resulting goal cost his team a
point on the road on opening day.
Spurs’ Michael Dawson’s
all-round display against Boro made recently departed Younes Kabul look like
the reincarnation of Franco Baresi.
Best Players….
David Wheater of
Middlesbrough had a goal disallowed in the first half when the call could have
easily gone the other way. Even so Wheater scored the opener in the second half
and was a stand-out throughout the game playing at right back.
Ronnie O’Brien’s two
goals bookended a 4-0 destruction of the New England Revolution by the suddenly
red-hot San Jose Earthquakes. The first came from a volleyed lob into the far
corner and the second a fantastic left footed curler from just outside the Revolution
penalty area.
Gabriel Agbonlahor may
have been omitted from Fabio Capello’s England squad but this week he signed a
new contract and followed it up with his first senior first hat trick on Sunday.
The three goals came in less than ten minutes.
Stat facts
No defending Premiership
has lost on the opening day of the season. In sixteen games they have recorded
13 wins and 3 draws.
Villa’s win
over Manchester City was only their second over City in 12 Premiership matches and
City’s first loss in six visits to Villa Park.
New England lost 4-0 to
San Jose but also lost goalkeeper Matt Reis to injury after 55 minutes. This
ended a run of 7,795 consecutive MLS minutes played by Reis stretching back to
September 2005. The score was 1-0 when Reis left the match to be replaced by
Doug Warren.
San Jose Earthquakes is
now is unbeaten in their last five matches has won two games in a row for the
first time this season.
What was said….
From
Friday’s Globe and Mail
“PSG given green light to play in Carling Cup
Paris Saint-Germain will
be allowed to defend its Carling Cup title this season after a court annulled a
decision to ban the club because of racist behaviour by its supporters.”
Have I missed something?
Has the Coupe de la Ligue been
renamed after the English beer sponsored competition or is this a reverse form
of the 39th game?
Jeremy Wilson and the
impact of the credit crunch of the Premier League.
Gabriele Marcotti
describes how Fabio Capello is going about building the England team as World
Cup qualifying beckons.
Former PSG, Espanyol and
Betis coach Luis Fernandez resurfaces at Betar Jerusalem.
Coming up this week…..
A raft of meaningless international
friendly matches this Wednesday, and the Olympic tournament moves to the semi
final and then final stage. There is still the possibility of a rematch of the Olympic Final
of 1996 between Nigeria and Argentina. On Tuesday Nigeria will play Belgium
while Argentina plays Brazil. The final is on Saturday.
Most importantly the
first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying gets underway on Wednesday.
This stage is made up of three groups of four countries with the top two from
each group qualifying for a final group of six.
A first response to the news that Liverpool had signed Robbie Keane from Tottenham was what a good signing for the Reds. Regular viewers of the Fox Soccer Report will know that Keane is a long time favourite of mine. He is an exciting player that can create goals and score goals - many of them the memorable variety. What’s more he is a player that makes those around him better.
Teaming Keane with Torres in a Liverpool 4-4-2 seems logical but he does have the flexibility to play just behind the main striker on his own or in an attacking bank of three in a 4-2-3-1. (The contention that bringing Keane to Anfield somehow forces Gerrard to play wide right had me shaking my head - very different players playing normally in very different positions.)
Reaction number two was that Liverpool had agreed to pay Spurs a great deal of money to land Keane. The reported amount varies according to the source but it seems almost certain that it was north of $35M. Add on Keane’s wages and the total outlay will double over the next four years. That is serious money even though transfer fees paid by English clubs are a product of the cash that oozes through the Premiership rather than a true reflection of the quality of players – call it the Premiership Premium.
Any assessment of a transfer is going to be purely subjective and perhaps the best we can do is to compare to other moves under the same market conditions. So when you read that Fulham is ready to pay close to $23M for Andy Johnson then Keane’s valuation may not be that far out of line. Johnson (17 goals in 52 Premiership starts for Everton) is six months younger than Keane with three seasons of Premiership experience. Keane is going into his 11th Premiership season and has 105 Premiership goals (13 as a substitute) in 274 appearances (58 as a substitute).
