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English Football

The flag often seen in the background at the Emirates Stadium proclaims: “In Arsène we trust!”  A bold statement, but as Arsenal slump to nine points off the pace set at the top of the Premiership and Chelsea and Manchester United ease themselves away again, www.aboutaball.co.uk looks at whether Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is as much the cause and solution to Arsenal’s problems.

 The conundrum was perfectly summed up by Homer Simpson in one episode of The Simpsons when sat at Moe’s Tavern and about to start the umpteenth beer of the night he mulls: “Ahh beer…the cause and solution to all of life’s problems”.  Perhaps if one subbed Arsène Wenger for beer, and despondent Gooners for Homer Simpson there might be quite a parallel today.

Right from the outset of this piece it should be pointed out that the recent success enjoyed by the club combined with the flamboyancy that Arsenal play with is entirely down to Arsène Wenger and the rest of his backroom staff, who have instilled a playing ethos that makes the club one of the most attractive in the world. 

By almost any measure Arsène Wenger is one of the greatest managers that, not only Arsenal, but the entire English league has ever witnessed.  Furthermore whilst recent silverware has been thin on the ground, Wenger’s overall record is still pretty decent: played 772, won 443, drawn 190 and lost 139, a winning percentage just under 60%, and less than one in five ending in defeat in all competitions. 

Yesterday’s reverse against Chelsea was in many respects entirely unjust.  Arsenal played the best football and dominated much of the match, something that is backed up by the stats in terms of possession, territorial advantage and attempts at goal.  Which makes the 2-0 loss all the more difficult to stomach, especially amongst aesthetes of the game.  Not that Chelsea won ugly, but Arsenal in many respects played the better football.

Nevertheless the result, which is ultimately what counts, rendered the excellent performance and the largely positive football somewhat meaningless.  Having had a day to contemplate defeat perhaps Arsène Wenger would have approached things differently.

The sum of the parts

An attacking line of Theo Walcott, Andrei Arshavin and Sami Nasri is obviously lacking any sort of physical prowess.  It’s a point that has been made countless times before, but Arsenal against Chelsea lacked any sort of cutting edge or presence in the opposition penalty area.  This meant that any ball into the attacking line had to be absolutely perfect.  Cesc Fabregas managed one such weighted pass, which Arshavin volleyed over in the first half, but asking the Spaniard to repeatedly attain such technical brilliance is too much.

The lack of an obvious centre-forward also meant that whilst each Chelsea player looked like they played with a shared sense of purpose, Arsenal seemed occasionally uncertain what they should be doing when in possession.  Should the ball go to Fabregas in midfield, to Walcott down the right or instead up to Arshavin somewhere in the middle?  Chelsea certainly didn’t lack for that thrust on their decisive counter-attack for the second goal, but somehow one sensed that Arsenal were never capable of springing such a move in reply. 

The answer to Arsenal’s problems may have been closer to Arsène Wenger than he realised. Whilst Nicklas Bendtner may not be the most talented player in the squad, what he brings to the team in the absence of Robin van Persie or Eduardo is the willingness to show for the ball with his back to goal.  Starting with the Danish forward would mean having to leave an arguably more talented player on the bench, but such is the lot of a Premiership football manager.

Fabio Capello has the courage to play Emile Heskey, despite the Aston Villa forward almost polemically dividing the English football watching public as to his effectiveness in the side.  Nevertheless the Italian recognises that whilst Heskey might not be as talented as other strikers at his disposal, the role he performs in the team is no less valuable. 

Arshavin has proved that he can make a worthwhile contribution to Arsenal, but not from a centre-forward’s position, a role for which he lacks either the bravery or the movement.  John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho has the relatively straightforward task of keeping the former Zenit man in check, where they would have been far more troubled if he could have started from a wider position and attacked balls provided to him by the like of Bendtner.

Sticking to his guns

Wenger has so far stuck doggedly to his guns down the years refusing to adopt a more pragmatic approach to the beautiful game.  It has brought Arsenal success by degrees, but in this age of power, so dramatically highlighted by both Chelsea and Manchester United in recent weeks, it may be time to consider a tactical tweak.

In truth, despite the concession of five goals to two of their direct title challengers, Arsenal aren’t that far behind their rivals.  Whilst the nine point gap to Chelsea as we enter the final third of the season is probably insurmountable from Arsenal’s perspective there is no reason why they can’t start next season in excellent shape.  That would require using the rest of this as an extended test starting each game with at least one dedicated centre-forward be that Bendtner, Eduardo or once fit van Persie, and making the acquisition of a top-quality striker a priority when the transfer window re-opens at the end of the season. 

Arsène Wenger stated pre-season that he didn’t feel his Arsenal side were the perceived soft-touches that some thought, and yesterday’s excellent response to going an early goal down proved that.  The Gunners have worked on their resilience in the face of adversity, but now must work on this aspect of their play. 

