AC Milan v Celtic

The final group stage match sees Celtic and Milan separated by a mere point. Unfortunately, the game is in Milan and Celtic have never won an away Champions League match. Nonetheless, Celtic come into the match prepared to play for a draw and thus qualify to the round of sixteen. The first half saw lots of attacking play from Milan but Celtic's defense has stood strong, allowing few shots on goal and closing down scoring chances. Kaka did get free for a shot around the edge of the box but his shot sailed high and wide; I doubt Kaka will miss that chance again. If Celtic are to score, they'll probably need to do it off a set-piece of some sort, as they aren't bringing forward enough players in support to attack Milan's impenetrable defense. Celtic need to continue to defend well and play possession football in order to pull out a draw. A win would take first place in the group while Celtic can still qualify if they lose. On the one hand, I want to see some goals, on the other, if Celtic score it will probably pull Milan out of its funk and bounce back to score a couple goals, making Celtic's status unsure.
Milan continued their strong attack, finally forcing Celtic to concede a Filipo Inzaghi goal in the 70th minute. Boruc had some great saves for Celtic and the late subsitution of Jan Venegoor of Hesselink looked like Celtic could pull even with the defending champions but Milan stood tough. Thankfully, the other result ended in a 2-1 victory for Benfica and Celtic supporters in Italy began to celebrate the club's second consecutive year advancing in the Champions League to the knockout round of sixteen.

Manchester United v Fulham

The return of Rooney prompted my attention for this match, a nice way to get the afternoon off to a pleasant start on Monday. The reunion of Tevez and Rooney took a back seat to Cristiano Ronaldo, recently the runner-up for France's Ballon D'Or, the award for European Footballer of the Year, which, somewhat predictably, went to AC Milan's Kaka. Ronaldo, perhaps feeling a bit snubbed, showed great attacking pace on the right. United looked strong as usual on the wings, attacking well and putting shots on goal early. Rooney looked good alongside Tevez and both players created some havoc in the Fulham backfield, leading to Ronaldo's first goal in the 10th minute. On a defended cross, Ronaldo somehow found the ball at his feet and crushed a volley across the face of goal, past a helpless keeper. The United attack continued, but as the half drew near, Fulham missed a great chance to equalize on a cross, sending the header wide. In the second half, United continued their attack, leading to a beautiful cross from the right, a beautiful cross from John O'Shea which led Ronaldo over his defender to crush his header into the lower right. United continued to press forward, as Ronaldo sought his first hat-trick for Man U. A wonderful ball froward from Giggs put Ronaldo one-on-one with the keeper but he was carded for diving, which the replay could not confirm or deny. It sure must have been tempting for the Portuguese winger to try to complete his hat-trick from the spot but I'm not sure of the call. Nevertheless, a good performance from Manchester as they pulled to second place in the standings.

Champions League Matchday 4

Besiktas vs Liverpool
Following their defeat two weeks ago in Istanbul, Liverpool sit with 1 point from three games in the Champions League.  They got off to a great start, missing Fernando Torres, as their attack split wide down the flanks.  Voronin got the first scoring attack started, running down the left and playing the ball into Peter Crouch, who benefited from defensive lack of concentration  before cracking a shot at the Besiktas keeper, who made a good save only to have Crouch gather he rebound and strike it past the keeper's outstretched fingers.  Liverpool continued to attack and Besiktas had some strong play of their own but Liverpool really took control of their destiny in the 32nd minute as Voronin played a beautiful cross to Benayoun open in the box.  The Israeli settled the ball and then volleyed it into the lower-left corner, under the diving keeper.  Liverpool had a great half and will probably slow the play in the second half and play their traditional, conservative brand of football with a lead like this.

