Better Late than Never: the Euro 2012 Draw Roundup

This draw happened a few weeks ago, but what with a thesis, 3 classes, another writing job, and various nonsense, I never got around to blogging it.

Regardless, Euro 2012 is coming to an ESPN near you this summer, and it's the best international soccer competition outside of the World Cup (some have called it better than the World Cup). With traditional powers like Italy and France mired in troublesome slumps, this may be the year where some lesser-known countries get their shot at taking down football's royalty.

Additionally, this is some of the last top-notch football we'll see on ESPN, as FOX has outbid the worldwide leader for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. This is truly a massive loss for soccer in America, and will undo essentially everything that ESPN has been doing for the last several years for the game in the States. But that's another story.

Here are the groups for Euro 2012, and the predictions for each:

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

This may, top to bottom, be the weakest group that was possible. The level of play will be low (for top-notch international football), but the level of competition will be sky-high. These teams (with the possible exception of Greece) are known for being tough, scrappy sides, and each will believe they have a great chance to come out of this group. Which they do. Every game in this group will be exciting and significant.
Prediction: Czechs and Russians advance

Group B: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!!!! In all seriousness, this is the definition of a Group of Death. See?

 

They're already making t-shirts

I don't have anything else to say. It's horrifying for all parties involved. Trees may not bear fruit during these matchups. Children will cry. Doves will spontaneously combust. Human life as we know it may be at stake.
Prediction: Germany and Netherlands advance

Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia

This wins first alternate for the Group of Death. Spain's the clear favorite, as they would be in any game that wasn't against the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, or FC Barcelona. Their coach, Vincente Del Bosque, certainly seems content with the draw. But after that, you really have your pick of the litter. Ireland will be so pumped to be in an international tournament that they'll want to put on a good show. Croatia is a solid team, and Italy is no longer the power it once was. Plus, Spain plays like Barcelona: too much passing, not enough goals. I could see them getting caught in possession and giving up a few goals.
Prediction: Spain and the flying Balotellis (I mean Italy) advance

Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

England's national team fans piss me off. Mainly because they have gotten their way for the last few major tournaments. This was the cover of the Sun after the draw for the 2010 World Cup:

How'd that work out for you, ya limey tea-swilling numpties? And this draw isn't much harder. The Ukraine can be dismissed immediately based upon the other group members. England will win the group by default, and I think France has recovered enough to beat a Swedish side with an aging, but still omnipotent, Zlatan the Magnificent Nose.
Prediction: England and France advance

David Villa breaks leg, reminds us why the Club World Cup is stupid

This is not for the faint of heart:



Yeesh. Gone are the rumors sending him to Chelsea or my beloved Reds. And all for what? A tournament that essentially no one cares about.

Let's not forget, I do hate Barcelona. However, I wouldn't have hated a January transfer of Villa to Liverpool. Damn you, Club World Cup. Damn you.

Speculative Rip of the Week (Will Hereafter be Renamed)

Hi all. Long time between posts. Busy college students are busy, plus its our blog and we get to deprive you of content for weeks at a time. ha-HA, as the Berba would say.

Anyway, this post is groundbreaking for the 3 amigos here at 3MW. Because from here on out, our most frequent and popular segment, the Speculative Rip of the Week, will be known as....(drumroll)...

the INIGO MARTINEZ HONORARY SPECULATIVE RIP OF THE WEEK

That's right, the 20-year old wizard has done it again. The kid has exactly two La Liga goals for Real Sociedad, and he's got his own blog segment named after him. Spectacularge.

Martinez came to you live back in October with this rifle shot, and he's just gone and outdone himself. With the score tied at 2, IN STOPPAGE TIME, against Real Betis, Martinez unleashed Heaven's fury again with his left foot and vaulted himself into legend status at Sociedad.

View the magic:



Oh by the way, he went bar down. Ridiculous. As Brooks at Dirty Tackle said, "It's becoming clear that Martinez is some kind of wizard."

WHAT THE $&"%

This isn't about soccer. This is about a gross and egregious lapse in judgment by someone high up in an NCAA Division I office somewhere.

No, not at Penn State.

This is hockey news. As we all know, hockey is a cold-weather sport. Much like ice-fishing and snowmobile jousting, this is a sport that is enjoyed by millions upon millions of residents of the northern climes of this wonderful planet we call Earth.

