Ten Questions to Consider Ahead of the European Soccer Season
By Ty Duffy
Will Manchester City’s Spending Amount to Something? It’s been a parsimonious summer for most, yet Manchester City are poised to spend nearly $200 million on reinforcements. Yaya Toure does not view the club as a step down from Barcelona, especially since they were kind enough to make him one of the game’s top earners at more than $300,000 per week. City has big names in the starting eleven, big names on the bench and even big names who will fail to make the 25-man Premier League squad. The talent is there, too much of it. If Man City start slowly – with Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea among their first three opponents – will Roberto Mancini even get a fair opportunity?
Can Arsenal Win a Trophy? Arsene Wenger has invested wholeheartedly in a fiscally youth movement. Arsenal has not won a significant trophy since 2005. The team competes tremendously well, while turning a profit in the transfer window. Unfortunately, prizes aren’t given for efficiency and fiscal restraint. Wenger is on the last year of his contract. Cesc Fabregas, though persuaded to stay this term, will probably leave for Barcelona next summer. Maybe earlier. If Arsenal does not win the Premier League or Champions League season, it may be the end of an era. Arsenal has a chance, but finding another central defender and a starting goalkeeper before the transfer window closes would help.
Can Man United Rebound Without Ronaldo? Man U were abject at different times last season, but finished only one point off the Premier League title. Rooney was magnificent, scoring a career high 34 goals, but he had to be, because Dimitar Berbatov was more peripheral than Diddy on the Ready to Die album. Mexican starlet Javier Hernadez should inject some punch up front, but the real key for United will be in midfield. They must have a healthy Michael Carrick to control their distribution. Players such as Nani need to deliver consistently to alleviate the pressure from Scholes and Giggs.
Have We Seen the Worst of Liverpool? Liverpool fell out of the Champions League last season. Rafa Benitez left for Inter Milan. With instability from an unsettled ownership and crushing debt, the Reds have been unable to add the two or three elite players it looked like they needed last year. They have fought just to keep Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano. Roy Hodgson’s his success has been rooted in traditional tactics, hard work and discipline. Liverpool’s delicate geniuses may not be as malleable as Fulham’s artisans. He’s a manager for a small-time cup run, but perhaps not a League-winning campaign. His last was more than 20 years ago, in Sweden. With shaky owners, with an uncertain manager and with stars struggling with injuries and age, Liverpool fans should be scared. Last season may not have been the nadir.
Will Jose Mourinho Repeat His Feat with Real Madrid? Real Madrid spent $340 million last summer, won 32 out of 38 games in La Liga and finished second, to rivals Barcelona. They geared up to win the Champions League Final in their own stadium and exited during the Round of 16, for the sixth straight year. The two finalists were led by players they discarded, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben. Not wishing to scrape off a colossal amount of egg again, Real sacrificed aesthetics for pragmatism. They ditched longtime talisman Raul. They hired Jose Mourinho. Mourinho will grind the disparate stars into a disciplined, though far less expansive unit. Will there be room for Kaka? He should make Real Madrid better, but, if he does not win the Champions League during the next two seasons, patience will be nil.
Will Another Serie A Team End Inter’s Hegemony? The last giant left standing after Calicopli, Inter Milan reaped the rewards. An uncharacteristic run of success has seen the Nerrazzuri win five Serie A titles in succession as well as the 2009-10 Champions League. New manager Rafa Benitez will have some trouble. He can have his greatest season ever and merely equal Mourinho. He can remove all the tangible images of the Special One he wants but the legacy will linger. The Champions League winnings have paid back Massimo Moratti, rather than funding additional investment. Fortunately for Benitez though, Serie A should be another cakewalk.
AC Milan have a number of legends, which also means a number of key players have been around long enough to become legends. As the World Cup showed, relying on elderly Italians may not be the brightest plan. The team has not significantly reinvested in years. They need Ronaldinho to be dedicated and Pato to finally step forward. Juventus collapsed into seventh last season, and, despite signing Milos Krasic, will return almost the same squad. Novelty’s best hope may be Roma. Claudio Ranieri led them to a 24-match unbeaten run and a second place finish after taking over last season. Impresively, they did not need native icons Totti and De Rossi to carry them. Getting something out of Adriano is a long shot, but, if he can be some facsimile of his former self, Roma might have a shot.
Can Bayern Munich Take the Next Step? Bayern reached the Champions League Final with a loaded young squad last season. They had eight players reach the World Cup semifinal with Germany. Another two, Arjen Robben and Mark Van Bommel, played in the final with Holland. Bayern’s talented team will be more seasoned. If they get anything from the currently maligned Franck Ribery, it will be a bonus. Bayern have a coach they believe in, Louis Van Gaal. They should be unassailable in Germany, but their ambitions will be greater.
Will French Club Teams Build on Last Year’s Success? Lyon were the first French club to make the Champions League semifinal since AS Monaco in 2004. They did so by beating another French team, Bordeaux, in the quarterfinal. Marseilles as well went after teams in the Champions League group stage and carried the attitude over to the domestic game where they won Ligue Un. French academies produce an incredible array of talent. Given a restricted financial climate, the bigger French clubs can keep those players for longer and be more competitive on an international stage. Could Marseilles or Lyon be plausible Champions League candidates?
[Photos via Getty]