EPL

Key player for each EPL club

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer , , , , , , , , ,

This is the second half of a two part series where we identify the top player on each English Premier League team. Big thanks to my friend Jack Venezia for helping me out with this one. 

Alexis SanchezArsenal
Alexis Sanchez, Forward
The Gunners return to Champions League football once again following a third place finish just a season ago. Arsenal scored the third most goals in the Premier League as well. The man at the core of the Arsenal attack remains Alexis Sanchez. Last year, the Chilean international played in 34 of the teams 38 games, scoring 16 goals and setting up 8 more. In short, Sanchez was involved in roughly a third of Arsenal’s goals over the course of the EPL season. There are plenty of talented midfielders on Arsene Wenger’s squad but none of them hold the same importance of Sanchez.

Matt RitchieBournemouth
Matt Ritchie, Wide Midfielder
For anyone who follows Bournemouth, Matt Ritchie is a household name. The wide midfielder has been on a bit of a tear in the last year or so. He engineered one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory, propelling the Cherries to their first ever appearance in the Premier League. Ritchie led the Championship last season with 17 assists and scored his fair share as well with 15 goals of his own. On top of all of that, he got his first start with the Scottish international team and in just fourth match, notched the game winner in a friendly versus Qatar. To compete in England’s top league, scoring is a must. Ritchie is the key is Bournemouth hopes to avoid relegation this season.

Yohan_CabayeCrystal Palace
 Yohan Cabaye, Attacking Midfielder
In just their second season, Crystal Palace climbed all the way to the top half of the table, finishing 10th. They have quietly assembled a good group of talent. Frazier Campell, Joe Ledley, Jordan Mutch, Jason Puncheon, Wilfried Zaha and now Connor Wickham make up a good core for Alan Pardew to work with this season. However, the man who will absolutely be running the show is midfielder Yohan Cabaye. He is coming off a very quiet year with Paris Saint-Germain but he flourished under Pardew at Newcastle and he is bound to do it again. He will be the man Crystal Palace look to on set pieces and a vital veteran presence on a largely young team.

Yohan_BenalouaneLeicester City
Yohan Benalouane, Center Back
Defense wins championships and Leicester needs to discover some in the worst way. This team finished 14th last year and that was mostly due to the fact that they allowed the fourth most goals. The man to the rescue is newly signed Yohan Benalouane, who arrives from Serie A side Atalanta as the answer to Leicester’s prayers. He joins having appeared in 27 league games for the Italian side last season. If Leicester have serious hopes of extending their stay in the Premier League, they will need Benalouane to be lights out on defense, even with rising star Kasper Schmeichel between the posts.

Joe HartManchester City
Joe Hart, Goalkeeper
Not many teams can call its keeper the best player on the field. Manchester City can and that’s saying something when you consider the talent City has spread all over. However, Hart is the difference maker for this English giant. Hart sat out of 7 games last season, replaced by Wilfredo Caballero. City kept a clean sheet once in those games and allowed 12 goals. Not exactly great output. Hart on the other hand, allowed fewer than a goal per game in his 36 Premier League starts. He also had the most wins of any Premier League keeper and the most clean sheets with 14. Hart anchors this team. Take him away and City would be average at best.

Chancel_MbembaNewcastle United
Chancel Mbemba, Center Back 
Newcastle spent a good deal of last year searching for an answer up top. The formation was ever-changing, as were the strikers. Alexsander Mitrovic should finally provide some stability their long term but offense wasn’t even the Magpies biggest concern. Newcastle allowed 63 goals, second only to bottom of the league QPR. Tim Krul was faced with shot after shot and the defense in front of him looked as shaky as ever. Enter Chancel Mbemba from Anderlecht. Mbemba made 63 appearances for the Belgian side and still is only 20-years old. There are still several holes to fill but Mbemba will fill the most important one so far.

