Tag Archives: emmanuel adebayor

those that shout the loudest

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It’s amazing how quickly the collective mood can change.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale

isn’t the rule that if gareth looks this forlorn, the rest of us should too?

A month ago, I and my fellow Spurs supporters were ready to celebrate the club’s best season in the modern era. Tottenham were on pace for a third place finish, were arguably the favorite’s in the Europa League and we were trying not to talk about the points gap that seemed to be widening weekly between ourselves and the Goons. But now, we were bumped out of Europe by the measly FC Basel, we languish in fifth place in the league, and could be four points behind the scum before the end of the night.

Where did it all go wrong? What can Spurs do to save their season? And most importantly, who can we blame?

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this is silly season

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Whether you’ve noticed or not, I’ve made a concerted effort this summer not to litter the blog with posts about transfer speculation, in particular as it pertains to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Part of my reason for that is to try to avoid boring my non-Spurs-supprorting readers with endless ranting and sobbing about our inactivity in the transfer market. But the other reason for it is so I don’t drive myself mad by over analyzing mooted targets and moves that potentially won’t even happen.

will anyone else be putting pen to paper for tottenham in the next week or so? if you believe the media, just about everyone.

In some respects it’s been fairly easy to not comment on Spurs transfers simply because they knocked out a few early in the summer. Vertonghen’s semi-protracted acquisition  followed after an out-of-left-field snagging of Gylfi Sigurðson. Which means I didn’t have to spend the first third of my summer worrying about whether we will or won’t make any signings this window like I normally do. And just as it seemed as if we would be spared Spurs’ typically last-minute wheeling and dealings, Levy’s ability to stretch out a second Modrić saga shows that it probably had as much to do with him as it did with old ‘Arry.

So with the first round of fixtures already in the history books — and a predictable loss due at least partially to the current squad deficiencies — and just a week left to conclude any lingering deals, we’ve officially entered Silly Season. It’s the period of time right before the close of the transfer window where fans start to panic due the lack of signings, and the press feeds on their insecurities by linking the club to everyone under the sun. A window of time within a window of time, if you will.

For Tottenham, most of the names are the usual suspects we’ve been linked to in the papers over the last year. Only this time there’s a “new bid for” or “late swoop for” placed in front of the prospective signing’s name in the headline. Mixed in among them are a few pulled-from-a-hat big names that may or may not have any truth behind them. And for each of them, I fall hook, line and sinker. My hopes skyrocket. He could be the missing piece of the puzzle! We’re gonna win the league if we sign this kid!

The quantity of links itself is astounding in its own right. In fact, here’s a quick run down of all the players I’ve seen linked to Spurs this week alone.

AVB finally signed one striker… will more follow?

Emmanuel Adebayor – Manchester City
The deal that would never get done, but everyone knew would, is finally done. An extremely shrewd bit of business out of Levy, supposedly only having to fork over £5 million to City for a guy who contributed 17 goals and 12 assists last season. And though his salary from Spurs hasn’t been announced, we do know the Mancs are still paying him £80k a week to make up for lost wages. Considering Wolves got around £12m for Steven Fletcher, who tallied just 12 goals and 2 assists last season, Ade’s price is a steal.
Status: Signed on Permanent Deal

Leandro Damião – Internacional
Consistently linked to Spurs each of the last two transfer windows, it’s not surprising  to us linked once again to the Brazilian poacher. This probably would have been a done deal for a somewhat reasonable price already had Leandro not bagged the Olympic tournament’s Golden Boot, which means Inter now feel justified in requesting a club record fee for his services. Will Levy finally bite the bullet and splash the £20m needed to do so? With just Ade, Defoe and Kane on the books in the attack at the moment, we better hope so.
Status: Just as Likely to Happen as it is to Fall Through

Grant Holt – Norwich City
While the big lug tried to force his way out of the club after Paul Lambert departed for Aston Villa, it seems he’s settled back in to his role of being Norwich’s main man again. Which is fine by me, because I don’t want us spending big to obtain a 31-year-old striker who’s had just a single season of top-flight experience. Leandro’s young, I can justify spending money on him… but not Holt. While I admire his industrious nature and terrific work rate, he’s just not good enough or young enough to pin our hopes on.
Status: Panic Buy/Media Fact Fabrication

Robert Lewandowski – Borussia Dortmund
He’s the star striker for the two-time defending Bundesliga champions, he’s playing in the Champions League AND he turned down Manchester United’s advances. Umm, I’m pretty sure this one is simply being thrown about to rattle some supporters into a frenzy.
Status: Not Gonna Happen

Willian – Shakthar Donetsk
More of an attacking mid than a striker, Willian was mightily impressive for Shakthar during their Champions League run two seasons ago. A guy who can play both through the middle (a potential Luka replacement) and on the right wing (someone who can spell Lennon), he could be a very useful signing. AVB actually attempted to sign Willian during his time at Chelsea, but was rebuffed with a lofty £20m asking price… something our chairman is considers too high a price. Though it is a lower asking price than what’s being asked for the next guy.
Status: We’ll Make Him Fit IF It Actually Happens

Porto's Moutinho

moutinho is our ideal deep-lying playmaker replacement, but we’re running out of time to snap him up.

João Moutinho – Porto
Supposedly our Luka-replacement “Plan A” the majority of the summer, Porto look very intent on either holding on to their playmaker, or holding out for a massive pay-day to let him go. With a rumored buyout clause of £30m that Porto seem to be sticking to, he does makes Willian’s price tag seem a little more reasonable. Problem is, I much prefer him to the Brazilian, as he’s one of the finest central midfielders in Europe. I also worry that if he is our top priority once Modrić goes, that there won’t be enough time left in the window to get the job done.
Status: Hope Remains… But Fading Fast

Fernando Llorente – Athletic Bilbao
I want Leandro more than any other striker in the world right now: he’s not only quick for a big man, but he’s a fantastic finisher and skilled enough to tiki-taka too. Which means the Athletic line-leader would be the perfect fit for an AVB Spurs side. However, Juventus have been standing at the front of his queue for quite a while now, and they offer what he desires: Champions League football. Sigh. Not only that, but with Adebayor playing in the exact same role as Llorente, it’s unlikely that either would want to be the other’s understudy.
Status: Dreamers Dreaming

Maroune Chamakh – Arsenal
Between being a Gooner and the copious amounts of grease that will likely drip off his hair and ruin the lockeroom carpet at the new training ground, I just can’t fathom the thought of this potential signing. Chamakh’s reputation is built entirely on just two good seasons at Bordeaux, but since moving to the Woolwich he’s done nothing but prove he’s not quite up to snuff. To be honest, whoever made up this link is a sick, sick bastard. 
Status: Vomit Everywhere if This Happens, Which it Won’t

Will any of these players actually end up in Lillywhite? Aside from Adebayor, because, well… he is now. I don’t know the answer to that. But if previous windows are of any help to us, I’d be willing to wager that Daniel Levy will make us wait all the way until 11:59pm on August 31st to find out.

Hang on to your butts people… Silly Season is in full swing.

risk and reward

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Looking at the latest Premier League Form Guide, I should feel really good about Tottenham’s season thus far.

Tottenham Celebrating

though everything seems just peachy at the lane right now, i can't help but feel a little nervous about the rest of the season.

