Following Spain’s 1-5 defeat to a marauding a Netherlands side on Friday, team captain and most-capped player Iker Casillas took responsibility for his team’s terrible start to their title defense.

“The first thing I have to do is offer a mea culpa,” Casillas stated after the game. “This is the worst performance of my career. We have to say sorry. Holland were very good, we were the complete opposite. Sometimes it’s good for things like this to happen so that you can react but we have to react now.”

With only two league appearances for Real Madrid this season, Spain Coach Vincente del Bosque showed plenty of faith in Casillas by keeping him in the starting XI ahead of two other world-class goal keepers, who seemed to be in better form than the successful veteran. Now with hindsight it seems like that faith may damage la Roja’s chances of advancing into the knockout phases.

Though the Spanish defense and midfield should also shoulder some blame for the heavy loss. The 33-year-old’s heavy first touch to gift Robin Van Persie his second goal of the game, along with his failed frantic scramble to stop Arjen Robben scoring his brace, seemed like a far cry from a player who is widely acknowledged as one of the most talented and decorated stoppers of his generation.

The Spanish defense and midfield should also shoulder some blame for the heavy loss.  Del Bosque echoed this when he came to the defense of his captain after the game, saying this: “Defeats happen as a result of weaknesses in the entire squad, but least of all because of the performance of Iker Casillas.”

In 2010 Spain overcame the setback of losing its first group game 0-1 to Switzerland, becoming the first side to do so and then go onto win the World Cup. For a side which hadn’t conceded five goals in an international since 1963 though, this time the route to the trophy seems far bleaker.

Casillas’ quick rise from a 21-year-old understudy to the Spanish starting XI is on every decent freak injury piece you’ll come across. Before the 2002 World Cup, then-first choice ‘keeper Santiago Cañizares dropped a bottle of aftershave on his foot and severed a tendon, ruling him out of the tournament. Casillas’ performance as the competition’s youngest starting keeper was so impressive that his place has never been in doubt, up until recently.

The 2012 La Liga season saw Casillas’ previously immovable place as Real Madrid’s starting goalkeeper began to weaken as a rift developed between him and José Mourinho. In January of 2013 the “Special One” signed Sevilla goalkeeper Diego López, to cover for the injured Casillas. López eventually became the Real Madrid starter as tensions at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium continued to grow frostier.

When Carlo Ancelloti replaced Mourinho he kept López as the first choice La Liga ‘keeper. Casillas was left to start in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. In the domestic cup he impressively maintained clean sheets up until the the final, which Madrid won 1-2 against Barcelona. Los Blancos also went on to win the Champion’s League final 4-1 against local rivals Atlético Madrid, but Casillas’ misstep into no man’s land for Atlético’s 36th minute opener revealed a shakiness that seemed to justify his relegation to a backup role in the league.

Casillas’ future in this World Cup is certainly questionable. Except in case injury or off-field transgressions, it’s considered detrimental to a squad’s spirit and structure, and therefore rare to remove the team’s captain from the starting XI mid-tournament. That said, Spain’s World Cup squad boasts arguably the best goalkeeping line up in the entire tournament and would be the the best equipped to replace such an important position.

In his third season at Manchester United, David De Gea’s growing confidence and command of his role was one of the silver linings of an otherwise forgettable year for the Red Devils. With similar national youth team honors to his veteran counterpart, the 23-year-old represents the future in the same way that Casillas did back in 2002. But DeGea suffered an injury that has him out of contention for the next two matches.

After Liverpool signed Simon Mignolet form Sunderland, Pepe Reina’s loan move to Napoli allowed him the chance to earn minutes without having to compete for the starting spot. The move also reunited him with former Reds manager Rafa Benitez. Despite short injury spells in December and January, Reina helped the Serie A side to third place, earning ten league clean sheets. Reina appears to be a popular figure within the squad, but whether that can translate to the leadership role that Casillas commands remains to be seen.

The decision that del Bosque faces may be the biggest one he has to make this tournament. Cutting your team captain and such a long-standing, integral member of the side is drastic. Then again, for the defending champions to start the tournament with the country’s third worst defeat in their history, something drastic may be required to advance to the knockout stages.

This week Wayne Rooney joined the ranks of those downplaying Arsenal’s great start to the Premier League. While he admitted that Arsenal “are doing brilliant at the minute,” he simmered down this praise by also saying “we’ve seen before that they’ve been in the top two until February or March and then faded away.”

