The Premier League 2010/11 Previews Part 11: Manchester City – Great Expectations

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“‘Where now for Manchester City?’ has probably been the hottest Premier League question of the summer. Such has been their level of spending that the Champions League was regarded by some as the minimum target for last season, and Mark Hughes paid the price for this increase in expectation with his job. Whether the improved that much under new coach Roberto Mancini is open to question, and City were beaten to the fourth Champions League place by Tottenham Hotspur with a game to go of the season. City’s reaction has been, perhaps unsurprisingly, to go out and spend more money, though perhaps not as much as some had expected. This season, qualification for the Champions League is the minimum expectation for Manchester City, and that’s a phrase that not many people would have considered likely as recently as three or four years ago.” (twohundredpercent)

The Case for the US 4-3-3

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Jozy Altidore
“As I promised at the end of that roster discussion, I am writing now to discuss US tactical strategy going forward into the 2014 World Cup cycle. In the last 4 years, outside of one disastrous night at the Saprissa, we’ve seen two lineup formations employed by Bob Bradley’s men – the traditional 4-4-2 and the traditional 4-5-1. In fact, what may shock some USMNT supporters who are less familiar with Bob’s lineup choices until recently, we didn’t settle into the 4-4-2 formation until the 2009 Confed. Cup where two things happened: 1.) Charlie Davies emerged as a viable option at striker. 2.) We used the 4-4-2 to beat Spain.” (Yanks are coming)

2010-11 English Premier League Preview, Part I: EPL Talk Podcast

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“In the first of four parts, the EPL Talk team returns from their post-World Cup hiatus just in time for the 2010-11 English Premier League Season. Richard Farley, Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer, in the first quarter-hour of a recording from Sunday night, talk about some of the summer’s overriding issues – the sale of Liverpool, 25/7 – as well as the direction the show will take in the next week and over the next season.” (EPL Talk)

Prepared Blanc wastes little time undertaking French challenge

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“Why take on a challenge in which you can’t do any better when you can go somewhere you can’t do any worse? That would seem the gist of the rationale behind Laurent Blanc’s reported decision to turn down the coaching job at European champions and Italian double-winners Internazionale and instead take over the France side after the most embarrassing World Cup campaign in its history.” (SI)

Argentine Soccer Politics: Fútbol Para Todos, Continued

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“Presidential interest in national soccer is nothing new to us. With so much popular will and attention fixated on national teams, national soccer has long been mixed with executive politicking. The recent World Cup has illustrated this phenomenon more clearly than ever, with notable presidential “arbitrations” occurring in the French, Nigerian, and North Korean football associations in the wake of poor tournament performances.” (Soccer Politics)

Expect reactivity not proactivity to be the shape of things to come

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“This has been a decade of broadly attacking football, at least at the highest level, but at the start of 2010-11 the game stands at a crossroads. Internazionale’s triumph in the Champions League, the predominance of reactive football at the World Cup and the growing realisation that nobody can match Spain/Barcelona at their brand of possession football, though, might mean a turn into defensiveness.” (Guardian – Jonathan Wilson)

Where Has All of the Quality Soccer Writing Gone?

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“Yes, it’s summer, which means most of Europe is on vacation. And yes, it’s the silly season when transfer speculation is rife and the season hasn’t kicked off yet. But I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really disappointed with the level of football journalism post-World Cup. That pertains to both the blogosphere and traditional news organizations. Hopefully coverage will pick up as soon as the season begins. But right now, if you eliminated the preseason friendly and transfer speculation articles from most football blogs and online newspapers, you wouldn’t have much to choose from. And even with what is leftover, the quality and creativity is quite poor.” (EPL Talk)

The Premier League 2010/11 Previews, Part 9: Fulham – After The Lord Mayor’s Show

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“So, just how do you follow an act like Roy Hodgson? Since Fulham’s own chairman appears unable to express any appreciation for just what he did for the club over the course of two and a half seasons, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves just how good a job he did. Arriving midway through the 2007/08 season with the team apparently destined for relegation, he kept them up with a terrific late season run. The following season he steered them to seventh and qualification to the Europa League, then last season of course he took them all the way to the final of it and to within a few minutes of a penalty shoot out that might have won it for them. All achieved on a relative shoestring – at least insofar as there is such a thing in the Premier League these days.” (twohundredpercent)

The Premier League Previews 2010/11 Part 9: Liverpool – Out With The Old, In With The New