Monday’s 2-0 victory over Villa was Spurs’ eighth in their last nine — the only blip being the 2-2 draw against high-flying Newcastle back in October — with only Manchester City performing better during the same spell. They’re currently sitting third in the table, three points ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and the hated scum of Arsenal with a game in hand.

Unlike last season, Premier League goals haven’t been hard to find and they’re coming from all corners of the pitch. Eight players have contributed to their 23 league goals thus far, hopefully indicating that their over reliance on Rafa van der Vaart to bag all of them is waning.

That said, the Dutchman has also been on form and — perhaps more importantly — happy so far this campaign, and is still leading the pack with six tallies to his name. Luka Modrić has seemingly put his summer transfer saga behind him and is again playing with the excellence that first attracted Chelsea’s envious eyes. Gareth Bale looks to have finally found the sparkling form that made him one of the most dangerous attackers on the planet at the beginning of last season. Aaron Lennon’s return from injury has seen him playing well too, with a brilliant and confident strike against Fulham to show for it. Defoe is looking content (so far) to be the super sub the club needs to provide a spark off the bench.

Not only that, but all of the major summer signings have turned out to be well worth the money spent. Adebayor is settled and provides the class tha’s been missing up front since Berbatov departed for greener pastures. Back from a few loan spells, young Kyle Walker has impressed at right back and even earned “Man of the Match” honors on his full England debut. Brad Friedel must know the location of the mythical fountain of youth, as the “wiser” presence in goal has been a massive upgrade from the gaffe-prone Gomes. And then there’s the work-horse defensive midfielder we’ve long been looking for,  Scott Parker combines intelligent distribution with crunching tackling to shore up Tottenham’s midfield.

In short, as a Spurs fan, I have a lot to be happy about.

So why is it that, a third of the way into the 2011-2012 Premier League season, I’m still feeling so uneasy about the rest of the campaign?

If you haven’t watched them play much yet, you’re probably thinking I’m crazy right now. But after looking at their impressive string of results a little more closely, there are a few things that are concerning.

Aside from the wins over Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, most of Tottenham’s victories have hardly looked dominating. Though it’s great to see them show impressively against the big guns, their susceptibility to look disinterested against the so-called “lesser sides” has me worried. This trend of struggling where they should succeed was a large part of the reason they missed out on 4th last season, and I’m concerned that this trend is bleeding into this season as well.

In most games, Spurs have spells where they do look like the world-beaters every Yiddo knows they can be: controlling possession, executing lightning quick counterattacks, and showing impressive flashes of skill and swagger. But those bright spells are always balanced out by periods of apathetic, unconvincing or downright chaotic play. Even in Monday’s dominating win, Aston Villa had several missed opportunities (two involving ex-Spur Darren Bent) that were the result of absolutely horrid defending.

At times, I think caving to Rafa’s demands of playing in a central, support-striker role is at fault for the periods of erratic defending. If Redknapp is planning on playing van der Vaart and Adebayor at the same time, it means they have to play a 4-4-2 that leaves the backline a bit more exposed. This is especially risky in a counterattack-oriented offense like Tottenham’s: just look at how much room Scott Parker has to cover all on his own when everyone bounds forward.

Sure, leaving Rafa to play where he likes has yielded a number of… benefits. The least of which is a happy Rafa (which probably equals a happier locker room too), and the most obvious of which is the team’s impressive string of results. But it’s also van der Vaart’s demand that has been the root of the sides defensive fragility.

So let’s imagine for a second that Harry hadn’t caved and continued to play Rafa wide right. Though it would be at the expense of Lennon, playing Adebayor as a single striker opens up space in the line-up for a second holding midfielder who could stay at home on the breaks that tend to leave us susceptible to a counter-attack ourselves. Sandro hanging back to cover a streaking Walker or provide cover in front of the back four would allow Parker to move forward and create… or Parker for Sandro.

I’m not saying this is something we should be doing permanently. But it is an option that allows Harry to fit most of his offensive big guns on the field without leaving the defense shorthanded — something that will be key when we eventually face one of the more talented clubs again. And a little unpredictability never hurt anyone either.

Luckily, those moments of lost focus and mistakes do seem to be on a bit of a decline in the last few matches. Without a doubt, the side starting to gel together has a lot to do with that.

In fact, Redknapp has trotted out the exact same starting line-up in each of the last three matches. Consistency being the theme of this stretch, Harry also only looked to Defoe and Sandro as subs in those matches too. Looking back to the Liverpool match when their run of good form began, the manager’s only deviated from that line-up by one player in all of those other matches… and that leads to my other big concern.

the crowded tottenham hotspur bench

these guys can't be all that happy with spending so much time on the bench this season. what happens if spurs need to lean on them?

While it’s great to see an established First XI that are comfortable playing with each other, you can’t help but wonder how the rest of the squad players are taking it. We know Pav and dos Santos are aiming to leave in January, and it’s safe to assume that Kranjčar still would prefer to move on, especially considering his early season form. Sandro was a revelation last season, yet he hasn’t been offered much more than 15 minute cameos at the end of most match. And that’s ignoring the host of other first-teammers and up-and-commers that are probably itching for some face time.

Miraculously, we haven’t had much of a need for squad player so far. A majority of Tottenham’s stars have managed to avoid the training room for most of the season to this point. Conventional wisdom tells us that won’t continue.

So with the rest of the squad short on match sharpness, would Spurs be able to cope with the loss of a Bale, Parker, Modrić or Adebayor? I’m all for building team cohesion and allowing players to develop on-field understandings, but I just can’t shake the feeling that Harry’s lack of squad rotation might negatively affect the side when the injury bug does eventually bite.

I’m holding out hope that Redknapp’s just been biding his time to rotate the squad, and next weekend’s fixture against an inconsistent West Brom side does seem the perfect opportunity.

Tottenham's Kranjcar and Danny Rose

growing mustaches for cancer "awareness" will only keep niko and rose distracted from their lack of playing time for so long.

Why not give Assou-Ekotto or Walker a break to make way for Ćorluka or Rose respectively? Walker in particular, since the kid has literally been running his legs off for both Spurs and England lately. Scott Parker could also use the rest, considering the well-equipped Sandro more than ready to stand in. I’m even down to let Gio or Pav have a run out: if either shines, it could potentially net some additional transfer dollars in January… double bonus!

Honestly though, my knack for pessimism is probably the only thing that’s really shining through here. I should really quit my bitching, right?

The blowout losses to the Manchester sides seems like ages ago, and Spurs really have been pretty impressive this season. The boys look more than capable of competing for the Champions League places this season, not to mention their main competition (Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal) for those spots look prime for the picking.

Yes, the system Redknapp’s currently employing is paying dividends, but this also isn’t exactly the hardest portion of this season’s schedule. And I know that many of those squad players glued to the Premier League sidelines are getting minutes in the Europa League, but you and I both know that the quality of opposition in those matches pales in comparison to the Premier League.

I’m really happy with Tottenham, this year. I am. It would just put me at ease, moving forward, if Harry could show me these risky decisions are backed up by some a solid “Plan B”.

panic attack

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I’m not having a panic attack. I swear… I think. Maybe I am having one. Well, wait… no I’m probably not having a panic attack.

luka modric during tottenham preseason training in south africa

apparently the saga over this man's signature has distracted levy and redknapp from getting any transfer work done this summer.

