A fresh Season - soccer analysis for 2012-2013

A new season is here and teams are raring to go!

After an action packed summer, Euro 2012 and big transfer coups, lets look at what we can expect from the top* teams across Europe.

Premier:League:

Manchester United - 

Major Action - The RVP coup and the capture of Shinji Kagawa

Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney in a training session

Image courtesy: manutd.com

What to expect - RVP and Wazza at their peak are sure to be most lethal strike force in the world. Europe awaits an explosion this season!!!

Chelsea -

Major Action - Capture of Hazard, Marin and Oscar

Eden Hazard unveiled by Chelsea

Image courtesy: chelseafc.com

What to expect - A busy summer for the Blues promises a bright future for the team, albeit if Di Matteo can find the right mix of first team regulars.

Arsenal -

Major Action - Loss of RVP and the signing of Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla. Song may go too!

Arsenal trio-signings (clockwise from top) - Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla
Image courtesy:  Arsenal.com

What to expect - the loss of RVP will leave a big hole and only time will tell if the new recruits can make good for it! Not much can be expected though and Tottenham and Liverpool will look to take this chance to break into the top four.

Manchester City -

Major Action - None

Carlos Tevez
Image courtesy: mcfc.com

What to expect - City have had a quite summer after only signing Rodwell so far. Oh yes, Tevez is as good as a new signing too!

La Liga:

Real Madrid -

Major Action - Expected to sign Modric

Luka Modric
Image courtesy: Tottenhamhotspur.com

What to expect - The Spanish players in Real will hope to emulate their form for the national team. Murinho has a fantastic squad in place already and the signing of Modric will only make the team stronger. Serious contenders for the Champions League crown.

Barcelona -

Major Action - Departure of Pep Guardiola and capture of Jordi Alba. Song expected to sign too.

Jordi Alba

Image courtesy: fcbarcelona.com

What to expect - The departure of the talismanic coach may be a little too much for the team. Also the ageing (and replacement) of veterans Puyol and Xavi is another concern. The defense needs to be strengthened further. real may again be a big thorn.

Valencia -

Major Action - Loss of Jordi Alba and signing of Fernando Gago

Gago

Image courtesy:  Fernandogago.org

What to expect - The explosive full back was a crucial part of the team and will be difficult to replace. Otherwise a decent team. Should make it to the top four again.

Malga -

Major Action - Loss of Cazorla

What to expect - The financial problems of the team has created problems. Not much can be expected.

Bundesliga:

Borussia Dortmund -

Major Action - Loss of Shinji Kagawa and capture of Marco Reus

Maro Reus

Image courtesy:  bvb.de

What to expect - The team are a force in Germany but yet need to find their feet in Europe. Reus is a promising signing and should help Dortmund in their week area - Goal scoring in Europe. Should give Bayern a run for their money again.

Bayern Munich -

Major Action - Signing of Mandzukic. Expected signing of Martinez.

Javi Martinez

Image courtesy:  wikimedia.org

What to expect - Bayern need to find their feet again after enduring a trophyless season. With a very potent attack, Martinez should be a very good addition for the leaky Bayer defense, which was one of the primary causes of the trophyless season.

Borussia Mönchengladbach -

Major Action - Loss of Reus and signing of Luuk de Jong.

Javi Martinez
Image courtesy:  Mönchengladbach.com

What to expect - Consistency and perseverance help Gladbach last season. The loss of Reus though should be a bad blow.

Schalke 04 -

Major Action - Loss of Raul

What to expect - With the like of Huntelaar and youngsters like Holtby, Schalke have a decent team and should stand a respectable chance to secure a top four finish again.

Seria A:

Juventus -

Major Action - Capture of Lucio and Pogba

Paul Pogba
Image courtesy: Juventus.com

What to expect - Juventus were a force in Italy last season. With the weakening of AC Milan, they will hope to defend the League title. A sccessful Euro 2012 campaign will only boost the morale their of key players like Pirlo and Marchisio.

AC Milan -

Major Action - Loss of Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic

What to expect - The loss of the duo leaves not a hole but a crater in the team. Looks like the team will endure a difficult season.

Udinese -

Major Action - None

What to expect - Many hoped in Italy for Lazio to qualify for the Champions league due to their stupendous performances in Europe. Udinese should face similar heat Lazio this season too.

League 1:

PSG -

Major Action - Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Marco Verrati

Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic
Image courtesy: PSG

What to expect - Les Parisians have spent Big in the summer. Genuine contenders for the League title. Should expect to go some distance in the Champions League too.

Montpellier -

Major Action - Loss of star striker Giroud to Arsenal

What to expect - The League 1 Champions will look to emulate their impressive form of last season, but with the financial might of PSG, it would be difficult to defend the crown.

Lille -

Major Action - Loss of Eden Hazard and return of Joe Cole to Liverpool. Signed Kalou.

