The Weekly Take, Issue 69: Paying Through the Nose

There have been many cases in which a footballer is signed for a gaudy transfer fee but subsequently never makes the desired impact at his new club.

Some of the most notorious examples of this include the transfers of James Rodríguez to Real Madrid, Zlatan Ibrahimović to Barcelona, Fernando Torres to Chelsea, and Ángel Di María to Manchester United.

Now, five years after the ill-advised signing of Di María, United again appear to have severely overpaid to sign a player.

Manchester United have just paid ₤50 million to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace.

It’s not that I believe the Londoner will be a complete failure at Old Trafford. There is definitely some degree of potential there, and he should be able to crack the rotation and perhaps establish himself as a starter.

However, the Red Devils have just paid an amount for which one expects a high-quality, starting 11 player. Wan-Bissaka is still just 21 and has not yet shown any signs that he might ascend to that level someday. He has only played 42 league games for Palace and has never been capped by England. This is a player who made his professional debut less than 18 months ago.

This signing appears to be a “panic purchase” by United. After a disappointing season in which United finished sixth in the Premier League, were knocked out earlier than expected in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and were soundly defeated by Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, United knew that major upgrades were needed to set the club back on the path toward its former glories.

This makes their signing of Wan-Bissaka all the more puzzling. What United need right now is a player who will be ready to contribute at a high level straight from his first day at United. Wan-Bissaka does not fit that bill.

Just looking at other full-backs, United could very well have signed one of Lukas Klostermann, Alex Telles, José Gaya, Alex Sandro, or Nélson Semedo. Even if United felt that they ought to sign a promising young prospect, they could easily have gone with Achraf Hakimi. Although the 20-year-old Moroccan has only played 57 career league games, he has already spent time at two major clubs: Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Thus, he already has some of the big-game experience which Wan-Bissaka lacks.

If the reason that United signed Wan-Bissaka was to build for the future, once again, they could have made better signings for a similar or less expensive fee. One of players 23 years old or younger such as Rúben Neves, Nicolò Zaniolo, Hirving Lozano, Jonathan Tah, or Youri Tielemans could have been signed. All of them have established themselves to a greater degree, and most seem to have higher ceilings, than Wan-Bissaka has.

Many of Europe’s leading clubs have already made notable signings. Barcelona have signed Frenkie de Jong and Neto. Real Madrid have brought in Eden Hazard, Luka Jović, and Ferland Mendy. Bayern Munich have added French full-backs Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez to their roster. Juventus have signed Adrien Rabiot; Borussia Dortmund, Mats Hummels.

This is the level of player required to be signed by a club that is to return to or remain among world football’s best. The fact that United committed so much money to sign someone who has not shown anything of note thus far proves how far the club has fallen and clearly displays their general lack of ambition.

There is still plenty of time in this transfer window to turn things around, but given United’s recent track record in this department, the signs do not appear to be promising. Over the last three years, the only two truly impactful signings made by United were those of Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba. Furthermore, Ibrahimović left United after two seasons which included an ACL tear, while Pogba was signed for what was then an all-time record fee.

If United go on to strike out in this off-season’s transfer window or again overpay for most or all of their signings, their fans can expect to endure another difficult season in what has now proven to be their worst multi-year stretch in almost 30 years.

Certainly, Manchester is no longer red.

The Weekly Take, Issue 68: An Iconic Team’s Revival

By their usual lofty standards, the last five years have been extremely disappointing for Brazil’s national football team.

Their 2014 World Cup run on home soil had been going smoothly until the semifinals, when they ran into a Germany team which unleashed perhaps the greatest single-match performance in football history. Die Mannschaft completely dominated the Seleção, winning 7-1 in a match that would go on to be referred to as the “Mineiraço”.

Brazil’s Copa América runs in 2015 and 2016 also ended in shocking fashion. In 2015, they were stunned by Paraguay in the quarterfinals after losing a penalty shootout. Their 2016 tournament was even worse. Despite having been drawn into what should have been a fairly simple group containing Peru, Ecuador, and Haiti, they did not even advance from the group stage.

By the time Brazil’s 2018 World Cup run ended with a quarterfinal loss against Belgium, not only were they mired in a protracted slump, but they had also earned the scorn and ridicule of many fans from all over the world, largely due to their somewhat dirty play as well as the over-the-top, over-dramatic antics of superstar striker Neymar.

However, if the ongoing Copa América held on their own turf is anything to go by, Brazil may be turning the corner at last. In their most recent match, they destroyed Peru, winning 5-0 in a one-sided affair.

Interestingly enough, it seems as though the absence of Neymar due to injury from this tournament has been of benefit to this team. Against Peru, their play was tactically sound, crisp, clean, and precise. These are qualities that Brazil seldom showed over the last half-decade.