But with just a few days remaining until the Spurs’ delayed official start to the Premier League’s 2011-2012 season, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is officially making me lose sleep.

I know that last season was a bit of a mixed bag for Spurs and their fans. We were all enthralled by our magical European adventure, but also all rightly disappointed that the team couldn’t consistently put in the type of domestic performances that were earning them worthy praise on the continent.

As this post clearly points out, Tottenham were a team that could hang with the big boys. But on the flip side of the coin, they were decidedly average against team’s they should have been beating. The rigors of the Premier League, regardless of the competition faced each weekend, were too much to heap on players who were already being asked to carry heavy Champions League loads.

One thing that is certain is that the lack of activity in the January transfer window played a decently-sized part in the club’s eventual shortcomings.

The squad clearly needed reinforcements (in particular at the front end of the pitch) to continue battling on multiple fronts, and yet the only area they reinforced was the one area of the pitch that didn’t need that much help (although, a midfielder like Pienaar was a deal at the price we landed him for). Long story short, thin as the squad was, it couldn’t cope with a multi-competition battle.

So when Tottenham relinquished their short hold on a top four position back in the spring, both Levy and Redknapp admitted that big signings would be necessary to get the club back on track with their grand aspirations.

tottenham's brad friedel and michael dawson

friedel should help lift tottenham's defensive acumen, but he's not the impact signing that we had all hoped for.

Initially, long-term “dream” targets came back to the forefront. Forlán, Falcao, and Rossi were all floated in the deep pool of summer transfer rumors. But for various reasons (too old, too expensive, and too not for sale) none were realistic solutions to the Spurs’ striking woes. It appeared that Tottenham would either have to pony up and spend like the club has a super-rich foreign owner, or unearth a diamond in the rough.

Fellow Ohioan Brad Friedel was the first signing of the window, and though he was also a bargain-buy that addressed a weak spot in the team, his arrival was hardly the “big time” signing that we all wanted and the team needed.

But I remained optimistic; perhaps Friedel’s signing was the beginning of a torrid of transfer activity at White Hart Lane. After all, we don’t just need to buy at Tottenham: we also need to trim. With one of the largest squads in the Premier League last season, Levy remained (rightly) insistent that arrivals at the club would necessitate cash from sales.

Yet Friedel, to this point, remains the only transfer dealing of this extremely crucial off-season. One free signing, and only two paltry sums coming in after the Lillywhites finally disposed of serial-loanees Jamie O’Hara (to Wolves for £3.5m) and Robbie Keane (to LA Galaxy for £3m)… nothing official about Jenas, Hutton, Dos Santos, Bassong and Palacios being sold off to raise the all important cash.

So while Tottenham Hotspur seem to be twiddling their thumbs, all of their direct competitors have been busy strengthening their squads.

kun aguero at manchester city

though they bid for him in january, spurs never had a realistic shot of landing kun.

Manchester City, the club that’s recently been Tottenham’s biggest rival (as far as league places are concerned) over the last few years, have continued to spend astronomical sums on players they may (Stefan Savić) or may not (Clichy) need (Agüero could be unneeded if Tévez doesn’t leave). Sadly, additional devastating signings this window seem imminent. If they’re not competing for silverware on all fronts this season with the talent in that squad, then Mancini will have proven himself a moron of a manager.

Liverpool, the club that Tottenham displaced in the Champions League last season, look to have finally gotten back on track with new owner John Henry and new (and old) manager Kenny Dalglish aiming to return to their rightful place as an English power. The signings of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, and José Enrique on top of the January signings of Suarez and Carroll, mean that the Reds have dropped a reported £94 million on getting themselves back in the top four.

Manchester United, the club that doesn’t ever have a down year, also look primed to continue their run of dominance over English football after finally dolling out a big chunk of the Ronaldo-sale money. Ashley Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones have arrived on the back of £50 million, plus there is emergence of Tom Cleverly and the possible arrival of Wesley Sneijder from Inter to further bolster their ranks. When Sir Alex said Tottenham could compete for the title this season, he must have forgotten that his team were competing in England this season.

Then there’s Chelsea, the club that’s played the part of Luka Modrić-stalker all summer long. To be honest, they’ve not spent much on players so far this summer (Lukaku and Romelu)… most of their outbound cash was to pry away Mourinho-lite Andre Villas-Boas from Porto as their new temporary manager. Their lack of player spending has definitely been surprising, as the club’s senior citizen squad looked in the most need of reinforcements. However, I fret that they might not quite be finished for understandable reasons.

And then there’s our North London rivals, Arsenal, the club that… well, thank god at least one of our rivals is looking to be in worse shape than us. Serves them right, that scum.

I sit and watch world-class players arriving at those clubs, and I think to myself: “Those are the types of players we need.” But then I remember, the reality of it is, we can’t afford those players.

Stuck in an undersized stadium that’s unable to generate the necessary revenues to truly invest in a squad, Harry and Daniel have openly admitted that we can’t compete with the big boys when it comes to wages and transfer funds. So, now we’re having to make do with less ambitious targets.

fc twente's bryan ruiz

ruiz would be an ideal, (relatively) cheap signing for tottenham. but is there enough time to pull it off?

Blackburn sweeper/striker Chris Samba‘s name keeps coming up, though improving the back four isn’t and shouldn’t be near the top of the club’s priority list. There have been links to another central midfielder in Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra, which would make some sense if Palacios leaves. I’d love to see Twente’s Costa Rican striker/shampoo-commercial model Bryan Ruiz get bought, but with so little time left in the window, a deal like that would be tough. Maybe a loan move for everyone’s favorite mercenary, Emmanuel Adebayor, seems the most likely, but do we really want a player that nobody else wants?

And that’s not even touching on the possibility of Modrić leaving and how that could blow everything to hell. Levy seems to have the kid in a vice grip at the moment, but who knows what Chelsea’s millions could persuade the chairmen to do.

Look, my club’s biggest adversaries have spent over a combined £185 million pounds to solidify and/or improve their places in the league. Tottenham have spent zero. Everyone knew that Spurs needed to improve if they wanted to achieve their dream of becoming one of the big boys, and yet the club has done practically nothing to this point to show any of that necessary transfer ambition.

Sure, Harry Houdini could have another late-breaking, wheeling-and-dealing transfer that he’ll pull out of his sleeve like he did with van der Vaart. Maybe he’ll deliver the striker we so desperately need at 11:59pm on August 30th. But if he’ goes that long without a signing, I’d be more willing to bet that it will be another midfielder than a striker… ‘Arry seems to love those center of the park ballers.

And if that’s the case, someone call me a doctor… I’m going to need a prescription for Xanax that will last much longer than just through the remainder of this transfer window.

trouble in the city

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manchester city's carlos tevez and roberto mancini

an unsettled tevez is the largest of mancini's problems with the city strike corps.

As we broach the halfway point of the summer signing period, it’s fair to say that the transfer docket has been a busy one already. Big money moves by the traditional powers across Europe have been popping  up on the news radar since the days immediately following the close of last season:

Let’s not forget the rumor mill either, as headlines linking power sides like Barcelona (who have all but signed the dynamic Alexis Sánchez), Chelsea (links to just about everyone), and Juventus (failing miserably so far, but still in for Kun Agüero) to star names the world over. So expecting further transfer excitement this summer is a given.

