January: the month where a million writers, bloggers, newspapers and websites get more eyeballs on their works than any other.
the under-utilized sturridge might be gifted a move to liverpool, but the effect of his move will ripple far beyond the premier league.
Thanks to its winter transfer window, and the plethora of the rumors of potential player moves that come with it, January is a writer’s best friend. Pick up the scent of a rumor without a credible source, spin it however you like, publish, and then sit back and let it run. It’s no secret that fans, desperate for a turn in fortunes or a continuation of success, will read anything that gives them hope. Knowing that gives publishers the impetus to pump out as much rubbish each January as your average American couch potato produces in a year.
But as the case is with many rumors, there’s often a little truth in each supposition. It might not be anything too concrete. However, that doesn’t mean that a club didn’t make an inquiry, an agent didn’t talk to potential suitors, or a player isn’t slightly unsettled.
So when I read rumors of Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge potentially moving to Liverpool in a few weeks’ time, I knew I should take it with a massive grain of salt. After all, Sturridge represents exactly one half of Chelsea’s strike force. And though the £50 million Fernando Torres’ impotence isn’t as bad as advertised, the club selling of their only other option up front seems an incredibly risky move. Not even trigger-happy Roman Abramovich would pull off that kind of move without some kind of back up plan.
And it’s that backup plan which I find to be the most fascinating aspect of the January transfer window: the domino effect a single transfer can have on the rest of the professional game’s clubs across the world.
Let’s assume for a second that Liverpool do end up buying Sturridge from Chelsea, leaving the Blues short-changed and necessitating the purchase of another forward. Conveniently, Chelsea have been consistently linked to Radamel Falcao, the Colombian scoring machine currently pouring in the goals for Atlético Madrid. But just as Chelsea would be left shorthanded after Sturridge’s departure, Atlético would also need to fill Falcao’s sizable shoes if he’s shipped out. But where would Los Rojiblancos turn?
The rumor mill keeps on churning, hypothesizing that Atlético would look to buy names like Manchester United’s Chicharito, Napoli’s Edison Cavani, or even Liverpool’s Luis Suárez. Whether there’s any truth in any of those rumors is a bit beyond my reach. But at the same time, if any of those moves did come to fruition, the dominoes would begin to fall all over again.
falcao is likely to end up chelsea even without sturridge’s departure, but that mean’s his current side will need to replace him, too.
In the case of Napoli, Cavani has long seemed destined for a move abroad. But the Uruguayan’s departure would mean the Neapolitans‘ would be left with only two recognized strikers in their squad. Manchester United could stomach Chicharito’s departure, but you would have to imagine that Sir Alex wouldn’t be happy to rely on just Danny Wellbeck, an untested Ángelo Henríquez, and an unfancied Federico Macheda to back up his dynamic duo. And Liverpool, where this entire domino effect started, would again be down to two strikers if they let Luis depart for pastures anew. Meaning they would again be fored to dip into the transfer market or be faced with the same issue that’s troubled them in the first half of this season.
And regardless of which guy ends up replacing whatever player eventually leaves any club, the dominos will keep up on falling all the way down the line. A perfect representation of the butterfly effect, if I’ve ever seen one.
Of course, all of this is dependent upon what player moves where. And it’s quite possible that none of the above will hold true. But rest assured, players will move this January, and the media will spin out more rumors than any of us could ever take in. Just don’t go placing your hopes on any of them until you see a new player holding your team’s shirt and smiling wide for the cameras. Otherwise, your sanity will likely be the last domino to fall.
for a ball with such an awesome name, couldn't have adidas gone with a slightly less faded 80's design for the official ball of london 2012?
With less than 30 minutes until kickoff between Spurs and United, I’m a literal train wreck. I’m stressing over Tottenham’s extremely weakened line-up squaring off against a solid looking starting XI for the Red Devils, and the potential repercussions of fielding such a weak squad in such an important match.
The only thing that could keep my mind from going into complete meltdown mode was to finish up this week’s TWOL post… though admittedly, it’s just a temporary reprieve for my fingers from the endless nail-biting that awaits over the next two hours.
I’m not sure how your corner of the globe has been lately, but I feel fairly certain that global warming is slowly converting the Ohio Valley region of North America into Southeast Malaysia. The humidity is hovering somewhere around 187%, temperatures are consistently in the mid-90′s, and the smog has been so thick the last few days I can eat it with a spoon.
What does this all mean for you readers? I rarely venture outside into this sauna-like weather, thus enabling me to unearth some interesting reads.
can apostolopoulos's ambitious plan for the silverdome land an MLS franchise in detroit?
