Summer Transfer Window Series: 10 Best Bargain Buys

As any football chief executive will undoubtedly tell you, laced among the big money moves and the anonymous acquisitions are the gems, the one in a million transfers. Though often not involving large sums, these buys didn't shake the footballing world when they happened, but would have far wider implications for the club, and the game, as time elapsed.

But, as with the other posts in this series, who makes my top 10? Who should be considered the best bargain buys?

10. Demba Ba - West Ham United to Newcastle United (Free, 2011)
Having made the move from Germany to East London in the January of 2011, Ba made an immediate impact for West Ham, scoring seven goals in 12 games to take the Hammers to the brink of survival. However, it was not enough, and Ba opted to leave for Newcastle. He would find his feet similarly quickly, scoring 16 goals in his first season as Newcastle narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification. After a strong start to the following season piqued the interest of Chelsea, Newcastle made a tasty £7m profit, in addition to their European appearance.

9. Alessandro Del Piero - Padova to Juventus (£2m, 1993)
Arguably the best example of a young signing coming to fruition for his new employers. At the age of 16, Alessandro Del Piero was an up and coming Padova youngster, and despite having only scored one goal in 14 games for his first club, Italian giants Juventus saw something in him. In the summer of 1993, they paid just £2m for the services of a player who would go on to become a club legend.

Over the next 10 years, Del Piero would score 208 goals in 513 appearances for The Old Lady, racking up six Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a Champions League victory. Such was his loyalty, he remained at Juve despite their relegation following the match-fixing scandal in 2006, helping the club reclaim its former glories.

8. Andrea Pirlo - AC Milan to Juventus (Free, 2011)
Juventus have also proven to be rather astute when it comes to signing elder statesmen too. In 2011, it was the general consensus that Andrea Pirlo was past his prime, having been part of the all-conquering team of the late 2000s that included the likes of Kaka, Nesta, Maldini and Shevchenko. However, Juventus, just like Del Piero, saw the potential that Pirlo could provide, and made an inspired free purchase. The midfielder would go on to claim four Serie A titles - double that achieved for AC Milan, in addition to leading Italy to the final of Euro 2012.

7. Frank Lampard - West Ham United to Chelsea (£11m, 2001)
To suggest that £11m is a bargain buy, particularly in 2001 when prices were comparatively low, is perhaps surprising. However, with the benefit of hindsight, I think there are few Chelsea, or indeed football fans that would disagree. Already with considerable experience, having played almost 150 games for the Hammers, scoring 24 goals, Lampard completed his £11m move to Chelsea. And, as they say, the rest is history. 429 matches and 147 goals later, Frank Lampard is the club's all time leading scorer, and second in the Premier League's all time assists table.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo - Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United (£12.24m, 2003)
Similarly to Frank Lampard, £12.24m seemingly makes it difficult to consider how this may become a bargain. However, while Ronaldo may not have the longevity to match Lampard, he certainly made one hell of an impact at Old Trafford. At times mercurial, and at times petulant, the Portuguese magician solidified himself as one of the best players in the world, scoring 84 goals in 196 games for Manchester United. It was therefore unsurprising when Real Madrid came in for the winger, giving United a £68m profit.

5. Joe Hart - Shrewsbury Town to Manchester City (£600,000, 2006)
When Manchester City, perennial Premier League strugglers, bought an unknown young English goalkeeper called Joe Hart in 2006, few could ever have predicted the way it would turn out. Through all of the changes surrounding the Blues in the last six years, one thing has remained constant - their number one. In his 236 games for the club, he has had many memorable moments, whether it's keeping City in games against Borussia Dortmund or Barcelona in the Champions League, or his iconic arms outstretched run around the Etihad to celebrate Sergio Aguero's last minute Premier League winner in 2012.

4. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Molde to Manchester United (£1.5m, 1996)
Bought in 1996, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's more underwhelming signings. Rather unknown and unproven, he was signed as a backup to Andy Cole and Eric Cantona. However, it was here he made his mark, quickly earning the reputation as a 'super-sub'. Though a moniker few footballers want, the Norwegian proved adept at scoring off the bench, scoring 18 in his opening season. He will perhaps be best remembered for his 1999 winning goal in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, but in his 11 years at Old Trafford, he more than made back his £1.5m - scoring 91 goals in 235 games for United.

3. Gareth Bale - Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur (£5m, 2007)
Coming from Southampton's famed youth system, much was expected from what was a flying Welsh left back. Bought by Spurs in 2007, Bale always looked to possess talent, but it was only after a number of years in North London that the Welshman demonstrated his full potential. Having moved position into midfield to help Spurs into the Champions League, Bale terrorised full-backs across Europe, particularly on one night in Milan, where he put on a remarkable display in a 4-3 defeat to Inter. He picked up where he left off the following year, claiming the PFA Player of the Year Award, before a world record move to Real Madrid, earning Spurs £80m profit.

2. Thierry Henry - Juventus to Arsenal (£11m, 1999)
There are very few transfers that radically change the history of a football club, but when they do, you have to consider them a bargain, almost regardless of price. When Thierry Henry arrived at Highbury, Arsenal were a side on the back foot. Having lost the Premier League title to Manchester United, they signed the Frenchman who, disillusioned at Juventus, was designed to play as a central striker. Though £11m seemed steep at the time, Henry has surpassed everyone's expectations. In the following eight years, he led the club to two league titles, including the iconic 'Invincibles' season, three FA Cups and a Champions League final. Despite his short stay, he scored 174 goals in 254 games, making him Arsenal's all-time record goalscorer.

1. Peter Schmeichel - Brondby to Manchester United (£500,000, 1991)
Simply the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era, and to think that he cost just half a million beggars belief. It's not even like Schmeichel was particularly young - he was 27 when Ferguson brought the Dane to Old Trafford. However, Schmeichel proved the bedrock for the successes of the Red Devils through the 1990s, and arguably kept Ferguson in a job in the early years. In 292 games for United, Schmeichel won five league titles, three FA Cups, a league cup and captained United to the Treble in 1999.

So, as we can see, for every misguided and inflated transfer fee that Sir Alex Ferguson paid over his decades in charge of Manchester United, he found a number of gems, which formed the heart of his dominant side in the 1990s and 2000s.

Club legends, as one would expect, are almost impossible to predict on purchase, but is there anyone bought so far that has the potential? Perhaps not the big money transfers of the likes of Raheem Sterling or Memphis Depay, but certainly mid-range signings like Georginio Wijnaldum or Xherdan Shaqiri have promise.

Football's 'Best Ever Side' - Really?

For those of you that live in a cave, or don't have access to a TV or the internet, yesterday was the Champions League final. And following a (rather more closely fought than anticipated) 3-1 win for Barcelona, people have as usual got carried away. Calls for the new European champions to be recognised as football's 'best ever side' have emerged, thanks largely to the incredible number of goals scored by the club's front three this year.

For me, this is frankly ludicrous. I'll go into this in more detail later, but far from the being the best side to play football, they're not even the best side I've seen in my lifetime. In fact, they're not even the best Barcelona side I've seen in my lifetime!

Though much has been made of this current side, my favourite Barcelona side remains the Champions League winners of 2009. Managed by Pep Guardiola, this side had matched the feat of the current Barca team, winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey ahead of the meeting with Manchester United in Rome.

Here, it's worth outlining the opposition that the two sides faced. Though Juventus certainly do have some talented players - Tevez, Pirlo, Buffon and Marchisio to name a few - there are a number that are certainly past their best. This was absolutely not the case for the 2009 side. In Manchester United, they had a side that had run away with the English league (and anyone who's watched a season will tell you how difficult that is - unlike Italy), and contained players in their prime. Defensively, the likes of Evra, Vidic and Ferdinand were all seen as being at the pinnacle of the game, and going forward, the side had an embarrassment of riches, with Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez forming a formidable partnership, not unlike the current Barca trio.

