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!

Roma Continue to Grow Under Zeman's Rule

After a disappointing summer transfer window for the Serie A, looking around at the possible contenders for the scudetto, it's evident that this season's race will have a few surprises in store. Teams like AC Milan, have lost many key players and weren't able to replace them properly, and others like Juventus and Inter just weren't able to clinch that world class player signing which could've helped set them definitively above the rest. Thanks to this lull in the Serie A's transfer market, this current season should be one of the most competitive we'll see yet. Among the clubs clawing to get a Champions League spot, Roma seems to have solidified themselves as a team ready to do the business after their impressive 3-1 victory over Inter Milan this weekend.

The match at the Stadio Meazza was an important test for Zeman's side. While Inter only finished sixth last season, the team retains a strong core of good players, and the young new manager of the nerazzurri, Andrea Stramaccioni, has been relatively successful thus far. It was a tightly contested start, with Roma showing more grit and speed (most likely due to the brutal pre-season training Zeman made the squad undergo) than the home side. On the 15th minute, Totti curled a delicate cross for Florenzi (who was completely unmarked by the sleepy Inter defence) to simply flick into the back of the net.

Totti and Osvaldo celebrating Roma's second goal

But this Roma team was nowhere close to satisfied, Osvaldo and Destro continuously made runs up front, clearing space for Totti and Florenzi to insert themselves into the box. Yet Roma met resistance as Milito narrowly missed a point blank header, and Cassano equalized against his former club, his shot getting a lucky deflection off of Burdisso's foot to finish up into the back of the goal. It was 1-1 going into the second half, and while Roma had the difficulty of playing away from home, they had the advantage of their superior fitness over Inter, who had also just played a Europa League qualifier in the midweek against Vaslui. 

Soon enough, Totti was able to create another goal, threading a pass through the Inter defence for Osvaldo to chase after and chip into the net to take the lead. The Inter defence was beginning to look tired as Osvaldo and Destro rarely stopped running, being constantly threatening. Roma continued to wear Stramaccioni's team down, and eventually Marquinho sealed the victory with a rocket volley from a narrow angle. A dominant 3-1 victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro for Roma, and while the players celebrated, Zeman seemed pensive of the work that still lay ahead for his side. 

Roma's next three matches seem fairly simple, Bologna, Cagliari, and Sampdoria, after which they'll face the Italian champions Juventus in Turin. While Zeman has plenty of time to prepare for the big clash, he is going to have to solidify any possible flaws which the team has in defence as Juventus are looking mighty after their 4-1 victory over Udinese.

It is very early in the season, but after this important away victory, Zeman's Roma continues to show signs of improvement. If he can continue to push his team forward, in a few weeks time Roma could pose a significant threat to Juventus, and possibly take down the current holders of the scudetto. What are your thoughts? Can Roma rise to the occasion this season under the guidance of Zeman? Share your comments below!