A star is emerging for the Gunners in the Far East. Forget Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney. The sparking debut of a 16-year old midfielder with American ties is the most exciting development of the summer for Arsenal supporters.

Gedion Zelalem was born in Germany to an Ethopian father and was spotted by Arsenal scouts two years ago while playing for Olney Rangers Soccer club in Maryland. Upon arriving in North London, Zelalem completely skipped over the Arsenal under-18 team and jumped right into the reserves. His surprise inclusion in Arsene Wenger’s first-team squad for the club’s Asian tour has been validated by two impressive outings against the Indonesia Dream Team and Vietnam. Take a look:

Video 1 (Indonesia Dream Team):

Video 2 (Vietnam):

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Zelalem’s game is his vision. He has a remarkable ability to recognize the runs being made by his teammates and react quickly with an accurate through ball. Additionally, Zelalem’s composure on the ball is astounding given his age. Comparisons have already been made to Cesc Fabregas who possessed similar skills when he made his debut for the senior team in 2003 at age 16.

And Arsenal supporters should not be alone in their joy over Zelalem. According to an article published by The Washington Post last year, the 16-year old is trying to secure a U.S. passport, which would make him eligible to play for the red, white and blue of the USA. He has been involved in both the German and American youth systems, and his father is from Ethopia; so a big decision looms ahead for Zelalem.

In the meantime, Zelalem will need to get stronger, as his body is not currently equipped to fend off Premier League defenders (See 1:40 in the first video above). Of course, that will come as he gets older; and, barring a major injury bug (not uncommon at Arsenal), Zelalem will not need to play a major role this season. Arsene Wenger, if history is any evidence, will likely ease the young midfielder into the first team squad by way of the Capital One Cup.

Though he is a highly-rated young player, Arsene Wenger — and indeed the club as a whole — have been mum on Zelalem in an apparent effort to avoid the trap of high expectations. However, if he continues to shine on the pitch, Gedion Zelalem will force his way into the spotlight.

The emergence of Theo Walcott as a center forward should bring an end to Arsenal’s search for a striker in the transfer market. Walcott, whose hat-trick and overall performance led Arsenal to a 7-3 victory over Newcastle, has appeared reborn since Arsene Wenger shifted him inside.

The first tally on a wild day at the Emirates Stadium came courtesy of Walcott’s accurate finish on the break. Thierry Henry was watching from a luxury box, surely admiring the 23-year old Englishman’s poise as he curled a low strike around Newcastle keeper Tim Krul. It was certainly a goal reminiscent of Arsenal’s old number 14; however, the similarities between the two stretch even deeper than a shirt number. Henry, known as a winger in his time at Juventus, was converted by Arsene Wenger to a central striker and achieved great success in North London. Walcott may be in the process of making the same transformation.

Walcott’s second on the way to the hat-trick was another surprisingly calm finish. After Lukas Podolski completely missed Kieran Gibbs’ cross, Walcott took his time place the ball in the top of the net as Alan Pardew’s men swarmed to block the effort. Theo capped his terrific day with a, dare I say it, Lionel Messi-esque goal. Walcott, often criticized for his lack of dribbling skills, danced around a couple of defenders before being hacked down by Gabriel Obertan in the box. Instead of rolling around on the carpet, Walcott jumped up and popped the ball over Krul.

Walcott’s finishing, once a heavily scrutinized aspect of his game, has vastly improved since his hat-trick against Reading in the League Cup in October. In his last ten appearances in all competitions, Walcott has ten goals. To put that figure in perspective, Robin van Persie has six goals in his last ten matches; Demba Ba (who has been linked with a move to the Gunners) also has six; and Luis Suarez has five. Of his 14 goals this season, 6 have come in the 80^th minute or later, indicating that he preys on opposing defenders as they tire.

Arsene Wenger, perhaps encouraged by Walcott’s newfound ruthlessness in front of goal, has only recently begun experimenting with Theo at the top of his 4-2-3-1 formation. Walcott has often spoke of his desire to play through the middle, and he has rewarded Wenger for granting his wish by scoring a goal against Reading last week and three against the Magpies on Saturday.

Walcott is almost infinitely more valuable to Arsenal as striker than as a winger. Inconsistent wide midfielders with pace are never a rare commodity, while quick center forwards who can score are always difficult to find. Walcott’s joy on the right flank usually occurred when he exploited the space between the right-back and the nearest center-back. As a central striker, Walcott has more gaps to exploit and more freedom to make penetrating runs. Given this new role, Walcott should never disappear for long periods of matches like he did sometimes when playing out wide.

In addition, Walcott’s worth to Arsenal is also due to need. Olivier Giroud is the Gunners’ only other viable striker at the moment. Walcott’s pace contrasts well with Giroud’s strength and aerial ability. The two combined brilliantly after Giroud was inserted in the second half against Newcastle; and the possibility of playing them together must surely tempt Arsene Wenger into reverting back to his two-striker system.

Doubters will say that Reading’s defending has been shambolic and that Alan Pardew’s side were wounded and tired at the Emirates Stadium. While both these claims are true, Walcott still must be praised for doing what he is supposed to do as a frontman, especially when considering that the position is new to him. He can still get better. He needs to improve his distribution on the break; several times on Saturday, Walcott wasted dangerous counter-attacks by making the wrong pass or waiting too late to play in a teammate. However, on the whole, Walcott has been a revelation playing through the middle.

For months, the British media has been reporting on Arsene Wenger’s wish to add to his striking corps in January. Names such as Fernando Llorente, David Villa, Demba Ba, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium; although Wenger’s plans may change given recent developments. The time, effort, and money spent on chasing after transfer targets should be utilized to sign Walcott to a long-term contract by the end of month. Arsenal have found their new striker.

Arsene Wenger was rightfully under fire from Arsenal supporters and the press following the Gunners’ disappointing 0-0 result against Aston Villa from this past weekend.

Chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” rained down on Arsene Wenger from his own travelling fans after the Arsenal manager brought on defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin for striker Olivier Giroud. The reaction was eerily similar to the response Wenger received last season when he withdrew Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in favor of Andrey Arshavin against Manchester United. Wenger’s decision on Saturday seemed unnecessarily defensive in a match against a Villa side wallowing in the relegation zone. Additionally, Giroud has been scoring goals—four in his last five matches.

When asked to explain the substitution, Wenger defiantly told reporters: “What is the thinking behind the substitution? I will not explain every decision I make. I have managed for 30 years at the top level and I have to convince you [journalists] I can manage the team?”

The Coquelin-for-Giroud change was not the only questionable decision made by Wenger at Villa Park. He also took out Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and threw on Gervinho and Arshavin. Gervinho was thrust into the center after Giroud’s departure, and the Ivorian failed to make an impact on the game. By the end of the match, Arsene Wenger’s eleven looked more like a disjointed, relegation-embattled side than a team with serious top four ambitions.

However, not all of the Gunners’ problems can be attributed to poorly-planned player switches. Arsenal also lack creativity and energy in the attack. Despite the presence of Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla, Arsenal still failed to really threaten Aston Villa’s makeshift back four. Paul Lambert, who was watching from the stands due to his touchline ban, was without left-back Joe Bennett, centre-back Richard Dunne, and occasional defender Chris Herd.

Part of the reason for the Gunners’ attacking troubles again stems back to Arsene Wenger. He insists on playing Aaron Ramsey whenever possible—in the midfield and on the wing. The Welshman works hard, but he simply doesn’t have the quality necessary to be so consistently named in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven. Ramsey cannot cross the ball well; gives the ball away too much; doesn’t score; and cannot really defend. While Ramsey is still young, he shouldn’t be such an important member of Arsenal’s squad. He should be there to provide depth, and nothing beyond that.

Of course, it is easy to poke holes in Wenger’s scheme without suggesting any possible solutions. Perhaps the solution for the current lack of creativity is introducing Francis Coquelin into the midfield three when one of the usual starters (Wilshere, Cazorla, or Arteta) is unable to play. On Saturday, Arteta was forced into a holding role (because Ramsey was deputizing for Wilshere) that doesn’t suit his strengths as an inventive distributor of the ball. Coquelin—a natural defensive midfielder—could concentrate on the defensive duties while Arteta and Cazorla could focus on providing the attacking inspiration.

Another major issue that must be addressed is the squad’s lack of depth. To this point, Arsene Wenger may appear to be a victim; though he made the problem for himself. With Theo Walcott out with a shoulder injury, Arsene Wenger had only Gervinho, who is just returning after his own injury absence, and Arshavin. Neither player uplifted the team when he arrived on the pitch; in fact, both probably had the opposite effect.

Contrast Arsenal’s thin squad to the players the managers of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have at their disposal when they are chasing three points. Ferguson, with a myriad of forwards already on the pitch, brought on Javier Hernandez against QPR on Saturday, and the Mexican star contributed his guaranteed goal off the bench. Chelsea always have a plethora of talent to call on when they are down. Against Real Madrid, Mancini brought on Carlos Tevez, James Milner and Javi Garcia. Arsenal’s bench doesn’t compare well to the teams they strive to compete with.

Arsene Wenger’s belief in young, inexperienced players has yielded results in Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but it also has very significant disadvantages. One of which is severe gap between the preferred starters and the reinforcements. Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis has promised that the money from Arsenal’s new sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines (worth £150 million in total) will be used to strengthen the squad. Furthermore, Arsenal’s revenue will be increased by the Premier League’s new television deal and a new kit-manufacturer contract (likely with Adidas).  Perhaps Wenger should considering utilizing that cash to replenish his squad starting from the bottom—replacing stagnant players such as Arshavin and Johan Djourou with quality back-ups who can pressure for places in the starting eleven.

Ultimately, Arsene Wenger is at the heart of Arsenal’s problems. He only signs players to maintain the team’s level of performance—not to improve upon it. By only doing enough, Wenger can rely on the same, tired excuses for why his starting eleven sometimes appears to be a patchwork set of spare parts instead of a purposely-assembled team. And he is increasingly committing tactical errors and player selection mistakes.

It is not time for Wenger to be sacked; he has earned the right to not be evaluated by the club until the season is finished. But it is time to start asking questions. Judging by Wenger’s comments to reporters after the draw against Aston Villa, he’s not willing to answer any.

Adversity on the pitch for the Gunners quickly boiled into turmoil at the club’s annual general meeting on Thursday. Following two consecutive disheartening defeats, Arsenal have reached a tipping point in their season.

Majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis, and Arsene Wenger faced a disgruntled crowd of Arsenal supporters on Thursday. Had the gathering taken place two weeks ago, attitudes would have been more relaxed. Unfortunately for the three most powerful men at the Emirates Stadium, the meeting came after disappointing defeats to Norwich and Schalke.

Gazidis’ address only echoed the policy of self-sustainability that has come to define Arsenal. He did add a new wrinkle by saying: “In the next two years, we will have the financial resources to sit and compete among the leading clubs in the world, which is an extraordinary achievement.” Presumably, the further implementation of Financial Fair Play will allow the Gunners to “compete” with Europe’s elite clubs. However, as many Arsenal supporters will have been wondering, what have we been doing for the past seven years?

Whenever he speaks publicly, Gazidis always seems to give the impression of a clever con artist trying to lure in buyers. If the club fail to meet their ambitions in two years, the promise from Gazidis will certainly be revisited.

Stan Kroenke attempted to reassure the Arsenal faithful of his involvement in the club. The American said, “The reason I am involved in sport is to win. It’s what it’s all about. Everything else is a footnote. I can assure you no one is more ambitious than me.” Like a politician, Kroenke referred to his record: “We have a record in sports around the world.”

Indeed, Kroenke definitely has experience in sports (his properties include the St. Louis Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rapids, and more), although the sporting rules vary greatly between North America and Europe. English football clubs have massive amounts of financial freedom when examined against their counter-parts across the Atlantic. North American leagues operate under a quasi-socialist system. Despite Kroenke’s continued insistence, the two worlds cannot be compared.

In staying with political theme, Arsene Wenger introduced the concept of doublespeak at the AGM. The Arsenal manager said: “We speak about trophies. For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup.”

As mightily as he may try, Wenger will never be able to redefine the word “trophy.” Qualifying for the Champions League is an achievement, not a trophy. Certainly, it is a worthy accomplishment that will have a positive effect on external factors such as revenue generated and the persuasion of potential transfer targets. However, since no one victor emerges, it cannot be counted as a “trophy.”

The leaders of Arsenal football club are behaving like fearful politicians in order to stem the tide of supporter unrest. The patience of Arsenal fans has run thin; and it may evaporate entirely if the Gunners continue to frustrate year after year.

After two poor performances, Arsenal supporters are already very tense. Imagine the reaction that will occur if Arsene Wenger’s side descends into a terrible spell of form. A desperate comeback similar to last season’s phoenix-like-rise-from-the-ashes may not be possible or even likely. The pent-up frustration of Arsenal supporters may finally come pouring out.

And that is why Saturday’s match against QPR is as close to a must-win for Arsenal as any game can be at this point in the season.

Before Arsenal’s loss to Chelsea on Saturday, Arsene Wenger said “results against direct opponents are always so important” and that the Gunners needed to show against the Blues that they “are capable to deal with all the kind of problems consistency demands.” Arsenal weren’t able to handle the obstacles Chelsea presented at the Emirates Stadium. And now the question becomes “Are Arsenal direct contenders for the title alongside the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United?”

Judging by Arsenal’s poor performance against Chelsea, the answer is no. Roberto Di Matteo’s side outplayed the Gunners on their home pitch. Old fragilities, such as an inability to defend set pieces, reappeared despite the presence of new defensive guru Steve Bould. A lack of decisiveness in the final third prevented Arsene Wenger’s men from stealing a point at the end. In other words, the frustrating Arsenal returned.

Even the new signings, who hadn’t been part of Arsenal’s previous failures, were disappointing. Arsenal’s creative leader of the attack, Santi Cazorla, was suffocated by Chelsea’s defense. Lukas Podolski did not have any influence on the match and was withdrawn in the second half by Wenger. The German’s replacement, Olivier Giroud, missed a fantastic opportunity to even the score in extra time.

Giroud hasn’t impressed since his move from Montpellier in the summer. Critics have likened him to Marouane Chamakh, but that would be a cruel comparison from Chamakh’s perspective since the Moroccan actually scored eleven goals and deputized well for an injured Robin van Persie in his debut season at the Emirates Stadium. While Arsene Wenger insists that Giroud will thrive in the Premier League, he hasn’t trusted the French striker enough to start him in either of the Gunners’ last two league matches. It’s difficult for a player to adjust to the English game when he’s only playing in 20-minute spurts.

Arsene Wenger made two questionable choices for his starting eleven against Chelsea. Firstly, Laurent Koscielny was preferred to Per Mertesacker after the big German center-back was named Man of the Match against defending champions Manchester City by a fan poll on Arsenal’s official website. In his post-match press conference on Saturday, Wenger said that the decision to start Koscielny ahead of Mertesacker was “based on the opposition we played.” Perhaps the Arsenal manager is suggesting that he thought Koscielny was better equipped to handle Chelsea’s pace. The explanation lacks logic because Mertesacker didn’t look the least bit sluggish against City. What the German lacks in pace is negated by his supreme positional sense.

Wenger’s second mistake Saturday was starting Aaron Ramsey on the flank. The Welshman is not a winger, even though Wenger continues to put him out wide.  Ramsey didn’t perform poorly on the wing at the Etihad Stadium, but he also didn’t light the world on fire. Arsene Wenger’s idea in starting Ramsey on the wing is that it will allow his team to keep the ball and give Jenkinson more defensive help on the right side. The only problem is Ramsey isn’t a good defender, and he also doesn’t do a great job at keeping possession.

While the criticism of Arsene Wenger’s team selection may seem like second-guessing after both players had (predictably) poor displays on Saturday, the reality is that many Arsenal supporters (including myself) were annoyed with the manager’s two awful choices when the starting eleven was announced prior to the start of the match.

