Fiorentina have taken Barcelona's next-big-thing-but-not-quite-yet Keirrison on loan. La Viola's first choice target was Antonio Cassano but Sampdoria's asking price was too high and with the window slamming shut in the near future they pulled the trigger on the Brazilian. Fiorentina are in a position where they had to do something to shore up their attack after the Adrian Mutu debacle. Although Fiorentina advanced through a reasonably competitive group in the Champions League they are languishing in the middle of the Serie A table, 7 points out of qualifying for next year's competition. That they are alive on three fronts (league, Europe, and copa) means their squad will be taxed heavily in the coming months. They needed add an attacking player if they want to succeed but I am not sure this was the right move.
Kierrison was signed from Palmeiras last summer for around 20 million Euros and Barcelona immediately shipped him off to Benfica to gain European experience. That experiment was a flop as he look poor on the rare occasion he got some playing time. If a guy can not win a starting place over guys like Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo (solid players but not elite figures) what makes Fiorentina think he can thrive in the more demanding Serie A? He will probably be on the bench behind Jovetic and Gilardino most of the time but the number of fixtures means he will get chances. I really don't expect this to be the signing that pushes Fiorentina over the top. From Kierrison's point of view it could be said this is a fresh start, a second chance to justify the hype and transfer fee of last summer. He is still very young. And while it would be tempting to say it is make or break time, the truth is that you can get many, many chances. Ricardo Quaresma has flopped in 3 of the biggest leagues in Europe and still gets mentioned as a possible target by reasonably successful clubs.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
ACoN
I will freely admit I have not watched any of the African Cup of Nations matches. And I will also admit I am what you might call a hater and/or doubter when it comes to African football (as far as clubs and national teams go, I recognize that some of the best players in the world at elite clubs come from Africa). But seeing the highlights from the quarter final matches really left me in shock. The one that was particularly egregious was the match between World Cup bound Cameroon and 2 time defending champion Egypt. The game ended 3-1 in Egypt's favor and save the final goal scored (or more accurately not scored since it never crossed the line) on a freekick every goal involved at least one hackle raising mistake that would get a second division player sent to the bench. Like really eye-popping stuff. When I see play that sloppy in such an important game, my belief that African football is not ready for primetime is reinforced. Prove me wrong.
On a more serious note Pitch Itchy wishes a speedy and full recovery to Salvador Cabanas. He was shot in the head in a Mexico City nightclub early this morning. There seems to be a lot of tragedies around football these last few months. Sad and senseless, I hope he is able to pull through.
On a more serious note Pitch Itchy wishes a speedy and full recovery to Salvador Cabanas. He was shot in the head in a Mexico City nightclub early this morning. There seems to be a lot of tragedies around football these last few months. Sad and senseless, I hope he is able to pull through.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Thoughts on the Derby De La Mad
Here are some quick thoughts about Inter's 2-0 win today:
1. Julio Cesar is now the best goalkeeper in Serie A. Probably in the world.
2. Diego Milito is an absolute stud. In three Milan derbys he has scored four goals. His goals per game in Italy is well over .5, both this year and career.
3. The Sneijder red card for sarcastic clapping was absolutely ridiculous. That is a petty thing to do and maybe deserves to go in the book but come on. In the 27th minute?! Without any previous offenses?! In a huge game... not so cool.
4. Late in the first half Milan were their own worst enemy when it came to attack. So many balls to Inter players or lazy crosses or just killing time. AC Milan are probably the second best team in Italy right now but their lack of sharpness speaks to the current stature of Serie A vs La Liga and the Prem.
5. Down a goal but up a man Leonardo had the luxury of swapping Gatuso for Seedorf. Seedorf-Ronaldinho looked like a dangerous partnership in the opening minutes of the second half but the spark fizzled. It speaks volumes about a team when they can add an attacking player, be one man up for more than an hour, and the viewer hardly notices their opponent is on ten.
6. Goran Pandev seems to still be one-half step out of synch. That said he gives good effort and his free kick goal was beautiful. When he gets completely on the same page as the rest of the team he is going to go on a tear.
7. Lucio's red card was almost as stupid as Sneijder's. It was clearly a penalty but clearly not a red. Terrible call.
8. Ronaldinho sucks.
9. For being such a hardass Marco M. has a surprising fun side. He has hardly played this year but is always very supportive and lighthearted. When Balotelli scored that bomb of a freekick in the Champs League he ran off the bench and on to the field to congratulate what is by all accounts not a beloved player. He is always doing goofy stuff on the bench and I thought rocking the Berlusconi mask as the match ended was pretty good.
