Wojciech Szczęsny: The next Casillas

Wojciech Szczęsny. Dont let that name throw you off even for  a few seconds, as behind a difficult to pronounce name, there is a world class keeper in the making. I know its a little too early in Szczesny's career to be making such a claim but I feel after watching him grow in the past season that he definitely has what it takes to be the best. Anyone who watched the match between Arsenal and Manchester City on the weekend would agree that some of the saves that Wojciech pulled off were simply stunning. He kept out Aguero's powerful shots not once or twice or thrice but at least 6 times(all of which looked to be heading in).His frame also seems to be helping him in the Premier League where most strikers tower beyond 6' 4".
But there is one thing which distinguishes Wojciech from the rest and that is complete control over the ball and a thorough understanding of the game. He is never shy to take a striker on with the ball at his feet and most of the time manages to leave the striker behind in a twisted heap. He is a good reader of movements and understands and forsees developements in a move. He is also very optimistic and has a good approach to games. It looks like Arsenal have finally landed their hands on a world class keeper, produced in their own academy and surely in the years to come, Sczczesny's heroics will win the Gunners some silverware.

The Tale of Two Cities

I am pretty sure a lot of you, after reading the title were wondering how a classic by Charles Dickens has any connection with soccer. Well, here I am am not talking about Paris but actually Man City FC.
Its strange how a football club that is doing so well in the Premier League this season can be on the brink of elimination in the group stages of the Champions League. Having beaten Manchester United 6-1 and stringing up 11 wins in 12 games, it is only natural to assume that Manchester City would get past the first stage of the Champions League but it seems that such assumptions cannot be made. City are no longer the masters of their fate as if Napoli wins against Villareal, City are heading home even if they beat Bayern (which at the moment is highly unlikely).
Another very puzzling factor is that Man City have in their ranks a reasonably experienced Champions League side and it seems as if their struggle is because they are not gelling well enough. This deepens the quandary with Manchester City as even with a superstar roster, they are still not good enough. We will have to wait and see whether City continue in the Champions League but while a match with City can produce a very interesting encounter, I am sure that I will see a smug look on all the Chelsea, Arsenal and United fans faces if City are knocked out.

What is Derby Day coming to?

In an amazing turn of events only possible in the Premier League, Arsenal ended up beating Chelsea 5 goals to 3. But what is even more amazing is that these kind of scorelines are becoming common in the Premier League heavyweight clashes, so much so that now people expect goalfests on every derby. Just last month, Manchester United beat Arsenal 8-2, after which they lost to City 6-1 at Old Trafford and now Arsenal have scored 5 goals at the Bridge. The main reason for this crazy roller coaster of a season I feel is the shoddy defensive performances that are on display by even the best in the League. Chelsea and United both known for their rock solid defenses conceded 5 and 6 goals respectively at home and that is something never heard of before. Another factor is the influx of attacking footballers into the Premier League. Whether its Aguero ,Dzeko,Gervinho or Mata, they all have that characteristic flair while going front which is making the League very interesting.

Whether its worth compromising defense for a flowing attack is a different matter but at the moment it looks like the strikers are ruling the roost in the League and I myself would not be surprised if more than one team hits the 100 goal mark.

The 350 Million Pound Derby

The Manchester Derby has suddenly become one of the most anticipated derbys; probably one of the main reason and most obvious reason for this is the fact that over 350 millions pounds worth of talent will be seen on the Old Trafford pitch tomorrow. The exciting array of players might have got people to expect a goal festival but this expectation would have been deflated quickly when Sir Alex came out and told the fans not to expect a goal fest.
Eventhough Sir Alex may said this, my personal feeling is that with Rooney, Aguero, Young, Dzeko and Silva on the same pitch, there will be some spectacular goals.

