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.