Juventus are one of only two teams in Serie A (the other Napoli) that remain unbeaten after only five rounds of play. For the Turin club it has been a case of making a little go a long way. Four one goal games and a scoreless draw has been enough to generate nine points but if goals don’t start coming with more regularity then it is only a matter of time before that undefeated record is struck down.
Amauri was signed from Palermo during the summer to add a cutting edge to the Juventus attack and three goals in four league matches would be a sign that the Brazilian is at least delivering on his part of the bargain.
Palermo are Sunday’s opponents and can boast of a player who has scored as many goals as Juventus have done in Serie A this season. And as with Juventus it is a case of a little going a long way but in this case the “little” refers to diminutive striker Fabrizio Miccoli. Miccoli spent a frustrating 2004 season with Juventus before being shipped out on loan to Fiorentina for a season followed by a two years in Portugal with Benfica.
Last season he returned to the Italian top flight with Palermo and although hampered by a series of injuries he still managed to score 8 goals and show the talent that first flourished with Perugia. If Miccoli can avoid injury there is no reason why he can’t hit double figures and also, in the process, work his way back into Marcello Lippi’s international plans.
Genoa vs. Napoli
Napoli unbeaten in Serie A and currently second behind Lazio will look to bounce back from being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Benfica in midweek. Although Napoli have been limited to only six goals you get the sense that it will not need much for one of their games to turn into a shootout .
They face a Genoa side that has one both their home games so far while losing all three on the road. The home wins have come against Milan and Roma and there is no reason why Napoli should not become a third high profile victim.
LA LIGA Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
This game is being billed as Lionel Messi vs. Sergio Aguero which should not come as much of a surprise. While Messi led Argentina to an FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005, Aguero (he was also part of the 2005 squad but saw limited playing time) matched the feat last summer in Canada.
Both players could be considered as child protégés. Messi was whisked off to Spain and made his Barcelona debut as a 16-year-old; Aguero made his debut in Argentina for Independiente before he turned 16.
The emergence of Messi at Barcelona marginalized the former idol of the Nou Camp Ronaldinho while Aguero took full advantage of Fernando Torres’ move from Atletico to Anfield and is new hero of the Vicente Calderon.
For years Atletico held an uncanny hold over Barca – Torres especially tormented Barcelona – but that came to an end when Barca whipped Atletico 6-0 in the later stages of the 2007 season. Barcelona currently holds a one point advantage on Atletico with league leaders Valencia (yes Valencia) three points ahead of the Catalan club.
Premiership Chelsea v Aston Villa
Early last season Aston Villa caught Chelsea at the right time and their 2-0 win at Villa Park helped point Mourinho to the exit door at Stamford Bridge. A little over three months later in a barnstormer o####ame Villa showed that the earlier result was no fluke by sharing eight goals at the Bridge.
On Sunday Villa have an opportunity to send a large and powerful warning shot across the bows of any clubs with pretensions of a top four finish. Currently sitting third Villa have already played Liverpool to a stalemate at Villa Park and Martin O’Neill is likely to keep with faith with the same eleven that have started each of the club’s six Premiership games so far.
That would mean another start for the striking duo of John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor. Last season they combined for 24 league goals and have already notched four each this season. Creator-in-chief Ashley Young is another potential tormentor of Chelsea.
A settled side is something that Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari doesn’t have the luxury of with a number of starters out through injury. Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are all missing. Chelsea are now unbeaten in 85 home matches stretching back over 4 years – could this be the week when we stop counting?
MLS DC United vs. Chivas
The end of the regular MLS season is in sight although the play-off prospects of the vast majority of clubs are still blurry. With only the top three teams from each conference guaranteed post season play the two remaining spots are assigned to the sides with the best records overall.
For months the eastern circuit has held a clear advantage over their western cousins and the fourth and fifth placed teams in the east have been odds-on favourites to fill the last two spots.
But over the last couple of weeks the western conference has made inroads based on improved results and deterioration in form from the likes of the New York Red Bulls and DC United. Now with four rounds of play left to complete the race is now too close to call.
The match-up between DC United (5th in the east and 33 points) and Chivas (2nd in the west and 36 points) is one of a number of critical fixtures during the run-in. Currently sitting second with a top three finish needed would seem to put Chivas in a fairly comfortable position.
But with the surging Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas just two points behind a loss could leave the other team from LA looking at the rest of the conference from a very different vantage point.
Injuries have decimated Chivas all season and just when Coach Preki could look forward to the return of a number of starters key striker Ante Razov has gone down injured.
Over the last few weeks DC United have been attempting to put an end to a horrendous and poorly timed slump. The season as a whole has been one of fits and starts for United but the last four weeks have been particularly rocky with six losses and a draw since lifting the U.S. Cup at the start of September.
After this match DC United has to play the two conference leaders (Columbus Crew and Houston) away and New England Revolution at home.
It has been a very strange start to the Premiership season for Everton. Over the previous two seasons Goodison has provided a solid base for their 6th and 5th place finishes. In fact, with the exception of one more goal scored last season their home record has been identical – 11 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses, scored 33 (34) and conceded just 17. And that has meant that excluding the top four Goodison has been the least charitable venue for visiting sides in the last two seasons.
