In the words of Michael Scott, “It takes a big man to admit his mistake, and I am that big man.”

Looking back, I couldn’t have been more wrong about Diego Simeone. It’s almost embarrassing to look back on what I wrote in early January. I figured Simeone would come in and play a kind of game where Atlético would just beat the opponent into submission, find a goal, then go back to playing defensively for the rest of the game. I never would have expected Atlético to show the kind of attack that they have in the past couple of games. With the form the club is on, Champions League qualification is a possibility. Although they are in seventh place, Atlético is only two points behind fourth-place Levante and five points off third-place Valencia. Few expect Levante to finish fourth, but Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol and Malaga will be very stiff competition.

Compare that to earlier in the season under Gregorio Manzano when there were whispers, albeit very faint whispers, that this club could be headed for relegation. I was very close to writing an article where I would have argued that if Atlético were to get relegated, it might prove to be the best thing they needed. Newcastle has become a different club since the one season they spent in the Championship.

Watching Atlético under Manzano was difficult and it sapped almost all enthusiasm I had for being a supporter of the club. The players just looked lost. If they went down in a game, you could pretty much stick a fork in them because they weren’t coming back. In adversity, it just didn’t look like anyone would step up. You would see 11 faces all looking at each other wondering who would be the leader. Some wondered if sacking Manzano in December or January would even matter. 2011/12 had already been chalked up as a lost cause.

That seems to have changed under Simeone. This is the one thing that I believe I got right. Simeone being a former Atleti player, I knew he felt pride in wearing the crest and he would expect his players to feel the same way. Upon his appointment, I had heard Tim Vickery on the World Football Phone-In say that Diego Simeone the player and Diego Simeone the manager were pretty much the same, fiery and in your face. I did question whether or not it would be too much. With players making so much money, it’s easy to think that they would simply tune out a manager like that.

With all this said, it’s probably best to fall back down to earth a bit. In the same World Football Phone-In interview, Vickery had also said that Simeone’s style had all but alienated the players and supporters of Racing Club in Argentina. They were actually quite happy to see him go. He had clashed with the higher-ups of the club and certainly did not seem to enjoy his time, so maybe that rubbed off in his style. That leaves the question of if things start to go a little sour at the Calderón, the finger-pointing will begin and the club will fall right back into their mid-table form.

Also, while Atlético scored three goals and four goals against Villarreal and Real Sociedad respectively, their style has been a little of what I had predicted. One of the hallmarks under Manzano was that Atlético would dominate possession. Rarely would it translate to the scoreline, but they seemed to maintain the lion’s share of possession. Prior to the Osasuna match, Atlético had failed to get a majority of possession. Even in the Villarreal match, where the club had 20 shots, nine of which were on goal, Atlético only had 41% of possession. I think the Osasuna match is going to be the real kind of game we can expect to see from Atlético Madrid. They only had four shots on goal, and their only goal came in the 40th minute off a cross from Filipe. That was all the club needed to get the three points. It was a pretty heated match as well with both clubs really getting stuck in. That is another thing you can expect to see from Atlético, lots of fouls. In the four games under Simeone, the club has registered 26, 13, 24 and 17 fouls.

As great as Simeone has the club playing right now, February is going to really test the club. They face off with Valencia this Sunday, they have two legs with Lazio in the Europa League and finish off the month with Barcelona. By the end of the month, I think we’ll really know if Atlético Madrid is Champions League quality.

Falcaometer (as of Feb. 3rd, 2012)



This Week: 3

Atlético Madrid is arguably at it's highest point of the season in terms of morale. Looking a bit lost under Manzano, Falcao is starting to show again the form that he had last season and is justifying his €40 million transfer. A showdown with Valencia on Sunday looms large, and a win will go a long way in establishing Atlético as Champions League qualifiers.

A first half strike from Pablo Batalla was enough to take all three points for Bursa over the weekend.

Felipe Melo’s penalty kick grabbed a point for Gala at their Turk Telekom Arena against Antalyaspor after Emrah Bassan opened the scoring for the visitors.

On Saturday, the league leaders will travel to Gaziantep to face Gaziantepspor. Milan Baros will be suspended for that game due to the direct red card he received against Antalya for arguing with the referee.

The Istanbul based side has had to cope with the loss of star right back Emmanuel Eboue due to international duty for the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. He has missed the last three games and is expected to miss the next two. His absence has caused problems on the right side of the defense since his back-up, Sabri Sarioglu, has been playing at a less-than-average level. Eboue has scored two goals thus far into the season.