Jay RodriguezSouthampton
Jay Rodriguez, Forward
This was a tough selection between Jay Rodriguez and Fraser Forster. I ended up siding with Rodriguez in the end because he could really be the one that instigates Southampton jumping into the top five this season. In the 2013-14 season, Rodriguez scored 15 goals for the Saints. He missed the whole 2014-15 campaign due to a knee injury but if he is healthy, he could be the difference. Southampton finished seventh last season, with a goal difference of +21. That ranked fifth best in the league. If Rodriguez can slot home a few more goals for this defensively talented team, don’t be surprised to see Southampton challenging the best teams in England.

Steven_FletcherSunderland
Steven Fletcher, Forward
Last season featured a relegation scare for Sunderland. This season might end in relegation if the Black Cats don’t discover some offense. Sunderland finished tied for the second-fewest goals scored last season. No one on the team scored more than five goals and one of those five-goal scorers, Connor Wickham, is now headed to Crystal Palace. It should come as no surprise then that the most important player for Sunderland is a striker. Steven Fletcher was the other five goal scorer for this squad and he will need to step it up a bit this season in order for Sunderland to stay afloat. If he fails to make a larger impact, Sunderland will be relegated.

Jan VertonghenTottenham Hotspur
Jan Vertonghen, Center Back
On the last day of the season, Tottenham moved up two spots to finish fifth overall, clinching a spot in the Europa League group stage. Looking back at the season though, it is pretty surprising that Tottenham finished as high as it did. They allowed the fifth most goals last season, tied with Burnley and Sunderland. Not all the blame can fall on Hugo Lloris either as he faced the fifth most shots in the league. That means it falls on Jan Vertonghen to get this defensive group in order. He started more games than any other defender a season ago and if Tottenham has any hopes of repeating as Europa League qualifiers, Vertonghen will need to play a huge roll in that.

Rickie_LambertWest Bromwich Albion
Rickie Lambert, Forward
West Brom finished a respectable 13th in the league last season, including wins over Tottenham, Southampton, Swansea, Manchester United and Chelsea. They also made a run to the FA Cup Semifinal. That is not a bad season. If West Brom want to improve though, they will need to score more goals this season. Saido Berahino put away 14 chances for this squad last season but they will need another goal scorer. That’s why management brought in Richie Lambert from Liverpool. He already scored two goals in his unofficial debut in a friendly against Bristol Rovers. If Lambert can become the number two scorer on this team (which shouldn’t be hard as Ideye Brown had that role despite only scoring four times last season) West Brom should be able to push into the top half of the table.

To see part one of this series, click here.

The best Premier League players from each club

Chris McGlynn EPL, Soccer , , , , , , , , ,

This is the first of a two part series where we identify the top player on each English Premier League team. Big thanks to my friend Jack Venezia for helping me out with this one. 

Jordan AyewAston Villa
Jordan Ayew, Forward
Aston Villa just barely survived the Premier League last year placing 17th in the English top flight. To make matters worse, captain Fabian Delph and star forward Christian Bentke have left Villa for Manchester City and Liverpool respectively. However, both of those players went for hefty fees, leaving Villa’s manager Tim Sherwood a lot of money to play with. So far, Sherwood has spent all of that money on two things: replacing Delph and Benteke and giving Villa’s defense a much-needed overhaul. Idrissa Gueye from Lille looks to take Delph’s spot in the midfield while Jordan Ayew signed to help alleviate the loss of Benteke. Considering that Benteke scored or assisted just about every other goal Aston Villa scored since he joined the club, Jordan Ayew has the biggest shoes to fill. However, I would like to add an asterisk to this decision. Since Villa placed 17th last year, they are literally the worst team from last year still in the league. That means that more than just Ayew will have to step up this year if they expect to see improvement.

Eden HazardChelsea
Eden Hazard, Wide Midfielder
Chelsea won the league last season and still have one of the most star-studded rosters in the world. It is difficult to say who is the most important player on Chelsea, because they have some many tremendously good players. Even if Diego Costa went down with an injury, Chelsea still have Loric Remy and Ramadel Falcao waiting in the wings to take his place. This is true at practically every position. Hence the difficulty in picking Chelsea’s best player. Personally, I am going with Eden Hazard. He won best player in the league for a reason. Not to mention Hazard is only 24 years old. He is both the present and future star of this team. If Chelsea wants to repeat as champions, Hazard must perform. 

