Brief Thoughts on the Start to the Season

Well, as a Liverpool fan, the season if off to a bright start. Three Liverpool victories (albeit one was a bit gut wrenching) to start a campaign is not something to complain about... I cannot, however, help but worry about what is to come.

The first two victories of the EPL season were certainly hard fought, and from my perspective well deserved. Both were 1-0 victories against Stoke City, and Aston Villa, respectively.  Liverpool kept great possession in both matches, but failed to capitalize on chances to put each of the contests out of reach. The Reds were fortunate enough to have their January transfer from Chelsea, English international striker Daniel Sturridge, score in each match. In the Stoke match, Sturridge managed to put away a low strike past Asmir Begovic in the 37th minute for the victory. This match easily could have resulted in a draw if it not were for Liverpool's summer keeper signing, Simon Mignolet, saving an 89th minute penalty. Mignolet managed not only to guess correctly on the initial penalty strike, but also managed a crucial hip save on the rebound to ensure the Reds three points to start the season. This performance was followed up with another solid effort against Aston Villa. In the Villa match, Liverpool was again propelled by an early Sturridge goal. After a magnificent through ball, Sturridge managed to dance inside the box (for the FIFA players out there, this is read: opposing keeper charges, player flicks stick to get the ball around the keeper), and then finished on his favorite left foot to put the ball into the top netting for a gaol. As a fan watching I would have preferred that Sturridge had taken one (three) less touches inside the box, but it all worked out. Pool did not look great in the second half, as Home side Villa, with Christian Benteke and Gabi Agbonlahor, very easily could have leveled the match. Three points are three points, though, I suppose. I also had the opportunity to watch the match with a couple of my best friends from high school in a San Francisco pub, and was fortunate to see a fan wearing a Daniel Agger jersey that he made his own.

Liverpool's third match was a Capital One Cup match against Notts County, home at Anfield. This match saw Liverpool go up 2-0 early, only to have the match slip out of their hands late and go to extra time. The Reds managed to put away two in extra time to win the match 4-2, however, this victory came at a cost. Kolo Toure, Liverpool's free summer transfer from Manchester City, suffered a serious groin injury in extra time, leaving the Reds with only 10 men. Although they managed the win, Toure's injury will certainly affect the team in the weeks to come. The club is already lacking depth at center-back, so with Toure's injury, the club must either rely on youth at CB, or Martin Skrtel. I'd obviosuly prefer Skrtel, however he has fallen out of Brendan Rodgers' favor, and is also just on the return from injury (For those who don't know Skrtel, ESPN/Grantland's Men In Blazers once referred to Skrtel by saying, "It looks like he should be wearing a shirt that reads 'I'd rather be ethnic cleansing...' which I think speaks for itself...). Skrtel is the Slovak captain and a fantastic defender, however, it seems as though he has recently been out of form. Let's hope that he's fit and somewhere close to his best for this weekend's clash with last year's champions, Manchester United. The two United matches each season are far and away the most important of the season (Sorry Everton fans), as the Red Devils have recently eclipsed Liverpool's reign as the most successful club in England. I'm going to leave the breakdown of the Liverpool-United match for Matt (time permitting) and will check in after with my thoughts after the match. I hope that Liverpool will be able to grind to a result at home at Anfield, but if Tuesday's match was an indication of what might be on the horizon, they're going to have to improve to play all 90 minutes of a match to manage a result against United. Here's to hoping and, still, being blissfully optimistic.


-Ryan

Also, on a side note, the NBC broadcast team has been doing a great job. I managed to catch Monday's match between United and Chelsea. Although the match ended in a 0-0 draw, NBC's team managed to keep the match interesting. Besides commentating candidly, the team also managed to sneak in a Harry Potter reference... Say what you will, however referring to a player who uses his full body and is physical (throws elbows) in his style of play, as "practicing the dark art of defending," will always garner a point in my book. I hope (and suspect) that they will keep up the good work.