If the Arsenal management team headed up by Wenger fail to acknowledge this need, then it may be a while before they are in any sort of position to challenge the duopoly of Chelsea and Manchester United.

In the wake of the failure to sign up Real Madrid’s Fernando Gago, Manchester City have come in for some heavy criticism from both the Spanish side and the player’s agent.  www.aboutaball.co.uk asks whether City need to wise up in the transfer market.

 

The recent activity in attempting to sign the Argentine midfielder Fernando Gago and subsequent welter of abuse that has been directed in the direction of Eastlands has certainly dragged Manchester City’s name somewhat through the muck.  Real Madrid’s bitter words could just be a by-product of an attempt to try and prevent City achieving their status as one of the world’s foremost football teams.

Jorge Valdano, Real Madrid’s Sporting Director, has been the source of much of the ire, and claimed that City weren’t in any position to sign the midfielder citing a lack of any preparation and paperwork, even hinting at an illegal approach to the player before consulting his club.  It rather suggests that Valdano believes that City were somewhat amateurish in the way they handled the approach, but perhaps one needs to delve further into the time-line of the transfer before reaching any conclusion.

It would appear that City were looking at Fernando Gago as a possible transfer target for some time and identified the out of favour former Boca Juniors player early in the window.  Reports indicate that they were quoted a staggering £21 million to acquire Gago, despite the fact that the fee represented a 50% mark-up on what Real paid his former Argentine side when they swooped for him in a double deal with an agency to bring Gago and compatriot Gonzalo Higuain to the club.

Manchester City tax

Rebuffed City sought other transfer targets, but after the deal to sign the Kenyan Mariga evaporated, they returned to Real and were quoted a more reasonable price of around £15 million.  This indicates that Real Madrid, like AC Milan in the Kaka deal previously, simply hiked up the price because it was Manchester City who came calling. 

There is certainly a lesson to be learnt for City, in that they need to bide their time when making offers for players, and they may need to be prepared to identify another target if their initial choice falls through.  Chelsea suffered the same issue in the immediate aftermath of the Abramovich take-over, and City will need to go through the same process. 

However, given the fact that Real substantially reduced their asking price at the second time of asking with time running out to conclude the deal suggests that the reason it failed to go through was because of their own greed.  They had hoped to exploit City’s nouveau-riche status, and when Real lost the chance to move on a player who hasn’t featured much this season at a profit, they simply spat the dummy out and blamed everyone else but themselves.

Always City’s fault?

Valdano’s comments therefore smack of frustration at their inability to fleece City, but also petty-minded parochialism.  There is no doubt that City’s rapid emergence in the past couple of seasons has ruffled a few feathers amongst the elite of European football, who are more interested in preserving their own status at the top rather than encouraging competition. 

Manchester City were the target of much vilification from AC Milan and now Real Madrid over transfer dealings, accusing City of amateurism and unsettling players, an accusation Real Madrid in particular should steer clear of making given their conduct in the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer.  Clearly there is an attempt to sully City’s name, as they attempt to financially muscle their way into what has been largely a closed-shop for many years.

 There is certainly something in this theory; ultimately AC Milan accepted a bid of nearly half what City had offered for Kaka when the talented Brazilian made the move to Spain in the summer.  Were AC Milan willing to accept susbstanially less just to ensure that Kaka didn’t move to Eastlands?  Most suggest that Kaka didn’t fancy the move to City in the end, and that might have been so.  But why then did AC Milan accept a much lower bid subsequently from Real, when their asking price when City enquired was nearly double that?

City themselves have refrained from letting themselves get dragged into a slanging match with Real Madrid after trading public remarks with AC Milan over the failed-Kaka deal.  Internally though, City may need to switch their targets away from the bigger sides and instead concentrate on acquiring promising players, who can fulfil their potential at Eastlands. 

Returning to the example of Chelsea, the unfortunate incident of Gael Kakuta aside, they too were often criticised for the way they conduced transfer dealings, most notably by Manchester United after they failed to secure Jon Obi Mikel after Chelsea trumped them for the player.  City may also need to go through the same process before being able to conduct transfer business without provoking the wrath of other elite sides from around Europe.

 

After picking up the Man of the Match award against Leeds in the FA Cup replay win at Elland Road, Harry Redknapp singled his right sided midfielder for special praise.  With some commentators suggesting that David Bentley might even be an outside contender for a place in the England World Cup squad, www.aboutaball.co.uk looks at what the future might hold in store.

 

There was no denying that David Bentley had an exceptional game last night in the FA Cup replay in what was two hard-fought games against a side that has no trouble whatsoever rising to the big occasion – Leeds gave Liverpool a fright in the Carling Cup before Christmas and of course knocked Manchester United out before taking Spurs to a replay.