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Steven Gerrard
“Benitez out, Hodgson in, then. If we take it as read that Rafael Benitez had outlived his usefulness at Anfield (and, whilst there are plenty of supporters that remain unhappy at his departure at the start of the summer, Liverpool last season were a team – and club – in decline, rather than a team – and club – in transition), then he probably had to go at the end of the season. There are two conflicting views on the appointment of Roy Hodgson, and both of them have merit. One the one hand, it could be argued that Hodgson is a steadying hand on the tiller – a managerial journeyman with a reputation for treating his players well but drilling some discipline into them both on and off the pitch. Perhaps he is the perfect choice to arrest Liverpool’s recent and sudden decline.” (twohundredpercent)

Premier League preview No10: Liverpool
“Certainties are fewer than Gary Neville worshippers in Liverpool right now. But one thing that is clear amid all the transfer and takeover talk is that it is a good thing Rafael Benítez has gone. Decent chap and all that, but would you have trusted the Spaniard to make optimal use of any transfer bounty that eventual new owners may brandish? No, his strike-rate in the transfer market is too haphazard for that.” (Guardian)

UEFA’s regulation uncertainty, economic woes cause few transfers

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“As most economists will tell you, the more times are uncertain, the more folks hunker down and count every penny. Judging by transfer activity (or lack thereof) this summer, most clubs feel the same way. As of Thursday, the Premier League’s traditional ‘big four’ of Arsenal, Cheslea, Manchester United and Liverpool had signed just two players for more than 10 million euros ($13 million): Laurent Koscielny, who joined the Gunners, and Ramires, whose move from Benfica to Chelsea is all but wrapped up. Last summer, those same clubs made five signings north of the 10 million range. Serie A’s big three of Juventus, Milan and Inter broke the 10 million mark six times a year ago.” (SI)

Football’s Greatest Managers: #19 Bela Guttmann

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“A footballing nomad and a wandering tactical evangelical, the hot-tempered Bela Guttmann has come to be regarded as one of the most astute coaches to emerge from the sporting intellectual set that arose in Eastern Europe during the 1930s. An adventurous centre-half by trade, Guttmann’s playing career saw him undertake spells in his native Hungary, Austria and New York before he joined Hakoah Vienna in 1933 to embark on what would become a marvellously successful, if fragmented, coaching career.” (The Equaliser)

Liverpool 2-0 FK Rabotnicki – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Europa League – 5 August 2010

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“Liverpool hosted Macedonian side FK Rabotnicki in the second leg of the third round of UEFA Europa League qualifying. The reds had a 2-0 lead from the first leg and would move into the play-off round with a one goal margin loss, a draw, or victory in the match.” (The 90th Minute)

The Premier League 2010/11 Previews, Part 8: Everton – Steady As She Goes

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“It may surprise some younger readers to learn this out, but when Bill Shankly retired from Liverpool Football Club and football in 1974, Everton were historically as successful as his club had been to that point. Liverpool had, in 1974, eight championship wins and two FA Cup wins, while Everton had seven championship wins and three FA Cup wins. To that extent, the man that blasted a hole between the perception of the two clubs in Liverpool was Bob Paisley and, by 1990, Liverpool had eighteen championship wins to Everton’s nine, and the blue half of Merseyside have been firmly regarded from the outside as the junior partner in the city’s football landscape ever since.” (twohundredpercent)

Liverpool As England

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“From the perspective of someone who’s barely been paying attention, one of the more intriguing stories of the offseason has been the weird swerving of the Liverpool crisis-drama, which is still producing twists well into its 24th act. Just when you think the action is about to go stale (with trembling hand, Martin Broughton places a phone call to the Royal Bank of Scotland), they go and follow up the not-one-hundred-percent-intuitive Roy Hodgson hiring by signing Joe Cole, thereby forcing you to realize that, waltzing Elizabeth, the dominant cultural influence in the Anfield locker room next season is going to be…English.” (Run of Play)

Celtic’s Champions League failure is down to flawed transfer policy

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“The impact of Europa League football for a second successive year will be felt more strongly on Celtic’s balance sheet than on the morale of supporters. The likely sale of Aiden McGeady has shown mere participation in the Champions League represents the difference between a heavy annual loss and a lucrative financial year for either half of the Old Firm. On the field, the Glasgow duo’s diminishing standing actually makes the Europa League a more viable environment.” (Guardian)

The Premier League Previews 2010/11 Part 7: Chelsea – Next Stop, The Champions

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“It was an optical illusion of Escher-esque proportions, but Chelsea went into their final match of last season uncertain of whether they would win the Premier League championship and the FA Cup Final against Portsmouth might even have turned out differently had Kevin Prince-Boateng not missed a penalty for Pomey with the scores tied at 0-0.” (twohundredpercent)

Why are two holding midfielders so crucial in the modern game?