The Second Half
Going contrary to my opinion, Liverpool opened the half attacking fiercely, on their way to Champions League history, scoring six goals in the second half to set a new record for goal difference in a CL match, surpassing Arsenal (Oct 2007) and Juventus (2003), who both won their games 7-0. Benayoun scored his second of the match off the rebound of a strong Riise shot from just inside the box, which the keeper parried but was unable to control. Just two minutes later, Gerrard struck a free kick low and hard as Benayoun again got on the end of the rebound to one-touch it home. The attack continued, with Gerrard scoring in the 69th minute off a 1-2 exchange between himself and Voronin, ending with Gerrard one on one with the keeper, blasting the ball into the opposite side of the net with his considerable power. In the 78th minute, Ryan Babel scored the goal of the match, delicately back-heeling a low cross by Benayoun into the left side-netting. Just three minutes later, Reina destroyed a goal kick which the first defender could not clear and fell to the second, one on one with Babel. The defender tried to clear the bouncing ball but Babel's speed was too much, as he turned and the ball struck his back, lobbing the onrushing keeper into the net. Babel crushed a cross into the crossbar a couple minutes later, barely missing the hat-trick. In the 89th minute, Benayoun provided another beautiful ball into the center of the box and Crouch, unguarded by either of the center backs, headed the ball home. A great game from Voronin, Riise, Gerrard, Benayoun, Crouch and Babel saw Liverpool capitalize on all of their talent and put on a real show for the home fans. Man of the match: Benayoun with 3 goals and 2 assists. 

Champions League: Matchday 3

Barcelona v Rangers
First off, I hate Rangers. Second, I love Barca. Obviously, I watch this game with some extreme bias. I'll try to check it at the door.
The first half has seen Barca dominate possession, creating a number of chances on goal while executing their passes with the expected precision. With that said, Rangers have done an admirable job defending, cutting off the incisive passes from midfield that make Barca so hard to defend. Rangers have clogged the box, marked Henry and Messi with serious determination and emerged from the first half with a 0-0 tie. However, Barca will likely continue to grind the defense into the ground, with overlaps and their constant attack-and-possession style of play. One example of this in the first half was the attacking play of Puyol on the right, something I have rarely seen. Thankfully Victor Valdes has looked solid in goal but Rangers have had some uncomfortably strong attacking play in the first half. The absence of Deco, the coagulating agent of midfield, has been felt, as Xavi and Iniesta have struggled somewhat. In particular, Iniesta and Xavi will need to contain Rangers counterattacks while supporting the play of Gudjohnsen, Henry, Messi and Ronaldinho. It should be an excellent second half.

The Second Half
Barcelona continued to press forward while Rangers held Henry and Ronaldinho in check, double-teaming and fouling the two stars. Meanwhile, Messi was kept silent on the right flank, with few touches in the second half and none of his typically straightforward brilliance in attack. It has been said before, and it'll be said again: Deco makes Barca run. Without his pinpoint passing and control of the game from central midfield, all the rotating parts of Barcelona have no axle to turn, no node to connect to. Almost every time Henry or Roni touched the ball, they were hacked. And when Barca won free kicks, Ronaldinho sky-ed the first one and hit the crossbar on the second. Otherwise, Rangers continued to clog the top of the box and defended admirably on the wing. Barcelona's offense never quite got into high gear and the fouls and deep counter-attacks kept the Blaugrana from getting into any sort of cogent rhythm. In order to win the group, Barca will have to play better, with or without Deco. As a fan, this match was a bit of a disappointment.

Fernando Torres is the man

He scored a hat trick yesterday against a Reading side determined to play physical.  Catch the highlights at footytube.com.