A combination of unorganized defending, poor finishing, and questionable managerial decisions has placed Arsenal in a state of limbo. After last week’s hard-fought draw at the home of Manchester City, the Gunners’ were widely considered to be title contenders once more. A reassessment might be necessary following Chelsea’s victory at the Emirates Stadium, though it would be unfair to assess the Gunners on the basis of one terrible performance. At the moment, Arsene Wenger’s team is floating in between the title fight and the battle for the top four. No definite conclusion can be drawn from Saturday’s loss. In the coming months, as the season grinds on, Arsenal’s realistic ambitions will come into focus. At the moment, the Gunners’ fate is just blurry.

According to 100 Great Goals, “In [the video] the ex-England international talks about his childhood, his burning love for football and Match of the Day, getting arrested for stealing a car, finally breaking into football with Crystal Palace, and eventually joining Arsenal. On Arsenal, Wright talked about how important David Rocastle was in helping him bed into the club, that tackle on Peter Schmeichel, and ultimately how proud he was to represent the Gunners.”

Post your feedback regarding the video in the comments section below.

Spending big money to sign Andy Carroll would be a giant miscalculation by newly-promoted West Ham United. Sam Allardyce needs to avoid making the same mistake Kenny Daglish and Liverpool made in January of 2011.

According to reports, West Ham agreed a deal to take Andy Carroll away from Anfield. The former Newcastle striker has so far resisted a loan move (with a permanent switch if West Ham remain in the Premier League) to Upton Park, but the Hammers want to sweeten the deal by offering a lucrative long-term contract.

Brendan Rodgers should be thrilled to sell Carroll for a fee in the region of £19 million (as has been suggested), but why would West Ham even think of paying that much for an underperforming striker? Of course, Carroll’s transfer value is inflated due to the fact that he’s English, but even so, he is not worth nearly that amount. Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli overpaid once for Carroll, and both are now out of jobs at Liverpool.

It’s easy to see why so many in English football are susceptible to falling into the Andy Carroll trap. He’s young. He’s big. And he’s English. The only problem is that Carroll cannot do much else besides win the ball in the air. He’ll score the occasional goal with his feet, but most of his work is done off the ground. In the modern game, expensive strikers need to be able to do more than provide a physical presence. Versatility is key.

Carroll would fit well into West Ham’s style of play, but Allardyce can find much cheaper options elsewhere. Just last season: Newcastle were able to sign Demba Ba for free. Everton were able to snatch Nikica Jelavic for around £5 million. And Fulham were able to secure a loan move for Pavel Pogrebnyak (who was signed by Reading this summer). All three of those players equaled or surpassed Carroll’s goal total of six last season, and Jelavic and Pogrebnyak made significantly fewer appearances.

No matter the facts, the fascination (some would call it a disease) with Andy Carroll will unfortunately continue. He’s young. He’s big. He’s English. And he’ll always find a place to be overpaid in the Premier League.

If Carroll joins West Ham, it won’t take long for Big Sam to learn the truth: Andy Carroll just isn’t that good. But, by that time, millions will already have been flushed down the drain. Allardyce may even suffer the same fate as Carroll’s first victims, Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli.

In recent weeks, the British media have collectively churned out article after article about hooliganism in Poland and Ukraine. Many pundits have bashed UEFA for selecting the two nations as hosts for the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament. England’s holier-than-though attitude and short memory have allowed the media to seemingly dismiss Britain’s hideous hooligan history.

Instead of urging England fans to support the Three Lions, former player Sol Campbell decided to use scare tactics. “Stay at home, watch it on TV,” Campbell said. “Don’t even risk it … because you could end up coming back in a coffin.”

The former England international also slammed UEFA. “I think that they were wrong, because what they should say is that if you want this tournament you sort your problems out,” he said.

“Until we see a massive improvement, that you have sorted [it] out, you are never going to get the tournament. You do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country.”

One may ask Campbell to recite his knowledge regarding football violence in Poland and Ukraine. Judging by his elitist demeanor, perhaps he only knows what he has read in the English media. Certainly, Campbell and others who have repeated similar comments are aware of England’s inglorious past.

While hooliganism and racism is not as present in English football today, it was major problem less than twenty years ago. Huge riots ensued in London and various other sites after the Three Lions fell to Germany in Euro ‘96, which England hosted. In a related incident, a Russian student was stabbed because several thugs thought he was German. Also during Euro ’96, a bomb exploded in Manchester one day before a scheduled match at Old Trafford, injuring 212 people. The atmosphere was definitely dangerous, especially after England were eliminated.

England supporters also rampaged in Belgium during Euro 2000. In fact, UEFA threatened to expel England from the tournament if the behavior of their fans did not improve. It is believed that the violence caused by Three Lions’ supporters in Belgium ended England’s chances of hosting the 2006 World Cup.

Hooliganism in English club football has declined rapidly since the 1990s, but its influence is far from dead. Many hooligan groups in Eastern Europe are modeled after infamous English firms, such as the Chelsea Headhunters. The actions of English firms during the 1980s inspired hordes of “supporters” across the world to engage in vicious brawls.

All violence and racism at Euro 2012 should and will be condemned. However, the British media has been hypocritical or simply ignorant in their coverage of hooliganism and racism in Poland and Ukraine. Some have frankly decided to forget England’s recent history.

According to reports, Josep Guardiola will leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season. It is believed the he will likely take a year-long break from football before returning to manage at another club. Guardiola will be in high demand in England if he decides to let his Barcelona contract expire. In the past, Pep has spoken of his wish to someday manage in the Premier League. Surely, Chelsea would be the favorites to land the decorated manager, but Guardiola’s possible destinations in England could be elsewhere.

The most likely options include:

Chelsea

Although the Blues have been fantastic since Roberto Di Matteo took charge, owner Roman Abramovich may want a big name with a proven track record. Guardiola has won the Champions League on two occasions in his four-year term with Barcelona. Pep would have the chance to prove his worth as a manager by winning silverware away from Catalonia. Of course, he would also have the benefit of Abramovich’s cash to spend in the transfer market. After Barcelona were eliminated by Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, Guardiola may follow the old saying: If you can’t beat them, join them.

However, would Guardiola want to work under such an impatient owner? Abramovich recently tossed away Andre Villas-Boas after less than a full campaign of duty. If Guardiola is overwhelmed with the pressure at Barcelona, perhaps his first job in England should be at a more stable club.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger’s contract at Arsenal will expire at the end of 2013-2014 campaign. Rumors say that Wenger and his family would like to relocate back to France. Guardiola could be the perfect man to replace Arsenal’s legendary manager. The Gunners’ style of football has often been compared to Barcelona’s tiki-taka. If Arsenal is unable to win a trophy in the next two seasons, Guardiola may want to play the role of savior and lead the London club to a title. The Gunners are a good side with room to improve.

One factor that may count against Arsenal in the mind of Guardiola is the possible budget restrictions at the Emirates Stadium. It is a mystery as to whether the Arsenal board have constrained Arsene Wenger, or if Wenger has placed these financial restraints on himself, or if it is a collaborative effort from the manager and the shareholders. Also, there is the battle of the billionaires. Stan Kroenke, Arsenal’s current majority shareholder, has so far kept Alisher Usmanov off of the board, but a messy turn of events could ensue if the richest man in Russia (Usmanov) acquires a few more shares. Guardiola may not want to involve himself in a club with such boardroom intrigue.

Tottenham Hotspur

If Harry Redknapp departs White Hart Lane to take control of England, Guardiola could become a prime candidate to lead the white half of North London. Spurs has been stuttering recently, and Redknapp’s name has been linked with the England position more than a few times. Tottenham has never won the Premier League title and have only once qualified for the Champions League. Guardiola could turn Tottenham into an elite European club and become a Spurs legend.

On the other hand, managing Tottenham may be the most difficult of the jobs listed in this article. If Spurs do not qualify for next season’s Champions League, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric could need convincing to stay at White Hart Lane.  Without the allure of the Champions League, Spurs may have trouble signing top quality footballers because they do not have the same history as a club like Liverpool.

Liverpool

Kenny Dalglish is not the man to lead Liverpool into the future. At only 41-years old, Guardiola could be the manager who restores glory to Anfield. Equipped with considerable resources, John Henry and the Fenway group could appoint Guardiola to rebuild Liverpool into a club that can once again fight for the English championship. If Pep wants a challenge to prove that his can succeed in the Premier League, Liverpool can provide such as task.

The Reds can best be described as a work-in-progress. While their cup adventures have been joyous, their league season has been anything but. Currently sitting at eighth in the table, Liverpool will need a serious renovation to make up for some terrible transfer decisions. Maybe Guardiola does not want to take on such a difficult assignment.

Manchester United

Imagine: Sir Alex retires at the end of next season, and Pep, fresh off his one-year sojourn away from football, picks up right where the greatest manager in English football history left off. As Ferguson’s successor, Guardiola would need to be stellar. His responsibility would be to keep United at the top of the pile, even while plethora of other clubs bite at his heels.

The expectations at Old Trafford may keep Pep away from United. Barcelona and Manchester United are similar clubs in that both count on capturing league titles year after year and competing for European cups.

Manchester City

If City fail to win the league after leading the table for so many weeks, Roberto Mancini may be thrust into the guillotine (figuratively, of course). Instead of replacing Sir Alex, Guardiola would have the opportunity to overtake him from across town. The Abu Dhabi group will surely consider Guardiola’s prior triumphs over United if they begin a search for a new manager. In addition, plenty of cash will be at Guardiola’s fingertips for the construction of a team in his vision.

If City’s owners are willing to dispatch of Mancini for finishing second, then they would surely have grand expectations for Guardiola. Pressure is a very real aspect of football, and maybe Guardiola will want to look elsewhere. In addition, several of City’s employees, such as Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli, have shown rebellious tendencies.

As Guardiola explores options for his post-Barcelona managerial career, he will find that all of his potential suitors have their positives and negatives.

Critics say that Guardiola’s success with Barcelona is down to great players and a fantastic youth academy. Even so, one cannot count the number of trophies in his cabinet with two hands. If Pep wants a chance to prove his worth as a manager, he’ll come to the Premier League, where several clubs will be bidding for his services. Guardiola’s decision on which club fits his interests best may shape the Premier League for years to come.

It’s no mere coincidence that the rejuvenation of Tomas Rosicky’s Arsenal career has come just as the Gunners are enjoying their best run of the season. In fact, Rosicky has arguably been one of the main reasons for Arsenal’s recent resurgence in the Premier League.

During his time at Borussia Dortmund, Rosicky picked up the nickname “The Little Mozart.” Injuries have plagued his stay at the Emirates Stadium and the moniker has generally faded away. A few months ago, Rosicky was considered part of Arsenal’s deadweight, along with Sebastien Squillaci, Nicklas Bendtner, and others. But his recent fantastic form has convinced Arsenal supporters to compare him with the famous composer, and not in a sarcastic manner.

An injury to Aaron Ramsey provided an opportunity for Rosicky to start against Tottenham Hotspur in February. He scored at the Emirates Stadium in the 5-2 Arsenal victory, but it was his overall performance that suggested his good form would not be fleeting. The Little Mozart controlled the midfield that day; he overpowered the much-praised duo of Scott Parker and Luka Modric.

Before Rosicky was integrated into Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven, the Gunners were struggling. Aaron Ramsey looked very tired playing at most advanced position of Arsenal’s midfield triangle. And that was to be expected considering that the Welshman had never started more than seven Premier League games in a single campaign before this season. Thankfully for the Gunners, Rosicky stepped in to carry the load.

When Cesc Fabregas was sold to Barcelona, many in the media saw Mikel Arteta or Aaron Ramsey as the possible candidates to replace Arsenal’s departed captain. Tomas Rosicky was not even in the discussion- an afterthought at best. However, the Czech Republic captain has proven to be the best fit to fill the void Cesc created when he left the Emirates Stadium. In recent weeks, Mikel Arteta and Alex Song have served as the holding midfielders while Rosicky has been granted the freedom of drifting in behind Robin van Persie.

The Little Mozart has played the role of the crafty veteran. Rosicky’s strengths are well known; he can pick a pass, go around defenders, and make creative runs. But the abilities that have perhaps surprised opposing defenders the most is Rosicky’s pace and work rate. Sometimes, when he receives the ball, Rosicky unleashes a burst of pace and just runs past a defender, almost as if he is using the sprint button in the FIFA videogame. In addition, Rosicky covers plenty of ground during a match. When the ball is in the opposition’s half, he will chase down and pressure defenders, even putting in a hard tackle when it is needed. The nickname “The Little Mozart” indicates that Rosicky is a finesse player, but don’t mistake finesse for timid.

Arsenal awarded Tomas Rosicky with a contract extension last week. Extending the contract of a 31-year old midfielder seems to go against Arsene Wenger’s long-held customs, though maybe the Frenchman is envisaging a healthy blend of experience and youth in Arsenal’s midfield. Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, and Alex Song will provide the youth to combine with the experience of Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky. When considering Arsenal’s midfield options for next season, some may still discount Rosicky’s chances of playing a key role for the Gunners in the future. However, that would be unwise; The Little Mozart has proven the majority of us wrong before.

Arsenal and Manchester United emerged as the big victors from the weekend not because of their superior attacking play, but because their forwards were clinical in front of goal. While Liverpool and Tottenham can claim to be unlucky, they only have themselves to blame for failing to take their many chances.

In a number ways, the match that began the weekend’s Premier League play mirrored the clash that capped a remarkable two days of football. Liverpool outplayed Arsenal, especially in the first half, and Tottenham dominated United in the first forty-five, but the Gunners and the Red Devils claimed the points. The failure to finish ultimately doomed Liverpool and Spurs.

Liverpool accomplished a rare feat on Saturday; they had the majority of the possession against Arsene Wenger’s team (54% to 46%). As a former world-class striker, Kenny Dalglish can only be pleased with the manner in which his team bombarded Wojceich Szczesny’s net, but he will be disappointed that none of his forwards could put the ball in the goal. It took an egregious mistake by Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny for Liverpool to finally tally.

And it wasn’t as if the Reds didn’t have plenty of opportunities to score. Arsenal’s back four was as secure as the job of a Chelsea manager. Open space beckoned for Liverpool’s attackers down the flanks, but the crosses came to nothing (save Koscielny’s gaffe). An onlooker could practically hear Kenny Dalglish’s post-match comments as Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt hit the post. The manager would call his side unfortunate, although striking the bar counts as just another miss.

On the other side was Robin van Persie. The Dutchman only needed two shots to score two goals. His winner was a majestic volley, one in which most strikers would blast past the net or completely scuff. It was a half-chance really. Despite all of the headlines, van Persie did not have much of an impact on the flow of the match. He patiently waited for his time to shine.

Whenever the Gunners win in large part due to van Persie’s performance, Arsene Wenger’s side is characterized as a ‘one-man team.’ Usually, this is portrayed negatively. However, a strong case can be made that Arsenal’s attacking army of one is stronger than Liverpool’s forward quartet of Luis Suarez, Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll combined.

In the other huge match of the weekend, Manchester United defeated Tottenham Hotspur thanks to the expert finishing skills of Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side grabbed two goals when Spurs appeared to have the upper hand in the game.

Like Liverpool, Tottenham had the lion’s share of the ball (52% to 48%). Harry Redknapp’s side also had far more shots than United (18 to 6). Ashley Young, in particular, more than neutralized those statistics by scoring two wonderful goals. The first was a lesson in precision and technique. The ball was bouncing and Young only had a sliver of an open net to aim for, but he converted his chance in the same way van Persie had a day earlier. To complete his brace, Young cut inside and curled his strike into the far corner. Aaron Lennon tried a similar move during the match, and, rather predictably, his shot sailed miles over the net.