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“The efficiency that holding midfielders provide teams makes them very important in the modern football. International competitions are always fascinating tactically if anything for the inflexibility they confront managers with. Arrigo Sacchi, in charge of the Italy side who reached the final of World Cup ’94, stated it was “impossible” for a national manager to drill the same understanding that club level coaches are afforded due to the lack of day-to-day availability of personnel. The sporadic amount of time they have with players means it can be difficult for coaches to develop plans so they usually are forced to stick with philosophies they think are correct – and that in turn highlights the common trends in the thinking of modern coaches. And certainly, what has become oblivious from the recent World Cup in South Africa and indeed club football for the past few years is that the use of two holding midfielders in front of the back four is become crucial in the modern game.” (Arsenal Column)

The Question: Is 4-2-1-3 the future?

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“Evolution never stops. As the World Cup showed, 4‑2‑3‑1 has come to replace 4‑4‑2 as the universal default (18 of the 32 teams played some form of 4‑2‑3‑1 at some stage, with another three fielding a 4‑4‑2 that perhaps should have become 4‑2‑3‑1) so the system at the very highest level has already begun to mutate. Spain, by the end of the World Cup, had followed what Barcelona did at times last season, what Arsenal seemed to be reaching towards, and set up in a 4‑2‑1‑3.” (Guardian)

Fictional Moldovan Soccer Phenom Tells All

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“On a typical weekday, the English soccer press devotes itself to unsubstantiated rumors, manufactured scandals, and bikini pictures of players’ girlfriends (who seem to roam the earth together in a giant conjugal yacht, like the Beatles in Yellow Submarine). This week, however, thanks to an ingenious hoax that took in the Times of London, the soccer press has been engrossed by Moldova. Specifically by one Moldovan teenager, who is not, as it happens, a real person.” (Slate – Brian Phillips)

Out with the old, in with the new

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Rome – the Basilica of Constantine, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot
“England’s reverse alchemists managed to ensure the so-called Golden Generation produced only leaden performances at the World Cup finals and, like any struggling scientist, Fabio Capello now has to reassess his formula for success. But who are the corrosive elements within his squad, and who should form part of his new experiment?” (ESPN)

England’s Premier League introduces new financial rules

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“England’s Premier League has introduced new ownership and financial regulations for the upcoming season in an attempt to avoid a repeat of Portsmouth’s downfall last season. Under a series of owners, Portsmouth ran up debts of more than $159 million to creditors, including the British government’s revenue and customs authority. The league said Tuesday that it now requires prospective new owners to prove they have sufficient funds to sustain a club for another year and can now contact the government directly to check that clubs are up to date with taxes.” (SI)

The Premier League Previews 2010/11: Bolton Wanderers – Time To Turn Those Frowns

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“It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling as if every season is likely to be a struggle for Bolton Wanderers, but their recent Premier League history doesn’t really bear this out. After they returned to the Premier League in 2001 they struggled for a couple of seasons but, broadly speaking, they have had a decent record since then, managing four consecutive finishes in the top eight during the middle of the decade. Even last season, they pulled clear of the relegation places during the second half of the season and ended up nine points clear of the relegation places, in fourteenth place in the table. Bolton Wanderers supporters will probably be looking for a season of consolidation and improvement over the coming nine months, and there is nothing to suggest that their team won’t be capable of exactly this.” (twohundredpercent)

Fernando Torres confirms he will stay at Liverpool next season

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“Fernando Torres has seemingly confirmed he is staying at Liverpool this season, saying ‘My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed’.” (Guardian)

Inner Life of Fernando Torres
“Louis Armstrong – ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’” (Run of Play)

A tale of two city teams

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“When the fixtures for the forthcoming season were made public, many fans would have immediately checked to see when their team were due to meet their big local rival. Derbies are part of the essence of football, perhaps even more so in South America than in Europe. The logic is clear. Distances are vast in South America, forcing the game to develop locally. Brazil has only had a genuinely national championship since 1971, while the Peruvian league was restricted to Lima until 1967.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

TTU 2010/11: Season Preview: Championship (Part One)

