Napoli: Benitez era promises much

After having battled their way to a second place finish last year, changes seemed almost inevitable at Napoli. The sale of Cavani was a blow, but the money has been invested wisely, meaning Napoli have a deep squad with a very real chance of winning Serie A.

Cavani was Mr. Napoli for all three of his seasons at the club, although his fee rising to just €17 million. However, the Uruguayan’s blistering pace, energy, and unique yet accurate finishing made him the talk of European football at times. Napoli’s impressive 2011/12 champions league campaign gave foreign clubs their best glimpse yet of what Cavani could do, with help from Ezequiel Lavezzi, Juan Zuniga, Marek Hamsik, Goran Pandev and others. Champions league football did not return to Naples for the 2012/13 season, as they finished fifth in Serie A, and despite winning the Coppa Italia, rumours began to circulate over the future of the club’s key players.

Having already suffered deep financial turmoil and troubles in previous years, Napoli’s owners knew they could not be reckless or overly ambitious, forcing the club to make tough decisions. Lavezzi left for PSG in the summer of 2012, and many expected Cavani to leave then. However, he remained, and proved once more that he was one of the World’s very finest strikers. Cavani’s thoroughly destructive performance against FC Dnipro of the Ukraine in the Europa league in which he scored all four goals in a 4-2 victory was essentially a one match highlight reel of the electrifying Uruguayan. Cavani finished the season with a staggering 38 goals in 43 matches in all competitions, making a move seem almost certain.

Yet again, it was PSG who bought one of Napoli’s stars, with the fee being around €64 million, almost four times the fee spent on Cavani in the first place. Many have begun questioning Napoli’s potential in the Champions league and Serie A without their talisman, but the signings made, as well as the arrival of Rafael Benitez means Napoli could change from being a tricky team to beat with a few in demand players to being a genuine and consistent, European powerhouse.

Napoli’s most notable coup this summer has been Gonzalo Higuain, the Argentine who spent six years at the mighty Real Madrid, but never really reached the heights of certain previous Madrid strikers. Still, the length of Higuain’s stint at Los Meringues and his goal record 122 goals in 246 games proves that he is a world class signing, and could well be one of Serie A’s elite strikers. Just like they did when Cavani was scoring goals for fun, Napoli have plenty of creativity in their squad, with Hamsik, Insigne, and another man signed from Madrid this summer, the technically gifted Jose Callejón, who never quite got enough games for Madrid to really impress. He will be hungry to show why he was touted as a future star in his younger days.

Napoli have a fantastic mix of experience, youth and players at their supposed peak age of mid 20s, as exemplified by their array of defenders. Speaking of experience, Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina has joined on loan from Liverpool, and despite being prone to the odd error or erratic move, he is a top quality shot stopper, and his presence around the dressing room will make the Napoli squad even more United, as Reina will be reunited with former manager Rafael Benitez. Reina, Maggio, Cannavaro, another ex-Madrid man Raul Albiol and Juan Zuniga makes for a very strong and idyllic back line, suitable for both Italian and European competition.

The addition of tricky Belgian winger Dries Mertens from PSV Eindhoven gives Napoli yet more width and creativity, giving an insight into how Benitez will want his team to set up, with either width, central creativity, or both. Rafael Benitez has long been an advocate of the lone striker, as shown by his use of Samuel Et’to at Inter, Fernando Torres at both Chelsea and Liverpool, Djibril Cisse at Liverpool, and a fair few others. It seems unfair to leave out any of Hamsik, Insigne, Callejón, Pandev and Mertens, but at least two of them will probably find themselves on the bench, for the key games at least.

I expect Napoli to utilise either a 4-5-1 or a 4-2-3-1 formation for the most part this season. Rafael Benitez has used both of these formations in the past, and both of them allow for the creative prowess of Hamsik, Callejón and the others to be the ace in Napoli’s metaphorical pack of cards. With the 4-5-1 or maybe 4-4-1-1 option, I expect to see Mertens in the team alongside Callejón  in “the hole” behind Gonzalo Higuain, with Hamsik, Insigne or Pandev taking the final place. However, with Juan Zuniga, one of the most attacking left backs in the game, being likely to be selected regularly, Benitez may decide against another attacking wide man on the left. If the 4-2-3-1 is used, the intelligent Behrami and the energetic Inler will have to hold in central midfield even more, while Hamsik, Callejón and likely Insigne attack.

Whichever formation Benitez uses, he has the almost ideal squad to tinker with. The amount of both central and wide creativity means injuries shouldn’t affect the team’s ability to cause defensive problems for their opponents. The illustrious and experienced defensive line given earlier could make Napoli one of the steeliest defences in Europe, as Benitez often does. The potential of this team is unquestionably high with hungry, determined players galore, ready to unleash themselves on both Serie A and Europe, with Juventus’ crown being the aim for the ever passionate Napoli fans.

Fiorentina: summer overhaul brings new life to club

On the face of it, the decision to finally sell Stefan Jovetic to Manchester City was a risky and potentially backward step for Fiorentina. However, with some very shroud and wise investments, the sale could springboard the Florence based club back into European football’s elite club category.

At this same time last year, Fiorentina were being astutely as well. After a 2011/12 campaign that resulted in a disappointing 13^th place finish, the club knew there were things to be done in order to turn the club around. Borja Valero, Alberto Aquilani and David Pizarro all came in and starred, adding steel and balance to a previously fluctuating and inconsistent team. The team finished the 2012/13 Serie A in 4^th, and although they were 17 points behind league winners Juventus, this was an impressive achievement for the club. In the 2013/14 season, they will be hoping to make a genuine title challenge.

One of the more surprising signings made by Fiorentina over the summer was the deal that saw former AC Milan stalwart Massimo Ambrosini join the club. Despite being aged 36, Ambrosini still has immense technical ability and always uses the ball intelligently. Many teams all over Europe have struggled to balance playing in European competition with quality and consistent league performances, so Ambrosini’s experience could make him the ideal off pitch leader for the Fiorentina as they enter the European football spectrum.

Of course, Fiorentina’s most notable signing this summer has been Mario Gomez. Gomez lost his in the regular Bayern Munich eleven to Croatian striker Mario Mandžukic in the previous season, and the German was clearly not willing to play second fiddle again, especially with the World Cup taking place in under a year’s time. His arrival is quite the coup for Fiorentina, and gives them a world class striker amongst their ranks, and probably one of the best in Serie A. Gomez is a livewire in the box, with precise timing.  

Even more excitingly for Fiorentina is the fact that not all of the £22 million garnered from the sale of Jovetic went on Mario Gomez. The electric pace and creativity of ex Real Betis, Valencia and Málaga man Joaquin (signed on a three year deal), in some respects summarises this Fiorentina team up, experienced and tactically clever under the guidance of 39 year old Vincenzo Montella, but also possessing some youthful exuberance. Their qualification for the Europa League, assuming they make it through their one round of qualifying, helps them attract yet more players, as they have done with Josip Iličić, a man supposedly wanted by both Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal thought to be just worth around £7.7 million.

Having Iličić, Joaquin, Giuseppe Rossi and new Ukrainian signing Oleksandr Yakovenko and others in an attacking sense, and with Borja Valero, Massimo Ambrosini and Alberto Aquilani providing cover behind them, Fiorentina have an exceptionally well balanced squad. Vincenzo Montella has a great tactical eye, and is learning more and more about being a coach. What Montella has on his hands now with Fiorentina is a squad with a great balance between youth and experience, with pretty much two players worthy of playing in each position, any coach’s dream. The new arrivals could force a tactical overhaul, while the likes of David Pizarro, who handed in a transfer request and then withdrew it, may perhaps need a new role to the one he starred in last year. However, with the experience of Valero, Joaquin, and of course Ambrosini, there should not be any kind of dressing room friction. A young yet respected manager, a whole heap of experienced heads, an exciting array of attacking talents means that for Fiorentina, all the ingredients are there for a season that fans of the Viola can enjoy and be proud of.