But with the new season only five games old Everton are the only side without a home point having lost both games so far and have already conceded six goals. A seven point haul from three away games so far points to skittish form until you realize that the opposition has comprised the promoted clubs – Stoke, West Brom and Hull City.
What’s more Saturday’s derby against Liverpool is the start of a particularly testing time with Premiership games against Arsenal and Manchester United coming up in the following three rounds of play. And there is the need to go to Belgium this coming week and more than likely they need to return with a win if they are to move on in the UEFA Cup.
Considering Liverpool’s record in this decade against Everton there is little cause for optimism from the home supporters – ten wins, five draws and two losses for Liverpool illustrates the Reds dominance. A win for Everton might just the lift they need – on the other hand a loss might just mean that by the end of October Everton’s focus will be to dig out of the bottom half of the table.
Manchester United v Bolton
There has been nothing so far to indicate that this season is going to be anything for Bolton Wanderers other than a constant battle to stay in 17th position or slightly above. Bolton’s first four games were not overly arduous but they ran into Arsenal last week and they follow it up with a visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.
One win in four games is hardly a stellar start for Manchester United either but that might only increase the chance that Bolton will fall victim to a pent up demand for goals and a big win from United fans and management.
Three wins in eighteen Premiership matches against United gives little encouragement particularly when the Trotters have only scored 12 goals and let in 42. In addition Bolton’s record in North-West derbies has been poor since their return to the Premiership in the 2001/02 season.
Their first season back brought a 50/50 split with two wins set off against two losses and the other four games finished drawn. Over the next six seasons Bolton have never come close to matching that performance.
Overall in seventy-four North-West derbies Bolton have won only twenty, drawn eighteen and lost thirty six – a strange record for a side that has enjoyed a number of top eight finishes during that time.
That means that games against local rivals have generated a little over a point a game while the return against others has averaged 1.38 – a case of feasting on the southern softies perhaps?
Chivas vs. Kansas City Wizards
With five rounds of play remaining (six for Houston and San Jose) the race for the seven remaining play-off spots is really heating up with “must-win” games coming one after another.
Kansas City Wizards are back in contention after successive 2-0 wins against LA Galaxy and Toronto FC. Two goals victories have not been a common occurrence (the only other was the opening game of the season against DC United) for the Wizards and could not have come at a better time.
The same could be said for Chivas who spoiled the bidding farewell to Rice-Eccles Stadium party by inflicting Real Salt Lake’s first home loss of the season last weekend. The win meant that Chivas leapfrogged over RSL in the western conference but things are so tight that come Monday morning the current standings will have a very different look.
Milan vs. Inter
Serie A went through a scheduling change this season and it has added considerable luster to the competition already. Before this season the “big-clubs” were kept apart over the first few weeks but that changed this season with a more all-in approach right from the opening kick-off.
The season has got off to a fantastic start with the likes of Lazio, Atalanta, Napoli, Catania, Genoa and Palermo all producing impressive performances during the first month of play. But this weekend it will be two of the usual suspects that will garner the majority of the attention. Milan and Inter clash in the San Siro derby and it will be Jose Mourinho’s first taste while for Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti it will be the latest of many.
So far Inter’s displays have provided intermittent shows of brilliance while Milan have recovered from two defeats in their opening two games. The last six Milan derbies have produced a healthy 22 goals with no game decided by more than a goal.
Fiorentina vs. Genoa
Genoa were outstanding in their win over Roma (even when you consider that they were fortunate that the assistant referee chalked off a perfectly legitimate Panucci goal) in midweek and now face a trip to Florence.
Genoa played an attacking 3-4-3 formation with the midfield and front three continually pressing the Roma defence. Diego Milito is receiving most of the credit with four goals in four games but the recognition should be shared with the likes of Gasbarroni and Sculli in attack and a midfield of Milanetto, Rossi, Palladino and Modesto. Fiorentina conceded all three goals to Lazio in a seven minute spell early in the second half and need to get back to winning ways.
Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla
This is the first in a run of big matches for Atletico. A fantastic away win against PSV in Champions league combined with three wins in the first four Liga games with 11 goals scored and only three against has meant expectations have risen rapidly.
Sevilla arrive unbeaten in league play and coming soon after are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villarreal as well as two Champions League games against Marseille and Liverpool.
The Spanish league’s top scorer is Florent Sinama-Pongolle with five goals. No doubt this will have some Liverpool fans reeling considering it took him 48 Premiership games to score as many for the Reds.
Liverpool survived an awkward opening spell against their nemesis Manchester United before putting on their most impressive display of the season so far. Once Alonso and Mascherano came to grips with the task the centre of the United struggled badly and United’s substitutions made little difference.
This one could be categorized as a best forgotten display followed by an outstanding performance for Borussia Dortmund and vice-versa for Schalke 04. Schalke 04 were two up by half time and lead 3-0 before the hour mark. But in front of Europe’s last crowd this weekend of 80,000 Dortmund bounced back with three goals in the space of twenty-one minutes to secure a heart-stopping point.
Best forgotten…..
It was another miserable weekend for the fans of Newcastle United. A 2-1 home loss to newly-promoted Hull City, Danny Guthrie sent off for a petulant kick at Craig ####an, Alan Shearer’s dismissal as a club ambassador, a ludicrous attempt to replace Kevin Keegan with ….Kevin Keegan and finally confirmation that owner Mike Ashley is willing to sell the club.