Opening Day Review- Arsenal v Aston Villa & Manchester United v Swansea

Opening Day Review- Arsenal v Aston Villa & Man U vs Swansea aka Swancelona

I will preface this piece by saying I watched these games in Kathmandu, Nepal, in a Mexican Cocktail bar, on an Indian TV channel that alternated between English commentary and Hindi Commentary. Oddly enough, ‘penalty’ and ‘decisive passing’ are the same in English as Hindi. Now, on to the matches.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa: The beginning of the match proved a bit sloppy and rugged on both sides- tough tackles, Wilshere receiving and dishing out some Paul Scholes-esque challenges, and both goalies looking unsure. Surely Arsene Wenger was feeling the pressure of not having had ‘a big name signing’ (maybe still to come) this summer. The commentators did reflect on the sign that said “You can’t buy class,” and after watching Giroud’s very calm finish from a neat outside of the foot cross from The Ox (Oxlade- Chamberlain) the supporters’ faith seemed to be restored in their French manager- for the moment.

Aston Villa on the other hand were perhaps lucky to escape last season still in the Premier League. They have some definite quality in key positions- Benteke proved to be a reliable goal scorer, Agbonlahor was rejuvenated in his wing/forward position showing pace and technical ability, and Guzan in the back seems to be developing in to a reliable, sometimes spectacular, goalkeeper. In the middle of the first half Agbonlahor’s run straight through the middle of the Gunner’s defense was a burst of speed that somehow caught Mertesacker and Koscielny off guard. Clearly a penalty after Scczczczczczczceny took down Agbonlahor. Benteke was lucky the rebound went straight off the keeper and directly on to his head to tie the score line 1-1.

In the second half Arsenal played a more aggressive game with Rosicky looking dangerous at times. Two chances (one blasted wide and high from about 16 yards out, and one saved well by on rushing Guzan from close range (AMRKA)) that he will surely lament missing. It must be said the second penalty was not a penalty- it appears the central defender Koscielny and Agbhonlahor made contact with the ball simultaneously. A no call would have been perfect but instead penalty for Villa. Arsenal fans immediately started chanting against Wenger (assuming I understood the Hindi commentators correctly). Benteke slammed the penalty home to the bottom left. Once Villa took the lead it wasn’t long before Koscielny was given a second yellow, again rather harshly, for a challenge (was there even contact?) near the half way line as Villa were breaking. The defender was late in arriving, but it appeared on replays there was little to no contact in the challenge. Strange decisions indeed, Arsene will not be inviting this referee over for Christmas Day Lunch. The final goal, a counter attack after an Arsenal corner kick, was calmly finished by Villa’s left back, Luna. Yes, the left back outraced all of Arsenal. After blocking a shot after the initial corner was cleared, Luna raced up the middle of the park, was released into open space just passed midfield, and calmly slotted into the bottom right corner- a strike any forward would be proud of.

I’ll leave it for Scottie to get philosophical on this match so I’ll end this section with a few questions.
1. Are all American goalkeepers bald (aside from Tony Meola)? Is this a prerequisite to become an American Goalie?
2. Why does Laurent Koscielny remind me of a hedgehog? It’s distracting.
3. What would Brad Guzan look like in Rooney’s hairplugs? Kickstarter anyone?
4. Shouldn’t Arsenal Wenger have to wear his down jacket (a full length puffy winter coat for those unaware) for all games during the season regardless of the weather?


Manchester United vs. Swansea
Prematch interview with Danny Welbeck: “how will the rain affect your game today, Danny?” “We’re from Manchester, so we are used to this. It will be a fast game.” “Thanks Danny, good luck out there today.” Really smashing interview stuff there. Prior to this the interviewer, whose face was never shown on the camera, asked something like (I’ll paraphrase since my memory is terrible) “You had some good goals during preseason and a goal midweek. Considering your goal scoring struggles last season does that give you confidence going in to the season?” “Yea it was nice to get a full pre-season in with the lads and it’s always nice to get a few goals for confidence. Scoring midweek with the national team gives me a boost. I’m looking forward to the season.” Again, really smashing investigative journalism asking the hard hitting questions.