The question remains, can this club from Tuscany win their first Serie A in what will be 45 years? Last season, the traditional big guns of Roma, Lazio, Internazionale and AC Milan were way off the pace, as were Fiorentina, as Juventus and Napoli battled away. Although Juventus have bought in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, it appears as if their key focus will be the UEFA Champions League, potentially giving a team like Fiorentina a window of real opportunity. Despite the arrival of highly respected former Valencia, Liverpool, Inter and Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez, as well as Gonzalo Higuain, Napoli will almost certainly miss Edinson Cavani, who was comfortably Serie A’s top scorer last season with 29 goals. Both Milan clubs, as well as Roma and Lazio will probably be thinking the same thing; however Fiorentina have more proven players all over the pitch than these clubs.

With such excitement around Fiorentina now, they could well spring a few upsets, as they did last season. It will be difficult to juggle possible Europa League football with consistency in the league, but with the amount of depth and ability to adjust tactically that Fiorentina possess, they are ideally placed to be successful in perhaps both. The ever improving former Manchester City man Stefan Savic, the ever solid and intelligent Borja Valero and the man with some of the best timing in European football Mario Gomez, will all be the spine of a team that are undergoing an exciting new project much like Klopp’s Dortmund team are in the middle of, except under Vincenzo Montella. 

Florent Malouda: Frenchman’s Chelsea stint ends with a whimper

After a very hit and miss six years in West London, Florent Malouda is heading to pastures new at Turkish club Trabzonspor. Here’s a look back at his largely mixed fortunes at Stamford Bridge.

Malouda joined the blues in July 2007 after having enjoyed four impressive seasons at Olympique Lyonnais, in which he won Ligue 1 four times, reached the Champions League quarter finals three times and won the prestigious Ligue 1 player of the season award in 2006-07. Such an impressive season meant a whole heap of the wealthiest and best European clubs would be willing to sign Malouda. Chelsea, who had narrowly missed out on a third successive premier league title the season before,  ended up winning the race, and Malouda signed for a rumoured £13 million.

There was added pressure on Malouda due to the departure of Arjen Robben a few weeks after Malouda signed, with Chelsea desperately needing some creativity and goals from a winger or attacking midfielder to compete with rivals Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who came into his own the year before. Damien Duff and Arjen Robben had been a major factor in Chelsea’s 2004-05 title win, but with both now gone, Malouda and Joe Cole were required to do something similar. Malouda started excellently for Chelsea, with goals against Manchester United in the community shield, and against newly promoted Birmingham City on the Premier league’s opening day. The good start slowly began to fade away however, as Malouda struggled to hold down a place, and when Jose Mourinho left in September, new manager Avram Grant changed things, with Kalou and Cole regularly being selected ahead of Malouda.

A bit part role followed Malouda throughout most of the season, with Malouda not really fitting into Grant’s plans of supporting strikers that played more centrally. Because of this, Malouda was mostly utilised a substitute whenever Chelsea needed more width. The form of Joe Cole also cost Malouda, while the versatile Michael Essien and the almost ever present Frank Lampard, restricted him to only being considered or needed as an option on the wide left. Incredibly, Malouda didn’t score again in the premier league until the season’s penultimate game, a 2-0 away win over Newcastle United. Just the 2 goals in 26 league appearances at Chelsea compared poorly to his 10 goals in 35 games at Lyon.

The 2008-09 season saw the arrival of Luis Felipe Scolari at Chelsea after Avram Grant was dismissed in the aftermath of Chelsea’s heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow, a game in which Malouda somewhat surprisingly started. The season began well for Malouda, as he played with confidence and comfort ability, looking far from out of place in the team. However, it wasn’t until the dismissal of Scolari in February due to Chelsea trailing behind Manchester United and Liverpool in the title race , that Malouda really began to come into his own, under interim boss Guus Hiddink. Swiftly, Malouda was becoming one of Chelsea’s key players, scoring the Blues’ first in a 2-1 FA Cup semi -final win over London rivals Arsenal. Malouda started in Chelsea’s extremely controversial Champions League semi-final 1-1 draw and therefore elimination against Barcelona in May, where he was at the centre of an unsuccessful penalty claim, after Barca’s Brazilian full-back Dani Alves appeared to have blocked him off. Chelsea’s season again ended in Champions League heartbreak, but this time Malouda was beginning to show his true creative quality.

The summer of 2009 saw quite the overhaul at Stamford Bridge under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, particularly tactically. The old Chelsea had a reputation of being slightly too defensive, and at times boring. The Italian changed all this, with Chelsea becoming more rampant and energetic, and Malouda playing more centrally in an attacking diamond formation. Heavy score lines including 7-2 and 7-1 wins for Chelsea against Sunderland and Aston Villa respectively, games in which Malouda scored in was a sign of this. Despite being eliminated in the Champions league’s round of 16 by eventual winners Inter Milan, Chelsea had a tremendous season, in which they achieved their first ever domestic double of the League and FA Cup. Malouda’s excellent link-up play with Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou, Joe Cole and Ashley Cole, who began to attack more from his left back position, was a major part of this. The Frenchman ended his most successful season in a blue shirt with 15 goals in 51 games, yet more impressively, with 15 assists.

Carlo Ancelotti’s second and final season at the helm was one that bought no trophies, but Malouda was still a key member of the squad. His stats weren’t quite as good, with just the 5 assists and 14 goals in 50 games, but Chelsea were still rampant and free flowing at times, with early season wins against West Bromwich Albion, Wigan and Blackpool springing to mind. However, Malouda’s form was somewhat of a microcosm of Chelsea’s, thriving at the start, worryingly bad at times in the winter, but with an impressive and confident end. Malouda scored Chelsea’s third in a 3-0 home win over West Ham in April, a rocket into the top corner from just outside the penalty box. There was definitely still superb ability there, but it wasn’t quite shown regularly enough.

Andre Villas-Boas was determined to oversee change at Chelsea, and Malouda never really looked like fitting into that change. The young manager bought in creative attacker Juan Mata, who impressed from the start, despite Malouda’s goal in Chelsea’s first home game of the season against West Brom. He appeared in a weakened Chelsea team that was knocked out of the league cup by eventual winners Liverpool, interestingly in a 4-3-3 in the midfield. Malouda was unable to power forward and looked unsure of how to play in a way that would give balance and creativity to the team. Even after the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo to replace Villas-Boas, Malouda didn’t appear much for the blues, other than in matches with less importance towards the end of the season. A contract dispute meant a year in the reserves for Malouda, a year that is now up and Malouda is at Trabzonspor. After a shaky start, Malouda did show the Chelsea faithful his best at times and his key role in the Blues’ first and only ever (to date) domestic double, will never be forgotten. 

Mark Schwarzer and the Chelsea goalkeeping situation

Last week, Chelsea completed a move for 40 year old goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, interestingly on a one year deal. Obviously due to his age, Schwarzer has taken this move as a means of getting one last “hoorah” from his career, after Fulham signed highly rated Dutch goalkeeper Martin Stekelenburg from AS Roma.

Of course it is highly unlikely and unexpected that Schwarzer will take the place of Petr Cech, one of Chelsea’s greatest ever goalkeepers, but he will provide much needed cover.

Ross Turnbull and Henrique Hilario both played in occasional FA cup or league cup games, but neither ever impressed too much when called upon. Hilario had a stint of games shortly after his arrival at the club in the summer of 2006 when both Petr Cech and then back-up Carlo Cudicini had been sidelined due to horrific injuries in the same game against Reading, and he kept a clean sheet against all the odds in one game against the then European Champions FC Barcelona under the management of Frank Riijkard, but there was never any real doubt as to who was the first choice. Ross Turnbull featured briefly in the 2009/10 season when Cech got injured again, but conceding four at home to Manchester City showed Turnbull was not on Cech’s level. With all due respect, Schwarzer is probably better than both Hilario and Turnbull, but on a one year contract, little can be gained from playing him instead of and over Cech.

