Ter Stegen The New Kahn?

The date was Aug. 7, 2011.

The Allianz Arena in Munich was getting ready to kick off a new Bundesliga season with all the glitz and glamour that surrounds German soccer's most successful club. A sense of optimism and belief that the title would return back to the capital filtered through the 69,000 in attendance. Most of the optimism centered on Bayern Munich's purchase of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from club rivals Schalke that summer. There was some backlash, but for the most-part, even the most hardcore Bavarians were aware that Neuer would solidify a position that's been unstable since the retirement of club legend Oliver Kahn.

The general consensus was an easy victory for the home side, especially since the visitors Borussia Monchengladbach had only avoided relegation by the thinnest of margins the year before. Unfortunately for Bayern, the end result favoured die Fohlen, and a surprising 1-0 win was achieved through a glaring gaffe by Neuer and an outstanding performance by another German goalkeeping prodigy, 19 year-old Marc-Andre ter Stegen.


To read the rest of the article on Marc-Andre ter Stegen, click on the link below....


http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/19/ter_stegen_bundesliga/

Verratti Takes Paris By Storm

The stars always shine bright in the Parisian night sky, producing a serene backdrop, blending with the flashing lights from the stands and the pristine pitch at the Parc des Princes to create a splendid picture.
It’s the home of Paris St. Germain, the new rich kids of European football. The beautiful sights and atmosphere generated by the stadium was once the venue for an underachieving group of mediocre professionals. How quickly things have changed.

New owners Qatar Investment Authority spent over $132 million last season on incoming players, but still ended up falling short of the Ligue Un title. Almost $200 million was invested this past summer by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, backing every target sporting Director Leonardo and manager Carlo Ancelotti set their sights on. The five-year plan was in full effect to make PSG a super power, with the ability to lure the biggest names away from some of the best clubs in Europe.

Naturally, all the focus was fixated on the arrivals of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, closely followed by the biggest splash of this summer’s transfer market, roughly $58 million on Sao Paulo’s Lucas Moura.
Slipping under the radar was the signing of an Italian youth prodigy that was virtually unknown outside of his native land. A modest purchase by PSG's standards at $15.5 million, Marco Verratti is a perfect example of the type of forward thinking Al-Khelaifi talked about when discussing his five-year plan for the club.


To read the rest of this article on Marco Verratti, click on the link below...


http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/13/marco_verratti_psg_ligue_un/

Suso A Gem For Liverpool

His name is definitely easy to remember, going by Suso instead of Jesus Joaquin Fernandez Saez de la Torre.

Liverpool’s new No. 4 is just shy of his 19th birthday, and is already receiving high praise from captain Steven Gerrard and manager Brendan Rodgers, despite the season being less than two months old and barely making a handful of appearances -- a testament to the player’s strong work ethic and skill.

The club’s youth academy has not produced a decent quality squad player worthy of mention since the days of Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and Gerrard. Liverpool has relied on transfer deals to bolster their roster, taking chances on questionable foreign projects or players past their best, instead of building from within and developing talent. Results have mirrored this dysfunctional ideology. But things have changed for the better in recent years.


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http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/04/suso_liverpool_epl_bpl/

In Hart, City Trusts

Judging by the statistics, Wednesday's Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium should have been pretty straight forward.

Manchester City had only lost one of 34 European fixtures on home soil, and was unbeaten in their last 32 games domestically at Eastlands. It was never going to be a walk in the park, especially against a young and tightly-knit squad that has been crowned champions of the Bundesliga under manager Jurgen Klopp for the last two seasons.

However, the German side was winless on their road travels last year in the competition, losers of five straight, and their run was made even worse by their poor record on English soil, coming away with zero points in their last three visits to England.

Prior to kickoff, Roberto Mancini criticized his team for their defensive frailties, practically reciting Joe Hart's comments to reporters in a post-match interview following the loss in the competition's curtain raiser in Madrid two weeks ago.

The goalkeeper was publically called out by his manager for having a go at his teammates soon after. Good or bad, what Hart said was the truth -- City's backline was not providing enough protection and playing too deep in the box, suffocating their shot-stopper and allowing opponents the space and time needed to cause serious problems.


To read the rest of my analysis for Tuesday's Champions League match between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, click on the link below...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/03/uefa_champions_league_manchester_city_borussia_dortmund/

Oscar: One For the Future

Blink, and the moment of brilliance was over. It came out of nothing -- a simple through ball by Ashley Cole, ending with a highlight reel finish. Even the veteran left back was caught by surprise.

With his back to goal, Oscar took a simple touch to elude both markers, circling around the pair before unleashing a sublime strike that curled past a fully stretched Gianlugi Buffon and into the top corner. Stamford Bridge erupted for a second time in a matter of minutes, as one of Brazil's new generation of samba stars decided to mark his presence in style. Whether in the stands or watching at home, everyone was clamouring to see the replay for confirmation of what just happened.

In his first official start for Chelsea, Oscar repaid manager Roberto Di Matteo's faith with a fantastic double on the biggest stage, in the Champions League against Juventus. It was just a small glimpse to the quality and massive potential of the Blues' new number eleven, a jersey deeply associated with reliability and class by its previous owner Didier Drogba

 

 

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http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/09/27/oscar_chelsea_brazil_epl_bpl/

Chelsea Lack Courage

Stamford Bridge erupted in triumphant jubilation when the Champions League trophy was brought onto the field before kick-off prior to Wednesday's title between Chelsea and Juventus.

The sight of the trophy triggered happy memories of that glorious day in Munich when Chelsea finally realized its European ambitions and finally lifted that last piece of silverware coveted by owner Roman Abramovich

The Russian billionaire decided to stick with manager Roberto Di Matteo for another season, uncharacteristically going against his normal system of throwing millions at a top name and subsequently buying them out when results weren't up to his standards. A repeat is highly unlikely, but football is known for its surprises, especially in Europe's premier competition

Juventus enjoyed a spectacular and quite successful campaign last season as well, going the entire domestic calendar without suffering a single defeat. The feat was achieved in large part to the tireless work-rate and vision of the ageless wonder Andrea Pirlo. Some of that credit also falls to manager Antonio Conte for his tactical approach and timely substitutions at key moments throughout the year. But unfortunately for the Italian champions their coach will not be seen on the touchline at all this season, having to serve a ten-match suspension.


To read more of my analysis click on the link below...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/09/19/uefa_champions_league_cheslea_juventus/

City's Flawed Game-Plan

When the dust settled and the Champions League groups were set last month, Real Madrid vs. Manchester City above all others leapt off the page without any analysis required.

A club recently built off an infinite channel of wealth, pitted against football royalty. The talking points are endless, but what is difficult to put into perspective is the amount of dollars spent on the expensive group of commodities sitting in each dressing room. The Estadio Santiago Bernabeu was the perfect venue to stage the first competitive match between these two clubs on Tuesday.

The anticipation for this encounter consumed sports page headlines worldwide, as Jose Mourinho and his counterpart Roberto Mancini can always be counted on to hype up proceedings.


To read more of my match analysis click on the link below...

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/09/18/uefa_champions_league_manchester_city_real_madrid/