In seven of the seasons the Irishman has hit double figures in England’s top flight. Consider also that Everton paid around $17M and are looking to pocket a 33% for a striker who has generally been a disappointment in his stint at Goodison.
However, there was something else that crossed my mind and ultimately it had me questioning an element that has for years, been factored in to how we judge transfers – the age of the player.
The thought was that Liverpool paid a lot of money for a player that is 28-years-old. Paying a transfer fee not that dissimilar last summer for 23-year-old Fernando Torres made sense - Liverpool could expect to get eight or nine years out of Torres. In the case of Keane however, four years and maybe just a little bit more.
And sure enough in the papers and on websites there were a number of pundits making the same point – at Keane’s age the sell-on fee - should he move - would be next to nothing. For decades that has been the received wisdom – the age of the player impacts the transfer fee because you are buying an asset that becomes available for resale should the club so desire. The younger the player the higher the premium because the resale value will be higher than for a player the wrong side of 27 or 28.
But is this still true or are we failing to take into consideration that the football world is operating under very different rules than it was decades ago. Newcastle player George Eastham put a stake through the heart of the “retain and transfer system” in the early sixties although it took another 15 years before more liberal freedom-of-contract provisions kicked in.
Even then it took until the 1995 Bosman ruling to truly allow players to sell their skills to the highest bidder and to benefit exclusively once a contract had been fulfilled. Since then the “Webster ruling” has expanded player’s rights further by allowing players under contract to give notice and to buy out the remainder of the contract after serving a fixed period based upon age.
The bottom line is that if a 24-year-old signs a four year contract and a 28-year-old does the same thing then both players are free and clear at the conclusion of their deals. Serve out the contracted period and the club has no transfer coming to them whatsoever. Both are even free to buy-out their contracts before the end of the contracted period.
What it adds up to is that if any of the top clubs are factoring in a premium based on a perceived sell-on value they are kidding themselves. Eventually the clubs, the players and the agents are going to realize that the Transfer Emperor is stark naked and that players are operating costs not assets.
The fact that no one to date has aggressively exploited the leeway granted by rulings and changes to regulations over the last decade and a half is more an indication of how inherently conservative the football industry actually is.
“Retain and Transfer” A system finally found to be illegal in 1963 after George Eastham and the PFA took the owners to court. Under “retain and transfer” a club could retain a player’s registration as long as the club offered to maintain his wages at the previously contracted level. A player who disputed the wages on offer or who wanted a transfer had no option than to sign on as unemployed or pursue another career. The courts finally found the system to be a restraint of trade.
“Freedom of Contract” In the late seventies players were finally allowed to leave a club at the end of their contract. But as long as the present club offered wages the same as the previous contract them the club was entitled to a transfer fee. If the clubs could not agree then a tribunal stepped in and set a transfer fee based on the market.
“Bosman ruling” A Belgian player, Jean-Marc Bosman, was transferred listed at the conclusion of his contract and an excessive fee was asked by the club. Bosman took his case to the European Court of Justice and the court ruled in Bosman’s favour. The ruling granted players complete freedom of movement at the conclusion of their contract with the no transfer fee payable to the former club. “Webster ruling” Andy Webster of Hearts became the first player to use a then little known provision in FIFA transfer regulations that allowed players to give notice of termination after serving a set period of time with their contracted club. The notice comes with a damages provision payable by the player and can be exercised by a player under-28 after serving three years of a contract and for players 28 and over the time served is reduced to two years.
A week or so ago it was acknowledged that the six most powerful team sports in Europe were knocking on the door of the European Union asking that they rethink their position on sport.
It should have come as no surprise as UEFA, along with the governing bodies of rugby, volleyball, basketball and ice hockey, announced just over a year ago that they would be joining forces in response to what they saw as “a very timid and indecisive attitude” taken in an EU White Paper on Sport that was issued in the summer of 2007.
