The Week of the Neopolitans

It has been quite the week in European soccer/football, and as the season progresses there's finally a huge sense of excitement from the results of the round of Champions League group stages which will inevitably bleed over into a weekend of derbys and possibly season-defining matches. The result which dominated the headlines of recent Italian press was Napoli's 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, a match which saw a club lift itself to new heights while another gradually self-imploded, all in 90 minutes. Napoli, currently sharing the top of the Serie A (with Roma) has continued to maintain an impeccable record to the season in what was a fantastic Champions League debut victory over last years runners-up. Now, the excitement around Napoli continues to rise as they prepare for a visit to the San Siro to take on AC Milan this Sunday, and if the Neopolitans continue their victorious run, a new title-contender could be firmly established in the Serie A.

The midweek events at the San Paolo were the first part of an incredibly defining week for Napoli fans. A 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund was the best way possible for Benitez to debut with his new club in the Champions League. Although he'll have to acknowledge that something in the Borussia Dortmund's system collapsed in that match, and that something was the man that is Jurgen Klopp. The man, the pillar of the club which pushed them to the top of German football with a beautiful style of play. In the 29th minute as Subotic was coming back on after being patched up for a nasty gash near the eyebrow, Napoli took their corner, the central defender was sprinting towards his box hoping to reach his man he needed to mark. While he did get there in time, it was too late as the Dortmund defence had already been shaken by the confusion and the unforgiving Higuain headed Napoli into the lead.

Klopp collapsed, rage overcame him and his facial muscles as he menacingly advanced and protested to the closest official near him. But his release of anger and frustration did not amuse or impress anyone, and he was quickly dismissed for his vehement protests. It wasn't much later that the colossal central defender Mats Hummels began touching his hamstring and had to be replaced by Aubameyang near the end of the first half. The first half also featured Borussia's keeper Weidenfeller receive a straight red card when he charged out of the box towards Higuain on the break and instinctually stopped the mid-air ball with his hands.

Napoli closed off the match without much trouble after that against a shattered 10-man Borussia Dortmund, largely thanks to a beautifully looped free kick by true hometown Neopolitan Lorenzo Insigne. While Borussia managed to squeeze out an own goal courtesy of Zuniga's attempt to clear the ball out of the box with his heel, the story of the night had already been written, as a crushed Borussia Dortmund fell to the imposing Italian opponents.

While the task accomplished by Benitez's men was definitely formidable, there's a very stark sense that with the proper focus this Napoli side could very easily continue their victorious run into the weekend away against AC Milan. The rossoneri have been barely scraping points, from the late midweek victory over Celtic to the even later 2-2 draw against Torino equalized by a 96th minute penalty by Balotelli. This is the chance for Napoli to possibly take charge of the Serie A, as Roma host their cousins Lazio for the city derby in what could be a tricky match for the giallorossi.

Compared to the immense optimism around Napoli, it seems like Milan are bracing themselves for what many have already said is a fundamental match. While Mexes is coming out saying that he'd always pick Balotelli over Higuain and that Milan is still at the start of their campaign, with the injuries of supposed key-signing Kaka to Poli, Montolivo, El Sharaawy, along with just about half the defence, Milan is looking very shaky even if they'll be playing at home.

It feels like while there could be an interesting tactical battle between how Benitez would break down Allegri's AC Milan side, right now it seems like Allegri has just about 11 players to work with compared to Benitez's fit and inspired squad. If this match is won by Napoli, it could be the beginning of a completely new era for the Serie A, which could possibly even extend to a strong Champions League run. While it's also important to acknowledge that the season is long and many surprises await us, from the way this week could go, it could very well become the season of the Neopolitans.

Big Names, Big Money

As the summer transfer window has finally drawn to a close, there is definitely plenty to talk about. While the ludicrously spending Premier League was definitely the center of attention as the transfer market neared its closing, there were plenty of very intriguing exchanges all across Europe. There's is a ton of dealings to talk about, so it's best to get started with the biggest of names.

The deal which everyone awaited with trepidation was that of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. It took 95 million Euros from the Galacticos to secure the left winger, who will be giving Ancelotti a few things to think about tactically. While the most obvious solution to the coach's problems would be to put Bale on the left wing and push Ronaldo to the center, what remains of Benzema? Does the Frenchman become your supersub? And that's without considering Modric and Di Maria, both left footed players which will be forced to adapt after the arrival of the latest Galactico.

While the price tag on Bale could be considered a little exaggerated, Tottenham have spent just about every penny reinforcing their squad in just about every way possible. Roberto Soldado and Roma's Argentine wonderkid Erik Lamela were the priciest of Tottenham's additions, both costing 30 million Euros each. Behind them are Paulinho, Eriksen, Capoue, Chiriches, and Chadli; all of which are exceptional additions to a side which is looking to reinvent itself after losing its most influential player. Yet there's a few important questions Spurs should be asking themselves, whether the new players can mesh together quickly enough, and whether amongst all of these additions perhaps just one defender (Chiriches) might not be enough? Only time will tell, but if Tottenham manage to seal any possible defensive worries then perhaps there's a side ready to compete for a place in the top three.

