Offside Trap

Bischoff to Arsenal?

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 06:04:58 -0500

Euro’s are over and we all know what that means. Yes, countless bullshit stories of people going to this club and people leaving to that club. Amongst all these stories, now and then we get a solid transfer that gets us excited for a couple of days, basically it is the closest we get to watching football. So, I appeal to everyone not to take every story written in the newspaper seriously. Remember these are people who have to release a story everyday and sometimes nothing is happening, so they do what any well respected journalist does and make something up. So it is up to us to filter through what is fact and what is a fake story. Personally I can not wait for transfer window to close, the real football to begin and we no longer have to hear about stories of Crouch going to Arsenal.

Club News: Jose Mourinho is convinced that Lampard will join him for the 2009/2010 campaign. This is also coincidently the same time that Lampard contract expires. All the signs at the moment are pointing to Lampard leaving, with the biggest sign coming from the arrival of Deco. The midfield is overloaded at the moment at Chelsea and someone has got to move to make room for Deco. We can all safely assume that Sidwell is on the bottom of this pecking order.

Amaury Bischoff has claimed that Arsenal have signed him on a free transfer. If this story has any truth to it, then this capture is in true Arsene style. The man is for free, hardly heard of and is regarded highly by his current employers Werder Bremen. The 21 year old French midfielder seems to be more a Flamini type of player in the midfield, covering the defense. He is strong on the ball, good at passing and has a high work rate. I’m just concerned about the number of times he has been injured at Bremen. With players like Rosicky and Van Persie, can we afford to have another player who is prone to injuries?

Euro 08 round-up and Robinho linked to Chelsea

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:39:47 -0500

With out question Spain deserved to win the tournament. They played attacking football and defended extremly well. As an Arsenal fan, I’m glad that Fabregas picked up a winners medal after the season we had. I am even more motivated that Spain, whom is very similar in the way Arsenal play, was able to win the tournament. I viewed the styles of football by Germany and Spain as if it were Chelsea against Arsenal. Germany who are very tactical, strong and use long balls could not cope with the sheer speed and one-touch football of the Spanish players. It was a great tournament and I’m glad it ended without penalties deciding it.

Highlight of the Tournament: The Turkish take this one, managing to steal victories in the final minuets on three occasions proved to be exciting and memorable. In true under-dog fashion they defied the odds and showed what can result from hard-work and determination. I don’t think any team will shut off in the final minuets anymore, even if they are two goals up!

Goal of the Tournament: Fernando Torres goal in the finals against Germany is my favorite. He firstly out paces Lahm, then he out-muscles him and to finish it off he cheekily chips it over Jens Lehman. He does that even with the added pressure of the finals and leading the attack by himself. What a way to win a tournament.

Player of the Tournament: I think it is between Sneijder and Podolski. I am not convinced of Xavi though.

Funny Moment of the Tournament: Rafael Van Der Vaart pinching one off to the disgust of his team mates. But hey he has a hot wife, so we can forgive him Who should be sacked: I can’t believe the Domench has yet to get the boot. A embarrassing performance by the French, who never looked like title-contenders should surely see him go. If I was the Swedish FA, I would be tempted to relive Largerback of his position

Club News: Robinho’s agent has claimed that Chelsea are after him. The Brazilian is thought to be worth around 25million pounds. Scolari is thought to be interested in teaming up with fellow compatriot to boost his attacking options and possibly people who speak Portuguese.

Didier Digard of PSG has hit out at his club for dragging their feet over his possible move to Middlesbrough. The fee is agreed at £4million but Middlesbrough wants to pay the first half up front and the other half in the future. However, PSG who need all the money up front for financial reasons are negotiating with Middlesbrough. This has upset Digard.

"So I am irritated. It has taken too long. Quite simply, they are all incompetent."

Wow, sometimes footballers need to understand the world does not revolve around them. He honestly sounds like a 4 year old child, who knows what the word incompetent means.

