United Captain Controversy

            There is one player who has stolen the headlines for each Manchester United game, win or loss, and that is Wayne Rooney. Selected as the captain for the team by coach Louis Van Gaal, that decision and the choices made by Rooney on the field have arisen many questions and doubts as to Rooney’s capabilities as captain. Throughout recent games, Rooney has failed to prove his leadership qualities to many, and some believe that he does not deserve the role of captain.

            During that staggering defeat last week against Leicester City, Rooney began to show these qualities, or faults to some. As United began to break down on defense and allow attack by Leicester, Rooney seemed to collapse or break down himself under pressure. During a certain play, Rooney had the chance to clear an attacking ball by Leicester, which he failed to do efficiently, and eventually the play led to a goal on United. As captain, Rooney at that point should have accepted the mistakes and tried to encourage the team, and himself, to fix them. However, the controversial captain proceeded to go from teammate to teammate, yelling at them for their mistakes rather than help the team reassemble or take responsibility for his own mistakes. This leadership is deemed by many as “fake”, as the leader or captain is not always the one yelling at teammates but leading the team through his play, and this is not what Rooney did at this game, and the game eventually fell to a 5-3 loss by United.

            Now, Rooney was given another opportunity to lead his team up the table, with a home game against West Ham United. The game looked to be a successful show by United, leading at half 2-1, one of which was scored by Rooney himself. As United were seemingly in a comfortable position going forward, their defensive side again looked quite shaky. As Rooney tracked back, he was unable to catch up to West Ham midfielder Downing, and kicked him from behind in the United half. Rooney was then promptly sent off by the referee, leaving his team to hold on to their slight lead without their captain. As leader of the team, Rooney should have seen United’s position score-wise and not have made the tackle. Rooney put his team in jeopardy, and was lucky to see a win in the end. Also, the captain will sit out for three following games in the season, leaving an already unstable side without their leader. Rooney does not fit the role of captain of his team in my opinion, as he does not truly lead his team nor does he make decisions that help the team, but rather he decides to not play at all.

Premier League Transfers Part II

                Finally, transfer season discussions end for the summer, and, although talk has already begun for the next transfers, I am finishing the summaries of Premier League transfers.

 Liverpool:

                Losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona early in the summer left a large role to fill in Liverpool’s attack as Suarez was a large goal-scorer for the team and had a great previous season. With such an important piece to the puzzle lost, I wonder if Liverpool will ever reach their top form of last season and if the team will grow together. To fill in the gaps, Mario Balotelli was brought in from AC Milan with mixed feelings from Liverpool fans. Most agree that he should score goals for the team, maybe as Suarez did but some also feel that the risk of his behavior acting up is not worth it. Overall, I am slightly worried that Liverpool might not have the season they did last time and it may become a disappointment if they can’t come together.

Arsenal:

                This season, Arsenal is looking to rise into the top four and even compete for the title, but they needed a reliable transfer season to have a chance at these efforts. While Arsenal did not lose many key players from their squad, they did look to build on it. Bringing in Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona at 30 million pounds, Arsenal should benefit from this trade should Sanchez fit the playing style of the team. Another player brought in is Danny Welbeck from Manchester United. This trade and others did spark some controversy as fans feel that they are not to the caliber of Arsenal, and I can see what they mean as these are not the top end players that many expect. However, these transfers are in no way bad, and they should all be helpful in some way towards improving the Arsenal side.

Throughout all of the transfers and scrambling to improve squads, one point is becoming clear as the season begins: the smaller teams in the league are competing with even the best teams and there is no clear favorite for the title yet. Many expected the Manchester United side to make top four, but now spectators question their ability to beat teams at the bottom of the table. This season in the Premier League should prove to be very interesting and unpredictable, and I hope to be able to shed some light on all of it throughout the season.

Manchester United Defeated Again

                For many of the fans in red today, the Manchester United game was a disgrace and a shame, and for many, a confirmation of the doubts of this team. As Louis Van Gaal took the coaching position of this team this year, he looked to improve and build up this team, but it seems that not enough was done for new players this year and the squad is not working as a team. Spending 150 million pounds this summer on top strikers such as Falcao and Angel Di Maria while picking up smaller name defenders such as Marcos Rojo, it has been worried that United will have to outscore their opponents rather than keep the other team from scoring. This has been confirmed by the start of the season for this team.