Of course, there’s one other big player in the transfer market that I haven’t mentioned thus far… everyone’s favorite oil-rich side, Manchester City. City have been, predictably, linked to every player on the planet just as they have for since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover two seasons ago. (I’m convinced that they throw their hat into every transfer discussion, even if they’re not actually interested, simply to drive up the price for their rivals).

And for those concerned that the world will continue to be flipped upside down with mega bids left and right, the Citizens picked up right where they left off in January. Already completed are the signings of Arsenal’s Gaël Clichy and Partizan’s Stefan Savić, both of whom will bolster City’s wide defensive options. Neither of those acquisitions is that surprising when you consider the style of play adopted by manager Roberto Mancini, who always seems more than content to pack it in and hold out for draws.

At the attacking end of the pitch, on the surface it also appears that they’re getting even stronger without spending an (additional) dime. Disregarding the existing strikers on staff, the sky blues will also the return of several class strikers to City of Manchester Stadium Etihad Stadium this summer from various loans. Craig Bellamy returns from the wilds of the Championship, and Adebayor returns from a decent spell at Real Madrid.

craig bellamy and roberto mancini of manchester city

something tells me that bellamy is putting on a fake smile here.

It would be foolish to think that there won’t be other signings (including what could be a retarded move for Arsenal’s Samir Nasri, who is essentially the same type of player as David Silva), so you could forgive someone for thinking that they might just be unbeatable next year.

So while all of that makes Citeh look like certain trophy challengers, I can’t shake the nagging feeling that the team’s current offensive circumstances might be a sign that their master plan to become a world power might not be going to plan.

Bellamy hates Mancini
Since it’s been a while since the Welshman has made any relevant headlines, it might be worth me hashing out a quick refresher on the Craig Bellamy-Manchester City story. Let’s just say, it could best be described as “rough”:

  • January 2009: City sign Bellamy from West Ham, their first “big” offensive signing of the Oil Era, for a reported £14 million. Craig leaves the Hammers among rumors that he was forcing his way out of the squad.
  • December 2009: Bellamy threatens to leave the Citizens over the firing of manager Mark Hughes, and is subsequently dropped by new manager Roberto Mancini.
  • August 2010: Fearing that he might not make the Mancini’s 25-man EPL roster after the arrivals of Carlos Tévez, Jô (back from his Everton loan), Roque Santa Cruz and eventually Mario Balotelli, Bellamy mulls retirement and expresses frustration with Mancini’s lack of faith in him. He eventually leaves on loan to Championship side Cardiff City, his hometown club.
  • June 2011: Hoping to make his loan to Cardiff permanent, Craig asks that City let him leave on a free transfer. The sky blue’s respond by slapping a £4m price tag on him… very unaffordable for such a small club.
The Welshman recently stated that he fully expects City to let him rot in the reserves this year unless a club meets their valuation of him, and that he and Mancini haven’t spoken since the week after the Italian arrived at the club. Old legs and a nasty injury record do give some weight to Mancini’s position, but a player of Bellamy’s… uh… pedigree festering on the bench would be equivalent to a cancer in the dressing room. And we already know how bad that can get.

Džeko could be impotent.
It’s still too early to call the Bosnian a bust, but I think the Bosnian is a bust. Six goals in 21 appearances for the Citizens is under-performing when you cost 27 million and reportedly asked for 175k per week in wages, unless you’re Chelsea and think that’s a great return compared to their baby-faced flop.

City will undoubtedly really want Džeko to make a u-turn this season, and a return to the form he showed at Wolfsburg (85 goals in 135 matches) would be a gigantic boost for next season’s prospects. It’s a steep hill to climb back to that level though, and if his confidence in front of goal carries over from last season, it could be a very difficult hill to climb.

If Džeko does want to reach his lofty purchase price, someone needs to make sure he doesn’t ask this guy for advice.

emmanuel adebayor at manchester city

will adebayor be able to secure a permanent deal at real madrid to escape his city hell?

Adebayor hates City.
You have to give to Ade: the guy has the uncanny ability to always stumble up. Regardless of where he plies his trade, the Togolese striker has starts the stint wonderfully, ends it woefully, but still manages to turn his next gig into a better one (see his goals to games ratio during his career).

Manchester City quickly looked to loan off the big man after his production started to fall off, and newer shinier strikers began arriving on the regular. And when he predictably put in a decent showing while on loan at Real Madrid, you just knew that Adebayor would try to trip into a permanent deal at the most historically successful club of all time.

Unable to secure a deal before the close of last season, Emmanuel headed back to Manchester for preseason. But Roberto Mancini long ago deemed the striker surplus to requirements, and left him off the club’s preseason travel roster. Naturally, this angered Ade. Seeing that the player and club’s relationship over the last year could best be described as tepid, I can’t imagine that now he would be even close to the type of player you would want mingling amongst your squad.

Balotelli is certifiably crazy.
I don’t care if he is giving away money and providing youngsters with (shoddy) advice; I’m not going to be fooled. There’s not really any need for me to elaborate, but if you really want to hear my thoughts on the Italian wild child… let me just leave this here.

Let’s just say putting all of your chips in the crazy kid’s corner on the goal scoring front might not be the wisest decision.

Tévez needs to leave.
For the longest time now, I’ve thought Carlos Tévez has just been a whiny bitch. He complains about life in England and how he’s not found anything to do there in five years, but he’s not even bothered to learn English. Tévez has long said that he’s been considering retirement, despite having his peak years ahead of him and lot’s more earning power. He came off as mercenary punk during his exit from Manchester United, and then rubbed his previous supporters’ faces in the mud by openly mocking them after joining their biggest rivals. And for the better part of 6 months, he’s been trying to squeeze his way out of City.

But if you were to ask me whether all of the drama that comes with employing Tévez would be worth having him on my team, I would overwhelmingly tell you “yes.” There’s no arguing that the mercurial Argentine is one of the most productive strikers in the game, bagging 86 goals in 180 matches for the two Manchester clubs. He has an engine that never stops, an asset that can’t be overvalued as he does it on both sides of the ball. Simply put, his on pitch efforts outweigh all of that, and I suspect that’s why clubs puts up with him.

What I didn’t realize though, was there was another driving factor in Carlos’ hope to leave the Citizens. While it’s clear that striker is at least a little unsettled, it’s really his wife who has had it with life in England. She’s already threatened to leave her fabulously rich husband because it’s so horrible in the British Isles. I mean, her husband’s band doesn’t even have a charted pop hit in England! How is this possible?!?! And while the two temporarily patched things up, she’s already moved back to Argentina, and me thinks she’s threatened to leave him permanently if he doesn’t follow her home. You can’t blame a guy for wanting to do what it takes to keep his family together.

Whether or not Corinthians or Boca Juniors, the only clubs that Tévez says he’d go back to South America for, have the ability to shell out the funds necessary to pry one of the elite strikers on the planet away from City remains to be seen. I suspect that if Carlos does go back to one of those clubs, it will only be if his “agent” Kia Joorbachian ponies up some of the fee himself and resumes his 3rd party ownership role (which is fairly prevalent in the Argentine and Brazilian spheres).

A lot needs to happen for Tévez to be reunited with his family anytime soon, and sadly for him, he may have to retire to make it happen.