One must feel slightly sorry or disappointed for Jamal Blackman, Sam Walker and Matej Delac, who are all young goalkeepers at Chelsea, who must have thought the departures of Hilario and Turnbull would give them a chance at cracking into the first team. However, Chelsea’s desperation to replace the two outgoing goalkeepers showed a real lack of trust and almost a dismissal of the players they already have. There were efforts to bring in John Ruddy from Norwich City for £5 or £6 million, but with a one year deal being sought, Chelsea were warned off.

The reason Chelsea were not willing to pay too much or to sign anyone too long term was because of the presence of Thibaut Courtois at the club. The Belgian has been very impressive both domestically on loan as well as for his country, and could well be a great goalkeeper of the future. Chelsea signed the 1 meter 99 centimeter goalkeeper from KRC Genk in the summer of 2011, but he has yet to play for the West London outfit. He is set to spend a third consecutive season in Spain playing for Atletico Madrid, where he helped his adopted club win the 2012/13 Copa Del Rey, with a magnificent performance in the final against Atletico’s city rivals Real Madrid. 

Clearly the upper echelons at Chelsea want to keep Courtois, but they do not want him challenging Cech just yet, as at the moment, both are far too good to be any sort of back-up. Ironically, Cech may eventually be pushed away to make way for Courtois in the same way Cudicini was pushed away to make way for Cech upon his 2004 arrival from Rennes.

Schwarzer proved last season that he still possesses certainly a good enough level of efficiency to put Chelsea in safe enough hands (pun intended) in the case of Cech getting injured or suspended. Despite his ability, Schwarzer is old enough and experienced enough to know the situation with Cech and Courtois for the coming seasons, and will do what he’s asked and required to do before perhaps retiring or maybe returning to Australia to play in the A-League possibly, or maybe another league in Asia or the United States, as so many other winding down players have done in recent years. Certainly, this is a necessary and wise move from Chelsea. 

Can Ancelotti work his magic at Real?

After much success in Italy, England, and most recently France, Carlo Ancelotti is set to embark on arguably his biggest challenge to date: bringing the almighty Real Madrid back to both domestic and European glory. One thing that will give fans of Real the most hope is Ancelotti’s experience in looking after and getting the best out of experienced players, something that was largely responsible for Jose Mourinho’s exit from the club in June.

The first order of business for the Italian will be to unite or rather reunite the dressing room. Talk of factions emerging in the Madrid squad last year plagued their season, with many players including Iker Casillas desperate for Mourinho to leave. Casillas was eventually forced out of the starting XI by Mourinho, but one would have to think Ancelotti will want the Spanish captain back in goal for Madrid, as do the large majority of the fans.

Ancelotti is somewhat of a traditionalist in terms of his defensive tactics. At Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea and PSG he utilised a four man defensive line, but in some respects, he revolutionised the concept of attacking full-backs. Cafu at Milan was solid but also got forward and put crosses in, while Ancelotti favoured Branislav Ivanovic at Chelsea mostly, largely due to Ivanovic’s efficiency at getting forward and back again quickly. Ashley Cole contributed in an attacking sense more than ever in Ancelotti’s first season with the Blues, an element of his game most had questioned before then. When he was forward, Cole’s final ball was often exceptional. At PSG, Jallet and Maxwell in particular added to the side with bursts forward, but Ancelotti made sure they only went forward when there was little chance of them getting caught out. If Ancelotti could possibly mould the likes of Fabio Coentrao, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa and any other full-backs Madrid may bring in into these types of grafters; Madrid may have the most wide formation and deep squad in world football.

 One of the few positive things in Madrid’s frustrating and disappointing 2012-13 season was the emergence of Raphaël Varane. The 20 year old French centre-back put in some magnificent performances throughout the season, especially in big games, where he neutralised the attacking threats of the likes of Robin van Persie, Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi, Pedro and Carlos Tevez to name just a few. With Varane, Pepe and Sergio Ramos all capable of putting a shift in for Les Meringues, I see no obvious need to bring in another centre half unless one of those mentioned previously leaves.

The midfield formation is harder to predict. The 4-2-3-1 formation appears to be the in thing at the moment, with Mourinho using it at Madrid last season, while Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, at times Manchester United, and a few other top teams all opting to use it. The signing of Isco means Madrid could well have one of the best attacking or creative midfield trios in the world with Mesut Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and even José Callejón, (presuming they all stay) possibly playing there. Mourinho opted to play Alonso and Khedira mostly, and sometimes Modric there, but this would mean Madrid would not really be advancing from the Mourinho days. Ancelotti likes to put his stamp on things.

So what can Ancelotti do differently to Mourinho?  A 3-2-4-1 has been suggested by some but that type of defence doesn’t really suit Madrid at the present time. A 4-2-2-2 could also be an option, although it would almost certainly force Madrid into signing another striker. Gonzalo Higuain is being heavily linked with a move away from the Bernabeu, while Edinson Cavani, Luis Suarez, even Robert Lewandowski have all been supposedly looked at as possible additions. Alvaro Morata had a sublime UEFA Euro U-21’s tournament, but it is difficult to tell if he is ready to compete and score goals consistently in a team that relies so heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo, and has done for the past four years. With main title rivals FC Barcelona bringing in the electrifying Neymar to play alongside the brilliant Lionel Messi, you get the sense Madrid almost have to bring in a big name centre forward, as Karim Benzema doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of opposing team’s defences in the same way Neymar and Messi do.

Ancelotti has further endeared himself to the notoriously demanding and hard to please Madrid crowd by bringing in club legend Zinedine Zidane to work alongside the Italian. Zidane has spoken out about his desire to see apparent Madrid target Gareth Bale in the iconic white shirt of Madrid, although Tottenham seem determined to keep the Welshman for at least another year. Whoever comes in, whether it be Cavani, Suarez, Bale or anyone else, Ancelotti has shown he can handle and organise a big, quality packed squad. It will be a long pre-season for the two time Champions league winner, as he looks to add La Liga to the already illustrious list of leagues which he has already won. Madrid need unity and dedication as well as ability if they are to surpass FC Barcelona domestically and perhaps finally win that tenth European cup that they have chased for the last eleven years. If anyone can guide them there, Ancelotti can. 

Carlos Tevez: Can he solve the Juventus striker situation?

 So it's finally over. Carlos Tevez's tumultuous four years at Manchester City on astronomical wages is finished with. He is now the property of Italian champions Juventus, but is it the right move for Juventus and the right move for Mr. Tevez, who never really settled in England.

Despite some, in fact many, flashes of brilliance at West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City, Tevez's time in England will ultimately be reviewed as a highly controversial one that bought him as many enemies as admirers. Constant complaints about being homesick, the way he was played and (reportedly) wages have made many view Tevez as the epitome of what is wrong with "modern football". Juventus are a side that have a large basis upon team spirit, and Tevez was thought to have divided many of the dressing rooms he was in. To be truly successful at his new club, one would assume Tevez must integrate quickly and handle himself with a lot more maturity.

Few would question whether Tevez has the raw technical ability to score goals in Serie A. The Argentinian scored 58 times in 113 appearances for City in the Premier League, but also provided his teammates with assists, 13 in his last season. You can expect Tevez to cause problems due to his tenacity and determination, feeding off passes and crosses with his movement. Much like Luis Suarez, defenders can’t rest when Tevez is about, while set pieces are another way in which Tevez excels.

However, despite his finishing ability, Tevez isn’t exactly a typical centre forward. He regularly drops back and out wide, but Juventus do not really need that with the likes of Stephan Lichtsteiner, Kwadwo Asamoah, Arturo Vidal, Sebastian Giovinco and Claudio Marchisio to name just a few, already offering those services. If Tevez does play like the central attacking midfielder he was at times last season, there will be a gaping hole in the penalty box when Juventus attack. Therefore, Tevez may well need a striker to play alongside in the same way he did with Adebayor and then Aguero at Manchester City, or as he did with Rooney or Berbatov at Manchester United.