Plans to renovate Silverdome for soccer on track – freep.com
While I was surprised to see that there was still a movement to get Detroit — a.k.a. Zombieville, USA — back on professional soccer’s radar, I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to read that the group behind the MLS bid is Greek. During the half decade of my youth that I spent living in the the Motor City, and even during subsequent trips back to the area in my adult life, I always felt like a minority amongst all of the curly-black haired, Mediterranean, Greek, Armenian and Assyrian-americans that call the city home.
The Apostolopoulos family’s ambitious plan to convert the Silverdome into a soccer specific stadium is revolutionary to say the least, and in my eyes, the only way MLS could possibly survive in the modern wasteland that is Detroit. By turning the Silverdome into a two-level stadium — an open-air, soccer-specific stadium on top and an enclosed inner stadium/convention center on the bottom — is a great way to get make enough revenue to sustain a team.
I can appreciate the positives from recycling the existing structure to make that happen (think green!), but I doubt that a soccer stadium on its own would have enough draw to justify the costs to convert the Pontiac location. Even better, it prevents an MLS bid based on putting a team in the vicinity of downtown Detroit from arising and ultimately failing.
And if we wan’t to keep the talk about revolutionary soccer ideas in the States rolling, maybe we could begin with a way to re-kick-start the youth development initiative in this country…
the future of the game will undoubtably be influenced by data and analytics.
A football revolution – ft.com I know i’ve been harping about the growing importance of statistical analysis in soccer since the early days of the blog, and today that trend continues. This amazing piece by the Financial Times‘ Simon Kuper gives insight into the slow but inevitible adoption of the use of statistics by clubs in their management and transfer dealings. Data analysts on staff at clubs across europe are having an increasingly larger effect on the footballing decisions that are made both on and off the pitch. As the author endearingly calls them, the nerds are finally conquering the jocks in the world of sport.
What I want to know is, wouldn’t an investment by American youth clubs in this sort of analysis make sense? Using analytics to identify and hone the techniques of the best of the best in the academy youth clubs around the country would be nothing but a benefit for all of the involved parties:
Professional clubs with academies could identify and nurture potential star players earlier.
Unaffiliated youth academies using these techniques would likely produce players recruited by top college programs, thus making them the most attractive option for players looking for a new club.
It could allow clubs to see who would be best to continue on from year to year and weed out players that hamper development on a wider scale.
Eventually, this could produce better players for national team selection.
Ignoring that those are all speculative positives, I think it could have huge positive . Unfortunately, this would require hefty investment for clubs, requiring the hiring of data analysts that don’t work for cheap. Perhaps a joint effort by MLS clubs, the USSF and the clubs themselves could be developed to help spread the costs?
Hey, speaking of countries that are providing the appropriate amount of focus on youth coaching and development…
Chicharito’s backheel winner/Giovanni dos Santos chip - youtube.com
As an avid U.S. Men’s National Team fan, it’s an unwritten rule that I should hate Mexico. I still hate Rafa <arquez because of the no-handshake incident from a friendly way back in 2007. I despise their fans for the unacceptable way they treat our boys when we visit the already inhospitable Azteca, so much so that I want to throw bags of piss at their players the next time they visit Columbus Crew Stadium. I openly root for their team to lose at every opportunity. But then things like this keep happening…
It pains me so much to admit it, but right now, I actually love watching El Tri play. Find me a more in-form striker than Chicharito, and I’ll give you the keys to my car. Couple his persistent class (and in this case, ballsy) finishing with his almost innocent joyful personality, and it’s almost impossible not to like the guy. The rest of the Mexican attack is creative and fluid, a joy to watch when compared to the drab play from the Americans at the Gold Cup. And they produced in adverse circumstances to boot. So while I’m not saying that i’m switching allegiances or anything, i just want to admit that i’m feeling guilty for liking this Mexico team. Please forgive me.
I have other guilty soccer pleasures. too. Aside from Chicharito and Giovanni dos Santos, new soccer kits are a crippling weak point of mine…
Football kits: Premier League teams turn style into a cash cow – guardian.co.uk
Long have I been an admirer of the design side of the soccer world, and as has often been detailed in this space, my love for jerseys/kits falls near the top of the subcategory of football design. This time of year is especially rewarding in that respect, as teams often reveal their kits for the upcoming season around the middle of the summer. My eyes are nearly constantly glued to jersey blogs like http://www.footballshirtculture.com, who update us on fresh kit templates, new manufacturers and updated sponsors on the kits from clubs across europe.
is anyone really going to clash with tottenham's purple AND white kits?
