Premiership Preview–3. Chelsea

Chelsea has not finished outside the top two in five seasons, a span in which they’re averaging a mind-blowing 88.5 points a season. They’ve won two Premiership titles, two Carling Cups, an FA Cup, and, for what it’s worth, a Community Shield, during this stretch. They have an impressive, slightly overrated in my opinion because of the number of draws, unbeaten streak at home in the league — 82 games and counting.

For all of that success, though, the one trophy most coveted by the West London club and its fans, the Champions League, has painfully eluded their grasp over that time. Counting last year’s run, the Blues have made it at least to the semifinals of Europe’s top club competition in four of those last five years, but they failed to win the whole thing every time.

Chelsea literally was inches away from putting an end to that on that rainy May night in Moscow against Manchester United, but as we all remember, John Terry slipped on his run-up and missed the penalty kick that would’ve won the final in a shootout, and Nicholas Anelka’s effort was saved three rounds later by Edwin van der Sar to give United their third European Cup/Champions League title.

The big story at Stamford Bridge this summer is the hiring of Luiz Felipe Scolari, a former World Cup-winning manager with Brazil and two-time winner of Copa Libertadores in the ’90’s. Scolari doesn’t have any experience with European club soccer, much less at such a high-profile post as Chelsea boss, but this is a man who can deal with big egos and make sure the team comes first. Unlike his predecessor, Avram Grant, Scolari has been around the block a few times and won’t simply be a “yes man” for wealthy owner Roman Abramovich.

The problem with Scolari is his age — almost 60. He’s at a point in his career where most managers are leaving club jobs to either retire or take up less demanding international posts. Scolari is doing the exact opposite, and while there’s no question that he’s a fiery, passionate guy in spurts, which we’ve seen with Brazil and Portugal more recently, I’m not sure that he can bring the energy necessary to the position over the course of such a grueling season. He reminds me of a fire in a way — when first lit and provided with kindling, he can burn quickly and the light and heat is there, but as the fuel runs out, the flame dies down. That’s the scenario I expect to see with Scolari this season, one that may provide a shock to him as far as how difficult the transition from international to club management truly is.

He’s brought a couple of the Portuguese stars he coached during his tenure with the Iberian country with him in Deco, who was a steal for million, and Bosingwa, who will provide much-needed stability to the right back position that had become a revolving door under Grant and José Mourinho before him.

Those two were Chelsea’s only acquisitions so far, but they haven’t lost a whole lot either. Steve Sidwell never should have went to Chelsea in the first place. He was just a spare part at the Bridge and his talent was wasted there, so he moved to Aston Villa and will reap the personal benefits from doing so. Tal Ben Haim was nothing more than cover at center back but the emergence of Branislav Ivanovic, who has spent the past couple seasons at Lokomotiv Moscow, meant Ben Haim was surplus to requirements. Claude Makelele was a great player in his prime and is what all defensive midfielders aspire to be, but as age has caught up with him (he’s lost more than a step) and Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel continue to develop, the Frenchman’s services were no longer needed.

Essien and Obi Mikel are two cogs to a Chelsea midfield that is absolutely stacked. They don’t have much quality on the wings aside from Joe Cole, who isn’t even a prototypical wide player anyway. Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright-Phillips don’t cut it at a club as big as Chelsea, simple as that, though they do have their good moments. Essien, Michael Ballack, Deco, and Frank Lampard are all great center midfielders, and Obi Mikel may be on his way to that status if he could manage to stay on the field and not pick up silly bookings. Scolari has to find a way to get as much of this talent on the field at one time as possible, so you could see a narrow diamond in the middle, similar to what AC Milan and the Italian national team employ, a 4-1-4-1 with Didier Drogba as the lone striker, or the same 4-3-3/4-5-1 that’s been used in recent seasons.

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-3/4-5-1):
GK: Petr Cech

RB: Bosingwa
CB: John Terry (captain)
CB: Ricardo Carvalho
LB: Ashley Cole

RCMF: Lampard
DMF: Essien
LCMF: Deco

RMF/RWF: Wright-Phillips
ST: Drogba
LMF/LWF: Cole

This midfield and front line will be very fluid based on fitness and form; Nicholas Anelka will get a chance to play up top or wide left, as will Salomon Kalou. Malouda plays there too. Wright-Phillips brings pace to the right flank. Scott Sinclair, like Kalou, is a speedy winger/striker that can make an impact. Obi Mikel can be brought on late to lock a game down in place of a more attack-minded player and clog up the midfield. Chelsea paid a lot of money for Andriy Shevchenko, so he’s going to play up front at some point. Scolari has plenty of options depending on his strategy in a given game.

Chelsea’s Premiership schedule sets up relatively comfortably through November; their road games (Wigan, Manchester City, Stoke City, Middlesbrough, Hull City, Blackburn, and West Brom) are all very winnable, and the other teams, who, granted, will provide stiff opposition for Chelsea, all come to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea just doesn’t lose there. Those teams: Portsmouth, Tottenham, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Sunderland, Newcastle, and Arsenal. By no means am I saying Chelsea will waltz through the first half of their league campaign, but they do have the significant advantage of playing those tough teams at home.

