Premier League and European Football Comment and Analysis

Chelsea: The New Invincibles?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:10:47 -0500

I know it’s only been one game, but it’s not only me who’s thinking it. Right?

Joe Cole, Anelka, Lampard and Deco formed the quartet of goal scorers who punished Portsmouth for being a better-than-average team who dared not to put 10 men behind the ball at Stanford Bridge. What was Harry Redknapp thinking when he came up with his game-plan? Did he believe that his two average strikers (Crouch and Defoe) would really threaten the central defensive triangle of Carvalho, Terry and Mikel? There’s no doubt that Redknapp should have played a defensive game if he didn’t want Portsmouth to get hammered, but don’t let his mistake detract from Chelsea’s brilliant performance.

Joe Cole impressed from the kick-off in the first game of the season and scored the first goal. Joe Cole’s impressive performance is not to be ignored given his lack of opportunities to play in the last few seasons. Deco showed the vision and coolness in possession which belies his Brazilian blood and rounded off the game with a swerving goal from 25 yards out. However, Bosingwa, rather than Deco, has been Chelsea’s key signing. I was lucky enough to be sitting on the right side of the pitch Chelsea were attacking in the first half, so I had a particularly good view of Bosingwa bossing the right flank. The addition of Bosingwa on the right and Ashley Cole on the left gives Chelsea two Brazilian-style attacking full-backs to provide width and speed.

The only weakness in Chelsea’s squad is up-front. Anelka scored and looked dangerous, but he didn’t put in the extra effort required to stretch for a couple passes which could have been converted into goal-scoring opportunities. We have yet to see Monsieur Anelka really push himself to reach his potential yet again. Shevchenko must be given a good run of games before January, when Scolari must take the decision to keep him, if he finally comes good, or sell him for an inevitable loss. Kalou has shown ability, but not enough for Scolari to think he could score 20 plus league goals if he was given a starting striker role. So, that leaves Drogba as the only fully reliable striker. However, Chelsea will definitely score more goals from midfield than from their strikers as Lampard, Deco and Joe Cole will push forward in all games. Still, the addition of Robinho would complete the Chelsea squad. Better still, why not buy Berbatov? Spurs are prepared to sell him for about £30m and they would prefer not to sell him to Manchester United. With Berbatov leading the forward line for Chelsea, it would be game over for Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool.

OK, so Chelsea smashed Portsmouth and have a strong squad, but what of Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool. Well, I have the feeling that Liverpool will drop out of the top 4 this season and finish as low as sixth. Why? That’s what my next article will be about. Man U without Ronaldo at his best will finish second or third. The Portu-geezer has probably started wearing Real Madrid pyjamas to bed in anticipation of his likely move to the Bernabeu at the end of the season. Tevez and Rooney are talented strikers but they need good midfield service. If Ronaldo does not perform, the task of creating opportunities will fall to Nani and Andersen, who have the skills required but not the experience to undo the likes of Chelsea. Old Red-Face may have to resort to fielding Scholes and Giggs to provide service to his strikers, which would be particularly satisfying after his comments about Chelsea being too old to win.

That leaves Arsenal as the team most likely to challenge Chelsea for the title. In their games against FC Twente and West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal didn’t show the qualities needed to be Premier League champions. However, they have a number of key players to return from injury, in particular Rosicky, Toure and Fabregas. Also, Wenger has stated that he will be buying a midfielder. Once again, fans and journalists alike don’t know what to expect from Arsenal this season. If Van Persie stays injury-free, he should bag about 20 to 25 league goals; remember he had a great scoring run at the start of last season before he was injured. Also, Samir Nasri comes with a lot of games for Marseille under his belt and is considered a very talented player.

Apart from Chelsea’s trips to the Emirates and Old Trafford, I can’t see a game that Chelsea are likely not to win, let alone lose. Newcastle, Man U’s regular six-pointer, have already shown that Man U can be shaken at home; and once again, Arsenal failed to kill-off weak opposition at home. So, Chelsea’s trips to Arsenal and Man U could be fruitful. Even though it’s just been one game, only one team has shown their intent to win the title. So, can Chelsea become the New Invincibles? It’s worth a punt!

By Sam Jordan.

You can read more of my articles at: http://www.thefootballfix.com/

Messi vs Ronaldo - Who's the Top Trump?

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:17:24 -0500

Christiano Ronaldo has occupied the back pages of our news papers for nearly a year now, from the start of last season when he started his amazing run of form for Man United to now when the papers are obsessively speculating on the end of Ronaldo’s Man United career. He’s even managed to get himself in the fashion pages with his over-tanned body, short-shorts and pink t-shirt ensemble. Non-United and United fans alike are sick of hearing about the Portugeezer’s life as a poor football ‘slave’. But, his magnificent ability and goal-scoring record gives him the right to be the most talked about player in England.