Barcelona struggled to a home draw with Racing Santander. Two games and two draws is not a good enough start at it leaves new Coach Pep Guardiola waiting for his first league win. It will not have helped matters that Santander’s goal came from a deflected Ezequiel Garay free kick – Garay is on loan from Real Madrid.
The last time Milan lost their two opening games of the season was in 1986/87. A home loss to Bologna (2-1) on opening day was followed by a 2-0 away loss to Genoa on Sunday. Most worrying for Milan supporters was how relatively easily Genoa handled Milan. Milan looked slow, ponderous and played little or no imagination. Kaka will take a couple of weeks to regain his match fitness but he should not to carry the rest of the side.
Best goals….
Arsenal’s 2nd goal against Blackburn came just before half-time, took seventy seconds and consisted of an uninterrupted string of 28 passes. Finally Denilson floated a cross to the back post and Adebayor scored with a well paced header.
Fabrizio Miccoli first goal of two against Roma was a classic Miccoli goal. He used his quick feet to create a chance just outside the Roma penalty box and then he ripped the ball past goalkeeper Doni. He added a second goal in the second half.
Davy Arnaud’s blast for Kansas City Wizards from 30+ yards killed off Los Angeles Galaxy. Arnaud’s goal came only two minutes after he helped set the opening goal with around a quarter of the match remaining.
Alexander Frei’s left footed long range rocket pulled Dortmund back to within a goal of Schalke 04 in the Ruhr derby. A soft penalty allowed Frei to tie the game.
Best Players….
As someone once remarked “Dirk Kuyt’s second touch is usually a tackle” but you can never question the Dutchman’s drive and desire. No matter how badly he may be playing he never stops and never hides. Asked to start up front on Saturday against Manchester United he harried and chased and then moved out to the right side of midfield as Benitez moved players around. Either way he was outstanding for Liverpool.
Manchester City and their newly acquired financial depth were found sadly wanting against the team previously #1 on the financial charts Chelsea. City even got off to a great start with a Robinho free kick giving them a 1-0 lead. But from then on City were given a swift and decisive lesson on how far they have to go if they hope to compete with the best in England and in Europe. Frank Lampard was central to all that was good about Chelsea’s performance at the Eastlands and he chipped in with the go-ahead goal – his 150th goal of his professional career.
The Brazilian midfielder Fabio Simplicio ran the show in Palermo’s 3-1 win over Roma on Saturday. The former Parma midfielder was not selected in the opening round loss against Udinese but was recalled for Saturday’s clash.
Genoa started Andrea Gasbarroni of the left side of an attacking front three against Milan. However, it did not stop him cutting inside at will and popping up to cause Milan in all sorts of problems in other positions. He started the move that led to Genoa’s opening goal and generally led the Milan defense a merry dance for the eighty minutes he was on the park.
Goal feast……
Two matches in Spain finished 4-3 in favour of the home sides and both involved valiant but ultimately unsuccessful efforts from two newly promoted sides. Sporting Gijon (Croatian striker Mate Bilic had a first half hat trick) and Sevilla shared six first half goals before Freddie Kanoute scored a second half winner. In the capital Real Madrid led Numancia 4-2 at half time and survived a fright as Numancia pulled to within one courtesy of a free kick just before the hour mark.
North Americans in Europe….
Canadian striker Olivier Occean saw a minimal amount of time in the recent World Cup qualifying games. However, he did score his tenth goal of the season at the weekend for his Norwegian club Lillestrom in a 1-1 draw against Molde. The draw leaves Lillestrom sitting third from the bottom of the league and in the last relegation spot with six games left. Molde are a spot above Lillestrom but only on goal difference.
Biggest Howlers……
Adebayor had a hat trick on Saturday but Stephen Warnock had a hat trick of errors. Poor marking allowed Adebayor goal side on the second goal; he then tripped Eboue and conceded a penalty; and completed his day by playing Adebayor onside.
I try to give officials the benefit of the doubt by Mark Halsey’s decision to send John Terry off was a mistake of Graham “Three Card Trick” Poll proportions. Carvalho was clearly behind Terry and Jo was well within his range. A case could be made that Terry’s action was cynical and deserving of a card. That may well be, but under the current rules and instructions it should have been a yellow card.
Stat facts.... Emmanuel Adebayor’s hat trick against Blackburn on Saturday brought his personal goal tally against Paul Robinson in Premiership play to 8 goals in six games. Adebayor has only been blanked once by Robinson and even then the Arsenal striker assisted on a goal from Thierry Henry in a 1-1 tie.
Paul Robinson has now conceded 37 goals in 13 Premiership starts against Arsenal. Saturday’s 4-0 loss was the seventh time that the former England number keeper has let in three or more goals when facing the Gunners.
Catania’s 2-1 away loss to Inter means that they have now gone 22 away games since their last away win in Serie A. During the run they have lost 15 of these games.
Rangers 2-1 win against Kilmarnock means that they have now won their last 16 SPL games played at Ibrox. The last time Rangers dropped points at home in the SPL was October 6, 2007 when they lost 1-0 to Hibernian.
What was said….
Bill Edgar proposes ten rule changes that he believes would improve the game. This article should generate a few posts I think.