Bentley was at the heart of everything that Tottenham did well last night, a constant source of threat to the Leeds defence and delivered some excellent crosses on which both Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch thrived.  His award as the Man of the Match was more than justified and Harry Redknapp was right to reserve special praise for a player who has received a lot of criticism since his high profile arrival from Blackburn Rovers.

But before everyone gets too carried away, it should be remembered that Bentley thrived against a team from League One.  It is beyond doubt that many players struggling for form in the Premiership would catch the eye against the like of Exeter City, Gillingham or indeed Leeds United.  Furthermore he wasn’t just playing against a team from two divisions below Tottenham, but against a not naturally left-footed defender playing in the left-back berth.  Indeed Andy Hughes isn’t even really a natural defender at all; he is far more comfortable in midfield. 

Tottenham will be hoping that the match against Leeds and the subsequent welter of praise directed towards Bentley is the catalyst for something better, because until now the club has seen very little return on its investment of £15 million to bring him back to North London.

With the seemingly long-term nature of Aaron Lennon’s injury, Tottenham will be relying on Bentley to give them the sort of menace from the right wide position he offered last night. As has already been emphatically proved against Liverpool, employing both Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar in the wide areas is simply going to result in Tottenham playing a lot of short but not particularly effective passes and end up herded into a congested midfield with Defoe and Crouch isolated in attack. 

Maintaining the level 

It would appear that Bentley is a confidence player and Tottenham fans will be hoping that he can keep this sort of form going as they head into some important matches, starting with the clash against fellow Champions League aspirants Aston Villa.  However, the question of Bentley’s state of mind would seem a tricky balancing act to perform.  During his time at Blackburn when he was playing his best football and presumably full of confidence he turned down the offer of playing for England at the 2007 UEFA U-21 Championships perhaps because he wanted to go on holiday and await a call to the full senior side.  That cost him a place in the full senior set-up for subsequent friendlies under Steve McLaren, in the immediate aftermath of the refusal, and seems to have tainted him since, despite his six caps to-date.

Now it would seem that certain commentators are touting him for a place in the England team heading to South Africa after just a handful of decent performances, one against lower league opposition.  Certainly with the injury to Lennon and the slow return to full fitness of Theo Walcott there appears to be a vacancy in Bentley’s position.  But surely James Milner or Shaun Wright-Phillips would be more than obvious candidates to come in?  And then there is always David Beckham, who is playing some decent stuff with AC Milan again, albeit in a more advanced position on the right side of a front-three.

If Bentley can maintain the level of contribution that he put in against Leeds to the Tottenham cause on a regular basis during Lennon’s absence and help keep his side in the hunt for a place in the Champions League, then perhaps it is time to return to the subject of Bentley’s future in the national set-up. 

His manager Harry Redknapp perhaps summed up the situation best in the immediate aftermath of the victory against Leeds by stating: “He has shown what a good player he is in the last couple of games”, but quickly added: “He needs to keep doing that…and keep working hard”.

Some people may continue to question the importance and value of the FA Cup to English football. Certain clubs have selected under-strength teams in the competition and maybe haven’t given it the respect it deserves. It is known as the ‘greatest cup competition in the world’ for a reason, and the beauty of the tournament has been there for everyone to see over the last few weeks.

Those teams who fielded under-strength sides will almost certainly look on with envy when they sit down and watch the final on May 15th. There is something special about the FA Cup final. The history, the tradition, the whole Wembley experience, and that doesn’t come around too often.

While a few teams have tried to undermine the FA Cup, matches in the last few weeks have gone to prove there is still something special about the competition. High levels of passion, commitment and desire have been shown both on the pitch and in the stands, with the Leeds v Tottenham fourth round replay being a perfect example. Both teams were desperate to win the game on the field whilst in the stands both sets of fans made so much noise and showed the watching world that this competition matters.

The FA Cup is famous for it’s ‘David v Goliath’ shock results, and this season there hasn’t been a shortage of those. Notts County beating Wigan Athletic, Leeds United winning at Old Trafford to defeat Manchester United, Reading overcoming first Liverpool and then Burnley. Results like these simply cannot be predicted and it is that unpredictability that keeps everybody on the edge of their seat and that’s what gives the FA Cup it’s magic.

The oldest cup competition in club football is alive and kicking, don’t let Sir Alex Ferguson or anyone else convince you otherwise.

With news that Liverpool have agreed a pre-contract to acquire Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic in the summer, aboutaball.co.uk assess the possible impact the current Standard Liege forward could have when he arrives at the club and whether this means Rafa Benitez will remain at the helm.