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“Our week of 2010-11 previews starts here and, rather than sound off with our own views once again, we decided this year to canvass the opinion of fans of all the league clubs. Thankfully, we have been overwhelmed with a warm hearted response and no little wit. The Championship previews appear today in two parts, with Leagues 1 and 2 to follow later in the week. Here goes and needless to say, the opinions are those of the contributors and not necessarily The Two Unfortunates…” (thetwounfortunates), (TTU 2010/11: Season Preview: Championship (Part Two))

The Premier League 2010/11 Previews, 5 – Blackpool: Reasons To Be cheerfulAug 03

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“The first decade of the new century saw Blackpool take a most modern route from the basement of the Football League into the Premier League. A decade ago they were in what we now know as League Two, but they will start the new season in the Premier League having been promoted three times via the play-offs. They’re the the first team to have managed this, but will this promotion prove to be a step too far? The obvious statement to make is that they are the pre-season favourites to return from whence they came, but there are reasons for Blackpool supporters to feel optimistic about the new season.” (twohundredpercent)

The Changing Landscape of FC Barcelona

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“Today’s announcement that Rafa Márquez has agreed with the club to rescind his contract, making him eligible for a move to the New York Red Bulls, should come as no surprise to anyone. Márquez played for 7 years at FCB, amassing 242 appearances and 13 goals in all competitions. His first goal for us was in the 2-1 home win over Real Betis on November 9, 2003 while his last goal was this stunner of a freekick in the 4-0 home win over Racing Santander on February 20 of this year.” (ESPN)

Blown calls are human nature

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Frank Lampard
“It was the World Cup goal seen around the world but missed by the eyes that mattered most: England midfielder Frank Lampard’s shot that dropped cleanly past the German goal line but was not given by the referee. The avalanche of complaints about that missed call and others during the largest soccer tournament in the world raised the philosophical question of whether instant-replay technology improves games or turns them into soulless events run by a bank of blinking lights. Scientists who study the human brain say it is surprising that bad calls do not happen more often.” (The Globe and Mail)

The Ball Day 50 – Visiting the Dogon Country pt. 1

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“Here is part 1 of a 2 part piece following The Ball as it journeys in the back country of Mali to the Dogon area searching for some off the beaten track football action. Music in this EP is from Akwaaba Music artists Baba Salah from Mali with ‘Borey,’ Alou Sangare with ‘Dugu Djeto,’ find the song here and check out the music video here. Then we have another spin for Mic’Mo Lion with ‘Niengo’ and finally a track from the awesomely named Peace Singers of Adabraka Official Town with ‘Take Four’.” (The Ball 2010)

Football transfer rumours: Mesut Özil to Manchester United?

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“Yelling football chants in the street. Puffing on tabs. Urinating beside bins. Contrary to what you might expect, the Rumour Mill doesn’t frown on such loutish behaviour. Indeed, anyone who saw us strutting proudly into work this morning, head back, chest out and arms spread in the classic Big Brave football-fan-backed-by-his-mates “you want some?” pose will know we’re wholeheartedly in favour of it. It impresses people. It earns us respect. It leaves our scent and a puddle on the street.” (Guardian)

Arsenal 3-2 Celtic – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Emirates Cup – 1 August 2010

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“The 2010 Emirates Cup wrapped up on Sunday, August 1, 2010 with hosts Arsenal taking on SPL side Celtic. The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights. Arsenal would take a comfortable 3-0 margin but another late surge from Celtic made for a close match.” (The 90th Minute)

Benitez settles at Inter, Adu’s future uncertain and other musings

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“By the time Rafael Benitez’s six-year tenure as manager at Liverpool drew to a close this summer, it was clear to longtime observers that he was a changed man from the once quietly confident Spaniard who had first walked through the doors at Anfield. Appearing visibly stressed at times, the constant political infighting with the club’s board and the continuous criticism from sections of the English media seemed to have finally taken its toll. When he succeeded Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan in June, one wondered if he would have been best served taking a year off and recharging instead.” (SI)

Brazil looking to rediscover itself by embracing tactics from abroad

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“Less than a month after the disappointment that accompanies any World Cup not won, Brazil has already put South Africa behind it with the hiring of coach Mano Menezes and the naming of a renewed squad for next month’s meeting with the U.S. Half of Menezes’ group of 24 play their club soccer in Brazil, but this will be a difficult line to maintain; within weeks Robinho is due to return to Manchester City, midfielder Sandro will join Tottenham and striker Andre will move to Dynamo Kiev.” (SI)