10. Pandev, Lucio, and Sneijder are on my fantasy team. So 1 goal is good but 2 red cards bad. Thanks jerk.
1. Julio Cesar is now the best goalkeeper in Serie A. Probably in the world.
2. Diego Milito is an absolute stud. In three Milan derbys he has scored four goals. His goals per game in Italy is well over .5, both this year and career.
3. The Sneijder red card for sarcastic clapping was absolutely ridiculous. That is a petty thing to do and maybe deserves to go in the book but come on. In the 27th minute?! Without any previous offenses?! In a huge game... not so cool.
4. Late in the first half Milan were their own worst enemy when it came to attack. So many balls to Inter players or lazy crosses or just killing time. AC Milan are probably the second best team in Italy right now but their lack of sharpness speaks to the current stature of Serie A vs La Liga and the Prem.
5. Down a goal but up a man Leonardo had the luxury of swapping Gatuso for Seedorf. Seedorf-Ronaldinho looked like a dangerous partnership in the opening minutes of the second half but the spark fizzled. It speaks volumes about a team when they can add an attacking player, be one man up for more than an hour, and the viewer hardly notices their opponent is on ten.
6. Goran Pandev seems to still be one-half step out of synch. That said he gives good effort and his free kick goal was beautiful. When he gets completely on the same page as the rest of the team he is going to go on a tear.
7. Lucio's red card was almost as stupid as Sneijder's. It was clearly a penalty but clearly not a red. Terrible call.
8. Ronaldinho sucks.
9. For being such a hardass Marco M. has a surprising fun side. He has hardly played this year but is always very supportive and lighthearted. When Balotelli scored that bomb of a freekick in the Champs League he ran off the bench and on to the field to congratulate what is by all accounts not a beloved player. He is always doing goofy stuff on the bench and I thought rocking the Berlusconi mask as the match ended was pretty good.
10. Pandev, Lucio, and Sneijder are on my fantasy team. So 1 goal is good but 2 red cards bad. Thanks jerk.
Nevermind
It looks like he is gone after all. This is going to be a fun one to speculate over. There is word that Guus is quitting the RNT officially next week so that might work.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
How Long Can He Last?
So Juve lost again. At home, again. This time they fell 2-1 to the resurgent Roma under former Grey Lady mister Claudio Ranieri. I know Ciro Ferrara seems to have an unending store of votes of confidence from the club but it feels like at some point he has to get sacked. They have taken only 3 of the last 18 possible points and are effectively out of the title chase. Add to that the embarassing debacle at home against Bayern Munich that took them out of the Champion's League and this is looking like the worst season post-calciopoli.
The squad isn't at the calibre of some of the powerhouses in Juventus history but it certainly has enough to be able to compete. Given the quickfinger culture of Italian football I am shocked he isn't gone yet. So much so that I think maybe he sticks out the season so they can bring in a big name over the summer. Or maybe not, who knows.
The squad isn't at the calibre of some of the powerhouses in Juventus history but it certainly has enough to be able to compete. Given the quickfinger culture of Italian football I am shocked he isn't gone yet. So much so that I think maybe he sticks out the season so they can bring in a big name over the summer. Or maybe not, who knows.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
So Sad
So that is my world cup prediction at the start of the new year. To recap here is how I see the round of 16:
France (1A) vs. Greece (2B)
Argentina (1B) vs. Uruguay (2A)
England (1C) vs. Ghana (2D)
Germany (1D) vs. USA (2C)
Netherlands (1E) vs. Italy (2F)
Paraguay (1F) vs. Denmark (2E)
Brazil (1G) vs. Chile (2H)
Spain (1H) vs. Portugal (2G)
I hope I am right. I love being right.
In much, much, much worse news, I am sure everyone has heard about the tragedy on the eve of the African Cup of Nations. Angolan rebels attacked the Togo team bus. The machine gun attack left at least four dead and many wounded. There is some dispute regarding the actual death toll and whether or not any players were among the fatalities, but ESPNsoccernet is reporting a goalkeeper was killed. I have seen that account denied in the European press, we will know soon.