United’s line up- De Gea in Goal, Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra across the back, Welbeck, Cleverly, Carrick, Giggs, and Valencia across the middle (Valencia and Giggs wide right and left respectively, Welbeck sort of a pseudo forward interchanging with the wingers), and RVP up top- was the same lineup SAF (Sir Alex Ferguson) used for the end of last season’s title winning run in. The first few minutes of the match Swansea dominated possession with United failing to link passes together and the Swans growing in confidence. Swansea had a few excellent crosses whipped in from the wings and wing backs that Michu nearly turned on goal. Michu, although he didn’t score, looks to start this season in the same form he ended last.

Slowly, United seemed to get hold of the midfield with Carrick and Cleverly possessing well and feeding Evra and Jones on the wings who were looking for chances to get crosses in to the box. It was a shock when RVP turned in the first goal of the game after a lovely chip over the defenders, chesting down, and finishing with a sort of half bicycle kick volley over Vorm’s shoulder for the first goal of the season. Much the same way as RVP did last year, he created offensive magic from little creativity elsewhere in the United team (to be fair, the chip was pure class from midfield). Hopefully this will change with the addition of a creative force in midfield (similar to Arsenal, United have failed miserably in all bids for any players this summer. . . hopefully this will change for both clubs, as their ability to withstand 3 competitions relies heavily on squad depth).

Minutes later a cross from Evra on the left flank produced a deflected header that landed somewhat fortuitously at the feet of Valencia who smartly crossed for Welbeck to tap in from short range. The first half was notable for the fact that Wayne Rooney, rumored to want a transfer to Chelsea (the likely subject of another blog post), was sitting directly behind David Moyes, the new manager of United. Every time Moyes reacted to a goal or scoring chance, the background was taken up by Rooney’s square face scowling impressively. Wish there was a “Rooney Face Cam” for this game. In fact, it seemed that when United scored his scowl increased a few notches, surely cementing several wrinkles in his face a few years too early.

The second half proceeded with some good pressure from the impressive Swans, again holding good possession against United and not letting them put the game away nor dominate the midfield. Rooney was introduced, much to his annoyance, for Giggs who received a deserved ovation. Shortly after, Rooney made a sprinting run from midfield, dragging a defender towards the right that opened a split second of space for the on-rushing RVP to smash a left footed shot in to the top left corner from about 20 yards out. Rooney smartly started the play with a good outlet show to midfield and then a quick 1 touch pass to RVP before his eventual run. There is likely some smart sports metaphor within the details of this play, but I’ll pass on attempting to dissect that for now. At this point, the Gorhka and late night got to me and I must admit that I fell asleep for the consolation goal and Welbeck’s (supposedly) smartly taken chip goal. A score of 4-1 perhaps overstated United’s dominance; however, the gap in class in the final third was evident. Vidic and Ferdinand looked strong in back for United, while Carrick had a characteristically boring and efficient game. Cleverly had some smart passing moves and provided a lot of energy and tackles in midfield. Valencia struggled a lot with his outlet passes and his first touch, appearing to have less confidence than he did when he arrived at United a few years ago (that was also before a terrible leg injury which kept him out about a year). Overall, United’s performance was ruthless in its efficiency (a clean sheet would have been great, but 3 points will do) and exemplified the class the team demonstrated throughout last year. Hopefully they will be able to continue this form with the introduction of exciting new players like Zaha, a quick and technically savvy winger, and a new signing or two from the transfer market. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SIGN A MIDFIELDER, SERIOUSLY ANYONE, I’LL EVEN SETTLE FOR CLINT MATHIS OR PABLO MASTROENI OUT OF THEIR SOCCER GRAVES.