Polishing the Future in Barcelona and Madrid

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” Sports must sometimes send out the most confusing messages to its young. Over the past weeks, Spanish teams and athletes have been the best in the world in soccer, basketball, tennis and cycling. Yet the country’s two major sporting institutions, F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid, pursue disparate philosophies in reaching for the major club trophies in soccer.” (NYT)

Accidents of Fate: Rättskiparen (The Referee)

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“Rättskiparen (The Referee) is short documentary about Martin Hansson, the referee who missed Thierry Henry’s handball. A Swedish television program had already committed to this project before the infamous incident which kept Ireland from going to South Africa. The station’s plan had been to track the country’s top ranked referee in the months leading up to the 2010 World Cup – as fate would have it, the story of course got more complex with that one game. It’s an incredible portrait – part of a wave of films looking at referees. This one has an unusually personal quality to it.” (From A Left Wing)

Football’s Latest Pointless Rule: The 25-Man Squad List

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Exequias de un emperador romano, Domenico Zampieri
“Arsene Wenger is today being quoted as stating that the new Premier League rule reducing squad sizes to 25, as being “a disastrous decision for football and for the players”. When the rule was introduced, the rules stating that Premier League clubs had to have a ‘Squad List’ of just 25, with eight of these being ‘Home Grown’, it was seen as a great thing for the England football team.” (twohundredpercent)

Whatever happened to Senegal?

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“Cast your mind back, if you will, eight years to the 2002 World Cup. It’s a sultry night in Seoul and France, defending champions and one of the hot favourites for the title, are facing Senegal, a country playing its first ever game in a World Cup finals. A momentary lapse in concentration sees Youri Djorkaeef loses possession on the half-way line and the Senegalese break with Omar Daf putting El-Hadji Diouf – a relatively unknown forward plying his trade for Lens – away down the left side. Diouf, balanced and composed, comes slightly in-field and reaches the by-line before cutting the ball back into the box.” (The Equaliser)

Pac-Men

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“In Argentina, a player who covers the defensive midfield position just in front of the defenders, if he gains enough notoriety, becomes known as a ‘Pac-Man’. This refers to the way certain players gobble up loose balls in midfield like life-sized Pac-Men chomping on white dots. The analogy falls a little flat when you add in colourful predator/ prey ghosts, but hey, it’s still good. Here are five of the best Pac-Men (or Pacmans as they are known in Argentina) going around at the moment.” (argentina football world)

Internazionale (Inter Milan) 3-0 Manchester City – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly – 31 July 2010

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“Inter Milan kicked off their pre-season tour in the USA with a match against EPL side Manchester City on Saturday, July 31, 2010. It would be the last pre-season match in the USA for City who are heading back to Europe before the start of the 2010-11 season.” (The 90th Minute)

The Premier League 2010/11 Previews 4 – Blackburn Rovers: A Summer Of Silence

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“Blackburn Rovers finished last season in a creditable tenth place in the Premier League but, with just over two weeks left until start of the new season do Blackburn supporters have cause to be concerned that, this season, the trapdoor may be a little close for comfort? They have, after all, had an exceptionally quiet summer in the transfer market and, if the bottom half of the table does feel as if it is likely to be a pretty congested place to be over the next nine months, the dread possibility of a return to the Football League may loom in the back of supporters’ minds, though these doubts may start to recede if the club passes, as it is expected to, into new ownership although, as supporters of many other clubs will testify, moving into new ownership is far from a guarantee of future success.” (twohundredpercent)

Zenit St Petersburg reach pivotal stage in relentless title march

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“A victory for Zenit St Petersburg at home to Rubin Kazan on Saturday would not guarantee them the league title but it would give them a lead of at least nine points with half of the Russian season played. They have been relentless of late, unbeaten since Luciano Spalletti took charge in December – their last defeat, in fact, came against FK Moskva on 31 October – and Saturday’s 3-1 win at Rostov was their eighth in a row in the league.” (Guardian – Jonathan Wilson)

What does a central midfielder do in 2010?