Andy Hunter on the two demonstrations held by fans on Saturday.
Stewart Fisher catches up with former New England Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman who is one of the first names on the St. Mirren team sheet each week.
Aidan Smith looks at how some players are growing larger.
Coming up this week…..
The group stage of the Champions League starts as does the first round of the UEFA Cup. There is also a full Championship schedule midweek in England. Columbus Crew is at home to New York Red Bulls in Thursday night’s MLS game.
The inaugural CONCACAF Champions League group stage also starts on Tuesday with DC United at home to Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica). The following day Houston Dynamo entertain CD Luis Angel Firpo (El Salvador) and Montreal Impact hosts Joe Public (Trinidad and Tobago) the conquerors of New England Revolution.
Six goals, two red cards and seven yellow cards made for a typical Old Firm clash. In this edition Rangers came out on top and the win buys manager Walter Smith a few #### points as he rebuilds the Rangers midfield…..well at least until the next time the two teams face each other.
San Jose Earthquakes continue on their great run of late that now extends to an unbeaten streak of seven games. Their 2-1 win over Kansas City Wizards also meant that they have finally moved off the bottom of the Western Conference.
Bologna had a fantastic return to Serie A beating Milan 2-1. Former Parma and Juventus striker Marco Di Vaio gave the newly promoted team a surprise 1-0 first half lead before Ambrosini equalized before half time. The second forty-five minutes was almost completely dominated by Milan but for Bologna it was a case of bending but refusing to break. A magnificent 79th drive for Francesco Valiani gave Bologna the go-ahead goal and the winner. The 27-year-old midfielder was playing in his first ever Serie A match.
Numancia maintained the excellent early season record of promoted teams by shocking Barcelona 1-0. Last season’s Segunda champions scored in the first half and held on for a noteworthy win.
Best forgotten…..
Hull lost their unbeaten record and were hammered 5-0 by Wigan. Despite taking four points from their first three games there is a sense that there are a few more lopsided results in Hull’s future.
Everton’s midfield and defence was shredded by Portsmouth in a 3-0 home loss. It was their worst home loss in the Premiership since losing 4-0 to Bolton just prior to Christmas 2005.
The teams that finished in the top five positions last season in Serie A all failed to collect full points on opening day. Champions Inter were held at Sampdoria (1-1), Roma draw at home against 10-man Napoli (1-1), Fiorentina and Juventus the points and Milan stumbled to a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of newly promoted Bologna.
Best goals….
Glen Johnson sliced through the Everton defence after an exchange of passes with Jermain Defoe and coolly slipped the ball past Tim Howard for Portsmouth second goal in a 3-0 rout of Everton.
Taylor Twellman may not have scored the best goal but arguably the bravest. Twellman was courageous enough to put his head where it was guaranteed to be thumped by LA Galaxy keeper Steve Cronin. Fortunately for the New England Revolution Twellman’s head also made contact with the ball and it landed in the net to give the Revolution a 1-0 lead in a game that finished 2-2. The Revolution’s Coach Steve Nicol was on camera and being interviewed in the seconds leading up to goal. The words “this isn’t working,” “we have to decide whether to make a change now or give it five minutes” were just out of the coach’s mouth when Twellman scored.
Antonio Di Natale’s second goal of the game for Udinese against Palermo was outstanding. One touch to kill a long pass into the penalty area; the second to lob the on-rushing goalkeeper - pure class.
A meandering solo run from Alexander Baumjohann that took him half the length of the field gave Borussia Mongengladbach a 3-0 lead and what turned out to be the winning goal in a 3-2 win over Werder Bremen.
Best Players….
In Portsmouth’s 3-0 away win at Everton David James pulled of a first half point-blank stop on Arteta and saved a Yakubu penalty – both efforts coming at key moments in the game.
Jermaine Defoe set about the Everton defence scoring the opening goal and helping to set up the two others in the same game.
Angelo Palombo was incredible in Sampdoria’s midfield against Inter. Whether it was making tackles, harrying the Inter players or pushing Sampdoria forward, Palombo was excellent.
Julian De Guzman was outstanding in Deportivo La Coruna’s win over Spanish champions Real Madrid - the best player on the park.
Goal feast……
There was no shortage of goals in the Bundesliga this weekend. Thirty-one goals in nine games including Bayer Leverkusen bringing Hoffenheim back down to earth (5-2), Hamburg winning 4-2 away to Arminia Bielefeld, newly promoted Borussia Monchengladbach beating winless Werder Bremen 3-2 and defending Champions Bayern Munich dispatching Hertha Berlin 4-1. These four game alone generated 23 of the goals.
North Americans in Europe….
Canadian Chris Pozniak scored his first goal for Dundee in the Scottish First Division but Queen of the South still won 3-1.
Biggest Howlers……
Penalty misses galore on Saturday in the Premiership with Yakubu (Everton), Roberts (Blackburn) and Downing (Middlesbrough) all failing to convert from 12 yards.
Toronto FC keeper Greg Sutton was heading towards a MLS Player of the Week nomination (from me anyway) after saving his team’s bacon on a number of occasions. That was until deep into added time when he allowed a tame effort from Atiba Harris trickle through his hands and it barely made it over the goal line. It gave Chivas a crucial 2-1 win and severely dented Toronto’s hope of making a play-off charge in MLS’s Eastern Conference.