Apart from the expensive array of players, another reason for the sudden interest in the Manchester derby is probably the fact that all of the sudden its no longer a one sided game. For a long time Manchester City languished in United's shadow but now they are challenging their supremacy. This one game could finally show us how far Manchester City has come on the bank notes of their wealthy owner. Could this game be a test of their title credentials? I feel one game does not decide that but certainly this is one of the stand out fixtures in City's calender and it will be one that they would love to win.

Is Arsenal back on track?

Surely some may say that a 2-1 victory over Sunderland is not enough to claim Arsenal are really back on track but during the game I saw glimpses that Arsenal may finally have risen from their slump. One of the major differences between today's game and others was that Arsenal's passing has really improved and it is almost reaching that exquisite passing from previous seasons. Another good sign is  Arshavin's performance which has been incredible today; his control and dribbling was far better than what it used to be and for a player under immense criticism he has really played well. Eventhough Arsenal's midfield finally looks like it has gelled, a major disappointment was the defense. Towards the end of the first half, Arsenal's defending was a horror show and it was only due to Szczesny's fantastic stops that Arsenal was able to limit the number of goals conceded.
The victory was well needed and well deserved and Wenger looked visibly relieved after the game. To ensure that the Gunners continue their ascent up the table, they need to keep this momentum going for at least the next two months in the Premier League and the Champions League. With enough wins stacked up, Arsenal may well find themselves in a very favourable position by March.

Why Manchester City are still not amongst Europe's elite

Tuesday's result in the Champions League was of no surprise. The scoreline that day read Bayern Munich 2 Manchester City 0. This was not a surprising result as even after the billion pound investment by City's wealthy owners, City are still not one of Europe's best. I feel that one of the reasons for this is their manner of recruitment. The fact that they  hand out 190,000 pounds a week salary to just about anyone is actually affecting them negatively. This mega salary is starting to make a few players egoistic and that is a quality which is not seen in any top side. The most recent example of this was the Tevez case where he refused to take to the pitch and help City salvage something from the game. This was a disgrace not only to the club but also to football as a whole. Players no longer play for passion but rather for money, Etoo being the best example for this case. This mercenary attitude is what is restraining City from becoming a top side and its not like only a few players are exhibiting this as players like Dzeko and Balotelli are now getting into the act. In a game overshadowed  by the Tevez controversy, even a player like Dzeko was seen arguing with Mancini over his decision for the former to be withdrawn.
The astronomical wages also affect City in the transfer market. Players who they want to get rid off can't be cleared because no club is willing to pay their wages. This creates a situation where City either have to fund some of the wages or they have to deal with a million pound ego. If City really want to achieve as a club on Europe's biggest stage, they have change their mindset that everything can be bought, including silverware. 

Same old Arsenal?

Same old Arsenal. That was the phrase on everyone's lips after the Blackburn game, but even though Arsenal have been known to give away leads, this is becoming ridiculous. I feel 'same old Arsenal' is the wrong phrase to use as I would prefer the Arsenal of last season well over the present one. Certainly at the moment, Arsenal are playing their worst football in their prestigious 125 year history. Conceding 14 goals in the opening 5 games is no joke and at the moment they are sitting at 16th on the table. But the problem is not with the quality of players but the spirit of the team. Eventhough Wenger switched from buying embros to fully developed players, what is actually needed at the moment is that enthusiasm and spirit on the pitch which is lacking. But inspite of this humiliating defeat, one thing that angers me more is that Wenger is saying that Arsenal are at the start of a new cycle. The reason why this angers me is that this was the exact same statement he made in 2006 and in 2010 he said that the cycle was complete and Arsenal were ready to challenge for honours. That cycle produced zero results and the fact that he is saying that Arsenal are starting a new cycle means that it may be awhile before the gunners lift that elusive trophy.
At the moment the only thing that Gooners can do is hope and pray that Arsenal's fortunes will turn but if things remain as they are, Arsenal is in for a rough season.