Lippi is back, Man City pay up and Huntelaar is looking to the future

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:09:43 -0500

So the Italian FA decided to re-appoint Lippi against the advice of my blogs. No problem, I was just trying to help. Like I mentioned in my previous blog I don’t think that Donadoni was the core of the problem, yes he produced some results that won’t go down well with the fans but I don’t think many other managers would have done better with the same players. Donadoni, being appointed into his first big position choose to use the same blueprint that Lippi used to win him the World Cup. Simply because the weight of being the World Cup winners would be too risky for him to start to play the younger stars and opted to play experience. A wise choice in a normal world but this is football and the warning signs were always there to see after A.C Milan’s horrible season. A previous comment on my blog by danielmorales sums it up the best.

the transition of a manager like Lippi to Donadoni should've been mirrored by a generational change in the squad no? And so to have those young players earn a few important caps before South Africa

I don’t see how appointing Lippi again will trigger Italy into a footballing revolution and start implementing their younger stars. Lippi will be more inclined to use the players that won him the World Cup but unfortunately for Italy, that’s were the problem lies.

Club News: As any Arsenal fan will tell you, they have been frustrated by constant links of our players to other clubs. I have not mentioned Adebayor in any of my previous blog because I truly want to believe the stories around him are fictional. However, it seems likely he wants to leave and I am disappointed about that. Arsen put a lot of faith in him, when he first came to the club he did not look like the best buy. When Henry left, we could have easily have bought a top rated striker but Wenger put his faith in him to lead the attack and gave him a new contract. To then say after one good season he will sit down and talk to his agents about finding him the best deal in Europe, fucks me off to say the least. The comments he makes seems like he thinks he is the best in the world, talking about how he is worth 50million or how many clubs want him. To add insult to injury he then says:

"When I go back to Africa it is obvious that a lot of people love the club. But now I have a chance of playing with one of the biggest clubs in the world.

So Arsenal is some second division, mid-table club. Let’s not forget who qualified for the champion’s league and who didn’t. Who was challenging for all the trophies and who was fighting for fourth-place?

It has been reported by Skysports that Manchester City has paid £19million for Brazilian striker Jo. Jo seems like a great talent, he is young, quick and strong. He had a fantastic season with CSKA Moscow scoring 30 goals in his debut season. I just think the fee is too high for a player, especially someone who has not proven himself in the Champions League or the International stage. Then again this is Thaksin Shinawatra, the man who fired his manager after guiding them to their highest ever league position, anything is possible.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar has failed to sign a new contract which will surely alert many clubs. The Dutch striker is regarded as the next bright prospect coming out of Amsterdam. Ajax Amsterdam has offered him a new lucrative contract which included a minimum fee release clause of £19.75million. With a release clause like that not many clubs are going to make an offer for him, unless you’re Chelsea or City. I think Huntelaar sees himself playing abroad one day and has expressed before his liking of Real. So he will be looking for a contract which will make him more attractive to Real.

Finally Seria A side have made a bid for Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura. I can’t see Celtic letting go of him or Nakamura leaving for a newly promoted side.

But crazier things have happened

German Performance, Barcelona make contact and Grant going to Georgia?

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 05:51:15 -0500

What a sterling performance by Turkey, they pushed the more fancied Germans all the way to the end. Everyone who watched the match (including the Germans) can admit that Germany’s performance was below-par but that what makes them such a threat. That they can produce a performance like that and still manage a victory. Low will surely have a few stern words for his defenders, who looked at times completely unable to handle the Turkish attack. Philipp Lahm looked uneasy and failed to cope with the runs that Sabri Sarıoğlu made at him. Though scoring the winning goal will have redeemed his performance, it came as a surprise that Lahm was named man of the match. I also found it surprising to see how Germany failed to take control of the midfield by missing Torsten Frings, they will surely need him to make a full recovery for the final. The prospect of playing Spain or Russia will need someone to cut off the supply of constant attacking football that they play.