Jermain Defoe’s late goal proved only to be consolation for Tottenham. After the match, Harry Redknapp felt his team deserved more than a defeat. Both Tottenham and Liverpool performed admirably in the latest “Clash of the Giants” Premier League weekend. However, the strikers for Arsenal and Manchester United put on a display that provided evidence for why efficient goal-scorers are the most expensive and valuable players.

With the victory, Manchester United look destined for another run at the title. The difference this time is that their fiercest competitors for the Premier League title are their cross-town rivals Manchester City. Roberto Mancini’s side have been at the top of the table for months now, but, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s team remind us season after season, it’s all down to how you finish.

On Tuesday, Carlos Tevez issued an apology to Manchester City Football Club. Despite this apparent show of remorse, Roberto Mancini should refrain from using the Argentinean striker regularly. Even though City are currently in need of a few more goals, it would be unfair to sit the players who have helped City reach the top spot in the Premier League in favor of Carlos Tevez.

The apology may have been released in the worst form possible- a written statement published on the club’s website. “I wish to apologize sincerely and unreservedly to everybody I have let down and to whom my actions over the last few months have caused offence. My wish is to concentrate on playing football for Manchester City Football Club.”

Only days after Tevez said the club treated him “like a dog,” everything now appears on the surface to be solved. Tevez also decided to drop his appeal of Manchester City’s gross misconduct charge. Taking into account recent events, perhaps the best way to bring an end to this drama would be a televised handshake between Mancini and Tevez.

Upon further inspection, the apology seems far from sincere and very forced. Tevez must have realized that the only way out of his current situation was to reconcile with Mancini and the club. He had to have grown tired of sitting in Argentina while the looming questions regarding his future circulated in the British tabloids and around the globe.

But if Mancini were to reintegrate Tevez into the squad, he would risk undermining his own authority. Remember that the City manager said that Tevez would never play for the club again. Mancini has developed the reputation of being a ruthless general, but the other Manchester City players may believe that his toughness is only talk if he lets Tevez back into the fold.

The return of Tevez could also impact the rest of the team in a very serious way. Imagine what Sergio Aquero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko would think if the manager hands Tevez significant playing time. Here is a man, Tevez, who has been relaxing on the beach, sipping margaritas for three months while the other forwards were sweating on behalf of Manchester City Football Club. And they have been doing a good job, as evidenced by City’s position at the top of the Premier League.

Not only would Tevez’s comeback disturb the other players, it would also destroy any values the club claims to hold. Manchester City and Roberto Mancini need to show that Tevez’s antics will not be tolerated. By enforcing such a policy, other individuals who become disenchanted with the manager may be frightened at the prospect of being forbidden to ever again wear the kit of Manchester City.

Even if Tevez performs well and improves the team, there is always the chance that he will suffer another breakdown, which could derail City’s title aspirations. Carlos can only do so much harm when he is across the pond in Argentina, but in the dressing room, his virus could spread quickly to other members of the squad. If another dispute arises between Tevez and club management, players may start taking sides and the situation could get ugly quickly. Just the thought of another mutiny should persuade Mancini to keep away from the toxic striker.

While Tevez should not be permitted to take any part in the all-important league games, the Europa League may provide an opportunity for Manchester City to use Tevez. By putting him in the shop window, City can hope to catch the wandering eye of AC Milan, Inter, or any other club interested in Tevez. Manchester City’s main focus appears to be winning the league, so the Europa League could prove to be vital if it helps accomplish the goal of eventually selling Tevez.

Ultimately, Roberto Mancini has a very important decision to make in the near future. The return of Tevez could upset the squad, but maybe the manager believes that the Argentinian can propel Manchester City to their first top flight league title since 1968. However, by weighing the potential pros and cons of each outcome, it becomes clear that the costs of bringing Tevez back to the Etihad Stadium outweigh the benefits.

Arsenal’s 4-0 loss at the San Siro on Wednesday could have implications far beyond just elimination from the Champions League. In fact, the heavy defeat and disappointing performance could be the force that reduces Arsenal’s season to ash.

Before the match against AC Milan, Arsene Wenger made an excellent point. He said, “You could say that the crisis at the moment in England is a bit like fire. It moves very quickly from one club to another. It’s like a fire with strong wind so you have to be a bit cautious because it can quickly come back. The wind can blow it quickly back.

“This is the important time for us. Before the week started, I said that this week would be vital for us. We have to show now [that we can capitalize] and not consider too much whether it’s Chelsea or us. It’s down to us to do well and hopefully we will do it.”

The flames of crisis have not yet reached the Emirates Stadium, but the situation is certainly heating up. Last season should provide a perfect example of what the Gunners need to avoid this time around. Last season, Arsene Wenger’s side crashed out of the Carling Cup, Champions League, and FA Cup in quick succession. As a result of those soul-crushing experiences, Arsenal’s league form dropped down to relegation level and they were forced out of the title race. In the end, they settled for fourth place.

Unlike last season, Arsenal is nowhere near the top of the table, so a drop in Premier League form could have a much more devastating effect. The punishments for not qualifying for the Champions are many — loss of revenue, inability to lure top players, and possibly the loss of Robin van Persie.

The next four games are critical for the Gunners. First, they will visit the Stadium of Light for the second time in seven days to play Sunderland in the fifth round of the FA Cup. If Arsenal fail to advance, Gooners will be left without a trophy once again while they continue to pay the highest season ticket prices in Europe. More importantly, the ‘crisis fire’ will start to singe Arsene Wenger’s suit jacket.

After the Sunderland match, Arsenal enter a tough run of fixtures that sees them face Tottenham at home, Liverpool away, and Newcastle at home. In between the Liverpool and Newcastle games, the second leg of the Champions League tie against Milan will take place, but has basically been rendered meaningless at this point. Still, this run of four matches will decide Arsenal’s season.

The doomsday scenario would be for the Gunners to lose all four matches. Considering Arsenal’s propensity to go on long barren stretches, this turn-of-events is not out of the question.

Arsenal have endured two terrible periods so far this season. The first of these came at the beginning of the season, when they took 7 points from a possible 21 in the Premier League. The second barren stretch occurred mostly in the month of January. During that period of time, the Gunners took one point from a possible 12. Another similarly terrible string of results could sink Arsene Wenger’s team for good.

For this reason, it is essential that Arsenal bounce back from their 4-0 embarrassment in Italy. A good opportunity will present itself against Sunderland, a side they defeated 2-1 last Saturday. Arsene Wenger will need to perform damage-control on the confidence of the squad before the FA Cup clash. If not, and the Gunners fall to the Black Cats, the flames could engulf the Emirates Stadium.

On the positive side, Arsenal’s competitors for that top four spot also have their share of problems. Liverpool and Chelsea are embroiled in controversy and drama while Newcastle recently suffered a heavy defeat against Spurs. Taking into account all of the unfortunate happenings around Arsenal this season, finishing in the top four would certainly be a great accomplishment for Arsene Wenger and his team.

The hope is still alive for the Gunners, even after they were crushed by AC Milan in the Champions League. But the fire needs to be quickly put out before it spreads.

Helicopters will be at the ready on Tuesday as some Premiership clubs are deep in negotiations to sign players whom they believe will propel them to new heights in the second half of the season. Unfortunately, due to his ongoing tax evasion trial, Harry Redknapp will likely not get the chance to talk to reporters from the passenger’s seat of his car.

Although it has been a relatively quiet window so far, there are still deals to be made. Inevitably, some managers and executives will panic, while others will spend wisely. Here are five potential transfers to keep an eye on (listed in no particular order):

1. Lucas Barrios to Liverpool, Arsenal, or Fulham: According to reports originating in Germany, Borussia Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios will be applying his trade in England by Tuesday. Liverpool are clearly in the hunt for a striker, with their sets also set on Napoli forward Edinson Cavani. Fulham may feel better about letting go of disgruntled strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora if they are able to sign Barrios. As for the Gunners, they are also looking to add depth up top behind Robin van Persie.

Recently, Barrios has found himself devoid of playing time in Dortmund. The 27-year old Paraguayan striker was a key component to the Dortmund side that won the Bundesliga title last season, but he has failed to score yet this season. Still, many Premier League clubs would love to have him in their squad.

2. Kevin Doyle or Nikica Jelavic to Everton: David Moyes is determined to sign a striker before Tuesday night. Wolves’ striker Kevin Doyle has not been starting consistently, so he may make be a good fit at Goodison Park. Even though the Irish striker has only scored twice in 19 league appearances this season, Everton are desperate for an out-and-out striker, and Doyle fits the bill.

In the summer, a number of English clubs were interested in Rangers’ front man Nikica Jelavic. According to reports, Everton have already submitted an official offer for the 26-year old striker, who has 14 goals in the SPL this season.

3. Michael Ballack to QPR: Mark Hughes is looking to make his imprint at Queens’ Park Rangers, and he could certainly do that by bringing Ballack back to West London. Bayern Leverkusen are willing to sell the former Chelsea star, who is nearing the end of his career at age 35. On Sunday, Ballack’s agent said, “If a club report an interest in Michael Ballack, then we are also willing to talk about the issue.”

It seems that only PSG have been linked with more players this winter than QPR. Looking to solidify their position in the Premier League, Rangers are also rumored to be after Hugo Rolladega, Danny Murphy, Sebastien Bassong, and more!

4. Leandro Damiao to Tottenham: Spurs are interested in signing highly-rated Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao, but they may have to battle with PSG and Malaga for the Internacional player. Many players coming directly from South America usually have trouble adapting to the English game, especially in midseason. However, Damiao (only 22-years old) could really help Spurs in the long-run, meaning that he could replace Emmanuel Adebayor next season.

5. Wilfried Zaha to Bolton:  On Saturday, Owen Coyle revealed Bolton’s interest in Zaha, “I think there’s players out there, and Zaha is certainly one of them, that I think would enhance our club for years to come on a permanent basis, and there are one or two on a loan capacity I’d love to bring in before the deadline on Tuesday.”

At only 19-years old, many clubs view Zaha as an intriguing prospect. Crystal Palace will be reluctant to sell their young winger, but, given their financial trouble, it is likely that they will accept the money if enough is offered. Bolton may be able to buy Zaha now for relatively cheap and watch his talent (and value) grow over time.

Perhaps the relatively low amount of movement this January is partly due to the failures of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll. Possibly, it can be put done to the incoming Financial Fair Play rules or unstableness of the Euro.

Even taking into account these factors, some questions will be answered by the end of Tuesday. Manchester City may finally be able to offload Carlos Tevez. Arsene Wenger may finally spend some money (probably wishful thinking from a Gooner). If I was betting man, I would put money on QPR as being the biggest movers and shakers on deadline day. It will take months and years to fully analyze the transfers that will take place between now and the deadline, but that’s the beauty of the transfer market. It’s unpredictable risk-taking.

Kenny Dalglish, drawn by Ethan Armstrong

While so much controversy has been swirling around Liverpool off the pitch, very few in the British media have directed criticism at Kenny Dalglish for the events on the pitch. He has signed two extremely disappointing, not to mention expensive, players. Instead of taking advantage of the struggles of Chelsea and Arsenal, Liverpool have dropped points to supposed weaker clubs and are currently on the outside looking in at the Champions League positions.

John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group have allowed Dalglish to spend heavily in the last two transfer windows. While Luis Suarez, Jose Enrique, Charlie Adam, and Craig Bellamy have proven to be fantastic acquisitions, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have so far performed well below their price. Jordan Henderson has not yet delivered either, but has shown some promise. Sebastian Coates should not yet be judged as he has made very few appearances this season.

While it appears that Dalglish has made only two mistakes in the transfer market, both were extremely high-priced errors. Carroll and Downing cost a combined £53 million, while all the rest of the fees paid for the other new players added up to around £59 million. John Henry may want to be more careful with his cash the next time Dalglish wants to go for an expensive English player.

British players, and English players in particular, are way overvalued in the transfer market. Arsene Wenger learned this lesson years ago, and Alan Pardew has benefited from selling Carroll and buying foreign players. It is noble that Dalglish wants to keep the core of his side English, but not practical.

Young English players are built up in the press because of the immense hype surrounding the national team. The question is always: “Who is the next great hope for England?” In almost every case, the accomplishments and consistency of the player are overlooked. Andy Carroll had only had several months of Premier League success when Liverpool bought him. Another is example is Jack Wilshere. He only really emerged as a star last season, yet he is expected to be the savior for England and has already featured on the cover of the popular FIFA 12 videogame.

If Liverpool are to break into the top four in the coming years, Dalglish will need to break the habit of buying expensive British players. They should scout the lower leagues for young English talent while also developing players through their academy. Liverpool are unable to compete with the spending Manchester City and Chelsea, but there is still good value for money on the continent.

The worst thing King Kenny could do is build a team around Carroll, as many pundits and writers have suggested. The former Newcastle striker is simply not good enough to be the centerpiece of an elite side. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are forwards to mold a squad around, and Carroll is nowhere close to that level.

In addition, Liverpool’s tactics should not be fitted to Andy Carroll’s style of play. It’s all well and good to say that he is young and needs to get his confidence back, but a striker who cannot score will not cut it for a club attempting to qualify for the Champions League in the tightest top four race in years.

Please note that I am not suggesting that Liverpool sack Kenny Dalglish. He has not drawn the same harsh criticism from the British press as Arsene Wenger and Andre Villa-Boas. Possibly this is because Dalglish was a legendary footballer. Regardless, if Dalglish is to advance Liverpool any further, he will need to change his transfer policy and stop trying to make Andy Carroll the focal point of the team.

So how was your holiday season? I’m betting it has been better than Andre Villas-Boas’s December despite Chelsea’s late win against Wolves on Monday.

Since the holidays have begun, a constant stream of events conspired to turn Chelsea from a team moving along in transition/future 3rd place finisher to a team that has (if you believe the rumors) a divided locker room, constant middling draws, uninspired play, an upset loss to Aston Villa, rampant booing, a manager who’s either staying put or getting fired soon and no realistic guarantee that the club will even place 4th in the table at the end of the year. The “transition while winning” plan is gone and since these things aren’t supposed to happen to big, gigantic clubs things are going to change and it’s probably going to get very real and scary. So what should happen now that Chelsea is under siege? It comes down to two very large factors, and how the club goes about handling these factors.

Factor #1: What are club owner Roman Abramovich’s real feelings towards Andre Villas-Boas?

No matter how much money is thrown around the club, you would have to think that if Roman decided to buyout AVB’s contract from Porto to get him to Chelsea he is pretty enamored with him. The subsequent firing of Carlo Ancelotti after winning the double and finishing second and hiring of a guy who’s 34 and has a Europa League championship is pretty much going all in with your choice. Villas-Boas brings with him an ideology of fast, pressing offense and a more attractive style of football that almost requires a faster, younger player. If this is the style that Roman wanted then in time there is a very good chance that AVB-helmed Chelsea teams in 2012, 13 and onward will win titles and be consistent.

Right now though Villas-Boas inherited a team that has had no major overhauls since the Jose Mourhino era and can’t fully execute the style of play that AVB was brought in for. It’s damned if you/damned if you don’t if Abramovich throws his vote of confidence to Villas Boas because with how the club is playing and the backstage drama they’ve conceded this season and probably will have a rocky start next season as well, maybe playing in the Europa League. Regardless, the worst move Abramovich could make is to sack AVB after only a few months. Gus Hiddink is not walking through the door, and realistically he shouldn’t because anyone short of Mourhino suddenly wanting another go-around isn’t a better choice than what Roman currently has in Villas-Boas. That being said, if Abramovich chooses Villas-Boas, then they have to deal with the other big factor:

Factor #2: Who’s in starting lineup for the 2012/2013 season?