Despite this, Barcelona simply destroyed United, with Xavi and Iniesta toying with them in the midfield before letting Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o take over. Though the final score was only 2-0, it could and perhaps should have been many more, with United unable to penetrate the defence.

Whether that side is my favourite because of the football they played and the fact that a treble was unprecedented for Spanish sides at the time, or simply because they picked apart a Manchester United side that I was thoroughly sick of watching win, I'm not sure. Either way, it cannot be disputed that they were comfortably the best side in the world at that moment - but is that true of the Barcelona side of today?

I'd argue not. I know they say that the best side over 38 games wins the league, so perhaps this Barcelona side is better than Real Madrid. But it is worth noting that only a spectacular collapse from Carlo Ancelotti's men in the mid-season, following an incredible 22-game winning streak, handed Barca the Spanish title. I'd strongly suggest that had the furore around Gareth Bale and his unpopularity with the fans not potentially upset the morale surrounding the squad and the feel-good factor at the club, Real Madrid would be sitting here with three trophies, and we'd be calling for them to be instated as the best team in the world.

I'd also argue that, although they were soundly beaten in the Nou Camp, Bayern Munich have a better squad that the Catalans. They had to complete their two legged tie without the assistance of either Arjen Robben or Franck Ribery, two of the best wingers in the world - imagine if Barca had to go on without both Luis Suarez or Neymar. I can't imagine if the roles had been reversed, we would have seen anything other than a German victory.

So clearly, proclaiming the current side as the best ever to grace the game of football is a tad premature. But to be fair, how many of the current Barcelona side would get into the sides of either 2009 or 2011? Who would I pick as my best Barcelona team of the last six years?

Goalkeeper - Victor Valdes (2011), Right Back - Dani Alves (2011), Centre Back - Carles Puyol (2009), Centre Back - Gerard Pique (2009), Left Back - Jordi Alba (2015), Defensive Midfield - Yaya Toure (2009), Centre Midfield - Xavi (2009), Centre Midfield - Andres Iniesta (2011), Left Wing - Neymar (2015), Centre Forward - Lionel Messi (2011), Right Wing - Luis Suarez (2015)

So with only three players in my best Barcelona team of the best six years, is the current side the best of all time? No. Also, to assume that a Barcelona side of within the previous decade is to totally ignore the incredible club sides put together by Real Madrid in the early 2000's, including the likes of Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham and Roberto Carlos, Arsenal's 'Invincibles' team of 2002/2003 or (annoyingly) Manchester United's treble-winning team in 1999. It also neglects the incredible national teams that have been created - think of Spain's 2010 World Cup winners, or the Brazilian sides in either 2002, with the three Rs of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, or the side recognised as the greatest World Cup team, the Brazilian team of 1970 including Pele, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto and Rivellino.

However, the 122 goals scored by Messi, Neymar and Suarez this season cannot be ignored. They certainly have a claim to be the best strike force of all time, but to create an extension to the rest of the team is unfair. Become the first side ever to retain the Champions League next season, as well as completing another domestic and European treble with the same group of players, and then we'll talk.

Half Time Report: Signings of the Season (Interactive Vote)

Following the first post in my 'Half Time Report' series, where I looked at the key trends we've seen in the Premier League this season, I think it's time to look at transfers, with a trio of posts on the subject. And for the first one, I want to get a bit interactive. With a number of high profile and big money signings, alone with a few hidden gems, it's a good opportunity to get your thoughts on who the best signings so far have been. On the right hand side of this post, you'll find a few opportunities to place your vote for your preferred options, so use it wisely!

However, before I get into any of the nitty-gritty, I think it's important to set out two key categories that I'll be looking at, namely, 'Best Signing' and 'Value for Money'. At the other end of the spectrum, I'll also be taking a look at the most high profile failures in the transfer market, while suggesting some that may just be slow burners that will come good towards the back end of the season.