The schedule balances out in the second half, obviously, so Chelsea has to visit all those sides at some point. However, there isn’t one month that stands out above the rest from December on as being much trickier than another. December is Chelsea’s easiest month — they visit Bolton, Everton, and Fulham and host West Ham and West Brom. Their toughest month is probably March, because even though they play Manchester United and Liverpool in January, those are the bookend games of their four total and the middle two are at home against Stoke and Middlesbrough. In March, Chelsea goes to Portsmouth and Tottenham and welcome Manchester City to West London in between.

Bottom Line: I’m not exactly going out on a limb by saying this team is very, very good. There are no obvious weaknesses; they do need some more quality on the wings, but Scolari has the personnel to not even use wingers in the first place if he doesn’t want to. Chelsea’s fortunes depend largely on Scolari and how he adapts to the Premiership, because while the on-field talent is there, there’s no question in my mind that Scolari is the least capable manager out of Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, and Sir Alex Ferguson. If Scolari makes a seamless transition, Chelsea can make a run at their third title in five seasons and their first Champions League. If his act wears thin like I believe it will, Chelsea will find themselves out of the running in both competitions by February or March.

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United Must Recruit a Masterful Striker to Bolster Their Trophy Hopes

With Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Andriy Shevchenko in their striking ranks, Chelsea own one of the most exciting, powerful and experienced attacking line-ups in world football. And complemented by the offensive starlets of Deco, Florent Malouda and Joe Cole, who themselves sit in front an immensely strong central midfield duo of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack, means they have world-class ammunition lethal enough to fire any club down on their day.

That is the proposition that Manchester United are up against this season in their quest to regain both their Premier League and Champions League titles. They faced similar dangers from their fiercest competition in the last campaign and overcame them to great success, albeit by only two points in the league and by one penalty in the European Cup. The Portuguese threat of Deco was not against them then, but him aside and Sir Alex Ferguson’s men triumphed over their London rivals quite emphatically on all fronts.

Whether they can reproduce their glory this season remains in considerable doubt though, despite the fact that there have been no significant departures from the club and, other than Deco, no arrivals of the same magnitude to Chelsea. Both squads remain almost parallel to the level of quality that they were last season, and that is likely to be reflected in another tight and hard-fought battle between the pair on all fronts.

The two clubs have been in the media spotlight for very different reasons throughout the summer months, and there is no doubt that the extra attention afforded to Chelsea was welcomed much more by the club than the added interest on Manchester United. Whilst many column inches were expectedly filled when Luiz Philippe Scolari became the new manager of former, the latter’s desperate attempts to resolve the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga caused unwanted debates and discussions from all corners of the nation and beyond. Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to fly to Portugal just to restore the player’s faith in the club, and for the time being turn his head away from the mouth-watering prospect of playing for his dream team Real Madrid.

And whilst Ferguson’s actions have succeeded in convincing Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford for one more season at least, the uncertain cloud which hung over the club disrupted the pre-season focus somewhat. Ronaldo is not fit to start the new Premier League campaign on Sunday against Newcastle, but when he does return to action in around two months time his every move will be closely watched and scrutinised by fans and the media. How commited he really is to the club is still in some doubt. We will soon find out the answer though.

With fewer attacking options at the beginning of the season, United have been left well short of the quality possessed by Chelsea in that area of the pitch. At his age Ryan Giggs can now only take part in a limited number of games, and Paul Scholes is walking along the same path gradually. Nani is still learning but can produce moments of explosive brilliance, whilst the team lack attacking drive from the centre of the park. United managed to achieve truly special things last season with these same problems, but whether they can pull off the same feats this time around is still a mystery. At least they began the season in the same vein as the last with a penalty shoot-out victory in the Community Shield match on Sunday.

The biggest problem for United is their strikeforce, and Wayne Rooney’s untimely virus means that Carlos Tevez must lead the line alone in the opening matches of the new campaign, unless Ferguson feels young prodigy Frazier Campbell is ready for first-team football. This will happen only if the club do not sign a new forward before the end of the transfer window on the last day of August.

A quality accusation in this area is a must for Ferguson if he is to feel fully confident of his side regaining their domestic crown. With Tevez, Saha (who is always injured and is expected to leave very soon) and Rooney as their only three senior strikers, a fourth would be much welcomed. The current pair offer hard-work, endeavour and great skill at times, but neither act as a target man of any sorts to the rest of the team. Rooney prefers to sit deeper than the regular forward, so playing him up front on his own is almost suicidal, whilst Tevez is also more of a creative player rather than somebody who likes to lead the line. United have lacked this kind of individual ever since Ruud Van Nistlerooy left for Madrid, as Louis Saha has been injured for so much of his time at the club.