The others are unproven or not good.
I’m not going to waste my breath talking about Jô, who is miraculously getting some looks from some Russian Premier League sides, as he clearly can’t cut it in England. Roque Santa Cruz was washed up when City signed him, and he’ll be lucky to trick Blackburn into taking him back again. Alex Nimely, a 20-year-old Liberian striker who’s been at the club since 2008, hasn’t sniffed the pitch during a first team match yet.

Needless to say, if two of Tévez, Adebayor and Bellamy leave, the Citizens definitely need to bolster their attacking ranks.

—————————————-

Look, I’m not trying to write Manchester City off this season. Their pockets are too deep, their playing staff too talented, and they did well enough last season with similar problems to qualify for the Champions League. To discount them, even with their strike force’s plethora of problems, would be nothing short of foolish. But if I were a City supporter (and due to their badass line with Umbro, I sometimes wish I was), I would be extremely worried about those problems.

If you’re trying to chase glory with three unsettled and unhappy strikers looking to move away, an overpriced dud, and a player who belongs in a straight jacket, even with all the talent in the rest of the squad… well, don’t expect to make it any higher than you’ve already made it.

the inevitable is there

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“they’ve done well, but the inevitable is there,” said ray wilkins during his commentary towards the end of last night’s game. and while the former chelsea first team coach’s words were a generous yet accurate assessment of spurs’ performance, the sting was still there. we all knew it would end this way.

ricardo carvahlo pokes the ball away from gareth bale.

even bale's immense talent isn't enough to ward off the inevitable.

thank god for ray, though: he was a like a machine gun that fired off training ground quips at random intervals. if it hadn’t been for his entertaining commentary, i doubt many tottenham fans would have in any way found the match enjoyable.

either way, let’s just say i’m glad i didn’t make any predictions in yesterday’s column.

in a rare display of common sense, even i knew that i would end up putting my foot in my mouth by making some absurd prediction of a tottenham victory in the bernabéu. the yids had already pulled off a miracle this season at the san siro (an argument could even be made that they pulled off two miracles there), but asking for another magical european night facing another storied opponent? nobody’s luck stays good so long.

besides, redknapp had already been mugged in madrid once this year. would it really be that surprising if it happened again?

even with the man advantage for three-fourths of the match, madrid clearly looked the better side. the interplay at the

di maria celebrating his scorcher against madrid

angel di maria's belter was the nail in tottenham's champions league coffin.

top of the pitch between the two-goal adebayor, ronaldo, ozïl and di maria was, at times, a force of nature. the tandem of xabi alonso and khedira completely neutralized any central threat from modrić and jenas. (tangent warning: is it just me, or is jermaine jenas the worst player ever to play in a champions league quarter-final? he didn’t play one positively directed ball, and when he attempted to, he coughed it up every time. i hate him.)

without crouch up top to divert their attention, the madrid back line did little wrong in handling counter attacks sporadically coming out of the tottenham end. and with less defensive responsibility, it allowed marcelo the freedom to regularly join the madrid attack. judging by his performance both tonight and over recent months, i’m guessing the special one is feeling rather justified with hanging on to the emerging brazilian.

sure, the red card certainly threw tottenham’s match plans out the window. but i would venture to say that even if

crouch sees red against real madrid

crouch's stupidity likely didn't impact the eventual outcome that much.

crouch hadn’t been an idiot, spurs would still have been tactically out matched. massimo allegri and rafa benitez are great managers, but neither prepares their side as well as mourinho. and though harry’s not as big of a tactical moron as some like to claim, there’s no doubting that mourinho is a class above in that department.

but like mr. wilkins noted in the opening quote, tottenham’s performance wasn’t all bad. there were positives to glean from the horrid 0-4 scoreline:

  • bale seems to be getting his mojo back. he was able to really open it up a few times last night, a first since he went out injured. moments that stick out were the near miss in the fist half after beautifully chesting down a long ball at the top of the madrid box, as well as a very accurate long throw to van der vaart. he was dangerous enough to draw a ban-inducing yellow on pepe, and should have earned another from sergio ramos on several occasions.
  • michael dawson is definitely emerging as a premier level center back. despite the score, he handled himself very well when facing up against one of the most gifted attacking groups in the world.
  • sandro’s rise to prominence continued last night, though his decision-making at times made me sweat (quit dribbling out of the back!). regardless, his distribution is light years better than palacios and he may soon find himself ahead of even huddlestone when he returns from injury.
  • spurs defended very well with ten men for stretches, and it’s a bit shocking that they held off until the 57th and 72th minutes before conceding the second and third goals. if they had been at full strength, i think a 1-2 or 1-3 scoreline would have been more likely.

despite these bright spots, and even if there had a been a few more, i still knew this was coming. it was “the inevitable.”

yes, the second leg still remains. but it would be foolish to predict another miracle. beating madrid by five goals, even at home, is pure fantasy. getting knocked out the champions league wouldn’t be the worst of scenarios either, allowing spurs to fully focus their efforts on finishing fourth and qualifying for the champions league again.

but i am hoping tottenham will make it competitive this time around. it’s been a fun ride this year, and i’d love to get to see some of the attacking flair that was deprived us last night. and if we’re so lucky, we can all enjoy just one more european night at white hart lane.

my own personal clásico

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i’ve been waiting to write this article for over two whole weeks, ever since the champions league quarter-finals draw. and while there’s no doubt that this draw gave us some very tantalizing match-ups, there was only one that i really care about.

uefa shows off the draw for quarter final #1: real madrid v tottenham

seeing this go up on my tv caused me to godgasm.

that match up is my own personal clásico: tottenham hotspur f.c. versus real madrid c.f.

for anyone who has followed the blog for a while or are so unlucky to actually know me, i closely follow both the lillywhites and los blancos. i am already well aware that it’s an odd combination of clubs to follow. but when you grew up in the states during the 90′s and the only true football you get to watch is during the world cups, you tend to latch on to players you like and by default follow the clubs they played for at the time (many thanks to jürgen klinsmann and roberto carlos).

going into the draw, and like everyone else who ‘s team is still in the competition, i was praying that both sides would avoid the 800 pound gorilla in the room that is barcelona. and judging by pain on the faces of the shakhtar donetsk players when they saw they were partnered with the catalonians, i felt even more justified in feeling so inclined to avoid them in the draw.

let’s be clear though: drawing madrid is no free ticket into the semis for tottenham. if you want to discount los galacticos simply because it’s the first time in seven years that they’ve even made it this far in europe, you’re an idiot. with mourinho at the reigns and actual, legitimate quality in the side this year, the club is vastly more dangerous than they’ve been in quite some time.

we also shouldn’t ignore the fact that while both madrid and tottenham avoided barça in this draw, barring natural disasters or a mysterious disease ravaging their locker room, they’ll likely have to face the juggernauts in the next round. a delayed punishment if you will.

either way, seeing my two favorite clubs line up against each other has me all worked into a tizzy.

why am i so worked up? have a look at all of the mouthwatering story lines to consider in this tie:

real madrid's sergio ramos will likely take on tottenham's gareth bale.

a key match up between two of my favorite players is just one of the many reasons i'm stoked for this tie.

