2015 Soccer Preview

Nate’s 9: European Football Preview 2015-16

            I kind of missed the mark on getting this out in time. Usually, the season starts with the UEFA Super Cup and we go from there, but I guess because none of the English teams challenge on the European fronts anymore, they decided to take advantage and schedule an entire slate of games before the season kick-off. Fine by me. An extra opportunity to make assessments, opinions and the like. In years past, this blog tends to be a master piece of sorts (4-5pgs.), but usually pulls in good value (200-250 readers). This year, I’m giving you all the Twitter version (140 characters), with all hopes and purposes of only getting a half dozen of you to actually look at this. Of course I’m kidding, thank you, and enjoy the beautiful season!

1. The League Predictions

EPL:

Champions – Chelsea. Just barely though, I think we’re in for a good title race this season.

Surprise Package – Stoke City. I agree with the masses for the most part. The signings have been impressive.

Bottom – Norwich City. I just don’t get it. They have the talent, but...

La Liga:

Champions – Real Madrid. I hate this. Rafa wins a title. But they appear strong.

Surprise Package – Sevilla. Not to me, I like them for 4^th. Now, everyone will too.

Bottom – Las Palmas. Usually, I know at least 1 player on all first division teams. Not so this year thanks to this club.

Serie A:

Champions – Juventus. I hate the Arturo Vidal sale. But they are still strongest.

Surprise Package – Inter. No one has them in the top 3, but I think they push for it.

Bottom – Carpi FC. Lovely story, and if it wasn’t for loan-ins, I would once again not recognize a soul. But punching way, way, way above their weight.

Bundesliga:

Champions – VFL Wolfsburg.  Only if Kevin de Bruyne stays. Just because some other major club wants Europe this year.

Surprise Package – Anyone could finish 7^th. I’ll give it to FC Koln who signed some decent players this summer.

Bottom – Bless their hearts, but FC Ingolstadt needs to get better yesterday, if they have hope of staying up in this now, difficult league.

Ligue 1:

Champions – PSG. Lyon sells Lacazette before the deadline, to make things dull.

Surprise Package – Caen. I liked them before the Marseille match, and I think Andy Delort will break out this year.

Bottom – Um, hmm. No clue. My Ligue 1 expertise is minimal at best. Troyes?

2. European Predictions:

Champions League QF’s – Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, FC Bayern, Juventus, PSG, FC Porto.

Champions League SF’s – Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, FC Bayern, PSG

Champions League Final and winner – FC Bayern vs PSG. My biggest upset. PSG.

Europa League SF’s – Fenerbahce, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, Sevilla.

Europa League Final and winner – Tottenham vs Sevilla, and Sevilla win another.

3. European Team of the Year:

• GK – Michael Neuer (FC Bayern)
• Defenders – Thiago Silva (PSG), Mahdi Benatia (FC Bayern), Adil Rami (Sevilla), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
• Midfielders – Iniesta (Barcelona), Kevin De Bruyne (VFL Wolfsburg, hopefully), Arturo Vidal (FC Bayern), Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
• Forwards – Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Falcao (Chelsea. No, I’m just kidding. 2 years ago though...)

4. Favorite Team of the Year:

• GK – David De Gea (Manchester United/Real Madrid)
• Defenders – Serge Aurier (PSG), Thiago Silva (PSG) David Luiz (PSG, Ha, yeah right...) Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Seamus Coleman (Everton)
• Midfielders – Memphis (Manchester United), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Paul Pogba (Juventus), YaYa Toure (Manchester City)
• Forwards – Cristiano Ronaldo (My Bedroom), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon/Arsenal).

5. Best/Worst signing

• Best: Sami Khedira (Juventus), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Douglas Costa (FC Bayern), Memphis (Manchester United), Jordy Clasie (Southampton), Kevin Trapp (PSG), Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Max Kruse (VFL Wolfsburg), Luciano Vietto (Atletico Madrid), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United) and painfully Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City most likely, but ideally FC Bayern).
• Worst: Danilo (Real Madrid), Simone Zaza (Juventus), Karim Rekik (Marseille -he’s terrible), Max Gradel (Bournemouth - €10 million, yikes!) Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Etienne Capoue (Watford), Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan - €30 million!!! For a 20 year old. Unless he’s Rio Ferdinand.)