Some funny side notes from the match and random questions:
1. Will Michu and RVP score more goals combined this season than Messi or Ronaldo? What’s the under/over on that bet?
2. Is Michu the next Ballon d’Or Winner? I’m not a betting man, but the answer is yes. Best bet for runner up: new Seattle Sounder Clint Dempsey aka Clintinho (please see deuceface).
3. What Quentin Tarantino movie was Jonjo Shelvey in?
4. Did Michu really pick a fight with Vidic- seriously bro? Who are your top 5 players in the premier league you would not want to fight in a dark alley? I’d say: Carragher, Vidic, Ivanovic, Martin Skrtel, Jose Boswinga (I know he plays in like Turkey now, but seriously those eye brows have some crazy kung foo moves that I don’t even want to get to know), and Roy Keane (yea he’s retired but he’d still throw down). Yea that’s 6 people, whatever.
5. If Madrid offered United Kaka for free (former world cup winner, former Ballon d’Or winner, religious psychopath), would they accept it? I say no, I’d rather have Clint Dempsey, or the San Diego (please watch Anchorman for reference) of American Footy, Landon “Landycakes” Donovan.

Signing off for now. Here’s to hoping I can find Star Sports somewhere in rural Far Western Nepal. Please enjoy the dark pictures of the Maya Cocktail Bar in Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Matt

The Beginning of a New Season, and All that Comes with It.

Ah, it's mid-August once again, and with it comes the blissful excitement of a new Premier League season.  Matt, Scottie, and myself are hoping to more actively blog this season, primarily as a means to stay in touch, since Matt, I mean Dr. Fleming, is halfway around the world on a medical adventure in Nepal (actually Nepal is 12 hours 45 minutes ahead of Pacific Time to be precise... Who knew?).  Onward and upward.

The outlook for the 2013-2014 BPL season is probably best described by way of an offseason primer, meaning that which happened, that which didn't happen, and that which was supposed to happen and didn't but still might. But first, let's talk for a second about Jozy Altidore's magnificent effort in last night's US Men's National Team friendly victory over Bosnia in Sarajevo.  Trailing 2-0 to begin the second half, the boys managed to pull off a stunning 4-3 defeat with a hat trick and an assist credited to Jozy Altidore. See the goals (with Spanish commentary) here.  The left footed finish for his first goal was all class, and that free kick... What the what? When's the last time we saw Jozy take a free kick?  When there's a free kick in scoring distance in three weeks, move over Clint and Landycakes, because Jozy's got it going on. He's scored in five straight matches (a USMNT record), and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.  He has certainly stepped up to Jurgen Kilnsmann's challenge, however with his move to the larger English stage from the Eredivisie, only time will tell if he can stay in form with the glitz and glamor of playing in the BPL (Ok, maybe that's a little bit of a stretch seeing that he's playing for Sunderland, but baby steps, right?).