                With a slow start to the season having lost a game and tied two, United were looking very grim this last week. Then, as fans became desperate for any sign of improvement, United crushed QPR at home last Sunday 4-0. Some fans saw this as the end to the team’s slump, while others insisted that the game meant very little as to how the team would fair throughout the season as they were not challenged defensively. Today, it seemed, would decide the verdict; whether or not the team could last an entire 90 minutes ahead of their opponents, and at the start it seemed they would, with a 2-0 lead over Leicester City. However, it did not last, as Leicester began to expose the weak back and came back for an astonishing 5-3 win over United. With this defeat, the old predictions about United this year arise yet again and there is serious doubt as to whether or not the team will reach their goal of the title or even making top four. To win against attacking teams with their current defense, United will have to score a plethora of goals to outscore the teams, and I don’t see how the team has it in them to reach any great accomplishments this season.

Premier League Transfers Part I

            To wrap up the discussion of summer club transfers, all that are left are the top Premier League teams. Many clubs are looking to move up in the standings this year, and the fight for the top four continues.

Chelsea:

Many would argue that Chelsea had one of the best of the transfer seasons this summer, and in many ways they would be right. While outing players that have struggled recently, Chelsea was able to bring in new players that should fit the system and provide a successful season for the team. To begin, Chelsea was able to sell David Luiz to PSG for a good price, and after his World Cup performance with Brazil, this is a good move by Chelsea. Also, Chelsea was able to bring in a top striker in the form of Diego Costa for another fair price, and Costa has already proved his worth. In just the first few games, Costa is on track to set a goal-scoring record for the league, and although this record is unlikely, Costa should still provide goals for Chelsea as long as he can stay fit.

Manchester United:

            With a new coach and a new season, United needed to up their game through transfers and team-building this summer, and I am not too sure of their success in these efforts. While United spent 150 million pounds and picked up the important strikers Radamel Falcao and Di Maria, they did not do much to build their defense. To truly improve the defending side and pick up some quality center-backs, Manchester United would have had to have been willing to pay the magnitude that they paid for their strikers, which they must not have been willing to do. Instead, United went for top-class strikers and lower-class defenders who are just not to the standards that United want and expect them to be. I feel that Manchester United will be able to score on many chances in their games but will get beat in the counter-attack and in the final score in the end.

Manchester City:

            Winning the title last season, City is looking to finish top for at the very least and is hoping to repeat a win for the title. With that in mind, Manchester City had less to do in terms of transfers this summer compared to other teams. By taking care of small purchases and sales, City was able to maintain their status in the league. To give an idea of some of these transfers, players including Frank Lampard and Fernando were brought in while Javi Garcia and Gareth Barry left the club. Overall, not much changed at Manchester City.

            To end this frantic summer of transfers, there will be just one more post summarizing the trades of more of the clubs in the Premier League.

2022 World Cup Controversy

As of now, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is to be held in Qatar and during the typical time frame of early summer. However, new complications have risen up as to when the tournament should be held and even as to where. Many claim that the decision to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was biased and corrupt, but that may not be attestable and therefore I only want to examine what changes or decisions can be made now to make the tournament a success.

            First, many feel that there is a threat to the safety of the players and the fans that would attend the World Cup in Qatar and think that the area is not in a state that is secure enough for such an event. This seems like a viable concern, considering the possible threats that occurred during the recent Olympics held in Russia. Also, the desert heat of the Qatari summer would not provide healthy or safe conditions for players, and despite the previously promised air-cooled stadiums, FIFA representatives now claim that the summer would not be a good time for the tournament to be held in Qatar. This problem leads to the next area of concern; when the World Cup should be held should it be in Qatar.

            As the typical June time slot for the World Cup seems to be out, November or January are the options that FIFA has provided for alternates. Although these winter schedules seem to be out of the summer heat, they bring up new complications for club teams and the rest of the world. The club season is reaching its midpoint during the winter months, and taking a pause to send their top players on international duty doesn’t seem to please these teams or players. It is well known that many players who contest in the World Cup come back with injuries or in need of large amounts of time to recover. Normally, this happens in the summer, the offseason, giving these players time to rest before their club seasons start. This would not be ideal for the middle of the season when players are reaching top forms. Also, the entire schedule for many leagues would be set off for a substantial amount of time to accommodate the tournament. Also, a January time frame for the World Cup would potentially conflict with the 2022 Winter Olympics which are assumed to begin in February. These two competitions could compete for sponsors and network time, which is a bad situation for all parties involved.

