My tips for the group stage (from E to H)

Nice way to relax and start a new work-week. Here is the second half of the group stage prediction.

Group E:
1º Liverpool
2º Lyon
3º Fiorentina
4º Debreceni

Reason: Although an inconsistent start, Benitez’s side is always a powerful force on the CL, besides that Gerrard and Torres we’ll have another month of work; Lyon seems pretty better than last season, new signings Bastos, Lisandro and Gomis really add quality; the Italian side seems quite weaker than last year, they struggled a lot to overcame poorly form Sporting Lisbon on the qualifying and Mutu rumors about ending career cant ‘help, still against a pretty unknown Hungarian side Debreceni, they shouldn’t have problems to third place.

Group F:
1º Barcelona
2º Inter
3º Rubin Kazan
4º D.Kiev

Reason: What to say about Barcelona continuously awesome form? They defend like few and attack like none, shouldn’t have no problem winning the group; Inter last Sunday dominance against Milan makes us believe that leaving Ibrahimovic fly to the azulgrana was a good idea; doing a cool start in the Russian league Rubin Kazan is tipped to do a good campaign, but they’re not good enough to cope with Europe’s finest; athis remodeled D.Kiev should wave goodbye soon enough.

Group G:
1º Stuttgart
2º Rangers
3º Sevilla
4º Unirea Urziceni

Reason: This is probably the best balanced of the entire group stage, with the first three very close. Looking to the games played so far, Stuttgart is the most consistent to pass, good defense and new-add Pogrebniak eager to shine on front; Rangers will probably struggle a lot away, but can recover from that at home games; Sevilla doesn’t look so compact as last season, which will probably mean third spot; to Romanian side Unirea Urziceni the first participation on the group stage is more of an social experience than a competitive one.

Group H:
1º Arsenal
2º Olympiacos
3º AZ Alkmaar
4º S.Liège

Reason: The gunners have the easiest of the groups, they will probably win five games if they keep their current form; Greek fanatic fans from Olympiacos will carry their good balanced team towards the knock-out rounds; AZ Alkmaar plays a beautiful game, but the lack of experience on UEFA’s main stage will prove costly to the Dutch champions; S.Liège is a nice team, but just that – to nice to put out any real threat.

My tips for the group stage (from A to D)

Cool exercise to try and guess the final line up on each of the groups.
Here is my tip:

Group A:
1º Juventus
2º Bordeaux
3º B.Munich
4º M.Haifa

Reason: Juventus new signings Diego and Felipe Melo are the adds they needed to produce consistent and top form football; Bordeaux with Gourcuff and Chamack on cool form and good defensive ability is a force to fear; Munich needs a couple of months to really connect with Van Gaal tactics (let’s hope they’ll give him the time); and Haifa, well they come from no football threat Israel.

Group B:
1ª Man.United
2º Wolfsburg
3º CSKA Moscow
4º Besiktas

Reason: Obviously as a Premier League side the red devils are super-favorites to win this phase; Wolfsburg are German champions and produce an awesome offensive football, with Misimovic, Dzeko, Grafite and sub Martins really connecting; CSKA as a couple of Brazilian offensive players that can help them to beat de Turkish side Besiktas on trying to get to the Europa League.

Group C:
1ª AC Milan
2º Marseille
3º R.Madrid
4º Zürich

Reason: Milan a stable and top of the world club, with Pato achieving maturity and Ronaldinho truly back on the pitch; Marseille keep their key figures and bought experienced Argentineans Lucho and Heinze; Madrid will probably struggle in the first ‘new galactic’ year, and locker room problems are in order; what to say about Zürich, is nice to reach this stage, enjoy!

Group D:
1º Chelsea
2º Porto
3º Atl. Madrid
4º APOEL

Reason: Stability on the first eleven and new added Carlo Ancelloti to the bench are blues real achievement’s for 09/10; alongside with Man.Utd, Porto is the club with most presences on the group stage, experience counts and watch out for Hulk; Madrid kept Agüero and Forlán, but defense keeps on looking pretty unstable; Cyprus continues is emerge on CL scene, for second year in a row they’ve got a team, well done.

Champions in the CL

Well, Platini’s ‘A game’ is back! The frantic UEFA’s leader as got his way and we see all kind of exotic clubs roaming towards the group stage. From Cyprus to Hungary, passing thru Switzerland or Israel, Platini’s dream to enlarge the influence of the Champions League is at the moment a success. The champion’s path assures that there is at least one National Champion in each group.
Three things pop into one’s mind. First the 7.5 million Euros for entering the group stages will do miracles for teams like Maccabi Haifa or Debreceni, but this might mean that national competition will be extremely unbalanced – like the difference from the big four BBC’s agreements and all the others Premier League teams – on the other side we might see national interest towards football increasing. What a dream for Hungarian’s to welcome Liverpool or for Cyprus fans to do the same with the blues.
Second, will any of those teams produce real performances? Can they mount a real threat or dream about reaching the knock-out stage? Or even get to the new found Europa League? Frankly? NO! But that’s why this is the beautiful game. On any day, any team can win!!
Third, it makes me think about the times when the Champions League were the right place for Champions, when winning was everything and teams across Europe wouldn’t compromise to became champions. Nowadays we hear the boards saying the most important thing is to assure a CL presence. At least in countries like Hungary, Israel, Romania… this is no longer so.
Well, I know, things would look quite gray with only one English, Italian or Spanish. But to have four or five from the stronger nations, shouldn’t we just create a European Premier League?

