photo by funky1opti

• by Braydon de Liberato, writing from Canada

For the past 10 years, French football has been a one-horse race. Olympique Lyonnais has won Ligue 1 an astounding seven times in the past 9 years. However, in the past two seasons Lyon has fell off their lofty perch, with Marseille and Lille winning the most recent titles. In the midst of Lyon’s drop, a new French team is set to take their place atop the French league: Paris St. Germain. One of the youngest Ligue 1 teams (established 1970), PSG skyrocketed up the league table, from 13th two years ago up to 4th in 2010-11. They have achieved this through reckless spending, bringing in the likes of Nene and Ludovic Giuly in the past few years. This ‘spend as you please’ policy will surely still occur under PSG’s new ownership, the Qatar Investment Authority.

The Qatar Investment Authority purchased a 70% stake in PSG earlier this year for 150 million Euros. The QIA is owned by the Qatari government, and controls all of the extra oil and natural gas surpluses in Qatar. They also control Qatari Diar, a very large and lucrative real estate business in Qatar. The Qatar Investment Authority controls over $60 billion in assets, a number that will surely increase in the coming years. The QIA is very willing to put money into PSG, as evidenced by the transfers already done under their new ownership, and the players rumored to be tracked by PSG.

Paris St. Germain has all the potential to become one of the best teams in Europe. Ownership is willing to buy the team into the Champions League, and the team already has the right core in place to be competitive for many years to come. The competition in Ligue 1 is, however, getting stiffer, so In order for PSG to keep ahead, they will have to continually spend to bring in star players. PSG’s is a very similar situation to Manchester City, in the sense that PSG is a European ‘bubble team’ helped over the hill by new oil money brought in by a Middle Eastern owner. Only time will tell if the Parisians spending, however, matches that of the Citizens.

PSG have made a pair of notable signings this summer, acquiring Nicholas Douchez from Rennes and Kevin Gamiero from Lorient. Douchez was brought in to replace the now-retired Gregory Coupet on a free transfer. Douchez was instrumental in Rennes’ 6th place finish in Ligue 1 last year. In the past 3 seasons, Douchez has let in an average of 34 goals/season. In comparison, Inter Milan has let in 36 goals/season in that same time span. Douchez achieved these numbers with a similar workload to Julio Cesar (Inter’s starting goalie in that time frame), making 333 saves in the 3 seasons compared to 328 for Cesar. PSG’s second notable transfer was bringing in Kevin Gamiero. Gamiero was brought to PSG from Lorient in an 11 million Euro transfer. Gamiero scored 22 goals in Ligue 1 last year, good for 2nd in the league. He is still young, and at 24 still has several years until the nominal peak age of 28. Gamiero is a small, tricky forward that will fit in well with PSG’s other emerging attacking talents. Along with these two, PSG are linked with several star players, including Alou Diarra, Samuel Eto’o, Wilson Palacios, and Park Chu-Young, among others.

• by Braydon de Liberato, writing from Canada

After seeing the quarterfinal draw for the UEFA Champions League, I was pleased with two things: Inter Milan getting relatively simple competition in the form of Schalke 04, and Shakhtar Donetsk finally getting some face time, after being drawn to play soccer’s Harlem Globetrotters, FC Barcelona. Many were quick to write off the Ukrainian champions, but it is obvious they are here to stay. Shakhtar will be difficult competition for Barcelona, particularly on Shakhtar’s home leg when Barca has to make the long trip to Ukraine. In this article, I am going to analyze why Shakhtar will be difficult competition for the blaugrana, and what will decide the tie.

Both Shakhtar and Barcelona are very versatile sides, and nothing symbolizes this more then their respective fullbacks. Both sides’ fullbacks are very attack-minded, particularly their respective right backs, Dani Alves for Barcelona and Darijo Srna for Shakhtar. Alves has been known to often play as high up as a winger, which will cause problems for Shakhtar’s defense. Sides have often dealt with Alves’ attacking threat by ‘doubling him up’ with two defensive-minded players on the left. Given Shakhtar’s usual style of play, with a compact defense generating offense on the counter, this is a likely solution. Barca’s left back is traditionally Eric Abidal, but could be Adriano for at least the opening tie. Both are attack-minded, but their threat will be easier to quell then that of Alves. Shakhtar’s fullbacks, Srna and Razvan Rat, are similar in style to Barcelona’s fullbacks. Their overlapping runs always contribute to Shakhtar’s success. Barcelona won’t find it to be a stroll in the part stopping Shakhtar’s fullback threat, but in their experience with attacking fullbacks, the mantra will be ‘fight fire with fire’. Barcelona’s wide forwards (and Dani Alves) have the ability to pin back Shakhtar’s fullbacks with relative ease.