Is it me or are the English press making too much noise over Colin Kazim-Richards? He seems a very average player but his name seems to be mentioned all the time.

Club News: Barcelona has contacted Zenit St Petersburg about purchasing Andrei Arshavin. They say his future will be sorted out when he returns from the European Championships but they have conceded that there is a strong possibility that he will be moving. Barcelona are looking to replace the out of favour Deco and it seems that Arshavin fits the bill perfectly. Arshavin has stated that Barcelona is his preferred destination over the English Premiership. I think the creativity, strength and flair of Arshavin is exactly what Josep Guardiola needs. Playing alongside with Messi will certainly see lots of chances created for Bojan and co. You have to think that if Barcelona were to buy Arshavin, what would that mean for Alex Hleb? Inter is no longer a possibility with the appointment of Mourinho and A.C Milan don’t have the resources to purchase him.

Marseille have signed highly rated Lyon winger Ben Arfa on a season loan. Ben Arfa was reportedly unhappy about the lack of first team opportunities he got last season. This move will allow him to fill the void of the departing Nasri. Honestly, I am surprised that no other European clubs have attempted to buy him, his ability to attack defenses is beyond his years though he could work on his crossing, he is a creative talent that would fit in well with most clubs.

Georgian FA have contacted former Chelsea boss Avram Grant about the possibility of managing the national team. Grant did a good job under the circumstances he was in last season for Chelsea and he deserves to receive a better job offer than Georgia. I would be very surprised if he were to accept the position.

Finally, Diego Milito of Real Zaragoza is reported to have caught the attention of Manchester City. The 29 year-old had a fine season scoring a total of 15 goals. Zaragoza will be looking to hang on to there captain but might be tempted to let him go depending on the offer.

Does Kanu warrant a 2 year contract extension?

Keep Donadoni, Harry Redknapp's Dream Team and Paul Ince

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:30:57 -0500

It’s difficult to call, should Donadoni go or should he stay? If one were judging him purely on the results that Italy produced under his tenure and comparing him to his more successful predecessor, he would have to go. However, Donadoni inherited a side who are more experienced than physical, relying on the older generation that played their best football in the pre-scandal era. Though it’s not his fault, the up and coming talent of Pazzini and Montolivio and Rossi are still too young to dominate the international stage, most of them having less than 10 caps of experience to there name. So being safe in his selection he called upon experience to take Italy to Geneva. A sensible choice but some of his more experienced players have let him down with Marco Materazzi looking as immobile as there fallen captain and Luca Toni failing to recapture the form he produced for Bayern. The big man squandered so many opportunities that his attempted bicycle kick against Spain could sum up his entire tournament. With results in mind and his great escape from the group of death, I say keep Donadoni and let him redeem himself in South Africa. The emergence of the future talents will supply Donadoni with enough talent to make an impact and the world’s biggest stage.

Club News: It seems that Ince will face a battle in keeping his star players this summer, with the likes of Bentley looking for European football and Roque Santa Cruz being tracked by a host of clubs. Ince has already given a warning to any clubs who are interested in his star players that they must look for alternative players. If Ince does manage to keep hold of his players I strongly believe he will only have one season to prove to them that he can take the club to the next level. Next season will prove a true test for him, as a poor season under his management will trigger many of his star players to depart. Best of luck to Ince.

Harry Redknapp’s dream of reuniting with Peter Crouch has seemed to take a blow, with Liverpool chiefs demanding more than the current offer of 9million pounds. Redknapp, who is looking to bolster his attacking options with an experienced international player ahead of there Uefa Cup campaign. I’m sure that Crouch would want the opportunity to play regular first team football again, he is certainly is a player who has capabilities to make an impact for Portsmouth. If Portsmouth were to sign him, I am sure that will spell the end of David Nugents career at the club.

Boca Juniors have entered the race to sign out of favour Ronaldinho. The Argentinean press has claimed that he and his brother have held talks with officials at Boca Juniors. However, Ronaldinho agent has hinted that Ronaldinho favors a move to A.C Milan next season despite the prospect of playing Uefa Cup football.

