Friday 15 March 2013

Champions League perfectly poised

The winners of this year's Champions League will be no fluke. 
Just when Europe's top clubs had breathed a sigh of relief after Milan looked to be in cruise control against Barcelona, the inevitable happened. Milan were beaten 4-0 at the Nou Camp and eliminated 4-2 on aggregate, with Barca now favourites to lift the trophy.

But the destiny of the much coveted Champions League title remains very much in the balance. Barcelona's frailties were demonstrated in their 2-0 loss to Milan in the first leg, and in successive defeats against Real Madrid, which left the team looking in a very sorry position. Even they are not invincible.

It is fair to say that the best team in Europe based on form are Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga leaders had been characteristically efficient in dispatching top teams, and, bar the shock defeat to BATE Borisov in the group stages, looked very comfortable in Europe's top competition. They tore apart Arsenal in the first leg of their tie at the Emirates, but not everybody was satisfied, and Bayern's defending of the set-piece from which Arsenal scored was an omen for the second leg. On Wednesday their weaknesses were highlighted again, as they lost 2-0 and looked very much overawed by a second-string Arsenal side including the likes of Fabianski, and without their usual saviour Jack Wilshere. Jupp Heynckes admitted that it had been a poor performance, and this above all demonstrated that the Bundesliga outfit are far from impregnable. On his day goalkeeper Manuel Neuer does indeed, as one German newspaper said, resemble a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' in his fluorescent green gloves, but when the side defend as they did yesterday, he is reduced to a mere human. This should be a wake-up call to Bayern.

For Real Madrid, this Champions League campaign represents everything. After winning La Liga in stunning fashion last season, this year has been an entirely different story, except in the Champions League, where business has largely been as usual. Getting through a tricky group consisting of the champions of England, Germany and the Netherlands was quite an achievement in itself, but this was to be expected of a team of Madrid's calibre. Despite only squeezing past the mighty Manchester United with the help of a dubious Nani red card, Real Madrid were briefly bookmaker's favourites. There is also the sense that this is a mission for the collector Mourinho, who is looking to add another Champions League to his CV, and break another record. It is true that the atmosphere in the Bernabeu dressing-room was toxic at one point, but the coveted 'Decima' might just materialise this year after successive wins against Barcelona and the win at Old Trafford restored confidence in the team.

Dortmund and Juventus seem to have points to prove. Whilst last years German champions Borussia Dortmund have trailed to Bayern domestically, they unnervingly clinched top spot in the 'group of death' containing Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City, to set pundits purring at their superb style of play. After their 2-2 draw against Shakthar in the first leg of their tie, Dortmund stayed focussed and took apart the Ukrainians at home 3-0, no easy task and a testament to their efficient style of play which is also easy on the eye.The Germans seem intent on proving themselves in Europe after a poor showing in last year's competition. Juventus, on the other hand, are back after a brief hiatus, and have nothing to lose. Having dominated Serie A bar a few hiccups, the Italian champions have an impressive team and could go all the way. They will be looking forward to fully testing their mettle against a strong Bayern side after strolling past Celtic in the last 16.

At the moment the two weakest teams look like Galatasaray and Malaga. Having said that, Galatasaray have acquired two European heavyweights in Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. And, whilst their best years may be behind them, no team will relish having to come up against the veteran duo. Let's not forget the immense fire-power of Turkish front-man Burak Yilmaz, who has largely been overlooked after the signing of Drogba, but who is very much in his prime and was the main reason why the Turkish side progressed during the group stages. Before the knockout stage, Yilmaz was responsible for 6 out of Galatasaray's 7 goals, and the Turkish side's chances of going further in this competition will hinge on the striker.

Malaga are this year's dark horses. Enjoying Champions League football for the first time in their history, the team from the Costa del Sol have had no end to problems off the pitch, including debts and a future one-year ban from the competition, but Manuel Pellegrini has kept his eye on the ball, and has stirred his team to achieve great things on the field. Malaga owe their success to the Chilean manager and the positive atmosphere he has instilled at the club, as well as star man Isco, who has looked increasingly mature as Malaga's most exciting player. This season seems like 'all-or-nothing' for Malaga in Europe, and who knows how far they could go?

So far this year's edition of Europe's top competition has proved that even the likes of Bayern and Barcelona are not invincible. The supposedly weaker teams, Galatasaray and Malaga, should take heart from this, as anybody is capable of causing an upset. The draw for the quarter-finals has been made, and all the ties look tantalising. The closing stages of the Champions League promise to be mouth-watering.

By Tomas

Thursday 14 March 2013

Has the North London tide finally turned?

Has the tide finally turned? 

