Best league in the world? The Bundesliga needs to wake up – fast!

GERMANY’S CLUB FOOTBALL IS IN DECLINE.

When talking about German football in Europe, the teams that most people will associate with the Bundesliga these days are Bayern, Dortmund and perhaps someone like Leverkusen or Schalke. Leipzig are slowly making a name for themselves, but given that this is the first year of Champions League football in the club’s young history, they are still miles behind what some of the aforementioned teams can look back on. Regardless, whether it’s Bayern or Leverkusen or even Leipzig, not a single one of these teams brings with it the fear factor of teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and most recently Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern management likes to believe they are still one of Europe’s elite, but even their players are starting to doubt that they’re currently equipped to make some sort of run at the Champions League title. If this is the state of Bundesliga’s unrivalled champions (Bayern has now won 5 titles in a row), then the rest of the league is in even more trouble. Looking at UEFA’s country coefficient, Germany has taken a hit and fallen out of the top three, but if we zoom in on the development over this season alone, the Bundesliga teams have managed to collect only 8.857 points. This number is the fourth-worst among Europe’s top 10 countries, only besting Belgium (2.600), Turkey (6.800) and the Ukraine (8.000). Six German teams get to compete in both, the Champions and the Europa League, but of those six teams only Bayern (Champions League) and Leipzig (Europa League) are still in the running for European silverware. Germany’s top finishers from last season are currently nothing less than an embarrassment.

But how can a league that’s been such an integral part of football’s most recent history, with a national team that is the current World Cup winner, be in this kind of state?

A major problem the Bundesliga clubs face is the money that’s come into the market through TV deals (e.g. England) or investors (e.g. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City). With money and higher salaries slowly, but surely becoming a bigger factor than club loyalty, German players are more willing than ever to leave their nest and head out into the world. German clubs aren’t ready (or willing) to become a part of the craze that’s most recently reached its peak in PSG’s 402-million euro transfers for Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappé. And while that is certainly admirable, club officials in Germany must realise that if they’re going to ignore this trend then the Bundesliga will continue to fall further down the pecking order with every passing matchday in European competitions.

The Bundesliga has turned into an export league. With the exception of Bayern München, it has become the “La Masia” of Europe. German teams find the talent and develop it only for an English, Spanish or Italian team to swoop in with a big-money offer and steal the league’s best players away from Germany. Mesut Özil, Leroy Sané, Marc-André ter Stegen or Toni Kroos are just a few of the big name (German) players currently playing abroad. Looking at the internationals you have player names like Kevin de Bruyne or Ousmane Dembélé come to mind as those who developed in the Bundesliga. With all this talent leaving the Bundesliga, there is just not enough new talent coming into the league to fill the shoes left by some of these names. This brings me to the economic shortcomings of many Bundesliga teams. Players like Toni Kroos, whose market value currently sits at a whopping 80 million euros have left the Bundesliga for 25 million euros. An absolute joke of an amount at the time and even more of a failure now. Just to refresh everyone’s memory: at the time of his summer transfer to Real Madrid, Kroos had already won the Champions League and was an invaluable piece in Germany’s successful campaign of capturing their fourth World Cup title just a few weeks earlier. Meanwhile, James Rodríguez (whose biggest accomplishment at the time was scoring that World Cup goal) and Luke Shaw (at the time nothing more than a promising 18 year old left back) left their clubs for 80 million and 37.5 million euros respectively.

Without even talking about the way the games are officiated (German referees seem to want to protect the player at all times, which has resulted in players diving and simulating fouls more and more often. Moreover, games are constantly halted by the referee’s whistle, absolutely destroying any sort of flow to the game) in too much detail, it is clear that the DFL (German league association) must react to these most recent, worrying developments.

However, with the Bundesliga teams just days ago voting against abolishing the so-called 50+1 rule, which stands in the way of any stakeholder acquiring a majority share in a football club, it is hard to see how this current trend will be reversed in the very near future.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – fussball.news

Magical Messi: the world’s greatest footballer is still improving.

HAVE WE STILL NOT SEEN THE BEST OF HIM?

‘The big Three-Oh’ is a term often used in the context of fear for most young adults slowly stumbling through their late twenties. When you turn thirty, it is usually the time where it hits home that you’re now “grown up” and you should probably start thinking about where your life is headed. It’s of even greater importance when it comes to footballers, because while regular people get to look forward to another thirty to forty years of work, a footballer knows that his time is limited and that thirty is usually where the downslide begins.

Most graphics will show you that a football player usually peaks around the age of 26 to 28. There are some who explode onto the scene a lot earlier (Wayne Rooney comes to mind) and then there are others who can take a little while to hit their stride (e.g. Jamie Vardy). Lionel Messi seems to be in a class of his own. Not just with regard to his footballing skills, but much like a fine wine, Messi also looks to get better with age. Around this time last year, several news outlets praised Messi’s start to the 2016-17 campaign as his best yet, after the player scored 14 times in the first 11 appearances of that year. Fast forward a year and Messi has outdone himself by scoring 11 times in his first six appearances of the season. The Argentinian, who vowed to give his best for Barcelona and Valverde back in August seems to be delivering on his promise, which allows fans across the world to sit back and absolutely look on in amazement as “La Pulga” puts in performances like Tuesday’s thrashing of Sociedad Deportiva Eibar:

 

Messi’s start to the current season is even more impressive when you consider that Barcelona not only installed a new coach over the summer, but also lost Neymar Jr, a vital part of the feared “MSN“ trio, to Paris Saint-Germain, only to lose his replacement (Dembélé) to injury after not even playing a full 90 minutes for his new team. Add to this the fact that against Eibar, Messi played without Luis Suárez and yet still managed to score four and assist on one of Barcelona’s six goals, and Messi’s start to this season becomes even more impressive.