Stat facts
Since beating Chelsea last spring to lift the Carling Cup Spurs have won just three Premiership games.
Wigan’s 5-0 win at Hull is the first time they have scored five goals away from home in a top flight match and only the second time that they have scored five goals in a top flight game. The other occasion came in a 5-3 win over Blackburn last December. The win is the largest margin of victory in Wigan’s 117 top flight matches.
All six matches in the Scottish Premier League this weekend were won by the away team.
Real Madrid has not beaten Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor since 1991 and hasn’t earned a point there since 2002.
What was said….
Oliver Kay and how Serie A is now a home for Europe’s ageing players.
Liverpool’s stadium delay is blamed on credit crunch. The “credit crunch” has become a convenient excuse but the truth is that if you have a solid business plan, acceptable collateral and are well funded banks will fall over themselves to lend you money. Only organizations and individuals that are highly leveraged are having trouble getting credit facilities.
A Rod Liddle column that is sure to rile some readers.
Patrick Barclay looks at the impact of money on the predictability of the Champions League group stage.
James Lawton questions the credentials of many Arsenal “fans”.
Jonathan Wilson looks at the frustration of Rafa Benitez.
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.
Fulham’s win over Arsenal was no fluke. The Cottagers played high quality football and totally outplayed Arsenal in the midfield.
Stoke City took the lead twice against Aston Villa only to be pegged back each time. But they persevered and got a stoppage time winner from Mamady Sidibe in their first top flight game at home since 1985.
It may not have been pretty but that should not overshadow the fact that the USA got off to a great start to the semi-final round of World Cup qualifying with their first ever competitive win in Guatemala.
The New York Red Bulls are hitting their stride at the right time. A 3-0 win over Houston means that the Red Bulls are now unbeaten at home in their last six home games and have scored nine goals in their last three. Considering that the Houston Dynamo had been rattling up wins and goals the last few weeks it was an impressive outing for the Bulls.
Best forgotten…..
A little over two years ago Chelsea paid Milan a king’s ransom for the services of Andriy Shevchenko. To that point in his career Shevchenko has scored at a rate better than a goal every two games and although he scored on his debut for Chelsea only eight more goals were to follow over the next two seasons. It would be considered a poor return on a striker that cost $6M let alone $60M and no matter which way you look it the move failed miserably. The lesson – no transfer comes with a guarantee of success.
For most nations a bronze medal at the Olympic Games is more than a satisfactory return. But for Brazil’s men's soccer team and the fans back home it is nothing less than abject failure. Brazil has been become overly fixated on winning a men’s soccer gold at the Olympics – the one title that has eluded them over the years. Silver medals in 84 and 88 were followed by a bronze in Atlanta. This time it was another bronze and should Brazil stumble in their next World Cup qualifying match away to Chile in just under two weeks time it will be a coup de grace for coach Carlos Dunga.
Best goals…. There were a slew to choose from this week and here are my picks in no particular order.
Chad Barrett’s equalizer for Toronto against New England Revolution was his 7th goal of the season. It was a thunderous left foot strike that flew past the Revolution’s Doug Warren.
Liverpool’s winner against Boro might also be categorized as crime of the week. Nonetheless Steven Gerrard’s shot right on full time was not only beautifully struck but it was a clutch goal for the home side.
A very cute header from Hull’s Richard Garcia gave the away side a share of the points against Blackburn.
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Kuba to the fans and commentators) sent a swerving right footed drive from the edge of the penalty area into the roof of the Bayern Munich net for Borussia Dortmund.
Goal feast……
Not only goals galore but a few reds as well as Real Madrid beat Valencia 4-2 in the Spanish Super Cup second leg and took the trophy 6-5 on aggregate. When you consider that Real was down 4-2 on aggregate and down to 10-men by half time it was a remarkable result. But remarkable was to become extraordinary.
Ruud van Nistelrooy narrowed the gap to a single goal from the penalty spot only five minutes after the restart but then did his side no favours when he was sent off with 16 minutes to go. Playing nine against eleven and a goal down with a quarter of an hour left Real Madrid then stunned Valencia with three goals before Morientes scored a consolation goal for Valencia.
Sergio Ramos and substitutes Reuben de la Red (another red for Real Madrid?) and Higuaín all scored. It was all amazing stuff and a shot in the arm for Real Madrid who starts their title defense away to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. Valencia is at home to Mallorca.
Best Howlers…… A badly misplayed corner by Pat Onstad gifted Jamaica an equalizer in midweek World Cup qualifying against Canada. Onstad who is normally so reliable for Houston punched an Andy Williams corner into his own net shortly after Julian de Guzman has given Canada a one goal lead.
Best Players…. The Fulham midfield of Davies, Bullard, Murphy and Gera was outstanding in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Arsenal.
Elano may have scored twice for Manchester City against West Ham United but it was Stephen Ireland that set both goals up. Ireland was irrepressible in midfield for City as they chalked up a much needed win.
Stat facts Middlesbrough last won at Anfield was on March 6, 1976 with goals from John Hickton and Terry Cooper. Since then Liverpool has won 19 and drawn 6 against Boro at home.