Champions Lague Matchday 1: Barcelona v Lyon

First things first: Lyon is a damn good team and showed it for 80 minutes against what could well be the most talented team in Europe. They gave up an own goal off a Messi shot in the 21st minute and did a strong job of blocking the middle while not permitting Barca to attack easily down the flanks. That said, their excellent defense broke down for the final ten minutes and allowed Barcelona the space to create, leading to the two cushioning goals, by Messi in the 82nd minute and Henry in the 90th. Interestingly, Barca looked their best without Ronaldinho, who was removed in favor of Andres Iniesta in the 64th minute. For the most part, Henry and Messi were held in check by the Lyon defense, through hard tackling and offside traps. Henry looked sluggish and unable to control the ball or work well in the post. Messi continues to develop as one of the world's most exciting players and created space for himself and his teammates. In this game, he occassionally looked like he was trying to do too much, but in the end he created two goals and led his team to success. Messi has to be considered the man of the match in this game.

In the Manchester United v Sporting Lisbon match, again the underdog did a strong job defending goal and the box, forcing United to look wide for their chances. In the end, Cristiano Ronaldo was the difference as he scored the decisive goal against his former club. Ronaldo looked great with the ball at his feet but Rooney apparently wasnt ready for the game. Additionally, it was good to see Vidic and Ferdinand together at center-back. Van der Sar saved an almost-certain goal in the 79th minute with a fingertip save. United will have to improve their form if they expect to perform as they did last year in this tournament.

The Return of Owen

England finally came together as EPL fans know they should, winning 3-0 today over a strong Russian team. With Emile Heskey acting as a decoy, Michael Owen was able to work around him, flitting off on the edges and attacking the middle of the pitch, keeping the Russian defence guessing. The first goal came in the 4th minute, as Owen controlled a cross from Gareth Barry from the right flank and quickly dispatched the ball into the right side-netting. England looked the side to beat today, herding the Russian strikers into the center of the field and dispossessing them, with Ferdinand and Terry both living up to their reputations. Sean Wright-Phillips looked good on the right flank while Joe Cole was unfortunately denied by the Russian keeper on a good strike from just outside the box. England's long passing game looked great, as their timely counterattacks kept the Russians from sending more than one or two men forward at a time. In the 30th minute, Michael Owen scored again, this time striking a volley across the goal, just beyond the reach of Malafeev. The half ended just as England could have wished, up 2-0 and looking the strong favorites to take the points.
The second half began with more of the same, as long balls were played into Heskey, who did well to direct them into the paths of oncoming attackers like Owen, Cole and Wright-Phillips. Russia looked anemic and ineffective throughout the game, but showed a bit more panache at the beginning of the second half; England's mastery of the pitch proved too much though, as they continued to attack. Finally, in the 84th minute, England took a corner short, playing the ball into Owen at the edge of the 18, who froze the two defenders in front of him and threaded a short pass in to Rio Ferdinand (A short aside: Rio Ferdinand is one of the best defenders in the world, whose pace can match that of nearly any striker, who has one of the coolest heads in soccer and communicates superbly with his goalie. Additionally, he's good in the air and has a strong scoring record for a defender.) who pulled the ball back then burst past his defender before smashing the ball under the diving Malafeev. Owen had to be the man of the match and looked as good as he has in years. Here's to a successful campaign for Newcastle United and England. Good to have you back, Michael.

Breakdown of Champions League Groups

Courtesy of Lucas Hollister:

First, the Arsenal analysis. Arsenal have a history of favorable group stage draws, and this one was no different. While I think that the Liverpool, Porto, Besiktas, Marseille group is the easiest, if AEK Athens pulls off an upset, Arsenal are looking at perhaps the easiest group in the history of the competition. I will now go out and buy an AEK Athens jersey. That said, Arsenal also have a history of making easy draws much harder than they need to be. Prague and Bucharest were close to best-case-scenario teams for their pots. For pots three and four, the most important thing was to avoid a trip to Turkey (Fenerbahce are dangerous, as are their fans!) or Russia (they spray paint their fields green to hide the fact that they are frozen dirt!).