 

It’s been a long pursuit to finally reel in Milan Jovanovic and after attempting to bring him over to England during this transfer window, Rafa Benitez and Liverpool have had to settle for the second best option and wait until the summer before they get their man. 

The 28-year-old will arrive at the end of the season having played four seasons in Belgian football and has already had stints abroad in both Russia (Lokomotov Moscow) and Ukraine (Shakhtar Donetsk) after breaking through with Vojvodina in his homeland.  Jovanovic’s stats make for pretty good reading; this season he’s hit 10 goals in 19 domestic league matches, and has a further two in five Champions League outings.  In terms of style of play his height (6’0) suggests a similar type to Dirk Kuijt, but Jovanovic hailing from the Balkans, as one might expect, is also decent on the ball, and is arguably more comfortable in possession than the Dutch international.

Liverpool were by no means the only team interested in picking up the Serbian, after he announced his intention to quit Standard at the end of his contract in the summer.  Jovanovic became frustrated at his club’s unwillingness to cooperate in sorting out a move away around 12 months ago when PSV Eindhoven came calling, and was free to discuss a potential move since the turn of the year.  Furthermore being over 24 years of age, there was no compensation due to Standard, so the chance to sign a fully-fledged Serbian international on a free aroused the interest of several clubs around Europe.

Since that transfer to Holland fell through, the fee between the two clubs being the stumbling block, Juventus were thought to have considered the 24 times capped Serbian international, whilst Birmingham City were also linked with him.

However, Liverpool have now managed to nip in and sort a deal out believed to be worth around £2.5 million a year.  Around Anfield he is thought to be a good alternative to Kenwyne Jones, whose transfer ultimately didn’t come to pass.

A player for the system, or a system for the player?

Nevertheless there remains the question of precisely what sort of role Jovanovic will be expected to fulfill when he finally arrives at Anfield in the summer.  So far Rafa Benitez hasn’t shown any great inclination to tinker with the one forward up front system, and certainly when Fernando Torres is fit there is no debate as to who will play that role.  That means that once again a player will be transferred into Anfield and be promptly asked to adapt his style of player to fit into a tactical model.

Liverpool fans may also be questioning the long-term future of Dirk Kuijt at the club.  As already pointed, Jovanovic is a better footballer than the former Feyenoord-forward, and his arrival could mean that the hard working Dutchman’s days are numbered on Merseyside.  Juventus are already considered as potential front runners for Kuijt’s signature, so the opportunity to generate some much-needed cash by selling him on with his replacement already lined up may be too good to turn down.

Fernando Torres aside, recent striking arrivals at Anfield have hardly been successes, with Andrei Voronin now just a distant, albeit painful memory.  The less said about Ryan Babel the better and David Ngog is still struggling to mature into the sort of striker many hoped he might develop into at PSG.  With that in mind Jovanovic doesn’t have a great deal to live up to, but it suggests that the Liverpool management struggle to make sure that forwards with good records at their previous club’s can continue their good form upon arrival at Anfield.

Statistically Jovanovic’s goal record of about one in every two Belgian matches will have Liverpool fan’s excited, but history indicates that the Premiership generally isn’t kind to Serbian forwards.  Mateja Kezman arrived at Chelsea from PSV with an even better record, yet is regarded as a flop at Stamford Bridge.  Looking further back, Savo Milosevic and Darko Kovacevic both endured torrid spells at Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday respectively, before returning to mainland Europe to have productive careers.  Whilst the Premiership landscape has changed to an extent since their brief sojourns, the English league still retains a unique character, and will take time to acclimatize to.

A long-term view

Another factor that should not be ruled out is the future of Benitez at Liverpool.  The Spaniard has failed to deliver in the league, and despite his enduring popularity on the Kop, inevitably patience will start to wear thin, especially if Liverpool fail to make it into the Champions League for next season, something there is no guarantee of at this point.  Does this pre-transfer, which will cost Liverpool over £10 million reportedly in wages over the next four years, mean that Benitez’s long-term future is secure?

An example from the Bundesliga last winter emphatically says not.  Then, the Bayern Munich board allowed Jurgen Klinsmann to bring in Mario Gomez for €30 million on a pre-transfer for the beginning of this season, but still sacked him before the end of 2008/09.  Gomez struggled to find his feet under new boss Louis van Gaal, who was at pains to frequently point out that the former Stuttgart-striker’s arrival in Bavaria had nothing to do with him.  Currently the Liverpool board don’t seem to know what to do about the current mess then find themselves in, let alone thinking about future plans, so there is every chance that Benitez could be sacked, and Jovanovic dumped on another manager.

That of course is a very down beat scenario, but the omens for Jovanovic in terms of his playing role within the team don’t look entirely positive given the tactical intransigence at the club.  Additionally if Kuijt remains at Liverpool, exactly how much football (probably out of his natural position) Jovanovic can expect to get also remains open to debate.  If this is the case, Jovanovic could unfortunately turn out to be a very expensive bench-warmer.