It’s not about right now with the current squad. Right now, no matter who leaves and gets brought in, the team is going to most likely chug along and be very uneven. By picking Villas-Boas as the long term choice, you’re not only choosing his offense but you are also confirming that it’s Villas-Boas squad. This is where it gets interesting as if you believe the papers there is everything short of civil unrest in the locker room at the moment. In short, beloved players like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Nicholas Anelka who’ve won multiple titles are either getting shipped out, rumored to leave or embroiled in their own now legal issues. In order to overhaul the squad and bring the team into a new era Villas-Boas is going to have to sell off many of the fans favorite players, some of whom still have something left to contribute. Would anyone have expected to read rumors about Frank Lampard being sold in January a year ago?

To go all in with AVB should mean that you’re also giving him the right to choose who he wants for the team. Because of this it shouldn’t be shocking to see a Chelsea team in February that looks very different. This means signing players like Gary Cahill to eventually replace John Terry regardless of the fallout from his February trial, getting a creative midfielder to create opportunity and building around Daniel Sturridge rather than Fernando Torres up front.

As much as fans should appreciate the contributions of players like Lampard, Drogba, etc., you can’t ignore the fact that eventually they would leave. Villas-Boas’s hiring sped this up of course, but wasn’t that the point of hiring him? The only thing that’s really happening with Chelsea now is that the transition went from being smooth to very rocky in one month’s time. If there is a long term vision at Stamford Bridge then now is the time to speed it up and that is what Abramovich and the board should take into account while they decide the immediate and long term future of the club.

Since Manchester United’s exit from the group stage of the Champions League, many theories have been proposed to explain why the Red Devils have struggled recently. The most baffling of these ideas points the finger of blame at the Glazers, the controversial owners of United.

Over the last five years (2006-2011), Manchester United’s net transfer spending is 8th highest in the Premier League at £58.9 million. Sunderland, Stoke City, and Aston Villa are all above the world’s most valuable club, as well as Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City. At first, it seems that the Glazers may actually be restraining the genius of Sir Alex Ferguson by limiting his transfer funds, but a closer look leads to a different conclusion.

Obviously, Manchester United start every season with a much better squad than the likes of Stoke City and Sunderland. Their squad also contains many more valuable players they can sell, which counts when calculating net transfer spending. Stoke have been forced to operate with a high net spend because the players they discard do not bring high transfer fees.

Liverpool and Tottenham have both spent a boatload of cash in an effort to finish in the top four, which brings money into the club. Manchester City and Chelsea have bought plenty of expensive players in the last five years in order to compete for the title. Both also started with average or below-average squads before they landed “sugar daddies.”

From the Glazers’ point of view, there hasn’t been a real need to splash the cash on new players. Manchester United have lifted the Premiership trophy in four of the last five seasons and made it to three Champions League finals (winning one) in the same amount of time. There is no incentive to invest heavily in the squad when a club is consistently finishing above all of their competitors.

While the Glazers can be blamed for the debt their takeover caused, they should not become the scapegoat for every minor failure. The suggestion that United must now spend big on three or four players to compete is utterly ridiculous, as their squad was already superior to that of Basel and Benfica even with the injuries. The blame should rest firmly on the shoulders of Ferguson and the players.

When United have won trophies in the past, Sir Alex Ferguson and his players garnered all the praise, with no mention of the Glazers. Yet, when the difficulties arise, the owners are tossed to fire, with Ferguson made to look almost like a victim. This double standard should not exist.

The way British media has reacted to the recent struggles of the Red Devils is different than their treatment of Chelsea and Arsenal during their hard times. When Arsenal got off to a terrible start to the season, Arsene Wenger was openly mocked by the pundits. By the way, Arsenal’s net transfer spending in the last five years is the lowest in the Premier League at -£31.3 million. As Chelsea were experiencing difficulties, the papers went right for the neck of Andre Villas-Boas.

With that said, Manchester United still would benefit from signing a creative central midfielder, but it will be difficult for them. There’s no doubt that United could pay a large transfer fee for Wesley Sneijder, but his reported wages (over £200,000 per week) are the problem. If they signed him, Wayne Rooney, Nani, and the rest would line up for their increased piece of pie. This is the new reality for most clubs since Chelsea and Manchester City first flexed their financial muscles, and United are finally starting to feel the effects.

The Glazers will not increase their investment in the squad to match City and Chelsea because they treat the club as a business, not a hobby. And for those United supporters calling for their own sugar daddy, be warned that there are side effects. Would Ferguson put up with an owner who wanted to exert some power over player selection?

No overhaul is needed at Old Trafford, nor should panic be in the minds of the Red Devils faithful. United’s last elimination in the group stage of the Champions League in 2005 did not trigger the end of the empire. Only a fool would say that United are out of the title race, with only two points separating them from the top spot in the table.

Chelsea is in the middle of a forced – yet eventually necessary – transitional period. And during this weird season, the most reliable player so far is the guy who is on the opposite side of change.

Frank Lampard keeps scoring when it matters but apparently that trait doesn’t matter to Andre Villas-Boas. Lampard scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute against the Premier League’s newest super power Manchester City on Monday, putting in motion storylines about the league being wide open (no, it’s not) and how Lampard justifies his spot as a starter (yes, he does).

But Lampard still isn’t starting and according to him there isn’t a reason. “I want to play, simple as that,” said Lampard after Monday’s win. “I’m 33 – I understand that – but I want to keep playing regularly because I’ve got a lot to give. I’m as fit as I’ve ever been. I’ve been in a good run of form and now I’ve not been playing. I haven’t spoken [to Villas-Boas] so I don’t know [why], simple as that.”

Lampard’s deal is similar to the entire season. The entire Chelsea season has been under a microscope to the supporters and an almost non-issue to the rest of the league. United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham, even Newcastle and Stoke City have better story lines then the transition period, while also competing for every title mentality at Stamford Bridge. Instead, Chelsea have been a mixed bag of media hype, old vs. young, whether the manager is staying, and who isn’t performing this week.

Because of this uncertainty, only one solution is needed for the club. Heading into the transfer window Chelsea is going to have to either go all-in on changing the style of the team, or staying with the hot hands that they have. Lampard is rumored to go to Real Madrid (under old manager Jose Mourinho) and LA Galaxy (a very good pickup for the league as a whole). And if AVB really has an issue with starting Lampard, then he needs to get as much cash value as he can right now. The supporters will rightfully kill him over it, but if he has the vote of confidence from the board, then he would have to include Lampard with Anelka and Alex.

Should he keep Lampard, which in my mind is the correct choice, AVB should effectively realize the momentum and start Lampard. A midfield consisting of Lampard/Meireles/Ramires can be an attacking force, and having Lampard remain can work in several ways, including being an influence on Oriol Romeu, a stabilizing influence on Mikel and an interesting part in a more creative midfield consisting of perhaps Lampard/David Luiz/Miereles.

The strangest part about Frank Lampard’s 2011/12 season is the fact that he has been consistent enough in his play to warrant his starts. Coupled with his reputation, his England caps (another story for another time) and what he means to the club, it is surprising that he is even having a problem getting into the first team at all. With Torres becoming the Andy Carroll of Chelsea (and Liverpool fans can say that in reverse as well), Lampard to Drogba remains in effect, and Daniel Sturridge has proven that he can score no matter what the play is.

If Chelsea want to win anything this season then playing Lampard is a common sense move. Change is still going to happen – it has just been delayed.

While Robin van Persie has been grabbing all the headlines (and rightfully so), Alex Song has also been at the heart of Arsenal’s rebirth. He has improved his passing and his positioning this season to become one of the top holding midfielders in the Premier League.

Song’s Messi-like run and pinpoint cross set up Arsenal’s first goal in their 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. While not known for his tricks, Song has significantly improved his passing skills. In fourteen games so far this season in all competitions, he has five assists. Last year, Song only managed three assists in thirty-nine matches.

The absence of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the midfield is one of the reasons Song has emerged as a playmaker. Both of Arsenal’s high-profile departures slowed the build-up play. This season, the Gunners are counter-attacking at a much greater pace. When Song gets the ball, he immediately looks to release Gervinho, van Persie, or Theo Walcott on the break. Before, he would usually just make the easy pass to Fabregas or Nasri.

Without Song, Arsenal’s back four would be like tortoise without its shell. As a defensive midfielder, he covers quite a lot of ground and doesn’t seem to tire late in games. Song is still there to make the important interception in stoppage time to secure an Arsenal win.

A criticism of Song is the fact that he commits too many fouls and is shown too many cards. It is a fair point but let’s not pretend that Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira were saints on the pitch. Accumulating bookings and conceding free kicks have to be frequent occurrences for defensive midfielders because of the number of tackles they attempt in a match.

Once condemned by Arsenal fans for his inconsistency, Song is now one of the most reliable Gunners. Arsene Wenger has been rewarded for sticking with Song through the tough times. This season, he has been vital to the Gunners’ rise from the ashes. And at only 24-years old, Alex Song can still improve and may even be a staple in the Arsenal midfield for a long time.

Among the sudden troubling outbreak of Premiership players throwing alleged racial epithets (and spitting) around, the John Terry/Anton Ferdinand “F*****g Black C**t” incident stands at the forefront among the other incidents involving Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra and Antolin Alcaraz/Richard Stearman. Due to Terry’s standing as Chelsea captain and currently holding onto the cursed idol that is England captain, it is obvious that his is the most newsworthy scandal but a bigger question remains.

If Terry is guilty, does this hurt English football?

A severe question to be sure, but that’s how people write articles to get other people to talk about them. Let’s break that question down for a minute because there is truth in the hyperbole.

John Terry has a questionable good reputation in both the EPL and the global football world due to his club success and international consistency. He’s won a lot of titles, captained the national team, hated by many, loved by Chelsea fans and overall spoken of highly in discussions for who became great out of his generation of talent. He’s had a few indiscretions (many that could be called more than a indiscretion) in his career but overall you don’t get picked for captaincies if you don’t have talent, which is why an accusation of racism is a nuclear attack on your career and reputation. If Terry is found guilty, stripping the captain’s armband for England is just an added punishment on top of whatever else he should get. Even if he’s found innocent the damage of the accusation still may end up tarnishing him further.

As far as Chelsea, this only hurts supporters of the club. If Chelsea goes all in on AVB as a long term manager that will overhaul the club, Terry will eventually fall out of the style of play that Villas-Boas will want. It will be hard and sad and eventually the fans will move on, but he will still be viewed as a main character in all of their fantasies. Whether or not he should be stripped of the captaincy is a matter of the club, and how they view public relations.

England though is the more interesting one. He can lose the captaincy and that only hurts his career in theory. (In fact, while we’re on this subject, isn’t it a little odd that Capello takes the armband for the alleged affair with Wayne Bridge’s girlfriend and doesn’t for an allegation of racism towards a player?)

Where it really hurts is the idea that England is a very aged team and that replacements either haven’t gotten enough time or aren’t ready yet. If Terry loses his spot on England the defensive pool of players consists of (as per the FA’s website) the following people: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott and Kyle Walker. That’s not especially a strong group and considering the fact that Rio Ferdinand is not walking through that door anytime soon, a weak team looks even weaker if Terry is done with the team.

Possibly this is why Capello would make the odd decision to so overwhelming back Terry, even when the result isn’t clear about how these allegations are going to shake out. Racism on the pitch (and of course everywhere else) is an unacceptable behavior, and in football terms the punishment has to be severe. If John Terry’s found guilty he just threw out his career over something stupid and it creates a rather large hole in how the EPL is viewed globally. It creates a huge hole in England’s squad, too, and it changes an overall perception of the scene. That alone is a reason for everyone, be it fans of Chelsea/England or non fans to keep an eye on how this all plays out.

The experienced Frenchman bested the young Portuguese manager. Arsene Wenger changed his tactics at halftime while Andre Villa-Boas decided not to act. This historic 5-3 match was a tale of two halves.

In the first forty-five, both sets of defenders were holding an incredibly high line, and were thrashed for it. Ashley Cole burned Djourou on one wing, while Gervinho was filling in the holes on the other side. Jose Bosingwa was perched up the field without a thought of ever getting back to defend. It looked early on as if the Blues would boss the match.

At halftime, Wenger must have made a few adjustments in order to close the gaps at the back. The Arsenal back four backed off their high line, and, by doing so, had an easier time dealing with speedsters like Ashley Cole and Daniel Sturridge. Andre Santos looked like a different player after the break. The Brazilian left back is one of those players I love to see in the Premier League. He’s a bit overweight, completely unpredictable, and has a bit of Brazilian flair. Santos has already scored two important goals for the Gunners in limited minutes. He could turn out to be Arsenal’s answer to David Luiz, but without the hair.

Chelsea made two horrifying mistakes in the second half that led to Arsenal goals. First, Bosingwa abandoned his position on the right to push inside. This allowed Alex Song to find Santos, and the Brazilian shot past the helpless Cech. The second mistake was the poor pass by Florent Malouda and subsequent slip by John Terry. The fall could have been an example of karma catching up to Terry. Robin van Persie probably would have beat Terry to the ball, but the Dutchman wouldn’t had such an easy time scoring the winning goal had JT stayed upright.

It is true that Petr Cech did not have his best match on Saturday, but no Chelsea player seemed too concerned about protecting him. Three of the five goals were basically one-on-ones. So there’s no point in blaming Cech.

The Gunners experiencing defensive woes is nothing new, but Chelsea’s ineptitude at the back was surprising. Arsenal were missing three of their four first-choice defenders (Sagna, Vermaelen, Gibbs), and even with those players on the pitch, Arsenal’s back four isn’t that strong. Terry, Cole, and Ivanovic are supposed to be top-quality players. There seems to be a systematic problem.

Arsenal scored four in the second half, while Chelsea managed only one tally. The Gunners closed the holes at the back, while Chelsea persisted with their high line. If it had not been for a no-call on Santos and a beautiful (possibly deflected) Juan Mata strike, the Blues may not have scored at all in the final period.

Andre Villa-Boas needs to install some defensive discipline (as well as just plain discipline). Speaking as an Arsenal supporter, I know what it’s like to watch terrible defending week after week. A team cannot win their domestic league with such shoddy defending. As a caller on BBC’s 606 Football Phone-in memorably said after the match, Jose Mourinho would be rolling in his grave.

With a team that has as lush of a history as Arsenal, the idea of a lengthy tome about the club is near picture perfect. In Arsenal: The Making of a Modern Superclub, authors Kevin Whitcher and Alex Fynn have created an extremely detailed, heavily dramatic and well researched book about one of Europe’s most celebrated clubs.

The partnership between Fynn and Whitcher is a pure all-star team for the book. Whitcher is the editor of Arsenal fanzine “The Gooner” and Fynn is an advertising and football guru who has been acknowledged as one of the architects of both the Premier League and Champions League.

The edition that I received is a newer one with a preface that details the passing of owner Danny Fiszman and his sale of the 16.1% of the club to current majority owner Stan Kroenke. Along with the preface, the new edition also provides lots of information on the club’s youth policy, commercial developments and Emirates Stadium. In what is also an eerie bout of foreshadowing, the authors throw in an open ended question about how the club would change under Kroenke’s majority ownership.

Now that the openings are out of the way, let’s get to the meat of the book. Starting in 1983 with David Dein’s £292,000 purchase of 1,600 shares (a move that in retrospect was not only intelligent but also a huge bargain), the book takes you through the wild trials and tribulations of the club that included an almost complete transformation into a unique and modern club that managed to become a superpower in the game of football. The book is so detailed that while it covers the seasons and trophies won, it also covers the behind-the-scenes aspects like boardroom dealings, battles over finances, gambles over the construction of Ashburton Grove (now known as Emirates Stadium) and the constant struggle of Arsene Wenger to succeed while monitoring the books with extreme care.

After reading the book, it is both a fantastic tale and a real show of evidence towards the season Arsenal is having right now and how they can right the ship. Considering that Wenger was able to produce not only classy football, but successful football while dealing with boardroom upheavals, rotating directors and threats of hostile takeovers, it should show both the club’s lasting legacy and also a sign that while it has almost never been easy, Wenger has been in these situations before.

