Manchester United – life after Ronaldo

The jury is out on whether or not Manchester United should have sold their star player Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. The £80million deal is a footballing world record transfer fee but can any amount of money really fill the void left by the awesome Portuguese play-maker’s presence. Ronaldo was United’s top goalscorer the past two seasons and was undoubtedly a huge part of the reason for their success. At times his playing style would mesmerise players and fans alike. The loss of Ronaldo is not just going to effect United but also the Premier League who have lost an iconic player to La Liga. Perhaps the best player in the world Ronaldo could go on to be one of the best ever.

Life goes on, however, and United have shown time and time again that they can cope with the loss of their main stars. Much was made of the departures of big names such as David Beckham, Jaap Stam and Ruud Van Nistelrooy at their prime but United coped with the losses and continued to build stronger squads. Sir Alex Ferguson is the master of this, somehow despite losing his best players the United boss turns his teams into better sides. This is why Sir Alex is more than happy to let go of players who he believes feel that they are too big for the club. Fergie has made it clear over the years that no player is bigger than Manchester United and that certainly no player is more powerful than the manager. Sir Alex adapts squads time and time again does it by signing great young talents who more often than not go on to produce the goods, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ronaldo himself all have proved wonderful signings. It also helps that United’s world class academy keeps throwing up players, some great stars like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville others great squad fillers like Darren Fletcher, John O’Shea and Jonny Evans. So if any fan in the world does not have to worry about the sale of their best player it is a United fan.

The problem this time, though, is that Ronaldo is just that bit more special than any other player who has played under Sir Alex. Never in Fergie’s reign has such a great talent been on show at Old Trafford, so it is a bit of an unknown as to how well United will cope. Yes, the losses of Beckham, Stam and Van Nistelrooy were big news but all of these players were expected to only have a couple of years left at the top level. Ronaldo is 24 and could have another 6-8 years of great football left in him and being so young he could even improve as a player in the next few seasons. No-one has really carried the United team in the same way that Ronaldo has done in certain games and on certain occasions. There were games last season that you felt United definitely would not have won had Ronaldo not been playing.

So the loss is huge for United and worryingly Fergie has not done too much to rectify this. The signings of Wigan’s Antonio Valencia and Newcastle’s Michael Owen are not going to inspire fans too much. Whilst they will be decent first team players, Valencia and Owen can hardly be expected to fill Roanldo’s boots. In watching Valencia’s first game yesterday it became apparent that he would need time to adjust to United, Valencia seemed to drift in and out of the game and was not exactly pounding at the defence of a very poor Birmingham side.

Yesterday’s 1-0 victory at home to Birmingham was less than convincing. Birmingham were very very poor and displayed little heart in their defeat and the fact that United could not score more than one goal will concern the fans. Had Ronaldo been playing yesterday you have to wonder if the scoreline would have read more like 4-0 or 5-0.

However, it is still early days. Rooney looked in good shape yesterday getting on the score-sheet and United will need him to step it up a gear this season and produce a 20 plus goal season. Players like Nani, Berbatov and Anderson all have the potential to go on and do great things but it really is time for them to reveal it. If they don’t then it is tough to see where all of Ronaldo’s missed goals are going to come from. Maybe Sir Alex will buy a forward in January, maybe not but only time will tell if life after Ronaldo will be just as sweet or if it will be sour at least for the next couple of seasons anyway.

The verdict on Ancelotti’s first game for Chelsea

Chelsea started the new season yesterday with an uncomfortable 2-1 win at home to Hull. With this match being many people’s home banker for the weekend, it will have surprised many to see that Chelsea won with a 90th minute Drogba goal.

The scoreline, however, was not a real reflection of the match. Chelsea totally dominated proceedings and with 26 shots on goal were unfortunate to only score twice. If Chelsea had not won it would have been a travesty.

So to assessing the result and Ancelotti’s first competitive match in charge. The problem with Chelsea for many parts of last season was their inability to win at home and create lots of clear-cut chances. For some reason Scolari’s men could not break down the teams who came to defend, draws against the likes of Hull, Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle prove this.