One of the most inactive January windows in recent seasons for UK clubs, ended with the most ‘exciting’ gossip being around the likes of Adam Johnson and Victor Moses (hardly the most scintillating stuff). Maxi Rodriguez and Robbie Keane may well prove useful additions to Liverpool and Celtic respectively, while Robinho’s departure from Man City can surely be as good as any signing, but all in all this year’s winter sales seemed to go by with many shoppers seemingly uninterested and deciding to stick with what they have already got, in these financially turbulent times. Despite wrapping up a deadline day deal for Asmir Begovic, Tony Pullis has called for an end to the ‘circus’ of the January window and many other managers seem to echo his sentiments. As viewers however, the January window provides terrific entertainment, as our teams fight for new signings while simultaneously trying to fend off the leering advances of others eyeing up our star players. There have been some truly memorable signings over the years which have (for one reason or another) have had more impact than a Roy Keane slide tackle and ultimately turned a club’s season one way or the other. Here I have tried to list, what I think, are the top ten best and worst Premier League January signings of recent times. Enjoy!

The Good:

10. Dean Ashton (Norwich to West Ham £7m 2006)

Not exactly that cheap but proved his worth, especially in West Ham’s FA Cup run, scoring two crucial quarter-final goals and one in the epic 2006 final, bringing the hammers closer to cup glory than they have been for many years.

9. Shay Given (Newcastle to Man City £8m 2009)

Not so much instant impact as an obvious solid buy. Always worthy of a higher achieving club, Given finally got his chance last winter and has not looked back, reaffirming his position as one of Europe’s finest goalkeepers and a key figure in Man City’s expensively assembled team.

8. David Unsworth (Sheffield United to Wigan Athletic  free 2007)

A classic romantic January transfer story, from perhaps one of the least romantic players imaginable. Out of favour, ageing defender Unsworth leaves Sheffield for fellow strugglers Wigan on a free, faces Sheffield Utd on the final day of season, scores penalty to keep Wigan up and send his former employers down. Job done. 

7. Keiran Richardson (Man Utd to West Brom loan 2005)

Another great impact signing. Helped Keep the Baggies up during what has since been dubbed ‘the great escape’, with a crucial final day goal. His high quality performances during his few months on loan even earned him an England call-up.

6. Javier Mascherano (West Ham to Liverpool loan 2007)

Overlooked or underappreciated at West Ham. Taken on by Liverpool and has never looked back in establishing himself as one of the best young holding midfielders in the game and captain of Argentina. Can’t exactly say that about Hayden Mullins, can you?

5. Brede Hangeland (Copenhagen to Fulham £2.5m 2008)

Man of the match on his debut and established himself quickly as a quality Premier League defender. Was a big part of the Fulham team, re-vamped by Roy Hodgson, which managed to survive the drop despite being technically relegated at one point during the game against Man City. Unlike many other January impact signings, Hangeland has continued to improve in the following seasons.

4. Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal £15m 2009)

The Compare the Meerkat lookalike and EURO 2008 hot-shot was (eventually) snapped up by Arsene Wenger last winter, despite having to pay more than he usually does. Some fantastic individual displays, including an unforgettable four-goal haul at Anfield, ensured Arsenal had no need to compare the market on his price tag.

3. Nemanja Vidic (Spartak Moscow to Man Utd £7m 2006)

Tracked by several clubs, Man Utd eventually stumped up the cash for the highly rated centre back. Although not so much of an immediate impact, he went on to form a rock-solid partnership with Ferdinand, in the three title winning seasons that followed.

2. Pedro Mendes (Tottenham to Portsmouth joint fee £7.5m 2006)

One of Harry Redknapp’s best ever wheeler-deals. Brought in a joint deal with two others, Pompey would probably have paid the combined fee for Mendes alone, if they knew he would score the two vital goals in their league survival.

1. Christophe Duggarry (Bordeaux to Birmingham City loan 2003)

An all-time classic, inspired, impact signing. Perhaps the idealised version out what all relegation-battling managers now see happening in their heads, when they try to sign a striker in the January window. Seen as something of a coup at the time, Birmingham’s French saviour scored a vital five in five to keep them in the Premiership, before signing permanently for the following season.

The Bad/Ugly:

10. DJ Campbell (Brentford to Birmingham £500,000 2006)

Sort of the anti-Duggarry for Birmingham. A series of impressive FA cup performances for Yeading and then Brentford saw the former non-league striker get his chance at the big-time with strugglers Birmingham, who needed to bolster their fire-power. Shockingly, Campbell was not so prolific in the Premier League (who would’ve thought?). Clearly out of his depth and often left out of the team, Birmingham were relegated at the end of the season.