I can't put into words how hard this bums me out. Togo rightly withdrew from the tournament and Marca claim that Ghana and Ivory Coast are on the verge of joining them. It is easy to blame Angola for lapse in security, and perhaps it is correct. But for me that is not the issue. The sadness is overwhelming when a tournament of such importance is subject to this. It is cliche for many of us in the western world to say things like "football is more than a game" and things of that nature, but the reality is that in some parts of Africa football is that rare thing that gets people to stop killing each other, at least for a while. And even if it sounds naive, to me it seems that when something like this comes along and ruins it, a certain bottom has dropped out.
How does/should this impact the world cup in South Africa? I don't know. It is well known that South Africa is a country with serious security problems, but they have had enough time to plan and from all accounts the South African government has been very good at seeking advice from abroad and coordinating it's efforts. A little over a year ago I was talking to a South African who lives here in the US about it and he told me in his opinion security would not be too much of an issue because the government would slam down an iron fist and create a pseudo-police state for the duration of the competition. I don't know if this is true but he made it sound plausible. It is probably for the best if it ensures the safety of players, staff, journalists, fans, and others. At the same time on a deeper level having that kind of thing happen in a host country kind of tarnishes what the game and the tournament should be about. It may be the reality of what has to happen, but it is not at all what I think a world cup should be.
France (1A) vs. Greece (2B)
Argentina (1B) vs. Uruguay (2A)
England (1C) vs. Ghana (2D)
Germany (1D) vs. USA (2C)
Netherlands (1E) vs. Italy (2F)
Paraguay (1F) vs. Denmark (2E)
Brazil (1G) vs. Chile (2H)
Spain (1H) vs. Portugal (2G)
I hope I am right. I love being right.
In much, much, much worse news, I am sure everyone has heard about the tragedy on the eve of the African Cup of Nations. Angolan rebels attacked the Togo team bus. The machine gun attack left at least four dead and many wounded. There is some dispute regarding the actual death toll and whether or not any players were among the fatalities, but ESPNsoccernet is reporting a goalkeeper was killed. I have seen that account denied in the European press, we will know soon.
I can't put into words how hard this bums me out. Togo rightly withdrew from the tournament and Marca claim that Ghana and Ivory Coast are on the verge of joining them. It is easy to blame Angola for lapse in security, and perhaps it is correct. But for me that is not the issue. The sadness is overwhelming when a tournament of such importance is subject to this. It is cliche for many of us in the western world to say things like "football is more than a game" and things of that nature, but the reality is that in some parts of Africa football is that rare thing that gets people to stop killing each other, at least for a while. And even if it sounds naive, to me it seems that when something like this comes along and ruins it, a certain bottom has dropped out.
How does/should this impact the world cup in South Africa? I don't know. It is well known that South Africa is a country with serious security problems, but they have had enough time to plan and from all accounts the South African government has been very good at seeking advice from abroad and coordinating it's efforts. A little over a year ago I was talking to a South African who lives here in the US about it and he told me in his opinion security would not be too much of an issue because the government would slam down an iron fist and create a pseudo-police state for the duration of the competition. I don't know if this is true but he made it sound plausible. It is probably for the best if it ensures the safety of players, staff, journalists, fans, and others. At the same time on a deeper level having that kind of thing happen in a host country kind of tarnishes what the game and the tournament should be about. It may be the reality of what has to happen, but it is not at all what I think a world cup should be.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Group H
H is for Heathrow, Heathers (the movie), Heather (the name), and hockey which is probably my favorite team sport other than football. H is also the final group.
Group H
Switzerland, Chile, Spain, Honduras
This one looks pretty straight forward to me. Four teams, each at a very different level with distinct playing styles. Surprises are always possible but I think we know how this one is going to go.
Switzerland- They had an impressive run in 2006 making it through the group stage on an airtight defense. We all know they were the only team to go out without conceding and that was cool. But their unimpressive performance as host of the Euro two years later was a let down. Switzerland aren't a bad team but I see them as a kind of "happy to be here" squad. Maybe they get to four points, and in some scenarios that could be enough, we will see.
PTW- I dunno.