However, this was not the case yesterday. Chelsea created chance after chance and but for some rustiness in front of goal could have scored a bag full. Drogba showed glimpses of his world class talent his Ronaldo-like free kick at the end of the first half was incredible. The link up play between the wing-backs, the midfielders and the forwards was breath-taking.

Chelsea’s shape was fantastic and even when Ancelotti made changes to the team, in the second half, the team remained as a unit and everyone played their part well. Ancelotti has perhaps incorporated a good team spirit that has been sadly lacking from Stamford Bridge in the past couple of seasons and this may have begun to change many people’s thoughts that Chelsea need a couple more world class signings to compete with the ‘big boys’.

A reality check is needed however as it was only Hull who Chelsea were facing, many people have written off Hull as certainties to go down, but in truth Hull played very well. Hull were very solid defensively and even looked a threat on the rare occasions they went forward. Boo boy Stephen Hunt was in great form on his debut and even scored to put ‘the Tigers’ into an unlikely lead.

The impressive thing for Chelsea fans was that despite Hull playing very well defensively and taking the lead, Chelsea had no problems breaking them down easily finding the gaps to create chances. If this was last season there is no way Chelsea would have won this game and it is a very positive sight to see Chelsea winning games against teams who are very difficult to play through. If you are to win the league then this ability is of paramount importance, just take Liverpool for example last season, they only lost two games compared to Manchester United who lost four yet Liverpool did not win the title.

Chelsea’s finishing was certainly rusty but that is to be expected at the start of the season, Ancelotti is sure to have the lads working on their shooting practice in training before Tuesday’s away date at Sunderland.

Obviously, it is very early days to judge teams yet. The title is certainly not won during the first game of the season and despite the positives the 2-1 scoreline is still a little disappointing. Ancelotti has passed his first test and of course the most important thing is to get the three points, which he did. Chelsea’s real test this season will be to see how they fare against the other sides in the top four. Last year Chelsea faltered against United, Arsenal and Liverpool only picking up one point from their three home games against them. If Chelsea can beat the lowly teams like today and perform well in the big matches then they have every chance of winning the league this year. However, nobody will be counting their chickens yet and it looks to be a very exciting season all around.

Premier League Preview: Bolton-Everton

Bolton Wanderers

This season will probably turn out to be another also-ran season for Bolton, which is not a bad thing. Gary Megson has done a brilliant job of continuing the club’s Premier League status after the loss of Sam Allardyce.

Having picked up the likes of Zat Knight, Paul Robinson and Sean Davis, ‘the Wanderers’ have signed experienced Premier League players who will play good solid football but are unlikely to inspire the fans. Bolton will be expecting another season of grinding out enough results to stay up, with no real notable losses to the first team squad it should be pretty much as you were.

Prediction 15th

Burnley

Having come up from the Championship last year Burnley have bought in a lot of players, although no real stand out stars. The play-off winners look set to struggle in the Premier League and without spending more money it is hard to put up a real case for them surviving.

It seems Burnley have no intention of spending big and will try to punch their way through matches much like Stoke did so successfully last season. Burnley have kept almost all of their squad from the Championship and will hope that everyone can perform to their best.

The likes of Robbie Blake and Chris Eagles will have to step it up to the big time and play their hearts out to give Burnley any chance this year, although even that may not be enough.

Prediction: 20th

Chelsea

With a new world renowned manager in Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea have looked a refreshed force in the pre-season. No more so than evidenced by their Community Shield winning performance against Manchester United.

There have not been many changes to the team, the additions of Yuri Zhirkov and Daniel Sturridge may prove to be good signings but they are hardly the massive names that have been constantly linked with the club over the summer. Ancelotti himself has said he does not want to make anymore signings and whether you believe this or not it seems that Chelsea will have the familiar line up of last season.

The lack of creative flare that has stumped Chelsea over the past few seasons has not been resolved and if Chelsea want to win the league title they will have to use all their strength and power to overcome their rivals. A good creative midfielder would seem a must but perhaps Abramovic is still having nightmares about the signing of Deco to even consider signing another.

The reccession may have stopped Chelsea’s spending but there is still a feeling of optimism around Stamford Bridge, the sale of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has given all the big clubs a sense of opportunity this season. Ancelloti is a wise head and if given the freedom to manage properly he could become one of the greatest in the club’s history.

