| |||
| photo by TroyMason | via PhotoRee | ||
Scott's post should be entitled "Deluded Thoughts":
o When I look at the talent on Manchester City and Chelsea compared to Manchester United, I can’t help but conclude that Sir Alex’s departure will also mean the end of United’s dominance in the BPL. No offence to David Moyes, but Darth Ferguson’s success is nearly inconceivable; how he managed to just keep winning with different players is inarguably impressive. Finally admitting his penchant for bullying referees aside, his ability to instill belief in his players was second to none. Maybe Moyes has the same mojo and only needs a bigger budget to weave his magic at the top of the table. Maybe. But I think United will bounce around the top half of the table a little more from now on instead of perennially winning or showing.
o Liverpool finished 7th. That’s a spot above last year, a spot below 2011 and the same spot as 2010. No real movement in 4 years. Of course, Brendan Rodgers will take heart in the slight improvement over last year. And he should. When you look at the team and assess their potential for success next year, you can’t help but be optimistic. While the earliest Rodgers additions of Joe Allen and Fabio Borini have not yet been successful, his more recent acquisitions of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho have been brilliant. The two January signings have not only lifted the team up a few pegs in terms of quality, they also more than adequately filled the very large, teething shoes of one Luis Suarez. With Steven Gerrard continuing his renaissance, Raheem Sterling continuing his development, Lucas Leiva continuing his journey back to form and both Luis Enrique and Glen Johnson continuing to raid down the flanks, Liverpool has the makings of a quality starting XI. Still, a little defensive shoring up is in order as well as a patient search for depth across the field. We’re behind you Brendan.
o The winner of the 2015 Europa league will qualify for the Champions League the following year. I love it! Give them something to play for, I say. Would you rather win a trophy that everyone views as second-rate or win a chance to prove yourself at the highest level (not to mention make more money)? After all, they really could call the Champions and Europa leagues European Division 1 and European Division 2, respectively. So why not move toward a quasi-relegation/promotion system? It wouldn’t make sense to fully implement that system given the original intent to showcase the top teams from each European country based on their home league results, but having a little more skin in the game is a good thing. Now, I wonder how we can relegate someone too…
This is farlieonfootie for May 25. Enjoy the Champions League final tonight.
No comments:
Post a Comment