Lionel Messi should most probably be slowing down, but instead he’s only picking up speed.

After reaching 500 goals for Barcelona during last year’s El Clasico (of course), many people believed that his reign of terrorising rival defences and breaking records in the process was coming to an end. Due to Barcelona’s shortcomings in last year’s Champions League and La Liga campaigns, people picked up the opinion that the ‘Golden Age’ of Barcelona was over and Messi & Co. had lost their hunger for trophies and victories. If their ferocious start to this year means anything at all is that they are out to prove all of the doubters wrong.

Now granted: other than Juventus and perhaps Betis, Barcelona have not yet had to face the strongest opposition available to them in Europe or Spain, but it is the ruthlessness with which they have continually dismantled their opponents that should strike fear into the hearts of many naysayers who believed Barcelona would roll over and die.

Barcelona is experiencing the beginning of their very own renaissance and with their reawakened leading man also leading this reawakening, I would not be surprised to see Barcelona back in a Champions League final at the end of this year.

As for Messi, his early season rampage seems to signal that he still has a lot to give. He does not seem to be heading downhill anytime soon. After a couple of difficult seasons (both injury wise and with an unusual lack of individual, team or national titles), “La Pulga” seems to have found some new motivation and joy, making it seem like the best of Messi is indeed still to come.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – bdk.bmcdn.dk

Kyrie traded to Boston: a reaction.

DOES THIS DEAL MAKE SENSE?

So last night two things ended with one big blockbuster trade: Kyrie Irving got away from LeBron James and Danny Ainge decided to make a deal. Let’s take a quick look at what exactly happened:

Celtics get: Kyrie Irving

Cavaliers get: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets’ 2018 unprotected first-round pick.

There are three parts to this story that I will look at. Obviously, the first two are the outlooks for either team, with the third part looking at Kyrie’s situation now that he has (been) moved on.

Part 1: The Boston situation

For the last couple of trade deadlines and offseasons, the Celtics have reportedly been in trade talks, always looking for the well known “final piece to the puzzle”. Ever since Ainge decided to break up the Big Three (or Four if you count Rondo), Boston fans have been waiting for the next superstar to lead their franchise to another championship. And while Isaiah “The King in the Fourth” Thomas may have been an All-Star performer, there was always a big question mark behind his ability to lead a team to an NBA championship. With a trade for four-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, Boston has now received the piece they deem worthy of carrying the franchise tag. Irving is the best player in this deal, but as I’ve previously said, I don’t see Kyrie Irving as a guy to build around. In his limited time as the sole star of a team, Irving has never even been able to take his Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs. Irving is a great closer and ball handler, but just like his predecessor, Kyrie does not care about playing defence. Kyrie is a little better than Thomas offensively and sure, with him being three years younger, one could argue that the best of him is yet to come, but in his first six years in the NBA, Kyrie has shown little to no improvement on the defensive end of the court. Given that the Celtics have now dealt two of their best defenders (namely Avery Bradley & Jae Crowder) to other Eastern Conference teams, getting back a little defence sure would have been helpful. Boston just gave up a player who finished in the top 5 of last year’s MVP voting, a two way player with one of the league’s best contracts, a 7-foot center talent and a potentially top three overall pick in next year’s lottery for a player who is only a marginal improvement on their previous point guard. This deal has to work out for the Celtics. If it doesn’t, Danny Ainge might have just ruined the perfect rebuilding job he’s done over the last few years.

Part 2: The Cleveland situation

Oh my word! What a jaw-dropping way to tell the world about the new sheriff in town! Koby Altman, the newly appointed general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, might have just pulled off the second biggest robbery of the summer (the first one still going to Minnesota for that Jimmy Butler trade). Not only did the Cavaliers add a player who can do on offence almost everything that Kyrie can do, Cleveland also added one of the better defenders in today’s NBA. Isaiah Thomas is clearly the crown jewel for the Cavaliers, but I believe Crowder will have the bigger impact. The Cleveland depth chart is now solidly filled with respectable backups, complementing their new Big Three of Thomas, James and Love. Without sacrificing too much offensively, this deal has improved the Cavaliers’ biggest hole from last season: another defensive body to throw at the juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors. Moreover, the Cavs also received a future asset in the 2018 Brooklyn Nets pick that could easily turn into a top three pick and therefore another valuable player for a team that is haunted by reports of LeBron James considering other teams for his upcoming free agency in 2018. This trade shows the self-proclaimed King one thing: Cleveland is still very much in contention and they are still willing to provide James with anything and everything he requests (Dwyane Wade joining later this year seems to be a foregone conclusion). This trade is great business for the Cavaliers. Yes, Thomas’ contract will need extending in the future, but given his team first mentality in the past, I can easily see Isaiah sacrificing a part of his money to give the Cavs some flexibility they so desperately need.

Part 3: The Kyrie situation

Irving wanted to go. He had to go! For one, with all the drama surrounding the relationship between him and LeBron James, the Cavaliers knew they would have to deal their star point guard before the start of training camp. Secondly, Kyrie wanted a chance to prove himself. He wanted to show the world that he isn’t just here to play second fiddle to LeBron, but that he himself can be “the man to build around” on a team looking for championship glory. If reports are to be believed, his preferred landing spots were the Chicago Bulls (although that thought quickly left his mind when Butler was traded), the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston Celtics? Not on that list of names. Not a big problem! After all, Irving cannot go out and tell the world that he’d play for just about anyone but Cleveland. Yet, the Celtics do not provide him with the best chance to prove that he is a guy to build around. Kyrie is heading to the team that earned the number one spot in the Eastern Conference last year. He’s heading to a team that had already made it to the Eastern Conference Finals without him. But of course, he’s also heading to a team that will expect him and Gordon Hayward to give the Celtics a legitimate shot at dethroning LeBron James. Irving didn’t have much say in all this, as he did not have a no-trade clause or any sort of leverage to force a trade to the team that he wanted to be on, but you have to wonder: at what point will people change their general perception of him? Once he makes it to the Playoffs? The Eastern Conference Finals? The Finals? Wins a championship “on his own”? I don’t think this is the trade that Kyrie Irving was looking for when he requested to be traded. I truly believe, and I admire him for it, that he would have liked to go to a bottom of the league franchise like New York to show the world that he deserves to be called a “franchise player”.