Romelu_LukakuEverton
Romelu Lukaku, Forward
After a disappointing 11th place finish, Everton will be looking to return to their winning ways. In the 2014/2015 season, Everton scored 13 fewer goals than the year before and had 5 fewer shutouts than the year before. Everton’s worst spell ran between the end of November and March. A span where Everton only had two wins, five draws and nine loses. That spell can likely be attributed to Tim Howard’s winter injury. Still, all of the onus cannot be placed on Howard’s injury. As mentioned above, substantially fewer goals were scored. This lack of goals was likely due to Samuel Eto’o being a flop of a signing. That means the pressure falls on Romelu Lukaku as Everton’s most important player. He is being asked to be THE goal scorer for this team and there are not many options behind him. Plus, Everton shelled out more money for Lukaku than any other player in club history. If Lukaku disappoints, Everton will be in deep trouble.

Philippe CoutinhoLiverpool
Philippe Coutinho, Attacking Midfielder
Last season was slightly disappointing for Liverpool, placing 6th in the Premier League. Liverpool’s goal is always a top four finish and qualification for the UEFA Champions League. A positive aspect to last year’s disappointment was the play of Phi         lippe Coutinho. Coutinho is obviously the most important player on for Liverpool right now. He will have many new players around him in James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke, but Coutinho must be the glue which holds this new group together. With the loss of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, the team will need a new leader on and off the field; Coutinho is in poll position to pick up where Gerrard left off. I am not saying that Coutinho will be replacing Gerrard, but Coutinho can take control of this team and lead it where he likes. 

Wayne RooneyManchester United
Wayne Rooney, Forward
Manchester United finished fourth in the Premier League last season, just barely reaching their goal of Champions League qualification. Over this summer, Manchester have been wheelin’ and dealin’ with transfers both in and out of the club. The biggest of exit had to be the loss of Robin van Persie. Even though RVP didn’t always impressed at United, he gave them more options up front. With van Persie out of the picture, Wayne Rooney is the only pure striker on United of first team quality. I know Memphis Depay was brought in, but it is looking like he will play as an attacking midfielder rather than a second striker up front with Rooney. When you look at Man U’s midfield (Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Juan Mata, Memphis Depay and Ashley Young just to name a few) I have little doubt that Rooney will get the service he needs either. It might seem like a forgone conclusion but I am pegging Rooney as United’s most important player.

Nathan_RedmondNorwich City
Nathan Redmond, Winger
After only one season in the Championship, Norwich have rejoined the ranks of the Premier League. Due to Norwich’s promotion, their numbers form last year sound a lot better than they actually are. Therefore, picking the most important player becomes very difficult. To be honest, in the short term, I cannot point to any one player on the Canaries who has a more important job than another. Cameron Jerome has the weight of scoring goals on his shoulders, Steve Whittaker has to hold down the team defensively, and Nathan Redmond is expected to be the set up man. All of them played well in the Championship but will have to play better to stay in the Premier League. However, in terms of Norwich’s long-term success, Nathan Redmond is 21 years old and may carry this team for years to come if they stay in the Premier League. On a side note, if Norwich fall back to the Championship after one season, I have a feeling Redmond will be picked up by a bigger name club.

Bojan KrkicStoke City
Bojan Krkic, Forward
Stoke City finished in the top 10 of the Premiere League, their best ever finish in the Premiere League, last season. Stoke’s manager Mark Hughes is also an interesting one. He has a very deep team and is apt to use that depth across the board. For example, no one striker played more than 28 games last season. However, that statistic may have been different had Bojan Krkic not gone down with an injury. Krkic is a product of the Barcelona academies and has often been compared to Lionel Messi due to his size, speed, and footwork on the ball. If Krkic can stay healthy, (a big ‘if’ considering last season’s injury was not his first) he can do wonderful things for this football club.

Gylfi_SigurdssonSwansea City
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Winger
Swansea also had their best ever finish in the Premier League sitting at 8th place. Moving forward, Swansea have added a few new players up top with Andre Ayew, and Eder. Both of these players will be supplemental to Gylfi Sigurdsson, who finished third in the league in assists. Sigurdsson spent a lone spell with Swansea back in 2012 and now returns on a permanent transfer. He is the nucleus to this team’s offense. Like many other players who I have named to be most important to their respective teams, Sigurdsson is relatively young at 25 years old. As is Swansea’s manager at 36 years old. This team is playing well now and looks like they will be playing well for quite some time. 