Anyone who is a new fan would love this book for the deep knowledge that is within and non fans can take in what is one of the more fascinating stories of a top club in the Premier League.

Arsenal: The Making Of A Modern Superclub is available from Amazon and all fine booksellers.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said that the Gunners can “cope” without playing in the Champions League.  Many Arsenal supporters are upset with the ownership, and Ivan Gazidis’ comments will only fuel more discontent towards the board.

It is very unlikely that Arsenal will be able to finish in the top four this season.  No Premier League club has ever started so poorly and rebounded to claim a place in Europe’s top competition.  Ivan Gazidis said he is not worried about missing out on the UCL (quotes obtained from ESPN):

“We would rather qualify for it but we have a really sustainable model that can cope without it. Not just cope, but we can do well and compete. It would be very foolish to build a business model that relied on being in the Champions League for perpetuity and I don’t think any clubs do that and, if they do, then they probably aren’t being run as responsibly as they should be.”

The problem is not whether Arsenal will be able to survive financially without the UEFA money; it is whether any top players will consider signing for Arsenal if they are not in the competition.  For example, Arsene Wenger loves to buy players from the French League.  But if Arsenal are not in the UCL, then maybe a player like Eden Hazard (who plays in the Champions League with Lille) would rather stay in France than join a struggling London club.

Under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners have not failed to qualify for the group stage of the Champions League.  The emergence of Chelsea and, more importantly, Manchester City has made life much more difficult for Arsenal.  People say that Arsenal finishing below the Champions League spots is unthinkable, but the idea of the Gunners finishing outside the top two also used to be unimaginable.

As an Arsenal supporter, I do not think finishing outside the top four would be the end of the world.  With the lack of debt and the new stadium, it is unlikely that the Gunners will settle in as a mid-table club in the coming years.  The puzzling thing has always been the fact that the money is there.  Stan Kroenke, who owns about two-thirds of the club’s shares, and Alisher Usmanov, who owns around one-third, are two of the wealthiest shareholders in England.

While the two billionaires are fighting for each other’s shares, Arsene Wenger has come under criticism for the recent poor results, and rightfully so, but sacking Wenger would not come close to solving the problems at the Emirates.  No Arsenal fan would like to see to a merry-go-round of managers as the club falls behind the other elite teams.  Wenger may not be perfect, but sacking him mid-season would only cause more turmoil.

Arsenal’s self-sustaining model is admirable and intelligent in the long run, but football fans are not known for their patience.  Gooners expect the fifth wealthiest club in the world to win trophies and compete at the highest level of European football.  Ivan Gazidis, on the other hand, does not think missing the Champions League will have a big impact on the team’s ability to compete.  There is a major disconnect between the board and the supporters, and, as usual, the fans are on the right side of the argument.

Norwich City defeated Sunderland by a score of 2-1 at Carrow Road on Monday. The Black Cats fell behind by two goals before scoring late to worry Norwich. Steve Bruce will certainly feel the pressure now after an inconsistent string of results.

Anthony Pilkington and Elliot Bennett were excellent on the wings for Norwich. Bennett played a one-two pass with David Fox before crossing the ball to Leon Barnett for the first goal. Pilkington, who signed from Huddersfield Town in the summer, provided a tasty cross to Steve Morrison’s head for the Canaries’ second of the night.

Norwich gained confidence after they went up by two, and they really took the game to Sunderland. The passing was quick and the movement was good. Paul Lambert has done a brilliant job bringing in lower division players to contribute in the Premier League.

Sunderland got one back in the 86^th minute. After a string of crisp play, Kieran Richardson fired a low strike into the far corner to give the Black Cats a sliver of hope. It was a fantastic finish from Richardson, but Sunderland failed to get the equalizer.

Sunderland are one of the most inconsistent teams in the Premiership. We saw this last season, but the plethora of new signings brought hope to the Sunderland supporters. After a 4-0 victory over a strong Stoke City squad, the Black Cats looked to be headed in the right direction.

Unfortunately for Steve Bruce, they could not continue in that direction on Monday. Sunderland continue to lack that “cutting edge.” Nicklas Bendtner (on loan from Arsenal) and Stephane Sessegnon were the two furthest forward players. Bendtner was probably the best Sunderland player in this match. He showed good technique on two of his chances. The first was a volley that was saved, and the other was a chip after a terrible mistake from the Canaries’ back four. John Ruddy ended up making a fantastic save on the chip. Sessegnon provided nothing except for a few wildly high shots from distance.

Steve Bruce desperately needs another frontman to compliment Bendtner. Asamoah Gyan would have been the perfect partner, but he is now out of the picture. Maybe Bruce needs to give Connor Wickham a chance. The 18-year old came on late in the match and looked much more dangerous than Sessegnon.

Two of the new signings failed to perform on Monday. I did not hear Sebastian Larsson’s name mentioned until he was taken out of the game. Craig Gardener was a bit more involved; he sailed a few attempts over the bar.

With the amount of cash spent in the summer, Steve Bruce will need to get results to keep his job. Sunderland sit at 14^th in the table with five points. Despite leading the Black Cats to a 10^th place finish last year, Bruce will need his squad to pick up the pace.

Norwich City have moved to 9^th in the table after their victory. The Canaries will go to Old Trafford on Saturday with two straight wins behind them.

In viewing soccer, I’ve always gotten the sense that the game we’re watching represents some bigger metaphor for the life we lead. Two clubs, batting inch for inch up the pitch, each tiny battle won or lost, a portion of a bigger picture. It’s why when a goal occurs it is such a cause for celebration; the goal is the reward for the long battle held.

Author Jag Shoker’s “Playing the Beautiful Game” is a series of quotations, or “verses” as Shoker calls them that are to assist us in maneuvering through our life using football as the metaphor. As Shoker describes in the introduction, “Life, sport and business are all at times, games. Your success within the game depends so much upon the clarity, strength and purpose with which you play the game.”

In “Playing,” the pitch represents the stage upon which you grow, the game is whatever you imagine it to be (your work, life, an actual game) and the beautiful game represents your best performance. The verses in the book consist of almost haiku like passages that are supposed to inspire you to succeed. Here’s an example: “When others criticize your game, ask yourself — is there any truth in what has been said? If no, have the courage to play your game. If so, have the courage to change your game.”

This is the entirety of the book. This being said, is Playing the Beautiful Game worth your money? The best possible answer to this is that if you are someone who buys the “Chicken Soup” books and you love soccer, then it would seem that you would love this, as it takes pretty standard pieces of advice and semi shoves those pieces of advice into a soccer setting. A lot of this would probably be great for businessmen and -women, as the book is chock full of metaphors about how to keep your head up in a corporate environment.

All in all, Playing the Beautiful Game is a stocking stuffer. It’s 123 pages of verses that cover a very niche area (that being people who love soccer and also need advice). If you believe it, it works. If you don’t no one will ever convince you otherwise.

After a convincing 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen in Chelsea’s 2011-12 Champions League debut, lots of fun and interesting questions have popped up. In a league and sport that is covered to death, where every game says something, what did we take away from this event?

Is Fernando Torres right on the edge of being back?

If he is back to form, was it because of fallout from his comments about the “slow” team in the media? Or was it because the team looked very different and let’s admit — much more effective?

The lineup for the game was as follows: Cech/Ivanovic/Luiz/Cole/Mikel/Sturridge/Malouda/Miereles/Mata/Torres. Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka came on as subs. Captain John Terry sat the game out and Didier Drogba was either not ready yet from the mild concussion to play or was being held off for Manchester United. That being said, the XI for the Leverkusen match looked fast, cohesive and attacking. Luiz had a stellar match doing a lot of the things like Terry does in the defense, and scoring on a great play that was set up by, guess who, Fernando Torres — lots of money paid out for him, one goal in 23 games, possible bust, people like myself have written posts about the usual bio. In the Leverkusen game, Torres had a bunch of opportunities, some of which came from passes by teammates that showed he was comfortable and in sync with. If Torres limps to form and scores semi-regularly but continues to be perfectly fine with making the open pass when available, then he salvages a lot of negativity he would get. If he does score in bunches, it becomes a cherry on top of the lineup.

But is this the XI the club should bring into Manchester United? Do you trust Daniel Sturridge to have the games that other young guys like Danny Welbeck are having for United? The current lineup, with Drogba coming in from the bench, would provide a tough matchup for United who have a super young, quick and effective defense and two (for the moment) dangerous strikers.

The prevailing thought concerning Chelsea’s age was whether to ship off Lampard and Drogba off to new pastures or have them continue on with eventual back up positions in the lineup. I am more of the second thought; there are far too many guys at the 30-32 age that are more than able to play at a high level and something should be said for reputation when it comes to guys like Lampard and Drogba and what they have accomplished. Villas Boas however, is not giving off the impression of being swayed by status or tenure, so wouldn’t the idea of brushing off people like myself and going with the “alternate universe” lineup against United be the more strategic bet against a team that wins now by multiple goals?

Chelsea now comes off as an interesting threat to the league by having such diversity. In what at the moment is a two-team league, there’s available room for anyone to crash the party. Liverpool’s doing it already despite the loss to Stoke. Anyone who does though needs to show up with ammunition, and by having the ability to go in different directions, Chelsea can go as far as they want with any team in the league.

No club would be ashamed with a draw in front of the “Yellow Wall.” Arsenal, like the two Manchester sides, took a point from their first Champions League group stage match. The Gunners survived an attacking onslaught from the German champions Borussia Dortmund.

On Wednesday, I saw headlines such as “Arsenal Let Lead Slip.” While that is technically true, a more accurate title would say “Arsenal Held on for Dear Life.” Dortmund’s finishing was dreadful, and they easily could have scored three or four goals. Luck, something the Gunners have not had a lot of lately, played a big role in the game.

After the international break, Arsenal seized a chance to get their first win of the Premier League season against Swansea City at home. The victory was narrow (1-0), but it did provide an opportunity for Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta to make their debuts.

Mikel Arteta has blended in with his teammates well. He has not been exceptional, but he is certainly an improvement over Tomas Rosicky. Per Mertesacker, while undoubtedly slow, has the sort of positional sense that Johan Djourou lacks. The German defender should, at the very least, help the Gunners on set pieces.

Arsene Wenger has been tasked with rebuilding this Arsenal squad. For the moment, they are not playing pretty football. Wenger has been forced to forgo his system in the name of results. Based on his fist pump after the Dortmund-dominated 1-1 draw, Wenger is not fretting over the lack of possession and shots.

Arsenal have a chance to race up the table to a more accustomed position. Their next two Premier League opponents (Blackburn and Bolton) have a combined four points. Blackburn fans are quickly turning on Steve Kean, while Bolton are coming off three straight defeats. The real challenge for Wenger will be keeping Arsenal in the top four while he rebuilds the team.

Ever since being transferred to Chelsea in last January’s window, the one universal opinion on Fernando Torres is that he hasn’t lived up to his previous form. He’s on a drought, a severe one at that, scoring one goal last year and none in league play this year. As of right now John Terry has more goals than Torres and Daniel Sturridge, who was on loan last year gets called back and effortlessly scores against Sunderland last week. Yes, both of those are very cliche stats, but with recent veiled usage of the idea that club manager Andre Villas Boas is leaving him out of both the Champions League opener against Bayer Leverkusen and the Sunday trip to Manchester United it cannot look great for Torres to the outside eye.

Villas Boas didn’t outright say that Torres is being left out of the two upcoming games, but realistically why would he still go along with the previous mandate of “we paid £50 million, we have to allow him to find his groove”? How long do we have to wait until we can say that Torres either doesn’t fit on the team or dare I say, lost his prime?

In the beginning Torres was a weird signing that should have made Chelsea into a mega power up front. He would play either alongside Didier Drogba or they would switch off and it’s the dream scenario of having two world class strikers on the team. But then Torres doesn’t score and starts, the club finishes third and it appears that everyone in the inner circle begins to do whatever they have to get Torres going. Juan Mata is signed, Villas Boas is signed, rumors fly around about having that summer to gear the offense around Torres and all but guarantee that he’s going to have a much better year this season.

But it hasn’t happened, and Villas Boas comes off looking like a guy who won’t get swayed by the board, Daniel Sturridge looks clutch in one appearance and Drogba gets some respect back for looking well out there and taking one for the team by diving into Norwich goalkeepers headfirst. Torres went from the guy you wanted to see to hoping that the manager doesn’t put him out there if you are a fan.

Here’s where it gets interesting for both fans of Chelsea and fans of the EPL in general. It would appear that Torres’ performances (or lack thereof) stem more from not fitting in within the system rather than losing a step. Sure he’s had a lot of injuries but he’s still young enough to switch into the right gear with a different team. The psychological effects of his contract vs. performance have to weigh in, as internally Chelsea has to be a different organization than Liverpool was. Based on all of this, would Chelsea consider making a move on selling Torres?

It sounds crazy to think about, but a Chelsea without Torres on the squad is a completely legitimate team that can go out and win the League and whatever else they are up for. Raul Meireles ended up being the “Luka Modric” the team needed (and at a much better price), Sturridge is fulfilling the needs at striker, Mata was a great pickup and if the club even gets back the £50 mil it spent they can still grab players more tailored to the new manager and it looks like they made a mistake and fixed it a year later.

It’s a culture that certainly worked well for Torres’ former club, Liverpool. The Liverpool XI so far this year contains almost no trace of the Roy Hodgson era. The club got new ownership and proceeded to re-design the team, which built supporter confidence and shows a confidence in new manager Kenny Daglish. Chelsea went through a similar situation this summer in regard to the manager, so why shouldn’t Villas Boas remake the club further? There has been talk for months now about signing Falcao, or Neymar and having them be the replacement for Drogba but why not flip Torres for one of these guys? Better yet, why not push Sturridge up and use Torres money to fill other needs?

Everyone knows that the future of a football team takes severe rights and lefts but always moves forward. Managers change, owners change, players change and each time the club gets amended or re-written. Maybe Fernando Torres will get his mojo back, but maybe Fernando Torres is an expensive mistake that could end up a mulligan if he’s sold at the right time. It certainly worked for Liverpool.

As of late, it seems that Arsene Wenger and Arsenal can’t catch a lucky break. Top guys leaving, young stars hurt, every match so far includes a red card, the media’s hammering Wenger, even Alex Ferguson is giving interviews in which he’s metaphorically breaking up the massive beating and saying “Lay off – Wenger’s had enough.” It’s pretty dark right now.

But the good part about darkness is that it won’t stay forever. Let’s try and get positive with this club now. Sure they lost Fabregas but they did get money from it, and with the case of Nasri, it was probably better that they were able to get money from his departure rather then let him walk for free at the end of the season. Injuries heal, and Arsenal is still a talented squad at the end of the day. No one’s getting relegated over here.

That being said, they DO have to spend some money and restock. If not now (time is running out), then they have to hold the fort and really hit the January transfer market hard. So, in the spirit of positivity, goodwill and hope for the Arsenal supporters for the future of the club, here would be a few guys that Wenger and should consider:

1. Gary Cahill. It’s rumored that the club wishes to sell him and Arsenal couldn’t hurt to get some help in the defensive area. He’s good at feeding the ball up to the midfield, he could probably adapt quickly to the team culture and he’d probably get snapped up for a reasonable price.
2. Scott Parker. Playing for the newly regulated West Ham, Parker fills a couple of tools for the team. He would be a capable backup and if the Gooners stick around for the Champions League they would need a few guys that don’t have to start every game. I’m not sure if West Ham would sell him, but then again it’s not like Arsenal couldn’t make a decent offer.
3. Mikel Arteta. This one is probably not happening (i’m doubting Everton is willing to give him up), but Arteta would be the best possible, poor man’s replacement for Fabregas. His style is semi-smiliar enough to Fabregas (neat passing, accurate) and through a bit of research his assist per game ratio is bettered by only Ryan Giggs and Nani. Again, Arsenal probably would have to throw a bit of money around to get him, but then again all I ever read about is how much tickets are at Emirates stadium and the supporters are chanting “spend some fu*king money” at the matches.
4. Eden Hazard. Full disclosure; I read about this one on a supporter message board, so it’s not 100% my idea. However, I hear that he has great chemistry with Gervinho and has been peeking around at a move to Arsenal for a bit now. Lille has already sold four of their top guys, so why not a fifth?
5. Joey Barton. Yeah, I am well aware of how hammered i’ll probably get for this one. Regardless of Barton probably being the opposite of a great fit for the team, and his possibility for blowing up a good thing, the free transfer part and the fact that he’s unhappy where he is isn’t a bad reason to take a look. Barton would give them a bit of toughness for sure and simply for the entertainment it would be worth it to the fans.