So let's start with my nominations for 'Signing of the Season'. I get sick and tired of the hypocrisy and lack of consistency when it comes to the notion of settling in to the Premier League. Some people say that leniency should be given to those that initially struggle, while numerous players each year blow the theory out of the water. In my opinion, it's an excuse that managers use to take the pressure off their players, particularly those with the huge price tags over their heads.

With this in mind, the player to have the biggest immediate impact in the six months since arriving is Chelsea's Diego Costa. His 13 Premier League goals puts him second only to Sergio Aguero, and has provided Chelsea with the final cog to propel them back towards the business end of the title chase. However, to suggest that Costa has this award sewn up is wrong. In fact, one of his teammates can certainly lay claim to the title. Though he has considerable experience in the Premier League with Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas has really come into his own at Chelsea. His 13 Premier League assists in 18 games is already a record for a single season, and with another half to go, I wouldn't be surprised to see him top 25 this year. On top of this, Fabregas has also created an incredible 61 chances for his teammates already this year, and he's only looking like building on this in the coming months. As a result, he's certainly up for my 'Signing of the Season' (so far!).

So who else is in contention? Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez has been a revelation, immediately taking a central and pivotal role in the team the like not seen anywhere else before. Not only is he the top goalscorer for the Gunners, he is behind most of the good things in Arsenal's season. Similarly, Gylfi Sigurdsson has performed this role for Swansea. Though he is not the top goalscorer, he is behind the majority of the team's key forward movements, and chips in with a few stunning free kicks of his own. Though he has experience in the Premier League, he is showing the consistency at Swansea that he lacked at Spurs, and is one of the strongest performers so far this year. My nominations end with two strikers - Southampton's Graziano Pelle and West Ham's Diafra Sakho. Though both have gone a little off the boil in recent weeks, they hit the ground running at the beginning of the season, with Sakho breaking a club record to score in each of the Hammers opening seven league games. Such was the impact that Pelle made in his opening stint, he earned himself a shot in the Italian national side, an opportunity he took, scoring the winner in the 1-0 victory over Malta.

To go alongside this, I feel it's also important to include a category for those that may not have had as significant an impact, but deserve recognition thanks to their price tag - the definition of 'Value for Money'. This season, thanks to the dramatic increase in loan agreements and free transfers as a result of the Financial Fair Play regulations, we have a number of high profile contenders.  In terms of loans, there have been three that have caught the eye so far this year. Ryan Bertrand's move from Chelsea to Southampton has coincided with the Saints recording a league joint highest of eight clean sheets. Bertrand has also been a consistent threat going forward, putting himself on the cusp of an England call up. Frank Lampard should also be considered in this category. Following his shock transfer from Chelsea to Manchester City (via New York City), Lampard has belied his age to help the reigning champions through some of the toughest moments in their season, and currently sits second on their scorers list with eight goals, behind only Sergio Aguero. Finally, Alex Song's move from Barcelona to West Ham seemed like an inspired piece of business from Sam Allardyce, and his strength in the midfield has proven pivotal in the Hammers' move up the Premier League table.

In terms of free transfers, two stand out. A torrid start to Sunderland's season defensively saw them ship eight goals at Southampton. The move from Gus Poyet to replace Vito Mannone with free signing from Manchester City Costel Pantilimon has seen the Black Cats become considerably more difficult to beat, keeping five clean sheets in the process. Mame Biram Diouf is another player who has had a significant impact since arriving back in the Premier League at Stoke on a free, scoring the only goal in the Potters' famous win at the Etihad Stadium. He has continued to play a significant role in Stoke's move into the top 10, and as such, deserves his place in this list.

As does a teammate of his - Bojan Krkic. Despite a slow start to life in England, the £5.5m winger signed from Ajax has quickly moved himself into a central role at Stoke, and was a critical figure in Stoke's excellent return of 10 points from 18 in December. He has been worth every penny of the money paid, and having come to terms with Premier League life, seems set to only improve as the months go on. As does Ayoze Perez. The Mexican striker has had an exceptional start on Tyneside, scoring four critical goals in turning Newcastle's from a struggling mid-table side into a team pushing for Europe and relieving the pressure on Alan Pardew.