  • key injuries could be a factor: the latest word on the street is that in-form benzema will surely miss the first leg, and ronaldo is a doubt (though my guess is mourinho is playing a mind game regarding ronnie’s fitness… he’ll likely start). gareth bale is in a fitness race himself, and tottenham have will also be without alan hutton who was just ruled out for the season (which may be a good thing) and jonathan woodgate (fffooorrreeevvveeerrr).
  • gareth bale v. sergio ramos: both are powerful, speedy, world class players, and this will be one of the marquee match-ups between the two teams. i would imagine that tottenham will try to exploit the spanish international’s tendency to push high into the attack, assuming mourinho doesn’t give him orders to strictly follow bale or be banished beyond the capital city walls.  i’m also fully expecting sergio to earn a yellow hacking down bale at some point over the two legs.
  • van der vaart is back: making his return to the bernebau so soon after being cast off, vdV has made no secret of his joy to face his former employers. he’s a fan favorite among the madrid faithful, and will most certainly be playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. it would also be foolish to think that the dutchman won’t be cautioned at some point.
  • david v. goliath: please forgive me for my use of the most overused sports analogy out there, but it’s an accurate description none the less. nine-time european champions versus competition new boys*. or maybe uconn versus butler would work better for you? regardless, i’m pretty sure either’s a good fit. can tottenham continue on their cinderella run? can real shed their recent run of under achievement in europe?
  • it’s my two favorite teams!!!!!!!!!!! did i mention this yet?
  • familiar foes: tottenham will likely be facing up against some familiar faces in these ties, and that does not bode well for them. spurs never fared very well against mourinho during his time at chelsea, with a damning record of 5 losses, 2 ties and a solitary victory when facing the special one (a -6 goal differential isn’t glittering either). also likely to be in frame to start the first leg is on loan striker emmanuel adebayor. the former arsenal striker is sure to be showered with boos and whistles at white hart lane, in no small part due to his fine strike rate against his former north london foes with 8 goals in 9 games.
  • the varying pressure of performance: going into the first leg, tottenham still seem like wide-eyed 18 year-olds making their first trip to a strip club: elated to just be there, let alone landing a free lap dance or two. the pressure on harry redknapp is minimal at best, as his main focus is securing 4th in the league so they can try to get into the big dance next year. madrid on the other hand, are like the high-rolling regulars at the strip club: expecting to be given first dibs at the finest dancers. if mourinho can’t deliver this round, it’s very likely that he’ll be (stupidly) dispatched of at the completion of the season.
  • a “real” el clásico awaits: i’m as optimistic as any tottenham fan can be, but let’s be honest about this match: tottenham are not favorites in this one by a long stretch. and a mind blowing match up could be awaiting real if they and barcelona both progress as they should. as much as this shouldn’t be a focus before this round of ties is even settled, it will be a topic of discussion.

so aside from all of the excellent plot lines to follow, you might also be wondering what team i’m deciding throw my full support behind.

without a doubt, it wasn’t even a choice for me to be pulling for tottenham. being able to watch them on tv nearly every weekend for the last few years has helped to make spurs my favorite favorite team. that’s not to mention how difficult it can be to support a team that is more or less the european equivalent of the new york yankees.

if tottenham somehow find a way to prevail over two legs, fantastic. let the party continue and yids the world over can begin to dream of complete european glory. if they lose, no worries. we enjoyed the ride and can now fully focus on the league (which might even be the best result all around).

and if madrid knock spurs out, i can’t really feel too upset if they are felled by a team that cost over $690 million to construct. then i can go on the rest of the tournament rooting for los merengues and i’ll be fine and content until they lose to barcelona.

it’s a win-win for me really.

and regardless of how it turns out, i’m still taking a vacation day for the second leg to soak in my very own, personal clásico that i thought would never ever happen. and i’ll probably never see it happen again, either.

all the money in the world, but what to spend it on

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despite the claims of many, and even myself from time to time,  spurs are not yet a “big club.” as difficult of a statement as that is to admit, it’s unfortunately not that hard of a statement to back up.

one big signing does not make a big club. not even super super vdV.

sure, they’re sitting in 4th in the table at the halfway line, a position many thought would be too difficult to reach again. and yes, i’m fully aware that the lillywhites not only qualified for the knockout rounds of the champions league, but also won the group ahead of holders inter. yes, van der vaart has been the signing of the season so far in the premier league. and so what if gareth bale is the man i would be most inclined to sleep with most in-form player on the planet.

they’re all great things that define big clubs, ones that i surely point out to my friends more than is necessary, but none of those things really matter. not yet anyway.

what truly makes a “big club,” is a clubs ability to do all of those things on a sustained basis. the real madrids, chelseas and bayern munichs of this world are considered the big boys because they are always considered to be (at least one of) the favorites in every competition they enter. consistently finishing in the lofty table positions, regularly doing well in europe, habitually bagging big time players, and keeping the best ones you already have… that’s what puts them ahead of the eternal door-knockers like tottenham, sevilla, roma and aston villa.

tottenham’s rise to prominence this season and last has, no doubt, been meteoric. but just like a meteor, this run has been very brief. (admittedly, if you’ve been following the premier league for a decent amount of time, you know this isn’t exactly true. spurs have been actively chasing this elusive position for quite some time… way back in time, since the martin jol days of 2005.)

also, tottenham haven’t exactly been major players in the transfer market, at least not how i would hope. until very recently, they were only major players as a selling club. though i have to admit that the tidy sums we acquired in exchange for berbatov (sad to see him go) and carrick (glad to see him go) have been put to good use in building the current successful squad. the yids never threw money around like mad men; just small, sensible purchases. you can only be a big club if you’re paying out 30 million quid per player… right man city?!

so you can imagine how hard my jaw hit the table when i read that harry redknapp has been given the keys to the white hart lane safe this january. someone check and see if that’s the real daniel levy making all of these insane statements.

they’re kinda consistently performing well at this point, and now we’re supposedly able to spend like the big boys?! maybe if they make an intelligent purchase (meaning a world class striker or right back), tottenham hotspur could really be on their way to being a true elite level team! this is awesome! we will be legitimate title contenders! we’re going to win everything! come on you spurs!!!

wait… oh crap…

who are they going to buy?

…..

the only prominent name on the market was edin džeko, but citeh are looking to inflate the market a bit again by overpaying wolfsburg for him. and thus, every other decent option’s price just went up a bit. a less fashionable idea would be to make a move for the unsettled adebayor, but signing two ex-gunners in a season seems sinful. macheda won’t getting the starting time that sir alex is demanding for him. madrid misfit karim benzema, perhaps? too expensive and possibly overrated. renewed bids for luis fabiano maybe?  i don’t know. and quality right back options include: wayne bridge (meh), jonathan spector (blah), or perhaps maicon (comical).

as for the the two moves that have been touted the most in the lead up to january, for everton’s steven pienaar and l.a. galaxy’s david beckham… i’m actually ok with those despite the fact we don’t really need any more midfielders.

the picture everyone's using even looks a bit like a spurs kit.

beckham makes sense for a few reasons. first, he’ll make a great 60th minute sub, coming on for a gassed lennon and slinging in at least five more quality services than lennon did in twice the time. put in crouch and let becks serve him up. secondly, his experience in the champions league could be vital for a team that’s short on experience at that level. young players will learn from him.

the move for pienaar should hinge on whether or not they get beckham. if they land the pretty boy, they will need to nix this move. either way, the south african would definitely be a versatile addition to the club’s increasingly overloaded array of midfielders. he could easily push lennon for a starting role on the right flank, perhaps causing both of them to raise their games. he could be used on the left should bale ever lose his invincibility cloak. and he’s shown he can play centrally, assuming modrić, jenas, palacios, sandro and huddlestone are all hurt.

