As I sit here watching the US Women's National Team in World Cup qualifying, I can't help but think that I have a problem. Something about the ball rolling across the ground is therapeutic. Of course, with the international break, the only sports I've been watching are baseball and football. Playoff baseball has some of the most climactic moments in all of sports, but those moments can't be relied upon.
Premier Leagues football is back! Time to re-engage with the storylines. ... Chelsea has the best passer, best dribbler, most in-form finisher, and arguably, the best manager in the league. Can their defense hold up? Will Man City's reliance on Yaya's domination of the midfield and Lampard's heroics be enough? Can Southampton maintain their excellent start with a thin squad? Will Man Utd play their 30th different squad member of the season?
Elsewhere, Gundogan will be back on the pitch with Dortmund, and Reus is nearing game fitness. I need to start watching the Bundesliga. Goltv needs to make a triumphant return.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The international break is finally over!
With domestic leagues back in action we can expect answers to all of our pressing questions, such as:
Which Arsenal player will spend the next eight weeks on the trainers table?
Can Liverpool’s Spanish fullbacks understand a word Brendan Rodgers says?
Is Louis Van Gaal really David Moyes wearing a well crafted mask?
Will Inter Milan be shamed for wearing American suits? (I suppose there weren't any home-grown options.)
And finally, who will win the battle of Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrows or Diego Simeone’s hair product?
Feel free to answer any and all questions in the comments below.
Which Arsenal player will spend the next eight weeks on the trainers table?
Can Liverpool’s Spanish fullbacks understand a word Brendan Rodgers says?
Is Louis Van Gaal really David Moyes wearing a well crafted mask?
Will Inter Milan be shamed for wearing American suits? (I suppose there weren't any home-grown options.)
And finally, who will win the battle of Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti’s eyebrows or Diego Simeone’s hair product?
Feel free to answer any and all questions in the comments below.
Monday, September 8, 2014
It Begins
Blogging is, by now, a cliched concept; perhaps believing one will discover, or create, something novel is akin to waiting for a thousand monkeys on a thousand typewriters to produce the complete works of Shakespeare. Despite the seemingly Sisyphean task that is attempting to make a worthwhile contribution to the double-stuffed burrito of online sporting critique, John Carson, ever the dreamer, has convinced me of the worthiness of participating in this (David) Seaman themed adventure. So, let us proceed onto the blurst of times.
Many of my posts will be unoriginal, most will be antagonistic. So that no one can accuse me of not being a man of my word, I’ll start my brief history of the off-season with notes on Manchester United.
It makes sense to start with United since they made the biggest splash in the transfer market (and happen to be Johnny’s team). What the hell are they doing? I don’t get it. Perhaps my fuller side burns and translucent pallor prevent me from understanding the rosy-cheeked Lou Van G’s long-term tactical project. They brought in legitimate talent, but paid over the top for almost all of it, and they have failed to fill areas of need. Is there a formation to accommodate three left backs and no central midfielders? If one exists, the Notorious L.V.G. is the man to find it. He impressed me this summer at the World Cup by guiding a slow, aging squad, short on talent, long on injury-prone egomaniacs all the way to third place. (Side note: is Juan Mata going to follow Kagawa, Hernandez and the great Luis Nani out the door? It is sad to see such a talented player undervalued by a second consecutive team.)
Chelsea look to have done good business. I am a bit skeptical that Costa and Cesc will remain healthy — but if they do, it will be an exciting year in West London. I was sad to see Lukaku go, and disappointed the midfield depth was not improved at the expensive of Ramires and/or Mikel, but thank god I no longer have to pretend to believe in Fernando Torres.
Arsenal’s transfer policy continues to mistily me. Every year it looks as if they’ve a strong squad with enough talent to make a title challenge if they can just add one or two key players—they always seem to have the cash available to do so—yet they prefer to perpetually build for the future. Instead of making a play for Javier Hernandez, Falcao, or Balotelli they spent big on Danny Welbeck; this is not to say Welbeck isn’t a solid player, but he isn’t in the same class as the later two names, and simply doesn’t possess the poacher’s instinct of Hernandez, who’s intelligent movement would have surely flourished were it supported by Arsenal’s slick passing midfield. Speaking of their midfield, it seems they should have added a player that can put in a tackle without getting injured.