So, we've now covered the best signings of the season, but who have been less successful? Best place to start is with everyone's favourite firework-loving, inappropriate Tweeter Mario Balotelli. Following a less than successful spell at Manchester City, his move to Liverpool this summer raised more than a few eyebrows. However, for £16m, he looked a fairly good deal - until he started playing. Without a Premier League goal, he has struggled for form. However, to be fair to him, we've not seen him kick off either!

His Liverpool teammate Dejan Lovren has also enjoyed a baptism of fire. Since his £25m move from Southampton, he has gone decidedly off the boil, showing little of the the form that earned him the big money move. Whether it is the price tag on his head, or simply that last season was a one off, I am unsure, but he needs to improve and fast to repay the transfer fee. Two more large transfer fees have, as yet, failed to come off. Having been part of the La Liga-winning team that went so close to the Champions League title, Felipe Luis's £15.8m move to Chelsea was designed to see him displace Cesar Azpilicueta at left back. However, six months in, and the Spaniard has retained his place, limiting the Brazilian to just a handful of Premier League appearances. Similarly, Abel Hernandez's £12m club record move from Palermo to Hull has not returned the goals it promised. Despite being a proven goalscorer in Serie A, Hernandez has struggled for form this term. In my opinion, it's always worse to see a mid-table side spend a huge sum on a player and it not come off, as it often takes a considerable toll on the financial situation on the club - just look at Leeds!

Finally, there's a bit of a curveball I'm going to throw in. Despite only being a loan signing, I have to put Radamel Falcao in the 'Worst Transfers' section. Having come to Manchester United promising goals plenty from his previous history, he has scored just twice - a poor return for a supposed world class striker. To pay a fee on a loan is practically unheard of, but the £6m United paid Monaco is almost more than both Bojan and Ayoze Perez combined, and I know who I'd prefer! With wages of £260,000 a week and a fee of £43.5m expected at the end of the year, the Columbian could end up being considerably more expensive to United, and has done little to justify such a valuation.

So there we have it. The categories and nominees are at the side, so get voting for your favourite!

IPL 2013 Final: Who Chokes Best?

In a two part series on the IPL, I will be looking back at my highlights from this season, as well as providing my Team of the Year. In this post, I cover my personal highlights, and a brief review of the grand finale today in Kolkata.

 

                The Indian Premier League: a competition where it is considered fashionable to wear two baseball caps. Whilst this is only one of my many memories from the 6^th incarnation of the Sub-Saharan Twenty 20 Cricket tournament, it is one that sticks in my memory. The Indian Premier League is perfect for the cricket fan who watches the Test highlights on Channel 5, and doesn’t want to sit through dot ball after dot ball. It is arguably also the same place where you would see Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson all in the same team. Another intriguing few months of top quality cricket came to an end today at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, but before I go into the final itself, I will firstly go through a few more of my personal highlights.

 

                Firstly, this list could not be complete without a big West Indian having his say. Fortunately, in this list we have two. The first to make this list is Royal Challengers Bangalore opening batsman Chris Gayle. His innings against the Pune Warriors was nothing short of spectacular, leaving pundits and commentators to declare that ‘you will never see a better Twenty 20 innings’. Batting through the entire 20 overs, a feat in itself, the big West Indian smacked the ball to all corners, including the longest 6 of the tournament (119 metres), bringing up the fastest 100 in Twenty 20 (and I suspect all forms of) cricket history. Just 33 balls were taken to reach this milestone, putting his strike rate at 333.333, or 3.33 runs a ball to the layman. A simply phenomenal effort. And he didn’t stop there. In his next 33 deliveries, he continued knocking the ball about, reaching an incredible 175 off the 66 balls he faced. 175! Whole teams struggle to make that score from 120 balls, never mind half that! This innings was typical of the big man’s performance, and one that will go down in the annuls of history.