6. Top 5 Future Stars

            1. Gabigol. (Santos, and really is Gabriel Barbosa) I only get to see the highlights on ESPN FC, but there’s no doubt he’s the real deal. Many compare him to Neymar, but he’s got more maturity about him. I think we have the next Sergio Aguero on our hands.

            2. Dennis Praet (Anderlecht). I’ve been obsessed about his talent for years. He’d be the perfect player to replicate everything Paul Scholes ever did for Manchester United, but for whatever reason, he has yet to leave Anderlecht.

            3. Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht). Another one of the ridiculous amount of superstars that Anderlecht keeps sending through. I’m a little nervous; his game translates similar to Cesc Fabregas, and I could see Chelsea snapping him up in a few years’ time.

            4. Hakan Calhanoglu (Bayer Leverkusen). Loved him in Champions league last year with Bayer. Can play any of the front 3 midfield positions, and now thanks to Fox Sports, I’ll get to see him every week. Eventually ends up at FC Bayern, I would imagine.

            5. Calum Chambers (Arsenal). I’m only nervous, because I think he’s being used incorrectly. There once was a time when I thought that Luke Shaw was going to be the brightest English talent. It now should belong to Chambers, as long as Wenger and co. don’t screw it up.

7. Five Up and Coming clubs

            1. Sevilla. They’ve been great since the end of last season, but I think everyone really gets to see how deep and talented this team really is. While they probably won’t contend for the La Liga title, they could very well win the Europa League or even qualify to the Champions League knockout rounds, and/or the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup)

            2. Crystal Palace. While everyone was talking about Stoke City, is talking about West Ham, and will be talking about Southampton, I love, love, love what Alan Pardew is doing at Crystal Palace. The signings of Yohan Cabaye and Connor Wickham, plus the encouraged improvement of Yannick Bolasie and Wilifred Zaha, Palace could challenge for a place in Europe. Too bad they’ll all be plucked away in twelve months time.

            3. VFL Wolfsburg. Granted, this has a lot to do with everyone staying, but they could be in for a special season this year. They have 15 very talented players, and the chemistry is pretty remarkable considering the newness of their success. A title could be in the balance if no further changes are made.

            4. Fiorentina ACF. They aren’t really coming as they’ve been successful for a little while now. By successful, I mean a top 7 Serie A club. This is the year I think they push to become a Champions League squad. They have the experience (Joaquin, Valero), and they have some exciting attacking talent (Khouma Babacar, Ante Rebic). If the defense holds, I think Champions League beckons.

            5. Anderlecht. Seriously. I only got to see them twice last season, as they don’t get on television very often. But the kids can play (As Arsenal and Dortmund can attest to – they earned a draw off of both clubs and beat Galatasaray). I jest, but they have about 6 teenagers in their line-up. Granted, they will get picked apart by the vultures of Europe, but if you get Europa League matches on Fox Sports 1&2, give this team a try.

8. Five Matches to watch if you’re new to the sport.

            I understand that the United States sports media actually cares about soccer a little bit, and now all five of the big leagues are aired live over here in the states. Pretty impressive, considering where we were when I came home from Germany (1 league live). Now that everything is essentially watchable, here are some derbies you new fans should check out...

            1. El Classico – Real Madrid vs Barcelona. Why wouldn’t I mention it? While the theatrics are a bit much, when there is football, it’s awesome.

            2. Newcastle vs Sunderland. Just watch the people in the crowd. It’s absolutely crazy.

            3. PSG vs Marseille. Another one where the passion tends to spill over into the crowd. The fans from Marseille really don’t like anything that comes from Paris. I understand it, and the games are usually fantastic as well.

            4. Manchester United vs Liverpool. Still alive and well. The one I truly get up for.

            5. AC Milan vs Inter Milan. Not what it was five years ago, but it’s a bunch of buddies that for 90 minutes have to hate each other. It’s still amazing to me how many players switch between these two sides though.

9. Five Things for the more experienced fan to consider.

            1. Let’s end the Messi vs Ronaldo debate once and for all. Who is truly the best of our generation?

            2. Why can’t the rest of Europe negotiate TV the way England does? The mid-table is getting better and better and all four English sides could go far in Champions League.