But I rarely stop to think about the fact the club that i love only blesses me with a new kit to admire every year so that they can steal another $80 from me. I shelled out extra last year just to land the “Cup Sponsor” edition of Tottenham’s kit, just because I didn’t like their league sponsor. I’ll probably do the same for this year’s basic-white affair. Further analysis of this year’s kits for Spurs reveals a purple away and a black third kit. Do they really even need that third kit when nobody is going to clash with both purple and white? And to think that the Lillywhites have done that every season for six straight years!
All in all, this cycle of constant jersey replacement has started to put fans with holes in their pockets in a financial pickle. The article suggests that clubs might soon be limited to releasing a new kit once every two years, but I’m sure the ever-growing financial motivation of a new release money stream will keep clubs finding loopholes. Clubs looking to circumvent such rules only have to look at Arsenal: having used the same home kit two seasons in a row, they still managed to release a new away and third kits both seasons. Money trumps loyalty, no?
Another guilty pleasure of mine is art. Combine that with soccer and I’m damn near in heaven…
1982 Spain World Cup Posters – thebeautifulgear.com
So many great things happened in the world of football in 1982, the most important of which was my birth in the month of June. I’ve been told some other minor event was occurring that summer in Spain. To celebrate both my birth and a World Cup being hosted on the Iberian peninsula, a series of posters were commissioned.
the tournament poster just screamed spain. the same can be said about each host poster representing their individual cities.
In all seriousness though, I absolutely love the posters from Spain 1982. Not only did we have the fabulous tournament poster by surrealist Joan Miró (see to the right), but we also received bonus posters as each host city commissioned it’s own. What’s really makes them special though, is that each work of art is especially representative of the artistic style most prevalent in each city’s culture.
Abstract art’s spiritual home is Spain, and one of my favorites from the World Cup is worth highlighting. “Barcelona” by Antoni Tàpies is great not only because it perfectly embodies the Dua al Set movement that arose in Catalonia post WWII, but also because it was one of a group stylistic influences of modern grafiti artist (and personal favorite) Banksy.
fat ronaldo looks on as he "trains" with the seleção for the last time.
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Southwest Ohio. Sweltering temperatures normally reserved for August have plagued those of us living in the humid Ohio/Miami Valley region, causing us to suffocate on the air so thick and heavy that Cristiano would trip over it.
Researching for the blog has been a welcome excuse for me to sit on my couch and enjoy the air conditioning over the last week or so, and today’s post is the beneficiary of said sloth. So if you’re trying to escape the summer heat, why not sit back and check out some of the interesting bits of soccer blabber from around the tubes.
champions league football has understandably dominated the presses lately, even though the premier league is currently the most drama fueled competition on the planet. and as is usually the case when european competition rears its head, i’m feeling a little overwhelmed with all of these different story lines to attempt to follow.
elation is a powerful feeling.
with that in mind, be prepared for today’s edition of the round-up to include a smattering of topics from all over the place.
the sinister ones – therunofplay.com
without a doubt, the title of this article makes me like myself better. a southpaw myself, i feel like we’re not respected enough as a breed. the always excellent bloggers at the run of play, however, do have a load of respect for us lefties. so what if we sit on the same side of the lord as the devil, especially if it makes us more valuable on the pitch.
while we’re on the topic of left footed players, i’d like to also make note of the rise of my kind showing up more frequently on the right side of the pitch. as briefly mentioned in the linked post, the rise to prominence of players like arjen robben, adam johnson, and angel di maria –all lefties that ply their trades on the right wing– is a growing tactical trend in the game. however, i never once considered that something like muscle memory would be the basis for this type of player’s success rates.
javier hernandez: why he’s the joker in ferguson’s pack – soccerlens.com
thank you crashbang at soccer lens for analyzing and answering a question that has been driving me crazy all year: why is chicharito doing so damn good? i have been scratching my head all season trying to figure out just how the young mexican sensation has so quickly adapted to the premier league. he’s obviously a fantastic poacher, clearly from the michael owen vein. but i wondered just why he was so effective at puting notches on the score sheet when he is clearly the antithesis of the average premier league striker. and as it turns out, it’s his not being a prototypical premier league striker that makes him such a lethal force.
where the dream of soccer lives on – soccernet.com
as i tweeted the other day, i’m really trying to get into MLS this season. while i’m always at least aware of what’s going on in the league, i wouldn’t have ever been able to tell you who the leading MVP candidates are (umm… donovan?), or who the hottest sides in the league are, etc. i wouldn’t really be supporting the game if i wasn’t supporting my own country’s domestic league, would i?