So if Juventus are forced to play Tevez alongside a player like this in their 3-5-2 formation, who will it be. The Old Lady have added Fernando Llorente to their squad for the new season, while Fabio Quagliarella, Mirko Vučinić, Alessandro Matri and Sebastian Giovinco are all still at the club, but many question whether these are capable of carrying Juventus to the next level, in other words the closing stages of the Champions League. Juventus have a very settled starting eleven and general squad with the exception of the man that spearheads the attack. His form for Bilbao especially in the Europa League campaign of 2011-12 suggested Llorente was good enough to change all this, but a mere 5 goals in 36 games in his last season at Bilbao have created some doubts. Tevez is probably a bigger name than any of the aforementioned, but his ability to be in the right place at the right time and to be consistently putting in the same shift every week makes this deal seem like a massive gamble in many respects.

Gonzalo Higuain is one name who has been linked with Juventus for a while now, as he is expected to leave Real Madrid. Higuain is very much more like a typical centre forward than his fellow Argentine Tevez is, and plays a lot more of a central role too. Although Higuain is less of a powerhouse and a defensive handful than Tevez, Higuain’s finishing tends to be a lot more accomplished and he is a probably more reliable. Javier Hernandez is another name that has been linked with Juventus as his movement and almost permanent presence in and around the box makes him seem like the ideal man for this industrial, well organised Juventus team. Tevez was the talisman at almost every team when he enjoyed his best period, with some speculating Tevez wasn’t cut out for Manchester United due to his ego. Once again, the addition of Tevez to this Juventus team seems risky.

One of my key memories of Juventus’ season were the two games against eventual winners FC Bayern München in the Champions League. Expecting a close, tactical game I was highly impressed by Bayern in both games but also equally disappointed with Juventus, who were comfortably beaten 2-0 in both games, 4-0 on aggregate. In truth, the score line could have been a lot, lot worse for the Italian champions, as Bayern overpowered them in pretty much every department. Although the mere presence of a striker would not have simply stopped Bayern, having a player as tenacious as Tevez almost certainly would have given Juventus some inspiration and potential to claw back into these games. In his first two seasons especially, Tevez excelled against teams where City were perhaps the underdogs, with two goals away at Chelsea in a 4-2 victory in 2009-10 being a prime example of what Tevez can do when he counter attacks with the ball at his feet. Even though Juventus will not be underdogs too many times this season, when they counter attack, Tevez is arguably the best man to create and finish for the Old Lady.

All in all, €9 million for Tevez is a bargain, with Manchester City clearly desperate to, at last, get him off their books and wage bill. His personal disciplinary record and all round being have put a stigma around Tevez, but he will work hard and is a real ace in any team’s pack. How much he fits into Juventus’ system and dressing room remains to be seen, but Tevez adds yet more quality to Conte’s squad and could be the striking solution the Italian club have needed for a while now. Whatever happens, it is unlikely that Carlos Tevez will not create some headlines in Turin, it shall be interesting to see how many goals and assists he creates too. 

WHY MADRID, AND ONLY MADRID IS THE RIGHT DESTINATION FOR BALE

After a spectacular season with Tottenham, Gareth Bale is currently one of the hottest players in Europe. However, combined with Tottenham’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Bale’s form has caused him to be the focus of much speculation heading into the transfer window’s official opening on July the 1^st.

If you are to believe the gossip sections in various newspapers and websites, many teams from across Europe are enticed by Bale. Many claim Real Madrid, who are undergoing somewhat of a summer overhaul, are in for him, while Manchester United, PSG and even the mighty Barcelona have been mentioned as possible destinations for the versatile winger. Not bad for a man who was being linked with a £3 million move to Birmingham City just 3 and a half years ago, eh?

So assuming all the aforementioned clubs are looking at Bale, where should he go? It doesn’t have to be this summer, but unless Tottenham get some serious investment and begin to challenge for first place rather than just fourth place year on year, I think Bale will be ignoring his potential by staying at the North London outfit. PSG supposedly want Arsene Wenger as their manager for the 2014/15 season, but as for this upcoming season, they are in transition and it remains unclear as to who will manage them. Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi and even Maxwell all play in Bale’s best positions and another winger should not be their priority. Plus, in terms of fan base and all round club size, I am not sure PSG would really be a major step up for Bale.

Of course, there will be those who think as Bale is British and knows the English game, Manchester United would be the ideal place for him to go. The dismal seasons endured by Nani, Valencia and to a lesser extent; Ashley Young, suggest Bale would easily slot into the Manchester United lineup, while the prospect of him, Shinji Kagawa, Wayne Rooney (assuming he stays) and Wilfred Zaha providing for Van Persie, Welbeck, and Hernandez, could well put United back at the very top of European football. However, Bale can light up the Champions league at any of the supposedly interested clubs and he has little more to prove in the Premier League. Manchester United tend to buy young British players such as Zaha, Jones, Young, Rooney, Carrick and others, and are expected to continue to do so under Moyes, but with a central midfielder a priority, I do not think it’s worth the Red Devils spending a huge amount of money on Bale.

After Bale’s memorable breakout performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League in late 2010, rumours began to surface of potential interest from FC Barcelona. Some claim the Catalan side are still keeping an eye on Bale, but due to the signing of Jordi Alba last summer, and the signing of Neymar this summer, I see no place for Bale in this current Barca team. Manchester City have also strengthened in a position that would have been Bale’s, due to the signing of Jesus Navas from Sevilla. Although I personally believe Bale is better than Navas, I think signing Bale would cause real dilemmas for Pellegrini, as Bale, Silva, Nasri, Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas would all feel as if they should start every game and that wouldn’t work. They have enough there as it is.

So that leaves the mighty Real Madrid. A huge club, and under presumed manager Carlo Ancelotti, I feel going to Madrid would enable Bale to flourish. Energetic, albeit solid and aggressive teams have become the trademark of the Italian, who has won the league in Italy, England and most recently France, as well as having won the Champions League with Milan on two occasions. As I write this, it appears as if Isco is going to join Los Blancos, which will add to Madrid’s attacking options, but as Isco is a central player this shouldn’t be a sign that they will wait until next summer to swoop for Bale as many expect. A powerful winger isn’t quite what Madrid need as such, what with Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria in the squad already, but with Fabio Coentrao expected to leave in the summer and with Marcelo injury prone, Bale adds versatility and is the sort of player Ancelotti likes. It doesn’t matter where Bale plays, he can still be highly effective.

Bale is in a situation that is fairly unique to most of the world’s best players; he doesn’t play for a major team at international level, with Wales 45^th in the current FIFA world rankings, and haven’t qualified for a major tournament since the 1958 world cup. Because of this, next season when the World Cup happens, Bale will likely not have the opportunity to impress in what club teams call “the World’s largest shopping window”. So, if Madrid do not seriously go towards signing Bale this summer, the Welshman must really impress in the Premier League and Europa League in order to keep the interest of Madrid, a club who could have almost any player they desired. 2013/14 could really determine the success of Bale’s career and the fulfillment of his potential. No pressure then. 

For now though, Tottenham remain adamant that they will not sell Bale, with manager Andre Villas Boas claiming last week that chairman Daniel Levy has assured him that Bale will remain at the club for the upcoming season. Some reports claim Tottenham will only sell Bale for the astronomical fee of £85 million, and Bale has not been quoted as saying he wants out, unlike Luis Suarez, who is also supposedly on Madrid’s congested radar. However, talk of interest from various powerhouses of world football must excite Bale who turns 24 later this year. To be honest, I feel loyalty must end somewhere for Bale, let’s just see how far it can stretch.  

Chelsea 2012/13 season review

There was a buzz around Chelsea football club in the summer of 2012. Winning the champions league against all odds made many feel that this would be a season in which Chelsea would really challenge for the title, especially with exciting, young and creative talents Eden Hazard, Oscar, Victor Moses and Marko Marin as well as right back Cesar Azpilicueta all joining the team. A comfortable 2-0 win away to Wigan and two home victories against Reading and Newcastle meant a successful start for Chelsea, with Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres both looking exceptionally sharp in the new 4-2-3-1 formation.