Victory against Liverpool has put the Gunners five points clear at the top of the table. This coupled with Arsenal’s Champions League victory against last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund should have many considering Arsenal the favorites when they travel to Old Trafford this coming weekend.

The boos and doubts that were heard after the opening day defeat to Aston Villa are now muffled by the crow that Arsene Wenger’s critics must be getting used to having to eat every season. The one thing that has become clear in the time since Arsenal’s last piece of silverware is that the first one to tell us the Frenchman is done at Arsenal will be Arsene himself.

For the first time in the past three seasons, Arsenal hasn’t lost its best players to bigger clubs. Robin van Persie and Alex Song left for greener pastures before the 12/13 season, with Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas departing the pre-season before. For the side to lose two star players each season and still remain in the top four shows that for what the team loses, they still manage to retain or replace adequately enough to keep top flight status.

The sellers-club label, at least for the moment, seems to be shaken off with the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. The German playmaker is not the world-class striker that the supporters and experts said and still feel the club wanted, but he is proving to be something that they needed to provide better supply to their goal-threats. Having provided four assists and two goals so far this season, Ozil compliments the creativity of his fellow midfielders Santi Carzola, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and the red-hot Aaron Ramsey.

Wenger has shown that he still has the ability to keep developing youngsters into top players and that he still can buy players at a reasonable price. Ramsey’s brilliant form came after many were expecting him to have to fight to earn his first-team place and he has proven to be far more valuable than the £5 million that Cardiff were paid for him. Even the decision to bring in former Gunner Mathieu Flamini from AC Milan on a free transfer has shown that Wenger still has a keen sense of what the club needs to remain competitive.

Lined up, the Gervinhos, Bendtners, Chamakhs and Santos’es are outnumbered by the Carzolas, Artetas, Podolskis and Girouds in terms of money and the value they’ve brought to the club.

Ozil and Flamini aside, last transfer-window was not without its faults. the dithering that saw Gonzalo Higuain snatched by Napoli and the inability to secure Luis Suarez from a strong-willed Liverpool showed that Arsenal still hasn’t earned the transfer market sway it needs compete with the richer clubs in today’s game. Perhaps in January the team will be closer to that, especially if they can maintain their good form.

What’s more, it’s easy to forget that Arsenal is currently in, albeit a small, injury crisis. Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski, Abou Diaby and new arrival Yaya Sanogo have been long term absentees and will certainly add to the attacking threat of the team when they return.

Even the short-term injuries to Flamini and Wilshere seem to have done little harm to the structure of the starting eleven. The worry brought on by the two-successive home defeats to Dortmund and Chelsea has lessened after more recent victories over the Liverpool at the Emirates and Dortmund away.

Despite all this, it’s still very difficult to stick your neck out and foresee Arsenal taking the title this season. What the team has clearly earned though is a place on the list of definite contenders. It’s clear that Rooney’s comments were more to fluster ahead of the teams’ upcoming match and to draw attention away from United’s stuttering form, which along with the forms of the other contenders has shown the inherent adjustment problems that come with a new manager.

Not all of Arsenal’s problems have been corrected. The defense and goalkeeper can still be suspect and there is still arguably a need for that world-class striker to take some burden off of Giroud. But which title contender can currently claim to be perfect?

At this point in the season, Wenger has certainly shown that he is still in firm command of his side and that he is the front-runner to the vacant role of top manager that has been left vacant by Sir Alex Ferguson’s absence.

Editor’s note: For more news, analysis and opinion on the Gunners, visit our Arsenal team page.

It’s hard not to pull a look of bemusement when you hear how former Arsenal player Gervinho is faring after his transfer to AS Roma. In his seven matches so far, he has already scored three goals and provided one assist — three if you count drawing two penalties.

During his two seasons in the Premier League, the Ivorian winger was better known for some astounding misses, slapping Joey Barton and prompting many “he couldn’t hit a-” statements. While seven games are too soon to really assess his season, it is a promising start. Gervinho’s darting runs seem to be outfoxing defenders instead of leading him to nowhere. His shots are finding the goal. Most importantly, he is slowly turning into a case for why clubs should take a chance on reviving other team’s players who are failing to live up to their hefty price tags.

