Down, but Not Out

After Sir Alex Ferguson publically pronounced that “Chelsea has blown their chance in the league”, and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher announced that the race for the Premiership Championship is a 2 horse race (Man Utd and Liverpool), and the arrogance of Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov claiming that, “Chelsea is not anything special anymore”, and the wide reports of a split Chelsea locker room, the Blues fire back by defeating Aston Villa, 1-0, at Villa Park…ending Aston Villa’s 13 game unbeaten home streak. Furthermore, Liverpool struggled against Manchester City which resulted in a tie. This allows Chelsea to be in reach of second place and challenge Manchester United once again for the title. With 12 games left in the season, the League Title is still up for grabs, and this weekend has proven that anything can still happen. Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all in a must win state of mind; one slip up can cost them the title.

This weekend was a key win for Chelsea. This is the first game that new manager, Guus Hiddink, took complete control of the squad. This win also kept Aston Villa from passing them in the league standings. Their performance also settled some of the rumors and turmoil that have been plaguing the London team after their slump in the league the last few weeks.

There is a lot of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge, not only about this season, but also next season. Many of Chelsea’s superstars have been linked or approached by other clubs. Michael Ballack’s contract expires at the end of the season, and is uncertain about resigning. Didier Drogba has been linked to his former club Marseille and Inter Milan. Blues’ icon, Frank Lampard, has also been liked to Inter Milan. Captain John Terry has been linked with Manchester City and Salomon Kalou’s future is uncertain at Stamford Bridge. Losing any or all of these stars will have a huge impact on Chelsea’s profitability. If Frank or John leave, this could be a disaster for the Stamford Bridge image and brand. However, if Chelsea can bring back some hardware in the Champions League, FA Cup, and/or the Premier League, then many of these players should return for next season.

This Wednesday, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea will play against Italia Series A teams in the next round of the Champions League. Chelsea will be playing against second place Juventus. Once again, Chelsea is in a must win situation in order to advance to the next round.

Go Blues!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beckham's Back, Sort of...

Amid all of the talk about David Beckham staying in Italy, AC Milan did not make LA Galaxy another offer for the midfielder. Since the deadline has passed, LA will retain Beckham after his loan expires. However, if David has his way, he will stay in Italy. He has made it clear that he would rather stay in Italy than return to LA.

Go figure!!!!!!!

new article @ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=619598&sec=europe&cc=5901

initial artcle @ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=618899&sec=mls&cc=5901

Another Victim of Instant Success: The Rise and Fall of Chelsea’s Managers

On Monday, Chelsea FC sacked their manger, Luiz Felipe Scolari midway through his first season with the club. Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich had enough of Scolari after the Blues failed to defeat both Manchester United and Liverpool, fell to fourth in the Premier League, were booed of their home pitch at Stamford Bridge and played a draw with mediocre Hull City. But should Scolari be the only one to blame for the Blues misfortune? Apparently so.

Midfielder and German National captain, Michael Ballack has gone on record admitting that Scolari is not the one to blame for Chelsea’s performance; the players are. He admits that many of the players are underperforming, which has led to the Blues current situation. Blues Captain John Terry publicly backed Scolari and was shocked to see him let go so early. The Brazilian had the backing of the whole team, and it was evident after Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Stroke, where after Lampard’s second goal, the whole team surrounded Scolari in the celebration.

It was obvious that something needed to be done at Stamford Bridge. There is no excuse for the team that was leading the Premier League to have fallen into 4th place. This was the team that had mastered the 1-0 game, the team that had not lost at home for the last two years, and the team that invocated fear into the league with their set pieces. Yet, Chelsea has struggled not only to win the 1-0 game, but also to win at home. Their recent appearances on the pitch have been less than sensational. Chelsea’s star forwards, Anelka and Drogba, have not contributed much to the team after showing a lot of potential. Anelka still leads the Premier League in goals, but has not scored during league play in over a month, maybe even two. Drogba is a completely different story. Drogba was the go-to-striker for Chelsea who scored 17 goals in the Premier League last year, but due to injury, was sidelined for most of the beginning matches, causing Anelka to fill his place. Since Drogba’s return, he has only caused controversy, not results. He has been kept from the roster on cup tournaments and has been Anelka’s backup, only being subbed in toward the end of matches. The Ivorian striker was Chelsea’s leading scorer last season and a skillful striker who terrorized the opponent’s backfield, now he can’t find the back of the net. In addition to his lack of presence on the pitch, he has shown some desire to leave the club. Speculation is placing him to Inter Milan, Man City, or his former club in Africa.

In addition to poor performances, Chelsea has been plagued by a record number of injuries that have kept star players like Deco, Ballack, Drogba, Terry, Essien, and Joe Cole off the pitch. At one point in time, Chelsea had 7 of11 starters out of the line up because of injury. It is obvious that some players are still playing through the pain and some that trying to get back into competitive shape after their leave of absence from the pitch.

So what does this all mean? Simple: uncertainty. This is Chelsea’s 4th manager since 2006. The newest manager to take the rains of the struggling club is Guus Hiddink, the Russian National coach, and a friend of Chelsea’s owner. However, amid the uncertainty, there are a few certainties. Either Chelsea will concentrate and put the past behind them to challenge Man United, Aston Villa, and Liverpool in the League, finish up on top in the FA and UEFA Cup, or win the Champions league; or call it a season and drop off with another season without hardware. Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon believes that Scolari’s dismissal will make Chelsea an even tougher opponent in their upcoming Champions League match. It all depends on who shows up to the match: The Chelsea from the beginning of the season that was destined for success or Chelsea of late, sluggish and unprepared.

