UK Football

What are Manchester City doing because I’m completely confused.  Mark Hughes now has 10 strikers in his squad, all of which with personalities that don’t exactly suggest comfort when being forced to sit on the bench.  Not to mention we’re also not talking about a manager that can command respect through a legendary level of understanding of the game like a Capello, or Ferguson, or Wenger, or Mourinho.  Any of them I’d give a fair chance of controlling the egos Manchester City has paid a massive amount of money for, but Mark Hughes doesn’t have a prayer, and is showing just how clueless an infinite amount of transfer money makes him.

How Hughes is going to find a format for Santa Cruz, Robinho, Adebayor, Tevez, and Bellamy to fit in comfortably with the squad.  Someone is going to be pissed off, which is going to mean that somebody is going to leave, meaning City will have spent an obnoxious amount of transfer money for no reason.  Right now it looks as though Hughes is just buying as many big name players as City can possibly sign, in a bid to buy their way into the top four, instead of developing talent.  

Case in point, Danny Sturridge, who was a Manchester City youth product that Hughes sold to Chelsea, who has been playing in Chelsea’s preseason matches, and showing himself worthy of playing at a big club by delivering when asked.  You don’t get to the top four by buying your talent, you get there by finding the right players and developing them.  What part of this does Hughes not understand?  And why would City sell a youth product that was shaping up well?  Your youth academy should always be the first place you look!

But then I’m not Manchester City’s manager, and apparently Mark Hughes has a strategy that none of us are privy to, so we all have to wait and see what’s going to happen.  But mark my words, if this doesn’t work out for Hughes pretty fast, I guarantee City find a new manager real quick.  Hughes is costing them an awful lot of money without making an awful lot of progress. 

Manchester City with their infinite billions, are targeting Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o as the big possibility for their next high profile transfer, when the window opens this summer.  And Barcelona isn’t a bad place to be looking for talent, considering the Spanish giants are practically overflowing with it.   Which will also no doubt propel them to a Champions League title this year.

Which is why I say if you’re targeting someone on Barcelona, and you want a striker that you know can handle the Prem, why waste your time on Eto’o when Henry could easily be pried from Barca’s slimy fingers.  You know, Thierry Henry, the man that single handedly turned Arsenal into the best club anybody had ever seen, when they completely dominated the Premiership in the 03/04 season.  Henry can not only play the Premiership way, he can excel at it like few other players could ever hope to accomplish. 

That’s the target City should be gunning for, that’s the type of quality Mark Hughes needs to put that transfer money to good use.

And if you’re still not convinced, remember Henry was the Premiership’s top scorer for three years in a row before he left the League.  

photo: Oldelpaso

Mark Hughes has made it a habit to target the right players, opposed to the high profile football celebrities everybody thinks City should target given their unlimited transfer budget.  Up to this point I agreed with Mark Hughes strategy, especially considering the quality Hughes has to make useful players more useful, like what Hughes did with David Bentley last season.  But now I have to say, perhaps City aren’t employing the strongest possible strategy, because something is still seriously wrong at the club, and none of the current transfers have had any effect on making the squad better in the long run.

Mark Hughes has a serious problem on his hands, and the retooling of the squad up to this point hasn’t really done it’s job at all.  Leading me to believe City need a new strategy, or a new manager at the end of the season.  Because those unlimited billions are being wasted on a club that could be called lackluster at best.  

photo: de:User:Lokomotive74

Lots of interesting transfer gossip going around the league today, perhaps the most interesting of which, the reported interest Manchester United has shown in Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery.  Apparently Sir Alex is preparing a bid for the French superstar, and I have to say seeing what Ferguson would make out of France’s finest midfielder would be more than intriguing.  Ribery would be a fantastic addition to the United squad, especially given his attacking nature, and also considering United don’t really have a central mid that can put real attacking pressure on defenders.

And finally, apparently Spurs are prepared to part with David Bentley, likely because of the England mans lackluster performances and overall failure to find form.  With Manchester City’s Mark Hughes reportedly taking the biggest interest, Bentley may have a chance to recreate the excellence he found at Blackburn under Hughes.  Although I sincerely doubt Bentley will find much of a career resurgence at any other club, Mark Hughes seems the only one who’s been ever able to get a decent showing out of the lad.  