Roma’s manager Rudi Garcia is mainly to thank for Gervnho’s change in fortune. The pair worked together before during Lille’s league and cup double-winning season. Here Gervinho put in the 34 goals and 14 assists that made Arsene Wenger willing to pay £10.6 million to bring him to the Premier League.

Arsenal’s set-up seemed perfectly suited for Gervinho to fit in. The trendy London club had a healthy Francophone constituent and there were no apparent rifts with teammates or management. Wenger practically wrote the modern guide on bringing in and developing promising foreign talent. Gervinho’s direct, attacking playing-style was similar to teammate Theo Walcott, who, while patchy at times, has been able to perform well for the side.

What it came down to was confidence, or a major lack of it. Gervinho felt that Wenger had “no confidence” in him, though supporters would argue the professor spent too much time trying to get the best out of his misfiring forward in the first season.

The decrease in playing time in his second season left him seeking first-team football elsewhere so as not to jeopardize his World Cup chances. While he may be missing out on Champions League football, Roma was more of a lateral move than a step down, especially considering he left before the Gunners had signed Germany star Mesut Özil.

In his first season in charge of the Italian side, Garcia had to practically twist the arm of Walter Sabatini, Roma’s sporting director, to sign Gervinho. At a reported transfer fee of £8million, Garcia might have even pitched it as a profit on his personal transfer record.

Gervinho has been respectful when speaking about his old club but honest enough to admit that he clearly was unsettled while there. His statements on the Champions League tie between Napoli and Arsenal have been used to cause a bit of a stir but really echo the same sentiment. It seems like more support for Italian football than an ungrateful jibe at Arsenal.

All three Roma goals have come from quick counter-attacking plays where the Ivorian could take advantage of the opposition defense’s frantic backtracking. The run for his second goal against Bologna was so impressive that opposition defender Mikael Antonsson could only watch on his stomach as the ball entered the goal.

After seven games, the Giallorossi have yet to lose or draw this season and after the international break they host second-place Napoli, a team also riding the wave of a new manager and his collection of some of Europe’s best castaway players. So Gervinho won’t be alone in terms of regained confidence but he definitely still has the most to show as far as what could have been at his previous club.

On June 2, 2004, Chelsea unveiled José Mourinho to the English Press. In his first press conference, Mourinho was sharp in wit and lavish in self-praise. He was unapologetic in his confidence over his ability and what he expected for the club he was joining. It was here he provided his most infamous sound bite: “Please don’t call me arrogant… I’m European champion… I think I’m a special one.” The English media were immediately captivated.

Fast forward to September 30 of this year at a press conference before a Champions League tie against Steaua Bucharest. A much grayer Mourinho snaps sarcastically at a fairly innocuous query about Kevin De Bruyne, responding how the media has been questioning his continued decision not to start star midfielder Juan Mata. He becomes defensive of his own potential for fallibility.

A lot has been written comparing Mourinho’s humble beginnings in management as Bobby Robson’s interpreter at Sporting Lisbon and the great manager he is today. Domestically, he has won almost everything possible coaching in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain. He also has two Champions League trophies and a UEFA Cup to his credit at Porto and Inter.

This week, though, a new contrast is being made visible to everyone. The young ambitious foreigner immediately imbedding his image as the Special One is being replaced by the older much more beleaguered man who is still recovering from what he admitted was the worst season of his career.

The Special One’s return to Chelsea follows a hostile final season at Real Madrid. He fell out with the Spanish members of his side, led by club captain Iker Casillas and club president Florentino Perez. The fans and media were divided into two camps in support and opposition of Mourinho, who became unable to unify the side to the one common goal of proving the media and rivals wrong. In the end, he left by mutual agreement, one year into his new four-year contract extension.

A José Mourinho team tends to thrive on a “them against us” mentality. Rivalries and bad press are converted into obstacles that stand in the team’s path to success and Mourinho can then effectively rile his team up enough to face them.

It used to be hard to see turmoil going on inside the club because of Mourinho’s larger-than-life personality served as a distraction. He was also able to win over the team-leaders and, through them, control the dressing room. At Chelsea, Lampard and John Terry were so empowered by Mourinho that future managers were unable to succeed if their plans did not align with the pair’s expectations.

Spanish journalist Diego Torres recently revealed in his book that Mourinho cried when David Moyes was chosen over him for the Manchester United post vacated by Alex Ferguson, the only manager he seemed to show genuine respect and admiration for. The claims are denied by the manager’s representatives, as they should be if he wants to keep the faith of the Chelsea supporters he had assured that Stamford Bridge is his one English home.