'Nothing has changed. We know that Milan like Ronaldinho and that Ronaldinho likes Milan and we will continue to work to bring the best player in the world to the best club in the world.'

Dutch Newspapers have confirmed that NEC Nijmegen have failed in there bid to bring Chelsea striker Ben Sahar. It is expected that he will join Portsmouth on loan next season. It seems more likely that Redknapp plans to field 11 strikes next season.

It could be the greatest team, ever.

Diagnoses: Peaking too soon

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 07:40:05 -0500

Dutch FA: What happened doc? He was doing so well. He seemed fit, strong and there was an air of confidence about him.

Doctor: He suffered from a case of peaking too soon, I’m sorry for your loss.

Dutch FA (KNVB): I don’t understand. peaking too soon?

Doctor: Yes, its case normally suffered by New-Zealanders when entering a Rugby competition. They do extremely well before the tournament by brushing teams aside and producing outstanding performances. The problem comes from the pressure of the fans, media and coaches to maintain this high standard, that when there is a chance they might lose…they start to panic.

Dutch FA (KNVB): oh, I see. Maybe next time

Fair play to Russia who completely deserved there win, at times during the match they completely took control of the match. The defense was well-aware at back and contained them for long periods of time, causing the Dutch to become frustrated and to take there chances from long distances. However, I was bit surprised that the Dutch looked slightly tired and sluggish during extra time compared to the Russians, even though most of there star players got to rest during the third Match day.

Well done to Guus Hiddink for leading Russia to the semi-finals, which is a fantastic achievement. However, I was annoyed with his antics and celebrations at the end. It is one thing to knock-out your home country but to celebrate in his manner was disrespectful to all the Dutch fans. He could have taken an example from much younger professionals such as Podolski on how to act when you defeat your home nation.

Club News: James McFadden is reported to have told his agent he wants to leave Birmingham after they were relegated to the Championships. This is understandable, McFadden is in the prime of his career and would want to push his abilities at the highest level. With Celtic reported interested in him and I’m sure a number of Premiership clubs will inquire about his availability.

Bastian Schweinsteiger speaks about his desire to one day play in the Premiership. With his contract at Bayern almost expiring, the move might materialize this summer. He spoke to Sunday Mail:

"England does have a good appeal as it is one of the world's best leagues. "I've always wanted to play there and we'll see if it happens this year."

If he does move to the English Premiership, I am sure he will be looking to move to one of the big four. I see him as a good addition to the Liverpool squad, who need more goals and supply from the midfield.

Lots of news about Adebayor but since writing anything down about this will only be repeating what a million other blogs and news articles have said about him. So I move on To Roma who have signed the other half of Mirko Vucini for a reported 12 million euros from Lecce. I think he was over priced purchase of a striker who only returned 9 goals last season. If Roma do really want to push Inter for the title especially with the appointment of Mourinho, they must make more inspirational signings than Riise and Vucinic.

To end with Wolfsburg are looking to add to there impressive signings of Barzagli and Zaccardo with an attempt purchase the small-town boy Alexander Hleb. I think the lovely and quite scenery of Wolfsburg and the calmness of Uefa Cup football is exactly what Alex Hleb needs.

Ronaldo, Michael Laudrup and the end of FC Twente

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:28:48 -0500

Congratulations must go to the German national team for producing a stunning performance to knock-out the Portuguese. To contain the talent of Portugal was never going to be easy but the midfield performance of the Germans must be a testament of their grit and desire to win this competition. Some eye-brows were obviously raised at the poor defending and Ricardo’s hesitancy will surely cost him his number one jersey. Controversy came in the form of Michael Ballack giving a slight push to the Portuguese defender before heading in the ball. Scolari claims it may have made the difference between winning and losing but to be honest Germany were the superior side and fully deserved their win. Let’s all just hope that Croatia vs. Turkey will be as entertaining!