Tottenham star Dimitar Berbatov has been heavily linked with the club, and seemingly wants the move to go ahead himself, and Valencia forward David Silva has recently been courted by the manager too, though the Spaniard says he wants to stay in his native country rather than move abroad. It appears that Berbatov would be the best option for United, although his services could prove expensive. He oozes class though, and his exceptional touch, control, technique and finishing ability would help the team so much in their push for silverware.

A significant signing of Berbatov’s level needs to be made this summer by Manchester United if they are to be anywhere near as strong as Chelsea in the offensive department, but with this new addition Ferguson’s men could well march on to yet more glory in this coming campaign.

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only 20 years ago

Twenty years seems like whisper away now. As I think back to 1988 so many moments resonate in my life and its difficult to think of them so long ago.

Within the Scottish Football community it also marked the debut of a nineteen year-old midfielder by the name of Billy McKinlay. A splendid player for Dundee United, who along with good field management and vision, I remember best for his tenacity, grit and that he possessed the heart of the Lion. After nearly twenty years on the pitch, his playing career concluded a few years go but every time I take a look at Fulham, where he know coaches their academy, I wonder how many of those young men will capture that same level of competitiveness that was a cornerstone to his career.

Oddly enough Billy was awarded the Scotland’s top young player of the year in 1988, the same year that marked the relegation of Hamilton Academical from the upper tier of Football. Ironically now twenty years later, The Accies opened the campaign against the club Billy debuted, Dundee United.

Cutting straight to the chase, Hamilton was brilliant today. They flew all over the pitch in their own brand of beautiful Football on the way to a commanding 3-1 victory over Dundee. Certainly it could be said that Dundee looked rather unsettled tonight but truth-be-told, it was the Hamilton squad that displayed a extraordinary work-rate, challenged every ball, were creative on the pitch but far more importantly wanted to win the match. Hamilton manager Billy Reid could probably talk a great deal of crisp passing and point-out the tremendous play of David Graham and the young James McArthur but the real story was the attitude of the squad and sheer tenacity to refuse anything but three points.

After twenty years somethings never change and the never-say-die attitude of the Scottish Premier League resonates loud and clear.

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David Beckham Featured In Panasonic And Best Buy Campaign

Los Angeles Galaxy soccerstar David Beckham reported to feature in latest Panasonic Panasonic and retailer Best Buy ads campaign. Beckham will be featured with three other Major League Soccer player Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Davino (FC Dallas) and Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls).

The aim of this campaign is to drive Hispanic consumers who are fans of soccer so it will be anchored by outdoor in cities with large Hispanic populations, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. The theme of this campaign is “Panasonic Viera HDTV. El futbol llega al alma pero entra por los ojos,” which translates to: “Soccer reaches the soul but enters through the eyes.”

Although not of Hispanic descent, Beckham “is an international star who crosses ethnic lines,” said David Wright, vp, partnership marketing at MLS/Soccer United Marketing, New York. “And, of course, Blanco, Davino and Angel are major stars in the Hispanic community.” Wright said the effort is part of a trend that has seen “significant increase in activation from all of MLS’s marketing partners.”

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PSG Now A Retirement Home

PSG has just announced another exciting (depends on where you fit in the Ligue 1 scheme) signing, with the addition of Claude Makelele from Chelsea. At 35, he certainly is not getting any younger, but he has signed a 5, yes 5 year deal with PSG, which will intially see him on a 2 year playing contract with a 3 year management contract, as an ambassador to the community yadda yadda yadda. But their is an option for a 3 year, the could apply if Makelele and the management think he is either still in shape to play or not ready to join the front office yet (excuses excuses).

Along with the signing of Makelele, Lillian Thuram joined PSG earlier in the summer after being a free agent from Barcelona. He, like Makelele, was once one of the worlds best in his position, but now is on the down slope. Which means why is this an exciting signing for PSG? Well, he has great pedigree, and leadership ability which should translate to a more stable PSG team thats loaded with young talent. I know Mamadou Sakho (even Lars M’Biala if he stays at the club) will be happy to learn from Lillian. And Sankhare/N’Goyi will certainly learn alot from Makelele, who will probably be playing along side one of Jeremy Clement or Clement Chantome or Sessegnon.

Also in the offing for PSG is Ludovic Giuly. At 32, he is a youngster to Thuram and Makelele, and should provide some width on the right that the club has lacked for awhile. He could also play as the second striker with Luyindula or Hoarau(or Pauleta if he returns). He will also hope that old friend Jerome Rothen will return to some sort of form he showed at Monaco with him, and that PSG can be a contender for the title this year.

With the signings of Hoarau and Sessegnon to add to these three veterans, PSG has put together a decent squad for the upcoming campaign. I still doubt their strength at right back, while a more creative central player wouldnt be a bad addition. Jimmy Brian’s protracted move keeps swaying back in forth between Rennes and PSG, so we will have to see about that, but for once, will PSG live up to the hype it gets? Or will it be battling relegation for yet another season? Cant wait for the season to get under way!

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