Meanwhile in La Liga (the Spanish Premier League), Lionel Messi is getting ready for the new season without Ronaldinho, the man who inspired Barcelona’s resurgence since 2003. Are the bosses at Barcelona right to place the weight of expectation on Messi’s shoulders? I think so. Messi does not get half the media coverage as Ronaldo, but this is largely because he looks like a young Peter Beardsley with long hair and lives a comparatively modest life off the pitch. This means that Messi is often over-looked in “who’s the best player” debates. Comparing the Barcelona maestro to Ronaldo will shed some light on whether Messi can step-up this coming season and contend to be the best player in Europe.

In terms of comparing their goal records, it’s best to look at the last two seasons as Messi wasn’t a regular starter for Barcelona before the 2006/07 season. Over the last two seasons, Ronaldo has netted a massive 48 league goals compared to just 24 goals by Messi. Ronaldo has played many more games, but his strike rate in the league is still much higher at 71% (goals divided by games played), while Messi’s strike rate is 44%. Lionel Messi has also made fewer goal assists than Ronaldo. Both players have a strike rate of 50% in the Champions League over the last two seasons, though Ronaldo has played more games and scored a few more goals.

So, Ronaldo has a far better record in the league, though he is a couple of years older than Messi and over the coming season we should see more goals from the skilful Argentinean as he starts to mature as a player. After all, Maradona himself named Messi his “Successor”.

Messi still has a long way to go if he is to fulfil Maradona’s prophecy, though he has put on some electric performances for Argentina and Barcelona, most notably his hat-trick against Real Madrid in the 2006/07 season. Barcelona had a man sent off just before half-time, but Messi managed to become the first player since Romario, in the 1993-94 season, to score a hat-trick in El Clasico. For now, the unofficial title of Europe’s best player belongs to Ronaldo, but the coming season is Messi’s best chance to show he’s got the unrivalled ability to fill Maradona’s boots.

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AC Milan Go Brazilian - Ronaldinho links up with Kaka & Pato at the San Siro

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:29:55 -0500

Ronaldinho, Kaka, Pato, Ronaldo, Emerson and Dida make it six Brazilians in AC Milan’s squad for this season.

The younger three Brazilians, Ronaldinho, Kaka and Pato, are set to takeover from their older countrymen. Ronaldo is out with a serious knee injury, newly-acquired Mathieu Flamini should start ahead of the veteran Emerson and it’s about time Milan bought a younger keeper to replace the ageing Dida.

Milan finished 5th in Serie A last season, just 2 points behind Fiorentina, which means Milan will be competing in the UEFA Cup this season rather than the Champions League. While disappointing for the team and Milan fans, missing out on the Champions League could help them develop into one of Europe’s best teams once again. It gives them the chance to phase out the older generation of players who were instrumental in their Champions League wins of 2007 (against Liverpool) and 2003 (against Juventus) but are now past their sell-by-date and have hindered the emergence of younger talent at the club.

One young star who has emerged despite the dominance of the old guard, is Alexandre Pato. He joined AC Milan from Internacional of Brazil for 22 million Euros in August 2007 and has so far scored 9 goals in 18 league games. English fans may remember seeing Pato playing against Arsenal at the San Siro in the Champions League last season. Arsenal won the game 2-0, but Pato came close to scoring a few times and put in an all-round impressive performance. However, since Pato is just 18 and still inexperienced as he has only played in 28 senior league games in total, so the responsibility for Milan’s resurrection will be shared by Kaka and Ronaldinho.

Kaka’s form and attitude has never been in doubt. His conservative Christian lifestyle and dedication to his wife has prevented him facing the distractions that left Ronaldinho out of the Barcelona team for a lot of games last season. Ronaldinho’s critics have often publicised that he’s more interested in partying than training, which has resulted in him putting on weight and losing form, they say. However, Ronaldinho showed the cameras his “six-pack” stomach at his AC Milan unveiling, proving that he’s shed the alleged excess weight he was carrying last season. In terms of skill and talent, Ronaldinho is the best player on the planet, but he needs to regain the hunger to win if he is to once again be the showman with a deadly strike that he once was.

Dunga, the manager of Brazil, has chosen Ronaldinho to captain Brazil’s team at the Olympics. The responsibility and honour of leading his country should help Ronaldinho mature as a player, which will benefit Milan and all of us fans who miss seeing the magic and genius of “Little Ronaldo”.

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