9. Eric Djemba Djemba (Man Utd to Aston Villa £1.35m 2005)

The once ‘highly-rated’ Cameroonian was possibly Sir Alex’s worst ever signing. The man so bad they named him twice was then sold on to Aston Villa in the hope of a second chance at Premier League success in 2005. Lightning seemed to strike twice (or not at all, depending on how you look at it) and he was soon shipped out to Burnley on loan, before moving to Qatar in 2007.

8. Scott Parker (Charlton to Chelsea £10m 2004)

More a bad move for Parker than Chelsea. The big-money move (which was irrelevant to an Abramovich funded Chelsea) arguably stunted the promising England midfielders development, as he was given few chances in a team already packed with quality. An acrimonious exit from boyhood club Charlton also damaged his reputation. After just fifteen appearances in a year and a half, he was sold to Newcastle.

7.  James Beattie (Southampton to Everton £6m 2006)

Record transfer fee with big hopes that didn’t quite go to plan – so often the scenario for the striker bought in January. Beattie struggled with form, injuries and suspension during his ill-fated time at Goodison and was belatedly shipped out to Sheffield Utd in 2007.

6.  Ade Akinbiyi (Burnley to Sheff Utd £1.75m 2006)

So much the embodiment of the notion of the desperate signing, he was even named (albeit cruelly) Ade ‘Panic-buy’.  £1.75m might not seem much these days but when you consider it was a club record fee for Sheffield Utd, and after he only managed three goals in a season and a half and was sold back to Burnley for about half his original price, it starts to look less value for money.

5. Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid to Liverpool £6m 2005)

Seemed like a no-brainer at the time for new Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. A proven striker with great European pedigree and a former Champions League golden boot winner to boot, all for a knock-down price… how could that possibly fail? A poor eight goals in forty league games is how. The former Champions League winner and Spain international looked long past his sell buy date and out of his comfort zone in English football. After transferring to Valencia eighteen months later, he blamed Rafa Benitez’s coaching methods for his poor form at Liverpool.

4. Alfonso Alves (Heerenveen to Middlesbrough £12m 2008)

Alves managed two prove to things in his time on teeside. One: that achievement in the Dutch league is really not an indicator of whether you will be a success in England. And, two: Being Brazilian doesn’t make you brilliant. Gareth Southgate took a ‘gamble’ (cough, panic-buy, cough) on Alves hoping for the next Van Nistelrooy or Ronaldo. Instead, he was seemingly lumbered with another Mateja Kezman. Goal droughts and comical misses followed from the hapless forward, but loyally Southgate stuck by his (expensive) man to the end. Middlesbrough were relegated the following season and Alves sought a new footballing challenge… in (ahem) Qatar.

3. Savio Nsereko (Brescia to West Ham approximately £9m 2009)

‘Who is he?’ ‘Where did he come from?’ And ‘where did he go?’ Were the three main questions asked of West Ham’s record signing last year. The Ugandan-born Germany youth striker seemed an expensive gamble by manager Gianfranco Zola, but the Italian’s popularity and moderate success let him away with the puzzling/extortionate transfer fee at the time. Six months, ten games and no goals later the unsettled Savio was quietly moved on to Fiorentina for an ‘undisclosed fee’. And one year on, Zola is still searching for a decent striker.

2. Nigel Quashie (Portsmouth to Southampton £2m 2005)

The man with the moniker ‘Uncle Albert’ (as, like the Only Fools character, he tends to be a key component in sinking ships). Several of his other moves (including to West Brom and West Ham) could also have made the list. Memorably once signed for his ‘experience in relegation battles’. Needless to say Southampton were relegated after four months of Quashie’s arrival.

1. Jean-Alain Boumsong (Rangers to Newcastle £8m 2005)

Signed by Newcastle for an (at the time) eye watering eight million, he was supposed to solve Newcastle’s defensive problems alongside Titus Bramble… no, really. One of the most calamitous defences the Premier League has ever produced followed, while Rangers laughed all the way to the bank. Makes you think Graeme Souness should really think twice before being so quick to publically condemn Rafa Benitez’s transfer record.

It seemed no coincidence that on the same day all-time tennis great Roger Federer wrapped up his 16^th Grand Slam title in Melbourne, in two other continents high-profile footballing results would have had book-makers and armchair pundits smiling with a knowing told-you-so satisfaction alike. Egypt completed a hat-trick of African Cups back to back in Angola, while in London Man Utd overcame serial ‘bottlers’ Arsenal in a ‘crucial’ game in the race for the Premier League title.  All over the world on the 31/1/10 it seemed like a day to represent the predictability of modern football. Some aspects and results seem just too unsurprising to the seasoned viewer and  sustained dominance by some sides is surely good for no-one. ‘Viva la status quo’ may be an uninspiring sentiment to live by. Depressing? Maybe. But maybe not… 

It is beginning to look increasingly likely now that the 2010 Premier League trophy will (once again) be placed in either of the already aching cabinets of Manchester United or Chelsea this summer. While that obviously brings frustration to the legions of the other eighteen who occupy the same division, can there still be any entertainment or comfort in the predictability of the Premier League title race? And does the drama suffer because of it?