The main problem had been the fact that whenever Neymar played, everything seemingly had to go through him. It often seemed as if he was less about winning and more about “getting his own”. Despite his unquestioned ability, he had an outsized influence on the team, and this was often to their detriment. As far as international play is concerned, he appears to be in the same category as players such as Raúl and Wayne Rooney – elite players who nevertheless make their national team worse when they don their country’s jersey.

It is also worth noting that nine of Brazil’s 23 squad members in this tournament were not part of their World Cup squad. Players such as Richarlison, Arthur, Everton, and David Neres have revitalized the team. The additions of these rising young talents have proven to be important steps in the rebuilding process following their failures of recent years. They form a solid young core and should be in their primes during the 2022 World Cup; thus, this bodes well for Brazil’s chances of winning a record-extending sixth world title.

Of course, any team with dreams of winning the World Cup has to have at least one bona fide superstar on the roster. In Brazil’s case, Neymar is obviously one; however, it has been established that his presence also makes the team worse. Fortunately, they do have another player at that level; one who is probably the best on the planet at his position.

I am referring to their ace goalkeeper Alisson.

The Liverpool shot-stopper is coming off a career-best season in which he played a crucial role in the Reds’ Champions League title run. Alisson also had an incredible 21 clean sheets in the Premier League; no goalkeeper in England’s top flight had accumulated that number since Edwin van der Sar in the 2008-09 season.

Although Brazilians have historically been infatuated with offensive, rather than defensive, superstars from Garrincha to Pelé to Zico to Ronaldo as well as many others, the man from Novo Hamburgo might just be the one to change this mindset. He could go on to become Brazil’s greatest goalkeeper ever.

Despite their impressive performances in the Copa América’s group stage, however, the true test for Brazil will be the knockout rounds. As they are also the host country of the tournament, they will be especially motivated to win it. A tournament victory, which would be their first since 2007, would certainly go some way to banishing the demons of the Mineirão from 2014.

Having said that, the future for Brazil’s national team is brighter than it has been for a very long time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 67: End-of-Season Special: Top 10 Moments of the Season

Another enthralling season of European club football has ended. As is the case after every season, some teams will be very pleased with how their season went, while others will be disappointed with theirs.

Of course, throughout the season there were defining moments which will be remembered for a very long time. The following are the 10 moments of the 2018-19 season which I consider to be the most memorable.

Cristiano Ronaldo signs for Juventus (July 10, 2018)

Juventus put all of Europe’s other elite clubs on notice with the signing of Ronaldo from Real Madrid for €100 million. It was evidence that Juve were hell-bent on claiming their first Champions League title since 1996. Some even claimed that this signing alone made them the outright favourites to win the biggest prize in European club football.

While Ronaldo did have a solid debut season for the Bianconeri, scoring 21 league goals and 28 in all competitions, the Portuguese legend was not able to lead the Turin club to the Champions League title. Juve were shockingly knocked out by Ajax in the quarterfinals.

As Ronaldo is now 34, time is starting to run out on his chances of winning another Champions League.

Alisson signs for Liverpool (July 19, 2018)

Roma goalkeeper Alisson had just finished a disappointing World Cup campaign with Brazil when he signed for Liverpool. At the time of his transfer, he had only ever played 37 games in a major league. For these reasons, when he was signed for €62.5 million, which was a record transfer fee for a goalkeeper at the time, many eyebrows were raised.

However, it didn’t take long for Alisson to silence his doubters. He won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award by recording 21 clean sheets, played a vital role in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League title, and established himself as probably the world’s best goalkeeper.

His greatest moment this season came in the Champions League group stage, when he made an unbelievable save to deny Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik and keep the Reds’ Champions League bid alive.

Christian Pulisic signs for Chelsea (January 2, 2019)

In what was a tumultuous season at Stamford Bridge, a rare bright spot was the signing of American phenom Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for €64 million.

Pulisic, who is well on his way to becoming the greatest player to ever come out of the United States, was pursued by many leading clubs across Europe. In the end, it was Chelsea who signed him. With the impending departure of Eden Hazard, this signing was a real coup for the Blues.

Pulisic is yet to make his Chelsea debut because he was immediately loaned back to Dortmund for the rest of the season.

Ajax 4-1 Real Madrid (March 5, 2019)

Real Madrid’s reign as European champions came to an end in dramatic fashion.

Heading into the second leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie against Ajax, Real led 2-1 on aggregate and seemed poised to continue their run towards a fourth consecutive Champions League title and fifth in six seasons.

However, they certainly didn’t count on Ajax coming up with a truly dominant performance for the comeback victory. Players such as David Neres, Hakim Ziyech, and Dušan Tadić played better than they ever had before to lead the Amsterdam club into the quarterfinals.

Zinedine Zidane returns as Real Madrid head coach (March 11, 2019)

Real’s loss to Ajax forced club president Florentino Pérez to make a bold move. He fired head coach Santiago Solari, who had only been in the position since October 2018.

