On Clubs: The three most villanous clubs in the world.

This is my list of the top three most villanous clubs in the world. Allow me to explain: some clubs are just absolute villains on the world stage. These clubs are hated the world over and most of them with good reason. It could be for any number of reasons, but these three have a lot in common.

These are the clubs that you love to hate, but in a sense that isn't bad. In fact, it's what makes world football so great and fun to watch, that you can have these clubs that you absolutely despise. And so, without further ado, here is my list of the top three most villanous clubs in world football, starting with number three:

3. Internazionale Milano.



Inter are the most successful club in Italian football. It's difficult to argue otherwise. Last season, the club took home the treble (UEFA Champions League, Seria A title, Coppa Italia) under Jose Mourinho.

But, that greatness comes at a steep price. Inter's starting eleven under Mourinho, and even in the years before he got there, field no Italian national players. Not one. This is a club literally made up by absolute stars. Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti, Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Wesley Sneijder. This is not the kind of roster that any old team can field.

And then the Italian players that are actually on the roster are guys like Materazzi, who will dive at the slightest touch and roll around on the ground like a baby. This is the man who incited the Zidane headbutt by calling Zidane's recently hospitalized mother a terrorist whore. These are not classy players.

And that's a point you can make about the style that Inter has played throughout their history. It's defend defend defend, and then get some bullshit goal on a counterattack that happens to roll past the keeper. These are wins in the smallest of margins and in the least impressive of ways, and it's the way Inter has played for years. I'm sorry, I just don't want to see a team whose entire eleven plays defense behind the ball and makes no attempt to challenge the ball until it gets to the final third and then counterattacks. It's not beautiful football. And that wouldn't be so frustrating if this team didn't field guys like Eto'o and Sneijder, who are capable of the most beautiful of passes, shows of skill, and arcing runs across the field. On an Inter side, they're just a body to stand in the way of the opposition, and then run aimlessly down the field when the ball comes to them.

This is what makes Inter a villanous squad, they're complete lack of respect for the sportsmanship of even attempting to play an open game of football coupled with a star-studded cast of players that you kick yourself everyday to see playing for them.

But there is a silver lining. Hatred of Inter means more passion for Seria A sides that challenge them. My personal favorite is AC Milan, who are city rivals with Inter. Milan are famous for getting great players in their final twilight years, like Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldhino, Andrea Pirlo or Gianluca Zambrotta.

Or maybe you like Roma, who played Inter in the Coppa Italia. Roma has Italian greats like Francisco Totti, or Luca Toni. And then they have underrated greats like Rodrigo Taddei.

Or even still you could like Juventus, who have a great history of fabulous players like Zinedine Zidane and continue that tradition with some of the best players in the world, like Gianluigi Buffon.

All of that to say, hating Inter does have it's bright spots.

2. Manchester City.



Manchester City are one of those clubs, like Everton, Tottenham, and Aston Villa, that have been consistently bubbling just under the cusp of Premier League greatness. They have never won the Premiership, and have generally struggled in major tournaments as well. And the reason for that is in the way they manage their team.

It's really kind of shameful the way Manchester City approaches the business side of their team. They have a turnover rate of about ten to fifteen players each year, which means that literally almost a third of their squad is entirely new each year. What that means is that their teams have no chemistry or footballing abilities, meaning that they have to rely on the efforts of one man, like Carlos Tevez.

The principle of "throwing money at a problem until it goes away," applies to how City manages their squad in the Premier League. They will literally buy whoever is good and seems to be reasonably unhappy.

THe best evidence of this is their relentless pursuit of Inter's Mario Balotelli. Other clubs turned away when they observed his horrible attitude (Balotelli refused to play defense in the Champions League semi-final and could be seen arguing with his manager Mourinho, who evenutally got fed up and walked away). Balotelli is not a team player, but City could care less as long as he can do a rainbow flick and shoot a ball at 30 kilometers an hour.

City will never be able to challenge Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal (or Liverpool, for that matter) if they continue dealing with their squad the way that they do. But the fact that they do this and the fact that they have the wads of cash that they do puts unnecessary pressure on recent transfers, inflates the transfer fee in the market, and wastes the talent of players like Aleksander Kolorav and Jerome Boateng, who may ride the bench during their time at City.

1. Real Madrid.



It's really ironic that Real Madrid have to be the undisputed number one biggest villain in world football. It's ironic because world football as we know it would not exist without Real Madrid. They were the first real honest to God football club and for a long time they were the only good one. The tradition of this club alone is a staggering achievement.

But, with all of that said, this is a club that has fallen prey to it's own tradition of success.

At the end of practically every season now, if Madrid didn't win the treble or at least La Liga, the manager is fired. That's just the way they operate. They gut the entire system and start over.

But when you look at Real Madrid, you can't talk about hating them without talking about the players they field nowadays. Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Arjen Robben, David Beckham, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso. The list goes on. A lot of these guys are very professional, and are great players. But others, like Ronaldo, have come to typify the Madrid attitude of superiority.

As the former manager Pellegrini said, Madrid are a team of guitarists. If you asked them to play piano, they couldn't do it. They all just play lead guitar. And for that reason, their game is about high powered attack with a lot of holes in the back. Now, those holes are plugged by Iker Casillas, but before quite possibly the greatest keeper in history was in front of goal, Madrid scored 5 and let in 4 every game.

The silver lining of hating Real Madrid is, that you get to love Barcelona. This rivalry known as El Clasico is probably the biggest rivalry in the world.

This is my list of the three biggest villains on the world football club stage. Do you have others/think these clubs are heros? Let's talk.

On Roy Hodgson: Why he could win the title for Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson took over for Liverpool after the unpopular Rafa Benitez was sacked. Since he has taken over, Hodgson has brought Joe Cole in his prime years, smoothed things over with Torres (to some extent), and has been pumping up his team to make a run for the title. I'd like to use this opportunity to look over what it is that is going to make Hodgson (possibly) succesful this year in the Premier League.

1. Put up or shut up time. There are a number of players on Liverpool's squad who have been in quite a slide as of late. Particularly Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, and Glen Johnson. These players have been basically absent for the Reds, for injuries or otherwise.

For a lot of these guys, it's time to put their money where their mouth is. They're coming off one of the worst seasons in Liverpool's history, and failure this season could mean a long, slow decline for the Reds in the future.