looking at it again though, beckham is a short term gamble and fixes nothing in the long run. and the guy is old as hell, with even older legs. spurs currently hold the unofficial title of the flashiest, fastest side in the premier league with bale and lennon on the wings. would beckham be able to keep up, screwing up the team’s mojo on the pitch?

and while pienaar is a sensible buy for the supposed price (£2 million), do spurs really need another midfielder? will either player really make that big of a difference? and odds are the normal january price inflations means that tottenham really can’t afford to buy the types of players that would truly make an impact.

it’s a sellers market, right when tottenham are finally ready — and able — to make a splash.

the missing

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it’s the game’s biggest stage, and that stage features the world’s biggest stars. well, most of them anyway.

every four year’s, hundreds of millions of adoring fans to watch the brightest stars of football shine during the world cup. unfortunately, some of those star names don’t get the final invite to the the big ball because their team suck, or their team is a little unlucky, or their coach simply won’t bring them along.

whatever the case may be, south africa 2010 will be devoid of some of the best players in the world. it’s kind of like kanye west not being at the grammy’s; you know he’s talented enough to be there, but he just hasn’t earned it.

ibrahimovic will have some excellent company with which to watch the world cup on the tube this summer.

in fact, we came really, really close to almost having the two best players in the world in messi and ronaldo due to their teams drastically underperforming in qualification. luckily, by some divine influence, both of them stumbled their way into the tournament, sparing fifa some major embarrassment.

but we’re not here to talk about who squeaked their way into the tournament. let’s talk about the best players who had the door slammed into their face.

zlatan ibrahimovic - sweden / barcelona
arguably the biggest name on this list, it’s really not that surprising that big swede isn’t booking his flight to south africa. despite zlatan’s obvious talent, can you name a single other player of true quality in the swedish ranks? i sure can’t. and considering that ibra can’t seem to decide if he actually wants to play for the national team, he’s not exactly going to be the one to lead the charge to the finals.

ryan giggs – wales / manchester united
while giggsy’s younger, speedier red devils teammate antonio valencia might be the better player at this point (debatable), i’m going to go with the wise, old welshman for this list. why? two reasons: 1) despite a glittering club career, giggs has never made an appearance at the world cup finals as wales are confined to minnow status, and 2) at the ripe age of 36 he is still one of the most dangerous and creative players in the EPL. i know my praise won’t mask his disappointment of never making it to the big dance, but he deserves the nod either way.

roman pavlyuchenko – russia / tottenham
even though he’s been buried on the bench for a majority of the season at white hart lane, pav’s recent form is hard to ignore. with five goals in his last three games, it’s no wonder former russia manager gus hiddink wanted pav in form for their qualification campaign… unfortunately for roman and russia, he wasn’t.

edin dzeko – bosnia / wolfsburg
so when you play for bosnia, qualifying for the world cup is about as likely as slobodan milošević not commiting genocide. despite making it to the finals in germany four years ago under the banner of serbia & montenegro, the newly independent serbian side is just not quite as solid. however, the future is bright for serbs. led by dzeko, who is one of the most sought-after strikers in the game, they should be considered a threat during the 2012 euro qualification process.

stephen ireland – ireland / manchester city
when the irish were knocked out of the world cup by thierry henryy’s infamous handball assist in the waning moments of their second leg qualification play-off with france, it plunged a country already renown for their heavy drinking into a drunken furor. so close but so far, as the saying goes. and the fact that they made it so far without the nations best player should be a testament to the team’s strength. the mercurial stephen ireland of manchester city has been in personal exile from the irish national team for some time now, and my guess is he would have continued it even if they had qualified.

antonio cassano – italy / sampdoria
what makes cassano different than everyone else on this list? his national team is qualified for south africa, yet he won’t be making the trip this summer with the azzuri. after tumultuous spells at roma and real madrid, the oft controversial cassano has found his form in sampdoria, prompting numerous calls from the media for his return to the national team. however, italy coach marcelo lippi has thus far refused due to his reputation as a team cancer.

luka modrić - croatia / tottenham

modric seems shocked that his croatia didn't qualify... i'm shocked too.

the croatians were a shock exclusion from south africa, being the highest ranked national side not qualified for the tournament (11th as of march 2010). the absence of the spurs playmaker during qualification, due to a broken leg, likely played a part in the team’s poor results. i could have easily put a couple of the croatians on this list (niko kranjčar, dario šimić, eduardo da silva, etc.), but modrić is the engine that drives his club and country, despite being the size of your average pet hamster.

goran pandev – macedonia / inter milan
the diminutive forward has had a rough go over the last few years for both club and country. despite a tremendous goalscoring record, he was frozen out at former club lazio due to a rocky relationship with management. however, his return to inter has been fruitful with the macedonian netting three times in nine appearances. in the national team shirt, pandev shouldn’t ever expect much success as the macedonians just don’t have the infrastructure or talent to compete at an elite level.

andrei arshavin – russia / arsenal
this gunner will be one of the more notable outcasts for this summer’s main event. his flashy style and creativity made him one of the most attractive transfer targets after russia’s deep run at euro 2008. the russians are stocked full of high level talent and had an excellent manager in gus hiddink, making their absence from south africa even more surprising.

emmanuel adebayor – togo / manchester city
adebayor drives me crazy, and i often say that i don’t intend to write about him on my blog if i can help it. but there’s doubting that the city striker is one of the best strikers not making his way to the world cup finals. probably all the better for togo, seeing as how the team were brutally attacked at the africa cup of nations in angola.

honorable mention
shay given – ireland / manchester city
mikel arteta – spain / everton
petr cech – czech republic / chelsea
hamit altintop – turkey / bayern munich
antonio valencia – ecuador / manchester united
josé bosingwa – portugal / chelsea

so in short, i apparently think strikers are the only good players out there. i’m sure i’m completely missing someone on this list, but then again, this is a list of people who are missing out. if you can think of anyone i left out, feel free to share.

the decade that was – part 2

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Now for part two of my review of the last decade — and my apologies about being a few days late — whereI review and weigh in on the biggest stories of the 2000′s in the world of football. Thanks to all who read the first installment where I shared my choices for the Best XI of the decade, and sorry if I enraged you with my selection of Gary Neville. This caused a surprising uproar amongst the regular readers… who knew? But keep the comments and e-mails coming; I appreciate the feed back.

It’s been an eventful ten years, full of shocks and surprises. With that in mind, I’m sure that I will forget something huge. So let me know what you think I’ve left out.

liverpool’s champions league final come back was one of the best games of the decade

The Galácticos Era(s) (2000 & 2009)
As the saying goes, “money talks,” and Real Madrid has certainly done a lot of talking in the last ten years. Club president Florentino Perez revolutionized the sport by spending more money on individual players than most clubs would be willing to spend during an entire transfer window. Not only that, but he’s done it twice. In the early part of the decade, he brought in the likes of Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham and Owen. And upon being reelected last summer, Florentino worked his magic again by capturing Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso. Perez realized that signing the world’s best players could not only bring you great success on the field, but they can also bring a lot more money back into the club through worldwide marketing and merchandising sales. The down side: Madrid’s lavish spending is almost single-handedly responsible for the wild inflation in transfer prices now standard in the transfer market.