It would be unfair to say that Chelsea is struggling so far this season. Following the press conference in Romania, Chelsea thrashed Steaua 4-0. This was their first three points and a good recovery from their unexpected 1-2 defeat to Basel.

In the Premier League, Chelsea is currently in fifth place with their only defeat coming at the hands of Everton. As one of the three projected favorites at the beginning of the season, Chelsea is one point ahead of Manchester City and four points ahead of Manchester United. If Mourinho was originally hoping for the United job, then the Red Devils’ worst start in the Premier League era will probably offer some satisfaction to him.

With a star-packed squad, questions of team selection were always going to be raised. Mourinho’s decision not to prominently feature Spanish players Mata, Cesar Azpilicueta and Fernando Torres has suggested he still harbors resentment for Spanish players, which seems a little sensationalist. The other argument that the patient and slower pace Mata plays at doesn’t suit the managers favored counter-attacking style also seems like it’s not the true reason. Mourinho has defended his decisions but has clearly shown that he does not have the same level of patience for constant questioning.

If Abramovich and Chelsea fans are hoping for the same man they hired in 2004 to shake up the Premier League as he did last spell, then they are set to be disappointed. It is clear that José Mourinho has been slightly humbled by his experiences abroad. However, in a season where so many big teams are in transition and new teams are stepping up to challenge, they can be sure they have the manager with the best track-record in charge. What he loses in confidence and bravado he makes up for in experience.

Clint Dempsey’s move to the Seattle Sounders from Tottenham Hotspur was one of the more surprising moves of the summer transfer window. At the eve of last season, the American forward was a major transfer target and was one of the deadline-day dramas as Spurs plucked him away from a seemingly dithering Liverpool. So a player of his caliber and at his perceived peak making a return back to the MLS so soon was largely seen as a backward step in his career.

The 30-year-old forward took over as captain of the USMNT in March this year and was the new team talisman in Landon Donovan’s spell of exile by team-coach Jurgen Klinsmann. For many American supporters, seeing Clint progress in a Europe’s top-flight environment boded well for the national team’s chances of excelling in international tournaments.

Along with Michael Bradley at AS Roma, Jozy Altidore at AZ Alkmaar and Sunderland, Tim Howard at Everton and Jermaine Jones at Schalke 04, Dempsey leads the new guard of experienced cosmopolitan players who can hold their own in the top leagues and extinguish the global presumption that the U.S. will never get anywhere in global game.

Tottenham’s huge turnover of players this summer seemed like it would mean more bench-time for Dempsey if he did stay for the coming season. So he – some would say misguidedly, some would say shrewdly – turned down offers from Everton or Sunderland and opted for Seattle instead.

In his previous season, Dempsey managed 43 appearances at his second Tottenham, scoring 12 goals and six assists. These figures would have seemed respectable if they weren’t put up against his prolific final season at Fulham where he managed 23 goals and six assists. As a result, it seemed as though he was struggling to adjust to his new club and his new role as U.S. captain.

Looking at his Premier League career as a whole shows a much more accurate picture of his talent. Dempsey scored 57 goals after seven seasons in England. This ranks him 60th all time, seventh as a non-European and first as an American.

When a player moves to a league where he then receives a huge reception and becomes the highest paid player in that league, it can hardly be seen as a failure. The capture of Dempsey has been a major statement that the MLS is no longer just a stepping stone for younger players or where stars in their twilight can make one last paycheck.

So far, Dempsey has made five appearances for the Sounders. Three as a starter and two as a substitute. While he hasn’t contributed any goals or assists, 18 shots on goal so far show that it’s not for lack of trying. It would be inaccurate to say that his presence is the reason the Sounders are on a five-game winning streak and are now the top team in the MLS. It would also be unfair to say it’s not a contributing factor.

The Sounders already had the aerial threat of Eddie Johnson (a close friend of Clint) and the mercurial journeyman Obafemi Martins. With these teammates, alongside in-form Lamar Neagle, Mauro Rosales and Brad Evans, Dempsey should see his name on the goals and assists sheets by the end of the season. Given that the level of defending that he is facing now is of lower quality than what he had faced before, his adjustment time to the new setting shouldn’t be much longer.