Liverpool diversified their portfolio of talent, adding depth all over the pitch, however, I’m not sure it will be enough to fill the Suarez sized void up front. Balotelli has a world of talent and is worth the gamble (especially at the mooted transfer fee). I agree with John that Markovic looks like a real talent. Moreno is no slouch either.
City had a sensible offseason, adding depth and shedding dead weight, though I think Negredo will be missed. Aguero and Jovetic have missed a lot of time the past two seasons; if they stay healthy, City will be fine, but the pair have shown an inability to consistently do so.
Finally, I was saddened to watch the partial dismemberment of Southampton. Unfortunately, it looks like the vultures are still circling. How long will they be able to hold on to Ward-Prowse, Wanyama, Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez?
This marks the end of what is surly to be my most sensible, least inane post. I look forward to rambling maniacally without focus during future contributions. I know our readership (John and myself) look forward to viewing my thoughts.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Man Utd and Other Unimportant Premier League Transfer Notes
A few general notes before I get into the Manchester United dealings.
I can not remember this much action on deadline day. There is always talk leading up to it, but there was a lot of action this year. I suppose the World Cup delayed a lot of activity.
I can not remember this many loan deals of top class players. Well, maybe there was empty talk of a lot of loan deals, but players like Falcao and Chicharito usually don't go out on loan.
Mid-table teams were super busy. There was a lot of improvement in those squads. Several newcomers to the league. I suppose this is also a result of it being a World Cup year. Newcastle, Swansea, QPR, Hull City, Sunderland, Southampton (despite losing almost everyone) all added quality.
Harry Redknapp was again his busy self. He did the same thing at Tottenham several years back. The man knows how to get deals done and build a squad. I don't particularly like him, but he is damn good at his job.
Quick notables of last year's top six...
1) Man City did very limited work to an already fantastic squad - adding Fernando gives Toure even more freedom than he had with Fernandinho as his central midfield partner last year.
2) Liverpool bulked up their squad (probably too much) to compete on several fronts - Balotelli is a gamble but he was cheap, and Lazar Markovic looks to be top-shelf.
3) Chelsea made shrewd and fantastic deals - Costa, Fabregas, Remy in, Courtois returning, Torres out. They gave away some good young talent (Van Ginkel), but will be fine.
4) Arsenal made an excellent signing in Alexis Sanchez, and a decent signing in Welbeck, but missed out on a midfield enforcer capable of wielding his pork sword at opponents and teammates alike.
5) Everton held on to Lukaku and signed another decent frontman in Eto'o.
6) Pochettino came in knowing that the Tottenham squad was too big and trimmed it immediately - Dawson should've been shipped out about 6 years ago.
Now, for Manchester United fans (and rivals), a fairly thorough review of the summer's dealings.
Arrivals
Luke Shaw - Cost too much money for a youngster. Still plenty of years to grow into his game and an excellent prospect. Hopefully he can stay injury free so he can be a regular on the left-wing. Januzaj doesn't have enough defensive training to be effective on both sides of the ball, and Ashley Young out there is a disaster waiting to happen. Rojo and Blind can play there; I think Blind is likely to, but both will probably contribute more at other positions.
Ander Herrera - Not a bargain, but not a totally outrageous pricetag. He needs time to get up to the physicality of midfield play in the premiership. A look at City's central pairing of Yaya Toure and new signing Fernando, or Chelsea's Matic is telling of the power needed to operate on both sides of the ball. Sheer class on the ball, and excellent timing on passes in the open field should put other defenses on their heels. Also, good timing in the tackle, but he's a ball tackler, it works in Spain, but the premiership requires full-body tackling.
Marcos Rojo - This signing does a lot more than people give credit. He is a no nonsense player and confident defender. Phil Jones (who has too much confidence and too little control) is the only other defender with experience that doesn't look like a frightened deer. Smalling and Evans look scared, and Blackett looks comfortable but doesn't have enough experience yet to be a regular first-teamer. Rojo will play in the back, on the left, and I'm interested to see if he ever steps into a tackling holding midfielder role. He also gives the squad a much needed tattoo presence. Get the man a work permit! I don't remember the last time it took this long for a top club to wait on the work permit. He has missed two games since his signing. Defense wasn't necessarily the issue in those games; although, Johnny Evans and Michael Keane have definitely taken their chance to prove that they do not belong on the pitch. Shame considering two seasons ago Evans was the most consistent defensive performer.