This deal makes sense for two out of the three key parts in this story. One whole point goes to the Cavaliers, half a point heads to Boston and another half goes to Irving. The Cavs know what they’re getting and they’re improving on an already good roster. Boston is taking a chance on a four-time NBA All-Star to turn into the transcendent player that some people already rate him to be. As for Irving, he gets to show that he is not just a part of a team that consists of current and former All-Stars, but that he is the part of a team that consists of current and former All-Stars. What a difference a word makes.

As a side note: the NBA just got another storyline and the first showdown between these two teams will be on October 17th, which is Opening Night. The basketball gods are kind.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – USA Today

A Neymar Jr. transfer saga: the epitome of what is wrong with the beautiful game.

WHERE IS THIS ALL GOING?

It’s been said that money makes the world go round, that it is the fuel to everyday life and that it solves all our problems. Yet when it comes to mankind’s most beloved sport, money is causing more problems than it is actually solving. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer has always been the case in football, but never before have we had so much money flowing into the market from so many different sources. Investors from all over the globe are getting their hands on football clubs, sponsors are willing to pay outrageous sums to get their logo onto one of the world’s biggest stages (e.g. Barcelona’s record kit deal with Nike that’ll see them earn 155 million EUR a season over the next ten years) and television deals have created a system where clubs that finish last in the Premier League for example, still go home with roughly 100 million EUR (93,471,118 GBP). As a result, transfer prices have ascended to new and unthinkable heights! Players have become brands of their own, which is why an investment into a 23-year-old Paul Pogba cost Manchester United a record-breaking 105 million EUR plus bonuses of 5 million EUR. An absolute ludicrous price tag that only about 15 years ago would’ve secured you the signatures of both one-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner Zinedine Zidane and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winner “O Fenômeno”, the Brazilian Ronaldo. And yet, a year after the Pogba transfer shattered the previous transfer record set by Gareth Bale and Real Madrid in 2013, the football world seems to be on the verge of making history once more.

If reports are to be believed, Brazilian superstar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (more commonly known only as Neymar or Neymar Jr.) is on the brink of sealing a deal that’ll see him move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for an eye-watering transfer fee of 222 million EUR. Neymar, who is certainly one of the biggest names in football today, is 25 years old, but so far has done little to justify such a price tag. Granted, he’s won everything he’s ever competed in at a club level over the last few years, but he did so for Barcelona, a team coming off its ‘Golden Age’ of football and while playing alongside goalscoring machine Luis Suárez and arguably the greatest player ever, Lionel Messi. Neymar Jr. has not won a meaningful title with Brazil (their win at the Olympics in 2016 only somewhat stopped the bleeding of a nation still haunted by nightmares of the German national team), he has never won the ‘Ballon d’Or’ (today’s version of the FIFA World Player of the Year award) and he’s coming off his worst season since making the decision to come over to Europe. Yes, Neymar might have only experienced a down year and he certainly proved his worth on numerous occasions (Barcelona’s historic Champions League comeback agains Paris Saint-Germain was fuelled by the talented Brazilian), but if this transfer comes to fruition it should be considered more than just a warning shot, for it shows how things in football are developing badly on multiple levels.

For one, the Neymar transfer saga proves once more that loyalty in football is officially dead. Less than a year ago today, on October 21, 2016 to be exact, Barcelona announced that their Brazilian superstar had “put pen-to-paper” on a deal that would see him stay at the club until 2021. It is now the summer of 2017 and people are expecting Neymar to leave Barça for PSG.

Number two, the money flowing into flooding the market is not helping, but much rather damaging the competitive spirit. While the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and poorer, essentially taking anyone out of contention who isn’t willing to join in on the ‘fun’. The fact that year in, year out Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga, Barcelona or Real Madrid win La Liga or that it is widely assumed one of those three teams will win the coveted UEFA Champions League speaks to a top-heavy system that will only get worse with prices exploding all throughout football. To avoid this from happening, UEFA’s Executive Committee unanimously approved a financial fair play concept “for the game’s well-being in September 2009”. Dubbed the ‘Financial Fair Play’ (FFP),  some of its main goals were:

• to introduce more discipline and rationality in club football finances
• to decrease pressure on salaries and transfer fees and limit inflationary effect
• to encourage clubs to compete with(in) their revenues
• to protect the long-term viability of European club football

It is safe to say that if this Neymar transfer happens, the FFP has failed. UEFA’s control mechanism, which has quite frankly always been looked at with a lot of doubt will have missed out on achieving its main objectives, making the Executive Committee a laughing stock. There seems to be no limit to this madness.

Finally, we must look at the fans. While football is more popular than ever before, the game is what it is because of its growing group of supporters. Empty out the stadiums, take away the fans and only the “toys” of some of the world’s wealthiest people will survive. Football is the sport of the people. It is a game created by the everyday worker, but it has the power to bring just about anyone together. This is the beautiful aspect of the game! Degrees, titles and accolades all go out the window and for 90 minutes we’re all just one big group of people supporting their country or favourite club. For this magic to continue, the game of football has to remain palpable to the everyday supporter. The higher the prices go, the more money flows into football, the lower the interest in football will become. More and more fans are complaining about the high ticket or merchandise prices already. As has been stated here, a Premier League club shirt sells at an average 49.45 GBP but costs less than 5 GBP to produce. To expect someone to pay that amount for a t-shirt that is only worth a small portion of that price is absolutely unreasonable. However, a large sum of these gigantic transfer fees is oftentimes retrieved through the sale of that player’s jersey and with prices continually on the rise, what do you think this will mean for the ever-rising shirt price?