Especially Gerrard and Torres, both of him it is becoming more and more likely are going to stay at Anfield. These two guys have had ample opportunity to explore other options at other clubs, so their decision to stay certainly adds pressure.

Hodgson himself is coming off the biggest moment of his career turning unfancied Fulham into Europa finalists. And his only really big job before this was Inter, where he didn't last long at all. He's got a make a stake to be this club's manager for a long time, and I think he may be motivated enough to do just that.

Anyway, moving on.

2. Man-management, smart financial decisions, and doing what's best for the team. Hodgson is known for being extremely gifted at man-management, and to that end he could be the best of the Big Four clubs at handling the institution of the new Premier League rule that puts a 25 player maximum on each club and that a minimum of 8 of them have to be English.

Hodgson so far added Danny Wilson, who is a very talented young central defender who is more than likely a long term replacement for Jamie Carragher. This probably means that Reds veteran Daniel Agger will be pushed out to the left, where Liverpool are notoriously short. But this was a very cheap, very money concious transfer, and it's exactly what Liverpool needed.

But, I just learned that the Reds are looking at Mexican defender Carlos Salcido from PSV to go to Liverpool to play left back. Great. I love Salcido, he's really good. A problem though: Salcido is also adventerous as hell, and with him and Glen Johnson constantly being out of the barn, who's going to guard the prize horse? And Mascherano won't be around next season to clean up the mess, either. Though I think Hodgson is fully capable of instating some discipline, so maybe we won't see a problem there.

Another one I've heard muttering about is German left back Marcell Jansen, but apparently Hamburg are just having none of that.

Then he added Joe Cole. Cole is going to have to be Hodgson's boy. Wenger had Fabregas (and Thierry Henry), Benitez had Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson had Giggs, now Hodgson's going to have to have Cole. Cole's raw potential is, apparently, practically bottomless. It's said that his ball skills rival Messi, which I'll still have to see to believe. The attack of Torres, Gerrard, and Cole is potentially so star-studded and powerful, that no one would stand a chance, but it's all theoretical at this point. It's all riding on Cole. He knows it, and I think it will drive him. He's been riding the bench at Stamford Bridge behind Saloman Kalou for three years, I think he's ready for his shot.

Now, speculation is afoot that Hodgson will add Park Chun-Young, the South Korean goal maniac. Chun-Young could be the magic touch for the Reds this season. Let me explain: Hodgson uses a 4-4-2. That "2" in the front means "Torres can't be alone anymore." And I think that's good. I really think that Torres works better when he's splitting time with someone else, he's just that kind of striker. And Chun-Young could be just that "2." This is another example of Hodgson being a money concious manager that still has the best interest of the club in mind.

3. Finally, Hodgson knows how to motivate a team. Liverpool may need a kick in the rear end. I think a lot of their guys are tired, unmotivated, and discouraged. And we're looking at a season that could see a lot of younger guys stepping up for this team, like Aquillani and Wilson. I think Hodgson has the ability to get these young guys to use their heads and really learn how to win.

I think he can also pull Gerrard and Torres up by their boot straps and give recent transfers like Cole a real fighting chance in the starting eleven.

These are my basic indicators as to why Hodgson could be able to drive Liverpool on to win the Premiership.

On Today: Transfer battles, disgruntled management, future commitments and more!

So today was kind of absurd on the football news front, so I thought I'd just do a rundown of what happened today. So without further ado:

1. Robinho ordered back to Manchester City. This story combines two parties that I am not a fan of: the (in my opinion) cry baby Brazilian striker Robinho and the spend-happy, cocky-player-having, cocky-in-general Manchester City.

Robinho left last season on loan to play for Santos in Brazil after literally pleading to return to play in his home country because he hated Man City so much. He was never particularly impressive in my book anyway, people just go crazy over him because he does a lot of step-overs and dances with the ball at his feet. Other than that he's a pretty mediocre striker, in my opinion.

Anyway, news came across the wire today that Manchester City were "ordering" Robinho back to Manchester to settle his future. Something tells me he still won't be keen on staying in Eastlands.

2. Mascherano leaving Liverpool. Javier Mascherano is always the key man on whatever squad he plays for. He's 5'6'' but plays like he's 6'2''. This guy is the definition of tenacity and confidence and clubs love him for that. But the Reds unfortunately are not going to be able to hold on to him, as he will probably go to Inter from here to play with Argentine teammates Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito.

What this means for Liverpool is that they are going to be relying heavily next season on Italian youngster Alberto Aquillani. I personally like Aquillani, I think he plays with a lot of heart and is never afraid to take a shot. He also seems to be a clinical finisher and to that end is also a highly accurate passer.

I think that the move of a bored, unmotivated Mascherano could actually have a very bright silver lining for the Reds in this young man.

3. Aston Villa talk to James Milner. So what happened earlier this week with Milner was that the Villa manager who's name I don't particularly care to learn threw Milner under the bus by claiming that he was definitely on his way to Manchester City. What makes comments like this absolutely pin-headed is that sometimes contracts can't be agreed upon, so a player may stay at a club for a little longer than one might expect.

What this means is that the fans, as they did to Garreth Barry when his contract was being debated before his move to City, are going to be pissed at Milner. That means Milner will be sad and Villa will suffer. So today, I guess in an attempt to smooth things over with the recent breakout English national, Aston Villa sat down and maybe had some tea with Milner. Just so he knows that he's still their boy.

It's a nice gesture, but a little underhanded at the same time.

4. Luis Fabiano (pictured above) commits to Sevilla. This was kind of a disappointment for me because I was looking for Fabiano to make a Premier League move. However, I always respect when a star commits his future to his less than star-powered club. That makes me like Fabiano a little bit, though his play-acting and general lack of sportsmanship still make him one of my least favorite Brazilians, second only to Lucio, who would probably spike someone in the face if it was legal.

Fabiano could have gone anywhere, but the most recent (today) rumor I heard was Tottenham, which could have been awesome. As I said yesterday, the Spurs need a striker, and Fabiano could have been just that for them. This news comes as a bit more of a shock because Fabiano released what amounts to a "come and get me" statement to Liverpool and Chelsea earlier this week. But, I guess that's just the way it goes. I suppose Fabiano will keep netting 20 or more goals for a team that will continue to just flounder below Barcelona and Real Madrid.