Now, i’m no expert, so all of these could easily be picked apart. I’m also aware of the club’s transfer policies and the general attitude towards signing older players. But, somewhat drastic times call for somewhat drastic measures and let’s not forget the fact that Wenger, for all the abuse he’s taking hasn’t all of a sudden lost the experience, intelligence and overall skill at running a club. If the club wants to keep their reputation up and continue to challenge for silverware, they HAVE to sign a few guys, don’t they?

Papers are reporting that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder (and wandering soul) Luka Modric has “gone on strike” and told club manager Harry Redknapp that he has no intention of playing for the club again. He will not travel to Old Trafford for Sunday’s game against Manchester United and has now presumably forced the hand of Spurs who have received a bid of £30m for the midfielder.

Spurs boss Redknapp was quoted: “Someone has turned Luka’s head. Luka will not be with us tomorrow. He has a bit of an injury he could have played through but his head’s not in the right place at present. We need to get it all sorted out.”

A move like this is a pretty brash one for Modric; an out and out throwing of the gauntlet against a club that inked a five year deal for him and looked at him as a centerpiece of a team that stands on the verge of being a consistent top four club.

I’d love to say that there is one singular side to jump on the bandwagon of right or wrong on, but really it was a series of poor decisions on both sides. Modric shouldn’t have signed a five year deal when he had the thought in mind of one day playing for a “bigger club,” in his words. Spurs shouldn’t have done the alleged “handshake deal” to let him go if someone came calling.

Both sides come off as amateurs trying to be professionals. However, no one outside of Spurs fans and handwringing football purists are going to care about Modric trying to get out, but many are going to look at Tottenham as less than skillful at keeping a team together that could make a run at a top four finish or a league title.

There seems to be a difference in the league between the have’s and have nots when it comes to prestige and money. It’s a very unique situation in football that differs from other mainstream sports. With few exceptions, it appears that a lot of players who play for a middle of the league or lower table team will try to play well enough to sign with a top four team — to both get more money and play in the Champions League. It’s never the idea that you could be one of a group that takes your team into greatness for the first time; it’s more of the idea that you want to join the club that already wins. This isn’t a negative decree against this mindset; this is also a league in which you get tossed aside once you hit your early 30’s as well most of the time.

As for the teams involved it’s obviously good for Chelsea and not quite as good for Tottenham. If Chelsea gets Modric this week, then they get a creative midfielder they so desperately need and also save face since they have spent the better part of two months trying to sign him. Tottenham gets the transfer fee, but would probably have to wait until January to re-stock, which would be too late if they rattle off a few losses between now and then. Either way, much like the Cesc Fabregas drama, it will be so glad to finally have closure one way or the other.

Many are wondering how Arsenal should replace Cesc Fabregas, who has finally made his return to the Camp Nou where he won his first piece of silverware in six years after playing ten minutes for Barcelona. Arsene Wenger has a decision to make: Should he buy a replacement for Fabregas or stick with what he has in center midfield?

In my opinion, Arsenal do not need to purchase an expensive replacement for Fabregas. Jack Wilshere (19) and Aaron Ramsey (20) are on the cusp of stardom. Wilshere emerged as a top talent last season, while Ramsey is regaining the form he had before his horrific injury. Both of these players can fill the Gunners’ needs in the center of the park.

Tactically, Arsene Wenger can benefit from the departure of Fabregas. The Spanish midfielder, especially in the last two seasons, limited the formations Wenger could choose from. Cesc liked to play right behind the striker as a central attacking midfielder. So, Wenger was forced to adopt a 4-2-3-1 (or 4-5-1). Too many times last season Jack Wilshere played as a holding midfielder when he can bring so much more to the attack.

If Wenger does not buy a direct replacement for Cesc, Arsenal can play in a 4-3-3 or even a 4-4-2, if he wishes. Wilshere and Ramsey both show qualities of becoming box-to-box midfield generals. Wilshere, in particularly, has great vision and elusiveness. While he is also a ball-winner, it would be a shame to waste Wilshere’s attacking talent.

Fabregas, while taking a break from kissing the Barcelona crest, said this about the Gunners’ young stars: “I’ve seen Aaron for three years and Jack for two-and-a-half years. Jack will be the next England captain in a few years, that’s not even a question.

“You don’t have to be a magician to know that he’s got the capacity to dribble and to pass. He will go on to become a top player of the future. There’s not even a question about that.

“Aaron has done unbelievable and he will get better with his final ball. He’ll become the next big star at Arsenal. Jack and Aaron are the future, and they will do so well because they are competitive and they are winners. They will be amazing for the club.”

Cesc Fabregas’ ill-advised back heel in Barcelona was a testament to his lack of versatility. He was a great play-maker and had extraordinary vision, but he became a distraction at the Emirates. It was time for Cesc to go.

Wenger should not buy Juan Mata from Valencia or Jadson from Shakhtar Donetsk to fill in for the loss of Fabregas. Both of these players would be expensive additions (Mata especially) and would restrict Wenger’s choice of formations. If Nasri leaves, then signing Mata as his replacement is a better option.

Someone like Scott Parker would be a great fit for Arsenal. He could play alongside Wilshere and Ramsey/Alex Song in a 4-3-3. Parker is a multidimensional player, and two-way players are rare these days. There are just too many attacking and holding midfielders in the game today.

According to reports, Barcelona paid Arsenal a down payment of €14.5m for Fabregas, with the rest to come later. Instead of spending that money on a midfielder, Arsene Wenger should be focused on securing his backline. Arsenal’s need for a center-back far outweighs their need for a Cesc Fabregas replacement.

In conclusion, Arsenal do not need to rush out and panic buy (as if Wenger ever panic buys) to compensate for the loss of Fabregas. Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey can play in the middle without inhibiting the amount of formations available to Arsenal. Barcelona’s cash should be used to strengthen the back four, not replace Cesc.

There’s been more than a few articles lately about Chelsea persistently courting Tottenham creative midfielder Luka Modric. Chelsea has tried and tried, going from a £22m opening bid to the latest, a £30m bid, or £27m plus Yossi Benayoun. Tottenham seems that they don’t want Modric to leave. However, manager Harry Redknapp gave a massive clue Wednesday night that a deal may happen to sell Modric to Chelsea when the Spurs manager talked about how he could sign four players with the money the club would receive for the Croatian midfielder.

But shouldn’t Chelsea be actively looking at other options? More specifically, shouldn’t Chelsea really take a look at Samir Nasri?

Here’s what we’ve been told about Samir Nasri and Arsenal: Nasri’s in the last year of his deal, he’s hinted at not re-signing, by turning down Arsenal’s £90,000 a week deal he seems to want out now and clubs like Manchester City are making offers. Arsene Wenger, fresh off of getting money from the Fabregas deal could either pay Nasri or sell him and really re-build the club with new talents.

Chelsea on the other hand really really wants a creative midfielder who can thread the ball to Fernando Torres, or any of the hundreds of strikers on staff. Modric is a very good choice for this, but the money being offered to get him is getting a bit out of hand. Nasri, while not a steep discount is a cheaper value and it seems at the very least more profitable to get a guy like Nasri with a similar skill set as Modric at a cheaper price.

I’m sure i’ll get a bit hammered in the comments for comparing the two players, but the reality is that Chelsea needs midfielders and they have to get someone to bridge the gap between the eventual decline of Frank Lampard and the hopeful rise of Josh McEachran. With Michael Essien out until at least the start of 2012, the club needs some depth and if they’re going to go out and purchase someone, they may as well throw money at Nasri rather than wait until January when it’s mid-season and the EPL begins to take shape.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas somewhat batted down everything I just said in his post game interview last weekend, mentioning that guys like Nasri are in a contract year but also being quoted as saying, “Not that I’m interested, but you have Samir Nasri terminating contract. He’s one of the most exciting players in the Premier League and that’s the reality, as well as Luka, as well as other players.”

That quote could either be read as straight truth, or it could be read that Villas-Boas is testing the waters. Regardless, one club wants a midfielder, two clubs have midfielders that want out and we’re only weeks away from seeing how it will all pan out.

Arsenal has agreed terms with Barcelona for the transfer of midfielder Cesc Fabregas to the Spanish side, the club announced Sunday. The deal is set to be finalized by Barcelona on Monday.

The deal has Barcelona paying £35 million for the midfielder, while Fabregas will also have to pony up an extra £4.5 million of his own money spread out over four years to seal the deal. The 24 year old midfielder was a former team captain and has made various overtures to join the Spanish club over the years, a sentiment that was echoed by Barcelona players as well.

The saga of Fabregas/Barcelona has been going on for months now, with Arsenal setting a £45m price tag on the player and club skipper Arsene Wenger vowing that Fabregas wouldn’t move at various points. Wenger has now sealed the deal by saying, “We have been clear that we didn’t want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc’s desire to move to his hometown club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success.”

The kicker here is that Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, in his final year of contract has also hinted at leaving, with Manchester City offering £25m and £180,000 a week in salary. Arsenal is rumored to have offered up Nasri for unhappy City striker Carlos Tevez. Nasri could have made it a lot easier for Arsenal by filling in the midfielder role that Fabregas has departed, but now the club looks to lose two key players.

Arsenal have brought themselves into a real difficult situation over the last few months if Nasri follows Fabregas out of Arsenal. By hemming and hawing with Fabregas, they’ve allowed focus to be taken off Nasri and what could have been a suitable replacement for the Spanish midfielder if they signed Nasri and sold Cesc earlier. Now though, if the rumored Nasri deal goes through the club will have a major hole in the midfield which will be very difficult to fill between now and the close of the transfer window in two weeks.

What’s your opinion regarding Cesc Fabregas leaving Arsenal? Are you glad it’s finally over? And who do you think Arsenal should try to sign to replace Fabregas (and possibly Nasri)?

Photo by tbirdshockeyfan

Manchester United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Rafael da Silva have each suffered injuries over the opening weekend of the Premier League and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that center back Nemanja Vidic could also miss games.

The Associated Press reports that da Silva dislocated his shoulder while training for Sunday’s opener against West Bromwich Albion and will miss the first 10 weeks of the season. Ferdinand injured his hamstring during the 2-1 win against West Brom and will be out for six weeks. As for Vidic, Ferguson has given a time table of two weeks for the center back’s return from an injured calf.

Of the three, Vidic looks to be the biggest blow to the defense. United is a pretty deep team in general, with capable defenders in Chirs Smalling. Phil Jones and Patrice Evra looking to step in and fill out the ranks. What this says for Rio Ferdinand though is another story. The oft-injured back has missed many a game over the seasons and one has to wonder what would happen if an emerging player like Smalling, for instance, takes off while Ferdinand is out.

In the match against West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United won 2-1.

Meet Chelsea’s newest signing, Romelu Lukaku. Aged 18 years, the former star for Belgium club Anderlecht is often called “the new Didier Drogba,” so it’s fitting that he has signed for the club he called his favorite team to play on the same team as his idol.

Lukaku, who placed second in the Belgium version of the Golden Boot and won the Ebony Boot, joins a club with a brand new manager, but a lot of people playing the same position as him. He’s joining a club that already has a lot of strikers. This part is where it gets interesting. Chelsea is a team that will eventually (sooner than later) need to get younger to keep their status and they made good by hiring the best young striker that they could get (let’s assume Neymar stays at Santos).

But in terms of offensive options such as strikers and wingers, Chelsea also has:

• Fernando Torres, who needs to start (despite being doubtful for the opening game this weekend after suffering a concussion for Spain against Italy yesterday),
• Drogba, who wants to start and may need to start depending whether Torres heats up soon,
• Anelka, who wants to be in the mix,
• Kalou, who will want playing time,
• Malouda, who would want to start and
• Sturridge, who really should get playing time at the club.

On the surface it seems too easy. Dump Anelka while you can get a few pounds for him. Maybe even dump Malouda or Kalou, or even (as much as I hate to say it) Drogba so the strikers aren’t so plentiful and the kids can get a shot. But that’s easier said than done, so what does Andre Villas-Boas do?

At one point, considering that both Drogba and Anelka’s contracts are expiring soon, it would seem like a good move for the club to get the Lukaku‘s and Sturridge’s some playing time to prepare for the future when they are on the pitch full time. Since club owner Roman Abramovich sees the Champions League as the main prize there is, the idea that you can pretty much field two different sets of strikers for EPL games and for Champions League games. It’s possible that by January all of this will be a moot point and Chelsea makes the big transfer of one of the mainstays. Everything is in play, but the main point is that something would have to be done.

And what of Didier Drogba? It’s interesting to see how the man’s career has gone when you think back to August, 2010. He entered last summer with U.S. Vanity Fair covers, leading Ivory Coast into the World Cup with a lot of great off-the-pitch publicity and then the Premiership season started. Drogba then contributed heavily to Chelsea’s hot start, got malaria, watched as the club signed another world class striker, occasionally didn’t start while the club and everyone else waited on Torres and then witnessed the media and everyone else call for his sale while the other half called for him to stay. And then the club signed a younger version of him. Does Lukaku effectively poison the well for Drogba’s temperament at Chelsea? Does he decide he wants out (maybe to Olympique Marseille?) half way through the season as the club has to shuffle between various strikers?

All in all, the Lukaku signing is both great for the team long term (assuming he pans out) and a nightmare for Villas-Boas in the short term. If he can effectively make this work, do we laud him as a tactical genius who won’t be outgunned this season? If Villas-Boas fails at creating an emphasis and a focus up front does he get vilified for the club he inherited?

It’s the most slept-on subplot in the league and it creates a fascinating atmosphere when you factor in the personalities, talents and overall strategy.

Photo by Sean Burke 2012

Editor’s note: In an interview with The Guardian’s Barry Glendenning last week on Beyond The Pitch podcast, the Irish pundit explained how the Premier League is three divisions in one: The top six, the bottom six and everyone in between. EPL Talk’s Jack Tomczuk did five better and categorized the league into eight buckets.

The 2011-2012 Barclay’s Premier League can be broken into several categories. While this isn’t a prediction of who will end up where in the table, it instead groups clubs together, and makes the Premier League easier to digest for the new soccer fan.

Here are the eight different categories:

1. The Frontrunner: Manchester United. The Red Devils are the consensus pick to repeat as champions. Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly the best manager in England, and his squad is adding depth. The acquisitions of Ashley Young and Phil Jones show that United are determined to challenge for Champions League and Premier League glory.

2. Deep Pockets: Manchester City and Chelsea. Both of these clubs are serious contenders to win the Premier League. Both ownership groups used their financial might to catapult up the table. City have added Sergio Aguero and Gael Clichy. Chelsea have bought young stars like Romelu Lukaku to go along with Fernando Torres.

3. Looking to Reclaim Past Glories: Liverpool and Arsenal. Both of these storied clubs are in trophy droughts. Liverpool have not won silverware since 2006, while Arsenal’s last trophy came in 2005. Liverpool have added Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing, while Arsenal are still dealing with the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri sagas. Both clubs will want a top-4 finish.