It will be more comforting for USMNT supporters to think of Dempsey’s transfer less as a downward move in league-level and more as an upward move in the forward’s role in a new team. Dempsey’s best Premier League form came while he was the main focus of the Fulham side, rather than a supporting role that he had at Spurs. At Seattle, he can definitely reclaim this influence and responsibility.

After the MLS post-season, which the Sounders seem well on track to make, Dempsey would be a popular loan acquisition for many European clubs, ensuring he stays sharp and prepared for the now-booked summer in Brazil.

So the Gareth Bale saga that became that annoying buzzing sound in the background of your entire summer is finally over. Tottenham can see the move as a huge success for them having earned a debatably high £85.3 million for a player they paid only £7 million for back in 2007.

Bale’s ability to single-handedly dominate and win games earned Spurs the unpleasant label of a one-man team and will likely be missed as the main force of the side.

However, chairman Daniel Levy and manager André Villas-Boas prepared for this inevitable event amazingly with the summer acquisitions that they brought in to replace Bale. Tottenham’s buying policy has been like a toddler in a playground who hadn’t been taught sharing yet. They rushed from the climbing frame to the swing set grasping at whatever they fancied, thinking that screaming “mine” while they did it was justification enough. Fans of other clubs were left hoping that the top-players they coveted would remain off Spur’s radar and then cursed when they inevitably didn’t.

Spurs broke their transfer record three times this summer with the purchases of Paulinho from Corinthians, Roberto Soldado from Valencia and Erik Lamela from Roma. Added to these were the highly sought after Christian Eriksen (Ajax) as well as Etienne Capoue (Toulouse), Vlad Chiriches (Steau Bucharest) and Nacer Chadli (FC Twente).

The new squad sheet looks fantastic but the question of how quickly they will gel with each other has yet to be answered. While two wins and a loss to Arsenal so far this Premier League season is no sign of real worry yet, the fact that the side has scored no goals from open play is a real concern. Only two second-half Soldado penalties have shown what this potent attacking side is capable of.

Spurs’ eight goals over two legs against Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi is an encouraging sign of that potential. Along with new signings Soldado and Paulinho, Jermain Defoe, Andros Townsend, Lewis Holtby and Danny Rose (back from his loan at Sunderland last season) have shown the goal-scoring quality that has remained at the club.

Looking at the goal attempts per game, Tottenham have actually averaged slightly more in the Premier League (17.6) than in their Europa League qualifiers (16). As the result of the match against Arsenal will show, the most important stat is what they can actually put in the goal.

The new arrivals scored a collective total of 94 goals and 23 assists for their respective clubs last season (Soldado tops scoring with 30, while Eriksen made the most assists with six). Along with the players from last year, this should make Tottenham a frankly terrifying attacking force if Villas-Boas can maintain the right level of team chemistry and well-planned squad rotation.

Before the huge loss of Bale, Spurs had already offloaded six regular and fringe first-team players from his side. William Gallas was among a large group of players released by the club. Steven Caulker was sold to Cardiff City, followed by Clint Dempsey to the Seattle Sounders, Tom Huddlestone to Hull City and Scott Parker to Fulham. Benôit Assou-Ekotto was also loaned to Queen’s Park Rangers.

Last season, Clint Dempsey made 43 appearances (starting and coming on as a sub) in all competitions, Scott Parker played in 29, Tom Huddlestone and Steven Caulker both made 28, Gallas managed 24 and Assou-Ekotto made 22 appearances. So with their absence this season, some familiarity has been lost for those that remained which can only come from time spent with the training and playing with the new arrivals.

The defense seems like it has retained most of its old structure with Hugo Lloris between the sticks, Jan Vertonghen and Michael Dawson in the center, Kyle Walker on the right and Rose on the left. The midfield and forward-line is what’s going to take the most tactical tweaking and adjustment to find the best starting 11.

Villas-Boas has come through what could have been a disastrous summer with an excellent group of acquisitions and to add to what was still a strong core-side without the presence of Bale. Sunday’s North-London derby has shown that it’s not all just going to fall into place easily. What Villas-Boas needs to do now is get the team playing as a unit in a system that compliments the best talents of all new and old. Finding this goldilocks state should be given as much effort as acquiring the new players did during the transfer window.

If found soon, there’s not much in the way of Spurs breaking into the top four, dare I say possibly even mounting a title challenge. If it takes too long though, they can expect another season on the cusp of their main objective.