 

                The second West Indian to make my list happens to be another big man. Mumbai Indians’ Kieron Pollard’s performance in the crucial game against the Sunrisers Hydrabad deserves to be in here, as with every ball he faced I found myself getting more and more excited. In a spot of trouble mid-innings, and having lost a few wickets in their chase, Mumbai called on Pollard to get them out of their hole. And how the big man responded! A quick-fire 66 from 27 balls almost single-handedly turned the game on its head, taking the required run rate from 15 to 9.5 a over. Smashing Thisana Pereira for 29 in one over set the tone for the all-rounder, hitting 6 maximums in a sequence of 7 balls. Certainly you will see no better example of a single-handed turnaround in this IPL season. Pollard also has the benefit of being a tremendous fielder. Memorable catches against Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings also propelled Pollard into our attention this spring. A valuable player to have in your side, especially as you get into the later overs.

 

                My third memory is a rather more nostalgic one. Adam Gilchrist, on his final performance for the Kings XI Punjab, was given the final over to bowl. With his team already having won the match against the Mumbai Indians, Gilly, normally a wicket-keeper, was able to bowl his very first over in Twenty 20 cricket. Using what can only be described as ‘weird spin’, I fully expected Harbhajan Singh to smash the Aussie out of the ground multiple times. The last thing I expected was for the off-spinner to mishit the ball out to long-on and lose his wicket! As the Mumbai Indians were something for 9 at the time, the game was obviously ended, and Gilchrist ended with figures of 0.1 overs bowled, 1 for 0 runs, and a 100% strike rate! His celebrations after the wicket was taken were superb, and illustrated the passion and flair that the sport will miss with his retirement.

 

                Despite the loss of Gilchrist, celebrations are not something this competition will be without next year. Four contenders for celebration of the season, with very different dancing styles. Firstly, Dwayne Bravo’s hip-swinging when taking either a wicket or catch caught the eye. Secondly, Darren Sammy’s wicket celebration, putting a dummy in his mouth and ‘rocking the cradle’, signifying the birth of his baby daughter. Unfortunately for Sammy, this came back to bite him, when Brad Hodge hit the winning runs off Sammy’s bowling in the Eliminator, he did the same cradle rocking moves we had become accustomed to from the West Indian. Next, seeing a big man do the Gangnam Style is always funny, and Chris Gayle is no exception. Even funnier, though, is seeing Harbhajan Singh’s take on it. Rebranded the ‘Pangnam Style’, Bhaji’s moves were certainly interesting, and I look forward to seeing more creations from the players next year.

 

                 As for the final, in a match between the top two teams in the regular season table, labelled as ‘Batting vs Bowling’, as Chennai’s batting and Mumbai’s bowling attacks are considered to be the best, round 1 went to the Super Kings. In the Qualifier, they comprehensively outplayed the Mumbai side, winning by a massive 48 runs. This seemed to imply that Batting is more important than bowling in Twenty 20 cricket. However, after overcoming the Rajasthan Royals in the 2^nd Qualifier, Mumbai had the chance to get their own back on the grandest stage of them all. Chennai, on the other hand, would want to avoid defeat in the final for the second year running, having been beaten by Kolkata in last year’s showpiece.

 

                With Mumbai in to bat first, Chennai had the early chance to test the theory of Mumbai as ‘chokers’. And choke they certainly seemed to, with an early batting collapse, leaving them at 16-3. With Karthik and Rayudu at the crease, the inning stabilised for a while. When Karthik went in the 10^th over, Mumbai looked in serious trouble. Kieron Pollard was the next man in, and he kept his head, and kept Mumbai on the path to posting a competitive score. Whilst wickets tumbled around him in the closing overs, he smashed two huge sixes off the last 2 balls to ensure that Mumbai had a reasonable 148 total, leaving Chennai chasing a eminently gettable 149. However, Chennai’s innings got off to the worst possible start, with both the Orange cap-holding, usually dependable, Mike Hussey and Suresh Raina out in the first Malinga over. 2-2. Badrinath fell in the next to Johnson. 3-3. At this point it looked more like Chennai were the chokers. And the wickets kept falling. After a short reposte, Bravo went to Dhawan. 35-4. Jadeja then fell off the bowling of Pollard, playing a ridiculous sweep stroke. 36-5. In came Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the talisman and the glue of this Chennai side, and it was he that started the recovery.