4. The Outsiders: Tottenham. Spurs find themselves on the outside looking in. Luka Modric may still leave White Hart Lane, and Harry Redknapp has still not added a top quality striker. Tottenham will find it difficult to qualify for the Champions League.

5. In the Middle: Aston Villa, Everton, Fulham, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City, and Bolton. This group of clubs will reside in the middle of the table. Aston Villa and Sunderland have added key pieces to their squad. West Brom will be looking to build on the success they had during the second half of last season. Do not be surprised if one or more of these clubs makes a deep cup run.

6. In the Fight: Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. Both of these clubs expect to be in yet another grueling relegation battle. Wigan lost Charles N’Zogbia to Aston Villa, so Roberto Martinez will look for one of his young players to step up. Wolves have added players like Roger Johnson and Doug De Vries, but Mick McCarthy’s side will still be fighting relegation.

7. Drama Clubs: Blackburn and Newcastle. Both of these clubs have gone through turmoil this summer. Blackburn is plagued by their disillusioned owners, while Newcastle are in hot water over the Joey Barton Twitter drama. Newcastle have already lost Joey Barton, but they have brought in Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, and Gabriel Obertan. Blackburn could sink to the bottom of the table very quickly.

8. The Newcomers: Norwich City, Swansea City, and QPR. The newly-promoted clubs will have to prove that they can handle Premier League competition. Going into the summer, many believed that the QPR would storm into the Premiership. After an offseason of confusion, QPR will now have a fight on their hands to stay up. Many neutral supporters will be rooting for Norwich and Swansea. Norwich looks to be the strongest of the clubs after bringing in six players so far this summer.

In conclusion, this Premier League season should be very exciting. There are questions to be answered at the top, middle, and bottom of the league. Are Man City ready to take the next step? Are Arsenal serious title contenders? Will Swansea’s style of play make them the next Blackpool? Can Fulham prosper under new manager Martin Jol? How will the Joey Barton situation play out at St James Park?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments and enjoy the season.

ESPN Soccernet is reporting that Turkish National team manager and former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has told Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich what everyone else has been saying all along: Stability is the key to winning.

Abramovich, who has hired and fired seven different managers in his seven years of ownership of the club recently hired former FC Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas after firing Carlo Ancelotti earlier this year. Hiddink took over Chelsea’s managerial duties in 2009 and led the team to the FA Cup in his four month stay.

“If you look at Manchester United, they are the example that clubs need stability. This is what Chelsea need as well. I have told Roman that and I think they are convinced as well now,” remarked Hiddink.

Hiddink also commented on the firing of Ancelotti with a subtle, yet dead on opinion on the firing of a manager who brought the club the somewhat elusive double and then found himself out of a job.

“Look at the record of Carlo, he won the double. Of course, if you win the double and you go it is harsh. Carlo did well for the last two years but, hopefully, this decision will bring success as well,” said Hiddink about the former Chelsea manager.

It’s probably the most obvious statement in the universe that Hiddink is dead on with his comments about stability, but it still needed to be said. Chelsea is a club that has a lot of tools at their disposal, one important one being the gigantic amount of cash on hand. Abramovich has been a bit of a double edged sword for the club in that his passion for the team has also been their undoing as well. It’s admirable to see an owner actually care about his team winning everything, all the time but impatience will only lead to many stops and starts in building that dynasty that Abramovich wants.

Chelsea is in a unique position that must be handled carefully for them to continue on being in the position they are in. They did right in hiring Villas Boas, a young manager who mentored under some great football minds. As much as Hiddink would be a great hire, he’s 64 and under contract to someone else. Hiddink would have been a short term solution while Villas Boas is a long term solution.

As far as the team itself goes, they seem to be moving towards getting what they can out of their older players right now, while keeping an eye on signing players that will keep the team in the hunt for silverware. There’s a lot if “ifs” in the equation (IF Torres goes back to being Torres, IF McEachran continues to develop, IF they can accurately predict how many years Lampard and Terry have left, etc.) but everyone knows that only a few of those things need to fall right to keep momentum.

But back to the manager situation. A U.S. football manager by the name of Bill Parcells once said a statement at a press conference that can be midfield to apply to the case of Chelsea and their revolving door of managers: “ If you’re going to prepare the meal, you should be able to buy the groceries.” It’s a great metaphor about the relationship between managers and owners, and for Chelsea’s situation it should be amended to read as follows: If you’re going to prepare a meal, it should be given the proper time to cook. Villas Boas is a great signing for the future, but unless he’s given the proper time to nurture the team, no one will be happy with what they’re being served.

Photo by Ronnie Macdonald

As we analyze the migration patterns of footballers this summer, we see a lack of responsibility.  Players are feeling the need to quit their current clubs and move on to where they can win trophies.  These same players refuse to blame themselves for the misfortune of their club.

Arsenal is a good place to start.  Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri want to leave the Emirates because of the Gunners much-talked about trophy drought.  Gael Clichy admitted that he left Arsenal for Manchester City in the name of silverware.

Maybe these players should consider how they impacted Arsenal this season, particularly Nasri and Fabregas.  If Nasri’s performance had not dipped dramatically in the second half of the season, maybe Arsene Wenger’s squad would have pushed Manchester United harder for the Premier League title.  Had Cesc Fabregas not tried an ill-advised back-heel near his own penalty area, maybe the Gunners would have defeated Barcelona and advanced farther in the Champions League.

Fabregas is Arsenal’s captain, and should take some of the blame for the recent disappointments.  Instead, he has let the Barcelona transfer saga continue as he tries to hitch a ride on the Camp Nou trophy machine. Surely, the Spaniard would have lifted the Premiership trophy had Arsenal overtaken United, and he should claim a portion of the criticism as well.

Staying in North London, Luka Modric may leave Tottenham to win trophies and play in the Champions League.  Gareth Bale, who has now committed to Tottenham, was rumored to have similar feelings.  Both players are key components for Spurs and had something to do with their disappointing finish.

The inability to look in the mirror is not exclusive to football stars.  Basketball player Lebron James left Cleveland for Miami to join up with fellow superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Footballers have to make the most out of their short careers.  But wouldn’t finally leading Arsenal to a title be more rewarding for Cesc Fabregas than jumping on the Pep Guardiola train?

There are talented footballers who have stayed loyal to their clubs through tough times, and it has paid off.  In England, Steven Gerrard’s name comes to mind.  Gerrard agreed to join Chelsea back in 2005 but made a stunning U-turn and decided to sign a new deal at Liverpool.  Looking back on this ordeal, it seems ridiculous to imagine Gerrard at Stamford Bridge.  Although Gerrard did miss out on numerous trophies with Chelsea, his legacy as a Liverpool legend will never be tarnished.

In Italy, Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti both decided to stick with their clubs during rough times.  Del Piero stayed on at Juventus even when the Italian side was famously relegated to Serie B due to a match-fixing scandal.  Francesco Totti is synonymous with Roma and is an Italian icon because he has been loyal to his club.  Roma have not won a Serie A title in ten years but do not expect Totti to hand in a transfer request.  Both are beloved in their respective cities and ooze class.

Players should take more responsibility for the results of the club.  Footballers should work to improve their game and leadership abilities instead of blaming the club.  Looking in the mirror is a better decision than to look elsewhere, especially when talking about a player moving from one big club to another.

On Saturday night, I was at Lincoln Financial Field to watch the Philadelphia Union play Real Madrid.  In the seat behind mine, a father was telling his son excitedly about Kaka, who entered the game in the second half.  Unfortunately, despite the father yelling whenever Kaka received the ball, the Brazilian midfielder was ineffective.

Kaka is at the end of his prime as a top player.  He has endured two injury-filled seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.  The 29-year old is wearing down, and wearing down quickly.  Jose Mourinho should shop Kaka and sell him to the highest bidder.

Every time Kaka got on the ball last night, he was snuffed out by a Union defender.  These are MLS reserve defenders.  It was very hot last night, but Kaka only played the final 45 minutes.  Needless to say, the Madridista supporters behind me were disappointed.

Mesut Ozil is the perfect replacement for Kaka.  The 22-year old German was at the top of his game last night.  Using his skill, Ozil poked and prodded the Union defense all night.  The German scored a goal in the 2-1 Madrid victory.  He plays in the same position as Kaka (center attacking midfielder) and has superior vision.

I am not trying to base my opinion of Kaka from one match.  Ozil clearly passed Kaka in the starting lineup last season.  Unfortunately, the Brazilian was not worth the £56 million that Madrid paid AC Milan for him.  It is time to cut the losses and sell him to Chelsea, Inter or Manchester City.

Kaka’s value will decrease the longer Real Madrid hold on to him.  This is just what happens to players who are over the hill.  Once a player begins declining, his price reduces drastically.

But the 29-year old Kaka would like to stay on at the Bernabeu: “I do not want to leave and the coach told me he wants me here for next season and the club told me there is no need to sell me.”

With the wages he is making, why would Kaka want to leave Madrid?  The only way Kaka will be persuaded to leave is if Mourinho sits him on the bench.  With Mesut Ozil clearly more effective, Kaka might be forced to enjoy a seat next to Mourinho in the near future.

Last night was a special one for US Soccer.  One of the premier teams in the world took center stage.  People were expecting the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka to dazzle the crowd with skill.  Ronaldo is still able to do it, and he should while he can, because you never know when your time is up.

Some footballers are never satisfied.  The first two that come to mind are Diego Maradona and Carlos Tevez.  Maradona never could settle in one location despite his enormous skill.  Carlos Tevez, while not as great, is similar in that he is never content.

Like the character of Jerry Seinfeld, Tevez seems to find (or create) problems where there are none.  The Argentinian striker must find something wrong with his current club, like Jerry does with his dates.  Diego Maradona had many disputes with club management in his day, while Tevez is apparently bored with the city of Manchester.

Carlos Tevez’s reasoning for demanding to leave Manchester City is flawed.  First, he claims he needs to be closer to his family.  Why can’t he move his family to England?  Tevez has been playing in the Premiership since 2006.  With his wage, there isn’t a place in the Greater Manchester area that is too expensive.

Rumors have been swirling around Tevez for months now.  Apparently, a deal sending Tevez to his former club Corinthians has been scrapped.  Inter Milan are still in the race.  A move to Milan will surely help Tevez reconnect with his wife and kids.

Tevez believes the grass is greener in Italy or Brazil.  The truth is that he will never be happy.  If Carlos moves to Brazil, I would expect him back in Europe in a season or two.  If Tevez chooses Inter, then he will be trashing the club, city, or weather in time.

The consensus opinion is that City are on the rise to glory.  Tevez helped build the current squad.  He is the captain of the team, and the best player.  Why would Carlos depart when Manchester City are ready to serious challenge for the Premier League and Champions League?  City are a team with unlimited funds and unlimited ambitions… a footballer’s dream.

Despite their highly-paid employees, Manchester City will have trouble when Tevez finally leaves.  The Argentinean striker leads by example on the pitch, showcasing his great work-rate.  He is a great example for the youth players.  If you had eleven Carlos Tevezes on your team, then there would be little room for your opponents.

But Tevez will inevitably go.  He will say that it is for his family, or the weather, or whatever else he dreams up.  The real reason is simply because he is experiencing boredom.  Everyone knows that guy (or girl).  He is the one who purchases the latest gadget, only to grow tired of it in a month, and then look for the next big thing.  Or, maybe more appropriately, the new Premier League fan who vows to follow their club through the thick and thin, and then forgets all about it once the NFL or MLB season gets underway.

Similar to Seinfeld or Maradona, Tevez is always looking for a new start (shirt?), or finding a fault with the current climate.  We have not witnessed the last of Carlos Tevez in Europe, or possibly even the Premier League.

Liverpool, currently on tour in Malaysia, had an interesting and — thankfully for one spectator — non-violent incident in the stands involving a brave soul and his choice of fashion.

The fan wearing a Wayne Rooney Manchester United shirt was booed, taunted and eventually stripped of his shirt at Liverpool’s open training session in Malaysia. The YouTube video’s explanation was that the fan showed off the jersey, kissing the Man United badge and screaming “champions” in front of the crowd. The response to this from the fans was less than friendly, as the booing and chanting began, while he eventually was removed of his shirt and later left to a chorus of “Liverpool” chants.

A few opinions on this, especially considering the nature of the story in light of the Newcastle incident. First, sports culture in general dictates that people care a bit too much sometimes about their teams and rivals. By wearing a rival’s shirt to a game you can already expect to get a bit of a hassle from the other side. If you can deal with that, good for you. However, there is a difference between wearing the shirt and how you act while wearing said shirt. The fan (according to the person who uploaded the video) allegedly acted out and taunted the Liverpool faithful, which is not a good decision and a real show of a lack of common sense. Whether its football, or just life in general, you don’t roll into a place full of people who all agree on something and start saying the opposite, especially if you are outnumbered.

The real weird part of it is that as of last time I checked, Manchester United was in America, and not currently playing Liverpool in Malaysia. It’s one thing to support your team at their rival’s place, but it’s a whole different thing to wear the shirt when your team is not even in your country at the time.

The media-dubbed “Arsepocalypse” or “Arsenal exodus” is a huge farce.  According to the British press, Arsene Wenger’s empire is crumbling.  Many Arsenal supporters believe that Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas have one foot out the door when that is simply not the case.

For weeks, rumors have swirled around Nasri and Fabregas.  At various times, media sources have told us that Nasri was to be sold to Inter, then Manchester United, then Manchester City.  Apparently, Cesc-to-Barcelona is already a done deal, but let’s look at the facts.

According to Sir Alex Ferguson, United has already pulled out of the Nasri sweepstakes.  The negotiations were going nowhere.  Wenger has stated that he is unwilling to sell Nasri to rival clubs.  Manchester City was only interested in Nasri to keep him away from Old Trafford, for they have an identical player in David Silva.  Expect Nasri to stay on at Arsenal for at least another season.

The Cesc drama is a little different.

Because Barcelona is unable or unwilling to meet Wenger’s high asking price, the Catalans have turned to the media to support them.  Xavi recently said that Cesc was “suffering” at Arsenal.  Puyol and Pique have been pleading for years for Cesc to leave the Emirates.  On Friday, the mayor of Catalonia said that Cesc is “experiencing a kidnapping” at Arsenal.

If someone were to “kidnap” me, pay me over £100,000 per week, and let me captain one of the top clubs in Europe, I would welcome it. I certainly would not be suffering.  Barcelona has employed everyone from players to politicians as their own PR men.

Cesc himself has said that he is fine at Arsenal.  He is not demanding a transfer or holding the club hostage.  Of course he would like to return home, but his current gig isn’t the worst in the world.  Fabregas is under contract so Wenger will have no pressure to sell him.

Even if Nasri and Fabregas are sold, Arsenal will not tumble into mid-table mediocrity.  Going into this summer, everyone agreed that we needed a centre-back and a striker.  Gervinho is that striker, but the centre-back search is still ongoing.  Once that is resolved, Arsenal will be able to challenge for the top trophies this season.

Arsene is a master talent scout.  One could only imagine what he would do with the money gained from selling Fabregas and Nasri.  I do not want it to happen, but Wenger spotted these players before they were the huge international stars they are today.  He did the same with Vieira and Henry.  Why can’t he do it again?

The media have perpetuated this “Arsepocalypse” foolishness for a very simple reason.  It sells papers and entices people to click on the headline.  Unfortunately, it has been spreading fear throughout the Arsenal-loving world.  Arsene Wenger isn’t buying it and neither am I.

One of the more intriguing rumors going around the transfer period is Manchester United looking to grab Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder to replace recently retired Paul Scholes.

Sneijder, who spent a good chunk of time injured last year at Inter, has allegedly expressed his desire to leave and has supposedly spoken to an Inter about choice real estate according to newspaper rumors. Sneijder would join recent signings Phil Jones, Ashley Young and goalkeeper David De Gea if he makes the move. An unnamed teammate of Sneijder was quoted as saying that “everyone expects Wesley’s move to United to be announced soon.”