Etienne_CapoueWatford
Etienne Capoue, Defensive Midfielder
Coming from the Championship, Watford have brought a lot of players in this season. That is most likely a result of Watford’s two previous visits to the Premier League, where they were immediately relegated. Fortunately, Watford already have two good goal scorers in Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo who combined for 41 goals last season. However, I believe new signing Etienne Capoue will be just as important as those two. Tottenham was willing to part with Capoue because he never broke into the teams staring 11. Now, he has the job of protecting Watford’s back four from the Premier League giants. If Capoue is a bust, it might not matter how well Deeney and Ighalo play. Similarly though, if Capoue plays incredibly it wouldn’t be able to make up for a lack of goals. I think Watford has a solid chance of staying the top flight of English football, but I am not making any guarantees.

Winston ReidWest Ham
Winston Reid, Center Back
West Ham had a lackluster season last year finishing just 13th in the Premiere League. An interesting statistic I found was that the Hammers lost more games in which they scored first than any other team in the league. Even more surprising is that they lost 20 such games. Let me reiterate that: West Ham was lost the lead in 20 games. Therefore scoring goals is not the issue for this team. Instead, I believe West Ham need more defensive help. Luckily, they do not have to make any big trades to find it. Center back Winston Reid played phenomenally two seasons ago but was injured last season. With Reid’s return, West Ham can hold onto a few more of those leads.

To see part two of this series, click here.

MLS’ alternative to tiered system

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer ,

Just about every other soccer league in the world uses a tiered system. What that means is the bottom handful of teams from that season are relegated to the lower league while the top teams from the second league achieve promotion. For some reason though, MLS has avoided it, despite having the North American Soccer League (NASL) and United Soccer League (USL Pro) below MLS.

I have been a strong advocate for MLS to adopt this method. I think it would be a great improvement to US soccer and create more interest in the sport stateside. The other aspect that promotion and relegation introduces is that every games matters. All other American sports, particularly football, basketball and hockey all have an incentive to tank. Losing is rewarded with a top draft pick. Relegation prevents tanking and keeps teams fighting to the very end.

Yet MLS doesn’t have that. The teams at the bottom could easily just bail and begin tanking. After all the league has its own draft. Teams could attempt to move up in the draft order by losing more games. MLS has a different solution to that problem other than the threat of relegation.

Through careful control of roster building and the allocation of Designated Player Spots, MLS has kept every club fairly competitive. The season is about two thirds of the way through and pretty much every team is alive in the playoff hunt. The Chicago Fire and the Colorado Rapids sit in last place of the Eastern and Western Conference respectively. Heading into the weekend, both clubs were only eight points out of a playoff spot though. I’m not saying it easy to make up that ground but it is more than possible. In both conferences as well, the three through six seeds were only separated by a matter of two points. That’s a single match that could shake up the whole conference standings. That is absurd with almost every team having played 20 games.

The two seed isn’t even that far out of reach either. The Columbus Crew and Montreal Impact each held the second spot in their respective conferences. The distance between themselves and the sixth seed was only four points. Everyone is still playing for something because no one has an insurmountable deficit or an unassailable lead. There will be no tanking because everyone is still in it. If Chicago suddenly strung together a four game winning streak they could find themselves on the fringes of the playoff picture, rather than in last place. If FC Dallas dropped two straight games against Western Conference opponents, it could find itself clinging to the final playoff spot rather than in control of the West.

Parity is what every professional league strives for but few achieve. MLS has come about as close as you can get to achieving it. The league has prevented the creation of super teams that simply dominate the competition. It is hard to head into an MLS season with the champion a foregone conclusion. Many thought Orlando City and New York City would be top playoff contenders. Currently, neither of them hold a playoff spot. Many thought Seattle and Los Angeles would dominate the West again but it is Dallas who sits atop the table. MLS has prevented teams tanking by keeping everyone interested in winning. Everyone is able to still rise up into or fall completely out of the playoff picture. That is incredible work by MLS and a very creative solution to team’s tanking.