Michael Owen’s headed goal against Bolton was his 19th Premiership goal for Newcastle. Of the nineteen, nine have now come from his head. This is quite a contrast to Owen’s record of only seven headers out of 118 goals during his time with Liverpool in the Premiership.
Wigan boss Steve Bruce might want to be really clear about kick off time when his charges play at Hull next Saturday. In their two games so far Wigan has conceded three goals and they have all come in the first ten minutes.
What was said….
Jonathan Wilson with a remarkable story about Croatia’s Darijo Srna.
Marcela Mora y Araujo on Argentina’s performance at the Olympics.
Steve Tongue on the fall of the FA’s CEO Brian Barwick and the changes that have still to come.
Mike Ticher questions the purpose of the Men’s Olympic soccer tournament.
Craigy_f –1. Many see the CL in the last few years as a tale of PL dominance. It's hardly that in the UEFA Cup. How to you explain the difference in the two comps for PL teams (or other leagues) in the last three odd years. 2. Do you like the playoffs? 3. The last noise the Liverpool Supporters Who Want To Buy Liverpool made was about having the clout to actually have a dialogue with Hillette and Gicks. Apparently they wanted to talk ' intentions'. Will this happen? 4. Will Ince be given a bigger club or stick with much moved Wimbledon? 5. Tevez's stock must have gone up with that late goal at Blackburn?
6. Gimme your top five footballing flops this weekend, please. 7. What; off what goes on on the pitch; gets your goat when watching football. 8. Who will finish fifth? (In the PL, Serie A and La Liga) 9. Scottish Managers seem to do well darn sarf, why do you think that is?
Bobby –1. Many would seem to have a very poor grasp of what constitutes dominance. One win this decade hardly represents dominance.
2. Yes.
3. Until they have money in the bank they are trying to bluff their way in the door. There is a large chasm between fans expressing a willingness to put money up and actually writing the cheque. There again 100,000 of them could borrow the money from the bank which is no more ridiculous than what Hicks and Gillett pulled off.
(Couldn't resist the notion that the ESPN commentator missed a golden opportunity at the end of the game today when the cameras panned over to Hicks. The comments was something like "owner Tom Hicks must now take his Liverpool team to Stamford Bridge next week..." Should it not have been "owner Tom Hicks must now take his half of the Liverpool team to Stamford Bridge next week..."
4. There are always teams on the lookout for a savior so I cannot see Ince staying with MK Dons much longer. He could take a shorter route to the Championship I am sure.
5. Three late equalizers doesn’t hurt but I think that after what he showed for WHU late last season there are not too many people surprised.
6. You get 1 and 1 a – Clyde losing to Hamilton and Queen of the South beating Dundee.
7. What?
8. Villa, Milan, Racing Santander.
9. If I knew sarf meant then I might be able to answer.
Gorn – 1. Your opinion on whether Fake Ronaldo's PK technique is caution-worthy/unsporting? Seems to me that it's not much, if at all, different than if he just took a shorter run-up. Is there another line of thinking? 2. What sources do you use to do yer research (ie: top away goal scorer in BPL in 07-08, etc.)? Any links appreciated! 3. By how many goals will LFC beat Chelsea in both legs of the CL semi? 4. There appears to be a few quality strikers available this summer (Berbatov, Huntelaar, Villa, Henry, Crouch & hell even Ronaldinho). Do you think this will create a bit of a market correction in transfer prices? Or will this be the priciest market in years? I know you don't like to speculate on things like specific transfers, just wondering yer general feeling on what you anticipate happening, especially w/so many top teams rumoured to be changing managers.... 5. Do you think MLS needs a marquee team or 3 to stimulate rivalries/dynasties like the BPL has? Not advocating a class system exactly, but maybe more along the lines of brand development & recognition. Beckham helps, but if his team is pants, it doesn't help MLS. Further, MLS seems not yet able to simply throw $ at players to solve the problem like NASL did.
Maybe MLS would be served by having more than one team in a big city like NY to create a derby. Thoughts?
6. Dis/agree that there are at most 3 Canadian cities than can support an MLS team?
Bobby – 1. Nothing wrong with it whatsoever.
2. I hunt through stats sites. There is not one that has everything and in some cases the information doesn’t seem to exist. Most of the time it is a case of getting raw information and adding things up. I don’t think I use any sites that I or others haven’t referenced before; BBC, Fox, Telegraph, Soccerbot (probably my favourite), soccerbase.com, premiersoccerstats, RSSSF, channel 4 are the normal haunts. I also buy the European Book of Football each year which contains a statistical recap of every league in Europe plus international games.
3. Leading the witness – can’t have that. And do you now wish to rephrase the question after today?
4. Prices aren’t necessarily dependent on supply but are more influenced by money in the system. In the last few years that has been Premier League money and there is no indication that the money will dry up. I would also suggest that managers are not looking for strikers per se they are looking for specific types of strikers depending on their needs.
Berbatov is going to give you imagination, silky skills, and the ability to lead the line. Crouch is going to provide you with a lethal five yard pass back towards his own goal and ….come to think of it how many goals has your list of quality strikers actually scored this season?
Huntelaar 34 goals – we know from experience that goals in the Dutch league do not necessarily translate into goals in bigger leagues and he his coming up on 25 years old and nobody has made a real move for him yet. Wonder why? Berbatov 15 goals but also offers more. After that there have not been many goals from the others.