Now, for the group by group analysis:

Group A (Liverpool, Porto, Marseille, Besiktas):
Tough trips to Turkey, but Besiktas aren't that good a team. Liverpool and Porto should be easily better than Marseille and Besiktas. Marseille could slip ahead of Porto, but I don't see it happening. The departure of Ribery deprives Marseille of the one world-class player they had. The French league has been Lyon and everyone else for four years now. I don't see that changing this year. Benitez is the best Champion's League coach bar none. He has reached four finals in the last ten years, winning one. Never bet against his tactical acumen in a two game tie. Plus, Steven Gerrard is money under pressure and Riise gives you that "goal out of nothing" capability. Like most people, I like Liverpool better this year than last year.

Group B (Chelsea, Valencia, Schalke, Rosenborg):
Chelsea is a given. Mourinho is another great coach, in addition to being a great douchebag. Coach aside, they beat this group on squad strength alone. Valencia has been underrated this decade, in my estimation, but they don't look that strong this year. It's not so much a question of talent for them as chemistry. Read Phil Ball's latest article and you'll see that this is a club in turmoil. Villa is one hell of a striker, though. I still like Valencia to go through, but only because I don't think much of Schalke or Rosenborg. Schalke could be surprising, but the German league hasn't shown much these last few years. Rosenborg have a reputation for being difficult to beat at home, but they can't hang with any of the top three in this group. They'll be lucky to get two points.

Group C (Real, Werder, Lazio, Olympiakos):
Great group. This should be an exciting one. Real finally looks like they might have a balanced squad. They lost Beckham, which was more of a hit than some people might think. More importantly, they fired Capello for no reason. All he did was lead them to a Spanish league title. This guy's been a winner wherever he's gone, and Madrid fired him because he dared to coach defense. As always, the talent is there in spades for Madrid and, as always, chemistry will be the main question mark. Werder are the best German side. I love watching them play. They attack with passion and flair, but give up goals. They know from past experience that they can beat Real, and won't be afraid to take the game to them. I don't know much about Lazio, besides the fact that they fascists and play for my least favorite league in Europe. They may be the second best team in this group, but I'll be rooting against them. Olympiakos have a history of playing hard when outgunned, and Greek sides usually have discipline on defense. This is a fun group.

Group D (AC Milan, Benfica, Celtic, Shakhtar):
Boring group. Milan deserved to win the CL last year, but they didn't deserve to be in the competition. Italian football is a disgrace and these guys are cheaters. That said, they've got some very elegant players. Portuguese teams remind me a lot of French teams from the mid-90's: technical, inventive, disciplined. Porto and Benfica are never easy games, especially away. Celtic pulled off a great win against Spartak Moscow. Nakamura is a game changer from set pieces. I don't see them having enough to get through. Shakhtar will be dangerous at home, and no one wants to have to travel to the Ukraine. I won't be watching any games from this group, supposing they are even televised.

Group E (Barcelona, Lyon, Stuttgart, Rangers):
Very obvious group. Lyon continue to be a great side. Even without Malouda, they are strong at every position. I think that the injury to Eto'o may benefit Barca in the long term. Henry is going to be very good for them. This lets him get familiar with the team.
Stuttgart will be ok. Rangers don't have the quality, though they have the fight. Fun games, but predictable outcomes.

Group F (Manchester United, Sporting Lisbon, Roma, Dynamo Kiev):
Hardest group. Not a single pushover here. Roma will be out for revenge and Sporting Lisbon are another great, technical Portuguese side. Manchester United's injury situation will be key coming into these draws. I'm always pulling for Dynamo Kiev. For those who don't know, the movie Victory is maybe 1/10 as astonishing as what Dynamo Kiev actually did against the Nazi's during WWII. I've told this story to so many of my friends, that I hesitate to put it up on plans, but if anyone hasn't heard it, let me know and I'll type it up. ESPN is constantly overplaying the human interest, drama, glory aspects of various mundane sports stories. Dynamo Kiev's history is legitimately one of the greatest of all time. It deserves to be remembered alongside Jesse Owens' victories in Berlin.
That said, that was then and this is now: they aren't getting out of this group.