The Italian Match-Fixing Scandal (2006)
Corruption is hardly a new concept in Italy, which makes it all the more surprising that everyone was so shocked by the news that several of Italy’s premier clubs were heavily involved in a deep match-fixing scandal just before the 2006 World Cup. When Italian officials finally came forward with over two years worth of evidence (including taped phone conversations and numerous referee accounts), four clubs were implicated in trying to influence favorable referee appointments: Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio. The windfall was swift and harsh, especially for Juventus. The bianconeri were stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles, relegated to Serie B, and were handed a further 9-point deduction. The rest of the clubs were spared relegation, but were handed heavy point-penalties for the 2006-2007 seasons (including a 17-point deduction for Milan, which helped to keep them out of the following campaign’s Champions League).

World Cups outside Europe and the Americas (2002 & 2010)
Well it only took FIFA sixteen editions of the World Cup finals to realize that they had been a little biased in awarding tournaments to host countries. Up until the 2002 edition, every single World Cup had either been held in Europe or the Americas. However, after seeing the amazing success achieved in 1994 in the United States, FIFA began to realize that there was a great untapped (profit) potential to hold the tournament in non-traditional football markets. First was the 2002 tournament jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan, which has resulted in a huge growth in interest the game in Asia. In turn, that spawned a massive boost in profits for the Premier League in particular. Then FIFA took another gamble, awarding the 2010 edition to South Africa. Whether or not this provides another financial boost for the game remains to be seen. But if nothing else, the passion the African continent has shown for the sport in the lead up to the cup is promising.

The Mircacle in Istanbul (2005)
Though I guess it could only really be called a miracle if you support Liverpool! Either way, the 2005 Champions League final contested between Liverpool and AC Milan was a match for the ages. In the rare case that you can’t recall the game, I’ll do you the favor of providing a recap. After falling behind 0-3 in the first half, the Reds staged an unbelievable second half comeback to tie the game before the end of regular time. Inspired by stunning performances from Steven Gerrard and Jerzy Dudek (funny, it’s nearly impossible to say “stunning performance” and “Jerzy Dudek” in the same sentence any longer), the Scousers netted three times in six minutes and eventually prevailed on penalties. This was easily one of the best games I’ve ever watched, and if you some how missed it, find a way to watch it… NOW.

who could forget zidane’s gaffe in the 2006 world cup final?

Zidane Headbutts Materazzi (2006)
Zizou, already a living legend due to a sparkling career with a winner’s medal from nearly every single major championship (1998 World Cup, 2000 Euro Championships, 2002 Champions League, a La Liga and multiple Serie A titles), was possibly just minutes away from adding another title and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest ever players. Prior to the tournament, he had announced his plans to retire from professional football after the title-deciding final. Sadly, that’s not the way it went down. Regardless of what center back Marco Materazzi must have said, his words must have been harsh enough to make Zidane become temporarily insane. As evidence, the Frenchman headbutted the Italian to the floor. Zidane controversially was shown a straight red (it is widely believed that all of the reffing staff missed the incident, but that the fourth official saw the replay on the jumbotron and advised the center ref to award the red), and he would then miss the penalties, where France would lose the shootout. Unfortunately, and especially for Americans who are not as familiar with the game, Zidane’s legacy now centers around a single, ill-timed foul.

Beckham Comes to America (2007)
I really doubt that you don’t know anything about this subject. But i’ll write about it anyway, like you have no clue what i’m talking about. Ten years ago, it would have been unimaginable to have the biggest name (notice how i didn’t say the best player) in football playing in MLS. But that became a reality on January 11, 2007, when the former England captain David Beckham signed a five year contract with MLS’ LA Galaxy. So how did he end up here? When beckham signed the contract, he was currently (and stupidly) being left out in the cold by both Real Madrid and England, with no end in sight to his expulsions from either team. He probably thought his time had passed, and that it was time to make his long-predicted move across the pond. The league changed their salary cap rules to make his astronomical salary possible, all in the hopes that Becks would be able to raise the profile of the sport in this country. While his on field success has been limited during his time in the States, he’s arguably done what he was brought here for. Evidence: the most ticket requests for next summers World Cup are not coming from soccer-crazy countries such as England, Brazil or Spain… they’re coming from the good old US of A. Thanks, David!

Chelsea’s Kakuta-gate Transfer saga (2009)
The most recent story on this list may not seem like such a big deal, at least right now. But trust me when I say that this story will have steep implications down the road. Chelsea’s illegal recruitment of French starlet Kakuta from Lens shined the spotlight on how many elite clubs are robbing small clubs of their best talent at a very impressionable age. Recruiting these players in before they sign a professional contract means that the club won’t have to pay a significant transfer fee to the club that spent all of their time/money/efforts on developing the player. As a rising star at the age of 14 or 15, how could you say no to a club like Chelsea? I certainly could, but only because it’s Chelsea… I hate Chelsea. But had any other top club offered, I would have jumped at in less than a second. It’s for that reason that I fully expect that this story will eventually lead to some sort of restrictions of the transfer of players under the age of 18.

Underdog Greece Win the Euros (2004)
If in the spring of 2004 I were tell you that i knew that Greece were going to win that summer’s European Championships, you would have laughed so hard you would have wet your self and then slapped me in the face with your newly wet pants. And that’s exactly how the world felt when Greeks stunned the field and pulled of the Cnderella stories to end all Cinderella stories. After all, how many Greek players can you name off the top of you head? I’ll give you a minute… still no answer? Yeah, that’s what I thought. And FYI… Georgios Samaras hadn’t even made his full international debut at that point. To make the title even more juicy, they had some spectacular results during the course of the tournament: a tie against 2008 Champions Spain, a quarter final win over reigning champion France, a semifinal win over the Czechs, and two wins over heavily favored host Portugal (including the final).

Marc-Vivien Foé Dies on the Pitch (2003)

cameroon’s marc-vivien foe’s tragic on field death was one of the low points of the last ten years

The scene: the 2003 Confederations Cup semifinal. The participants: Marc-Vivien Foé and his African-champion Cameroon side, facing off against Columbia. In the 73rd minute, Foé collapsed near midfield with no one around him. For the next 45 minutes, trainers and emergency medical staff desperately tried to restart his stopped heart, but to no avail. Cameroon courageously decided to play the final just two days later to honor their fallen teammate, and ended up losing to France. An autopsy later revealed the Foé died of previously undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, helping to shed light on players needing to be evaluated for such potentially life threatening conditions.

Manchester City Hit the Ownership Lottery (2008)
Remember the fuss that everyone made when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich (net worth at the time: $11 billion) bought Chelsea and flooded the market with millions of dollars to build his own all star team? On the final day of the 2008 transfer window, Manchester City’s secret takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group (estimated net worth: hundreds of billions of dollars) suddenly made Chelsea’s billionaire seem like the poor kid on the block. The new Arab owners promised to make Cit-eh into a title contending side, and immediately followed up by landing Robinho from Real Madrid for a British-record £32.5 million. Since then, the Citizens have spent £100 million plus to land a bevy of stars (Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tévez and Joleon Lescott)… although all those millions haven’t been able to keep City in the top four or spare manager Mark Hughes the axe. I guess that’s predictable though… I mean it is City.