 

                But all too soon, he began to run out of partners. Vijay went next over to Johnson, at 39-6. Albie Morkel, after a brief cameo, was clean bowled by Ojha. All the Mumbai bowlers were getting in on the act. Morris was next to go, caught off Harbhajan. With Chennai languishing at 58-8, surely that was game over. But still there was Dhoni, smashing maximums as though his life depended on it. And try as they might, the Mumbai bowlers simply could not get him out. However, after all of Dhoni’s fighting, Ravi Ashwin was caught playing a foolish shot off Pollard at 99-9. After this, there was no going back. Dhoni again tried valiantly to score runs, but time and balls ran out, leaving Chennai needing 42 off the last over. They ended up losing the match by 23 runs, which given their predicament speaks volumes for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but it handed Mumbai their first IPL victory in 6 attempts.

 

                  A brilliant season, culminating in a final that twisted and turned, producing pure drama, and a shock as the favourites were beaten. As we have seen in other sports, rarely does the favourites tag mean anything at all. Mumbai have shown this once again, and will return to defend their title next year, when hopefully, Sachin Tendulkar will be fit once more. Though viewing figures in the UK may have declined, I will most certainly be tuning in next campaign.

Manchester City: Settling for Second Best

2012/2013 Season Review:

                After the euphoric, Sergio Aguero inspired, end to the previous season, Manchester City had a slow pre-season, with manager Roberto Mancini complaining frequently at the club’s lack of movement in the transfer targets. This allowed primary targets, such as Robin van Persie and Eden Hazard, to slip through their fingers, instead settling for the likes of Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell. Despite this disappointment, City had a positive start, beating Chelsea in the curtain raiser at Villa Park to achieve an early ‘trophy’. The start of the Premier League season was less encouraging, having to come from behind to beat Southampton at home on the opening day, before a less than impressive performance in a draw at Liverpool.

                September saw more tribulations for the Mancunians. The Champions League draw was most unkind to the reigning English champions, pairing them with the champions of Spain (Real Madrid), Germany (Borussia Dortmund) and Holland (Ajax), in a ‘group of death’. In their first game away to Real Madrid, City produced a splendid defensive effort, leading both 1-0 and then 2-1 with 5 minutes to go, only to capitulate and lose 3-2. A first defeat at the Etihad Stadium followed, putting City out of the Capital One Cup at the hands of Aston Villa. This, and the draw against Arsenal in the league, illustrated that City’s perceived invincibility at home had ended.

                City’s early league form promised much, winning games that the previous season they had drawn, such as away at West Brom. Despite this form, they were abject in Europe, with an abysmal defeat in Amsterdam following the fortunate 1-1 draw at home to Borussia Dortmund, where Joe Hart had one of the best goalkeeping performances in recent memory to keep his side in it. City’s second consecutive group stage exit of the Champions League was practically confirmed with the 2-2 home draw against Ajax. City finished the group stages without a win to their name, and with the lowest points total of any British club. Bearing in mind the funds pumped into the club in recent years, this represents a significant failure for the club and, in particular, the manager.

                After the failure in Europe, City’s league form wavered. Two poor results at home severely damaged morale and their position in the title race. An unconvincing 1-1 draw with Everton was closely followed by a dramatic 2-3 defeat by local and title rivals Manchester United, where midfielder Samir Nasri later received death threats after his decision to turn away from the ball, leading to United’s winner. The game was also marred by scenes where a City fan invaded the pitch, attempting to attack Rio Ferdinand, who had already been hit with a missile from the crowd, drawing blood from above his eye. Horrendous scenes at the end of what had been a highly entertaining game.