The Wenger U Turn

28th August 2011. A day that every Arsenal supporter wants to erase from his or her memory. It was one of the darkest days in Arsenal history; the result of the game held on that day was Manchester United 8 Arsenal 2. The glaring scoreboard at Old Trafford was the final straw for many Arsenal supporters who demanded an immediate change in management. There was no doubt that they would have lost the game and even die hard gooners felt that however spirited their team was, 7 teenagers were not going to beat United at Old Trafford. The press berated Wenger, called him inveterate and stuck in his old ways. With all this tension engulfing the Emirates and with deadline day approaching, Wenger made an astounding decision. During the last two days of the trasfer window, 5 new players were brought in and surprisingly all above the age of 26. The surprise doesn't end there. A shocking statistic reveals that before 2011, Wenger had purchased only two players from the Premier League. This number became 4 on August 31st 2011. This leaves me wondering whether Arsene Wenger calls all the shots now since two days is quite a short time for such a massive change in mindset. My feeling is that the owner Stan Kroenke intervened in the decision making and forced certain transfers through. Now whether or not Wenger was completely or partially involved, its a very positive change from him and at last gooners can look forward to the new season with the hope of silverware.

Midfield Crisis at Arsenal?

Once a midfield superpower in club football, Arsenal FC no longer have that silky passing or dominance in midfield. The gaping hole left by Cesc was clearly visible in the games against Liverpool and Newcastle where Arsenal did not even have 50% possesion. Their trademark passing game is no longer seen and they are starting to look a little ordinary. Now, the dilemma for Arsene is to locate the problem with the squad.

According to me, I feel the problem has now shifted from the defence to the midfield. Eventhough their defence is still shoddy as we saw against Liverpool, it can easily be improved with a few tweaks. But at the moment, the worry for Arsenal is that they have not scored a goal in their first two Premier League games.

One of the main reasons for this is the glaring lack of creativity and incision which were the two main qualities that has helped Arsenal over the seasons. It is clearly visible that a major signing is needed in this department as during the match against Liverpool, Arsenal failed to create clearcut chances. The reason was that only two of  the first choice midfielders that played in the 2010-2011 season were available for selection.

The fact that Wenger still has not understood this is baffling even to the Arsenal players and this was seen in Walcott's statement which went like,

Of course the players sometimes think, “What's going on?

‘But I'm sure the boss has got players coming in. I don't know, but if you sell one of your best players... I'm sure he's got some options coming in.

'He has picked up great players before. Only time will tell what he is going to do.

‘We've had a couple of injuries and we have to hope they are not too bad. We don't want the squad to get lower and lower

Hopefully Wenger will identify Arsenal's Achilles heel sooner rather than later otherwise we will have to be braced for a difficult season ahead which will feature an Arsenal squad with 5 teenagers in the starting lineup.

What Arsene Wenger's transfer policy should have been

It is an undeniable fact that the current transfer window has not gone too well for Arsenal. Their weak defense was weakened with the sale of Gael Clichy and even with reports in the papers that Arsenal are close to a new signing, it just doesn't seem convincing enough. Continuous speculation about the future of  Fabregas and Nasri has not done any good to the morale of the players and this was reflected in a poor pre-season display which concluded with only one win. I feel that the fault lies with Wenger's transfer policy and in my opinion he should have been a little more aggressive. First he should have prioritised his defense as a weak point and focused on signing new players who would add quality to the side. The main problem with Wenger's policy is that he is too hesitant to sell players who are not adding quality. Rather than signing one centre back and keeping the existing players, he should have sold players like Squillaci who have not performed and who do not look likely to preform. This would have freed up space and money which could have been used to bring in two quality centre backs. Secondly, regarding the situation with Fabregas, Wenger should have given Barcelona a solid deadline to buy him instead of letting the situation drag. He should have made in clear to Barcelona that Fabregas is one of the world's best players and if they were serious about buying him, they should pay the amount in full which I feel should be 40 million pounds. By telling Barcelona that if they do not pay in full they will be blocked from buying Cesc, Arsenal would have put themselves in the driving seat and not Barca. The situation should also have been made clear to Cesc so that he would be prepared for any result. This would have also freed up more time to find a suitable replacement.