After that, things took a turn for the worse; Radamel Falcao tore Chelsea apart in a 4-1 Atletico win in the UEFA Super cup in Monaco. A frustrating 0-0 draw away to West London rivals QPR followed by a home draw to Italian champions Juventus after a late Fabio Quagliarella strike completed the turnaround for Conte’s team after Chelsea lead 2-0 thanks to two wonderful strikes from Oscar. However, ugly wins against Stoke and then Arsenal proved Chelsea’s knack of being able to win without playing well was still present, while the 4-0 and 4-1 wins against FC Nordsjaelland in the Champions league and Norwich in the Premier league helped the Blues’ confidence.

Heading in to the London derby away to Tottenham, Chelsea were at the top of the table, and in a crazy game that featured a thunderous volley from Gary Cahill, Tottenham coming back from 1-0 down to go 2-1 up as well as some excellent link-up play between Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata, Chelsea ran out 4-2 winners to strengthen their position as leaders. Shakhtar Donetsk away was a torrid night for Chelsea, as Willian and Fernandinho starred in a 2-1 victory for the Ukranian outfit. Another loss followed on the Sunday after, with a highly charged and controversial game at home to Manchester United. Goals from Juan Mata and Ramires had cancelled out two early Robin van Persie strikes (one of which came off David Luiz) when Branislav Ivanovic grappled Ashley Young down and received a straight red. Then a supposed Fernando Torres got the Spaniard his second yellow, although footage showed contact with Jonny Evans and Chelsea couldn’t keep Javier Hernandez and Manchester United at bay as the game finished 3-2 with United now hot on Chelsea’s heels at the premier league summit.

Revenge was somewhat exacted by Chelsea as they beat a youthful Manchester United team 5-4 in the league cup, but a draw away to Swansea and a disastrous 2-1 loss away to in-form West Brom meant manager Roberto Di Matteo’s job was being questioned by the media as Chelsea lost their confidence and Fernando Torres looked more frustrated than ever. Torres was dropped for the all-important game in Turin against Juventus, where despite Oscar, Hazard and Mata looking bright early on, Juve’s power and energy proved too much with Sebastian Giovinco’s late goal being the icing on the cake for the Italian side who were comfortable 3-0 winners, effectively dumping Chelsea out of the competition in the group stage, the first side to exit at this stage after winning it the season before. Roberto Di Matteo, who guided Chelsea to the club’s first Champions League, was then sacked, with his tactical understanding being questioned.

In came Rafael Benitez as interim manager, but the Spaniard received a heavy chorus of boos upon his first two appearances in the Stamford Bridge dugout, due to comments he’d made in previous years about the Chelsea fans. Both games were drab 0-0 draws against Manchester City and then Fulham, while a 3-1 loss away to West Ham showed discontent in the squad and amongst the fans. The club world cup, a tournament in which many expected Chelsea to win fairly comfortably went wrong too, with Brazilian outfit Corinthians defeating the Blues 1-0 in a lackluster Chelsea performance. As David Luiz sobbed, the season looked as if it was going downhill, and fast.

Upon arriving back in England, Chelsea saw off old rivals Leeds 5-1 in the Capital One Cup much to the delight of the travelling Chelsea fans, while Aston Villa were thumped by an incredible eight goals to nil in a league match. In this game, Chelsea had their old swagger back while looking much more assured at the back, Juan Mata was looking even more as impressive as he was last season, and Frank Lampard was looking like his old self. Yet, in the first game of 2013, Benitez decided to rest several key players, including Eden Hazard and Juan Mata as Chelsea missed the chance to go third in a shock 1-0 home defeat to QPR. Inconsistency was again holding Chelsea back.

The 4-0 win away to Stoke was the ideal performance for a team in Chelsea’s position, solid and looking threatening when on the attack. But, in what was becoming a theme throughout the season, Chelsea threw away a 2-0 lead against Southampton who managed a 2-2 draw. A 2-1 win at home to fourth place rivals Arsenal was a boost, but losing to Swansea in the Capital One Cup, losing Hazard for three games for kicking a ballboy, a 2-2 draw away at Reading, a 3-2 loss to Newcastle were further indications of inconsistency holding Chelsea back. Advancing in the Europa League thanks to a late, great Eden Hazard goal against Sparta Prague showed Chelsea were vulnerable to any team, while a Rafael Benitez rant against the Chelsea fans after a 2-0 FA Cup win against Middlesbrough didn’t help matters.

Chelsea met Manchester United for the third time out of five in March in the FA Cup in a truly remarkable encounter. 2-0 down at half time due to goals from nemesis Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney put Chelsea in dire straits, but the introduction of John Obi Mikel gave Chelsea’s attackers a new lease of life in the second half with Ramires, Hazard and Mata bombing forward as Chelsea were unlucky to only leave with a 2-2 draw. Frank Lampard scored his 200^th goal for Chelsea against old team West Ham in a sublime Chelsea performance with Mata and Hazard again starring. Despite a surprise 2-1 loss away to Southampton, Chelsea entered April in a respectable fourth with a game in hand, while still in the Europa League and FA cup after a sublime Demba Ba streak saw off United in the replay.

A pivotal, albeit not pretty 2-1 win at home to Sunderland meant Chelsea were looking just about good enough for Champions League qualification, but the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City was a real blow and meant only the Europa League was within Chelsea’s grasp. A stunning David Luiz strike helped Chelsea to a 3-0 win away to Fulham, but a controversial 2-2 draw at Anfield after Luis Suarez appeared to bite Branislav Ivanovic angered Chelsea who had led twice in the game due to goals from Oscar (1-0) and Hazard (2-1).

Seeing off Basel in the Europa League put Chelsea in a European final for consecutive seasons, while wins away to Manchester United and a draw at home to Tottenham put Chelsea on the brink of guaranteeing Champions League football next season. Frank Lampard’s two goals against Aston Villa in a fierce game where both teams had a player sent off, made him Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer on 203 goals, coincided with the signing of his new contract. Then in Amsterdam, a last minute, towering header from Branislav Ivanovic won Chelsea the Europa League in a 2-1 win over the Benfica side that dominated most of the match. Finishing third and winning the Europa League may not have been the season Chelsea fans dreamed of, but given the managerial upheaval and oh so bleak midwinter, this season didn’t turn out too bad for the Blues.

Player of the season: Juan Mata

Goal of the season: Oscar’s 2^nd vs. Juventus (H)

Best performance of the season: vs. Aston Villa (H)

Worst performance of the season: vs. Corinthians (N)

Champions league 2012/13 end of season awards

Surprise package: Galatasaray

Many looked at Galatasaray's team at the start of the champions league season thinking they were a team with a few decent players, but nothing that would create any real waves in Europe's elite club competition. In reality, they surprised many after a disappointing start where they only had one point after three games. With some excellent performances by Turkish striker Burak Yìlmaz including a hat trick away to Cluj, Galatasaray found a way to get second place in their group. Many thought this was where the journey would end, but a 3-2 victory away to Schalke after a 1-1 home score put them through, with the added help of champions league winners Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. Real Madrid's 3-0 win over the Turkish champions at the Bernabeù looked to have dumped Galatasaray out, but in the second leg Galatasaray went from 1-0 down to 3-1, needing two goals to go through. Real Madrid managed to make it 3-2, but the buzz around the Turk Telecom was unforgettable, a bit like Galatasaray's campaign.

Biggest flop: Manchester City

Hopes for Manchester City were high after an incredible league success the season before, but their campaign turned out to be a massive letdown that has now appeared to at least partially cost Roberto Mancini

his job. Despite being in the "group of death" or "group of champions" with Ajax, Real Madrid and finalists Borussia Dortmund, not winning a single game was a colossal failure on the part of a club who've spent such huge sums in acquiring their squad. They were unlucky to lose 3-2 to Madrid on match day 1, but they were outclassed both home and away by Borussia Dortmund and were lucky to draw to them at home. Ajax too beat the Citizens in Amsterdam, and drew 2-2 in Manchester, meaning City finished bottom of the group. A painfully disappointing campaign.