5. Loic Remy, going somewhere, just don't know where. Can we just talk for a minute about how crazy rumors have been about where in demand Nice striker Loic Remy is going to end up? Every day there are headlines that Redknapp's sealed it for Spurs, then Hodgson's got a contract in the works for the Reds, then West Ham shows up out of nowhere today. This guy is wanted, and he's going to end up somewhere. If it was me, I'd hope for Hodgson, maybe they can get a dual striker set-up going, which may help ease the burden for Torres (if Torres is still a Red, which we'll discuss in a moment).

6. Rafael Van Der Vaart, professional flip-flopper. Yesterday Van Der Vaart was saying basically that he'd rather be at any team with Champions League football that could offer him first team status he was so miserable at Real Madrid. Today he's saying he's ready to stay and "succeed" there. Sorry Rafael, but you can't get on the first team with Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in your spot. You might want to look somewhere else, because you aren't going to be playing first team football. Oh well, maybe he'll change his mind again tomorrow.

I guess I'm learning that players make these statements so that they'll get a new contract. Learn something new everyday, I guess.

7. Manchester City aren't done yet. City guru Roberto Mancini reported today that he's not only still eyeing a disgruntled Fernando Torres very closely, but that he's also getting ever closer to a deal with Inter youngster Mario Balotelli.

Balotelli is another one that everyone's been after this summer: United, Chelsea, Man City, Real Madrid. He keeps holding out though. I don't get it, the couple times I saw him I wasn't particularly impressed.

As for Torres, Chelsea has always been in my mind the most likely place that Torres could go. They can offer him first team (I'm pretty sure), a massive contract (50 million), Champions League football, and a little respect, for God's sake.

I think within the next 24 to 48 hours we could see a big deal go down in favor of Eastlands.

8. Stephen Ireland hoping to stay at Eastlands. This is yet another reason why I hate Manchester City. They bring in Kolarov and are still saying "oh Wayne Bridge, don't worry, you're still important to us!" Bridge is ready to fight for his spot, and maybe it puts some healthy competition in him, but how much confidence do you think he thinks you have in him now? It'd be one thing if you were just bringing in some new striker and telling Adebayor and Tevez to fight for it, but these are English nationals they are just repeatedly standing up at the whipping post.

Stephen Ireland came from Manchester City's own academy. He's been their boy forever, literally. Now with every deal they propose, Man City just shamelessly says over and over again "Oh, well we can give you Ireland if that'll smooth things over." And Stephen Ireland has been one of the most consistent, well traveled bastions that City have on their whole roster. And they're just throwing him to whoever will take him.

So today, poor Stephen issued a kind of "twiddling my thumbs" statement, that he hopes he gets to stay at the club that he's defined his career at.

These are my reactions to a very busy day in football news. Did I miss something? Let's talk.

On Tottenham Hotspur: The keys to their Champions League season.

Last season, Tottenham Hotspur broke into the top four in the Premier League and have earned a Champions League berth as a result. This is a big moment for Tottenham, because the last team that unexpectantly finished fourth in the League was Everton, and they finished the next season in ninth. It's important that Tottenham make a claim for themselves as one of the contenders in the Champions League.

But it is not going to be easy. In fact, if these key things don't happen, it's going to be damn near impossible:

1. Tom Huddlestone (pictured above). Huddlestone is the most important player on the entire Tottenham side. This guy could play linebacker for the Chicago Bears that's how big he is. But he's got a great touch on the ball, terrific field vision, and really understands the game. He's also in the best form of his life.

When this team goes into big games like Liverpool or Manchester City, they're going to need to look at this man for inspiration. Tom's the one who's really wary about the upcoming season, and for now that perspective is good. But you can bet your life that when he laces up, he's going to go into every game with all the confidence in the world. And that's exactly what this team needs, especially a team that's got blossoming young upstarts like Gareth Bale.

He's an absolute rock in defense, and they need him, as in my view the Spurs have a relatively weak back line other than the highly underrated Michael Dawson.

All in all, you will be able to trace this team's success or failure by watching how the rest of the players react and work with Huddlestone. His presence is absolutely vital to this team, and is perhaps the biggest key to them finishing in the top four again.

2. Stay ahead of Liverpool and City.

It's really no secret that Liverpool's season this year was flukey as hell. It really did come down to the coaching aspect as well as the injury aspect. I'm sorry, but Benitez just couldn't motivate Steven Gerrard enough. You know things are bad when Reds stalwart Lucas has to come out literally every week and make a statement about how the team is still holding together, that Gerrard is still vital to the team, and that they will be fine without Torres.

It really puts in perspective how bad Benitez was when it was revealed today that Torres would only want to leave because of a beef that Benitez started with him. Benitez was literally such a dick to the best player on the entire squad, quite possibly the best player in the world, that he doesn't even want to be a part of the squad even after he's gone.

But, with all of that said, Liverpool does have a new manager in Roy Hodgson. And Roy knows how to win. He made Europa finalists out of Fulham for God's sake. I think Roy's made some gutsy decisions that are either going to work or flop this season, and I'm mainly mentioning Joe Cole here. I read where Robben said that Cole is as good on the ball as Messi is. If that's even half true, Liverpool are going to be the team to beat in the Premier League. However, early on in the season Tottenham are going to have to put the screws to them and keep them down.

As for Manchester City, they could be making a move to win the Premier League for the first time. That's their goal for this season, it's a very immediate goal. And with that in mind they've started writing checks for anyone they can get their hands on. Including David Silva, Yaya Toure, and Aleksander Kolarov. Before it's all said and done they'll probably have Milner, too. They even made an offer to Drogba, rumor has it.

They also play City in the first game of the season in August, and I'll tell you right now, they need to win that game. It was their win in the first game of the season against Liverpool last season that got them going, and they need those good vibes to happen again.

In any case, Tottenham needs to keep these two extremely talented and extremely capable teams below them on the table, and that won't be easy. But they've shown they can do it with that win over Chelsea last season.

3. Strikers strikers strikers. Last season Jermain Defoe couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for Tottenham toward the end of the season. Peter Crouch only showed up to play every once in a while, and Robbie Keane was out most of the season on loan to Celtic. SO, with that in mind, a striker needs to come to the forefront for Spurs.