Southerners, well, they enjoy football, drivin' real fast, and turnin' left.

So I found it strange when last year I heard about a little-known D1 hockey team called the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers. That's right, the Chargers are the only D1 NCAA hockey team south of the Mason-Dixon line. They play as an independent, but their time in D1 is short-lived, as they will be downgraded to a club sport after this season.

This might be nothing more than an interesting trivia piece, soon forgotten after the club distinction is enacted, except for one major item:

THEY'RE HOSTING THE FREAKING FROZEN FOUR!!!

Yes, the only NCAA hockey team south of Delaware is the host school for this year's Frozen Four. Stranger still, the tournament is to be played in the Tampa Bay Lightning's arena in Tampa, Florida. Obviously, Huntsville, Alabama is a less desirable location to play than Tampa, but why even insult the intelligence of a college hockey fan by veiling this strange venue with the designation that a school two states away is hosting the event?

It's all very curious. Very curious indeed.

B.Y.E. Intramural Update

Howdy All

Been a while since a post here at 3MW, but just wanted to update our loyal reader(s?) on the situation vis a vis our intramural team.

Currently, valiant former champions B.Y.E. sit at the top of the heap in the BC intramural soccer standings with an unblemished 5-0 record. We'll certainly receive the 2nd overall seed, barring an unforeseen and unheard of situation in which the other undefeated team (Goodwill Stunting, which has 3 or 4 club players) loses and goes to 4-1.

Rubenstein D11 has done its part, with 2 goals on the season from one participant (me) and 2 games played from the other participant (Retired Ginger Prince), who may have his priorities mixed up.

Further updates as events warrant.

HOLD EVERYTHING!!! The most SPECULATIVE of Speculative Rips

While Kyle Walker's goal in our previous post was more akin to what one would expect when talking about a rip from distance, this may end up winning the first inaugural Speculative Rip of the Year Award. Inigo Martinez (Not Montoya, like "I am Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die"), a Spanish U21 defender playing for Real Sociedad, apparently has been watching too many Xabi Alonso highlights.

WATCH THIS CANNON












What a screamer!!! Usually when a goal is scored from your own half it's looped up and over a keeper who is picking daisies at the edge of his 18 yard box. This ball was hit on a string and tucked hard up under the crossbar, past/over a diving keeper, from 65 YARDS OUT.

Truly impressive from the young Spaniard. A banner day here at 3MW, where we make all your speculative rip dreams come true

Speculative Rip of the Week

Arsenal continued their tailspin today with a loss to Spurs at White Hart Lane. Their Polish keeper Wojeshook SheSheznee (that's how I pronounce it) bailed them out on a few occasions throughout the contest, but looked a bit like a wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube man on a late effort from the 21 year old Kyle Walker.


footyroom.com TOT-ARS by footyroom

Skip to 3:27 to see the boomer. Walker puts some extra spicy mustard on this thing, and it swerves its way past Shesheznee's arm flailingness. Great stuff from the youngster, and great self confidence to take a rip from there.

FIFA Legend: Peter Crouch(osaurus)

There are some players in this world that just should not be good at soccer. Rino Gattuso is one. Paul Scholes certainly looks like he could be stocking the lower shelves of your local supermarket. But the number one player who NO ONE would pick out of a lineup to be a professional soccer player is the Crouchosaur. At 6 feet 7 inches tall, his only evident ability might be heading the ball. In fact, however, Crouch has a very poor record of scoring headed goals. However, this fact is apparently not translatable to EA Sports' FIFA video game franchise.

Simply put, the great galloping dinosaur is unstoppable in FIFA. Whip in a cross anywhere near his toothy head, and he'll get his noggin around it and shape it home. I've been victimized by him on fadeaway headers from the penalty spot looping over my keeper more times than I care to remember.

Crouch's slender head is not his only FIFA weapon, however. His "telescopic legs", as the inimitable Ray Hudson describes them, are deadly at tapping home back post balls that no normal human could reach. And his better than average footskills have translated well into FIFA, to the dismay of his opponents.

In short, beware the ever-present danger of the Crouchosaurus.

"LOL umm idk why i'm better than u in FIFA! Probably 'cuz I'm not married to a horse?"