Notts County big boost?

Well, first of all I’m happy to be writing again to my beloved blog, but somehow sad that beach and Sun are over for me this year.
Let’s play some football. Talking to some friends, we were analyzing Notts County effort to get back on the mainstream Premier League. How can a League Two club have the ambition to sign players like Figo or Zidane? Simple put: history and a lot of nerve!
The oldest club in the world is still living in the idea of those powerful early years and is with that feeling and passion that Sven-Goran Eriksson is trying to get some of the most talented players of the late XX century. Some cynical might say Figo or the confirmed Sol Campbell are as old as the club himself, but on the other side experienced and talented players are the real base of any major win, simple put that’s why we see Giggs or Scholes rising trophies every season and Fabregas or Van Persie just weaving goodbye to them.
But, the team that once gave Juventus their bianconeri equipment needs more than a couple of old timers to get back, or technically have their debut, on the Premier. Stronger sides need good players, awesome supporters, extreme rivalries and lot’s, lot’s of stability. With Eriksson at the helm they at least assure a lot of media exposure, what by the XXI century is almost the same as playing in the major fields… just not quite the same. Well go luck to them, at least it’s an ambitious project.

What about R.Madrid off list

While the world look astonished about Kaká, CR7 and a couple of more buys, the clubs managers from several leagues gaze upon the list of players the merengues are letting go. Enormous talents such as Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar or Nistelrooy can be bought out this summer at – probably – very interesting prices. When we look at the names referred in the newspapers we could easily do one of the world’s strongest elevens – so managers all over the world get to business.
Without any closed terms, there’s a lot of space to speculation. Believing in the newspapers, Huntelaar and Nistelrooy are almost certain in the Premier League. The younger of the strikers is set to play for the red devils, while the former devil will land at White Hart Line. All star players, the talks continue, with Van der Vaart betting in a return to Hamburg. But, besides that, what’s going to happen to Saviola, Sneijder, Heinze, Drenthe, Diarra or Robben.
Saviola seems to be in talks with Benfica and River Plate, with the Portuguese side trying to copy the Los Millionarios former duo Aimar-Saviola. Drenthe and Heinze are aiming their destiny to Italy and Diarra has been tipped by older club Lyon. That leaves us with the two most talented players of this awesome bunch Sneijder and Robben. Wanted by half of the teams in Europe, the two Dutch players need to find a suitable club that, somehow, can afford their massive salaries. In the end, it’s possible for them to stay at the Bernabeu, but with Real Madrid eager to make some money it´s probable they will part away. I’d bet Robben will return to England and that the powerful kicks of Sneijder will be used in a part exchange deal for ‘untransferable’ Ribéry.

Tip: With no deals closed, the list of players that Real Madrid will release this summer can make a bigger fuse around the European club managers than the astronomic buys of Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaká. There’s still time for any club to try and reach for the meringues sell out - Saviola, Sneijder, Heinze, Drenthe, Diarra, Robben, Huntelaar or Nistelrooy. It’s hard to pick, right?

About Drogba and Bosingwa’s punishment

Sorry about the words, but it sickens me that a player can be punished on the field for expressing his emotions. Chelsea was robbed against Barcelona on the second leg of the semi of the Champions League. So, shouldn’t the referee be the one that get’s suspended?
Well, sadly I don’t think so. That would be the easy way out; Tom Ovrebo is a victim of Platini’s crazy politics, so much as football fans or the sports spirit of truth. The Norwegian referee was elected to the game to give the CL final stages a more continental look. But getting character’s from football most poor nations is not a way to get the game open to more countries but a simple mockery to what football is all about – The best side wins.
I’m too young to remember Platini as a player, but what he’s doing as UEFA's president can only be labeled as pretty sad. I don’t remember any other time in the last 20 years referee’s where so poorly chosen to the main matches. And that includes the final stages of the CL but also the European Championship for nations.

Tip: The best referees in the most important games, as simple as this. The wheel is there, just use it.

Can Giovinco step into Del Piero’s shoes?

Now with 22 years, Sebastian Giovinco is on his way to prove himself to the world of football. This highly gifted player as on ball control and speed his main arguments to trash the opponents defensive lines. Good with the ball, his also capable of good moves off-ball, giving his teammates passing lines in front of goal. A cornerstone in the Azzurra younger categories Giovinco his facing this season the ultimate test at Juventus. Del Piero’s recent decision to leave la vecchia signora in the end of the 09/10 season gives this forward a new responsibility - is he ready to be the new ‘10’?
Back to Juventus from loan in the last couple of seasons, Giovinco has been a good sub, rarely on the starting eleven, as been used like a shake-up factor, when things look nasty they send him to the field. That’s a good credential, but my main worry is the lack of pace, he seems to get always with a cool start, but after 15/20 minutes he tends to disappear from the game. Luckily in this summer we can see him play on the Italy Under 21 squad, and my biggest worries are being put to sleep as he played the whole game with good pace.

Tip: A real shake up factor, Giovinco is a highly gifted player with the ability to crack up any defense. With Del Piero ending his Juventus reign the young Sebastian need to prove himself within the team. From what I’ve seen he’s up for it.