5. Use the words “brand development” and you are not off to a very good start. Rivalries do not come from plunking a team or two down in the same city. They come from years of games, incidents and shared history.
Rivalries cannot be manufactured and it is not just about location. After all if your theory was right we would be watching the Greater London League every week. One more thing – the NASL did not solve any problems by throwing money at them; they just caused more problems.
6. Vancouver I have no doubt. Montreal is a strange market and I don’t know enough about it. The others - not a hope of being considered let alone being given a chance. It is after all an US league.
Ursusarctos - "Should the Moscow [CL] final turn out to be an all-English affair this season, there will be plenty of talk about the Premier League being the best in the world. It isn't. Torres is right [that La Liga is tougher than the Premier League because matches are more competitive all the way down the league, and that English football is really all about the top four.]"
Yes. And it is too bad.
Do you agree with Wilson's (and Torres') analysis?
How would you rate Serie A? Does it resemble the PL, in terms of the quality being consistently concentrated among the top (6 or so?) teams, or is it more similar to Spain?
Leagues appear to tend to develop a quasi-permanent group of "haves", with the quality dropping off rapidly after-- Scotland's Old Firm and Portugal's Big Three are other examples.
Which major leagues would you consider to have the most turnover amongst the top group of teams, and the most competitive depth, over time (recent decades)-- and which the least? What factors might be responsible for differences between leagues?
Or does the competitive depth of leagues go in cycles, with England at the lower end of the scale and Spain at the higher at this point in time (and Scotland doing its own thing)?
If so, will increasing financial rewards, such as CL prize money, tend to fix "elite" teams in place, or are there contrary factors that might help to promote intra-league competitiveness?
Bobby – I don’t care one way or another. You may as well argue about the greatest ever heavyweight boxer. At the end of the day it is what excites and engages you – it has nothing to do with a subjective definition of best.
(I notice another MLS is #### discussion has broken out. We have been around this one before but someone has yet to tell me what constitutes great football that they will watch and bad football that they won’t. Fans relate through building allegiances and they have no idea whether or not they will enjoy a game or will want to throw up when they pay their money or sit down in front of a TV. There is no such thing as all games in X league good; all games in Y league bad. When fans dismiss a league as being rubbish what they mean is they don’t relate to it. It has nothing to do with the standard of play even though they make it out to be.)
In terms of parity England use to be the exception in that there were a number of clubs that had a real chance of picking up silverware every season. The advent of the Premiership killed that extended era and the Premiership took on the same character as Europe’s other main leagues.
Take a look at the teams who have won leagues and cups in each country – it will closely follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty per cent of the silverware will have been won by 20% of the teams. The difference between success and failure long tern in soccer is the same as in business – the access to capital.
No guarantee of success but if you don’t have access to money through a large fan base (which normally means a team from a large city) you cannot compete in the long term. It works the same for leagues – that is why countries with large populations generally have better teams and more of them.
There are a couple of exceptions but they are exceptions, not the rule.
I haven’t done the research but my guess is that the French league has probably enjoyed the broadest range of winning sides until Lyon started their domination.
The Champions League is installing or in some cases ingraining what could become a perpetual cycle of relative success for a relatively small number of clubs. Win their league and make it to the CL group stage generates money that their domestic rivals do not have access to; spend the money to improve the squad and qualify for Europe again etc etc.
Rosenborg had it down to an art for over a decade. Platini’s initiative to extend places in the group stage to more countries is in theory good and noble but it may also lead to a greater distortion at the domestic level.
MasMaz - I assume that tonight you will give us your opinion about Rooney being given free reign to do whatever he wants. If not I'd like to hear it.
Bobby – I can’t say that I have noticed any difference in the way that Ferguson is playing Rooney. He has been granted a lot of freedom all season from what I can see.
However, if you are trying to make some ridiculous comparison with Mascherano’s sending off against United then you will have to make a better case. If you can show me an example of Rooney running 40 yards to get in the referee’s face when he has already been given a yellow card and had no involvement in the incident then you might have a case – oh and your teammate has just been carded for yapping at the referee. Otherwise you might want to wait until you have a more credible comparison.
Neophyte - Did you see the Toronto FC/ Real Salt Lake match? It looked like the match ended with only one minute of injury time instead of the three minutes posted by the 4th official. Home cooking or poor clock management and communication from the center to the 4th official?
Bobby – You hit a sore spot. I opted to watch the Blackburn game, tape TFC, go out for the first kick about of the new season and then come home and watch three MLS games. Tape malfunction on the TFC game so the only part I saw was when I switched over at half time in the Blackburn match. I did catch the other two MLS games though.
Maybe the 4th official did as good a job programming his board as I did programming my tape machine!
Aldoray - Football clubs have a Manager and Assistant Manager and coaches. What are the roles each of them play? Does the manager give the overall plan and then the assistant and the coaches carry it out or is the manager always hands on with the squad and everybody else is just peripheral. Or is it different for every club.
Bobby – Unfortunately the answer is the old standby – it depends. Some mangers are out there with the squad every day, some occasionally and others hardly at all. I remember reading a feature on Martin O’Neill during his Celtic days and his view was that a manager can maximize his impact if he limits his contact with the players.