What to expect - Their wizard, French Player of the year and creator in chief has departed and that leaves a hole in the Lille that would be difficult to fill in. Lille still remain a club to be beaten and should finish in the top three.

Seems like there is lots of action in store, especially on the European stage in the Champions League.

Enjoy the new season!!!



*Top clubs here refers to only Champions League qualifying clubs, for simplicity sake.

Review - Jan 20 - 22, 2012

England:
Manchester United pull off a 2 - 1 win at he Emirates in the biggest match of the weekend.

Photo courtesy: Manutd.com
Elsewhere, City scrape through a 3 - 2 win versus Tottenham.

Italy:
Inter clinched a 2 -1 win versus Lazio to extend their unbeaten run to eight games now.

Spain:
Barcelona and Madrid recorded comfortable wins versus Malga and Bilbao respectively. And Messi scored another hat-trick!

Germany:
 Monchengladbach stunned Bayern Munich with a 3 - 1 win while Schalke registered a win over Stuttgart with goals from youngsters Joel Matip, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Julian Draxler (all under 21 starlets!)

Big action in the Midweek with the El Clasico in the Copa del Ray second leg of the quarterfinals at Camp Nou and Barca going in with a one goal lead!

Top billings - Jan 20 - 22, 2012

The top billing of the week - Arsenal vs Manchester United




Undoubtedly the most anticipated match after the 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Fixture: 4pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Manchester City vs Tottenham


The top Billing of the La Liga - Malga vs Barcelona
Barcelona are in high form after winning the El Clasico in the midweek for the first leg of the Copa Del Ray quarterfinals.
Fixture: 5pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixtures: Real Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao

The top Billing of the Serie A - Inter vs Lazio!
Inter are placed fifth and Lazio fourth in the league table. So, an important match for both.
Fixture: 7.45pm GMT, Sunday
Other good Fixture: Not really!

The top Billing of the Bundesliga - Mönchengladbach vs Bayern Munich
Gladbach sit in the fourth position and are only four points away from the Bavarians, who sit atop the league table.
Fixture: 7.30pm GMT, Friday
Other good Fixtures: Schalke vs Stuttgart

Another interesting weekend ahead!!!

Rooney - Chicharito Partnership, The Magic for United

The United team this season has seemed to lack a play maker and many have speculated the addition of a big name to fill in a vital gap in the Red Devils' ranks.
Look back into the season thus far and there are a few important cues that come out coherently. Sir Alex has constantly claimed that he does not need to make any major additions to team. But most pundits (many self proclaimed) call this decision into question time and again. A deeper look into the team and its games over this season would show why Sir Alex cannot be wrong when it comes to the trade of football!

Consider this:
The Magic called Wazza and Chicha! - Sir Alex has played Ronney in many positions this season. That exercise has gone further than understanding whether Wazza can create a better play from the different positions tried. It has proved to be a yardstick to measure his effectiveness and bring out his best! Chicharito is known to terrorize defenses, a primary reason why he could cement his place on and dislodge Berba from the first team berth. The games this season have proven that Wazza can be the chief creator, but then without a dangerous striker, his efforts would all go in vain. The dangerous partnership that Wazza and Chicha have developed thrives on this very tenet. Rooney need not operate as a striker upfront. His role in the hole behind Hernandez becomes a lethal weapon that most opponents would find difficult to shield. A Messi or a Rooney or an RVP can be marked alone throughout the game, but a killer pair would become difficult to stop for even the best of the teams in the trade.
Wazza's creating and Chicha's ghosting are more than enough!



Nani's Brilliance! - One might think, what if Chicha is blocked just as other lethal strikers are in the modern game? That may be a valid question. But there is more to United than the lethal pair upfront. A creative Nani is another weapon in Sir Alex's armory and when unleashed to full potential can change the course of a game single handed. But that is not to say that Nani should alone shoulder the burden in a more telling game. If and when the Magical partnership doesn't click, a change in tactic to employ Wazza as front man and Nani as a creator would keep any opponent gasping! (Whom all will the ooponents mark - Chicha, Rooney or Nani??)



Valencia's super crosses and Jones' marauding runs cannot be undermined too. On the whole, there are plenty of channels and tactical measures under United's belt.

In Sir Alex's favourite formation of 4-4-2 United do not need to add any new creator. Relying on Rooney to sit in the hole, Hernandez to terrorize defenses, Nani to revel in creativity and the collective brilliance of the likes of Valenica, Jones, De Gea and in fact the Whole Team can help United reach the pinnacle and put behind it the Ghost of Champions League elimination!





Tags: Manchester United, Barclays Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern Munich, Bavarians, Red Devils, Blues, Reds, Gunners, Rossoneri, Milan, Barca, Madridistas, Galacticos, Spurs, Champions League Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Phill Jones, David De Gea, Sir Alex Ferguson, SAF