While recognizing the vast array of problems facing sports within the European Union the White Paper offered no solution other than essentially maintaining the status quo of civil courts ruling on contentious matters – the same system that has brought about the problems facing sport in Europe today.
And there lies the key problem – without sport being viewed as as special case and not subject to the the laws and rules governing normal businesses we are destined to see an even larger gulf between rich and poor, an even greater degree of competitive imbalance and the paradox of a sport awash with money and slowly dying.
It is not as if UEFA and European Union politicians do not recognize the problem and in some cases agree on the solution. Almost a decade ago there was the Nice Declaration which accepted the beneficial qualities of sport and why sport should be treated differently. The benefit of sport to society in general was highlighted and it was stressed that sport as a business should be a secondary consideration.
"The European Council has noted the report on sport submitted to it by the European Commission in Helsinki in December 1999 with a view to safeguarding current sports structures and maintaining the social function of sport within the European Union. Sporting organizations and the Member States have a primary responsibility in the conduct of sporting affairs. Even though not having any direct powers in this area, the Community must, in its action under the various Treaty provisions, take account of the social, educational and cultural functions inherent in sport and making it special, in order that the code of ethics and the solidarity essential to the preservation of its social role may be respected and nurtured."
Fine words indeed but the declaration has never been ratified and it stands only as a testament to good intentions but no action. The Declaration came only four years after a EU court brought down the Bosman ruling which allowed players to move freely at the end of the contract.
The ruling, combined with an unprecedented inflow of cash to some teams through domestic television deals and Champions League money, has brought unprecedented wealth to a minority of players, agents and opportunistic owners ready to sell to any passing billionaire.
However, it is also brought unsustainable debt levels to many clubs regarded as the elite as well as those trying to stay competitive. It has also brought the risk of financial ruin to clubs that have spent heavily but found that they have missed out on a place in the Champions League or have been relegated. Only the most myopic amongst us can fail to see that soccer in its present form in Europe is operating under an unsustainable business model.
And it is an issue that has worldwide implications. We may be talking about Europe but because football in that part of the world generates more money than any other Federation the reality is that FIFA cannot impose global standards and regulations without ensuring that they will pass the EU acid test.
So why, if there is a level of agreement on what needs to be done, has no action being taken to deal with the problems and to allow sport governing bodies to govern their respective sports?
Some of it is down to history, some of it is internal bickering and a good part of the reason is that until lately sport governing bodies have been ill-equipped to actually govern and regulate in the 21st century.
It took a long time for UEFA and FIFA to wake up to the fact that the European courts held more power over sport than the governing bodies did.
Two decades ago then UEFA President Jacques George made it clear where his organization stood. “UEFA can make up whatever rules we want as long as they are within Swiss laws and have nothing to do with the EEC (now the European Union)” he stated arrogantly…and very mistakenly.
Even after the 1999 Bosman ruling it seemed that FIFA/UEFA’s strategy was to battle the EU rather than to work cooperatively with them. It wasn’t until implementation of global transfer regulations earlier this decade that FIFA clearly acknowledged the pivotal role played by the EU. FIFA was forced to amend some of the proposals when it became clear that some rules would be flagged offside by Brussels.
But even since we have seen Sepp Blatter aggressively push and promote his 6+5 proposal which would mandate a minimum number of players on a team that would also qualify for the domestic league’s international team.
Such a proposal runs contrary to the EU’s principle of the free movement of labor and there is not a hope in hell that under EU law that such an idea will ever be implemented.
The nature of the Blatter proposal can only serve to reinforce the notion amongst politicians and bureaucrats that soccer cannot be given special status because they cannot be trusted to operate within a broader range of legal and political principles.
As well it would be delusional to say that all the football entities that fall under the UEFA banner agree with the governing bodies’ position. The Premiership is one such example o####roup that has benefited from the changes over the last 15 years and has, at every opportunity, worked to undermine any proposals that might damage their narrow self-interest.
Another was the now defunct G14 which has now been replaced by the European Club Forum. The ECF is made up of over 100 clubs and it will at last provide a way by which clubs can have their issues communicated directly to UEFA rather than through the relevant domestic association.