Guus Hiddink has revealed that he plans to stay on at Chelsea in some capacity, come seasons end.  Hiddink most likely will not remain as manager of the club, as no doubt it would be very difficult to manage a Premier League club’s entire season, as well as the Russian international squad.  But rather Hiddink could take on the role of a club consultant, helping Roman Abramovich decide which players to bring in, as well as finding the correct choice for a more permanent manager.

And honestly, I don’t see any reason why AC Milan wouldn’t be open to selling him, sure Ronaldinho almost always performs well, but the team is so spoiled for talent I guarantee they wouldn’t miss the Brazilian star at all. 

photo: Mikołaj Kirschke

Manchester City are set to make Tottenham’s David Bentley one of their top targets this summer, and I have to say, that’s more like where City need to be looking for realistic transfers.  David Bentley was fantastic, actually brilliant, the last time he was under Mark Hughes’ tutelage at Blackburn.  Tottenham has proved to have been a huge career mistake for Bentley, but the lad is still absolutely full of talent and potential.  And you’d be hard pressed to find a right foot that can deliver a better cross or take a free kick with more accuracy than Bentley when he’s on his game.

Also, Nicolas Anelka could end up sidelined for at least three weeks with a toe injury, picked up in Chelsea’s defeat at the hands of Tottenham 1-0.  The French Football Federation reported the injury, as Anelka was being assessed for international fitness ahead of this weeks international fixtures.  If Anelka’ s injury is indeed as bad as the French predict, than Anelka is likely to miss Chelsea’s first crack at Liverpool in the Champions League.  And I’m not so sure that Chelsea have it in them to beat Liverpool this time around anyway, but without the amazing contributions Anelka has made for the Blues this season, I’m thinking Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea are pretty well facing elimination from the Champions League. 

photo: James Adams

The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup draw took place today, and finally we know exactly how the quarterfinals are set up to play out.  The next two legs of the Champions League will take place on April 7/8 and April 14/15, and will feature:

• Manchester United v FC Porto
• Liverpool v Chelsea
• Arsenal v Villarreal
• Barcelona v Bayern Munich
  

The UEFA Cup ties will take place April 9th and 16th, and will feature:

• Manchester City v Hamburg
• PSG v Dynamo Kiev
• Shakhtar Donetsk v Marseille
• Werder Bremen v Udinese 

Now that we’ve got that news out of the way, back to the Premiership…

Theo Walcott has found himself injured once again, after the 20 year old England hopeful was finally back in training, after recovering from a shoulder injury sustained while away on international duty back in November.  Walcott injured himself in training with Arsenal, well actually Walcott was injured walking from the training pitch to the dressing room, when the winger took an awkward step and locked his knee, possibly causing cartilage damage. 

photo: Wonker

Walcott will need proper scans before any word on how long Arsenal’s fastest attacker will be out of the squad.  And all I can think is, what horrid luck Walcott is having this season.  The boy starts out as a revelation for England and Arsenal with his attacking fury flying down the right flank, having his best Premiership season yet.   And then the shoulder injury puts him out for five months, and now when Walcott is finally ready to return, he injures himself walking after training.  Unlucky.

Though only time will tell if Redknapp can fix the many mistakes that are still very evident at White Hart Lane.  

photo: 20 Minutos

Valencia have officially confirmed that representatives from Manchester City met with the Spanish club to discuss the possible transfer of David Villa.  Valencia also admitted that the plummeting global economy, and uncertain financial status at the club may influence Valencia to sell David Villa this summer to help make ends meet.  Which I’m sure Manchester City will like to hear, considering the infinite transfer budget the club seems to have.

If David Villa can adapt to the physical element, and higher pace of the Premier League, I could see the Spain international finding the success his countryman Fernando Torres has found in England, and Manchester City could desperately use a player of that quality.  Although Villa won’t come cheap, and that’s an issue Manchester City and Valencia seem to disagree about.

Valencia vice-president Fernando Gomez said when asked about the meeting with Manchester City “Yes, it’s true but they didn’t make us an any offer.

“The president Vicente Soriano asked for a significant amount and they didn’t agree.”