so in the spirit of getting geared up for the MLS season, i highly recommend reading jeff carlisle’s fantastic piece on the culture surrounding the expansion portland timbers. while i was aware of the fervent support for the game in the pacific northwest, i wasn’t aware of how much the grassroots support of the timbers was in the club earning it’s expansion slot. nor was i in the know about the clubs awesome ties to the local microbrew culture… which, if for no other reason, is a great reason to get behind your local team.
the timbers, much like seattle, come preinstalled with a fantastic fanbase.
pep guardiola the purist and pragmatist oiling barcelona’s machine – guardian.co.uk
another early entry for article of the year, this time from the magificent sid lowe, which details the intricacies of what makes pep such a fantastic manager. nothing in the article is earth shattering or undiscussed, but what it does better than any article about guardiola (that i’ve ever read at least), is paint the complete picture of why he is so great.
though not directly mentioned so much as insinuated in the article, pep has a near-unrivaled ability to be able to strategically shift the attention on or off his squad… much like but in a slightly different way than mourinho. if barça have a negative result, he places all of the blame on himself (where fergie or jose might blame the referees). if the blaugrana win, he heaps all of the praise on the players. compliment this strategy with a club that has fully bought in on his philosophy, not to mention homegrown and collected talent that few clubs can rival, and you have an extremely lethal set of tools to work with. either way you look at it though, guardiola is central to the barcelona’s recent successes.
the slow death of english football – inbedwithmaradona.com
slowly becoming a new favorite blog of mine, IBWM drops another historical analyzation piece that appears to be their bread-and-butter subject matter. while the author perfectly illustrates the history of how professional football has become the ugly, money-hungry beast that it is today, he also foreshadows how this pursuit of profit will eventually be the cause of the league’s demise.
but before we go all platini and curse the premier league for all of the evils it creates in world football, remember that england isn’t the only country with football debt spiraling out of control. yes, england are the flag bearers of this group. but countries like spain, scotland and italy also have storied clubs teetering on the edge of extinction due to debt-leveraged glory chasing.
as much as i despise platini’s self-righteous, double-standard policies, regulating the upcoming financial fair play rules is paramount to the long-term vitality of european professional football. taking further measures will also be necessary, such as forcing the broadcasters to broadcast a more fair percentage of all teams’ games to ensure a more even spread of television revenues. this is a very real threat to every club out there, your’s and mine.
charlie davies emotional postgame interview – theoriginalwinger.com
i’m not going to say much about the video, because i can’t find the words to describe the emotion cd9 shows. the kid has truly been humbled from the hard lessons he has had to learn over the last year and a half , and you can’t help but feel good for him after a night like this. congrats charlie, that night will forever be yours.
A fellow fan of the beautiful game and I had a colorful discussion today regarding who we both considered to currently be the best left back in the world. The two of us argued the merits and flaws of this player and that for longer than what our manager at work would have liked, yet we weren’t actually able to anoint one player as the supreme left back on the planet.
if you could pick any team you wanted, who would you pick?
After I got over the shock of not being able to “win” a soccer argument, I came to a realization…. it’s not a bad thing that we weren’t able to name just one.
Instead, I figured out that in order to actually answer a very subjective question such as “who is the best player in this position?”, we must first define a specific formation and system into which this prospective player would be inserted.
For example, it wouldn’t make any sense to place a wingback such as Ashley Cole — known for hiw swashbuckling, long runs into the attack — into a defensively-conservative system like that of Tony Pulis’ Stoke City. Similarly, an extremely skilled player like Robinho plays very well as a striker in the hole in a counter-attacking culture that’s prevalent in Italy, but didn’t fill the role well in England because he didn’t defend as much as is required by a Premier League midfielder. See what I mean?
And then it struck me: the brainchild of that conversation should be the basis for a new series of posts on wrong side of the pond. Here’s the scenario:
I am given the managerial reigns at a super-rich club, such as a Real Madrid or Manchester City.
I have an unlimited transfer budget at my disposal for transfers and wages.
I am free to pursue whatever transfer targets I like, regardless of price or availability.
All players desire to play for my club, and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules don’t exist (though this may be the case anyway, seeing how most teams will still find loopholes).
I can choose whatever formation I want, and place the players in it in whatever way I feel fits the system the best.
So with the rules now defined, you’re probably wondering just who I would pick for my starting eleven. And if you’ve asked yourself that, then you totally understand the format for my newest blog series. If you don’t, I’m picking my very own wrong side of the pond XI. Each week, we’ll cover a single position on the pitch, who I would choose, and why. And this week lay the foundation for the weeks to follow by choosing my side’s formation and tactics. Jump past the break to see how I intend to shape my imaginary squad.