Best goal: Luis Alberto (CFR Cluj) vs. Manchester United

Few would have seen Luis Alberto play previously to CFR Cluj's champions league adventure this season, but the little known Brazilian produced his own memorable moment in this season's UEFA champions league in the game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Cluj needed to win and hope Galatasaray didn't in order to go through, and despite being heavily un fancied to win away to the Red Devils they did thanks to Alberto's goal, but Galatasaray won as well. Nonetheless, Luis Alberto's 30-yard strike that sped into the net beyond the outstretched arm of David de Gea will be a goal that will live long in the memory of every CFR Cluj fan.

Best Game

Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Málaga

After a somewhat drab and edgy 0-0 draw in Spain in the first leg of this quarter final, most expected Dortmund to comfortably beat their opponents in front of their oh so passionate fans. However, an early goal from the experienced Joaquin gave Málaga a 1-0 lead and a pivotal away goal. Robert Lewandowski then produced a great run and finish to put Dortmund level on the night, but behind on away goals. And then the controversy began; as Dortmund pushed forward, Málaga broke and Eliseu tapped in from two yards and despite being in a clearly offside position, the goal was given. However Dortmund weren’t going out lying down, they bombarded the Málaga goal, with Reus scoring to make it 2-2, still not enough for victory. With a minute left of stoppage time, Reus shot across goal and after a scramble Felipe Santana tapped in to make it 3-2, yet replays showed he too was offside. Dortmund didn’t care though as Signal Iduna Park erupted in elation and inspired Dortmund to the final, which they would narrowly lose to fellow Germans, Bayern Munich. An incredible game in an incredible atmosphere in an incredible season for Bayern Munich.

Best XI

Weidenfeller

Lahm

Dante

Varane

Alaba

Gündôgan

Schweinsteiger

Müller

Ronaldo

Yìlmaz

Lewandowski

Honourable menitons

Neuer

Marchisio

Martinez

Robben

Ibrahimovic

Matuidi

Messi

Isco

Pirlo

UEFA champions league quarter final first leg previews

In previous years, the champions league has tended to get more and more dramatic as it goes along. However, this year, both the group stage, and the round of 16 have been full of drama with world class teams Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Arsenal, last year's winners Chelsea, to name just a few, already being dumped out. So with this season's tournament already being full of excitement and tension, these quarter finals promise to be nothing less than spectacular.

Bayern Munich vs. Juventus

Both these teams are considered "dark horses" to win the competition by many, but only one will make the semi-finals as these two European giants clash, with the first leg being held in Munich. Both teams look set to win their respective domestic leagues, and won impressively at the weekend. Bayern tore Hamburg apart, winning 9-2, while Juventus picked up a colossal three points in a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro. Both these sides are flying, with Juventus having one of the most organised teams in world football, and Bayern having the most well rounded and energetic sides. Bayern's attacking trio of Müller, Kroos and Ribery will look to create chances for the deadly Mario Mandžukic, but if any side can neutralise the threat posed by these four, it is the expected Juventus defence of Barzagli, Chiellini and Bonucci, helped by energetic wing backs Lichsteiner and Asamoah. Bayern's Javi Martinez is suspended for this game, so Bayern will need to rely on Luis Gustavo to help Bastian Schweinsteiger keep Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and goalscoring midfielder Arturo Vidal quiet. Juventus tend to keep the ball regardless of the opposition, but against a creative Bayern side in the expectant Allianz arena, this may be difficult. A genuinely mouth-watering tie.

PSG vs. Barcelona

Barcelona have fond memories of the French capital, having won this very trophy in Paris back in 2006, in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. However, despite having virtually won La Liga a while back, this Barca team arrives in Paris with question marks regarding their ability to play away from home. In the round of 16, Barca were beaten 2-0 against Milan, with many suspecting they wouldn't be able to overturn that result. Barcelona managed it however, winning 4-0 in Catalonia, so PSG will need a huge result if they are to go into the second leg with strong hopes of going through. PSG's defence that includes Brazilians Thiago Silva, Alex and ex Barca left back Maxwell, will need to remain fully focused and determined if they are to silence Messi and co. and knock out the side who many consider tournament favourites.

Malaga vs. Dortmund

At the start of the tournament, many considered Malaga a side too weak to make waves in the champions league and Dortmund a side just too young to compete against Europe's elite. However, both of these hard working sides are just two games away from a place in the champions league semis. Malaga's well-oiled machine of a defence has conceded a mere 6 goals in 8 champions league games this season, while Dortmund possess one of Europe's most feared attacks, with Reus, Götze, Lewandowski and Błaszczykowski all hitting form right now. Malaga do possess creative players themselves though, such as much aligned Isco and Joaquin. Definitely one of the most tactically unpredictable quarter finals.

Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray

After getting through to the quarter finals in a highly controversial manner against Manchester United, Jose Mourinho's quest for an historic third champions runs through Turkish champions Galatasaray. Although Galatasaray aren't the most feared team left in the competition, their impressive 3-2 win away to Schalke in the round of 16 second leg is a prime example why they shouldn't be dismissed, especially with the champions league's top scorer (along with Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo) Burak Yilmaz in absolutely unbelievable from, as well as a presumably determined Wesley Sneijder returning to his old stomping ground of the Bernabeu. Galatasaray's Hamit Altintop and Felipe Melo will be expected to do a great deal of running to prevent Mesut Özil and Xabi Alonso from controlling the game too much, although this may prove a task too much for this tenacious Galatasaray side. 

The secret footballer: the ultimate insight

If you, like me, have always been intrigued by what goes on behind the scenes in premier league clubs and football clubs in general, then the secret footballer is absolutely the ideal book to buy. If you are unfamiliar with the secret footballer, well there isn't much to know, it's an anonymous professional footballer talking about his experiences in the beautiful game, and it is one of the few books that I've been truly devastated by the fact I've finished reading it.

The player shares stories and gives his opinion on a wide range of topics. His childhood as a passionate fan of the game, his adaptation into being a professional player, and perhaps most interestingly, his battles with depression. A lot of the tales he tells are predictable, and are similar to what those you'd imagine professional footballers at young ages do when they are essentially showering in money. However, others are much more thought provoking and surprising. The player describes his financial issues that came about due to his own carelessness, as well as some opinions which many inside the game are almost too scared to share.

The book isn't just stories either. He gives his own views on a range of taboo subjects such as homophobia, racism, gambling and mental health problems within the game. Reading his views are refreshing, and part of me feels that the player, whoever he is, would make a better FA or FIFA representative than a rich, elderly businessman. Although some of the player's gripes could be seen as childish and out of touch with ordinary people who can only dream of being a professional footballer, the player justifies every one of his claims. For example, describing how painful being a professional footballer is at times may seem an ungrateful and unappreciative at first, but upon further reading, you begin to worry for the player's livelihood, and make you question what these players do when the full time whistle blows.

Don't worry though, the player's story does paint the life of a footballer as ludicrous, and as wild as many people expect and dream of it being. Some of the stories told are genuinely shocking, and the player tells tales of the obscene amounts of money spent on certain nights out, the extreme gambling addiction of two of his old teammates, and what a day in the life of the footballer during his depression consisted of. Parts of the book makes the footballer’s lifestyle seem idealistic, in one of the later chapters, he lists some of his purchases he made during his most financially blissful years. It makes you think, if a premier league footballer lives like this, what must the billionaire businessman and entertainers live like? However, this feeling of almost envy swiftly turns to pity and horror as the realities of depression bought about due to personal problems, injuries and other things are detailed. I’m sure many others, whether they are rich or poor can relate to his fears and feelings of uselessness.

‘’The secret footballer’’ is not all tales of wild parties, it’s a story of life, beliefs, talent and morals. What toll does professional football have on him? Living his life so recklessly by his own admission and then his spiral into financial troubles and the remarkable story in how he got out of potentially being homeless. The training ground stories of players and managers being late and duly punished, as well as the often viscous bullying of younger players by experienced heads are all fascinating and at times shocking insights. A brilliant book that has given me a thorough and genuine insight into the life of a player in today’s game.