Maybe Roman Pavlyuchenko comes out of nowhere. Maybe Keane will catch on fire, maybe Defoe will remember how to shoot. Whatever it takes, Tottenham desperately need a goal scorer. They will most likely not be able to rely on their defense any longer, particularly with Liverpool and Manchester City out for blood.

Spurs need two guys with 15 or more, or one with at least more than 22 if they are going to have a shot.

These are my keys for Tottenham this season. Think these are dumb/have some of your own? Let's discuss.

On Nemanja Vidic: Why he can't go to Real Madrid

Since the end of last season, Vidic has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid with new manager Jose Mourinho claiming he was extremely interested in the player, and had reportedly made him one of his priorities.

Vidic was quick to come out and say that he had no intention of leaving United, as long as a new contract was in the works. This was an intentional "wink-wink" at United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to draft a new, perhaps better contract for the Serbian central defender.

So, United fans and Vidic waited and waited and waited, but no new contract came. And the issue sort of died away, but then new speculation arose when a reporter asked Sir Alex after Man U's friendly against the Philadelphia Union what the history of Vidic was. Fergie sort of murmured that he couldn't confirm.

However, today, the news came out that a new contract has been penned for Vidic for 90k a week, an upgrade from his 70k a week contract that would expire in two years' time.

Now, there was no indication of an actual offer from Real Madrid, but perhaps this was a situation where the two clubs were staring each other down, waiting for the other to tip their hand. And it may be that headlines which read "Vidic open for sale, Fergie says" after Sir Alex's comment on Thursday tipped Man U's hand.

The issue with penning a new contract for Vidic is that the American Glazer family who owns the team has a strict policy about waiting until the final year of a player's contract to renew it. However, it seems they have made an exception in the case of Vidic. And with good reason.

Vidic could be the single most important player to this United team next year. The other desired first team center defender Rio Ferdinand, has once again shown how injury prone he is and could be unavailable for large portions of the season at a time. Vidic should be the rock of a back four that, other than Frenchman Patrice Evra on the left side, is very much in question. Back-ups Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans have shown that they are relatively capable of a starting position, but having an experienced leader like Vidic who is quite capable of both clearing his lines and making a stand in the final third would go an extremely long way. It will be important for a United team, that could have trouble scoring this season with Rooney out of form and Berbatov's ability to score still in question, to keep a clean sheet.

The battle of wallets between Sir Alex and Mourinho must be won for the good of Manchester United's well being in the Premier League and in international tournaments. Hopefully Vidic will stay at Old Trafford next season.

On Ribery and Benzema: What their prostitution scandal means

So some interesting news came across the wire last night: French national players Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery (pictured above) have been arrested by a special magistrate in Paris for paying an underaged sex worker for...well, sex.

Now before we go any further, we need to put this in a cultural context, after all, this is France we're talking about. Prostitution is legal in France but only if the sex worker is 18, this young woman was 16 at the time of the alleged incidents. However, there are a number of appendixes and stuff, like the person has to "look like a minor, say they're a minor, or the client has to know that they are." All of which Ribery's lawyer is claiming "was not the case." So in a sense, because of France's loose mores about this kind of thing, Ribery and Benzema probably won't recieve the 40,000 dollar fine and or 4 years in prison that they might if they had done this in Singapore. However, there are still implications we need to discuss.

This girl has come out and said repeatedly that they had no idea, but she also knows that she could have just damned one of the most popular footballers on the modern stage, Ribery. She can come out and say on record all she wants, but somehow I don't think that Ribery or Benzema were completely oblivious to her age. They also paid top dollar for her, so that tells you something. Benzema met her in a night club and paid for her services, and Ribery flew her out in a hotel in Germany as a birthday present to himself.

Now, let's talk about what this means to me and world football. In this case, I feel like Benzema is at least moderately forgivable. He's still young, he's still enjoying the delights of being a young kid just signed to Real Madrid, so in that sense I guess he's sort of off the hook.

Ribery, on the other hand, has a huge reputation as not only being a modest man with a very happy marriage, but he's also been around the block a few times. He made one of the bravest recoveries in the history of sports when he resumed playing football after a massive car accident nearly killed him and left a huge scar on his right cheek. He's always been one of the cleanest, most sporting players on earth and has a huge amount of respect wherever he goes. What I'm saying is, it really makes you think when a guy like Ribery gets caught doing stuff like this. There was an episode of South Park recently about rich men cheating on their wives in lou of Tiger Woods, and the gyst of the episode was that we shouldn't act all surprised when it happens. But I think that needs to stop. At one point do we lower our standards so low for men, and still expect a woman to be monogamous, that we become an uncivilized, moraless society? And even without that, would we not expect better of some of our most idolized and respected figures of said society?

I don't know, I know I expected better from Ribery. It'd be one thing if this was Ronaldo, who has allegedly had sex with hundreds of women. But it's frickin' Ribery. He may have to come off my favorite player list.

On German Youngsters: Loyal, or just naive?

Germany fielded it's youngest team ever for the World Cup this year and featured some extremely impressive young talent that blossomed wonderfully throughout the tournament. All of that flare and ingenuity amongst these new players got a lot of people wondering if any of these guys were going to make big moves during the transfer season. Here's a breakdown of what's happened so far:

1. Mesut Ozil (pictured above, playing his air turntables): Staying at Werder Bremen. I really love Werder Bremen. They've got the German keeper Wiese, German legendary center back Per Mertesacker, and now they have recent standout Mesut Ozil. Ozil (whom I have given the nickname: The Turkish Ninja, because of his ability to open up into space in the blink of an eye and strike when you least expect it) had been linked with a move to Real Madrid since the World Cup was over.

But Ozil was quick to come out and say he was interested, and then quickly say he wasn't a day later. Maybe he had a think, maybe his agent was in his ear, but whatever it was, Ozil has been adamant about his decision to stay at Bremen and has stayed away from the media. So that, as they say, is that.

