Neymar's New Chapter

Neymar's eminent move to Barcelona is undoubtedly the story of the summer. The long drawn out saga of the Brazilian's move to Europe has come to an end despite the fact that Neymar said he would remain with Santos until after the 2014 World Cup.  Now that the move has been confirmed, it is time for Neymar to prove to the world that he can stand on his own on the same stage as the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It is time for him to show the world that Brazil still produces the best players around.

But while fans of the Catalan side can be excited by the prospect of having Neymar in their side, they must also wonder about how he is going to gel with Lionel Messi.  The oft lauded Argentine is without doubt the star of the Barcelona side.  Neymar must learn to coexist with a player of Messi's stature. He is about to join a team of established players who have been playing together for years.  He is traveling on a road taken by other Brazilian stars before him. The difference between them being that those who came before him were the definite stars of the teams they played in. Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Romario were all the main players in the Barcelona teams they played in.

I'm convinced that Neymar is going to be a success for Barcelona. He will add an extra dimension to their play, but he has to learn to deal with the fact that every play is not going to go through him.  He has to deal with the fact that he will not always get the ball.  If Neymar can accept being second fiddle to Messi, then he just might last at Barcelona unlike Ibrahimovic.

Goal.com News

Goal.com News

Pires backs Zidane for Real Madrid role
http://www.goal.com/en/news/article?contentId=4005899

This would be a smart move on Madrid's part to bring Zizou back into the fold. I don't know what happened between him and Mourinho but he would be a good figure to have around.

Wayne Rooney On The Move?

There's been quite a lot of talk about Wayne Rooney and what he is going to do with his future lately.  It seems Mr. Rooney is unsettled at Manchester United, which is absurd.  He is one of the most well paid footballers on the planet.  He plays for the most popular team and one of the most successful teams on the entire planet.  Rooney is acting like a petulant child.  If money is what he is after, he will find plenty of it in places like Paris Saint Germain or Monaco, or even Manchester City.  But what Manchester United has in history and accolade, none of those teams will be able to offer him.  And it does not look like Real Madrid or Barcelona will be lining up anytime soon to get him out of Manchester.  Rooney might feel it is time for him to try his hand in a new league, but he should aim for big clubs, like Milan, or Inter, Roma, Madrid, Barcelona.  These new teams have a lot of money, but it should take much more than the promise of millions to draw a big player like Rooney away from Manchester United.

Post Ferguson

I have to admit Arsenal happens to be one of my favorite soccer teams. There are of course several other teams that I like, including Juventus, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. But at the end of the day Arsenal is where my heart is. And because of this, I find it disheartening that year after year, the people who run the club are perfectly fine with aiming for fourth place. There is nothing wrong with playing in the Champions League every year, but it is quite apparent that there is a real dearth of ambition at Arsenal.

It is difficult to blame Arsene Wenger for Arsenal's woes, but I would like to blame him for signing players who have zero heart.  When you watch Arsenal play, you often wonder if some of these players even care about the club they're playing for or if they're there just to collect a fat paycheck.

As the summer approaches, it is my hope and the hope of all Arsenal fans everywhere that Arsene is given money to improve the team.  And it is my hope that the oft lauded manager become a bit more ruthless and gut the team, removing all non essential players and removing players who just don't have the heart to play for a team like Arsenal.

In the post Ferguson era, there is a real opportunity for another team to usurp Manchester United, and Arsenal needs to take advantage of that.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Since Sir Alex Ferguson has announced his retirement, there has been no shortage of praise for the Manchester United manager.  But it goes without saying that the United manager does not need all the praise he has been receiving   Alex Ferguson has built an incredible reputation for himself.  It is unbelievably clear that Ferguson is the best manager working right now.  He has been among the best for decades now.  What people have to focus on right now is the man who will replace Fergie. Sterling Silver Soccer Ball Charm (Google Affiliate Ad)

Following in the footsteps of a manager as venerable as Ferguson is not going to be easy at all.  A manager will have to be half crazy to go ahead and claim his desire to replace the lauded manager.  A lot of talk has been bandied about David Moyes replacing Ferguson.  It would not be a terrible appointment to be honest.  Moyes has done a great deal with little money.  It would be great to see what Moyes can do with a team like United.  I for one I'm not too sure Moyes will be able to live up to Fergie's reputation, and with the elder-man still hanging around Old Trafford, it would be difficult for any manager to be a success.  Next season is going to be an interesting one without a doubt.