A selection of the book’s best quotes (without wanting to spoil anything):  

“On Dwight Yorke’s first day as a Manchester United player, Roy Keane fired the ball deliberately hard so Yorke would be unable to handle it ‘’welcome to Manchester United’’ Keane said.

“I sat in that chair because I knew that once I did, I wouldn’t have to get up and do something I couldn’t face’’ (on his depression)

‘’ (John) Terry may as well have a whistle such is his influence on matches. The man gets away with murder on the football pitch”.

Just how good is Gareth Bale?

Gareth Bale is a player who divides opinion. Some claim he is overrated and not on the level of various other players he has been compared to, while others have suggested he is one of, if not the best player in the premier league. My opinion on Bale is quite specific, and one that I feel must be presented in article form.

I remember a game at the start of the 2007/08 season when I first truly noticed Gareth Bale. His runs were powerful, and he constantly stretched the Fulham defence that day. His impressive performance that day was rewarded with a goal that summarised the Bale we see today, a long and energetic run followed by a good finish although the game ended 3-3. However it was another two years before Bale really amazed me with a performance and that performance was against Arsenal towards the end of the 2009/10 season. At times, Bale looked world class and it made you feel very confident in his future.

Bale's real breakout season was definitely 2010/11, which included some excellent performances in the champions league, especially against the then reigning champions Inter Milan. In the away leg in Milan, Tottenham had an utterly rotten first half and at half time they were 4-0 down. The North London club were in need of inspiration and Bale gave them that, scoring a hat-trick, resulting in the game finishing 4-3. That was Bale at his finest, and he was fully capable of inspiring a team on his own. Bale terrorised inter Milan right back Macon again in a 3-1 win for Tottenham at home a few weeks after and all of a sudden there was a huge buzz about the Welshman. Some were predicting and or reporting a move to Barcelona or any other top European club and it appeared Bale had the world at his feet.

The anecdote just given is what annoys me about Bale. The media hype, and then the lack of impact after it. The rest of the 2010/11 season was relatively quiet for Bale, and he was anonymous in far too many matches. When Bale had one of these games, hardly any fuss was made, yet when Messi, Ronaldo and the like play below their potential, there is a large level of discussion. Inconsistency is the primary reason why I don't consider Bale as one of the world's finest players.

Bale's current run of fine form has led to many reevaluating their opinion of him. Some have come out with quite frankly, (at least in my opinion) ludicrous statements. Jamie Redknapp claimed Bale is as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, while well known (to those in the UK) Sky sports pundit Jeff Stelling went a step further, saying Bale is better than Ronaldo. The basis of his argument was Bale's versatility. Although I agree Bale puts in more of a shift defensively than Ronaldo does, Ronaldo is a far superior player in every aspect concerning technical and even physically ability.

Stelling even went as far as saying Bale was quicker and stronger than Ronaldo, both are strong but Ronaldo is a real physical specimen, and in my opinion, Bale simply is not. 

Chelsea's striker problems

Various word springs to mind when I think of Chelsea's season so far: chaotic, wild, unpredictable, inconsistent. The latter perhaps best summarises the way in which Chelsea's results have gone. The season started well with wins over Wigan, Newcastle and Reading, but a 4-1 demolition spearheaded by Radamel Falcao in the UEFA super cup against Atletico Madrid. After the oh so controversial sacking of Roberto Di Matteo and equally controversial appointment, Wins over Aston Villa, Norwich and Everton made it seem things were really on the up at Stamford Bridge. Yet again however, the positivity was disrupted after a shock 1-0 loss at home to local rivals QPR.

So what has caused all this inconsistency and vast but regular changes in the feelings of Chelsea fans. Well, one thing about Chelsea has been consistently poor: their striking options. Although Fernando Torres has shown glimpses of his best this season, he hasn't shown anywhere near enough of this form to justify his place in the team. Some would claim Torres deserves to be in the Chelsea starting line up week in week out due to his ability to score out of nothing as shown by his goal against Brentford, but goals like these have been far too rare. In fact, I can't remember a single occasion where Torres has scored a truly vital goal for Chelsea, and the goal against Barcelona, which was a chance that he couldn't really miss was the only goal I can remember Torres scoring against a real top side. Instead, his goals have come in matches against weaker teams such as Nordsjaelland, Brentford, Leicester, Reading and the like. Also, on most of these occasions, he has chipped in with a goal rather than be a heroic match winner, like he was many times during his days at both Atletico Madrid and Liverpool.

Chelsea fans, more and more of them, are becoming increasingly frustrated with Torres. Many fans are posting, saying and writing things reading messages such as: "Torres and Rafa out of our club". The reasoning behind this sentiment isn't as obvious and one dimensional as it appears. Contrary to popular belief, Chelsea fans' support for Torres has only faded somewhat since the sacking of Di Matteo and hiring of Rafael Benitez. Many Chelsea fans feel all the drama surrounding Torres has been the clear reason behind Abramovich's constant hiring and firing of managers, and that Benitez was only hired to help Torres find form.

So with Torres still misfiring and Chelsea fans becoming more and more impatient towards the Spanish striker, surely the conditions are ideal for Demba Ba to seize the role of Chelsea's best striker to play up top? Well, Rafael Benitez doesn't seem to feel that way. One game that summarises the whole Torres/Ba and the general Chelsea striker situation is the blues' game at home to Swansea in the capital one cup first leg a few weeks back. Torres regularly lost the ball, and couldn't seem to get hold of it, despite some decent crosses and passes. When Ba came on, things seemed to improve, but still no goals. Ba looks to be a threat when he is on the pitch, and hasn't really had a bad game in a blue shirt as of yet. But it appears Ba is doing something wrong, as he hardly ever seems to start. Since Ba joined the west London club in early January, he hasn't really started any of Chelsea's key games, to be precise, the games against Arsenal, Reading and both legs against Swansea.

To me, Benitez should stop playing Torres just to keep Abramovich happy. Ultimately, football is about winning matches, and as of right now, I feel Chelsea are more dangerous and more able to score goals with Demba Ba playing. Ba doesn’t have to play every week, or even be the distinct first choice striker, but I just feel that Torres is far too unreliable, and the more he is left on despite being what some would call lazy, and appearing exhausted almost constantly, the more the resentment of him and Benitez amongst a large proportion of Chelsea fans will grow. So please Rafa, give Ba a go as otherwise it may damage the whole atmosphere at Chelsea, as it is being slowly but surely damaged now.

Drogba joins Galatasaray

It has been quite a month for Galatasaray and their fans. Firstly, the somewhat surprise signing of Inter Milan's Dutch talisman Wesley Sneijder, swiftly followed by the news that Didier Drogba will now be joining the current Turkish champions, Galatasaray SK. Reportedly, Drogba has joined the club on an 18 month contract at a cost of £5 million from Shanghai Shenua, a mere eight months after joining the Chinese club.

So why has Drogba decided to leave Shanghai? Well, he has only made eleven appearances, but has scored eight goals in that time. Nicolas Anelka's move to Juventus which was confirmed just 24 hours before Drogba's was led to many expecting Drogba to leave the club too. Shanghai are in a poor financial state in actuality, despite being in a supposedly healthy one this time last year when they signed Anelka and in June when they signed Drogba. Despite good form, it is clear it was not quite right for Drogba being in China.

So what is Galatasaray reasoning behind their second surprise signing of the January transfer window? Galatasaray’s owners have proved in recent years that they are willing to splash the cash for players in their late 20's to early 30's that are experienced in Europe's top leagues, as shown by the signings of the likes of current club captain Hamit Altintop, Emmanuel Eboue and Johan Elmander, but few expected the signings of Drogba as well as Sneijder.