The biggest story of the summer has, certainly, been the Luis Suarez saga.  Suarez has been suspended for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic towards the end of last season.  Although Suarez is arguably in the world's top 5 as far as soccer players are concerned, he's had his share of on and off the pitch troubles.  The off the pitch troubles are undoubtedly a result of Suarez's actions on the pitch.  Suarez claims to have been unfairly targeted by the British press.  Although the press can certainly be hard on certain individuals at times, and might embellish some, or even fabricate rumors for a headline, as a Liverpool fan, I think Suarez deserves much of what he has recently encountered.  No matter how much pushing or grabbing there might be in the box, there's no reason at all to bite an opposing team's player.  Suarez's reasoning for wanting a move away from Anfield centers around this, in his mind, undeserved criticism from the British media.  Although I understand his concern of constantly being in the spotlight, it seems as though this proffered reason for wanting out has recently had holes poked in it.  Scottie's Arsenal have been testing the waters of Suarez's ₤40,000,000 release clause by bidding ₤40,000,001.  Liverpool claims that this simply means that they have to inform Suarez and listen in good faith to the offers, while Suarez and Arsenal have stated this could mean that Liverpool must accept the offer.  Given that this bid happened about a month ago, it seems more likely that the former is true, rather than the latter.  Regardless, with Suarez now stating that he wants Champion's League soccer which Arsenal can offer, his claim of wanting out because of the English press holds little weight.  As a Liverpool fan, I would prefer he stay, however the fact of the matter is that the Liverpool fans have given him nothing but support and admiration, and he now repays the fans by making excuses for why he wishes to leave.  I believe in this case, honesty is the best policy, and Suarez should be upfront with the club and its fans.  It does seem now, though, that Suarez is staying with the club.  Only time will tell however, as there are rumors floating around today that Arsenal are willing to offer ₤50,000,000 plus for the striker.  The end of the month cannot come soon enough, so there will be an end to all of this.

Past the Suarez saga, Liverpool have spent most of the summer loading up on young talent.  They have brought in young spanish starlets Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas to bolster the attack, and have loaned out veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina to Napoli to make room for the young Belgian keeper Simon Mignolet who arrived from Sunderland.  There is much upside to having Mignolet between the sticks, as he has shown great poise and ability. It is sad, however, to see Pepe Reina leave Anfield as he has been a great player and personality for the club.  I wish him great success in Serie A.  Liverpool has also added Kolo Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City.  Although Toure is aging quickly, he should add some depth to the Liverpool back line, which has not (yet) lost any pieces from last year, besides the retirement of Jamie Carragher and his nearly impossible to understand Scouse accent.  Leaving Anfield this summer on a ₤6,000,000 transfer to West Ham (COME ON YOU HAMMERS) was Stewart Downing.  This is a paltry amount in comparison the the ₤19,000,000 paid for him a few seasons ago.  Some say good riddance to bad trash, however Downing's form did improve towards the end of the season, and it seemed as though he was dedicated to showing his worth.  Too little, too late, I suppose.  With a few weeks left with the transfer window open, manager Brendan Rodgers claims there are no imminent transfers for the Reds.  This could change very quickly though should the club sell Suarez and have a pretty serious chunk of change which would undoubtedly be burning a hole in Rodgers pocket. We'll have to wait and see.

As noted in the beginning of this post, the new season brings along with it blissful ignorance.  Although Liverpool have averaged finishing 7th in the Premier League over the past 4 seasons, this year brings with it much excitement.  For one, the club does not have the additional matches from European competition to play (nor do they have the additional revenue coming in from these matches either).  This means they can focus their efforts on domestic matches and cups instead.  Although I was not able to catch much of the preseason action, I read great things about the club's form.  I suspect Rodgers will play some combination of a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, with the forward players interchanging roles, and an attacking midfielder (presumably Jordan Henderson or Joe Allen) behind them, with Captain Steven Gerrard sitting between this midfielder and Lucas Leiva holding up the rear.  It seems as though Rodgers' experiment is finally coming to fruition, however one still has their doubts (for me these doubts stem from Rodgers' portrait of himself hanging on the wall of his Merseyside home), but we'll see how the club fares this season.

I am excited not only to watch the Reds play, but because NBC has purchased the American broadcast rights to the BPL this year. I will, however, undoubtedly miss Warren Barton and the Fox Soccer crew (and their slow progression to the bottom throughout the course of the weekend i.e. wearing ties Saturday, but turning the following day into "casual Sunday" without a tie). The first match for Liverpool is this Saturday morning at Anfield against Stoke at 4:45AM PDT on the NBC Sports Network. I'd definitely prefer Liverpool's first match to be against a team other than bone-crushing Stoke, however this will be a good physical test for the team.  Here's to hoping for a victory to open the season.  Until then, YNWA.