Coach Fatih Terim has transferred two new additions to the team with one of them being a former number ten for the club, Necati Ates. The other addition was twenty-one year old Yigit Gokoglan of Vestel Manisaspor. Yigit has scored one goal in two appearances while Necati is still to make his debut since his deal was just finalized yesterday.

The one player who has played every game this season is none other than Selcuk Inan. After arriving in Istanbul this past summer from Trabzonspor, he has scored more goals so far for his new club than he has for any other in one year. The most he had ever scored in one season was five for Vestel Manisaspor back in the 2008/2009 season. After less than 20 games for GS, he has already managed to score seven.  He has also assisted his teammates nine times.

Two unexpected young stars that stepped up their game this season are GS youth products Semih Kaya and Emre Colak.

Emre Colak featured for Gala last season and managed to gain the attention of his coaches, teammates, and fans. He was seen to be the replacement of Arda Turan who would later on join La Liga side Atletico Madrid.  Emre has scored three times so far this season.

Semih Kaya has been trusted to play center back ahead of Servet Cetin and has done an admirable job. One of his best performances was during the Istanbul derby at home against arch rival Fenerbahce. His assignment was none other than their captain, Alex de Souza. He did manage to grab a late consolation goal for the visitors in which GS were 3-1 victors on the night.

Galatasaray sit atop the league with 51 points after 24 games. Fenerbahce are breathing down their backs as they sit right behind them with 48 points of their own. The two sides will meet for the second time in regular season play at Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu stadium on Sunday, March 18^th, 2012. Before that tough match-up, Galatasaray will host other Istanbul rival Besiktas, whom they tied 0-0 in the first meeting at Besiktas’s Fiyapi Stadium. They will be two big games that can determine who finishes in first place.

However, this year even if Gala does finish in first, there will be a play-off system to take place after the regular season for the first time in history. The reason for this is due to match fixing that occurred last year. After a summer of intense investigation, the Turkish Futbol Federation has decided to instill the play-off system, making them the only major European soccer league to do so.

This may not be fair to the team that finishes first, but it will bring more soccer for the fans to enjoy and an interesting twist to crown the new champions of Turkey.

 

 

When Tim Ream arrived in Major League Soccer, little was known about the defender.  Ream played four years at the University of St. Louis, a solid – but not outstanding – college program, but had never been considered for the youth national team set-up.  Ream was still an unknown quantity even after the league scouting combine, where draftees strut their stuff for three days in front of would-be employers.  Indeed, after he was drafted in the second round with the 18^th overall selection, the choice was widely met with bemusement by supporters.

Yet Ream was quick to vindicate his new bosses, head coach Hans Backe and sporting director Erik Soler.  He drew rave reviews during the preseason training camp for his poise and skill on the ball, including an effusion from Backe in which he compared Ream to Rio Ferdinand.  Ream also surprised many when he broke into the starting XI in his rookie campaign and started every league match, anchoring the defense en route to the Eastern Conference regular season title.  Ream impressed throughout the campaign with his calm demeanor on or off the ball on the backline, as well as his strong aerial skills.  Ream was also a finalist, though did not win, the Rookie of the Year award.

The reward for his successful rookie campaign came in the form of a first cap for the United States against South Africa, in a friendly in November 2010.  Ream impressed in his early appearances for the notional team and was quickly tipped to be a stalwart in an aging backline. 

Yet as his star rose within the national team set-up, his play digressed during year two in MLS.  Some of his trademark confidence betrayed him, and New York’s defense became one of the leakier ones in the league.  His – and to be fair, the entire team’s – aerial prowess betrayed him a few times during the course of the season and many were beginning to question what happened to the young star.  His digression carried over to the international venue, when Ream was called-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.  Ream started the first two group matches of the competition, though was benched for the remainder of the tournament after his poor performance in the embarrassing 2-1 loss to Panama (it was the USA’s first ever loss to Panama and first ever loss during the group stages of the Gold Cup).

It was during the late summer months and postseason that Ream first put suitors on alert, however.  Ream first impressed during the Emirates Cup at the Emirates Stadium, prompting Arsenal to be linked, with rumors of a loan deal or possible offer of £1.5 million being bandied about.  During December, Ream went on to train with West Brom and Bolton, again generating rumors that those two clubs could make offers, with Trotters boss Owen Coyle particularly keen.