It may be exciting to watch this all unfold now, as most things that are new and unheard of seem to have that feel about them, but if things continue down the current path, the supporters will lose their interest in a game played and controlled by millionaires and they will look to find their amusement elsewhere. 100 million in 2013, 110 million in 2016 and 222 million in 2017? This Neymar transfer can have two effects: it can serve as a catalyst or as a red flag. For the sake of the beautiful game, let’s hope it’ll be the latter.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – Performgroup

The Kyrie trade request: a shadow hangs over ‘The Land’.

POTENTIAL TRADE PARTNERS SHOULD WONDER: IS HE A GUY TO BUILD AROUND?

Somehow, some way we are all back to talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers again and while they’ve been mentioned more frequently as a Superteam and number one rival of the almighty Golden State Warriors, this time the storyline that surrounds LeBron James and his Cavaliers is far more negative: All-Star point guard and offensive stud Kyrie Irving has reportedly asked Cleveland to trade him. The Cavs have already signed former MVP Derrick Rose and according to recent reports, LeBron James cannot wait to see Irving leave town. Yet, before LeBron’s hopes come true, the Cavaliers will have to find a suitable trade partner (and trade package) for their very own number one overall pick.

The question with Kyrie Irving has never been his talent, it has never been his will. From both standpoints Irving is an absolute superstar, who could easily fill billboards and draw fans into the arena anywhere across the United States. However, the question surrounding ‘Uncle Drew’ (a nickname he acquired from this Pepsi commercial) has been whether or not he is a so-called “championship player”, a “number one” or “a option” on a professional basketball team. There are several arguments that speak to him being more of a Robin character than that of Batman. For one, since LeBron James returned to the Cavaliers at the start of the 2014-15 season, Irving has a record of 4-21 in games played without ‘the King of Akron’. That’s a miserable winning percentage of roughly 19%. Moreover, when Kyrie plays alongside LeBron, his offensive rating is 6.2 points higher than when James sits a game out. Finally, looking at what the Cleveland Cavaliers did during the ‘Kyrie era’ from 2011 to 2014, their record was 78-152. Granted, Irving was a rookie and he had to get used to the game, but such stats do not necessarily scream “franchise player”. Derrick Rose, the man who seems to have signed up to become Irving’s replacement in Cleveland, managed to take his hometown Bulls to the playoffs right away. Of course, most people will discredit this with outcries to look at Rose’s career compared to Kyrie’s, comparisons between the two rosters and Irving’s magic abilities on the ball, but it does seem rather odd that a supposedly franchise-changing player, playing in a weak Eastern Conference, did not manage to take his team to the playoffs once. And even though it may be wrong to think that way, because Kyrie has now matured and lived through Finals games and so on, he has done absolutely nothing to prove that he is a number one option. 

I personally believe that Irving is a 1b-option at best. To be honest, I see him as a complementary piece. He’s a closer, he’s a clutch player that isn’t afraid to take the big shots. He’s a player made for those moments, but that is also his biggest downside! You need a player like that to decide and win fourth quarters, but primarily you will need a player that won’t just deliver when called upon, but much rather someone who can put a Kyrie Irving into that position and create a moment for him. Those players usually have one big mark that separates them from the rest, and it is one that Irving lacks: they are great in more than just one or two categories. 

When you look at the NBA of today and the past, most players that you would label a “franchise player” are versatile, they are offensive and defensive studs that will look to involve and improve their teammates, all the while knowing when it is their time to shine and seize control of a game. Or they will be so dominant in certain areas of the game that their overall ability makes them the best players on their team and gives them the opportunity to win games singlehandedly. Five prime examples for this are: Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson and Julius Erving. All of these players were either masters of their craft all across the board, dominant in a certain category that established them as their team’s or the NBA’s best player or they were both. But one of the things that all of these players had that someone like Kyrie Irving really, really needs to discover and work on is defence. Irving has never been talked about as a lockdown or even a solid defender. Opponents know he won’t bother to stop them as he seems to believe that outscoring the opposition should be more than enough and while that take isn’t necessarily wrong, the saying goes “offence wins games, but defence wins championships”. If Irving wants to become a franchise-changing, a transcending player, then plays like this are unacceptable and need to be removed from his NBA DNA. 

If Kyrie is traded, it’ll be interesting to see how much of a king LeBron’s prince can become, but if the Kyrie that’s being traded is the same one that’s shown up for the Cavs all these years, well then the acquiring team better have a franchise player already. Because Irving is great, he’s exciting to watch and able to put in absolutely mind blowing performances, but as of today, Kyrie Irving is not a player you build around. He is someone you wild with.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – CDN VOX

Superteam Sunday: Carmelo Anthony still expects to be dealt to Houston.

BUT IS HE WORTH ALL THE TROUBLE?

It has been widely reported that Houston is currently working on adding New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony to their core of James Harden and the newly acquired Chris Paul. Assuming that a deal is pushed through at some point over the next few days, weeks or months, the Rockets will surely be mentioned alongside the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, as the latest NBA team to join in on the ‘Superteam’ fun. Having three All-Star caliber players on your team will grant you that right, but this article will look at whether or not the addition of Carmelo makes Houston a force to be reckoned with.