Frank Lampard Peaces Out at Swansea City

Frank Lampard, one of the stalwarts of the Chelsea midfield for the past ten years, is apparently not in new manager Andre Villas-Boas's long term plans. He has not started in three of the last four games, and was taken off at halftime in the 3-1 loss at Manchester United.

In the Blues' latest match at Swansea City, Lampard was on the bench until the 83rd minute, when Chelsea used their last substitution to bring in the 18 year old youngster Josh McEachran. At which point Lampard promptly clomped his way down the tunnel without talking to his manager.

Lampard is 33, and a veteran and leader in a Chelsea side that is in the early stages of a push for Champions League and Premier League glory. Putting himself before the team in this way shows Lampard's childish sense of resentment about not being chosen, along with jealousy towards his teammates.

I can only imagine what kind of mood the dressing room was in after the game, but I'm sure Lampard heard some choice words from the likes of John Terry and Petr Cech about leadership and a team-first mentality. This kind of mental weakness is what separates good teams from great teams, and right now it is obvious that Chelsea is in the former category.

"But I want an oompa-loompa NOW!!!"

Carling Cup

Just finished watching the Carling Cup match between Man United & Leeds United. Although there once was a great rivalry here, that is no longer the case. The depth of this current United squad is stupid good all their "bench" players started---you know, scrubs like Sir Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, Ji-Sung Park, among others haha. Anyways, the match was a comfortable 3 nil scrubbing by the Red Devils. A brace from the sumhow not injured Michael Owen and then a beauty by the ageless Walesman Giggys (video below).

Speculative Rip of the Week

This week's epic smack comes courtesy of a small Croatian man with floppy hair. That's right, Luka Modric has struck again, this time depositing the first of 4 Spurs goals past a helpless Pepe Reina. Watch and be amazed:

It's every midfielder's dream to have the ball come hopping towards you out of a scrum, begging to be smashed into the top corner. Modric obliged with a swerving effort that no keeper in the world could have stopped. Kudos to you, good sir.

Cristiano Ronaldo strikes again...

Not to pick on Cristiano or anything, but his press conferences as of late have been nothing short of gems. I mean seriously everyone needs to tune into his next press conference at the next leg of the champions league.

If you have read the earlier post about Ronaldo being beautiful and rich etc etc, this next one shows his arrogance. Prior to his game against Dinamo Zagreb he was asked about what he thought of the skills of Mario Gotze, an up and coming German international who currently plays for Borussia Dortmund.

Typical Ronaldo replied "Who's Gotze? In what position does he play? Is he good?"

Now, I understand that not everyone knows everyone, but if this blogger knows about him, then surely Cristiano Ronaldo should...or at least heard the name before, this kid isn't exactly a nobody.

I'm not blaming Ronaldo and calling him a bad person, if fact if he knew about Gotze I would be shocked. Ronaldo responded in the exact way that people should expect; if it ain't about him, don't ask the question.

Anywho, just an average week in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo

This is the Next Video Game You Need

You know you want to press on

Ahh, Fifa. There's nothing like it. In fact, Broston College named it as one of the top 5 inventions of our generation, with which I will firmly agree. Having said that, there are, as I see it, 3 problems with a current Fifa game (be it 11 or 12).

1. Constantly playing against people, while fostering hellacious rivalries, can sometimes lead to hatred. One of our roommates who will go unnamed has a type of goal that bears his name, called the ***-goal. There's really no set rubric for a ***-goal, it just has to be total bullshit. A few of these can cause his opponent to storm out and raid the fridge for a Bud Heavy to cool down.
2. When you're playing 2v2 with 4 bros, player switching is a huge issue. We all know the feeling of having 2 defenders back as a ball is played through, and the shitshow of manual player switching that commences (if you have auto-switching on, you don't deserve to play). Usually this results in the defender looking as if he's riding Harry Potter's cursed broomstick, while the uncontrolled defender is easily beaten for a golazo.
3. The career mode competitions suck. While I don't know this because basically the whole career mode is only for people with RIDICULOUS amounts of free time on their hands, it used to be that none of the European competitions had their real names. I think I won the ECC like 6 times with Liverpool in Fifa 07 for Gamecube, but that didn't give me the satisfaction of winning the Champions League.