Regardless of the rumors and the legitimacy of the “unnamed sources” involved, let’s play hypothetical. Sneijder would be an interesting fit for the team but would require a lot of reshuffling from United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Ostensibly playing near or at the same position as Wayne Rooney, Sneijder isn’t really a “running midfielder” but more of a playmaker which would leave Rooney to do the bulk of the wandering up front, with Hernandez and possibly Young up there as well. As far as replacing Scholes, Sneijder definitely fits the bill and would provide United with a rotation consisting of him, Nani, Valencia, Berbatov and the previously mentioned Rooney, Hernandez and Young. This level of depth would also seemingly allow for the fact that Sneijder only played 25 games last year and would still be coming back from injuries.

Of course these are all rumors, as United has been linked to almost every player that has been mentioned in transfer talks to the point where when I read about a player looking to leave I always expect the “and Chelsea, Man City and United are interested” to follow. It’s definitely a great pickup, and if signed Sneijder could end up being the final piece to an already intimidating team that looks to repeat as Premier League champions.

The latest entry in the saga involving Chelsea’s attempt to pry away Tottenham forward Luka Modric away from White Hart Lane involves honesty, bitterness, money (of course) and the idea surrounding unhappy players and what is exactly a “big club” in the 2011 version of the Premier League.

As the story stands: Modric, claiming loyalty to the Spurs over the years, has now handed in a transfer request to go to a “big club,” i.e. Chelsea. Don’t forget that Modric signed a £40,000 a week deal with Tottenham a year ago. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and chairman Daniel Levy are, of course, angered and probably a tad hurt by this, as guys like Modric are what helped Spurs get into the elusive “top six” last year and unquestionably would help the club return to the Champions League in the future on a more consistent basis.

Modric says that he’s been “a loyal sportsman,” playing through injuries and putting in his time. His dream though is to be with a team that can challenge for an English title and a Champions League trophy. Chelsea, realizing that Frank Lampard isn’t going to be around forever (and isn’t going to be a top player for much longer) needs a midfielder who can create chances and set up Fernando Torres, whose goal total for Chelsea since signing has been exactly 2 (we’re counting his recent goal in friendlies). Chelsea turned in a £22 million offer which was turned down and recently bumped that amount to £27 million.

Redknapp admits that losing Modric would “tear Tottenham to pieces.” Modric claims that Levy is breaking a promise that would let Modric go if a big club came calling, has referred to Levy as “arrogant” and has also said that there is an alleged “civil war” within the club between players and management over the whole thing.

On the surface the whole things seems plainly easy yet extremely frustrating. Spurs can’t keep a guy on the team who doesn’t want to be there, yet Modric is one of the reasons why they’ve been so successful as of late. The money they would get if they sold him would be valuable of course, but there is no guarantee that they will get someone of equal value, or if “new signing X” will have the proper chemistry. It’s a true “damned if you do/damned if you don’t” scenario.

What makes all of this so intriguing is the viewpoint of Modric. He signed a long term and valuable contract a year ago but claims that a promise was made that he could split if a “big club” came around. While Tottenham isn’t a “big club,” they certainly seem like a club that is on the rise and could be a constant presence in the top four if they could just keep the stars they have and build for the future. Dynasties are built through a few things, and holding on to valuable assets is amongst the most important factors (along with stellar recruiting and of course, lots and lots of money). Shouldn’t Modric, at 26 years old look at what he has now and think about the fact that he’s a marquee player on a team that contends and could slide right in to the top four? Would he be happy being in the midfield at Chelsea when the club seemingly thinks Lampard has more years left then he actually does?

Modric will probably sign with Chelsea. However, this story (and the Fabregas/Arsenal/Barca one) leads to a weird trend amongst players and could re-establish a trend. If you’re on a middle to higher team, it doesn’t matter if you try to lock in your best guys with long and valuable deals, because if the “bigger clubs” show interest, your best player will go from someone who’s happy to being there to someone who will start looking over the horizon at more scintillating opportunities and will attempt to break that contract, leading the team into turmoil and ruining your chances at building any sort of momentum to have your team be a “big club”.

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has consulted with attorneys about formulating a case against Manchester City after being “banished” from the first team during their forthcoming trip to the U.S.

Adebayor, along with Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Nedum Onouha and Michael Johnson have been left off the pre-season tour and asked to report to camp in England on July 9.

“This is very hurtful and insulting and says a lot about Manchester City. On the one hand they want to become the biggest, most successful club in the world, yet the people who run the club are not acting in that way at all. No one at City is man enough to speak to me face-to-face to explain,” remarked Adebayor.

The striker, who has three years left on his £175,000 a week contract has interest from teams such as Real Madrid and Tottenham, but Manchester City’s £14 million fee for obtaining him has left many of these teams out in the cold.

This seems like a great example of teams having a lot of money and buying pieces that they will never use just because they can. Adebayor leaves Arsenal, a team in which he could probably get first team football, to go to City when oodles of cash were presented in front of him. City then loans him out to Real Madrid, essientially paying for someone to rent out to other teams. You can’t fault the guy for grabbing a good deal when it comes up, but now he’s stuck in a situation where he clearly wants to start for someone, anyone and the team that pays him has a bit of a crowd at the striker position.

Maybe Adebayor wins out by sticking around though. With the recent stories concerning star Carlos Tevez wanting out of City maybe Adebayor gets the open spot. He would be good insurance for fun headcase Mario Balotelli and with some creative movement City can get both Balotelli and Adebayor playing up front along with “new transfer signing X” that City will most certainly obtain in the next month.

All in all though, it brings up a fun morality question: do you sit on the bench and make money or do you possibly accept less cash to get to play first team football?

Photo by dkodigital

Sunderland have raided Manchester United and have welcomed both Wes Brown and John O’Shea to Steve Bruce’s squad.  Both players were deemed non-essential to the future of United, and Ferguson decided to unload them. In addition to those two signings, Sunderland now have accumulated David Vaughan, Connor Wickham, Ahmed Elmohamady, Craig Gardner, Ji Dong-won, Kieran Westwood and Sebastian Larsson this summer.

This is a good bit of business from Steve Bruce, considering that John Mensah will be returning to Lyon this season.  Sunderland will feature a new look to their squad this coming season.  The Black Cats have wisely invested the Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent money.

And Bruce may not be done raiding Manchester United just yet.  Darron Gibson could still make a move to the Stadium of Light before this summer is over.  At this rate, look for Sunderland to push for a Europa League spot.

That may be wishful thinking but anything is possible at this point in the summer.  If anything, Bruce and his squad could make a run in either the F.A. Cup or League Cup.  Sunderland have invested the money to increase their chances of success this season and for that they should be applauded.

In regards to their most recent signing, Wes Brown only made seven appearances in the Premier League last season for Manchester United.  The 31-year old former English international is certainly on the downside of his playing career, but that doesn’t mean that he still cannot provide assistance to a club like Sunderland.

John O’Shea, meanwhile, is the Premier League equivalent of a utility player in baseball.  He made twenty league appearances for Ferguson last season, mostly at right back.  O’Shea is able to play a number of positions effectively, including right back, centre back, defensive midfielder, and left back.  The 30-year old Irish international is delighted to be moving to Sunderland:

“Once I’d heard reports about the club and the people here, the ambitions and what the manager was all about, it was the only place I was going to come to.”

It is not yet clear what Sunderland had to pay for O’Shea, but the Irishman has signed a four-year deal to play for the Black Cats.  According to reports, United accepted an offer of around £1 million for Brown.  Brown also agreed to a four-year deal with Sunderland.

Photo by Daniel Studio Photo

Philadelphia Union manager Piotr Nowak is one of the best coaching minds in Major League Soccer.  The former Polish international knows what is needed to achieve success in MLS.  Nowak knows how to recognize talent and make players fit into his system.

After a tough inaugural season, the Union is right up with the best clubs in the Eastern Conference.  Currently, Nowak’s squad is in first place and two points ahead of New York Red Bulls.  But while New York’s team is filled with highly-paid superstars like Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez, Nowak has built his Union team out of castoffs and MLS veterans.

In many ways, the Union is Nowak’s baby.  He has full control over all decisions related to player movement.  Piotr has built this team not out of designated players but of dedicated players.

Sebastien Le Toux is a perfect example of the type of player Nowak likes.  Le Toux will give 110% from the first minute until the last.  Despite his scoring drought this season, Le Toux is working harder than ever.  Work rate beats out talent in MLS and Nowak recognizes that.

Nowak is excellent at getting the best out of his players.  For example, Brian Carroll looked as if his best times were behind him when he arrived in Philadelphia from Columbus.  Nowak, who managed Carroll at D.C. United, has been able to guide Carroll back on track.  Playing mainly as a defensive central midfielder, Carroll provides great protection when opposing teams try to counterattack.  He is one of Philadelphia’s most important players.

Philadelphia’s back five (counting the keeper) were pathetic last season.  So, what does Nowak do?  He acquires an experienced keeper in Faryd Mondragon and a solid center back in Carlos Valdes.  Both have been key additions that have transformed the defense.

Some have suggested Nowak as the successor to Bob Bradley for coach of the U.S. Men’s national team.  As a Union and USMNT supporter, I have mixed feelings about this.  Nowak would make a great manager for the national team, but it doesn’t seem logical for him to leave Philly now.  First, he will have much more pressure on him as manager of the national team.  Second, he may not be able have the sort of control he enjoys with the Union.

Also, as a manager of a national team, there is not as much to do.  You pick the squad, play some friendlies, and a tournament every now and then.  Your job security is determined by how well your team does during one month every four years.  Not all managers are fond of the situation.

Piotr Nowak is sort of the Arsene Wenger of MLS.  Nowak has not won as much as Wenger but he is 15 years younger than the Frenchman.  Both men know how to identify talent and acquire players to fit in their system.  Both also know how to find diamonds in the scraps left behind from other clubs.

Nowak has a chance to build a legacy in Philadelphia.  He is turning the Union into a model MLS franchise.  Not by buying expensive aging stars, but by innovation and hard work.  It’s not the easy way, but it is the Philly way and the Nowak way.

Photo by npower

Sunderland lost a major facet to their attack recently when they decided to sell Jordan Henderson to Liverpool.  Today, we learned that Sunderland won the Connor Wickham sweepstakes.  Wickham, formerly of Ipswich Town, is three years younger than Henderson, and he is one of the best English youngsters in the game.

Sunderland will have to pay between £8 million and £12 million for Wickham, but it is money well spent.  Wickham can play as a lone striker because of his size (6 ft 3 in or 1.91m) and speed.  He is versatile in that he certainly can be a force on the wing.

Many different clubs had been interested in acquiring Wickham including Liverpool and Arsenal.  This is a big victory for Steve Bruce and Sunderland.  Whether Wickham will use Sunderland as a stepping stone is not important at this time.  The fact is that Sunderland has added an extremely talented player who could develop into a star in the Premier League.

Despite his youth, Wickham has won a number of honors in football.  He was part of the Under-17 European Champions in 2010.  Connor Wickham scored the winner in the final to lift England ahead of Spain by a score of 2-1.  Wickham scored three goals in the tournament and was a key player for the champions.

Wickham was named as the Football League Young Player of the Year last season.  It became apparent that the time had come for Wickham to test his abilities of the Premiership.  The raw ability is there but will he be able to pull it together?

Steve Bruce had this to say today about his team signing Connor Wickham:

“A number of top sides have been chasing Connor for some time now, so naturally we are absolutely delighted he has chosen to come to Sunderland.

“He’s still very young, but at 6ft 3in he’s a physical presence. With his height and style of play, he will offer us a threat in front of goal and complement our existing strikers.

“We have been watching him for a while now and he is improving and developing all the time. He’s a great prospect and I’m sure our supporters will love watching him play.”

Sunderland fans will be disappointed that Jordan Henderson was sold, but this gives Sunderland supporters something new to look forward to.  It is exciting to see a top prospect move to a club outside of the “Big Six.”  How do you see Wickham transitioning to the Premier League with Sunderland?

Photo by Sam S. Osman

I felt like I was watching my favorite Premier League side Arsenal Saturday night.  The United States built a 2-0 advantage over Mexico in the Gold Cup final before coughing up four goals.  It was an epic collapse and now it is time to look at what went wrong for the US.

The problem is simple, and it is the same problem that has plagued Arsenal the last few seasons.  The central defenders are not good enough to play at an international level.  Goodson and Bocanegra just do not have the speed to cover players like Giovani Dos Santos and Andres Guardado.

To be fair, Bocanegra was forced to move from left back to center back after the 2-1 loss to Panama in the group stage.  Goodson is a decent center back but struggles against the top teams.  The United States need to develop a couple strong, agile center backs before 2014 or we could be in big trouble.

Tim Howard did not have his best game last night.  He was beaten near post for the first goal on a strike from Pablo Barrera.  If you’re a keeper, you need to cover that near post and force a tougher shot towards the far post.  Dos Santos scored a cracker of a goal for Mexico’s fourth of the night.  Howard was unable to secure the ball after dashing out towards Dos Santos.  The back four did allow Dos Santos to get behind them but Howard should have been better.

United States allowed Dos Santos so much time and space on the ball.  He was running free all over the US half of the field.  Bob Bradley should have had a talk at halftime to his defenders about this.  Adjustments should have been made to the back four after the first half, but instead Bradley focused on offensive substitutions.

Steve Cherundolo’s absence was glaring.  After his injury, Bradley was forced to bring on Jonathan Bornstein early on in the match.  Bornstein played poorly but no one expected anything different.  He had not played at all during the tournament and was very rusty.

On a bright note, Eric Lichaj proved himself in this tournament.  He is an attacking force down the wing.  Lichaj has a great work rate, and he has shown why Aston Villa continue to stick with him.

Tim Howard was very upset after the match: “CONCACAF should be ashamed of themselves. I think it was a [expletive] disgrace that the entire post-match ceremony was in Spanish. You can bet your ass that if we were in Mexico City, it wouldn’t be all in English.”

I, on the other hand, was cursing after the match but it was not at CONCACAF. It was at the poor defending by the US men’s national team.

Inter Milan have announced that Gian Piero Gasperini will serve as manager next season.  What Gasperini lacks in experience, he makes up for in success.  As manager of Genoa, Gasperini earned promotion to Serie A before leading Genoa to a Europa League qualification. Gasperini signed a two-year contract with Inter today.

Gasperini will face more pressure at Inter than he has ever experienced before. While Genoa is the fourth most successful team in Italian football history, they have not won a top-flight title since 1924. Inter will expect success right away. Gasperini will not have time to assemble players who fit his style. He will have to work with players who have huge talent and huge egos.

Gasperini played from a young age in the Juventus youth system.  Unfortunately, he never made the step to the first team.  His best moments as a player came with Pescara where he finally earned the opportunity to play in Serie A.  Gian Piero scored 21 times in 160 appearances in Serie A for Pescara.

Gasperini’s coaching career began in the same place as his youth career.  He spent nine years coaching different youth teams for Juventus.  Gasperini took the chance to manage when he took over at Crotone in 2003.  He led them to promotion to Serie B but decided to move to a bigger club in Genoa.

Gasperini became known at Genoa for his attacking philosophy. He used this philosophy to take Genoa from Serie B to fifth place in Serie A. Jose Mourinho praised Gasperini in 2009 calling him “the manager who gave me most difficulty” in Italy.  Genoa sacked Gasperini in November due to a sluggish start.  Clearly, that decision was made because of the success Gasperini brought to the club.  Genoa made a hasty move, and now Inter Milan could benefit.

How do Nerazzurri supporters feel about this?  Gasperini is clearly a talented tactician but can he succeed at a big club.  He is a Juventus product as both a player and coach.  Is anyone better than Leonardo?  We will just have to wait and see how Gasperini handles the pressure because the Inter manager is always sitting in a hot seat.