Group G (Inter, Moscow, Fenerbahce, Eindhoven):
Inter is competing with Arsenal for weakest 1 seed in the CL. This is an incredibly evenly matched group. Fenerbahce was the 4 seed that no one wanted to draw. Playing in Moscow in the winter is borderline insane. Eindhoven always have talent, although losing Alex to Chelsea (for $1) doesn't help their cause. Unpredictable group. Should be fun games.

Group H:
I've already talked a lot about this one, but I should mention that Sevilla is a really, really good team. If they keep Alves and Juande Ramos, as it looks like they might, watch out. If this team had qualified, they easily could have won the CL last year. They are pure class.

Liverpool v Toulouse

In some hot Champions League qualifying action, Liverpool took the game straight to Toulouse, attacking and controlling the ball throughout both halves.  In the 19th minute, Dirk Kuyt served a beautiful cross to a sliding Peter Crouch, who snuck the ball between the post and the keeper.  Liverpool had many strong chances in the first half, with many coming from service on the wing, one of the major weaknesses Liverpool displayed in the Champions League final against AC Milan.  This Liverpool side, without Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, dominated all aspects of the game and came away with what could only be described as a fair result.  The trend continued in the second half, with an early goal in the 49th minute from Sami Hyypia's head off a corner kick.  Liverpool refused to let up, with Dirk Kuyt scoring in the 86th and 90th minutes.   Liverpool looked like the great attacking side they can be, without Gerrard or Torres.  This bodes well for Liverpool and gets them off to a great start in another Champions League campaign.

International Friendlies and Transfers

I caught most of the England v Germany game, which promised all the usual drama between these exciting international sides. England looked really strong in the first half, taking the lead in the 9th minute on a goal by Frank Lampard setup by a nice run down the right flank by Micah Richards. Richards cut inside toward the goal box, beating a defender and drawing another out to create space for Lampard, who turned on the ball and blasted it past Lehmann, who I thought should have gotten to the shot. Nevertheless, a good goal for Lampard, who has been a bit hounded by the press recently. Shortly thereafter, in the 26th minute, Kevin Kuranyi scored off some poor goalkeeping by Paul Robinson who spilled the ball directly into Kuranyi's path. Germany took the lead off a beautiful strike by Christian Pander, who crushed the ball with his left from 30-35 yards out into the side netting, leaving Paul Robinson no chance at the ball. The second half slowed down, as both teams tightened at the back and England replaced Robinson with David James.
In other news, Gabriel Heinze and Arjen Robben have both left the Premiership for Real Madrid, for more than $60 million. I can't wait to see Arjen linking up with van Nistelrooy and Robinho in attack. I hate Heinze though and I hope he will conceded lots of goals in Champions League play and against Barca. I cannot wait for this weekend: Red Bull flugtag, EPL, Bundesliga and La Liga action, and no work. Good times.

Liverpool v Chelsea

The game started as it seems this matchup normally does, with strong possession play and most chances occurring off the counter. Liverpool controlled the play for most of the first half, although Gerrard seemed off his game with the foot injury. His shots from distance were off target and poor and he will need to regain form for Liverpool to win close matches like this one. Fernando Torres scored in his Enfield debut, controlling a strong forward ball to sneak it into the side netting underneath a diving Petr Cech. The second half saw more of the same, with Jermaine Pennant supplying good balls from the right wing. The referee made his presence felt, with what felt like a dozen yellow cards. The worst call of the game, however, came as a pass came in to Malouda who ran into Jamie Carragher and was awarded a penalty. Neither player touched the ball nor made an effort to play it. I was truly outraged, as Lampard coolly dispatched the penalty to tie the game. The air quickly left Liverpool's sails and the game slowly settled to a 1-1 draw. Good result for Liverpool but they could have done so much better.

Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen

In a highly anticipated match, Bayern stole the show in the second half. In the first half, Ribery scored off a penalty in the 31st minute. Klose was replaced with Hamit Altintop, a strong attacking midfielder who was purchased from Schalke 04. Altintop immediately made his presence felt, assiting Luca Toni in the 51st minute, exploiting a three on two breakaway as Werder tried to push forward in attack. Bayern continued to attack persistently. Following a Bremen corner, Ribery turned a fancy piece of skill, turning around Diego to spark a quick counter, ending in a nice cross from Toni to Altintop, who dispatched the ball to the far post. Andreas Ottl came on in the final ten minutes and, in the 87th minute, took a throw-in to the middle of the field and crushed the final goal into the upper-right hand corner. So far, it seems Ribery, Toni and Altintop have looked like the best strike force in Europe.  

Matchday 2 in the EPL

I had some issues with my pc at work yesterday and was not able to spend all of my time watching Man U take on Portsmouth. I did catch the second half of the Chelsea v Reading match, which saw Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba score on beautiful pieces of skill in the first five minutes, to overtake Reading's 1-0 lead. Chelsea continued to attack and looked particularly strong down the left flank, with Ashley Cole,Malouda and Solomon hooking up to feed the ball into Drogba and Lampard while creating chances for themselves. Malouda has quickly adapted to life at Stamford Bridge and it will be interesting to see his development this year, playing off of Ashley Cole, who arrived last year from crosstown rivals Arsenal. I'm particularly looking forward to Chelsea v Liverpool on Sunday. Portsmouth managed to come back to tie Manchester United, who have now only taken 2 points in as many games. They will have to regain some form, absent Wayne Rooney who will be out six weeks according to original reports. And Cristiano Ronaldo got sent off for a headbutt on Richard Hughes near the end of the match. Ronaldo will miss United's next three games, further compunding their difficulties in attack. As of right now, Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea are top of the table, with six points each. Of the players with two goals, Obafemi Martins of Newcastle United is definitely my favorite.

Bundesliga Kickoff: Stuttgart v Schalke 04

Unfortunately I was only able to catch the second half of this game, but thankfully it was the better half.  Schalke scored the opener on a deflection off a defender, carrying a 1-0 lead to the break.  Stuttgart tied the game on a Sami Khedira strike which curled under a diving Neuer into the lower-left corner of the net.  Just minutes later, on another wonderful piece of attacking football from Stuttgart, Neuer expertly blocked a shot from Cacau, only to chase the attacking player to the rebound and giving up a penaltyin the process.  Mexican Pavel Pardo converted, tricking Neuer into diving the wrong way, to give Stuttgart the lead at 2-1.  But Schalke 04 manager Mirko Slomka correctly subbed Kobiashvili for Ivan Rakitic in the 70th minute, who scored the equalizer in the 76th minute.  The intense form continued for the remainder of the match but ended in a draw.  Neuer looked okay in goal but the Schalke defense will have to improve if they hold hopes of winning the league against strong competition such as Bayern and Stuttgart.

Thanks for the Contribution

One of my secondary sources on football, and in particular, Arsenal, corrected part of my Arsenal post: Ljungberg's first name is Fredrik.  My apologies.  I'm posting his questions/comments below as I think they are strong points:

"-Can Eboue become a competent right winger? It looks like Wenger is thinking of starting Sagna at left back with Eboue in front of him."
-Can Hleb become a competent attacking midfielder? Wenger has been playing him in the middle behind a lone striker (RVR, Adebeyor or Da Silva). I've heard he's been playing well there. He's been a huge disappointment as an outside midfielder. I hope he can adjust and be productive in that new role. 
-Can anyone in the midfield score a damn goal?! I'm expecting big things from Rosicky this season. He's got the talent and he's a proven goalscorer. Look for him to notch 8-10 IF he can stay healthy. Fabregas will always be better at setting up goals than scoring them, but sooner or later he's going to develop into a more potent attacking threat. He's got a good shot from outside and he can beat defenders off the dribble. He's already such an amazing player for his age.
-Can Diaby or Gilberto Silva effectively play the holding midfield role? Gilberto is alternately brilliant and disastrous. Needs more consistency. Diaby is the future at that position (if Denilson, a more attacking midfielder, doesn't steal the midfield spot).
Can the defense defend set pieces and not give up dumb early goals? I have little faith. Our defense somehow seems weaker than the sum of its parts. I'm not persuaded that Wenger knows how to coach defenses well.
In a squad full of question marks, Bendtner and Walcott are perhaps the biggest. Either one could play a big role this season.
A lot of people are saying that Arsenal will struggle to finish fourth above Tottenham. I can see the logic, but I think they are really an unknown quantity going into this season. They could gel, feel liberated by the departure of Henry and challenge for the title. It's a distinct possibility. They have so much talent in their team. They're just so damn young! We'll know what they are capable of early in the season. If they get off to a bad start, I'm not sure they'll have the maturity to right the ship."

From Lucas Hollister

FA Community Shield

Manchester United v Chelsea - in this preseason closer between two of the most exciting soccer teams to watch, there have already been two beautiful goals. The first, scored by Ryan Giggs in the 35th minute, was set up masterfully down the left wing by Evra and Cristiano Ronaldo. Giggs, with his infinite class and patience, deftly redirected Evra's pass into the upperleft corner, leaving Cech no chance at the shot. In the 45th
minute, Chelsea struck back on a counterattack, with a sweet ball over the top to new signing Malouda, who fought off the attentions of Rio Ferdinand enough to slice the ball with the outside of his left foot, curling around Van der Sar to end up in the side netting. At this point, almost midway through the second half, it has been a well-fought match, with hard challenges and excellent wing play. Let's hope for a United victory, because I hate Jose Mourinho. Winning goal should be scored by Rooney. ~63rd minute

Wrapping up the Preseason - Arsenal

This is the first year I've been interested enough in soccer to actually catch the preseason games.  And, by and large, I am more impressed with them than I am with the NFL preseason.  However, they both have their issues: starters leave too early, too many substitutions, changing most of the team at the half, etc.  
Right now I'm watching Arsenal vs Salzburg, seeing all the young guns and, perhaps most fun of all, seeing William Gallas still tearing it up at right-back.  However, with the recent departure of Patrick Ljungberg to West Ham, I think the Gunners are in serious trouble.  The loss of Ljungberg leaves Arsenal without an experienced attacking midfielder.  Rosicky and Helb are both great options as attacking midfielders but both have joined in the last two years.  I love Wenger's desire to groom young players but without a strong leader in attack (such as Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Henry and Ljungberg, all of whom were critical members of the undefeated team of 2003-2004) Arsenal will find it hard to offer good service to their strikers.  Without a seasoned veteran pushing the ball forward, Arsenal will score fewer goals and chase in many of their games.  
If there is one thing Arsene Wenger has to do before the beginning of the season, it is to sign a big-name attacker to draw double-teams (like Henry did) and supply balls that lead to scoring chances (like Ljungberg did).  Arsenal will find it tough to stay in the top four in England unless the young stars can begin to live up to Wenger's high expectations.  There is nothing I'd like to see more than Arsenal taking the EPL title from Manchester United, but without a strong leader in attack, I don't think it will happen.  Who knows, maybe Hleb, Rosicky and Fabregas can step up and make Arsenal into the entertaining, finishing club that advanced to the Champions League final in 2006.  Here's to hoping.

Trials and Travails

Well, Boruc managed to save the penalty but I cannot deny the quality and class of the MLS All-Star team: Toja and Angel have had phenomenal success running through the Celtic defense.  Celtic needs to concentrate on plugging the holes that develop and controlling the play.  I'd like to see more attacking on the left flank, avoiding Bornstein on the right.  Vennegoor has been disappointing but I think Celtic will perform a lot better in the second half, attacking with better crosses and a more straightforward attack from central midfield.  