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“It’s this year’s must-have for any side looking to finish near the top of the Premier League: a player who prompts the question, ‘What does he do?’ This man is a central midfielder. He’s not a tackler, nor is he a creator. He doesn’t score many goals – in fact, he rarely looks to get into the box. So what does he do? It’s a question asked by Arsenal fans about Denilson. It’s a question by Manchester United fans, about Michael Carrick. And it’s not just the fans who ask. Britain’s most famous football pundit, Alan Hansen, has the same question about Jon Obi Mikel, who started the majority of games at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield as they won the Premier League lastseason. ‘What does John Obi Mikel do?’, asks Hansen. So there we have it. The best three teams in one of the world’s best leagues all field a player in the centre of their team who apparently has no specific purpose.” (Zonal Marking)

The Ball Day 49 – Mali, The world’s largest Mud Mosque

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“Yes you read it right, The Ball visits a beautiful mud mosque in Djenne, Mali, one of the largest of its kind in the world. You can find out more about this amazing building right here. Music in this EP is from Ghanaian Quabena Philip with ‘Wadaada Me,’ find the track from Akwaaba Music right here on Fairtizler. Also in this EP the second track you hear is from a favorite artist of us here, Iba Diabate with ‘N’nah.’ Find his latest album and the track featured right here at Bandcamp.” (The Ball 2010)

The Monday Miscellany

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“So. England have won the World Cup. (In case you haven’t got it yet, I’m asking you to imagine a hypothetical scenario. Try harder.) Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Aaron Lennon have all fulfilled their potential and England have pulled off the greatest feat in the nation’s sporting history. Gerrard, looking slightly less miserable than usual, lifts the trophy aloft in Soccer City. But is it a good thing?” (Footballing World)

Defending the Defensive Midfielder

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“During the excellent world cup coverage on my home channel RTÉ, two ex-footballers decried the rise in the defensive midfielder. Johnny Giles and Liam Brady are two certified legends of Irish football both won multiple trophies at club level and Brady is currently the director of Arsenal’s famed youth system. Both were also midfielders who played at an elite level for most of their careers and have commented on football and have provided genuine insight into the game.” (EPL Talk)

Euro results underline need for change in Scotland

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“It’s never too early to panic say some sceptics and in the case of our European results this week they may have a point. With Celtic and Hibs both hammered, and only Motherwell managing a creditable draw, all against teams coming from small countries, the alarm bells must finally ring the complacency out of our game’s rulers. These results come in the week that new SFA chief executive Stewart Regan correctly told Scots to forget past glories and look to the future.” (BBC)

Football transfer rumours: Bentley, Jenas and Keane to Villa in exchange for Ashley Young?

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“Having made front-page news earlier this week for offering to find a nice sanctuary for para-sailing Russian donkey Anapka, Harry Redknapp is showing no such compassion to David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane, who he appears ready to ship out to Aston Villa in exchange for Ashley Young.” (Guardian)

To Asia, Taking La Liga Beyond Real Madrid and Barcelona

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Philips Wouwerman, Battle scene, ca. 1655-60
“In July last year, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez made a major push to get at least one La Liga game a week played earlier in the day to attract Asian audiences and support: ‘The change is vital if the Spanish league is to compete with the English,’ he said. ‘The revenue figures for our clubs this year will be around the €1.55bn mark, in England the figure is closer to €2.4bn. It is not just the TV deals themselves but the potential repercussions that being shown prime time in Japan can have on marketing revenues.’ A year on, and it looks like this change to La Liga kick-off times will actually happen, following an offseason that has revealed just how parlous Spanish finances are, Barcelona’s debt and Mallorca’s financial troubles only the most obvious examples.” (Pitch Invasion)

Premier League Transfer Talk

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Stiliyan Petrov
“Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants Aston Villa midfield general Stiliyan Petrov as the shock replacement for transfer-seeking Javier Mascherano. (Mirror) Chelsea want to wrap up the £17m signing of ­Benfica star Ramires in time for their pre-season tour of Germany. (Star) With Sol Campbell heading to Newcastle, Arsenal are ready to turn to Per Mertesacker to solve their defensive crisis. Arsene Wenger will offer Werder Bremen £10m for the German international centre-back. (Mirror)…” (Telegraph)

World Cup 2010: Tests ahead as focus turns to Brazil

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“Since the start of the tournament, delegations from the South American country’s federal and local governments, plus several other different institutions, have been in South Africa trying to learn lessons about staging the world’s biggest sporting event. That’s because, in four years, it will be Brazil’s turn to play host.” (BBC)

The Premier League 2010/11 Previews 3 – Birmingham City: Second Season Blues?

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“Between the battle at the top of the table and the chaos at the bottom of it, the achievement of Birmingham City in finishing in ninth place in the Premier League last season feels as if it was rather overlooked. It was their first season back after promotion the year before and, significantly, it was their highest league position since 1959. Those that continue to look back at the 1970s as being somehow the halcyon days of the club (which, one rather suspects, may at least in part have entered into local folklore because of the club’s dominance of their cross-city rivals Aston Villa) would do well to look at last season’s final Premier League.” (twohundredpercent)