So far in the Champions League this year, the two sides have taken very different approaches to their fixtures, with Barcelona putting it to the opposition defense, and Shakhtar mainly playing on the counter. Sides that have thwarted the blaugrana have traditionally played on the counter, such as Inter Milan in the Champions League last term and Hercules in La Liga earlier this season. It isn’t likely Shakhtar will stray from these tactics, but if they want to have a shot against the former world champions, they need to force pressure on Barca’s midfield. Sides that have beat Barcelona have all quelled their midfield trio effectively, and if Shakhtar wants to join them, they will have to do the same. Playing with two solid banks of four seems a likely tactic, as it will give double coverage on Alves’ wing, stop the diagonal balls that Barca use so effectively, and choke the space Lionel Messi is afforded. As well, if Shakhtar sticks with this, Barca’s fullbacks will continually push higher, leaving enough space at the back that even a few clever counter attacks will spell Barcelona’s doom in Europe.

Indeed, this year’s Champions League quarter final is very much open, and there is no one favorite. Shakhtar Donetsk have surprised many this year with their superior ability and poise. They haven’t gotten this far on luck, and only time will tell how far Shakhtar will get on their European adventure.

[photo by Mark Freeman]

• by Braydon de Liberato, writing from Canada

Every year, teams are constantly looking to improve their squad. It can be done through scouting, but the quickest return on your investment is the transfer. Transfers are beautiful things, as they can quickly revive a team down on its luck, but can easily have their own consequences, like the Robinho-esque mega transfers that never pan out. We can’t tell at this point how each transfer will turn out, but we can see what each player brings to their new team. Here I am going to look at the big transfers from this year’s winter transfer window, and analyze what each player brings to their respective teams.

Antonio Cassano, AC Milan (undisclosed fee)

Antonio Cassano was transferred from Genoa-based Sampdoria to 17-time Serie A champions AC Milan for an undisclosed fee. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract worth roughly €2.8 million a year. He was brought on to replace Ronaldinho, who was known to be disgruntled in Milan, and wanted a transfer back to his native Brazil. Cassano himself isn’t exactly low-maintenance, so don’t expect a very long tenure at the San Siro. At 29 years old, he isn’t going to get much better than he is. He doesn’t fit particularly well in any of the systems they’ve used, but can be used on the left in a 4-3-3 or in the hole in a 4-3-1-2.

Giampaolo Pazzini, Inter Milan (€12 million + Jonathan Biabiany)

Giampaolo Pazzini was also transferred from Sampdoria, however Pazzini joined AC Milan’s rival Internazionale. He joined the European champs for a fee of €12 million and French winger Jonathan Biabiany, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract that will keep him with the Nerrazzuri through 2015. He will join a very strong Inter strike team, featuring Diego Milito, Samuel Eto’o, and Goran Pandev, among others. He has the chance to become the best pure number 9 in Europe playing at Inter, playing well in a variety of formations. Pazzini has already proven to be a strong addition to Inter’s front line, scoring a brace and drawing a penalty in his first game, a 3-2 win over Palermo.

Edin Dzeko, Manchester City (€28 million)

Edin Dzeko was transferred from German squad VFL Wolfsburg to big-spending Manchester City for an approximate fee of €28 million. He signed a 4 year contract, which will expire in January of 2015. I find his signing an unusual one for the Citizens, with Carlos Tevez having recently signed a new contract and City having plenty of offensive depth, especially so considering their use of a one striker formation. Dzeko has so far had little impact on City’s form, good or bad, and is clearly still second fiddle to Carlos Tevez. I can’t see his stay in Manchester being beneficial to his career, but only time will tell.

Andy Carroll, Liverpool F.C. (€35 million)

Andy Carroll was transferred from Newcastle F.C. to Liverpool F.C. for €35 million. He is known as a classic number 9 with great aerial skill and finishing ability. He is likened to Alan Shearer for these qualities. I find this to be a risky move by Kenny Dalgish, as Carroll not only is unproven in the Premier League before this season, but also has had disciplinary problems throughout his short career. The transfer fee is surely inflated due to his great potential, but if his personal life gets in the way of it, his career will surely go down the drain. If it doesn’t, however, look for Carroll to be near the top of the scoring charts for years to come.

