Onion Bag: Liverpool 2-0 Over Arsenal, Oscar Goes Wilde
By Ty Duffy
John Henry spent heavily to build a solid Liverpool squad. Solid, but not spectacular. Dalglish has a squad of solid passers, who can move the ball forward quickly on the ground. What they lack is creativity. Without Suarez they struggle puncturing defenses. The key will be getting prolific production from the $90 million Downing to Carroll combination. Thus far, Downing’s crossing has been erratic and Carroll looks more like the Carroll West Ham did not think was worth two million.
Arsene Wenger has held out for a spectacular squad, but Arsenal may not offer him the budget. Not scoring a goal is worrisome, as is the club’s foul atmosphere. Though, with so many players unavailable due to injury, to suspension or to imminent departure, the club remains inscrutable. It looks as though they’re going to be reliant on speed down the wings. They need a Fabregas who can create in the middle and get into the box. That could be a healthy Jack Wilshere. They need a stern defensive midfielder to cover for others venturing forward. That player must be bought.
Hat Trick Hero: Portugal controlled the final for long stretches, but Oscar’s wild effort won the U-20 World Cup for Brazil. The 19-year-old midfield caught out the keeper with a 40-yard free kick in the first few minutes, slotted in a rebound for a second-half equalizer and lobbed the keeper for a spectacular winner in extra time. Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good.
No Deal: The Spanish players’ strike could stretch to a second round of games, as the two sides still can’t reach a deal over the $72 million in unpaid wages from last season. The present financial model is flawed. If you don’t believe me ask the six Primera Liga clubs presently in bankruptcy. The best solution would be a one-time payout from Real Madrid and Barcelona now, accompanied by a more equitable revenue sharing agreement. The big two will never agree to that, however, as the present system serves them rather well. A strike that goes any longer may result in a shortened season, as the league must finish by May 13 to accommodate Euro 2012.
Hot Start: Jozy Altidore started, played 90 minutes and scored twice for AZ Alkmaar against NEC Nijmegen on Sunday. The first was a pinball header. The second was a tap in. Neither came against opposition that could be called “defending.” However, Jozy’s problems have been mentality and opportunity rather than ability. Sunday’s should help his confidence and his chances to play every week in a first team, two things desperately needed to salvage his career.
Sponsorship Deal: Being the world’s biggest sports club has its perks. Manchester United has reached a four-year $66 million jersey sponsorship deal with the logistics firm DHL, for their warmup jerseys. Not the game jerseys (current deal with Aon for $33 million per), the warmups. Only five EPL clubs have more lucrative deals for their actual jerseys. This should help United with their debt issues, as will a potential $1 billion influx from a public offering.
Pulled Out: The Bahamas have withdrawn from 2014 World Cup qualifying, after it emerged their new 23,000-seat stadium would not be ready in time and playing the qualifiers at a neutral site would have been too expensive.
Extended Ban: UEFA has suspended Arsene Wenger an additional two matches in Europe and fined Arsenal $14,400 for violating the terms of his initial suspension. Wenger, serving a one-match touchline ban, was caught blatantly relaying instructions to the bench through a coach sitting next to him on a cell phone.
[Photo via Getty]