When the Rockets added Chris Paul earlier this summer, my first instinct was to question the way Paul, a ball dominant guard, will fit next to James Harden, another ball dominant combo guard who just turned in the best year of his career while being the quintessential point guard for Mike D’Antoni’s Houston team. As people like to point out: before LeBron James buddied up with Dwyane Wade in Miami, both of them were the primary ball handlers on their teams and they made it work. So why shouldn’t the Houston experiment work? That is a fair question and one that actually isn’t even that relevant with ‘only’ Paul and Harden on that squad, as I am pretty sure that Chris Paul will defer to Harden in a way that Wade handed the keys to LeBron, given Harden’s age, offensive skillset and familiarity with the system. But adding Carmelo to the mix does make it an interesting question. Carmelo Anthony is an offensive stud. He’s never averaged below 20 PPG (not even in his rookie year) and has even been called the best pure scorer in the NBA today! A view not many people share with Kevin Durant and Steph Curry still playing the game of basketball. Nevertheless, Anthony has been able to achieve what he has achieved by always being the best player on his team. Throughout his time in Denver, Carmelo’s role as the leader of that team was never questioned. When they brought in Allen Iverson, who was over 30 years old at that point in time, Carmelo had the highest scoring output of his career with 28.9 PPG and when Denver traded AI to Detroit for Chauncey Billups in the year that they would eventually make it to the Western Conference Finals, it was Anthony who got the credit for doing so. The same holds true for New York. Ever since he forced his way to the Big Apple, Carmelo Anthony has been the Knicks’ main attraction. Yes, Amar’e Stoudemire was there, but ‘Stat’ quickly deferred to Melo before completely breaking down and eventually leaving New York and the NBA to go play basketball overseas.

But that was Carmelo Anthony in his prime. A few years and a couple of injuries later, the now 33 year old forward would not come to Houston as the surefire superstar he believes to be. If Anthony is dealt to the Rockets then the expectation for him would be to adjust his game and become the third option that Chris Bosh was for that Miami Heat team and in that case the question is how useful he can be. The difference between Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh is obvious: Bosh was always a two way player, so when he was forced to surrender some of his offensive contributions to LeBron or Wade, the team and fans could rely on Bosh stepping up on the defensive end. Generously put, Carmelo Anthony is a subpar defender, so when he surrenders his offensive looks to James Harden or Chris Paul, he will be limited to spot-up shooting, as there is no way Carmelo will now suddenly find the defensive beast inside of him. With Houston already having a defensive liability out there on the court in the form of James Harden, adding Carmelo to the mix surely doesn’t help a team that ranked 26th in opponents points per game.

But the problems for Houston do not stop there. Another concern should be that of the coach. Mike D’Antoni, who coached the Knicks from 2008 to 2012, isn’t Anthony’s biggest fan, even saying publicly that Carmelo Anthony forced him out as Knicks coach. D’Antoni’s “all offence, no defence” system seems to be perfect for a player of Anthony’s stature, yet their first go-around in New York was disappointing to watch. According to the above mentioned article, “Anthony wasn’t putting up big numbers in D’Antoni’s offense and gave the Knicks an ultimatum”. That alone should really make you wonder what has changed that now all of a sudden they can work things out and have Melo function to the coach’s liking.

Finally there’s the concern of gutting the current roster and throwing away its depth. Once again, this is something that should be all too familiar to Carmelo, as his trade from Denver to New York resulted in exactly that for the Knicks. A promising young core was torn apart and sent to the Nuggets in exchange for hometown hero Carmelo Anthony and while Anthony is on the decline, the Rockets surely won’t be getting him in exchange for a few draft picks and non-rotation players. Even if the reported four team trade comes into fruition, Houston has to shed salaries in order to make this deal work and given that money is usually made by people who’ve earned it in the past, it seems certain that the Rockets would have to give up some talent.

This last point is obviously based on the assumption that Carmelo ends up in Houston via trade, but that all changes if New York does in fact agree to buy him out of his contract or Anthony waits out his final year with the Knicks in order to join the Rockets via free agency in 2018.

Nevertheless, there are so many question marks surrounding this deal that it just feels like a disaster waiting to happen and I don’t know why Houston would want to risk all they’ve built only to realise that what they have still isn’t enough to challenge the unselfish play of Golden State.

I do understand that you cannot simply stand pat and wait for these Warriors to self-destruct or perhaps even break down somehow, but if you’re going to make a move, make one that improves your situation. Don’t make a move only to make a move. Carmelo Anthony isn’t the answer to Houston’s problems. Paul George could have been. And seeing the value that Indiana received in return, I have a hard time believing that Houston couldn’t have matched that offer.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – SlamOnline

The boy from Liverpool, the United legend, the England great: Wayne Rooney returns.

WHAT HAS HE GOT LEFT TO GIVE?

13 years after leaving his boyhood club for Manchester United, Wayne Rooney has returned to the place where it all began. In this modern day of football, where most transfers seem to be about money and only improving on your own situation, this transfer has a romantic feel to it. Rooney, a man who’s always said he will only play for Everton in the Premier League – if he leaves Manchester United has made good on his promise and while fan reactions to this transfer have been mixed during the buildup of it, the ongoing aftermath shows just how emotional this change of clubs really is.

Everton’s ‘Once a Blue…’ announcement shows a young Wayne Rooney picture gracing the walls of Everton’s great halls and upon revealing the man himself features the famous “Remember the name, Wayne Rooney” commentary, first spoken after Rooney scored this absolute screamer against Arsenal in 2004.