I feel Galatasaray are being somewhat disrespected though by both opposing club fans around the world and journalists. People talk as if Galatasaray and the Turkish league in general have no selling point, but the club and the league absolutely do. Galatasaray are a club with huge support both in Turkey and across Europe and the rest of the world. Although the club and its fans in particular have attracted a fair amount of negative press headlines, the majority of their fans are peaceful, but still passionate. The roar that comes from the Turk telecom stadium when they score is immense, while the Istanbul derby against long standing rivals Fernebache are must see games.

When I first heard about the signing of Drogba by Galatasaray, I instantly thought of how the former Chelsea man and club legend Didier Drogba would fit into this Galatasaray team. Well, it is pretty simple really; he will lead the line alongside Galatasaray’s main man, striker and goal machine Burak Yilmaz. Burak Yilmaz has been in magnificent form this season, especially in the UEFA champions league. It was on match day 4 when the Turkish striker almost singlehandedly destroyed CFR Cluj in the game in Romania, with Burak Yilmaz scoring all three Galatasaray goals in the 3-1 win. What really impressed me personally about this performance was the fact Yilmaz scored with a header, then with his right foot and finally his left foot, making his a perfect hatrick. With every goal he made it look so easy. Yilmaz also scored Galatasaray’s winner against Manchester United and their equaliser against Braga, and both goals went a huge way to securing round of sixteen qualification for the Turkish side. Yilmaz and Cristiano Ronaldo finished the group stage as equal top scorers.

Yilmaz, like Drogba is a tall, but deceptively quick finisher. Drogba is a lot more muscular and uses his upper body strength more than Yilmaz does admittedly, but the point is that they share many common abilities. One problem that this could cause is that both players may well feel more comfortable up on their own, or with the more technically sound and versatile Johan Elmander, the ex-Bolton and Toulouse striker. Drogba has previously struggled to be as effective and dangerous for opposition defences while with another striker, so Faith Terim may have to rearrange and reshuffle his side’s line up on a few occasions to compliment these two world class strikers.

Despite potential changes to the side’s line up and questions about Drogba’s ability to still perform on the world stage, I am confident he can help Galatasaray secure the Turkish league title (Galatasaray are currently five points ahead of closest rivals Fernebache who are in second) and perhaps secure some other trophies too in his time in Istanbul. With Galatasaray still in the UEFA champions league with two games against Schalke approaching, the club’s board are clearly aiming high. The idea of a midfield with Wesley Sneider and Hamit Altintop must have excited Drogba and they could be a team to really watch out for.

Hazard ball boy incident has been massively blown out of proportion

In my many years of watching football, I can't recall an incident as bizarre and baffling as the one involving Eden Hazard on Wednesday night. I'm sure you've all seen the footage, Hazard kicked the ball boy at a time when Chelsea were frustrated and in urgent need of the ball, after the ball boy was blatantly time wasting.

The term "kicked" is a highly suggestive term and connotes the entirely wrong images. It suggests that Hazard, in a fit of rage whacked the ball boy as hard as he possibly could. That is in no way the case. The only reason Hazard swung his foot back was to get the ball out of the ball boy's body which covered the ball in an attempt to waste time. I myself have played in games with friends where the goalkeeper has had both hands on the ball and in an attempt to score a cheap goal players have kicked the ball out of his realm. Childish behaviour, I know, but this is all Hazard wanted to do. Get the ball. He didn't mean to kick the boy (if he even did) surely anyone speaking honestly would realise and appreciate this?

A 22 year old footballer kicking a ball "boy" is also misleading. The term "boy" connotes he was about twelve or thirteen years old, but in reality the "boy" is seventeen. He knew exactly what he was doing, Hazard didn't attack some innocent kid, which is the way some people are referring to the situation as. The ball boy was purposefully wasting time, as his tweet sent earlier in the day read "#needed for time wasting". The ball boy covered the ball with his body, it was obvious that he was attempting to waste time. After the kick, the boy was clearly exaggerating the severity of his injury, you could see it in his face. He obviously felt some pain, but there can't have been much damage.

Don't get me wrong, Hazard deserves some blame. It was foolish to kick a ball boy; it's foolish to kick anyone on a football pitch, especially with the cameras which are seemingly able to pick up everything that occurs on the field of play. Ultimately, Hazard made an immature, unnecessary, and spare of the moment decision that backfired, and resulted in him receiving a red card. I cannot blame or criticise the referee's decision either. It is extremely rare that a player gets involved in a physical altercation and with only his assistants to offer contrary opinions. In the end, a red card was probably appropriate as Hazard did physically assault someone, albeit not intentionally. Any more punishment of Hazard would be unnecessary, with the exception of perhaps a verbal telling off by the FA.

To conclude, I believe this entire incident has been blown out of proportion on a ridiculously large scale. Hazard did in no way mean to hurt the boy; in fact I don’t think he even meant to touch the boy at all. He wanted the ball, and did what was required to get it. Admittedly, Hazard crossed the line and should have been calmer rather than kicking or trying to physically force the ball out of the boy’s control. I agree sending Hazard off was the appropriate decision from referee Chris Foy, but some of the reaction to the incident has been utterly ridiculous. The boy was not in much pain, but people are acting as if it was a kick on the scale of Eric Cantona’s Kung-Fu kick in a Manchester United game away to Crystal Palace. Now that was reprehensible. To suggest more punishment and branding Hazard a ‘’thug’’ as some tabloid newspapers have is laughable, he has apologised and I hope this is the end of this particular fiasco.  

Nuri Sahin returning to Dortmund

Cast your mind back two years ago. Borussia Dortmund were beginning to run away with the Bundesliga title and Nuri Sahin was one of their key architects. Alongside current Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund possessed one of Europe's most fearsome midfields. After helping Dortmund to secure their seventh German league title, Sahin left Germany to realise his dream move to the mighty Real Madrid. And then it all went downhill...

I for one, felt Sahin would adapt quickly to La Liga's more pass based style of football and that he would soon develop his skills to become the very best he could be with the side from the Spanish capital. After all, the likes of Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira had both made the switch from Bundesliga to Real Madrid in La Liga with success.

Sadly for Sahin, his potential to succeed at Madrid took an early blow. An ongoing injury led to Sahin having to wait until early November to make his debut for his new club, and with Madrid's midfield that regularly included Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Mesut Özil, Angel Di Maria, Jose Callejon and of course Cristiano Ronaldo, it would always be an uphill task for Sahin if he wanted to become an established member of the first team. After some not particularly impressive performances, Sahin finally scored his first goal for Madrid in December, against SD Ponferradina in the copa del rey, a goal which many expected to kick start some form. Unfortunately for Sahin, he never could shake off his various niggling injuries and he ended the 2011-12 season with a measly ten appearances.

It seemed inevitable that Sahin would be spending the 2012-13 season at a different club, and that different club turned out to be Liverpool on loan. After a decent start to life at the Anfield club that included two goals away at West Bromwich Albion in the capital one cup, Sahin slowly grew further and further out of favour under manager Brendan Rodgers. The final straw in my mind was Sahin's lack of involvement over the Christmas period and against lowly Mansfield town in the FA cup. At Real Madrid he had Mesut Özil, Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso (amongst others) in front of him in the pecking order, at Liverpool he had Jordan Henderson, Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Allen (again amongst others) in front of him.

Things are now looking up for Sahin. His move to Borussia Dortmund may well have rejuvenated his career, and being back at Signal Iduna Park could offer something extra to Dortmund's ailing Bundesliga title campaign, which looks to have Bayern Munich's name on it already. In my opinion, Dortmund need more depth and organisation in central midfield and Sahin could provide that, as long he can replicate the confidence and desire he showed while in his previous stint with the German club. Mario Götze has done a fantastic job of creating chances for star striker Robert Lewandowski and left winger Marco Reus. The addition of Sahin will only add to Dortmund's midfield options but I can't see him being able to overtake the electrifying Mario Götze. Ultimately, I believe Sahin's potential success at Dortmund relies on him being able to get in the right mindset. If he forgets his issues of his time in both Madrid and Liverpool, he could well yet become one of Europe's most exciting players again.