That was Scolari last game in charge of Portugal before he takes over the reign at Stamford Bridge. I’m sure with the Portuguese campaign over more will be said about Ronaldo’s future and Big Phil’s plans for Chelsea. Ronaldo after the game gave an interview and claimed he would make a decision in a couple of days about his future, but it is evident with his latest comments that he favors a move to Madrid

"It is a dream, a step forward, you can call it what you want. For me it is a great opportunity, and as Scolari says, that train passes by only once, and we have to take advantage of it.”

I think this has been a problem in football for long now. It’s rare that you see the type of loyalty that Giggs, Maldini and Shearer had for there clubs. Players these days are quick to jump at a move to one of the so called “elite” clubs. As clubs spend time nurturing and developing there players and patiently waiting for them to reach there potential, clubs such as Real and Barca step-in and persuade the players to switch clubs once they are in there prime. It rarely works out, players such as Anelka, Reyes, Gravesen and Emerson are just some of the examples of players who get wide-eyed at the prospect of joining Real. A move to Real for Ronaldo would be a step backwards for him, playing in a league like the Premiership and under the guidance of United can only ensure he will become one of the greatest of his generation. I honestly feel disappointed for Sir Alex who invested a lot of energy into Ronaldo to change him from the over flamboyant winger he was a few seasons ago. It comes as surprise that Ronaldo would take advice to move to Real from Scolari as it seems he is just driven by money and would see this as a great financial opportunity.

Club News: The former Danish international Michael Laudrup is interested in taking over at Blackburn. In my previous post I wrote that Paul Ince would be the correct appointment but now with Laudrup in the frame I have changed my stance. I have always been a favorite of Laudrup, I think he would be great Manager and quite possibly be better than Mark Hughes. He was won numerous Danish trophies and awards but he did a fantastic job of replacing Shuster at Getafe. His most notable achievement with Getafe was their Uefa Cup run which saw them reach the Quarter Finals. They were able to breach the Bayern defense four-times but lost on away goals. Laudrup brings attacking football and can push Blackburn to Europe.

Tottenham have purchased the Argentinean right-winger Santana for a reported £4 million form Fiorentina. I’m a big fan of Fiorentina and Santana was one of my favorite players. He has great dribbling and crossing capabilities but I think he might be to weak for the Premiership, I think he will struggle to adapted in his first season. He has struggled though to make first-team in his last season with the Florence club and it seems that Ramos took advantage of this to make him part of his new revolution.

FC Twente has appointed Steve McClaren as there new manager and let us hope that they can stay in the First Division next season….fingers crossed

The Red Army, The Russian Hitman and Paul Ince

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:27:33 -0500

To start off with, the Russia vs Sweden match must be discussed. Guus Hiddink has always proved he is a master-mind at what he does but his recent achievement of steering Russia into the Quarter finals is highly impressive. Russia started of the campaign with a whipping from Spain and i must admit i thought i would be difficult for Russia to regain their confidence in time to secure a place in the next round. However, Guus got his red army up and running again and secured victories against the European Champions and shutting out the attacking threat of Ibrahimovic and co. to book a place against the un-stoppable Dutch. One has to wonder, if any one can stop Holland it would be the Dutch born Guus Hiddink. His knowledge and experience of Dutch football and his ability to shut out attacks will be his biggest assets when facing a team that has shown no mercy to world-class defenders.

A player i like a lot from the Russian National team is Roman Pavlyuchenko. He currently practices his trade at Spartak Moscow. I think he would be a great signing for one of the mid-table clubs looking to push for Europe. He scored an impressive two goals against England during the qualifications, he has the physical features to dominate a game (1.88cm and 78kgs) and most importantly he can read the game like a child reads Harry Potter. What im trying to say is that a host of clubs will be contacting his agent when the championship ends.