Angel Di Maria - Finally a player that has pace, can run between the lines and past players, and deliver a killer pass. Valencia has pace and power, but chooses to keep the ball instead of go around a player, and doesn't have enough dexterity to deliver the variety of passes needed in the final third. Herrera can run in between the lines and offer the passes, but he doesn't have the electric pace. A lot of talk about whether or not Di Maria is worth the money. He is. Fortunately, there was plenty of money left to provide the support around him.
Daley Blind - Woodward left it late - I'm assuming because they were looking at other midfield options - but this is an excellent, safe, and absolutely necessary signing. Van Gaal and Blind know success together. Ajax player of the year in 2012-2013 as a left-back, and Eredivisie player of the year in 2013-2014 as a holding midfielder. Will probably play holding midfield. He'll likely replace Fletcher, though Herrera and Fletcher have both been underwhelming. It'll be interesting to see how Carrick fits in when he's fit, if he's fit; he struggled with injuries last year, is not getting any younger, and has likely lost a step or two off of his already slow gait.
Radamel Falcao - The best number 9 in the world two years ago. Went to Monaco to play in relative obscurity and got his knee mangled. Intelligent, creative, team-oriented, and a born finisher. Rooney and Van Persie are world class, Falcao has out-of-this-world class. Not sure if Van Gaal will truly show how big his balls are these days and put all three on together (doubtful), or if it'll be a standard two striker on, one off rotation. In any case, he still has the potential to be the best number 9 in the world, and might come back even stronger having had the majority of last season and the summer off to rehabilitate his ankle and lighten the overall load on his body.
Notable Departures
Nani - He had one good season, and several chances to find a way into the starting lineup during his tenure, but he is a confidence player. What he lacked in confidence, he also lacked in his willingness to play with teammates. He has a great upside, but his baseline is below the floorboards. Good to see him go. Perhaps he can recapture some form at Sporting.
Shinji Kagawa - Yesterday was a sad day. It is a shame that Moyes and Van Gaal couldn't get him on the pitch. I was angry every game last year when he wasn't playing. I would have been again this year. Not just angry that he wasn't playing, but that the sport was missing out on watching such a talent. A sheer joy to watch: pace, guile, elegance, intelligence, and danger. He has all in abundance. The football world is receiving a gift now that his abilities will be on display with regular football at BVB.
Javier Hernandez - His passing and play on the ball improved over the last season, but he's not a striker capable of delivering on his own when it's needed. There is a lot to be said about his excellent movement off the ball, but it never developed into intelligent movement. He'll have a plethora of chances to score at Real Madrid with their abundance of playmakers on the pitch. He deserves the chance that he has always desired. Not a great loss for United, but a great signing for Madrid.
Danny Welbeck - It is possible that he will be given proper boots and no longer play in the ice skates that he's worn for most of his United career. Lightning pace, good dribbling skill, occasional flair in link up play, but too often a bad touch when it needs to be precise. Good signing for Arsenal. He'll probably add 12-20 goals to their books this year. And he gives them a dimension that they are missing without Walcott (and Gervinho).
Vidic/Ferdinand/Evra - They should do well in the twilight of their careers at Inter, QPR, and Juventus respectively. Great servants, but have been losing their top class abilities over the last 3 or 4 seasons.
Unfortunate Remaining Fringe Players
Tom Cleverley - Somehow two or three clubs could not close a deal on him. I can't imagine that United did a lot to prevent the deals. He has the ability to be a decent possession midfielder, which means, he doesn't offer much other than the occasional driven pass, a lot of backpasses and a few interceptions.
Update! Cleverley signed with Aston Villa on a season-long loan.