But all is not lost for Arsenal and I feel that if Wenger changes his policy at least for the final stage of the window, the future could look much brighter. Wenger still has a shot at radically improving his defense by buying Per Mertesacker who is in his final year of his contract and would come cheap. Along with this, money from sales of Bendtner and Eboue could be used to buy Gary Cahill. Time is of the essence at the moment and Wenger needs to move quickly. From what we have been hearing, Arsenal at least have 30 million pounds left for transfers if this is added with money brought in from sales, Arsenal would have a large amount of funds to bring in the required players. Eventhough Wenger has made a hash of the window so far, the cards are still in his hands and its upto him to play them.

European Clubs plan to form Super League

Fifa and Uefa have long been known for corruption and bad decisions and its no surprise that major clubs are getting frustrated with them. Now there is a concern among the clubs that Uefa is becoming politically and financially more powerful. Uefa intends to sell nations' broadcasting and marketing revenues on a collective basis which would hugely increase its financial and political clout. Amid these fears, top European clubs such as Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United, AC Milan, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester City have threatened to form a new 'super league' of their own. The strained relationship between clubs and football's governing bodies was seen in Bayern Munich's president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's comments which went like: Sepp Blatter is saying he is cleaning up the game, but the fact that no-one believes him, tells you everything you need to know. I'm not optimistic because they believe the system is working perfectly as it is. It is a money-machine.

It is a nice game but it is decided by people who are corrupt. I am not ready to accept the system as it is and I am not alone.

He also added that since their memorandum of understanding with UEFA ends in 2014, he will not be obliged to accept Uefa regulations after this ends.

The main reason for the breakway is terrible administration and corruption but there is another reason which according to me is the reason why Manchester City is mentioned as a part of this group and that is the Uefa Financial Fair Play. The Financial Fair Play was initiated by Michel Platini the President of Uefa and it essentially means that a club's spending will be limited to 60% of its turnover and any club who does not heed to this will not be eligible to play in Europe's premier competions such as the Champions League and Europa League. It is aimed at forcing equality among the teams and ending an era of reckless spending. This measure will not be liked by Manchester City's owners and this was clearly seen as they were forced into accepting a deal from Etihad to rename their stadium in order to be eligible to take part in the Uefa Champions League.

Now, its all a matter of when the 'super league' will be formed since at the moment it doesn't look good for football's elite governing bodies.

Why is Real Madrid CF so valuable?

In spite of being Europe's most successful club, Real Madrid CF has not experienced the best of times. They have not won a Champions League trophy in 9 years not to forget the fact that their last La Liga trophy was in 2008. To compound such a dismal run, Real Madrid as of 2010 have incurred a debt of 244 million euros. Considering all the above data, one would wonder as to how they are still rated the second most valuable football club behind Manchester United. According to me, the main reason why Real Madrid  is so valuable is that when a person purchases a club like Real Madrid, they are essentially buying money. This may seem absurd but it is infact very true. When a person purchases Real, they buy the entire club which includes players, stadium and revenue from merchandise and television rights. With a club like Real, these constitute a huge sum of money. A player like Cristiano Ronaldo has a buyout clause of 1 billion euros which in essence means that if a club wanted to force Real Madrid to sell the Portugese winger, they would have to fork over a ridiculous price which could hurt the pockets of even some of the wealthiest people on the planet. Ronaldo is just one such player. Real Madrid's roster include the likes of Kaka,Ozil,Benzema,Casillas and the list goes on. Not to forget that the Santiago Bernabeu could be in your possession. All these factors is why I think that Real Madrid is still one of the most valuable football clubs on the planet. 

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