                City regrouped after the derby defeat, winning 8 of 9 games after that point, including away wins against Arsenal and Stoke in the FA Cup. Two draws dented their title aspirations further, firstly a drab 0-0 draw at QPR, before a Sergio Aguero goal from an impossible angle rescued a point for the Citizens at home to Liverpool. More decisive blows were dealt to City’s title defence with poor performances in away defeats against Southampton and Everton, leaving City to conclude that their most likely chance of silverware lay in the FA Cup. An emphatic 5-0 victory over Barnsley took City to Wembley for the 2^nd time in 3 years, to face Chelsea. A dominant first half performance saw City take a 2-0 lead early in the 2^nd half, when only Costel Pantilimon prevented Demba Ba from levelling the game. City hung on, aided by several controversial decisions by the referee to eliminate the holders and progress to the Final.

                A chance to re-establish some pride was taken at the beginning of April, when City went to United, already 15 points ahead in the title race, and won 2-1, courtesy of an individual Aguero goal. Nevertheless, a second half demolition inflicted by Tottenham, handed United the title in late April, leaving the rest of City’s season resting on the FA Cup Final against Wigan. With rumours rife about the future of Mancini, City were tactically outplayed by Roberto Martinez’s Wigan, who deservedly claimed their first trophy in their 81 year history courtesy of an injury time Ben Watson goal. City’s owners decided that enough was enough, removing Mancini from his post and placing Brian Kidd in temporary charge. A controversial decision, as Mancini had led City to their first trophy in decades, before their first title in 44 years the previous May. A poor final day saw City slump to a 3-2 home defeat against Norwich, ironically the exact opposite scoreline of the dramatic final day of the previous year.

                Overall, an extremely frustrating season for all City fans. Starting the season with the expectation of either defending their title, or challenging very closely, and competing well in Europe, City achieved none of these objectives, being second best in both the league and cup. It cost Roberto Mancini his job, and one wonders how his successor will cope with the increasing expectations of both the board and the fans next year.

 

Player of the Season: Pablo Zabaleta – In a season of lows, Zabaleta has been the one shining light in the City team. The picture of consistency, the Argentinean ensured that City finished the season with the greatest amount of clean sheets of any side in the League, and with the best defensive record.

 

Game of the Season: Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City – In terms of overall performance, this is the only game in which I saw City perform to their potential. Whilst, as a City fan, I am pre-designed to select derby victories, but I can genuinely say that in no game this season was I ever blown away in the same way as the previous campaign.

 

Summer Transfer Targets (What I Think They Need): Not signing good enough players at the beginning of the season is ultimately where the blame lies for this campaign. Matija Nastasic is the only one that has managed to hold down a permanent position this year. Defensively, City look relatively strong, but failing to replace Nigel de Jong has had an impact. Tactically, there have also been issues, with a noticeable lack of a Plan B. A bit of width would be useful to provide this. Similarly, a lack of goals has characterised the campaign, and I expect a big name striker in this summer. In terms of names, Daniele de Rossi, Edinson Cavani, Jesus Navas and Radamel Falcao could be possible targets.

 

Transfer Gossip Links:

In:

Edinson Cavani (Napoli, ST), Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, CAM), Inigo Martinez (Real Sociedad, CM), Ben Davies (Swansea City, LB), Neymar (Santos, ST), Manuel Pellegrini (Malaga, Manager), Jesus Navas (Sevilla, RW), Pepe (Real Madrid, CB)

Out:

Joleon Lescott (Everton, CB), Scott Sinclair (Swansea City, LW), Roberto Mancini (???, Manager), Costel Pantilimon (Fiorentina, GK), Carlos Tevez (Juventus, PSG, AS Monaco, ST)