This is a rough weekend for club football fans. The International break is in full force with the number of qualifiers for Brazil increasing. The three most recent being Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. A lot of reporters and followers of German football were surprised how long it took for the team to qualify. The German's rank near the top of the world rankings.
On the other side of the Atlantic the United States soccer team sit atop the CONCACAF standings. The surprise in this division this qualification period is the lack of talent shown by the Mexican squad. Usually a top qualifier for World Cup, the Mexicans sit in the fourth place spot on the outside looking in. With one remaining qualifier to go, it will be interesting to see what Mexico's future will tell.
Prior to the International break there has been plenty of football action. The club football standings in lots of the countries are heating up. Champions League is back as well. We'll see if the defending European champs Bayern Munich can defend their title with all of the other European club powerhouses.
To me one of the most intriguing leagues in Europe is the Barclay's Premier League. Three of the four top teams from last year have new managers. Manchester United for the first time in a long time does not have Sir Alex Ferguson to guide them to victory. The Red Devils have acquired David Moyes former manager of the Everton Football Club. So far it's been a rocky road for the new manager as he is still getting comfortable with his surroundings. Moyes has so far dealt with an unhappy Wayne Rooney at the beginning of the season and an underachieving Marouane Fellaini. David Moyes acquired Fellaini from his former team Everton where the Belgian was a positive scoring force. With the talent on the squad of Manchester United, I see no reason they will finish less than fourth in the standings.
Another new face to the Barclay's Premier League is Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini. Pellegrini came to Manchester City after leaving La Liga side Malaga. In my opinion the new boss will bring more to the table for City then former manager Roberto Mancini. For City I believe they need to look for a new Goalkeeper. Joe Hart has been very shaky as of late and costs the team some decisions. Manchester City is loaded on the Offensive side of the ball with Aguero, Silva, Dzeko, and Toure returning.
The final managerial change happened in London. The "Blues" of Chelsea brought back "The Special One" Jose Mourinho. Mourinho's unorthodox decisions and comments can push other teams away from his signing but his managerial record and achievements are what make him a great acquisition. During his first stint with the London based team Mourinho took Chelsea to the top of the league and deep into the European Championship as well. Chelsea brought in good talent as well for this years campaign. The Blues acquired Andre Schurrle, Willian, Samual Et'o, Kevin DeBruyne, and a few other youngsters. The negative part of Chelsea is the hole in their eleven in the Striker spot. In my opinion Demba Ba and Fernando Torres have been disappointments. Mourinho brought in a striker from a former club of his Samual Et'o who played under Jose at Inter. Another surprise is the lack of playing time Juan Mata has had this year even though he set the pace for Chelsea last season.
Before I end this blog entry I will give my top ten transfers of the summer period in Europe. These are not in order just a list.
1. Edinson Cavani signing with Paris Saint Germain
2.Radamal Falcao signing with Monacco
3.Neymar signing with Barcelona
4.Mario Gotze signing with Bayern Munich
5.Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signing with Borussia Dortmund
6.Kevin Prince Boatang signing with Schalke 04
7.Mesut Ozil signing with Arsenal
8.Andre Schurrle signing with Chelsea
9.Mario Gomez signing with Fiorentina (even though at this time he is injured)
10.Fernandinho signing with Tottenham
-Justin