            Overall, there seem to be many things wrong with the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. I wouldn’t be surprised, or upset by, a complete venue change to a different host country in either Europe or North America. The risk and all the questions about the tournament in Qatar don’t seem ideal for the players, teams, or fans.

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German Summer Transfers

         In my last post, I described the transfers that the top Spanish clubs made this summer and how they will affect the team. In this post, I intend to do the same breakdown of German teams and who they picked up or lost during the transfer window.

Bayern Munich:

         Signing new players and selling old while still making a profit, Bayern Munich had a very efficient transfer season. To start, Bayern was able to pick up Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer from their big German rival team. Achieving the title of the top scorer of the league last year, Lewandowski should be an improvement on the attacking side of Bayern this year. Then with an injury to a well rounded player, Bayern was able to fill that sudden gap with Mehdi Benatia, fitting the open defensive or midfield position. Finally, Bayern picked up Xabi Alonso, a top-class player who fits the style presented by Bayern, for a good price. Although the team had a good previous season and did not have much to improve on, Bayern did what they needed to for a very good price this transfer season.

Borussia Dortmund:

         Losing two of their best attackers, one last year and one this year, Dortmund had to fill the large opening going forward. To replace these missing goals, Dortmund looked to add several different goal-scorers scattered across the team. By bringing in players like Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos, Dortmund looks to improve their attack throughout the entire system. Also, Dortmund brought back former member Shinji Kagawa, who they sold to Manchester United for a much larger price than it cost to bring him back. Kagawa, unlike many of the new signings should be able to relearn the system at Borussia Dortmund while the new players will have to build their way up to being comfortable playing there. Although there are a wide variety of options for the team, it may take awhile for Dortmund to become an effective squad.

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Transfers in Spain

         The transfer window is closed! This last week marks the end of the transfer window for the world’s largest clubs and leaves us contemplating the results for our clubs as they start their seasons. I hope to give some insight as to which clubs faired the best for what players they gained and who they lost during this scramble to stack their squads.

First, the top Spanish clubs:

Barcelona: 
         Losing some main pieces to their team, Barcelona had to step up their transfer game and pick up some top-notch players. To start, the Spanish giant brought in Luis Suarez; a striker who made his name as the top forward of the Premier League by being named the top scorer and Player of the Year of the entire league. He also proved vital to Liverpool’s attacking and should provide similar results for Barcelona, assuming he fits in with current strikers Messi and Neymar. Barcelona also built up their defense and midfield by picking up players like Vermaelen, Rakitic, and Mathieu who, although they may not seem like the big names that fit Barcelona, are top players that should be able to give support to the team in defending and going forward.

Real Madrid: 
         For Real Madrid, the transfer strategy seemed to be to pick up whoever had the best showing at the recent World Cup, which isn’t necessarily bad. James Rodriguez was the headliner for Madrid’s transfer season. Winning the Golden Boot and scoring some sensational goals for his country in the tournament, James definitely had one of the best performances of the summer. Even so, Madrid picked him up for a large price and intend to fit him into an already developed attacking side of their team, currently holding the likes of Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Fitting James in to their squad may become difficult to Madrid, regardless of his skill and performance. Another player who had a great World Cup performance, Keylor Navas, was added to the Real Madrid team this summer. Navas is a very skilled goalkeeper, and I see him performing well at Madrid. Finally, Madrid was able to sign Toni Kroos who also saw a great World Cup, winning it all with his country. Kroos should also prove to be valuable in his playmaking skills for Madrid. Even with all of these big name signings, I wonder if Madrid did enough in the right places for their team. Losing two vital players from their middle and defense, Madrid needed to fill those spots, and I feel that they only added to an already stacked offense, leaving them exposed in the back.

         To see my analysis of the signings of other top teams in Europe, wait for my next few posts which will go into similar detail and discuss the transfers in clubs in both England and Germany.