All these problems are fixed in Fifa World Cup.

A quick summary:

1. While you can play a normal match, it's much more fun to play in a mode called Captain Your Country, where you pick a team and play as one player throughout all qualifiers and eventually reach THE Fifa World Cup 2010. Intrasquad bitterness may develop if one player doesn't pass, but certainly all ***-goals will be met with more appreciation if they come from your side.
2. Captain Your Country eliminates player switching. Since you're only one player, and basically your whole job is to get good match ratings, you don't have to worry about silly things like defense. You can poach up top with Jozy and bury breakaways all day, with no thought to defending against the dreaded Lb+Y.
3. Due to the fact that it's officially licensed, this baby has the god damned WORLD CUP. You can try to take any country in the world to the pinnacle of the sport. Much more satisfying than winning the Fifa International Tournament or some other nonsense.

Save yourself 30 bucks and but it for $20 on eBay here. I did.

Cristiano Ronaldo on Himself

If anyone else in the world had said this, I would have immediately dismissed it as a joke. With the possible exception of LeBron, who would have said it as a joke to get headlines because with no NBA I haven't been subjected to LBlowJ on Sportscenter for perhaps a week. However, there is only one human being on Earth who could actually say this in full confidence and mean every word of it. This quote comes from after Real Madrid's Champions League tilt at Dinamo Zagreb. When asked why he was heckled throughout the match, Ronaldo responded:

""I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me. I don't have any other explanation.""

Let that sink in for a minute. Perhaps the most recognizable and famous athlete on the planet actually said that. Again, though, almost not surprising coming from this man:

"No, I mustn't look. They will surely heckle me. No one understands my beauty"

FoxSoccer.tv is a Godsend

Living on campus has its benefits. Easy access to meals payed for with Monopoly money (aka BC dining bucks), waking up 10 minutes before class, and the ability to go to the Mods just to see if anything's going on. However, one glaring drawback to living on the Heights is BC Cable. Although 50% of this school is male, therefore making them sports fans, BC somehow refuses to pay the extra few dollars to equip our student body with the ever-elusive "sports package". Aka no MLB TV, no NFL Network (goodbye Thursday night football), and most importantly NO FOX SOCCER.

However, being the ever-intrepid bloggers that we are, the Retired Ginger Prince and I have found a workaround. For the small price of $10 each a month, we have signed up for foxsoccer.tv. With this wonderful service we get basically every game from the major European leagues all year long, as well as Champions League games. Currently I'm watching the Man City - Napoli game, which is nil nil in the 15th minute. Sitting on my standard-issue blue BC couch, watching soccer online, I can almost pretend that I'm off campus again. RIP Chiswick and Chestnut Hill Ave, but Viva La FSC.tv!!

Champions League Group Stages Begin in a Week

The European Champions League is a season-long tournament where the best teams in Europe battle for the right to be crowned king of the continent. And then Barcelona or Man U win. But hope springs eternal in the breast of all UCL competitors this season, as they feel that this could finally be their year.

Here is a quick breakdown of how the groups look. Analysis and opinions will be provided as we see fit.

Group A
Bayern Munich
Man City
Napoli
Villareal

Group B
CSKA Moscow
Internationale
Lille
Trabzonspor

Group C (The "Embarrassingly Easy Group")
Benfica
FC Basel
Manchester United
Otelul Galati (...WHO??)

Group D
Ajax
Dinamo Zagreb
Lyon
Real Madrid

Group E
Bayer Leverkusen
Chelsea
KRC Genk (great name... GENK)
Valencia

Group F
Arsenal
Marseille
Borussia Dortmund
Olympiakos

Group G (the dark horse group)
Apoel Nicosia (??)
FC Porto
Shakhtar Donetsk
Zenit St. Petersburg

Group H
AC Milan
Barcelona
BATE Borisov
Viktoria Plzen (?)

So there you have it. We will undoubtedly see some great group stage matchups (AC v Barca, Real Madrid v Ajax, Man City v Bayern Munich) and some games featuring two teams that seem to come from a Scrabble game between 2 five year olds (BATE Borisov v Viktoria Plzen, FC Basel v Otelul Galati). Now all we have to do is sit back and watch.

Picks and analysis may follow at a later date. Stay tuned.
 