            3. Who’s going to win the 2016 European Championships? While Germany looks the front runner, does Portugal finally shine during Ronaldo’s last run for a major trophy? Is France the next golden generation with all of their young talent? Do we watch out for Belgium?

            4. Thoughts on the transfer window? More and more managers want to see it end on July 31^st, similar to our sports’ principles. Teams can go to pre-season prepared and knowing that nothing will change significantly.

            5. Every year since I’ve followed the sport there has been a big surprise. Whether it be in the Champions League finals with FC Porto (2004), Liverpool (2005), Atletico (2014), Dortmund (2012), or in domestic cups and league results, something exciting and unexpected seems to happen. Who’s going to make the magic this season? (I hope its Martin Ødegaard and Enzo Fernandez with their expected new stardom with Real Madrid.)

Soccer Hodgepodge

Nate’s 9: Soccer Hodgepodge

            Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be working on the season previews for the only two that really matter, football and football. Until those are finished though, I thought I would write up a few appetizers to get the mouth watering while we count down the days to our beloved EPL, NFL, Bundesliga, Big Ten, etc. Last week was my NFL questions, which seemed to go rather well. I annoyed a good many of you, and no one agrees that the Carolina Panthers have a shot at getting to the Super Bowl. Fine. My only response is this: Jake Delhomme. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the things that could and should matter during the 2015-16 European soccer (football) season. I’m getting really excited for...

            #9. Thomas Tuchel taking over BVB Dortmund. While this isn’t my favorite club (although it’s always been close), I’m more excited to see what Tuchel can do for Dortmund, than I was when David Moyes got a shot to succeed at United (To be fair, Moyes reign started with apprehension and only got worse from there). Tuchel has done a magnificent job with the resources and budget that he had at Mainz 05; they are now a fixture to stay in the Bundesliga for the next few seasons to come. While no one is better than Jurgen Klopp for me, the fact of the matter is, Dortmund ALWAYS played a 4-2-3-1 system while Klopp was there. Tuchel uses many formations and changes the tactics within them. He says he’s going to start with a 4-1-4-1, but I do believe there will be a little bit of versatility to the arrangement. I’m excited for the future, and it’ll be interesting to see if Tuchel can get them back into a title race and those fun Champions League places that the big clubs always seem to be after.

            #8. If PSG will stack up in Europe. I think there are a few people that believe they will finally get their ‘missing piece’ when Angel Di Maria makes his move to the Parc des Princes. They’ve already proven that they are now the powerhouse club in France, but they haven’t made their imprint on European football as of yet. Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore evidently weren’t the answers, which is odd considering their price tags. Now, comes Di Maria. While I think he will be a good fit running down the right side of the field, or next to Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi in their triangular midfield, they still lack the defensive class that I think it will take to knock down a Barcelona or Real Madrid. They will certainly be fun to watch this season, however.

            #7. Pep Guardiola ruining of Bayern Munich. Bayern does the treble three years ago. They have great talent throughout the side, and with the signing of Mario Gœtze, look like they are set up for years. Guardiola comes in, and while they’ve been good (especially in the league); they only won 1 trophy last year, and look a bit vulnerable in some places in the team. I’ll never understand why Pep sold Toni Kroos. Perhaps it was a contractual thing, or maybe the signing of Thiago Alcantara said something. But he was the perfect and ready replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger and he can play in any of the five Bayern Munich midfield positions. Yet, he was sold and then replaced with the elegant, albeit slow Xabi Alonso. Bayern isn’t allowed to be as physical, and their counter-attacking prowess is converted into possession-based football. Next, he gets Robert Lewandowski on a free. A player it would appear, that loves Bayern Munich above self. He wanted to play at Bayern for years. Yet, he is miss-handled all season long, and played out of position at times. The list continues. Philip Lahm to mid-field. David Alaba at centerback. This is probably Pep’s most important season. He brought in Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal, two good players that should step in immediately. But I’m not sure why a great future had to be destroyed to build a good, but not spectacular team in Pep’s favor.