Fans of England’s Premier League often cast snide glances at their neighbours in the Scottish and French leagues, scoffing at the apparent lack of domestic competition, but upon face value England’s top tier looks almost equally uninviting to those seeking capriciousness and a competitive edge at the top end of the league. Manchester United have won eleven of the seventeen titles on offer since the Premier League was set up in 1993. And on top of that, there has only been three other winners. Two of those with the help of drastic sudden investment.

Fans learn early not to expect too much of their team, if they exist outside the pantheon of the ‘big four’. Avoid relegation, steady progress, stability and a chance at Europe (in a competition that no-one gives a toss about) are the base aspirations of many of the remaining sixteen.  Few pile into a new season with the intrepid hope (or expectation) that this season will be a realistic chance at the title. And if they do, their fragile dreams are soon crushed by the consistency of their own inconsistencies, as they are inevitably turned over by the usual suspects with the ease and disdain with which Gary Neville might flip someone the finger.

You might argue I am reducing the point of the league to its base function (to determine a winner), over simplifying it to make a tired point and ignoring the subtle nuances and individual battles and struggles that make the Premier League so interesting.  However, we still complain when Man Utd win again, when the ‘big four’ remain the ‘big four’ and the only way to get anywhere near the dizzying, nose-bleed heights of Europa League qualification is to spend until you go into administration. 

Yet despite all this, the English Premier League is the most watched league world-wide and widely regarded (albeit debatably) as the most entertaining place to watch club football. The German Bundesliga, over the last couple of years at least, has boasted new competitiveness and unpredictability. With more surprise packages than an Al Qaeda mail room, six or more teams have put themselves within more than a shout of achieving first place. However, outside its own borders (where to be fair it has the highest average attendance league of any football league in Europe) the Bundesliga has nowhere near the same interest levels as Man Utd et al. in the Premier League. Although this has a lot to do with marketing and money, most overseas fans may watch top English sides for their supposed quality and consistency. Their predictability of success, as it were, hoping to see some of the very best athletes in the world playing at their finest.

It would be an impossibility to make the Premier League an even playing field for so many reasons it is not worth going into. Even the new trend of vast investment will not help. Continued success and indeed dominance by any team throughout an overly prolonged era is at times beyond tedious. However without it we would not enjoy the giant killings and upsets so much when indeed they do come along. In many newer leagues around the world where the idea of football as a professional sport is still younger than an Arsenal Carling cup team, where dominators and club identities have yet to be established (Australia’s A league, for example), some fans struggle to become fully immersed in the sport without the prospect of upsets or giant killings, without leaders to aspire to and pantomime villains to loathe. In a league where all are equally good, they can also be equally bad.

The likes of Man Utd perhaps serve as an example of this aspiration and a pantomime villain rolled into one. Many fans can at least (at times) admire their brilliance, while revelling (some more than others) in their occasional failures. Even if the table after thirty eight have been played shows less anomalies and plot twists than we would like, there is still entertainment to be had along the way in the individual games and moments which make our seasons as supporters.

In the Premier League, undoubtedly some remain more equal than others for various reasons, but it could be argued that the necessary evils of the sustained rulers of the division help raise the games of the others and inevitably also attracts some of the best talent to the country, raising the quality (if not the surprise aspect) of the league.  On top of that, nothing lasts forever (other than Ryan Giggs it would seem) and who’s to say in a few years time Man Utd versus Arsenal won’t be a relegation-battling six-pointer rather than a Super Sunday title decider. Maybe. But maybe not. Last Sunday anyway it seemed more ‘Ski Sunday’ than super Sunday for Arsene’s team… It all went a bit downhill…

Too predictable?

Reports in Spain say that Sporting Lisbon are considering a move for the ex-Everton midfielder Manuel Fernandes.  Currently with Valencia in La Liga, Fernandes has been targeted by Sporting after a move for Glasgow Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes fell through.

The one-time Everton, Portsmouth and Benfica midfielder has been targeted by the Portuguese side as they look to close the gap to the top of the table in the Superliga.  Indeed Sporting Clube de Lisbon to give them their full name are now a massive 12 points off the race for the title languishing on 27 points, with the leaders Sporting Braga and cross-city rivals Benfica on 39.