 
 

Gerrard "Delighted" with Bellamy's Return

As previously reported, 32 year old Craig Bellamy returns to Anfield after a 4 year spell away from Liverpool. Here are Captain Fantastic's thoughts:

"I'm delighted that Craig is back - I didn't want him to leave in the first place...That pace and the fiery character he's got will help us in our push for success this season."

Now here's what he really meant:

"I'm delighted that Craig is back - whoever greenlighted the previous sale was a moron... He's fast as hell and even more of a headcase nutjob than I am, which can surely only be a good thing"

Steven Gerrard, everyone.

"Aye, mate, let's go out for a pint and find ourselves a disagreeable DJ we can rough up"

Meireles Pulls a Torres

Hopefully this is not a scene to be repeated in blue shirts

 In an eerily similar move to everyone's favorite Rat, Raul Meireles bolted from Liverpool red to Chelsea blue with less than an hour to go in the summer transfer window.

Meireles had not been linked with any moves out of Anfield for most of the transfer season, however Liverpool did reject a Chelsea bid for the midfielder the day before the close of business. The transfer fee is undisclosed, however it must have been rather astronomical to convince Liverpool to let go one of the anchors of their midfield. Even with many new midfield recruits moving in, it is simply a shame to see a veteran and a class act like Meireles shove off for London, leaving our midfield young and inexperienced until Gerrard comes back.

In other Liverpool news, the Reds have reached a contract with Craig Bellamy. The hotheaded winger will be wearing shirt number 39, and his pace and ability to find the net are always assets for an attacking manager such as the King.

BC Embarrasses Quinnipiac 5-0

Your 2011-2012 Boston College Eagles soccer team has started off on the right foot this season, posting a 3-0-0 record. Their latest game featured four different players finding the twine en route to a 5-0 shellacking of the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

The Eagles are ranked 16th in the country, but if midfielder Kyle Bekker (goal, assist) and striker Charlie Rugg (goal) can spark offensive performances like this, look for the Eagles to make a jump in the rankings before ACC play opens.

BC travels to face a powerful Dartmouth squad on Sunday, and opens conference play a week from today in College Park, Maryland.  With only 5 seniors on the roster, on paper it is a young team that sets out with high expectations this year. However, many of the juniors and even sophomores have serious playing experience under their belt, and have been counted on for contributions in past seasons. The future looks bright in Chestnut Hill.

Charlie Rugg, who bears a strong resemblance to Kid Cudi, will be counted on for big goals this season

The Inaugural "Caught it on the UpBounce"

When a certain Retired Ginger Prince and I are engaged in one of our twice-daily Fifa battles, there will be 25 shots that careen wildly over the net for every one goal from distance. Thus, we've created an excuse to be used in every situation where someone tries to belt one home from distance and ends up decapitating a 2-dimensional fan in row Z. We just exclaim "Whoop, caught it on the upbounce!" The blame is transferred to the game, and everyone goes home happy.

This does not only happen in Fifa, however. Today in the Champions League play-in stages, an unknown midfielder from FC Zurich put on his Gerrard pants and tried to boom one in from many a mile away. Needless to say, he caught it on the upbounce:

Sorry for the shoddy video quality, but shout out to Greg's iPhone for the technology. 

Bayern was 1 goal to the good at this point, and miserable finishing by the Swiss enabled the Germans to move on to the group stage of the Champions League. Stay tuned for exclusive coverage of the UCL all season long!

City Sign Nasri

Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, better known as one Sheikh Mansour, has reached into his bottomless pit of Arabian oil money and emerged with a playmaking midfielder for around £24 million. That's right, one of the longest running transfer sagas of the summer has ended, with the rich boys coming out on top again.

At only 24, Nasri is one of the most exciting and gifted players in world football today, and was considered at one point last season a front-runner for EPL PFA player of the year. The only question is, will he be a victim of the Man City blackhole? Where a gifted player (Edin Dzeko, Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli), transfers into the squad only to be shuffled in and out of the starting 11 at the whim of Mancini or the Sheikh.

Regardless, City only benefit from this deal as they receive a distributor on the order of David Silva, someone who can score goals as well as set them up for the aforementioned strikers. Arsenal, meanwhile, seem to be reeling. Coming off a 2-0 home defeat to the resurgently mighty Reds of Liverpool, and having lost their two best players and central midfielders, a fall from their perennial top four status may not be hard to imagine. Heavy incoming transfers in the January window may be the key to an Arsenal resurgence.