The first step to turning around the club is to win back their fans. Blues supporters have been weary the past few matches and are displeased with the current performances that they have been witnessing. Chelsea needs to score more goals, prevent the other team from scoring, and win games. If Chelsea cannot win back their fans, it will be all over for the club. Their brand is in jeopardy if the Blues do not shake their present slump. They will have an opportunity to prove themselves against Watford this weekend in the next round of the FA Cup.

David Beckham: MLS Fallen Star

With each passing day, David Beckham’s temporary transfer to Italia Series A club AC Milan is looking more and more permanent. Beckham’s MLS club, the LA Galaxy, granted the English midfielder a loan agreement with AC Milan after Beckham’s desire to stay in favor with the English National Team. Since the MLS is not in season during the proposed loan spell, Beckham would be able to maintain his conditioning, play at a much higher level of competition, and continue to play a role in Fabio Capello’s side, aka the English National Team. This type of transfer is not unusual, especially not for Beckham. Just last year at this time, he trained with English Premier League club Arsenal. However, in the last few days, Beckham’s temporary arrangement in Milan seems to be more permanent.

There are two major concerns about this swap involving the future of both the MLS and the LA Galaxy. The MLS has spent a considerable amount of money in 2007 promoting the English midfielder and former national side captain. While I was in England during this time, this was front page news for the entire month I was there. There was so much hype surrounding this move and more speculation how this could transfer American soccer. The news of his MLS signing was a world wide spectacle. The MLS was fighting to survive in the U.S., and Beckham’s arrival began to breathe life into the dying sport.

Now that he is leaving, many soccer fans are concerned about the future of the MLS. Many question if the MLS and the LA Galaxy relied too much on Beckham’s star power. However, the MLS does not seem too torn up with Beckham’s departure. For starters, the MLS is in much better shape heading into the 2009 season than it was in 2007, when Beckham arrived. Before Beckham, the MLS was a 12 team league with the prospect of growth. However, it was also a league that needed a trigger to set off the expansion. When the 2009 season kicks off, the MLS will have grown to a 15 team league with an international television contract, a list of North American cities interested in expansion, and a far better global reputation than it had before Beckham arrived.

The English star has played his part in that growth, contributing to the league as the “ultimate world ambassador and domestic drawing card”, as described by some football commentators. The MLS knew that the buzz around Beckham would eventually diminish, but used its star to reach new markets in both the U.S. and the rest of the world. In addition, the MLS was able to establish long term relationships and global TV contracts. We will see if the MLS will be able to grow without Beckham’s star power.

Another issue over this trade is the effect on the LA Galaxy. LA is poised to lose their star midfielder, but this could be the least of their problems. Galaxy has switched their concern to forward Landon Donovan, who is currently on loan with Bayern Munich until March 8th. Like Beckham, there have been reports that Donovan may not want to leave Germany after his loan is complete. LA could find itself in deep trouble if two of their stars leave at the same time. Not only will this affect their market ability, but also hurt their competitiveness within the league.

Best of Luck MLS and LA,

Pbo

Closing Time: You Don't Have to Go Home, but You Can't Trade Here

February 3^rd marked the ending of the January transfer window in the Premier League. Originally, the window was supposed to close at 5 pm on the 2^nd, but due to a winter storm, the FA extended the window until the 3^rd. So why is this so important? Well, like the baseball trade deadline, teams are no longer allowed to sign or buy players from other teams. This was the last chance for the English League clubs to improve their roster for the last leg of league play and cup races. As the final extension closed, some big name teams were able to score some big names.

• Chelsea picked up midfielder Ricardo Quaresma from Inter Milan
• Tottenham picked up their former captain Robbie Keane after his short spell with Liverpool
• Arsenal added much needed fire power with forward Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg
• Manchester City picked up Shay Given from struggling Newcastle United
• Aston Villa was able to persuade Gareth Barry to stay after he had requested a move during the summer

With 14 games left to play in the Premier League, the last few stages of the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup around the corner, these teams are hoping that they have made strong moves. Chelsea is in a must win situation to overcome Manchester United for the Premier League Championship, and to continue in the knock -out rounds in both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup. Tottenham is also in a much win situation as the club faces relegation to the English League Championship and being knocked out in the UEFA Cup, and the finals of the Carling Cup. Arsenal is sitting in the 5^th position in the league after finishing in 3^rd place last year. Russian superstar Andrei Arshavin has been added to increase their forward striking and lead Arsenal into the top 3. Aston Villa was able to persuade Gareth Barry to stay with the club after his summer saga of wanting a transfer. His late change of heart may have something to do with the fact that the club tied Chelsea for the third spot in the Premier League, as well as opportunities to win hardware in both the FA Cup and UEFA Cup competition. Finally, Manchester City is continuing their spending spree. With their recent acquisition of goalie Shay Given, Manchester City hopes this final piece will complete their team so they can move up in the league standings.

Man City’s spending has caught the eye of yet another outsider. Bayern Munich general manager, Uli Hoeness, is taking great pleasure in watching Man City fail to capitalize in the league after spending large sums of money on players. Uli Hoeness has been known for running a tight budget and ironically has been a dominate force in the German League for the last two decades. This illustrates that dominate teams do not need an equally fantastic payroll in order to win championships…a lesson Manchester City can learn.