            #6. If Louis Van Gaal has finally built his United team. In two seasons, Van Gaal has brought in no less than twelve players. For those poor at math, he has quite possibly replaced every starter, plus first man off the bench. Could United have been so poor? His results have been mixed so far; he hit nicely with the Daley Blind and Ander Herrera (Ander was Ed Woodward’s actually) signings, and missed badly with Falcao and the aforementioned Di Maria. He has already purchased three midfielders this season, and it’s rumored one more could be in before the end of the open season. Does he finally push forward with the team he’s created? Or does he push to spend another £100 million at season’s end?

            #5. Knowing why Jose Mourinho and Chelsea have been so quiet. Something is happening. Mourinho uses the transfer season to boast about his own accomplishments, derive conversations about how horrible other managers are, and undermine players from rival teams just to get the mind games going in time for the new season. This year, however? Nothing. Not so much as a peep, outside of his conversation with the wife of Rafa Benitez over the handling of the many clubs that they both seem to love. It’s disconcerting, and I would like to know what they are up to... And why didn’t they sign Raheem Sterling? Eden Hazard, Oscar and Sterling running at your defenders in continuous counter-attacks that were started by Nemanja Matic and Cesc would have been one of the most terrifying things in Europe. And perhaps enough to pull down that remarkable Champions League trophy once again.

            #4. Knowing whether Arsenal has enough firepower to win the Premier League. No.

            #3. Guessing which Spanish side makes it to the Champions League final this time. I’m not sure what makes Diego Simeone so interested in continuing to blow up a great squad, but I’d like to see if he can break up the duopoly in the league, and potentially take out one of the giants (FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, I hope you knew already) in Europe as well. I understand the Diego Costa sale as it essentially funded a new run at European and domestic success, but why did he choose to sell Mario Mandzukic (Although Jackson Martinez could be the best signing in Europe this year)? You need a bit of depth to go far in multiple competitions and by getting rid of Arda Turan as well, they’ve lost a lot of their firepower. If the race in Spain is only between the two classics, look for them to really push to make the European final the first “El Classico” on the biggest stage.

            #2. Considering which player takes the next step up to world class. I think that this may be the toughest question to answer. We know that there are about 15-20 that fit in the category currently. Players that should never get sold, and essentially put butts in seats (i.e. Messi, Cristiano, Hazard, Zlatan, etc). Last year I thought it would be Antoine Griezmann, and I was pretty close. He’s just a hair shy of the top level in my humble opinion. Paul Pogba took that step, but that was a much easier prediction based on his World Cup performance. Lucas Moura may have grabbed that chance with PSG, but now it looks like he will be replaced by Di Maria. I wavered a little bit when making my final #1, with a bullet decision, but my pick this year will be Sami Khedira of Juventus. I think Bayern signed the wrong guy (Vidal), and Juventus might just make another Champions League final appearance with their shiny, new signing. I look for him to match Pogba for production, and along with Marchisio, really take that Juventus midfield to the level of a Barcelona and Real Madrid. (And now he's injured. Badly. Well, can't back out now...)

Runner-Ups

• Kevin De Bruyne
• Nemanja Matic
• Ashley Young (winky face)
• Arda Turan
• Serge Aurier
• Raphael Varane
• Harry Kane

            #1. What’s the biggest surprise for the 2015-16 season? I have a few, but I want to see how the rest of the transfer window plays out. I really like the team Roma is putting together, but Juventus did well to retain most of their talent in order to win another Scudetto (Carlos Tevez won’t be missed at all... i.e. Mandzukic. Morata). I love VFL Wolfsburg, but I think Bayern will be just strong enough (4-6 points or so) to keep Wolfsburg from winning the Bundesliga. I like PSG for Europe, and they could win the whole thing. If Man Utd can retain David De Gea, they could challenge on multiple fronts as well. My biggest surprise to the season though is something that hasn’t happened yet. I really don’t want to see this happen as a Man Utd fan, but when Karim Benzema signs on the dotted line with Arsenal, I think that it could be enough to take them from title challengers into the title forefront. A team that generates numerous chances already, enhanced by getting a striker that has a high scoring percentage, looks like the perfect match. I, unfortunately, believe it is.