Nasri looking spindly-legged and ever so French

Liverpool Interested in Borriello

Marco Borriello, the 29 year old Italian striker, is set to leave AS Roma less than 2 months after signing a deal worth €4.5 million per year. Borriello has scored 54 goals in the last three seasons, making him an enticing target for any squad. Liverpool seem set to sell David N'Gog to Bolton, which would open up a forward spot for the Italian.

The Reds have already splashed serious cash in the transfer market this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them dole out a few more million to rake in Borriello. Despite having world-class options Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt, as well as highly touted part-dinosaur Andy Carroll, LFC seem to be in serious contention for Borriello as he is cup-tied from his exploits in Europe with Roma. With no European football this season, Liverpool are gearing up for a return to the top of the EPL on the backs of all these new signings. Only time will tell if King Kenny can craft a winning side from so many shiny new pieces.

Article Here

Ridiculous Pay for Eto'o

If you haven't heard...besides having the the hardest name in professional football to announce Russian club, Anzhi Makhachakala, is now the proud owner of Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o. They paid an exorbitant amount of money for him a whopping $39.8 million transfer fee and an equally ridiculous $28.8 per year. This makes him the highest paid player in history by around $11 million over Cristiano Ronaldo.

Why Eto'o wants to go to Russia is beyond me. Its not like he is in the twilight of his career or was on a bad team.

I guess he can buy a wicked expensive fur coat to battle the bitter Russian winters with all that money.

I also hope that he doesn't have a run-in with the great Russian bear...that would be unfortunate

Brief MLS Update

2 big moves in MLS this week: Robbie Keane to the LA Galaxy and Juan Pablo Angel from the Galaxy to Chivas USA. Keane moves to the Galaxy from Tottenham for 2 years and a reported $9.75 million, while Angel has moved over to Chivas USA in exchange for a 3rd-round selection in the 2012 MLS supplemental draft.

With the signing of the still very dangerous 31 year old Keane, the Galaxy had to offload one of their high-earning "designated players", since any MLS team can only have 2. With David Beckham firmly entrenched in the squad, Angel was unceremoniously dumped to Chivas for basically nothing.

Everyone wins in this scenario: Tottenham make money and offload one of their MANY forwards, the Galaxy pick up a 31 year old forward with known scoring prowess (and a serious finesse rip), and Chivas USA have the most prolific scorer in recent MLS history dropped into their laps.

 

Keane's trademark cartwheel celebration

Speculative Rip of the Week

This week's entry comes to you from this past Sunday, when Barcelona and Real Madrid battled to a 2-2 tie in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Barca edged past Madrid 5-4 on aggregate a few days later, but many are still talking about the dipping wonderstrike executed by Barcelona's diminutive Spanish forward David Villa. Have a look-see:





A worthy effort indeed. Villa (like the entire Barcelona roster save Dani Alves) is not known for his long-distance efforts. This was a very out-of-character attempt for a Barcelona player, and it shows the kind of class that David Villa possesses.

2010-2011 Barclays Premier League Season Preview- Part 3

Here's my take on a few of the teams for the upcoming premier league season. Sorry for the late publish but other things (birthday!) have kept me distracted. Anyway, after that amazing last second victory for United over City in the Community Shield, I am officially PUMPED for this weekend's first matchday. So here is part 3 of the Season Preview.

Liverpool

Manager: Kenny Daglish

Recent History: Until recently, Liverpool could always been counted on to be a top 4 threat under former manager Rafa Benitez. However, with the mutual decision for his leave before last season, the reins were turned over to former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson. After his epic disaster to start the season, new owner John Henry turned to the "King" Kenny Daglish to return the Reds to their former glory. While Daglish did a magnificent job in the second half turning Liverpool back into a magnificent attacking team, Liverpool finished a disappointing 6th after finishing 7th the year previous. A highlight for the season was a 3-1 thrashing of eventual champions & hated rivals Manchester United at Anfield.