Marouane Fellaini - (In)Conveniently injured in the first match of the season. He can offer a big target off the bench, but he is a liability in the tackle, and doesn't have the pace of play required in midfield. Ideally, he would be an enforcer in midfield, but he's too dirty at a highly visible position, and doesn't resist throwing elbows even if he's three yards from the ref.
Anderson - I still think he's got superb passing and ball control, and he's got great spirit, problem is that his appetite is bigger than those qualities. Hopefully he can stay fit and find a club where he can get in the team.
I can not remember this much action on deadline day. There is always talk leading up to it, but there was a lot of action this year. I suppose the World Cup delayed a lot of activity.
I can not remember this many loan deals of top class players. Well, maybe there was empty talk of a lot of loan deals, but players like Falcao and Chicharito usually don't go out on loan.
Mid-table teams were super busy. There was a lot of improvement in those squads. Several newcomers to the league. I suppose this is also a result of it being a World Cup year. Newcastle, Swansea, QPR, Hull City, Sunderland, Southampton (despite losing almost everyone) all added quality.
Harry Redknapp was again his busy self. He did the same thing at Tottenham several years back. The man knows how to get deals done and build a squad. I don't particularly like him, but he is damn good at his job.
Quick notables of last year's top six...
1) Man City did very limited work to an already fantastic squad - adding Fernando gives Toure even more freedom than he had with Fernandinho as his central midfield partner last year.
2) Liverpool bulked up their squad (probably too much) to compete on several fronts - Balotelli is a gamble but he was cheap, and Lazar Markovic looks to be top-shelf.
3) Chelsea made shrewd and fantastic deals - Costa, Fabregas, Remy in, Courtois returning, Torres out. They gave away some good young talent (Van Ginkel), but will be fine.
4) Arsenal made an excellent signing in Alexis Sanchez, and a decent signing in Welbeck, but missed out on a midfield enforcer capable of wielding his pork sword at opponents and teammates alike.
5) Everton held on to Lukaku and signed another decent frontman in Eto'o.
6) Pochettino came in knowing that the Tottenham squad was too big and trimmed it immediately - Dawson should've been shipped out about 6 years ago.
Now, for Manchester United fans (and rivals), a fairly thorough review of the summer's dealings.
Arrivals
Luke Shaw - Cost too much money for a youngster. Still plenty of years to grow into his game and an excellent prospect. Hopefully he can stay injury free so he can be a regular on the left-wing. Januzaj doesn't have enough defensive training to be effective on both sides of the ball, and Ashley Young out there is a disaster waiting to happen. Rojo and Blind can play there; I think Blind is likely to, but both will probably contribute more at other positions.
Ander Herrera - Not a bargain, but not a totally outrageous pricetag. He needs time to get up to the physicality of midfield play in the premiership. A look at City's central pairing of Yaya Toure and new signing Fernando, or Chelsea's Matic is telling of the power needed to operate on both sides of the ball. Sheer class on the ball, and excellent timing on passes in the open field should put other defenses on their heels. Also, good timing in the tackle, but he's a ball tackler, it works in Spain, but the premiership requires full-body tackling.
Marcos Rojo - This signing does a lot more than people give credit. He is a no nonsense player and confident defender. Phil Jones (who has too much confidence and too little control) is the only other defender with experience that doesn't look like a frightened deer. Smalling and Evans look scared, and Blackett looks comfortable but doesn't have enough experience yet to be a regular first-teamer. Rojo will play in the back, on the left, and I'm interested to see if he ever steps into a tackling holding midfielder role. He also gives the squad a much needed tattoo presence. Get the man a work permit! I don't remember the last time it took this long for a top club to wait on the work permit. He has missed two games since his signing. Defense wasn't necessarily the issue in those games; although, Johnny Evans and Michael Keane have definitely taken their chance to prove that they do not belong on the pitch. Shame considering two seasons ago Evans was the most consistent defensive performer.
Angel Di Maria - Finally a player that has pace, can run between the lines and past players, and deliver a killer pass. Valencia has pace and power, but chooses to keep the ball instead of go around a player, and doesn't have enough dexterity to deliver the variety of passes needed in the final third. Herrera can run in between the lines and offer the passes, but he doesn't have the electric pace. A lot of talk about whether or not Di Maria is worth the money. He is. Fortunately, there was plenty of money left to provide the support around him.