Which to me says, if Manchester City don’t smarten up and make a fair offer to Valencia, especially for a player of Villa’s quality, Mark Hughes is going to miss out on another potential star.  City need to stop chasing targets that don’t make sense realistically, with ridiculously large bids, like Lionel Messi and Kaka.  Instead Manchester City need to focus on real targets, and real possibilities, like David Villa, so for the sake of City, throw the money at him.

Because with David Villa you have a very good chance of signing yourself a new star, and you can’t tell me Villa won’t benefit the organization as much as any other big name player.

photo: Darz Mol

Manchester City look to be once again attempting to force a transfer that will never happen by throwing a ton of money at a player that will realistically never move from their current club.  The newest in the trend is Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who’s set up to be another £100million target for City, and just like Kaka, Messi is going to turn down the offer outright.

How many times in the past has Lionel Messi voiced his support for Barcelona and his desire to end his career playing for the club?  Barcelona gave Messi the big club training and the world stage he needed to become one of the world’s finest footballers, and Messi knows this and respects what the club has done for him, and has basically pledged his allegiance to them for as long as the Spanish club will keep him.  You’re never going to pry a person with that much club loyalty away, no matter how much money you throw at him.

photo: James Adams

That would be like persuading Ryan Giggs, football’s shining example of what loyalty and honour to your club means, to leave his club of 19 years over nothing more than just a wad of cash.  Which means it’s n-e-v-e-r going to happen, and City would do well to spend that money instead on 6-7 realistic targets to bolster their squad, instead of wasting time and effort on a deal that’s nothing more than fantasy.

Middlesbrough are bound to flop this season, so spend some of that £100m to save Stewart Downing from the ashes, and throw in Tuncay with him, he’d be a great forward to have on the bench for when City find themselves underperforming or in need of a late goal.  Or how about John Carew, a gigantic aerial threat the likes of which City desperately need for their set pieces, and you can’t tell me that after the way he’s been treated this season Aston Villa wouldn’t be ready to part with him.  And the biggest plus is that Downing, Carew and Tuncay are realistic targets that still have the potential to turn City into one of those Champions League challenging sides, and they would only cost a fraction of what a Messi would cost, and all three would make you a better club than one Messi possibly could.

photo: Flums

Rafael Benitez finally admits his folly on the subject of Fernando Torres, or at least the Spaniard came as close to doing so as he ever has before.  Benitez said that the injuries to Torres have changed Liverpool’s season dramatically, and considering how many goals the Spanish striker netted last year, Liverpool could have been in a much better position to win the league, should Torres have remained healthy.

But nowhere does Rafa mention the part in which it’s basically his fault that Torres has been constantly injured this season.  First off Torres started the season with an ankle injury, and then Benitez played him too early, which has led to the horrid season Torres is having, because Benitez hasn’t stopped playing Torres before he should return from injury.  Whether it be the constant ankle problems, or persistent hamstring injuries, I don’t think Torres has been given the time he needs to heal.  And the only one to blame for that is Rafa himself.

Liverpool would be in a different spot had Torres been able to recreate his 30+ goals of last season, but Rafa’s bad management at the top of the table have put them now seven points behind Manchester United, and dropped them to third place.  The real problem with Liverpool is just that Benitez isn’t the sort of manager that can lead a team to victory in a contest like the Premiership.  He’ll win you a tournament, but Benitez can’t last at the top for 38 matches, and he’ll never be Liverpool’s answer if they ever want to win the Premiership.

AC Milan once again try to keep David Beckham in Italy as long as possible.  Milan have conceded defeat on the permanent move for Beckham front, and instead are hoping to persuade the LA Galaxy to let their star boy stay until June, considering the MLS really won’t need him until then.  Plus that way AC Milan win in the end, because they get Becks until the end of the season, and it’s practically guaranteed at this point that next January the move won’t just be a loan deal.  Let’s hope the Galaxy go for it, because that would be great news for those of us that want Beckham to play in a league more befitting his talents.

And finally, Craig Bellamy, who has been absolutely brilliant in a City side desperately in need of any brilliance they can find, is out for at least three weeks with a knee injury.  Really bad news for City considering Bellamy’s history of knee injuries. Leading me to wonder if this will end up being a one time deal, or if Bellamy just started a long string of injuries that will plague him for the rest of his career.