His theory was that with a lot of daily contact the messages that the manager wants to communicate are blunted and the motivational effect is dampened. I can only assume he still feels the same way.
There is a certain irony because that is a view from many years ago. Prior to Busby, Shankly, Stein etc. popularizing the idea of the “Tracksuit Manager” the preparation was left to a coach (rarely coaches!) and the manager would come in on game days to give the team talk. Otherwise he dealt with other things during the week.
JayAlves - Arsenal fans can sleep easy knowing Usmanov /=/ Abramovich from a money standpoint.
Last time I checked Usmanov was worth 1/3 or 1/4 of Abramovich and considering how Arsenals profits are going might become an unrealistic team for him to buy assuming the board keep entering no sale agreements.
They floated this theory on WSD not long ago but they were off the mark on one point. They said maybe the board is being cheap on purpose to keep growing the club financially so they can’t be taken over. Thing is though the board on several occasions have dropped the huge money figures that Wenger has if he wants so you could hardly accuse them of being cheap.
Bobby – I don’t think that theory stands up. First off being debt free and enjoying the relative luxury of a fully paid for stadium did not save Manchester United from a highly leverage buy out from the Glazers. The same would hold true for an Arsenal club that is in a poorer position than United were because it still carries a huge stadium debt.
A case could be made that by improving the net financial position (not spending money) Arsenal are actually making the club a more desirable takeover target rather than turning the opportunists off. Companies that enjoy great balance sheets and hoard gobs of cash are often bigger and better targets for raiders than companies with huge debts.
Think about it from a lenders point of view and what would give you greater security – your money to pay off someone else’s debt or go towards buying cash generating assets with a pile of cash already sitting there?
Redfan2000 - Time seemed to stop you commenting on the Inter vs Liverpool game, so what was your summation of the two legs?
Bobby – Liverpool was the better team and won it through perseverance and patience. Against ten men and with around five minutes to go in the first leg Liverpool could have easily panicked but they stuck to it.
There were only perhaps two moments when Inter threatened in Milan and the Reina save low to his left was probably the pivotal moment. If that deflection had gone in then Inter might have made a real go of it.
But as it turned out, Reina saved, Burdisso gets a second yellow and Torres scores a terrific goal. We could argue about Inter playing most of the time with ten men and the impact it had on the outcome but you can only play against what is in front of you and Liverpool won without ever really being tested by the Inter attack.
Weah11 - Do you see a clear out (coaches + some players) if Chelsea fail to pass Fenerbahce? I read that Lippi is interested in coming to the EPL.
Bobby – Can I see coaches and players moving on if Chelsea fails to pass Fenerbahce? I can see coaches and players moving on even if they go on to win the Champions League and the Premiership. It is part of the normal process.
By the same token you will not see a clear out (I would define a clear out as six or seven legitimate members of the first team squad leaving). In fact I can’t think of the last time a big club had a real clear out of staff.
It’s down to the fact that players at top clubs are making incredible money and there are very few clubs outside maybe a dozen or so in Europe that are willing to match their wage demands. The fans response to failure is to call for a clear out but the reality is that there has to be another club willing to pay a transfer fee and to pay the salary demands.
Without that other side of the equation most players are more than willing to sit tight and allow their bank balances to grow. Lippi is just one of a number of high profile managers who will be available this summer. It’s a summer of a major final and so that means we will also see national team managers resigning or getting fired.
Don’t be surprised if most of the media interest is around managerial appointments rather than player signings this summer.
Thierry_Henry - Some Arsenal fans are starting to tell Wenger what he should do. As if he doesn't see what's wrong with the team. Just because we've drawn 4 matches in the last few weeks...
Look, at the beginning of the season Bobby suggested we will not be in the top 4. If it wasn't for injury to Eduardo, we would be first. So, relax and keep faith in the magin man, Wenger.
Bobby – As MasMaz pointed out I picked Arsenal to finish third. I have the article from last August archived and hopefully it will be rolled out at the end of the Premiership season for the benefit of all.
Foxcube - Perhaps you did in on TV but I'd love to hear your comments on Mancini's U-turn (or anyone could share?). Another question is why the top 4 in England don't break away from the league and have their own TV deals. Thanks!
Bobby – Mancini has a reputation for being overly emotional at times and speaking before thinking. I think that was one of the moments. The big four don’t breakaway and do their own tv deals because they are not allowed to.
My understanding is that centralized TV broadcast sales is part of the Premier League regulations and to be changed 75% of the 20 teams have to vote to change. As turkeys very rarely vote for Christmas you are not likely a change anytime soon.
ReggaeGunner -I watched the Roma vs Milan match and I was very impressed by the player Vucinic. Why doesn't Spalletti play him in the starting 11 and let Totti play off him or is he more effective coming off the bench. Whenever I see him play he seems to be the difference when he's on the pitch. Always a threat to the other teams when on the pitch. Another to mention is Aquillani, he shoots the ball well.
Bobby – You would think that Spaletti is going to find it more difficult to keep Vucinic out of the starting line-up based on his scoring record off the bench. He’s scored in the three games in the last few weeks when he has come as substitute; there again he failed to score in the game he started.
He’s not overly quick but seems very composed when a chance comes his way. Maybe we will see him in the Rome derby on Wednesday as he scored against Lazio earlier this seaso