2. Sami Khedira: Staying at Stuttgart. Khedira was another young standout in the World Cup who was playing for Germany (though he was also born in Turkey). Khedira made heads turn for his solid defensive work, his field vision, and his uncanny ability to string together the perfect combination of passes on the way to the goal. He's like a giant, slower, less good version of Xavi. But he can also shoot, so that's an advantage on Xavi. But here I am comparing Xavi and Khedira and forgetting what I'm talking about. Oh yeah! Real Madrid also wanted Khedira, but this move was linked before the World Cup even started.

Khedira, though, went a step further than Ozil and is reportedly "laughing off" these claims. Oh, to be young and laugh off a move to Real Madrid.

3. Lukas Podolski: Staying at Cologne. Podolski is still another player that came out of the woodwork to play for Germany (born in Poland). His pace, ability to deliver the ball in from the final third, ability to cut in from out wide, and his scoring ability made him a target for a number of major clubs, reportedly.

But Podolski has also come out and firmly stated that he is not leaving his Italian club Cologne.

These guys from Germany are aged 21, 23, and 25 respectively. They are some of the hottest players in football and are recieving offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world. Quite frankly, I hope they all stay. I do respect Madrid for trying to at least acquire two players with some chemistry together, but come on, you've got Kaka and Ronaldo, just deal.

And yet still, the speculation continues about their departure from their beloved clubs. It's being said now that Ozil could even be bound for Manchester United. Which I wouldn't necessarily mind either, we're kind of running thin on the midfield. No shot at Fletcher, Scholes, or Carrick. But they're all getting up there, we could use Ozil.

So when the dust settles, I guess we'll have to see where these youngsters end up. But for right now, whether it's belligerent teen angst left over from days not so far gone by, or an agent telling them to hold out, the kids are alright right where they are.

On Joe Cole: What his move to Liverpool means for the Reds, for himself, and for English football

Before I start breaking down what I think of Joe Cole's move from Chelsea to Liverpool, I think it will help if I give a bit of a background on Cole.

Joe Cole is now 28 years old. He has spent his career in the English Premier League playing mainly for Chelsea, unfortunately, that career was rife with injuries. Cole came into the EPL as one of the most hyped players since Lampard. And by all accounts, he is capable of delivering. Cole's potential is pretty massive, he's got all kinds of skill and the pace to go with it, along with a traditional fighting spirit you would expect of an English national.

At the World Cup, Cole seemed to be one of the brighter points of a dismal English side when he got his chance to play. The problem for Cole has always been staying fit, a scourge of many other potential greats, most recently Fernando Torres.

Now, I'm going to break down what I think of this move.

I have no idea why Liverpool did this. They just spent so many resources keeping attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and acquiring natural wide midfielder Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid. And they've still got Dirk Kuyt in the starting line-up. Really the only reason I can think of that they would do this is to replace Yossi Benayoun, whom is on is way to Chelsea, so I guess it was what we in America would refer to as a "trade."

But there are other reasons why I don't like this for the Reds. Chief among these reasons is the fact that they've added a player who is infamous for being injury prone to a club side already absolutely devastated by injuries with Torres' fitness again in question after he hurt himself again in the World Cup Final.

It is being said that Joe Cole made this transition because he was promised playing time by new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. But with the condition that Liverpool is in right now, who's to say how long Hodgson may last as the manager? And even if he was, would you have any difficulty working him in with new signing Rodriguez in the mix? Or even Liverpool stalwart Lucas in the middle? I think not.

This is a major major gamble for me from manager Hodgson, but I do like it for one big reason: Cole is English. Liverpool for me was a club in the EPL that you could particularly pick on for not fielding English national players, so for that, I think this is a good move.

I wish Cole the best of luck, because he without doubt deserves it, but I don't have the highest hopes for this one.

On Eastern Europe: The top five best attacking players

So for some reason I decided to rank my top five attacking players from Eastern Europe. There are quite a few great ones though, so this list should be interesting.

5. Dimitar Berbatov. Current club: Manchester United. Home country: Bulgaria.

If he was in better scoring form, Berbatov could top this list. But with just 12 goals last season, it's difficult to place him higher. But with that being said, Berbatov is still one of the most skilled strikers in the world. He's got an immaculate talent for finishing and a great amount of skill with the ball at his feet.

Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson has finally devised a way that Berbatov can be used to his full potential, and if he has, Man U will be hard to stop in the Premier League.

4. Andriy Schevchenko. Current club: Dynamo Kyiv. Home country: Ukraine.

Schevchenko is a legend in the truest sense of the word. If you watch any great ball skills video on youtube, he's bound to be there somewhere. He invented like four moves. He's had a career at Chelsea, AC Milan, and has decided to round out his career playing at the best club in Ukraine, the Dynamo Kyiv.

He's also been the captain of Ukraine something like six years in a row and is the current captain of the Dynamo.

3. Ivica Olic. Current club: Bayern Munich. Home country: Croatia.

Olic deserves this spot because of his hat trick in the Champions League semi-final against Lyon. But other than that, Olic has proven to be an extremely compatible strike partner to Gomez, Mueller, or Klose at Bayern. He's a great compliment to any player because of his selfless play, his top-class finishing, and his passing ability.

2. Andrei Ashravin (pictured above). Current club: Arsenal. Home country: Russia.

Ashravin is currently, in my book, the best player on Arsenal's squad. He's just the complete player. He's got everything: ball skills, shot power, pace, field vision, creativity, defensive tenacity.

He's also without question the best player on Russia's squad and could be the best player to come out of that country ever. I watch Arsenal games for Andrei first and Fabregas second, that's all I'm saying.

1. Edin Dzeko. Current club: VFL Wolfsburg. Home country: Bosnia & Herzegovinia

Dzeko was tied for the most goals last year in the Bundesliga with Kiesling. That's a massive achievement in the top scoring league in the world where over 30 players get at least 10 goals a season. Dzeko is an absolutely ruthless striker with an extremely powerful accurate shot and a real gift for finishing in the final third.

He's also been the source of a great deal of transfer buzz, garnering the attention of big name clubs like Real Madrid and reportedly Chelsea and Manchester City. But the faithful Bosniaherzegovinian was quick to shut down any speculation.

This is my list of the top five best Eastern European attacking players. Do you care at all? Comment!