Significant Changes: Liverpool was active this summer bringing in young midfielder Jordan Henderson, winger Stewart Downing, & keeper Doni. However, their biggest score came from prized midfielder Charlie Adam from Blackpool. Adam's vision on the ball & delivery into the dangerous areas will be an absolute plus this year for the Reds. Also not to be forgotten, Liverpool made a huge splash in the January transfer window bringing in prized strikers Luis Suarez & Andy Carroll while disposing of petulant child Fernando "the Rat" Torres. Suarez and Carroll will compliment each other wonderfully in attack with superb captain Steven Gerrard backing them with his furious cannon of a right foot.

Player to Watch: While Gerrard's health is essential and Carroll's skill, height, hair, and persona will draw him towards the center of attention, for me Luis Suarez will be the biggest player to watch. His on the ball skill is unbelievable and his competitive fire makes him an absolute threat despite his smaller size. His dribbling ability & willingness to run at defenders will prove him to be a huge threat---for me a player of the year candidate.

Predicted Finish: With their brilliance in attack & the managing of King Kenny, look for Liverpool to return to the top 4 this year.

2011-2012 Barclays Premier League Season Preview - Part 2

Good day all,

Bear with me as this is my inaugural blog for 3mw, and everyone knows the first time is always a bit awkward. I'm not really sure what to say, when to say things, or how long it will be until something unexpectedly bad happens. So enough of those sexual innuendos and lets get down to business. The EPL starts tomorrow and I for one cannot wait. I'm sick of watching the MLS (no offense, EPL is just a better league), and all these friendlies (they are friendlies, come on, I want to see players barreling into each other and getting stuck in).

Without any further ado, here's my preseason review

Sunderland: Mgr: Steve Bruce

Recent History: Sunderland has a long history of being a quality and even high quality footballing club. Seriously, they were one of the top teams back in the day. And by back in the day I am of course referring to the 1890's when they won three consecutive league titles. You might be asking yourself, "what happened to them, they were so good?" Well, money issues, player scandals, and being Sunderland, happened. This isn't to say that they don't have some bright spots. Last year Sunderland had a fantastic opening to the '10-'11 season, having a 7 match unbeaten streak that saw them take on the likes of Man U, Man City, Liverpool, and Arsenal. They had huge potential but couldn't keep up with the winning ways but finished a respectable 10th in the Premier League.

Significant Changes: It goes like this. They lost striker Darren Bent in January of 2011 and in June lost Jordan Henderson, a Sunderland Academy player, to Liverpool. They did however, sign Craig Gardner from Birmingham City. He scored 8 league goals last year and should help out Asamoah Gyan in the goal scoring department.

Player to Watch: It’s easy to say Asamoah Gyan for this one, but since everyone knows of him since the last World Cup. I'm going with Stephane Sessegnon. He was a transfer during the middle of last season from PSG. He ended the season on the upswing and should be looking to capitalize on his experience from last year and be solid EPL striker, whether he's on the left, the right, or in the center.

Predicted Table Finish: 10th

Swansea City- Mgr: Brendan Rodgers

Recent History: Ok, I know what you’re thinking, but yes Swansea really is a part of the 2011-2012 Premier League. It’s shocking because they will be the first team from Wales to join the top flight since its inception in 1992. The Swans have come a long way to get to the EPL, having been in the 3rd division as recently as the 2007-2008 season. But they have managed to pull themselves up and got into a playoff last season and beat Reading 4-2 to gain admittance to the big league.

Significant Changes: Swansea City is going to be up for quite a challenge this season now that it is playing with the big boys. They have brought in winger Wayne Routledge from Newcastle United, which should bring some EPL experience to the lineup. Also, they have signed Dutch international keeper Michel Vorm.

Player to Watch: Nathan Dyer. He was named Swansea City Supporters' Player of the Year last season. I don't have much else to say as I've never seen Swansea City play.

Projected Table Finish: Bottom of the pack. I'm expecting a fight to stay up.

Tottenham Hotspur: Boy am I excited to finally write about a team that should have a good season.

Mgr: Harry Redknapp

Recent History: If you followed the Champions League last year at all, you have heard about the remarkable run that this club made. If you lived under a rock, this is what you missed. They stormed onto the international scene when their wonder-boy Gareth Bale notched a hat-trick against Inter in the Champions league and then lead his team to a 3-1 victory against Inter in the second leg to knock out the defending champions though they eventually succumbed to Real Madrid and their mountains of money...I meant talented players. Their efforts thrilled the footballing world, and should serve as inspiration for this upcoming season.