Spain- The best team in the tournament as of right now Spain will demolish this group. They have what looks to be a perfect set of conditions. Skilled players that also want to win and know how, a hungry and accomplished coach who can both motivate and handle the tactical side of managing, a deep squad that boasts more than one elite player at nearly every position, a group of players mostly at or near their prime, and the experience of having won a major trophy recently. One of the things that makes Spain easy to like as a neutral observer is that they are a superpower that wins and wins and wins but does it always on their terms. And in their case that means fluid, attractive, and attacking football.
PTW- Andres Iniesta. Spain are overloaded with superstars so this is subjective, but I think he is a key piece. At both club and country level Iniesta's teams have been nearly unbeatable the last 18 months. But take a look at the rare occasions they have lost: he has been absent. It may or may not be a coincidence but when Iniesta is running and touching and passing alongside Xavi there is no other midfield duo in the world that can approach them.
Honduras- This team is garbage. They qualified through Concacaf where they are an okay side, but on the big stage in a group where they are clearly the worst of the four their chances are extremely slim.
PTW- Carlos Pavon. Maybe he gets them a much needed goal. Does he get them two or three? Seriously doubt it, but maybe he makes me eat my words.
Chile- Much like Paraguay this is a team that will surprise those who do not follow the South American game. Marcelo Bielsa whipped the Chileans into a disciplined and astute team that can control the flow of a game to their advantage. Watching them play in qualifying was very enjoyable. They had a few signature wins over regional rivals and I fully expect them to take second place in this group. Chile do not have a great history at world cups but this team is cohesive and organized and has some legitimately good players like Alexis Sanchez and Chupete Suazo.
PTW- Speaking of... Suazo plays in the comparatively inferior Mexican league but he is a true goal scorer who is able to bury chances when they arrive. In this tournament I see the team laboring to create opportunities for him and he will seal the deal the if they are to go through. And he probably will.
Group H predictions
1. Spain (9)
2. Chile (6)
3. Switzerland (3)
4. Honduras (3)
Group H
Switzerland, Chile, Spain, Honduras
This one looks pretty straight forward to me. Four teams, each at a very different level with distinct playing styles. Surprises are always possible but I think we know how this one is going to go.
Switzerland- They had an impressive run in 2006 making it through the group stage on an airtight defense. We all know they were the only team to go out without conceding and that was cool. But their unimpressive performance as host of the Euro two years later was a let down. Switzerland aren't a bad team but I see them as a kind of "happy to be here" squad. Maybe they get to four points, and in some scenarios that could be enough, we will see.
PTW- I dunno.
Spain- The best team in the tournament as of right now Spain will demolish this group. They have what looks to be a perfect set of conditions. Skilled players that also want to win and know how, a hungry and accomplished coach who can both motivate and handle the tactical side of managing, a deep squad that boasts more than one elite player at nearly every position, a group of players mostly at or near their prime, and the experience of having won a major trophy recently. One of the things that makes Spain easy to like as a neutral observer is that they are a superpower that wins and wins and wins but does it always on their terms. And in their case that means fluid, attractive, and attacking football.
PTW- Andres Iniesta. Spain are overloaded with superstars so this is subjective, but I think he is a key piece. At both club and country level Iniesta's teams have been nearly unbeatable the last 18 months. But take a look at the rare occasions they have lost: he has been absent. It may or may not be a coincidence but when Iniesta is running and touching and passing alongside Xavi there is no other midfield duo in the world that can approach them.
Honduras- This team is garbage. They qualified through Concacaf where they are an okay side, but on the big stage in a group where they are clearly the worst of the four their chances are extremely slim.
PTW- Carlos Pavon. Maybe he gets them a much needed goal. Does he get them two or three? Seriously doubt it, but maybe he makes me eat my words.
Chile- Much like Paraguay this is a team that will surprise those who do not follow the South American game. Marcelo Bielsa whipped the Chileans into a disciplined and astute team that can control the flow of a game to their advantage. Watching them play in qualifying was very enjoyable. They had a few signature wins over regional rivals and I fully expect them to take second place in this group. Chile do not have a great history at world cups but this team is cohesive and organized and has some legitimately good players like Alexis Sanchez and Chupete Suazo.
PTW- Speaking of... Suazo plays in the comparatively inferior Mexican league but he is a true goal scorer who is able to bury chances when they arrive. In this tournament I see the team laboring to create opportunities for him and he will seal the deal the if they are to go through. And he probably will.
Group H predictions
1. Spain (9)
2. Chile (6)
3. Switzerland (3)
4. Honduras (3)
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