Pregame Update

Prediction: Celtic 2-1 MLS All-Stars
Man of the Match: J. Vennegoor  

I think Balde might score.  If he starts.

Tonight's Match: MLS All-Stars vs Glasgow Celtic

I have never claimed to be a fan of the MLS.  One can only watch so much soccer that pays no attention to the possession game.  It seems like play is stopping every 30 seconds because  because of an errant cross or a poorly played ball out of midfield.  Nonetheless, Celtic is not a juggernaut of Chelsea proportions (the adversary for MLS in this game last 

year, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Americans), but their class and tenacity will test 
the all-stars.  
Celtic advanced to the knockout round of the Champions League for the first 
time this year, losing to AC Milan 1-0 over the two legs on one of the top goals of the
tournament (Kaka takes the ball from the halfway line, penetrating straight towards goal,
five-holes the keeper with a sweet touch to the back of the net in the 93rd minute).  Celtic
is missing Nakamura, who scored their best goal of the season against Manchester United
in the Champions League group stage.  The game will be won in midfield, where I think
Celtic's cohesiveness and experience will serve them well.  I'll post again when the lineups
come out and tell you who to watch for.  

Mission Statement

As a huge fan of soccer, I've decided to make the many hours spent watching soccer on TV a bit productive.  Obviously, printed type is not nearly as exciting as watching the real thing.  However, for those of you who don't have a sweet cable package, I'll try to break down games by half, with posts as close as possible to the end of the half.  With the new season set to start within the next three and a half weeks, I'll try to watch and comment on the most exciting teams to watch in Europe.  In case you've missed out, here are the five biggest summer transfers that have already taken place:

5.  Nigel Reo-Coker - West Ham United to Aston Villa - £8,500,000
Reo-Coker truly shined at the UEFA U-21 tournament earlier this summer, opening a lot of eyes with his strong play at holding midfield.  He should partner well with captain Gareth Barry in midfield.

4.  Ryan Babel (Ajax Amsterdam to Liverpool - £11,500,000) and Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid to Liverpool - £20,200,000)
Babel was also a standout in the UEFA U- 21, earning Man of the Match honors in the final against Serbia, scoring 
his second goal of the torunament.  Babel can play on the wing or up top and his height (6'1") gives Gerrard another target in the box.  I love the fit of Torres at the point, with Crouch in support.  Torres is a phenomenal goal scorer; his transition will be a bit rough but come December, when the pitches begin to freeze over and the play gets nasty, Torres will be knocking on the door and in tune with his teammates.  This Liverpool team will be tough to beat. 

3.  Carlos Tevez - West Ham United to Manchester United - in talks
Tevez has clearly shown his talent, in England, at the World Cup last summer and this year in the Copa America.  It will be interesting to see how the lightning-quick and powerful Tevez will meld with the emotional Wayne Rooney and the dribbling god Cristiano Ronaldo.

2.  Luca Toni (Fiorentina to Bayern Munich - €11,000,000), Franck Ribery (Marseille to Bayern Munich €26,000,0000) and Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen to Bayern Munich - estimated €15,000,000)
While shelling out overfifty million euros on three players seems excessive, it is hard to deny that Bayern Munich was in a tailspin last year.  They finished fourth in a league they normally dominate and failed to qualify for the Champions League.  The club decided to enter a rebuilding period and cleared out a lot of dead wood, such as strikers Claudio Pizarro 
and Hasan Salihamidzic.  The success of the club will depend on how well the 
new trio of forwards can work together.

1.  Thierry Henry - Arsenal to Barcelona - £16,150,000
Henry was injured for much of the 2006-2007 season and Arsenal did not perform well without their skipper.  Some say Henry has lost a step or that he cant perform in big games.  I hope that Henry can make the kind of crossover Ruud van Nistelrooy had in his first season with Real Madrid.  I'm already salivating at the thought of a strike force of Messi, Eto'o and Henry up front.