If the likes of Drogba, Ballack and Essien stay healthy Chelsea could again be the force they were a few years back. Lampard and Terry should provide the leadership in an aging squad. Should Chelsea not win the league this year then there will be many people calling for wholesale changes and the need for a better youth development system.

Prediction: 1st

Everton

No matter how well David Moyes does he never seems to get gifted with decent transfer funds to spend. After another 5th place finish Everton fans must be wondering if they can ever go any higher without serious investment. Moyes immediate concerns must be that his side will drop down the table this season as free spending Manchester City look set to charge towards the Champions League places.

Without any major changes to the squad thus far Everton will be heavily relying on top scorers Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill. Keeping these two fit will be the key. Everton must also hope that someone elses shines through this season and has a breakout year.

Although lacking in top quality fire power, Jo and Yakubu are quality forwards who could have good seasons, if they work well together up front Everton should be ok.

Everton are always a solid team. Moyes has built a side that is so tough to break down, rarely do they get thrashed even against the big boys. This season should be no exception and should they hold onto star defender Joleon Lescott and Mikel Arteta it looks as though a repeat of last season is very much possible.

Prediction 5th

Madrid the Real deal?

Real Madrid ‘the galacticos’ have had a bit of a renaissance this summer. After a few years out in the cold with little European success or extravagant spending, re-instated president Florentino Perez has spent a cool £220 million on players in the last few weeks.

The club that do not tolerate any failure appear to have lost all sense of sanity in a desperate attempt to dominate world football again. Having smashed the world transfer record in signing Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million, they have once again helped create a frenzied transfer market whereby the world’s top players are no longer affordable to most of the big clubs. Real have also paid around £60 million for Kaka, £40 million for Karim Benzema and £30 million for Xavi Alonso.

The only other club capable of this kind of spending at the moment are Manchester City but even their £32 million British transfer record signing of Robinho now looks like pocket money. So in spending big Real have alienated the world’s top clubs and hence not many big name signings have happened elsewhere this summer.

Usually frequent spenders Manchester United and Chelsea have been relatively quiet in the transfer market and have not made any big name signings whatsoever. Content to keep the core of their squads for this season Europe’s best appear to be relying on Madrid’s plan of world domination falling flat on it’s face.

So will it? Well the apparent second coming of ‘the galacticos’ again sees the worlds top players all forced into one team and expected to instantly perform. However, this is no easy task and the first group of ‘galacticos’ failed in setting the world alight. With players such as Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Casillas, Raul and Roberto Carlos playing in their prime Real Madrid only won the European Cup once and the league title twice. Hardly awe inspiring stuff but admittedly better than most of clubs would settle for.

One of the problems with a team full of world class ‘stars’ is that they all want to be the stand out player. Rather than having eleven players gelling together to play the greatest football ever seen, there were eleven individuals on the pitch playing for themselves and not the team. Hence, free flowing football can not exist because the understanding and communication between players is not high enough.

So why will it be different this time around? It seems that ‘the galacticos’ did not work and may prove to be a failure again. Although important, money is not everything in football, more important factors such as a great manager and a great team of hard working players who love the club need to exist for a club to prosper.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini did well at Villareal. Pellegrini revitalized the team after acouple of poor seasons and has worked well on a limited budget to get Villareal into the Champions League year after year. The step up to Real Madrid though is huge. At Real the pressure will be immense and the need for instant results is always a hard burden to bare. Pellegrini has little experience of dealing with the primadonna types that he will have to control day in day out at Madrid. However, he has built up good teams who play for each other and if he can implement this at Real then he can be a huge success.

So to the players and to analyze where they might improve from the last bunch.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest signing of the summer and probably of history. The only saving grace being that the deal was tied up very quickly in early summer and so did not drag on in the usual hysteria the surrounds such deals. Ronaldo is very much an individual, he likes to score and create out of nothing, rarely will he pass the ball if a shooting opportunity arises. Very much a primaddona type, however, it seems to work for him and this did not negatively effect his form for Manchester United or the teams results. If Real get to the level that Manchester United have been these past three years with Ronaldo then they will be more than satisfied.