Daley Blind - Woodward left it late - I'm assuming because they were looking at other midfield options - but this is an excellent, safe, and absolutely necessary signing. Van Gaal and Blind know success together. Ajax player of the year in 2012-2013 as a left-back, and Eredivisie player of the year in 2013-2014 as a holding midfielder. Will probably play holding midfield. He'll likely replace Fletcher, though Herrera and Fletcher have both been underwhelming. It'll be interesting to see how Carrick fits in when he's fit, if he's fit; he struggled with injuries last year, is not getting any younger, and has likely lost a step or two off of his already slow gait.
Radamel Falcao - The best number 9 in the world two years ago. Went to Monaco to play in relative obscurity and got his knee mangled. Intelligent, creative, team-oriented, and a born finisher. Rooney and Van Persie are world class, Falcao has out-of-this-world class. Not sure if Van Gaal will truly show how big his balls are these days and put all three on together (doubtful), or if it'll be a standard two striker on, one off rotation. In any case, he still has the potential to be the best number 9 in the world, and might come back even stronger having had the majority of last season and the summer off to rehabilitate his ankle and lighten the overall load on his body.
Notable Departures
Nani - He had one good season, and several chances to find a way into the starting lineup during his tenure, but he is a confidence player. What he lacked in confidence, he also lacked in his willingness to play with teammates. He has a great upside, but his baseline is below the floorboards. Good to see him go. Perhaps he can recapture some form at Sporting.
Shinji Kagawa - Yesterday was a sad day. It is a shame that Moyes and Van Gaal couldn't get him on the pitch. I was angry every game last year when he wasn't playing. I would have been again this year. Not just angry that he wasn't playing, but that the sport was missing out on watching such a talent. A sheer joy to watch: pace, guile, elegance, intelligence, and danger. He has all in abundance. The football world is receiving a gift now that his abilities will be on display with regular football at BVB.
Javier Hernandez - His passing and play on the ball improved over the last season, but he's not a striker capable of delivering on his own when it's needed. There is a lot to be said about his excellent movement off the ball, but it never developed into intelligent movement. He'll have a plethora of chances to score at Real Madrid with their abundance of playmakers on the pitch. He deserves the chance that he has always desired. Not a great loss for United, but a great signing for Madrid.
Danny Welbeck - It is possible that he will be given proper boots and no longer play in the ice skates that he's worn for most of his United career. Lightning pace, good dribbling skill, occasional flair in link up play, but too often a bad touch when it needs to be precise. Good signing for Arsenal. He'll probably add 12-20 goals to their books this year. And he gives them a dimension that they are missing without Walcott (and Gervinho).
Vidic/Ferdinand/Evra - They should do well in the twilight of their careers at Inter, QPR, and Juventus respectively. Great servants, but have been losing their top class abilities over the last 3 or 4 seasons.
Unfortunate Remaining Fringe Players
Tom Cleverley - Somehow two or three clubs could not close a deal on him. I can't imagine that United did a lot to prevent the deals. He has the ability to be a decent possession midfielder, which means, he doesn't offer much other than the occasional driven pass, a lot of backpasses and a few interceptions.
Update! Cleverley signed with Aston Villa on a season-long loan.
Marouane Fellaini - (In)Conveniently injured in the first match of the season. He can offer a big target off the bench, but he is a liability in the tackle, and doesn't have the pace of play required in midfield. Ideally, he would be an enforcer in midfield, but he's too dirty at a highly visible position, and doesn't resist throwing elbows even if he's three yards from the ref.
Anderson - I still think he's got superb passing and ball control, and he's got great spirit, problem is that his appetite is bigger than those qualities. Hopefully he can stay fit and find a club where he can get in the team.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Getting Underway
This blog is a tribute to Arsenal's and England's greatest goalkeeper of all-time David Seaman. Not really. Maybe he was their best goalkeeper; neither squad has the highest reputation for a top-level minder in between the posts. He did help propel Ronaldinho's career to the next level. For that he deserves credit. I digress. Point is...this is not a David Seaman blog. And we hope to never mention him again. Enjoy. Or not.
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