Then, in a move that stunned many across the football world, the club soon confirmed that Zidane, who had coached Los Merengues to three consecutive Champions League titles, would return for a second stint at the helm of Real Madrid.

Having experienced a season of failure and disappointment, Real will certainly be hoping that Zidane can lead them back to the top as he has done many times before.

Bayern Munich 5-0 Borussia Dortmund (April 6, 2019)

No victories are sweeter than those which are won against a bitter rival. This is especially true when the victory is either by a large margin or when it decides the fate of a title. In this instance, both were true.

This edition of Der Klassiker saw Bayern run away with the victory. Just to rub it in for Dortmund, former Dortmund star Robert Lewandowski scored two of Bayern’s five goals.

Bayern would go on to win the Bundesliga title by two points over their arch-rivals. Therefore, this one-sided win turned out to be the victory that clinched yet another league title for the Bavarian powerhouse.

Manchester City 1-0 Leicester City (May 6, 2019)

All Manchester City had to do to successfully defend their Premier League title was win two matches: this one and a subsequent clash against Brighton. On paper, Leicester were not expected to put up much of a fight against the Citizens.

However, to the surprise of everyone watching, Leicester made it very competitive. Deep into the second half, the score was still tied at 0-0. Then, an astonishing turn of events took place.

Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany had the ball around 30 metres from the Leicester goal. He took a few touches, then unleashed a powerful shot that somehow made its way into the back of the net. Manchester City would then go on to win this match and subsequently the league.

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (May 7, 2019)

In the first leg of this Champions League semifinal tie, Barça had been utterly dominant. Their 3-0 win put Liverpool in a position in which they were all but eliminated. However, not even the staunchest Liverpool fan could have expected what was to come.

Roared on by the Anfield faithful, the Reds dug deep to produce a performance for the ages. Two goals apiece from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum were what Liverpool needed to overturn the three-goal deficit and advance to the final.

The highlight of the match was Liverpool’s fourth goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold fooled the Barcelona defense with an excellent low corner kick. The ball came to Origi, and the Belgian converted to seal Liverpool’s remarkable win.

Eden Hazard announces departure from Chelsea (May 29, 2019)

The transfer saga that seemed as though it would never end finally did.

In what had to have been one of the worst-kept secrets in world football, Chelsea superstar Hazard confirmed that he would leave Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid at the end of the season. Hazard had been linked with a move to Real for years, and Chelsea’s struggles throughout the season only increased the chances of his departure.

Real signed Hazard, who leaves Chelsea as probably the greatest player in the club’s history, for a fee of ₤88.5 million. He will officially become a Real Madrid player on July 1, 2019.

Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham (June 1, 2019)

For the second time, the Champions League final was contested by two English clubs. This season’s final was a cagey affair, but nonetheless intriguing from a tactical standpoint.

Goals scored by Mo Salah and Divock Origi proved to be decisive as Liverpool avenged their Champions League final loss from the year before. It was their sixth title and first since 2005.

The victory also assured Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp of his place in the pantheon of all-time great coaches.

The Weekly Take, Issue 66: The Golden Generation Reborn

One of the most memorable (but underachieving) international football teams of all time was Portugal’s so-called “Golden Generation”.

A spectacularly talented team whose prime years spanned from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, this iteration of A Seleção that contained legends such as Fernando Couto, Rui Costa, Pauleta, Nuno Gomes, and of course, former Ballon d’Or winner Luís Figo, could never quite put it together in tournament play.

They were knocked out in the semifinals of Euro 2000 and were runners-up in the 2004 edition. These two deep runs, however, came among some shocking failures. Portugal were knocked out in the quarterfinals of Euro 1996 and the group stage of the 2002 World Cup and, most shockingly of all, failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup.

The post-Golden Generation years proved to be lean for Portugal. Despite being led by Cristiano Ronaldo, they only made a tournament semifinal once between 2008 and 2014, and later made an early exit from the 2018 World Cup. Although Portugal did win Euro 2016, this victory was largely seen as an outlier and a one-off.

This is not the case anymore, though.

Portugal’s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands saw them add the UEFA Nations League title to their European Championship title. Gonçalo Guedes’ goal proved to be the difference-maker against the Oranje.

This current Portugal team has proven that life in the post-Ronaldo era will not be difficult. They have also made something else evident: this is the best Portugal team since the Golden Generation. In fact, it might arguably be even better.

Obviously, this team is currently built around Ronaldo. However, the Juventus striker is now 34 and on the decline. For this reason, the abundance of young talent representing Portugal is an extremely positive sign. Players such as Raphaël Guerreiro, Guedes, Rúben Neves, João Cancelo, Bernardo Silva, and Nélson Semedo, who are all aged 25 or younger, have all shown tremendous potential and appear to have very bright futures. Silva in particular has stood out. Having deservedly been selected as the Nations League’s MVP, the Manchester City winger has proven that after Ronaldo, he might be the next superstar around whom Portugal can build their team.

