On Mario Balotelli: His debut goal for Manchester City and why I still hate him. (And other news)

Mario Balotelli (pictured above, being a dick). This young man (now 20) made his debut at Inter Milan, which means he has won a treble. He has continually been praised as one of the top up and coming talents this side of Mesut Ozil. At Inter, Mario gained a reputation for being a complacent, cocky, ill mannered player. Not a lot has changed.

At one point in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona, Inter manager Jose Mourinho didn't think Mario was defending adequately. He yelled at Mario to do better at closing down on the ball. Balotelli stepped off the pitch and refused to play the last minute of the game. So the kid has a bad attitude. And, frankly, I don't think he's particularly great.

This summer when Manchester City began their temptation of the young Ghanaian, Balotelli said that he would accept no less than 180,000 dollars a week and full image rights. Now I'm not sure how much Man City felated that offer, but to offer some perspective, Robinho is currently the highest paid player in the world at 150k a week. Robinho, incidentally, also plays at Moneybags City. At any rate, Balotelli was signed at City for a reported fee of 24 mil, which is relatively high, but not Ronaldo high.

Those are the bad things about Balotelli, here are the good things: He's got a big body that he knows how to use, he's got impeccable balance, has a pretty decent shot, and has skills on the ball as well. This is also a pretty smart signing by City, since Shaun Wright-Phillips isn't getting any younger and is probably no longer a 90 minute player.

Now, as for this late winner that Balotelli scored, I have to say that I'm much more impressed with the play of Emmanuel Adebayor. It's late in the day, and he's still able to get the ball, take it to the byline, and whip in a ball that hits Balotelli in stride. Really, all Mario had to do was be in the right place, fight off the Timisoara defender, and swing his foot. But, a wise man once said a goal is a goal is a goal. One of my rising favorite players, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez of Man U recently scored a goal by bouncing it off his face, so I'm not really one to talk.

But let's really break this goal down. First of all, City had to dip into their bench against FC Timisoara in the first leg of the Europa League. If that's not evidence of how wrecked this team is, I don't know what is. But, maybe Super Mario has found his home amongst the egotistical jackasses at Man City. First among them being Roberto Mancini.

That's all I've got on Mario, on to other news.

1. William Gallas has moved to Tottenham. This is massive news, I think. This means that Sebastien Bassong may never get to play again, because Spurs now have Ledley King, Michael Dawson, and Gallas. This move is also huge because it's stolen a key defensive man away from Arsenal. Arsenal also just lost Samir Nasri for a month to knee surgery.

Furthermore, King's knee will no longer be the most closely watched three major ligaments in London, because they know that even if he goes down, Gallas will be there. Which brings up the next point, I don't think Gallas will start for this team. I think Redknapp still has great confidence in King and Dawson in the middle, and they are actually one of my favorite pairings in the Premier League. Mostly because they're both actually English.

Anyway, I think Gallas is one of the physically strongest players in football, and he's got a firey temper. Because of that, I think Redknapp will want to play him and King together when he can, since King's cool collected approach will offset the raging Frenchman.

2. Liverpool slip by Trabzonspor. Because of how strange the team's name is that played the Reds, we're going to refer to them as "Trabbles." Awesome. Anyway, the only goal in this game was scored by Ryan Babel in injury time of the first half. Which is a big lift for the Reds because Babel is a long time fan favorite and getting him a goal is never a bad thing. Also, it's his last goal for the Reds, as he was linked with a move to Wolfsburg earlier this week.

However, the major story from this game was Joe Cole missing a penalty. Cole took the penalty because Gerrard wasn't there, but I doubt Roy will give him the opportunity again. This is yet another major setback for Cole after his dismal first game ended 45 early because of a red card. However, it was his great pass that put Babel in on goal, so perhaps the Englishman is breaking into his stride. And you have to applaud Cole's comments afterward, which were that he wasn't going to dwell on it. Hopefully Joe's time at Anfield will get better.

New signing Christian Poulsen apparently had a great game, getting a few chances and passing quite well.

That's all I've got for now, stay tuned tomorrow for comments on Bayern Munich's first game against Wolfsburg.

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 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 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 Manchester City: How Peter Crouch's forehead ruined the hopes and dreams of a franchise

Late in the second half of the Manchester City vs. Tottenham game, Peter Crouch bumbled into a cross and headed it into the net of City, 1-0. City was unable to respond, and secured their fifth place spot in the Premier League. Tottenham's three points from the victory secured fourth place for them and a berth into the Champions League next season. But there are two big implications for City losing this game other than not making the Champions League. Let's take a look:

1. Keeping foreign players here. Coming into this season, City were criticized as a team of stars with no real team element. Their front three clearly shows this. Carlos Tevez (pictured above), Robinho, and Emmanuel Adebayour. These guys all came to City with promises of a couple of things: a Premiership within two years, a Champions League berth this season, and a lot of playing time. It seems that those first two are going to be a little out of reach. That has made these guys pretty antsy. Particularly Robinho. The Brazilian on loan came out yesterday pleading to return to Brazil to play for a club like Sao Paulo, so he's probably gone. Manchester United and even Real Madrid have also shown a vested interest in Tevez, and he knows if he goes there he'll get what he wants. But Tevez is a great guy, he scored 23 goals in League play this year and by all accounts is extremely happy at City. But will he be able to resist the temptation? Only time will tell. But as the World Cup gets closer and closer, it seems that a lot of clubs are waiting to see how the Argentinian will perform. Adebayour is talent that will be particularly hard to hold on to. His ball skills are already turning heads, despite an underwhelming goal tally. The loss of these players, particularly Tevez, is a major threat to City's chances next season.

2. Getting new players. City is among Chelsea as one of the first clubs to make an offer to Fernando Torres. They are offering the same amount (perhaps even more) and another laundry list of players for Liverpool to choose from. But Torres probably won't go there. The Spanish phenom wants to go to the Champions League, and Crouch's forehead ruled that out for City. They also made a big offer to Aston Villa attacking midfielder Milner yesterday, but he hasn't made a statement about that yet. One can't help but wonder if Milner would want to leave a club where he is the established star to go to a team with no chemistry and have to prove himself all over again, without even having a crack at the Champions League. Oh how the dominoes fall.

But things aren't all bad for City. They've got some experience under their belt, and this means that they'll only work harder next season. They also made the Europa League with fifth place, which isn't bad at all. At least they have something to take how to their fans, and they'll certainly be one of the strongest clubs in the tournament next year.

So perhaps my title was a little harsh, there maybe hope yet for City.