On Manchester United: What we learned from their 3-1 win over Celtic

So it's been a while since I wrote anything on my favorite club, so it's time to check back in with the Red Devils. They played their season opener in a friendly against Celtic yesterday and won 3-1. Let's take a look at what I saw in this friendly match, good and bad:

1. Dimitar Berbatov: He's really freaking good. Man U fans have taken to using Berbatov as a scapegoat for any and every misfortune of the club. He does have a sort of poor scoring record (29 goals in 86 appearences) but Man U fans have to face the fact that sometimes goals don't dictate how valuable a striker is to the team.

Let me tell you right now, the players love Berbatov. Darren Fletcher came out before the match and was talking up Berbatov, stating that he was a key leader on the team. Berbatov is also the perfect antithesis to Rooney. Rooney is all hot-headed desperation and power, Berbatov is all modesty, grace, and finesse.

Fans don't like him because they claim he doesn't look like he's trying. What I saw yesterday was not a man who was not expending effort, what I saw was a man who was so skilled that he just didn't need to expend that much effort. One of the commentators said that Berbatov looked like he had "hands on his feet" his ball control was so expertly handled, and it's shocking how true that statement is. His play is so subtle, his position so well timed, that he just looks like he's barely trying. But if you could read his mind, you'd know of his genius.

And we saw just how valuable Berbatov can be in yesterday's game. They scored 3 goals right? Berbatov assited two and scored the other one. One assist was a back heel, the other was a perfectly weighted, selfless pass across the goal box to a budding Danny Welbeck. His goal was an absolutely flawless one. He deadend a bouncing ball with the heel of his foot, then in his second touch, pinwheeled his entire body and swung his leg straight through the ball, sending it careening unflichingly into the side-netting.

Berbatov is an important part of this team. Because let's face it, Rooney can't play in every goddamn game. They tried it last season and he got hurt. Ferguson needs to warm up to the idea of resting Rooney and letting Berbatov take matches that won't be as challenging, the Hull City, the West Ham, the Wigan Athletic.

Berbatov showed just how valuable he is to this organization, and hopefully Sir Alex Ferguson, and the Man U fans, have loosened the noose around his neck.

2. Youngsters. This is a Manchester United team with a lot of budding young star power. Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling, Gabriel Obertan, the Brazilian twin full backs Fabio and Rafael, Federico Macheda, Tom Cleverly, the list goes on. Let's go through some of the key younger guys from that list and talk about how they looked yesterday.

Danny Welbeck. Welbeck is an important part of this team for a number of reasons. He's a speedster, which is something that every team needs for a 75 minute substitution when a game is tied up and you know that their back line is exhausted. He's an English national, and that always helps with the fan base at home. And he's just a really hyped up player. Yesterday, Welbeck scored, which is awesome. And he looked hungry for the goal which is also awesome. I still think Ferguson is going to want some more looks at little Danny before he decides if this will be his go to guy for a shot in the arm in the second half when they just can't get the breakthrough against Arsenal.

Chris Smalling. This guy is really important. Rio Ferdinand was injured again in the World Cup and has proved that he is probably not going to be a consistant starter and may not even be a 90 minute player anymore. So knowing that Smalling will be there to pick up the slack will be key for United. Yesterday, I was impressed with Smalling's football IQ, he seemed to know what to do at all times and seemed to have a lot of confidence. However, he did commit a terrible foul in the 18 yard box that led to Celtic's only goal off a penalty, so Fergie is probably still a little wary on him and could be looking at the other young central defender Johnny Evans, who had a great game.

Gabriel Obertan. This was the young player of the game for United, in my eyes. Obertan was brought in as attempt to smooth the creases after Ronaldo was transfered to Real Madrid two seasons ago. And in this game, Obertan showed that he could be just as creative and explosive as Ronaldo. Obertan was was giving it his all on every play, possessed an extremely creative flare, and also seemed to have a cutting edge for finishing. Fergie could be considering Obertan as a starter in place of Nani, another player brought in to try and replace Ronaldo.

Federico Macheda. The 19 year old Italian came into the match in the 75th minute and did what he does best, he created chances. He didn't score one, but he definitely was in around the goal when he needed ot be there and didn't look like he had his head up his ass like some fans have claimed that he does when comes into a game. He will be a real option late in the game for United if they need a breakthrough.

These are the things I took from Man U's opening game against Celtic. Did you see something you wanted to bring up? Comment!

On Thierry Henry: What his move to the New York Red Bulls means and doesn't mean.

French hero, Arsenal legend, handballing extraordinaire, and Hunter Blair's bane of existence Thierry Henry has been confirmed as going to the New York Red Bulls. Henry came off of one of the worst seasons of his career at Barcelona where he was barely ever played and when he did truly showed his age.

In the World Cup, I think he was put into one game for like five minutes.

Let's look at what this move means:

1. America: Where soccer greats go to die. In the last two weeks, I've heard that Lampard, Giggs, and Henry wanted to go to the MLS to end their career. What this means is that some players that are getting on in age are looking to the MLS as a great way to sign out. That means basically that they have no respect for the MLS, as they think that they can just go there and be a star, even if they are in the worst shape of their soccer careers. That, to me, isn't good for the U.S. And it's not like this is a new thing, the Galaxy had Beckham in his twilight years.

2. The Red Bulls will be a contender in the MLS. The Red Bulls last year were kind of embarassingly bad. I don't watch the MLS too often, but I do know that the Bulls are kind of the worst New York franchise other than the Islanders. But, they've showed this season that they do have some value.

And for all of the shit that I kick on Henry, he's got talent. You would expect that he would be able to show that talent in a league like the MLS, where the expectations are basically nil and everyone is looking to have fun.

Now, let's look at what the MLS needs to do to be taken seriously in the footballing world, so that maybe next time we'll hear that like Messi or something has joined the Galaxy:

1. Youth programs. A lot of U.S. clubs, mainly D.C. United, have started youth programs. The first wave of those kids are coming up now, like Altidore and Torres. But the future looks even brighter, and these programs need to just keep expanding and keep getting better.

2. Champions League contender. The MLS needs to become like the Turkish Super Ligue. We need to get one club, like Fenerbache, that's good enough to contend with the great clubs around the world. The Galaxy, I guess Dallas, and maybe now the Red Bulls need to step up and make an impression in the national circuit. That means more talent coming in, more exposure abroad, and more interest from the youth at home.