Another world footballer of the year Kaka has also signed for Madrid as part of Perez’s revolution. A well respected man, Kaka attributes all of his success in life to God and this humble way of life means that he is far from the primaddona type his peers so easily become. Kaka is an ideal signing for a side looking to gel well and play together as a team.

Lesser key signing Benzema is probably the most unknown player who Real have paid big money for this summer. Benzema is a world class forward who is expected to be the next Henry in France. However, he is yet to prove his talent at the highest level and this will prove a massive step up from the recently tame French league. Whilst goals against Manchester United in the Champions League have helped secure his fame on the world stage, it is yet to be seen how he will perform for Real Madrid.

Finally, Xavi Alonso who made the long awaited move from Liverpool may well be the last piece in the jig-saw. Again, very much a team player who is not greedy, Alonso may adapt well to the team in the same way that he had an instant impact when he moved to Liverpool.

So, maybe the new ‘galacticos’ have a better chance of success then the old ones did. However, I don’t think the rest of Europe will be quaking in their boots yet. Real will need to prove themselves on the pitch rather than in the transfer market to gain the kind of respect they so desperately crave and with the standard of Europe’s other clubs at the moment success is certainly no guarantee.

Champions League or English Premier League?

Kings of Europe or Kings of England?

It sounds like a straightforward question. Surely to be the champions of Europe is a greater achievement than being the best in England, just because of the sheer number of extra teams in the whole of Europe compared with England.

So basic statistics suggests that it is a far bigger honour to be the Kings of Europe. But as most people in sociology will tell you, statistics are not everything.

Is it really tougher to win the Champions League? Perhaps, one of the best arguments for the Premier League being tougher to win is that in 2005 Liverpool won the Champions League, in the same season they finished a lowly fifth in the Premier League, even below their main rivals Everton.

If the Champions League is so tough to win then how on earth did the fifth best side in England win it? Maybe, another point to add to this one is that in two-legged cup competitions it is far more likely that a ‘weaker’ team can beat a ‘better’ club. The nature of cups is so that a fortunate goal here or there could end up winning you the competition. Something that is unlikely in a League where over the 38 games of a season luck pretty much evens itself out.

It is very rare to hear anybody say that a team who wins a league did not deserve it. Even the most biased of fans have to admit that when a team wins a league it is a great achievement which is unlikely to be ‘lucky’.

Is the Champions League competition tougher in terms of teams than in the Premier League? In some ways ‘yes’ and in some ways ‘no’.

Yes, it is tougher in the way that all of Europe’s elite are competing to win the trophy. The likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are far better than the average Premier League side. But on the flip side of this teams such as Anorthosis, CFR Cluj, Bate Borisov and Aalborg are arguably far weaker than the average Premier League opposition.

Would fans prefer to win the English Premier League or the Champions League? This is a difficult question to answer, one that was perhaps far easier to answer four or five years ago. Back then, English Premier League teams did not dominate Europe’s top club competition in the way that they do now. It seems that if the league is weaker then it is more of an achievement to win in Europe.

However, this has all changed over the past few seasons and was proven by last season when English teams were only knocked out of the Champions League by other English teams. After an all English final and another season where so far all four English clubs have made the quarter-finals it is hard to deny that the EPL is Europe’s toughest to win league. As a result because it is played over 38 games it seems a much fairer way of assessing which English team is the best. If your team wins the EPL there are more reasons to brag than if your team wins the Champions League.

All in all it is very hard to assess which competition is the greater to win in terms of achievement and prestige. People such as Roman Abramovich and Massimo Moratti would far sooner see their teams Chelsea and Inter Milan win the Champions League than their own Leagues. However, the die hard fans of such clubs especially in England probably would rather see their side lift the league trophy, knowing what a great achievement this really is.

Yes, the Champions League is very tough to win but there is a greater luck factor involved, would Porto really have won the EPL the league they won the Champions League? Of course it is nice to beat teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid rather than hammering Wigan or Fulham but until a season long league is created between Europe’s elite it is difficult to conclude that the Champions League is harder to win than the EPL.