Sporting have been linked with several midfielders, most notably Glasgow Rangers’ Pedro Mendes, another player with Portsmouth links, but a deal  never came to pass, and the former FC Porto player remains in Scotland.

Manuel Fernandes has made just one start this season in the UEFA Europa League, and a further 3 sub appearances in La Liga, but has fallen behind the like of Ever Banega and David Albelda in the pecking order in the central midfield area for Valencia.

Fernandes, like so many players not featuring regularly for their first team, is desperately looking for a way out of Valencia to ensure that he keeps his place in the Portugal World Cup squad later this year.  Fernandes, a one-time regular in the heart of the midfield, made 19 league appearances for Everton in two separate spells and played ten times for Pompey as well.  However, a full deal to move to Goodison Park never came off after a potential permanent move fell foul of then-recent new rules implemented by the Premier League regarding player rights and contract ownership in the wake of the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano affairs.

During his time in England he was a regular in the national team squad after impressing with his contribution in the middle of the park both going forward and screening the defence.  However he has made only one appearance for Portugal in the World Cup qualifying campaign, which dates back to November 2007. 

However, after making 27 La Liga appearances for Valenica last season, a slow recovery from injury and a susbequent loss of form have badly affected Fernandes this time around.  Therefore in a bid to salvage his season, he is now hoping that he can get some regular action with Sporting Lisbon.

 Reports from Italian daily La Repubblica say that Lazio’s Swiss right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner is ready to quit the club and has set his sights on a move to the Premiership. 

With Sunderland in the market for a right-back having already failed in an attempt to secure the signature of Hamburg’s Ivorian international Guy Demel, could the un-named club be the Black Cats?

The 25-year-old Swiss international has been with Lazio since signing from French football in 2008, where he played with Lille helping them into the Champions League.  The 25 times capped international is a versatile character able to play both as a conventional right-back, as well as a more attacking right wing-back, and his surging runs up and down the wing have earned him the nick-name Forrest Gump from the Lazio-Ultras.

Lichsteiner has been linked on several occasions with a move to the Premiership, most recently with Everton in the wake of Euro 2008, but opted for a move to Lazio instead. 

However, the recent arrival of Danish international Jakob Poulsen from AGF Aarhus in the Italian capital in direct competition to Lichtsteiner, allied with a less familiar role on the right-hand side of a four man midfield playing in front of a back three, has convinced the Swiss-stopper it’s time to seek a new club.

Sunderland have been looking for a reinforcement in the right-back area, and were initially heavily linked with a move for Guy Demel before that transfer hit the buffers.  Reports in the English media say that the club have launched a £10-million bid for Portsmouth’s Younes Kaboul, but Lichtsteiner is likely to be available for a good deal less than that.

Lazio are still financially strapped for cash after several years staving off bankruptcy, and may be tempted into doing business for around £2-3 million.  Overall Lichtsteiner has made 26 appearances for Lazio this season in both Serie A and the Europa League, as well as playing 8 games for Switzerland as they eased themselves into the World Cup by winning their pool

Spanish website Futbolmercado.es has reported that Nacho Novo could be a potential transfer target for either Celta Vigo or Deportivo la Coruna.

 Reports surfaced before the opening of the transfer window that Nacho Novo could be one of a number of players on his way out of Glasgow Rangers during January.  It now seems as if the Spanish pair of Deportivo la Coruna and Celta Vigo have thrown their hat into the ring in a bit to tempt Novo back home.

 Novo (30) has been in Scotland since the summer of 2001 when he accepted a deal to join Raith Rovers.  A further spell at Dundee United, persuaded Rangers to step in for Novo in the summer of 2004 for a fee of just under half a million pounds.

However, with Novo’s current deal to expire at the end of the season, and no indication that a new one is in the offing, it’s thought that Novo is keen to look at other options.  This season at Ibrox, Novo hasn’t been considered a first-team regular and has managed just three goals in the SPL and a further two in other competitions.

Although Novo has declared himself happy to remain in Glasgow, the lack of a new contract will no doubt be of some concern, and has aroused the interest especially of Deportivo, who might either look at a bid now or wait until the summer when the player is out of contract.  After once being one of the best funded teams in Spain, Depor have fallen on hard times, and Chairman Augusto Cesar Lendorio declared Novo an interesting option because of the relatively low fee he would command.

Celta Vigo after once being an established top-flight team in Spain have also struggled to make ends meet and are are currently battling relegation from the Segunda to avoid the drop to the third-flight.  With just 20 goals in 21 matches in the league, any striking reinforcements would be welcome. 

Rangers boss Walter Smith told BBC Scotland recently that he wasn’t expecting any further departures from Ibrox over the course of January.  However, with a police investigation pending over alleged obscene gestures to the Aberdeen fans during a recent SPL match, Rangers may decide this is a good a time as any to consider a bid for Novo.