These are my basic impressions about Henry's move to the Red Bulls.

On Transfers: Top Five biggest transfers and what they mean for the clubs involved

1. David Villa- Valencia to Barcelona



















This is kind of a no-brainer. One of four top scorers at the World Cup this year, Villa has established himself as among some of the premier strikers in the world. His abilities are all based around one thing: goal scoring. Everything about Villa is crafted to score goals. He's got power, effective control of both feet, incredible ingeniuty and strength in the final third, and the guts to take the shot. Villa has averaged around 25 goals a season since he became Valencia's golden boy. But when the club went under financially and failed to achieve any kind of success again in the Spanish Primera Division, Barca cashed in and added what could be the hottest player in the world to their roster.

Let's take a look at this move in detail and what it means for Barca.

There are a lot of things about Villa's move that scream success. He'll replace an underwhelming Ibrahimovic, he's yet another Spanish national superstar to add to Barca's already impressive cast, he's got scoring ability, and he's coming from a club that tries very hard to mimick Barca. He's also just been training with a Spanish side that bases most of it's passing game on the Barca strategy.

However, there are some things that worry me about this move. What this move means is that Villa is going to probably start as a central striker with Iniesta out to his left. Villa loves to drift left, so this could cause some uncomfortable rubbing of shoulders of these two superstars. When this formula was in place in the World Cup in the final two games of the tournament for Spain, the offense looked almost idiotic in the final third, and got one goal from a broken play and expert finishing from Iniesta. But luck like that just isn't going to be there in La Liga week in and week out, and they certainly can't rely on goal production like 8 goals in 8 games.

Also, Villa is too goddamn short to play in the middle of the field. I don't care if he has overcome so many odds to be a great striker with his height, he's short. And he really has no aerial game, which is a key for playing in the center. Rooney is about as tall as Villa, but Wayne's got ups and he knows how to time a header, so he's an example of what Villa just doesn't have.

So while everyone is salivating about Villa's move, I'm waiting for some actual evidence that this is actually going to work.

2. David Silva- Valencia to Manchester City
















Valencia's implosion also benefitted Manchester City who will start the new season with the incisive passing, blazing speed, and creative ball skills to David Silva.

The only real concern I have for this move is related to how hesitant Bosque was to play Silva. It seemed as if Silva was out of form, so much so that Bosque made little to no effort to start him.

Other than that, I really don't see how this is just the ultimate win for City. More on them in a moment.

3. Javier Hernandez- Guadalajara to Manchester United



















The first Mexican to ever sign with the Red Devils, Guadalajara's own Javier Hernandez will find himself competing for a starting spot with Park Jin-Sook, Dimitar Berbatov, and Michael Owen. In that little introduction I've outlined my major concern with this move. Can Hernandez establish himself as the replacement for a dwindling Berbatov, and will he be able to win the spot over fan favorite and club stalwart Park?

I think so. When I saw this kid come into the line-up for Mexico, he looked like everyone kept hyping him up to be. He's got a never-ending appetite for the goal, a nose for it, and a natural instinct around the penalty box. This guy could be one of the rising artists of finishing, him and Karim Benzema (if Benzema takes his thumb out of his ass).

I don't think Ferguson will be hesitant to try out his new man, the question is if he can do what he needs to do.

4. Yossi Benayoun- Liverpool to Chelsea


















This has been the Blues' only real move in the offseason this year, but it's a huge one.

This is a crushing blow for Liverpool in my book, because Benayoun was a rare high point in their depressing season.

Benayoun is a little difficult for me to describe because I've only seen him play once, but what I understand about him is that he's got unforgiving pace and a real creative flare on the ball. I think that Chelsea were desperately missing both of those things out wide on the wings this year, so I think that this will be a great opportunity for Benayoun and the Blues.

5. Yaya Toure- Barcelona to Manchester City



























Man City has come out and said many times at the end of the season that they are ready to win the Premiership for the first time this year. So I guess their plan was to buy some people, which should work, you'd think.

But this is the epitomy of the problem with the English Premier League. There is so much pressure to produce produce produce that no one wants to sign some nobody anymore, or raise some great player. There may never be another Ryan Giggs. (Giggs by the way is the classic example of a homegrown English player).

This transfer I think is evidence of that. Toure was a cocky, belligerent ass at Barca and I don't think he'll be any different at Man City. He's going to have a tough time getting a starting spot with Garreth Barry in his spot, and I really don't think his 50 yard speculative shots that never go in are really welcome anywhere.

I kind of just made this number five to crap on Toure a bit.

So these are my picks for the five biggest transfers. Think I missed something? Think Yaya isn't worthless? Let's talk.

On the World Cup 2010: Final thoughts and reactions

So the World Cup has drawn to a close. I don't know about you, but it's pretty depressing for me. Anyway, I want to get right down to the broad strokes of this final and what it means for the upcoming season of club play.

1. Spain's victory. In quite possibly the worst game of the tournament, Spain and Holland continually missed the chance to win the biggest sporting event of either of their country's history. I don't know about you, but I felt like I was watching some chippy Scottish Premier League game where all of the players are drunk off their asses going into the game.

This game produced by far the most yellow cards in the history of the Final, the first ever recorded live action Falcon Kick by Nigel De Jong, two of the worst moments in Arjen Robben's life, an extremely climactic goal from Andres Iniesta off a broken play, and some extremely spine-chilling tears from Spanish captain Iker Casillas.

Let's talk for a minute about Torres. I think that this is the most tragic story of the tournament. Torres went into this World Cup having endured two major knee surgeries, one of the most talked about transfer deals in soccer history, and having had to sit out for the large majority of one of the worst seasons in Liverpool's history. When he arrived on the stage, everyone shit on him non-stop, and he was pulled out of the starting line-up. This was a piss poor decision because Bosque had to change the entire formation so that Villa was a lone striker. Villa is not a lone striker. He scored all five of his goals when Torres was in the game because that meant he could start out on the left, when he's a lone striker, he gets lost amongst the central defenders and his pretty below average aerial game. The decision to pull Torres is the cause of Spain's complete lack of potency in the final. If you noticed, Spain was constantly trying to work the ball through the middle of the defense, which is exactly what Holland wanted and they defended valiantly everytime.