🔵 | Once a Blue… #WelcomeHomeWayne pic.twitter.com/PAkv1qeBsY

— Everton (@Everton) July 9, 2017

This is a brilliant move from a PR standpoint, especially considering the departure of Romelu Lukaku has taken centerstage over the last couple of days, but just how much sense does this move make from a footballing standpoint? If Rooney was still the Wayne Rooney of old, do we really believe United would have let him walk for free? The fact that Man United were willing to waive a transfer fee (which, granted, could have been part of the Lukaku agreement) surely makes it seem like Woodward is pushing ‘Wazza’ out the front door. Should Everton fans be worried by Rooney’s shocking decrease in class over these last few campaigns? Or is there no need for concern at Goodison Park?

Everton manager Ronald Koeman can’t wait to start working with the professional that is Wayne Rooney. On the club’s official website, Koeman said:

“Wayne has shown me that ambition that we need and that winning mentality – he knows how to win titles and I’m really happy he’s decided to come home. He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back. […] I don’t have any doubts about his qualities. It’s fantastic he’s here.”

All well and good, but let’s look at the facts:

• Rooney is now an old 31 years old (he will be 32 in October, but he’s played in over 700 games for club and country)
• under José Mourinho, United’s ‘Mr Reliable’ lost his place in the first XI and was reduced to a bench role
• in 2016/17, Rooney only managed to score 8 goals (the lowest since his debut season in 2002/03) in 39 matches that he played a part in

Performances like this have become a regular occurrence in Rooney’s career over the last couple of years and seasons. He’s oftentimes looked too slow for the modern game, his passes have been sloppy on a regular basis and he seems to have lost his killer instinct in front of goal. The man has lived through one of the most shocking declines ever witnessed in the world of football, but yet his enormous reputation and the fact that he is the most successful goalscorer of both, England’s and Manchester United’s great history still seem to have fans all over the world hoping for some sort of ‘golden autumn’ in Rooney’s career. Oftentimes it is a change of scenery that relights the fire in some of us.

To be fair, a move away from the pressure that surrounds Old Trafford is one of the more clever choices he could have made. Going to a club that adores him, because he is ‘one of their own’ and knowing that there is no title expectation in Everton comparable to that in close-by Manchester could potentially push Rooney to new heights. Moreover, his place in Everton’s starting XI looks guaranteed. As has been made public, Everton has lost Lukaku and while they’ve spent quite a bit of money this summer, their next striking force did not come packaged into any of those deals, until now. Rooney is a solid addition to the project taking shape at Goodison. He’s a legend, a player that youngsters look up to and he has captained both club and country. The man is a leader and if he can find that little bit of magic that has oftentimes surrounded his game he can provide this young-ish (average age of 26 this past campaign) Everton squad with exactly what they need. Compared to most players now around him, Rooney has won every club trophy imaginable to a footballer’s mind. He stands for a winning culture and should bring the winning mentality, implanted into him by Sir Alex Ferguson himself, with him to Goodison Park. Also, while Rooney may no longer be the same player he was five years ago, if he can rediscover some of his game or if the Koeman system is something that suits him more naturally than that ‘park the bus’ tactic oftentimes used by Mourinho, Rooney should be able to fit in rather nicely with his new team. He is, after all, a free-roaming striker. He likes to drop deep, pick up the ball and play his way upfield. He has learned to play several positions over his long career, which is something that should make him even more valuable to Ronald Koeman and Everton, as that sort of player is useful wherever you look.

The underrated fact of this deal is this: Wayne Rooney has signed on for only two seasons. This means that even if he continues sliding downhill and none of the above mentioned possibilities come into fruition, Everton will be able to move on from ‘Wazza’ rather quickly. This isn’t a process that should drag out too long should it become apparent that Rooney just no longer has ‘it’.

For now, however, let us live in the romantic and nostalgic bubble that surrounds this transfer. The boy from Liverpool returns. He deserves a chance to prove everyone wrong.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – EvertonFC.com

Video credit – YouTube, @Everton (Twitter)

Next (French)man up.

LOOKING AT LACAZETTE AND HIS FIT.

For over a decade, Arsenal London has been a team ‘on the verge of greatness’. Arsene Wenger’s side has not won the Premier League trophy since the days of ‘The Invincibles’, the team that didn’t lose a single match for one entire season. That team was also lead by one of the most ruthless goalscoring machines in football history: Thierry Henry.

Throughout his time at Arsenal, Wenger has usually had a great eye for skilled forwards and true number nines, but somehow Arsenal London’s biggest concern since Robin van Persie left the squad to join Manchester United has been the striker position. Several names have tried filling the void left by Henry (with van Persie being one of those names), but whether it was Walcott, Welbeck, Giroud or even Alexis Sánchez, none have come close to the brilliant Frenchman. Arsenal fans have begged the club officials for a big signing up front for years now and as it seems to be the case this summer, their club is on the verge of completing a signing that should bring them a little peace of mind.

According to the BBC, Alexandre Lacazette has undergone a medical ahead of his club-record move from Lyon. Lacazette has been a terrifying force in Ligue 1 for years, scoring 129 goals in 275 matches since the 2009-10 season. He was the French league’s number two goalscorer last season with an impressive 28 goals to his name. More than that, 65% of his shots were on target, which is a percentage comparable to the likes of Harry Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang plus one that is better than those of Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann. Now, obviously this does not mean that Lacazette should be regarded as a better play than any of the given names, but it does speak to his feel for the game and his knowledge of where the goal is.

The man Arsenal is about to welcome to London is 26 years old and just on the verge of hitting his so-called ‘prime’. He’s 1.75m tall and weighs a solid 73kg. He’s therefore not the tallest player making him a below average threat in the air, but his speed, quickness and dribbling skills on the ball make up for his lack of size. Lacazette is an incredibly strong finisher with an eye for his teammates and an unmatched ability to draw fouls. To see him in action, feel free to check out this video by ScoutNationHD:

 

Lacazette is the player Arsenal really, really wanted this (and perhaps even last) summer and rightfully so, as he is a terrific fit. The fact that they have finally secured his signature shows that 1) Arsenal is serious about wanting to bring another title to North London and 2) Wenger can still attract world-class talent to the Emirates, even without Champions League football.