Luis Suarez, Liverpool F.C. (€26.5 million)

Luis Suarez was transferred from Dutch heavyweights Ajax Amsterdam to Liverpool F.C. for €26.5 million. Suarez is a goal scoring machine, scoring 111 goals in 159 competitive matches for Ajax. He is best known for his handball in Uruguay’s FIFA World Cup quarter final matchup against Ghana, which saved Uruguay the game, and earned them a semi-final berth. Suarez could be a risky move by Liverpool, because he may not be as effective in England as in other, weaker leagues. He does have some experience against stronger teams, having scored 16 goals in 32 games for Ajax in Champions League and Europa League/UEFA Cup play.

Fernando Torres, Chelsea F.C. (€50 million)

Fernando Torres was transferred from underachieving Liverpool F.C. to British champions Chelsea F.C. for a British record €50 million fee. He is a proven all-around striker, boasting the highest goals-per-game and goals-per-minute ratio of any player in the Premier League era. However, he doesn’t offer too much to Chelsea’s already potent attack, as top class players such as Didier Drogba, Nicholas Anelka, and Frank Lampard are all as effective as him. Torres does have something they don’t, however, in youth. The transfer for Torres surely means one of Anelka and Drogba (likely Anelka) will leave at the end of the season.

It can’t be guaranteed that signing these players will guarantee victory right off the bat (with Chelsea losing their first game with Torres), but transfers wouldn’t be made unless managers knew they would contribute to success. Scouting is the better thing to do, as is it no coincidence that teams such as Barcelona are perennial contenders in domestic and continental leagues with the majority of their squad being home grown. You could also go the way of Ajax, developing great players and selling them for a bundle. Either way, its obvious that scouting is the stronger choice.

[photo by Crystian Cruz]

• by Braydon de Liberato, writing from Canada

We’ve all heard it before: the Premiership is unbalanced. All of the big teams are getting better and teams that can’t rival their spending are doomed to mediocrity, or worse, relegation. But this season, there is a changing of the guard in the Premier League, as several top 10 teams are on the low end of the spending spectrum, and maybe more surprising; some of the highest spending teams are bottom half in the table.

Firstly, we must establish which teams are “overachieving” in terms of league position relative to squad cost. The league table as of Jan. 14 is below, along with the total cost of each team’s squad. The differential column shows the difference between the team’s place in the standings and the squad cost rank.

As you can see, most of the teams are within 3 spots of where they “should” be, relative to squad cost. However, there are some very surprising teams. The teams that can be considered to be “overachieving” are Arsenal, Bolton, Blackpool, and Blackburn. We are now going to look team-by-team to see what we can attribute to their success.

Arsenal
Arsenal has been a successful team for some time now, but haven’t won a trophy since 2005. They are a team built by Arsene Wenger, and have played an attractive, attacking brand of football since the Frenchman’s arrival in 1996. They are a model of consistency, having finished top 4 every season since 1997-98, and having steadily decreased their squad cost every year since 2002-03 with little, if any, decrease in the product they’ve put out. It really is business as usual this year for the gunners, so don’t expect squad cost to interfere with their success.

Bolton
Bolton is a particularly interesting case, as this is their first time in the top 10 of the Premier League since Sam Allardyce was in charge. They have, however, kept a similar mantra to what Big Sam had transfer-wise, having still effectively transferred in underrated players as well as utilizing Allardyce’s players from his stint in charge. They, unlike Arsenal, play a disciplined, defensive style that is only broken by the strike duo of Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander. This is, in closing, a budget team drove by organizational discipline.

Blackburn
Of course, the mention of Sam Allardyce and Bolton proves his reputation as a manager who gets the most out of his teams, as until his sacking, he was making Blackburn punch well above their weight, As at Bolton, Blackburn is made on efficient, direct football, savvy transfers, and a reliance on an above-average goaltender to back them up when it counts. Blackburn is the 2nd most efficient team in the Premier League, in 10th place in the table despite having the 2nd cheapest lineup.

Blackpool
Blackpool is the most surprising of the group, as they are in the first year of the club’s history in the Premier League. Relegation favorites in the championship in 2009-10, they finished in 6th place, winning the playoff and granting promotion into the Premier League. They have not, however, let their new sources of revenue spoil their team, as they are still mainly the same team from the season prior. Blackpool’s manager, Ian Holloway, has set the Tangerines up to be a successful team for years to come.

It is merely a formality to ask whether these teams can keep their form up, as since the Premier League is past the halfway point, their places are all but secured in the top 10. It is therefore a better question to ask whether this will continue to happen for unfashionable teams year-in, year-out. I believe that with the introduction of FIFA’s Financial Fair Play, it most certainly will, as big teams will no longer have the financial muscle to outspend their opponents, and will now have to rely on financial and tactical savvy to hold up their positions in the league, something I have trouble seeing several teams to in the future. But only time will tell, as profit-based salary caps, like the one in MLB, didn’t stop the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox from outdoing their competition.