Tonight's game Germany vs Portugal will be great, two world-class teams going for a win will provide for a classic encounter. I'm convinced this is the decider on who will face Spain in the finals. Portugal will take full advantage of the extra week of rest most of their star players got and the fact there manager Low will be sitting in the stands.

Club News: Roma have signed out of favour Riise for a reported £3.96million. I think that’s a great purchase for the price they got him. Riise comes with a wealth of Champions League experience, International Experience and a sweet left foot that is aching to play consistent football.

Sky Sports understands that Paul Ince is the favorite to take over from Mark Hughes. Personally i think he has done a great job at MK Dons and he has the desire to do well at Blackburn. Steve McClaren and Sam Allardyce would be a step backwards for Blackburn, personally i would like to see Steve McClaren retire from managing or at least apply for an assistant job at Leeds Utd.

In other news Brazil vs Argentina was a complete bore. Messi missed two complete sitters and concerns came over Man Utd Anderson who was taken off by stretcher. This result is bad news for Brazil who lost their previous qualifying match against Paraguay 2-0 leaving then in fourth place.

Lots of pressure on Dunga.

Axe Domenech, Return of Sidwell and that guy from Lille

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:20:03 -0500

So to start off with, I want to explain what my blog entails. Basically it's a discussion off all the doings in the world of football and what makes it so beautiful. I concentrate mostly on Europe and the fantastic league called the English premiership. I'm an Arsenal fan at heart but my discussions will not revolve around them and i will try my best to be unbiased during my posts. If anyone ever feels when reading my posts that i am favoring the brilliance of the red and white, please drop me a note.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s begin with what a disaster France's European campaign was. Ever since Raymond Domenech revealed who he was taking with him to Switzerland, they were destined to failure. Though the likes of Makélélé and Thuram boast experience of previous major competitions, there age must be questioned. I strongly believe that Domenech reluctance to begin the French transition to a new generation of footballers has cost France a humiliating exit and most likely his job. One has to wonder if France could have produced a more competitive edge with players like Flamini bossing the midfield and Nasri pulling the strings along side with Ribery.

When the inevitable axe does fall on Domenech, a call for a revoultion must be made. The new coach (my money is on Didier Deschamps) must begin to start players like Frey, Nasri, Flamini, Clichy/Evra, Gomis, Mexes. etc so they can build enough experiance to rock the 2010 World Cup.

A look at tonight’s fixture has the dead rubber match between Spain and Greece. Greece will be looking to salvage some pride and avoid the unwanted record of being the first reigning European Champions to fail to score when attempting to defend there title. Spain will make a host of changes with the game against Italy in mind, players like Fabregas and Albiol will be looking to produce a performance that will force them into the starting line-up.

Club Football: Aston Villa has purchased Steve Sidwell for a reported £5.5million, which i think is a great purchase. Sidwell will be looking to revive his career and he could be seen as the replacement of the Champions League thirsty Gareth Barry.

Reports have suggested that Spurs are interested in signing Podolski because they could always do with more strikers. I don't think he will be looking to leave with the appointment of Klinsmann at Bayern, im sure the ex-German Manager has Podolski in his future plans despite Hitzfeld benching him for most of the season. He is certainly proving his worth at the European Championships

In France, the seven time champions (that’s ridiculous) Lyon have appointed Claude Puel as there new manager. The former Lille manager will have the responsibility of taking them to there 8th title in a row hahaha. His achievements come in the form of a French Championship winner in 2000 with Monaco and leading Lille to an impressive 2nd place in 2005 and 3rd in 2006. However, most of you will remember him when he started to sulk and attempted to take his players of the pitch, when Ryan Giggs took a quick free kick against them in the Champions League resulting in a goal.

Other than that, there is nothing interesting to talk about but if you feel like a laugh than the football quote of the day comes from newly signed Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who claims that Bolton can push for Europe.

"Bolton are a big club and have been in Europe before. We can do that again especially with the players we have here and those the manager is trying to bring in."

I swear I just saw pigs fly.