Domestic associations have a myriad of stakeholders and issues and the clubs have long felt that there legitimate interests have not been given a fair hearing at the highest level in UEFA.
The creation of the ECF is seen as an important step in the reorganization of UEFA and moving it from a body that organizes competitions to one that is also is in a position to govern and regulate the game in Europe properly.
So does the latest initiative from UEFA have any chance of succeeding?
The proposals from UEFA and the other five major sports were of no great surprise dealing with issues such as home-grown players per club (defined very differently than Blatter’s proposal); a licensing system that takes into consideration debt levels; greater regulation of agents and better educational opportunities for youth players who may fail to make the grade.
A form of salary capping has also been discussed and debated on a number of occasions by UEFA. Such a cap would not mimic North American type wage restrictions which tend to focus on ensuring as even a playing field as possible by setting standard levels throughout a league. Such a system has little or no chance of being accepted by the EU.
However, UEFA believes that capping salaries based on a percentage of the club’s revenue would not run counter to EU rules and regulations. By relating the cap to revenue generation, UEFA could argue the position that they are merely mandating good management rather than capping what a player may earn.
Whether sport is given special consideration under EU law or not one thing is clear and that is that the majority of clubs are unable and unwilling to reign in their spending preferring to operate on the basis that someone richer and more foolhardy will come along to save the club at some point if needed.
Either the European Union has to confront the problem or provide UEFA with the powers to deal with the issue. Otherwise soccer in Europe will continue to suffer from the prune juice effect as so aptly described by former Tottenham Hotspur owner Sir Alan Sugar – to paraphrase, the money coming into the game is incredible but it comes in and goes out straight away.
It is time for the European Union and/or UEFA to find a way to add some fibre.
Best goal Russia’s second goal against Sweden scored by Arshavin created by Zhirkov.
Best free kick goal (possibly the only free kick goal) Michael Ballack’s rocket against Austria.
Players of the Tournament 1. Xavi Hernandez, 2. Marcos Senna, 3. David Silva, (All Spain).
Euro 2008 - the Best of (4-1-4-1) Buffon (Italy); Anyukov (Russia), Puyol (Spain), Chiellini (Italy), Zhirkov (Russia); Senna (Spain); Xavi (Spain), Ballack (Germany), van der Vaart (Netherlands), Silva (Spain); Villa (Spain).
Second Team (4-1-3-2) Casillas (Spain); Corluka (Croatia), Tamos (Romania), Simunic (Croatia), Rat (Romania); Aurelio (Turkey); Sneijder (Netherlands), Deco (Portugal), Poldolski (Germany); Arshavin (Russia), Torres (Spain).
Officiating Group stages – fair to good. Knock out rounds – very good to excellent.
Comments of the Day “For whatever reason, Spain excels at producing pint-sized pass-happy pixies: Xavi, David Silva and Andres Iniesta are all in the same mould, creative little fellas who can pass the ball to death. The problem is, you can only fit so many of them in your team.” – Gabriele Marcotti writing back on the eve of the European Championship.
“But the limiting of his participation has not prevented the Arsenal man (Cesc Fabregas) from confirming that he is not simply the most creative architect of penetration available to his country but conceivably the ultimate practitioner of the art in all of football today. And he is as brave as he is talented, constantly displaying not just the physical version of courage but that rarer form so often lauded by Sir Alex Ferguson, the kind that makes a player eager to embrace responsibility, to think always not of what will make him look good but what will benefit the team. As it happens, Fabregas’s innate style almost invariably causes him to look good whatever he does.” – Hugh McIlvanney.
Predictions
Geniusatwork takes the prediction league with 44 points out of a possible 64 points - congratulations.
Thank you to all that participated and the cast of thousands identified by daFootbllas who were apparently responsible for tabulating the results for me.
Blog wisdom and mirror time Pride of place goes to the following posters for their insight and willingness to critique others choices without posting their own predictions.