Then when he did finally put him in in the final, Torres tweaked his hamstring again. And that just sucks.

Let's move on now.

2. Thomas Mueller wins the Golden Boot. 20 year old Thomas Mueller won the Golden Boot this year because of a tie break with Forlan, Villa, and Sneijder. He had three assists whereas they all only had one. Mueller with this Boot has become the youngest player since Pele in 1954 to score 5 or more in a World Cup Final, is the youngest player ever to win the Boot, and he's only a few months older than me.

Now, let's talk about Mueller's future. Mueller will return to Bayern Munich next season coming off one of the most impressive displays of the entire tournament. There's a problem though, because the man who currently starts out on the right for Bayern is none other than Arjen Robben, who is probably the second best right winger in the world right now after Lionel Messi. I think Mueller needs to leave Bayern, maybe even stay in the Bundesliga. I would just really hate to see talent like that riding the bench.

3. Diego Forlan wins the Golden Ball. Forlan is my favorite player ever. He's got the field vision, the passing skills to go with it, the shot of a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle, the technique, and the grace. He also never dives, never gets carded, and never bitches to the refs. He just does his job, straight up.

A story about Forlan for those who don't know: He dedicates every goal he scores to his sister who was paralyzed in a car accident when they were kids. He became a professional footballer so that she'd never have to pay a medical bill in her life.

He's the last great, classy player.

4. Disapppointments. I'm just going to go through these quickly. Wayne Rooney touched the ball like six times total. Torres (sadness). Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal I could score and other than that rolled around on the pitch like a bitch. Lionel Messi broke the record for the most shots in a single tournament (30) without a goal. France just screwed everything up. England looked like a bunch of tired old men. Italy.

5. Final thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed this World Cup, I know I did. I'll start covering the transfer craziness and the club season soon. Until next time. Thanks for reading.

On the FINAL: Who will win.

For those who have been under a rock, On Sunday afternoon Holland will play Spain in the 2010 Fifa World Cup Final in South Africa. This marks the first time the final will be played in Africa and the first time that Spain have gotten beyond the quarter final (yes, it's true).

So what we all want to know is, who's going to win? It's an important question. Spain have been waiting 70 years to even have a chance like this, and Holland has been to three finals and never won. The question, who wants it more?

I think I've worked out who's going to win, and I don't think many of you are going to like it. But here goes: Spain 1-0 Holland.

Here's the thing, the Final is characteristically low scoring. And that makes sense. Everyone's nervous out of their damn minds, it's no wonder that chances are so rare. But I think Spain will be able to pull this out for a couple of reasons.

1. Midfield. The war is going to be won and lost in this game in the midfield. You've got Dutch enforcers Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong trying to get the ball up field to Sneijder. On the other side, you've got Sergio Busquets, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, and Pedro passing like demons and trying to snipe Villa on a diagonal run. The key man here is De Jong. He's got to avoid a yellow card while still kicking the crap out of Xavi, which isn't easy.

I'd say Holland's best chance is Sneijder's passing ability from the midfield out to Robben and Kuyt. Their best chance is to get Robben cutting in from the left or Kuyt laying a ball in to Robin Van Persie. But I think Spain's central defense got a pretty stern talking to, as they were playing like maniacs in the game today. I honestly think Puyol is going to die before he lets a ball get by him.

2. Psychological battle. Spain come into this final with absolutely no expectations. They've never been here before. And they could be the favorite, but Holland beat Brazil for God's sake. It's not like I'm calling a 3-0 route here, which will not happen I assure you.

But I think the key here is the mental state of Holland's players. They come into this game knowing the mournful history of their side in the final. They've got aging stars like Robben, Kuyt, Van Brockhorst, and Van Bommel who know that this is probably their last shot. They've got guys like Van Persie who are frustrated out of their minds with their inability to find a scoring chance. They've got one of the largest travelling fan bases in South Africa. I think all of the weight of expectation is on Holland, and I'm not sure they're ready to cope with that.

Not only that, but there has been simmering discord amongst the Dutch side. Like when Van Persie was whining after being taken out and saying that Sneijder should have been taken out, if anyone. Or when Van der Vaart came over and told Robben that he was going to take the corner, and Robben sort of grimaced and walked away. Seconds later, Van der Vaart missed absolutely everyone. I think that if this team gets down early (which they more than likely won't) the tensions may rise considerably.

3. Set pieces. Xavi. That's really all I have to say, but I'll elaborate. As today's game has shown us, as well as this entire tournament has shown us, set pieces are key in these massive games. And I think Spain have the best chance of converting one. Xavi is immaculate, and he never flinches in big game situations. Don't go get a beer when Spain has a corner, that's all I'm saying.

4. Substitutions. Substitutes are going to be key in this game. Particularly for Holland. Eljero Elia, if he comes in, could be capable of unlocking the Spanish defense. Klaas Jan Huntelaar, despite his young age, is a fearless striker and I think may deserve the start over a frankly pathetic Van Persie. Rafael Van der Vaart, as much as I hate him, is very capable at pushing the tempo and catching defenses off guard.

On the other side, Fernando Torres can come in and perhaps redeem himself. Maybe he scores the only goal in the Final as he did in the Euro 2008 victory over Germany. Jesus Navas can come in and do his little whirling durvish thing all over everybody's face. Cesc Fabregas, if he's not too hurt, can come in and just be better than Busquets in every facet of the game.

The question is, which coach will take more chances? Bert Van Marwuyk, the passionate, eloquent fan boy? Or Vicente Del Bosque, the stern, unforgiving Champions League stalwart. Frankly, I think both men are equally ballsy in their selections.

5. Wildcard. Weird shit happens in the World Cup Finals. The Hand of God, Lampard's "Goal that Wasn't" (As I've coined it), and Zidane's infamous headbutt. I think in this final we need to watch out for stuff like that. Maybe Xabi Alonso upper 90s one from half field, as he has been threatening to do all tournament. Maybe Villa scores a goal with his ass off a deflected shot, who knows.

I also think, as the projected scoreline shows, that Villa will hold on my prediction and go on to win the Golden Boot, making him the hottest player in the world just as he enters Barcelona.

These are my keys to Spain's first World Cup win. Want to defend the Oranje? Let's discuss. (Sidenote I'm for Holland).