A lot of questions still surround this signing (e.g. what will happen with Olivier Giroud or Danny Welbeck?), but signing the prolific Frenchman from Lyon is certainly a step in the right direction. In an age where so many players love to roam around the box and play several positions at once, Lacazette should feel right at home with Arsenal and attacking teammates such as Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez and perhaps even Riyad Mahrez alongside him. Arsenal fans have a time of very successful football to look forward to, as long as Wenger manages to keep the core of this group together. As I’ve said before, this team has been ‘on the verge’ of greatness for a while and it may just be this signing that puts them ‘over the top’. It’ll be that much sweeter for ‘Gooners’ if the man that leads this change is yet another goalscoring Frenchman. Memories of the glory days are already creeping to the back of my mind as I write this. I cannot wait to see what this offensive juggernaut can do in the Premier League next year.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – YouTube Images

Video credit – ScoutNationHD

FIFA Confederations Cup 2017: Germany aced the ‘test run’.

NOW WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE REAL THING?

The Confederations Cup is finally just a part of history. This go-around was the final time fans have had to suffer through football’s biggest stars struggling on the pitch, while clearly showing the exhaustion that is to be expected after a long season. And what was all this for? Cristiano Ronaldo extended his season for what? The man is 32, he’s won (almost) everything and he has nothing left to prove. Yet for some reason CR7 played in this tournament with little to no value. The same goes for Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal. Two of Chile’s biggest stars travelled to Russia and played in every single match. Their clubs certainly cannot be happy with that. All this means for them is less time to train with their new or old teammates (depending on where Alexis ends up) and get in shape for the people who are actually paying you. Now, I do understand that playing for your country is among the highest honours a footballer can live through, but it still seems valid to ask the question: do they seriously have to show up for EVERY tournament? In my humble opinion, I say they don’t. Take a look at Germany! The DFB sent a B-team to Russia, in order for Joachim Löw to be able to test the next generation and see how far along they are on Germany’s route to the first-ever World Cup title defence and it worked wonders. The players were highly motivated to show their worth and rewarded themselves with a gold medal to collect dust somewhere in those enormous trophy cabins that some of these guys must keep at their mansions.

Much more than that however, they played themselves onto the public scene and into the public eye. People now have some sort of connection to names like Niklas Süle, Leon Goretzka, Timo Werner or Lars Stindl. And while that may be great for Germany’s biggest fans, this Confed Cup experience was even greater for the players themselves.

Let me explain why:

Looking at ‘Die Mannschaft’, the team that won the World Cup in Brazil is no longer the same. Important players such as Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Per Mertesacker have retired completely or at the very least left the national team. Other players, who seemingly only came along for the ride in 2014, will not play a role for this upcoming World Cup. Names such as Kevin Großkreutz, Christoph Kramer, Erik Durm, Roman Weidenfeller or Ron-Robert Zieler most likely won’t count to the elite circle under consideration for this next chapter of German football. Instead, the hero’s of this year’s Confederations Cup will battle it out for the final spots on the national team. Taking all of the names mentioned above into consideration and adding Lukas Podolski (retired from international duty) and the oft-injured players like Mario Götze, Sami Khedira or even Marco Reus, Löw will have between ten to twelve positions to fill in his squad for next year. And why would he look too far beyond the team that has just brought Germany their first ever Confed Cup title?

The fact of the matter is these players deserve to be in the pole position for World Cup glory. They have impressed and shown constant growth throughout a tournament that is regarded as a money-making mechanism with no heart, soul or passion. Looking at pictures of last night’s title celebrations, as well as the Chileans’ long faces after they lost, it should be clear to almost everyone that Germany’s B-team wasn’t just there to participate. These guys were out there to put pressure on the veteran, more experienced players, letting them know that the ride can end as quickly as it began, at almost any point in time. Germany, still desperately looking for a new number 9 can now rest a little easier knowing that Stindl and Werner (three goals each, while Werner was the tournament’s top scorer) both performed brilliantly throughout these past weeks. Moreover, Kimmich proved to be an excellent right back (as was to be expected), Julian Draxler finally showed the leadership qualities and star power that has been surrounding his name for quite some time and Leon Goretzka rushed onto the stage showing he is more than capable of holding his ground against any of the other central midfielders Germany keeps in its arsenal (except maybe Toni Kroos).

Joachim Löw and his team can now look back on four weeks of excellent work. They started down this road, hoping to get a feel for what the DFB team’s second line is capable of and they received an answer, loud and clear: the second line is ready to fill the holes left in the first line. And perhaps they’re even ready to replace some of the players that have gotten a bit too comfortable thanks to there being little to no competition. Özil, Schürrle, Müller and Co. watch out. There are some new kids on the block!

 

Notes:

Photo credit – RTL.de

From a Bull to a Wolf: the Jimmy Butler trade & the aftermath for the Bulls.

THE WOLVES GO UP, THE BULLS GO DOWN.

Wherever you click on a link that leads you to an article talking about and looking to analyse or make sense of what Chicago did at this year’s NBA draft you’ll find one word: unexpected. Yes, it was widely believed that the Bulls would look to move Butler at some point, as they’d never fully committed their future to him and only seemed to see Butler as a B-option on a championship squad, but wasn’t there a conception that Jimmy G. Buckets (credit to Stacey King) would be worth so much more than what the Bulls got for him?