It was the impending sale of Gary Cahill, however, that really forced Coyle into the market, with the £2.5 million sale representing good business for both sides.

Ream will naturally take some time to settle into the EPL, but should impress.  The MLS’s fast and physical play are comparable to what he might find with Bolton and his mobility should hold him in good stead against some of the trickier forwards in the league.  Ream will also come into the dressing room with no preconceived notions about playing time, instead relying on his strong work ethic to prove his worth.  Further, the presence of fellow American international Stuart Holden will only aid Ream’s transition.   As a supporter of Red Bulls, it was easy to tell that this day would come sooner rather than later.  It is a sad day knowing that our young star is leaving, but exciting to know that he will be continuing his career in the best league in the world.  The move will pay dividends, both for Coyle and for Ream’s progression with the national team, and I am confident that Ream will one day become the player Hans Backe gushed about during that preseason training camp two summers ago

There are several reasons for this. First and foremost, in my opinion, is the sale of Rangers’ Nikica Jelavic to Everton. The Croat had an impeccable 2011, as the driving force behind Rangers’ double and scoring 28 goals in the calendar year. It was inevitable that bigger clubs were going to come looking for him and indeed in August, Rangers rejected a £6.5m bid from Championship side, Leicester City. Three important braces in the first half of the 2011-12 season, against Dundee Utd, Hibs and St Johnston, made him an even more desirable asset and come January there were several more English clubs after the big striker. Rangers rejected several bids from West Ham before, pressured for time and, with their desperate financial situation, needing to capitalise on Jelavic’ form, they were forced to accept a late £5.5m bid from Everton, taking Jelavic to the Premier League. He got a better reception on the Goodison pitch than an earlier pitch invader (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUk3vORG4cY). On his arrival he said, “It is a big thing for me and it is a new step in my career, a step forward.” Time will tell if it was a good career move for the Croat but he should make his first start for the Toffees this weekend against struggling Wigan. Everton have had a turbulent season so far but are showing vague signs of recovery following their victory over league leaders, Man City, last night. A reliable front man is exactly what the Liverpuddlian side needs; currently Leighton Baines is their top scorer for the season with a grand total of three goals. You wouldn’t bet on a European place at this point in the season but stranger things have happened and Jelavic may prove a revelation in the Premier League.

Another reason for my recent joy has been the apparently unstoppable form of Celtic. With twelve wins on the trot, Hooper and Stokes in sensational form and a League Cup final against Kilmarnock to look forward to, things have barely been better for Celtic firms. As Rangers are only a point behind us in the league things are far from secure but considering the point differences mid-November things are certainly swinging in Celtic’s favour. The loss of Jelavic and long-term injury of Steven Naismith leave Rangers with very few options up front, as demonstrated by Ally McCoist’s desperate, yet unsuccessful, last minute attempt to pry Grant Holt from Norwich. Their manager can see that even with great players such as Steven Davis and Allan McGregor they will struggle to continue beating teams in the manner they are currently doing with such a lack of depth to their squad. By the time of the next Old Firm game, at the end of March, it may be that the league and indeed the season for Celtic are wrapped up.

The fan’s backing seems to have given Neil Lennon a greater inner confidence this season; leading him to better management of the team through calm encouragement and, when necessary, criticism. It is a better method than that of last season, in which he made clear his utter contempt for Rangers Football Club, obviously in doing so gaining the utmost respect and support of the Celtic faithful, but also almost getting himself killed in the process.

Yes, the SPL is a two team league and again by February, despite a valiant effort from Motherwell in the early part of the season, the point difference between second and third is almost twenty, but this doesn’t necessarily make it a bad league. It is no more two-team dominant than La Liga; though obviously lacking the majority of the Top 50 players in the world. However, to use a very tenuous allegory, all the Americans will not boycott the 2012 election simply because it is fought between only the Republicans and the Democrats, because that’s the way it has always been. Similarly, the SPL will still continue to be watched by all its fans in Scotland and around the world because it’s taken for granted that the league will always be fought between the two Glasgow clubs and it’s just as entertaining for that. The fact that two teams are much better than everyone else is better than a situation, as often is the case in England, in which yes, there are four or five very good teams, but almost always one separates itself from the pack leaving very little excitement on the final day of the season, unlike the SPL where for three of the last four years, the title race has gone down until the very last day.

 

Sandy Thin