OCbabelovesepl – “whoever seriously picked SPAIN to win, is retarded. Spain never pulls through, with or without Fernando Torres. That’s the way it is.”
Bman87 – “How funny, in your predictions Germany always beats the Czechs (by the way Czechs beat Germans twice in last three games) or Portugal and Spain are beating everyone else. Unfortunately these two losers will choke again. The final will be Holand (sic) – Czechs, Any m@ron understand that these two teams are playing the most entertaining football.”
No doubt we can look forward to more insight from these two clowns in four years time.
Next up Draws for the first two qualifying rounds of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League will be held tomorrow, July 1.
Match Report Spain 1-0 Germany It is very rare for a country to make it through a complete tournament final (6 games in the European championships or 7 at the World Cup) playing almost flawless and entertaining football and in the end still lift the trophy. This Spain has done just that and there can be little doubt that they were the best team at Euro 2008.
Spain may have sputtered sporadically in some of the six games but at no time did the overall quality of their play slip below the opposition’s for 90 minutes or anything close to it.
Germany settled into the final match more quickly and for the first 10 minutes looked to be the most dangerous side. An early slip from Ramos allowed Klose half a chance but his control let him down.
Germany targeted the right side of the Spanish defense trying to split right back Ramos and center back Puyol with passes played into the space between them. A similar tactic would eventually bear fruit although it would be Spain that would prosper rather than Germany.
After some early nerves Spain settled in to their familiar pattern of short quick passes and constant movement in midfield. Halfway through the first 45 minutes a Fabregas to Ramos move finished with Fernando Torres leaping high above the German defense only to see his downward header rebound off the base of the post. With no one to take advantage of the rebound the danger was cleared.
As the first half progressed it became obvious that Germany was carrying a number of players who were just not up to the occasion and could not match Spain’s play. Just after the half hour mark Spain scored what would ultimately be the only goal of the game.
A Xavi Hernandez pass split Metzelder and Lahm. Lahm was guilty of worrying too much about Fernando Torres and not making a great enough effort to get to the ball first. Torres brushed the full back aside and clipped the ball over an advancing Jens Lehmann.
The half time introduction of Marcell Jansen after half time was the catalyst for Germany’s best spell of the game. Even then there was little threat that Iker Casillas would be beaten.
The introduction of Alonso for Fabregas swung any territorial advantage back Spain’s way and although Germany threw more players forward Spain was the team most likely to score.
With expectations raised for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa it will be very interesting to see how Spain reacts.
Ratings
Spain Casillas 7 – Lifting the trophy caused him more problems than the German attack.
Ramos 7 – Improved as the game progressed but mental errors are never far away.
Puyol 8 – Strong in the air and along with Marchena (8) presented a formidable barrier.
Capdevilla 7 – Had little to do but what he did do was accomplished with great effectiveness and efficiency.
Senna 9 – Another outstanding display of defensive midfield play but also exhibited great mobility and could have even scored in the last few minutes as he appeared in Germany’s six yard box.
Iniesta 9 – Enjoyed his best performance of the competition. If he put a foot wrong then I missed it. He was at the centre of most of Spain’s moves constantly prompting, passing and supporting.
Xavi Hernandez 8 - Just a smidgen off a 9. Played the through ball that Torres latched onto and scored from.
Cesc Fabregas 7 - Struggled to stamp any authority on the match.
Silva 7 – One of his quietest games of the tournament and was not as influential as we’ve come to expect.
Torres 8 – His pace and power a constant threat to the German defense. But even scoring the winning goal wasn’t enough to stop Aragones from substituting him.
Substitutes Alonso 7 – Helped Spain through the vital last half an hour.
Cazorla 7 – Brought on to replace Silva after he went head-to-head with Podolski. Did what he was supposed without being flashy.
Guiza 7 – With 12 minutes to go he had little time to establish himself but still delivered 100% effort in that time.
Germany
Lehmann 8 – Some may criticize him for the goal that was conceded but I wouldn’t. He never looked comfortable but he still pulled off three very good saves.