Looking at Jimmy Butler’s impressive resume: he was drafted 30th overall in the 2011 draft and came in as a defensive specialist that never saw much floor-time under former (and future) head coach Tom Thibodeau. Since then, Butler has become the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2015, a three-time NBA All-Star, an All-NBA Team member and a two way force with averages of 23.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.7 SPG, all while shooting 45% from the field and 36% from three. Jimmy Butler is a superstar in the NBA who, at 27, is about to his his so-called ‘prime’. Butler was one of the few consistencies on this Bulls team and yet, the current front office believed that they would be better off trading him for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the #7 pick in this year’s draft, which turned out to be Lauri Markkanen, a Finnish product from Arizona who seems to be good at spreading the floor and scoring the ball (two aspects the Bulls desperately needed last year).

The return the Bulls got is best described by the three letter word ‘meh’, but it all goes South when looking at possible future repercussions of this deal.

1) The cap space situation.

Let’s start with an easy one, but one that’s not being talked about enough. The deal was made to provide ‘flexibility’ (a word that could easily have been coined by ‘GarPax’, the two-headed monster at the top of the Bulls front office) in the future. However, Jimmy Butler is projected to make a very moderate 18,696,918 USD next season, which is far below the projected max contract average of roughly 30 million USD. At the end of next season, Zach LaVine’s rookie contract will end and he will be in line for an extension. Now granted, LaVine won’t be making the max, but with contracts already going out with an average first year salary of roughly 20 million USD, you could see LaVine making somewhere close to that number. Note: when I say close, I’m assuming he’ll be above 20 million. All that money for a shooting guard who’s proven to be incredibly athletic, but who is also coming off an ACL injury, one of the worst injuries to suffer when your game relies heavily on athleticism (for reference: see Derrick Rose). Looking at Butler’s contract again, his projected salary for 2018-19 is 19,841,624 USD. The three-time All-Star (who will most likely add one or two All-Star games until then) is therefore going to be cheaper than LaVine. That takes away the ‘flexibility’ argument and frankly makes this move look even less thought out than it looked in the first place.

2) The talent level.

When looking at the Bulls’ roster, not a single player name jumps out at you as a superstar or piece to build around. They’ve got a lot of average guys who’ve looked good over stretches of their respective NBA careers, but none of these guys scream ‘future superstar’. If you then look at what the Bulls received for Jimmy, you’ll see that not much changes. LaVine was having a strong year before he tore his ACL in February, but he’s a one way player. His defence is highly questionable and now that he is coming of a knee injury there’s a question of whether or not he will ever be the same player he was before he got hurt. Lauri Markkanen could be just about anything. I’ve heard people rave about his shooting ability, but that makes it sound like there’s nothing else and he’s seen as a specialist at that. Specialist’s are fine if you’re a team looking to fine tune a roster, but if you’re rebuilding, I always thought people would pick upside and star potential over fit or specialty. Nevertheless, I’ve not seen enough of Markkanen to judge him yet. Who knows, he could be the next Porzingis or Dirk and then this deal will look like a fantastic basketball move, but given the Bulls’ most recent track record, I’d assume that he won’t be. As for the third player in the deal, he’s also the one that will most likely tip the scales in either direction. If Kris Dunn turns into the superstar that most people projected him to be about a year ago, this trade was a good move by the Bulls. If Dunn remains to be the defensive specialist and 5 PPG average guy that he was for the T-Wolves last year, then the Bulls will be the laughing stock of the league. To be fair though: I expect to see a lot more from Dunn this year. For one, rookies have never been great in year one when coached by Tom Thibodeau. It is well known that he likes to rely on veterans rather than rookies. Two, Dunn will now be a part of the ‘Hoiball’ system that we’re finally going to see in Chicago. Fred Hoiberg’s offence is said to be a lot quicker and more free-flowing than that of the Timberwolves, which is something that should make Kris and Bulls fans optimistic. Three, Dunn has had down-years before. In fact, going back to his college years, his first year at Providence, his numbers were very similar to those he put up during his freshman year in the NBA. Obviously, he exploded all across the board thereafter. So maybe, Dunn is a player who needs some time to adjust to new environments. Maybe all he needs is time. Thankfully, due to the Bulls finally starting to rebuild, he will have more than enough of it in the Windy City, but whichever way you want to spin this, there are A LOT of question marks surrounding each and every one of these players.

3) Future draft picks.

When people look at and talk about an example of a successful rebuild, they usually bring up the Boston Celtics. And rightfully so! The Celtics traded Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce (players at the backend of their careers) to the Brooklyn Nets for almost nothing but future draft picks and they are currently stacked with high potential picks. As for the Bulls, they dealt Butler for the #7 pick in THIS year’s draft, while also sending their own pick at #16 to the Timberwolves. That is a real head scratcher. You’d assume that giving up Butler would be enough to secure your own draft pick or at least guarantee a future draft pick from the team acquiring him, but the Bulls did neither. As a result, the Bulls will only have their own first round picks in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Considering that, Chicago fans should most definitely expect their Bulls to tank away the next two years. The 2018 draft is said to be an average draft class, which falls off very quickly, while the 2019 draft is currently projected to be the best draft since 2003. It is absolutely frustrating to see that the Bulls did not get any future first round picks from Minnesota. While those might not have been as good as the ones the Celtics got from Brooklyn, the Bulls will now be under constant pressure to hit big on their draft selections, while basically having no other choice but to tank. Free agents have not been kind to Chicago even when they had a roster that could compete with the very best, so how is that going to go when their team is going to be a projected lottery team for the coming years?

All in all, this deal looks like a very rash decision by Gar Forman and John Paxson. They’ve publicly said that they could not have gotten a better deal for Jimmy Butler, but many executives around the league do not believe that this is remotely true. The Bulls have a history of making bad trades and this last one just adds to the list.

Unless of course sophomore Kris gets it Dunn.

 

Notes:

Photo credit – Realsport101