Now the design isn’t perfect. LA dominated the league recently. Overall though, MLS has avoided super teams with the limit on spending. English, Spanish, French, German and Italian soccer is dominated by the same five or six teams (actually only three in Spain) every single year. In Germany a team not named Bayern, Dortmond or Wolfsburg hasn’t won the league in eight years. Since 1992, only one team not named Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester (City or United) has won the English League. On the Italian side, only two times since 1991 has a team other than Juventus, Inter or AC Milan won the title. France isn’t much better as Lyon and PSG have combined to win 10 of the last 14 titles. Spain is the worst culprit of all. Only once since 2000 has a team outside of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla won the league. MLS has a very different story as nine teams have won the league since its inception in 1996.

Very few times can you truly sit back and think that MLS has found a way to solve a problem the European Leagues can’t solve. This is probably one of them.

Another step in the right direction for MLS

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer , ,

Yesterday was a very good day for MLS. The most obvious point would be the MLS All Star’s victory over English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Obviously it would be more impressive if it wasn’t an All Star team playing against a normal club team but all the same it was a great spectacle for fans of soccer. They got to see one of the better English teams in person and see the top talent MLS has collected over the past few years.

Tranquillo Barnetta
Barnetta will join the Union in the coming days.

MLS clubs also announced two big signings yesterday. Philadelphia Union signed Tranquillo Barnetta on a free transfer from Bundisliga side Schalke FC. Barnetta might not be the biggest name but he represented Switzerland at the 2014 World Cup and has 75 caps for the national team. Then Eastern Conference rival New York Red Bulls announced the signing of Gonzalo Veron from San Lorenzo in Argentina. The 25-year old spent the last three years playing in the top division of Argentine football. Neither one of the signings is head turning or prolific but it underlines a greater theme going on in MLS this season.

Veron and Barnetta follow Didier Drogba and Shaun Wright-Phillips as MLS signings from the past week. Drogba is the biggest name there by far but the other three are all well respected players. Overall, they just add to the collection of big names and new talent infused into MLS over the last two seasons.There is still a ways to go before the league can start luring top players stateside during their prime.

Gonzalo Veron
The Red Bull hope Veron can bolster their attack as a winger.

However, this is easily the best collection of talent MLS has ever seen. That isn’t saying much but the level of talent in MLS exceeds previous level by a substantial amount. The success the LA Galaxy and the Red Bulls saw in the International Champions Cup highlights that fact. The MLS is starting to gain on the rest of the world in terms of being a competitive soccer league. They are nowhere near touching England, France, Italy or Spain but they might now find themselves more on par with Eredivisie in Holland or many of the South American leagues. They have certainly surpassed the Scottish Premier League and the Swiss Super League. I’m not saying that every team in MLS could beat teams from these countries but that the level of talent is higher overall.

Andrea Pirlo
Pirlo has already come over and begun his career with the expansion team NYCFC.

American soccer is still in infancy by comparison to Europe or South America but these recent additions have certainly caught them up, even if it was only marginally. On top of that, these big name signings continue to bring in new fans. Even if these guys are older, the sheer name recognition is bringing fans in the door. So far this season, average attendance per game is up almost 2,000 fans per game. Over the course of a season that makes a huge difference. MLS is on pace for a record setting season when it comes to total attendance, one that will push it to almost the same average attendance as Serie A in Italy and Ligue 1 in France.

There is no ignoring that soccer has taken hold in the US anymore. MLS is well on it’s way to challenging other leagues for the country’s attention. Average attendance for MLS games have surpassed NBA and NHL games. Granted hockey and basketball are held in much smaller arenas it is still a step in the right direction. MLS is not great by any stretch but it should no longer be considered a joke as it was even five years ago.

Giovani Dos Santos
Dos Santos is the latest international star to join the Galaxy.