Friedrich 7 – Spain rarely attacked down Germany’s right and and for large spells of the game he was hardly noticeable.
Mertesacker 8 – Battled bravely and without him the the destination of the trophy would have been decided long before 90 minutes was up.
Metzelder 5 – The doubts about Metzelder’s readiness for this tournament were widely discussed in the lead up. Any problems he had in the previous games had not proven costly. It was not the case tonight. Nervous, indecisive and off the pace of the game.
Lahm 5 – At fault for the goal he only lasted 45 minutes.
Frings 7 – He fought the good fight and perhaps if he had better support in midfield the outcome might have been different.
Hitzlsperger 5 – Out of his depth. Lucky to last as long as he did.
Schweinsteiger 6 – A big disappointment. His set pieces were very poor and his hesitation to deliver early passes when the opportunity arose stifled a number of promising opportunities.
Ballack 7 – He was too occupied trying to contain the Spanish midfield and had little time to get forward and to support Klose.
Podolski 6 - Accomplished little and was never a threat.
Klose 6 – He never look comfortable, his touch was off and he strayed into off-site positions too often and too easily.
Substitutes Jansen 7 – He showed some of the form that was on display in the first game against Poland. A willingness to get stuck in and win some tackles provided a platform for some early German attacks in the second half.
Kuranyi 5 - He was given over 30 minutes to make an impact and he didn’t.
Gomez 5 – He spent as much time on the field has Guiza and delivered about 80% less.
Final Preview Germany vs. Spain A simplistic view might profess that we have two countries coming at Sunday’s final from two very different perspectives. While Germany will look to embrace their football history, Spain will be fighting to overcome theirs.
But, as with many things, the simple view fails to consider the many subtleties at play. For, if Spain is the great under-achiever of European football, then Germany (and the former West Germany) must be the great over-achiever. That may strike some as a strange comment when a scan of the World Cup and European Championship record books show Germany as a six-times winner; runners-up on another six occasions and beaten semi-finalists four times.
When you include Sunday’s final it all adds up to reaching the final four seventeen times from a possible twenty-seven tournaments. And although there have been some outstanding German sides (1970-76 era being a stand out) there are a number of editions that, if described as average, it would be overly generous. It has been the habit of average German teams making it to the latter stages of major tournaments that fits the description of overachievers.
In Germany a side lacking top class talent in all positions isn’t an excuse for failure at the international level. Build a team around what you have, stay organized, wait for the breaks and always fight to the end even though on occasion it may be a bitter one.
And what Germany has had over the last half century or so has been at least one world class player around whom a competitive side could be built. From Fritz Walter to Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller, Gunter Netzer, Bernd Schuster, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Mattheus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Mattias Sammer, Steffan Effenberg the mantle was passed until it reached Michael Ballack at the beginning of this decade.
All the German greats with the exception of Uwe Seeler won a major international and/or club trophy during their careers. Sunday may be one of the last chances for Michael Ballack to join them. And nobody is more aware of the need to win a major competition than Ballack. Before the Champions League Final he said, “People remember the trophies you win, not the quarter-finals or the semi-finals.”
He might have added finals as well. In 2002 while with Bayer Leverkusen they lost in the German Cup Final, the Champions League Final and completed a horrible treble by blowing a significant lead in the Bundesliga. Then only a few weeks later Ballack had to undergo the anguish of sitting out the World Cup Final against Brazil after picking up a suspension for bookings. Ironically without Ballack it is doubtful whether a poor German side would have made it to the final match.
After moving to Bayern Munich Ballack never got past the last eight in the Champions League and at the 2006 World Cup Germany lost 2-0 to Italy after the semi final went to extra time. This past season another case of “close but no cigar” with a penalty shoot loss to Manchester United in the Champions League Final in Moscow.
Whether or not Ballack can finally hold aloft a major trophy come the final whistle on Sunday will largely depend on his own performance and that of Torsten Frings. No matter if Joachim Lowe opts to play 4-4-2 with Ballack and Frings centering the midfield four or a 4-2-3-