At the time of writing, Tottenham are currently 7 points ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League (although Arsenal have a game in hand). Although Arsenal are technically still participating in the Champions League, their trip to Allianz Arena looks to be the end of their European season, after a 3-1 defeat at the Emirates. It appears that 2012/13 will be yet another frustrating trophy-less season under Arsene Wenger, after two excruciating cup exits for the Gunners (to Blackburn and Bradford). Meanwhile, at White Hart Lane, there is a positive aura emanating from Arsenal's local rivals. Despite a set-back at Anfield at the weekend, Tottenham are sitting pretty in 3rd place in the league, following a 3-0 triumph over Inter Milan in the Europa League, and a sweet revenge over Arsenal, 2-1. Whilst Tottenham seem a revitalised team on the up under a youthful manager, some may perceive Arsenal to be the opposite. Is this perception really accurate?

Arrivals

TOTTENHAM:

In the past two seasons Tottenham have acquired (amongst others):
Moussa Dembele - £16.75million
Hugo Lloris - £11million
Jan Vertonghen £11million
Gylfi Sigurdsson £8.8 million
Clint Dempsey £6.5 million
Emmanuel Adebayor £5million
Lewis Holtby £1.5million
Scott Parker £5.5 million 

Total: £66.05million

Significant Departures:

Peter Crouch £9million
Wilson Palacios £7million
Roman Pavlyuchenko £7million
Alan Hutton £4million
Robbie Keane £3.3million
Jamie O'Hara £3million
Luka Modric £26million
Rafael van der Vaart £11.4million
Niko Krancjar £6million
Vedran Corluka £6million
Steven Pienaar £5million

Total: £87.7million


Conclusion: Although Tottenham have sold more than they have spent recently, most of the signed players have been impressive, and very astute signings. The stand-out signings are Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele and Lewis Holtby (their fees combined are only a couple of million more than the funds raised by the sales of Modric and van der Vaart). Although Modric and van der Vaart could have left a void in the Tottenham starting XI, Tottenham moved quickly to plug any potential gaps. 

ARSENAL:

(In the past two seasons) Ins (amongst others):

Santi Cazorla £16.7million
Lukas Podolski £10.5 million
Olivier Giroud £10.5million
Nacho Monreal £8million
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £12million
Gervinho £10.5million
Mikel Arteta £10.5million
Per Mertesacker £9.9million
Andre Santos £6million
Park Chu-Young £5.7 million

Total: £100.3million

Significant Departures:

Robin van Persie £27million
Alex Song £16.7million
Carlos Vela £3.3million
Cesc Fabregas £29.9million
Samir Nasri £24million
Gael Clichy £6.8million
Emmanuel Eboue £3million

Total: £110.7million

For every Santi Cazorla, there's a Gervinho. For every Mikel Arteta, there's an Andre Santos. A slightly hit-and-miss record in recent times for Arsenal, as some genuinely world-class players have been sold, only to be replaced by cheaper players who are not quite on the same level in many cases. Like Tottenham, they have sold more than they have spent, which is extremely frustrating given Arsenal's substantial resources and financial health. There remains noticeable gaps in the Arsenal starting XI, which need to be addressed by signings this summer.

The Managers:

Arsene Wenger:

I believe it would be unfair to suggest the majority of Arsenal fans want "#WengerOut", but more and more Gooners seem to be becoming disenchanted with their club, their board, their excessively priced season tickets, and in some cases, Arsene Wenger. It sometimes appears that Wenger is content with moulding young players into fantastic players, then selling them on - this is worrying for Arsenal fans. Although Wenger has undoubtedly done a lot of good for Arsenal as a club, I don't think his position is beyond questioning. Far from it, in fact. However, I don't believe he should be sacked. It is very possible that the lack of spending is the board's fault and not the manager's, and Arsenal (especially if they are not in the Champions League next season), have no idea who they might attract/appoint as their next manager. Not finishing in the top 4 would be a massive blow, however, and perhaps a change might help the team. 8 years without a trophy is a long time, after all.

Andre Villas-Boas:

Roman Abramovich must be kicking himself. After the enigmatic Portuguese had been paid a mouth-watering compensation fee, 'AVB' found the perfect match in the North of London. Before the season, some wondered if Redknapp's departure would have a negative effect, but Villas-Boas moved swiftly and effectively in the transfer market to quell such rumours. Although some Spurs fans had their doubts early on (perhaps justifiably so, after some baffling substitutions), the vast majority of supporters have now given AVB their full-backing, and it seems that Daniel Levy has finally found a young manager he can share a long-term relationship with.

So has the tide turned? In the short term, yes, but only marginally. It is fairly likely that Tottenham will finish above Arsenal this season, but Tottenham themselves have not won a trophy, and the season is far from over yet. This summer hold the key as to whether or not Tottenham will remain superior in the long term. If Villas-Boas can keep hold of his key players, and sign a quality striker, the future looks bright. Arsenal need to spend some money under Wenger (not excessive amounts) on improving a few areas of the first team, to cement their future in the top 4, and hopefully win them some trophies. This, however, remains to be seen. And who knows, maybe both North London clubs will win trophies next year!

By Alex