If names like Andrea Pirlo, Stephen Ger   ard and Giovanni Dos Santos continue to choose to come to MLS despite their usually older age, MLS will eventually begin to draw other talent. It takes time and the league has started the gradual process. Hopefully this means that now it is only a matter of time for the league to really grow in terms of play. With rumors that Christiano Rinaldo and Zaltan Ibrahimavic could one day make their way to MLS, there is no shortage of aging stars looking to continue playing. Hopefully some of the younger stars begin to follow.

FIFA is falling apart

Chris McGlynn EPL, MLS, Soccer, Social Issues, USMNT , ,

If you are having a bad day, just think about how FIFA’s day has gone. You wake up in your hotel in Switzerland room preparing for a big conference full of board elections and then the FBI comes crashing in to arrest 14 of your members. That’s how FIFA’s day started today.

Yup, the United States made it all the way to Zurich, Switzerland to arrest nine FIFA officials and an additional five board members on counts of corruption, conspiracy and racketeering. The issue calls into question the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and business surrounding CONCACAF and CONMEBOL.

Of those arrested is FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb, which is definitely not a good sign for the organization. Surprisingly, Sepp Blatter’s name has yet to come up as one of those arrested.

Sepp_BlatterWith how easily athletes seem to get off today for breaking the law and such, you might think this will blow over soon. It doesn’t seem like it though, as US attorney general Loretta Lynch was quoted when speaking about the charges in a statement from the Department of Justice. She explained that the charges indicate “corruption that is rampant, systematic and deep rooted both abroad and here in the United States.”

She went on to add that “it spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.” How many millions you might ask? Lynch mentioned $110 million in bribes just surround the 2016 Copa America tournament.

So no, this is not just going to blow over. FIFA has a gun to its head at the moment and is definitely starting to sweat. Reportedly, already two corporations and four individual defendants have pled guilty and more are sure to come.

“Today’s announcement should send a message that enough is enough,” said Acting U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of New York Kelly T. Currie.  “After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start.” It seems like the US government is intent on reworking FIFA.

And Currie has a point. Sepp Blatter’s being up for election as President for the fifth consecutive time, FIFA’s treatment of Brazilian laws in the months leading up to the 2014 World Cup and the rumblings of corruption surrounding the next two World Cups dictate enough cause to start fresh.

World Cup StampAnd you can expect more from this too. Currie added at the end of her statement, “Let me be clear: this indictment is not the final chapter in our investigation.” That is a daunting prospect for FIFA. And the pressure isn’t just coming from the US either. Swiss officials were the ones that made the physical arrests in Zurich on behalf of the FBI. Following that, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General announced that it would conducting a separate investigation of the voting process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Two different countries investigating you for corruption. Yikes. Definitely not a good sign. But FIFA continues to go on as if nothing is wrong. FIFA’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs Walter de Gregorio held a press conference earlier today at which he announced FIFA’s plan to proceed with preparations for both World Cups. FIFA also issued a press release, which details the many ways that FIFA is cooperating and reiterated its excitement at energy surrounding the investigation.

The funny thing is that what FIFA has done in response only makes me hate them more. Rather than acknowledge that yeah, this is an issue, it is content to sit back and act as if nothing is wrong. FIFA doesn’t even react to say that it is surprised by the arrests and will do whatever it can to help. It includes a line that indicates that it feels the investigation is redundant. And what organization announces its excitement that it is being investigated for corruption?

The whole situation is insane. It was only a matter of time before FIFA fell. Foreign governments have been on their heels for years and the ugly side of FIFA continues to be revealed. Corruption is part of its DNA at this point. There is no denying it with the number of scandals that have broken into the news that involve one FIFA executive or another. This seems to be the day of reckoning for FIFA but will it be enough?

There is no doubt in my mind that FIFA needs a fresh start. The problem is that it needs to start with the replacement of Sepp Blatter, who is widely expected to win reelection. Here’s to hoping that the Department of Justice comes up with some damning evidence against him in the next 24 hours or that these new allegations are enough to taint Blatter’s name (because somehow it’s not tainted enough) to the point where he would lose the election. Unlikely, but one can dream. Just imagine what FIFA without Sepp Blatter could be. I think it needs to happen as soon as possible. Even if Blatter isn’t behind all of this, holding on to an old regime rampant with it is not a great way to begin moving forward.