The Lisbon-born player has arguably already supplanted Kevin De Bruyne as the best player at City. His greatest attributes - his decision-making, versatility, and intensity – were on full display throughout the campaign. Although the Belgian star missed most of the season through injury, Silva’s outstanding play ensured that the Citizens did not miss a beat during De Bruyne’s absence. The Nations League victory capped off what has been easily the best season of Silva’s promising career.

Head coach Fernando Santos also deserves much credit for the success of this new generation.

When Santos succeeded Paulo Bento in 2014, he inherited a team seemingly devoid of any verve, spirit, freshness, or even any semblance of a plan other than “get the ball to Ronaldo and have him do all the work”. It wasn’t long before the former Porto and Greece coach revamped the team by placing a new emphasis on young talent, and thereby changed Portugal’s fortunes for the better.

The changes made by Santos culminated in a victory at Euro 2016. At the time, this was seen by most as a victory that came out of nowhere. This belief was only strengthened when Portugal were knocked out by Uruguay in the 2018 World Cup’s round of 16. However, this recent Nations League victory has proven that Portugal’s World Cup failure was merely a blip and that this team is a bona fide powerhouse and will remain one for the foreseeable future. This represents a turn of events that few could have predicted after Bento’s dismissal following an upset loss to Albania.

The shadow of the Golden Generation has hung over every Portugal team since. This is not surprising, because it had been the greatest collection of talent to ever wear the famous red jersey – until, perhaps, now.

Considering the relative youth of many of the core pieces of Portugal’s current team and what they have already accomplished, they will definitely be among the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup.

We might very well be witnessing the “Platinum Generation” in action.

The Weekly Take, Issue 65: The Sun Hasn’t Set on the British Football Empire

It has been a truly remarkable season for English football.

Before the club season even began, England’s national team stunned many by making a deep World Cup run. Despite being one of the youngest and least experienced teams in the tournament, the Three Lions made it to the semifinals for the first time since 1990.

The Premier League saw extremely tight races for both the league title and Champions League qualification spots. In the end, Manchester City edged Liverpool to win the Premier League title by one point, while the quartet of Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, and Manchester United were separated by just six points; Chelsea and Tottenham claimed the Champions League spots.

English clubs’ excellence this season was also on full display in the Europa League and Champions League.

Despite a turbulent season, Chelsea put their ongoing woes behind them by beating London rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final. A few days later, Liverpool clinched the most prestigious title in European club football when they beat Tottenham 2-0 to win the Champions League.

There might still be more to come. England are in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League and have a genuine chance to win it all. On top of that, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is the favourite to win the Ballon d’Or. If the Dutchman were to win it, he would be the first defender to do so since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.

So just how has English football been so successful this season?

The first factor that has to be looked at is the coaching. Probably the two best coaches in world football today, Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Jürgen Klopp of Liverpool, are currently plying their trade in England. Apart from this duo, the Premier League is also home to more coaches who, while not necessarily elite, are certainly solid, above-average coaches. The likes of Everton’s Marco Silva, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino, and even the often-criticized Maurizio Sarri of Chelsea fit into this category.

No other league has such a glut of high-level coaches. These coaches’ knowledge, development of players, and tactical acumen have helped their teams achieve results beyond what many would have expected, whether domestically, in Europe, or both.

Another important contributor to English clubs’ success this season was player improvement. Many of the Premier League’s best players did not start the season as superstar-level players, but as the season progressed, they either reached or approached such a status.

The two obvious examples of players who cracked the highest tier this season are the Liverpool duo of van Dijk and Alisson. Prior to this season, Mo Salah had been the Reds’ only genuine superstar. Now, he is probably the third-best player on his own team.

Some of the other Premier League players who had breakout campaigns this past season include Liverpool’s Sadio Mané and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Ederson, Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, and Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.

Even though it is difficult to predict which players will next have a breakout season, it is extremely rare for so many players from the same league to do so in the same season. This clearly contributed to the Premier League’s exceptionally high standard of play this season.

As for international football, England have not had it this good in decades.

Not only are the Three Lions in the final four of the Nations League a year after their young squad reached the same stage of the World Cup, but a new, exciting generation of English talent appears ready to enter the fray.

Players such as Alexander-Arnold, Harry Winks, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Jadon Sancho appear to be full of promise and are set to augment a squad already containing Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, and of course, Harry Kane. If they can live up to the expectations they have already created, England will certainly be among the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup.

Based on what has taken place this season, it is abundantly clear: after years of lagging behind its Spanish and German counterparts, English football has re-established itself as the dominant force in Europe. How long it will remain that way, however, is anyone’s guess.