Significant Changes: One of the biggest areas of concern for the Spurs last season was the inconsistency of keeper Heurelho Gomes. Sure he played well and got his team very deep into the Champions league and a top 5 spot in the Premier League, but it was goals like the one Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the Champions League that garnered some concern. So Tottenham went out and signed American Brad Friedel. It is still unsure on where Friedel will be in the depth chart but expect there to be competition throughout the season, unless one keeper stands out among the rest.

Player to Watch: As I've gone with all attacking players so far, I'm going to give a nod the guys in the back who wack and hack and prevent goals from happening (notice the rhyming that just happened). My player to watch is Michael Dawson. Dude's a beast in the backfield. He has great on field awareness and is never afraid of a bone crunching challenge. He excels in the air and has scored some goals for his side. He is also an up-and-coming English international defender so I see nothing but improvement for this lad. I expect a good season out of him.

Projected Table Finish: Fighting for a top 4 finish

West Bromwich Albion- Mgr: Roy Hodgson

Recent History: West Brom enjoyed its season in the Premier League last year, finishing 11^th. They have an up and down history but manager Roy Hodgson is hoping to stay in the league and improve on last year.

Significant Changes: Perhaps the biggest change for West Brom was the hiring of manager Roy Hodgson in last February. He kept the team in the Premier League and looks for a more successful campaign. Also, they have manages to hold on to key striker Peter Odemwingie. He scored 15 goals last season and the club has made it very clear that he is not for sale.

Player to Watch: Clearly Peter Odemwingie is the brightest spot for the baggies. He netted 15 goals and looks to terrorize EPL defenses again. I think it’s pertinent to note that the 15 goals he scored is a club record. Who knows if he can do it again…?

Projected Table Finish: Bottom of the pack

Wigan Athletic: Mgr: Roberto Martinez

Recent History: Martinez used to play for the club in the late 1990’s so he knows the culture well. Despite that, they struggled immensely at the beginning of last season, suffering colossal losses. They managed to turn it around though as the qualified for the Premier league on the last day of the season thanks to a goal by Hugo Rodallega.

Significant Changes: The club signed Nouha Dicko from RC Strasbourg. This lightening quick winger is hailed by manager Martinez as a player of the future. This makes sense as he is just a lad at 19 years old. It’s still surprising to this blogger that players can be that good at that young of an age.

Player to Watch: Gary Caldwell- This versatile defender can play all over the place. He prefers the central defender role but he can also play right back and a defensive midfielder. As the reigning captain of Wigan, and Wigan not being the most glamorous team, I think he’s one name that you will be surely hearing about throughout the year.

Projected Table Finish: Bottom of the pack

Wolverhamption Wanderers: Mgr: Mick McCarthy

Recent History: The Wolves won their admittance to the EPL in the 2008-2009 season and have been flirting with relegation ever since it seems. Perhaps the best thing that’s happened to the club is its planned redevelopment of their stadium.

Players to Watch: Kevin Doyle: Irish International, 21 year old striker. This guy managed 14 goals in 60 appearances for the Wolves last season. This is impressive as for most of the season he was the lone striker for the team. He has become part of the striking force for Ireland and has seen success there too.

Projected Table Finish: Bottom of the pack

Jose Enrique Signs for Liverpool

Former Newcastle United left back Jose Enrique has signed for Liverpool. Counting it as "one of the happiest days of my life", the Spaniard becomes the 5th major signing for LFC this summer. He joins Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, and Doni. I bet Fernando "the Rat" Torres is eating his words right now. Torres said the Reds future wasn't looking bright and that's why he, Alonso, and Mascherano left? How's that future look now, Nando?

Sorry about the mini rant.

Back to the news. Enrique is a 25 year older and at 6 feet, he seems to be solid enough to defend on corner kicks. But we all know the new desirable skill for outside backs is their ability to factor into the attack. The man's got superhuman pace, as he was forced to choose at a young age between training full time to be an Olympic sprinter or a professional footballer. He's good on the ball, but has only 2 career goals. Regardless, he is a fantastic addition to a team that is certainly shaping up to be a title contender.