As Arsenal fans eyed their cousins full of envy throughout the window, in the final day Wenger finally found a player worth signing. None other than Mesut Ozil, the former Real Madrid man left the Bernabeu for around 50 million Euros, becoming both the most expensive German and Arsenal's most expensive signing yet. A truly fantastic signing for a side which has been searching for some stability. While the recent victory over Tottenham shows signs of recovery, with the insertion of Ozil into the team Arsenal should find even more ways to pick apart defences with their entrancing style of play. Yet the question looms, does this new signing solve Arsenal's problems? I can't say that it will, but if anything it's a definite distraction from them. An uplifting end to what seemed to be a dismal summer for Arsenal fans.

And if we're going to talk about big names, it seems nearly impossible not to mention Kaka's fabled return to AC Milan. The Rossoneri were able to nab the Brazilian for free, and it's being reported that the player took a fairly hefty cut to his wages just to return to the club with which he found the most success. While returning AC Milan legends haven't always been as successful as fans might have hoped (Shevchenko being the most obvious example), it seems like Kaka's return will give exactly what the side needs to prosper in this upcoming season. After having sold Kevin Prince Boateng to Schalke 04 for 12 million Euros, Milan needed a midfielder with creativity to support the young Balotelli and El Sharaawy. Who better than Kaka?

Are you convinced by these transfers? Have these clubs properly strengthened their squads, or are they too focussed on flashy attacking players? What was your favorite transfer of this summer? Share your thoughts on the transfer window below!

Guardiola Conquers UEFA Super Cup With Bayern

As the bustling transfer window nears its closing, the first European clash of titans has entertained and ended in favor of Josep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. A deserved victory for the Bavarian side which beat Chelsea on penalties after extra time had finished 2-2. While there were two brilliant sets of players on either side the entire match seemed to revolve around the two coaches, both with weighty expectations on their shoulders for the upcoming season. 

From the start of the match it was evident that the two teams had the very distinctive marks of their coach. Bayern were spreading themselves out, keeping possession, and attacking with a speed and beauty that Guardiola's tactics are defined by. On the other hand, Chelsea were always compact, defending tightly while waiting for the chance to punish with the lightning quick transition typical of Jose Mourinho's teams. It was in fact one of those quick counterattacks led by Hazard, the Frenchman distributed the ball to Schurrle who crossed for Torres to cleanly finish in the 8th minute. It was everything you'd expect from Mourinho's side: clinical play using their first chance to score, but they were also helped by the poor marking ("poor" as in the general lack of marking) on Torres.

From there it was Bayern who with continuous possession attempted to slip through the Chelsea defence. It took until the start of the second half, when Ribery rifled a shot past Cech (who probably could have done better) and then sprinted off towards Guardiola to celebrate with his Spanish coach. Bayern definitely deserved the equalizer as did Ribery, who had been the most dangerous Bayern player for the German side.

As Chelsea were forced to attack, the match became much more open with plenty of chances for either side. The most notable was caused by Dante's slip, giving the ball away to Schurrle who fed it to Oscar clean in front of Neuer, but the young Brazilian wasn't able to capitalize as Neuer swatted his effort away. Guardiola decided to change things up putting in Javi Martinez for Rafinha, which pushed the makeshift midfielder Lahm back to his more natural position of right back. Gotze replaced Muller, and it was the young substitute who in the 85th helped turn the tides of the match, Ramires crashed into him (after getting the ball) and earned his second yellow of the match. 

But Chelsea would not give up, and in the first minutes of extra time Eden Hazard squirmed through Bayern's defence to fire a low shot underneath Neuer. As Bayern continued to pressure, Chelsea continued to hold, until an injury time equalizer by Javi Martinez. The very substitute who almost left the field in the second half because of a nasty ankle twist, Guardiola's fellow Spaniard had extended the match to penalties. From there, the German side was as clinical as history has defined them to be, and Chelsea substitute Romelu Lukaku had his poor effort saved. 

While Mourinho complains about a UEFA conspiracy against him, Guardiola celebrates. Two different coaches both extremely successful in their own style crafted the spectacle that was the UEFA Super Cup with their tactics. Both sides played a fantastic match, which ended with the more deserving team victorious. Considering this first European clash is a taste of the action to come this season, I absolutely cannot wait for the Champions League to get rolling.

The Return of SWU

After having spending quite a bit of time in which I didn't update SWU or write about soccer/football anywhere, I've decided to start back up again. As you can see, I've lightened things up a bit removing a lot of general clutter from the blog's template, and I'll begin writing my opinions and analysis about the beautiful game at least once a week.

I apologize to everyone about the long break, especially all of those who emailed me (I'm slowly working my way through all of them and replying to everyone). Hopefully, in time I'll be able to get this blog going again, and I can't wait to see all the surprises this new season has in store for us!