Bleacher Report - Articles by Edward Dennehy

Premier League vs. La Liga; Who Will Reign Supreme In Europe?

Edward Dennehy — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:20:03 -0400

Even the harshest critic of English football, would be hard pressed to argue against the dominance displayed by the Premiership teams in recent European competitions.

As the pinnacle of European club football, the Champions League is a suitable means of proving the dominance of English clubs. In the 2008/2009 season, three of the four semifinalists were from England, with Arsenal and Manchester United contesting one semifinal, and Chelsea and Barcelona the other.

Barcelona eventually triumphed against Manchester United in the 2009 final, however this somewhat glossed over the relative failure of the rest of the Spanish sides, and teams from other great footballing nations such as Italy, in the most recent competition.

The starkest decline, it has to be said, has been in the quality of the top Italian sides. Internazionale, Juventus and Roma were all eliminated in the first knockout round of the competition, and perhaps most importantly, they were all knocked out by English teams; Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.

It is clear that English football has seen a very rapid resurgence in the last few years, however, could Barcelona winning the 2009 competition, and Real Madrid seeing such large scale investment with Florentino Perez at the helm, spark a period of Spanish dominance in the European game?

Now seems like a good time to assess how this seasons Champions League is progressing, as we are three games in, and the groups are beginning to take shape. Match day three of the group stages was perhaps one of the most surprising in recent history, with Russian newcomers Rubin Kazan defeating Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou; a result that has certainly shaken European football.

Just as surprising in many respects was AC Milan leaving the Santiago Bernabéu with three points to take them to the top of Group C. The result has led many people to question just how strong Real Madrid’s Champions League credentials are, particularly when they are forced to field a team without their principal Galactico, Cristiano Ronaldo.

English clubs, barring Liverpool, are following a very familiar Champions League path at the moment, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all sitting pretty at the top of their respective groups. Each of these three teams is surely only one victory away from the knockout stages of the competition now, where you would expect at least United and Chelsea to reach the semifinals as a minimum.

The debate between English and Spanish clubs seems to have become clearer this week, with complacent displays from Barcelona and Real Madrid, not to mention an implosion from Athletico Madrid, albeit at the hands of Chelsea. Sevilla were the only side sparing Spanish blushes this week, and the English sides once again appear to be effortlessly cruising towards more European success.

There is no doubting the quality of Barcelona, and the potential of Real Madrid, however, as Rubin Kazan demonstrated this week, even the mightiest of European clubs can be caught off guard. One does, however, get the impression that the English heavyweights Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal, will not display the kind of carelessness seen in Barcelona any time soon.

Leaving Town: Will Arsène Wenger Forsake Arsenal for the Riches of Real Madrid?

Edward Dennehy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:15:29 -0500

Rumors regarding the future of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager have never been far from the headlines in recent years. However, in the last week, Real Madrid presidential hopeful Florentino Pérez has sent the rumor mill into overdrive.

Pérez, the much-maligned former Real Madrid president—best known for his controversial "galactico" approach to transfers—is making a bid to become president once again and is making some pretty bold promises in order to win the election.

The statement that he will "make Wenger both coach and general manager of Real this summer" is certainly an ambitious claim, and one that may prove rather difficult to follow through with.

In a week when Kaka of A.C. Milan turned down the riches of Manchester City, one could almost see a ray of hope, a future where football and money were, for once, not intrinsically linked.

I mention Kaka because it proves that if Real Madrid was to go after Arsène Wenger, it could well take more than a sizeable salary to prize him away from North London.

It is no secret that some of the Wenger magic may have worn off in the last couple of seasons, but the last few seasons can hardly be called failures—depending on how one defines success, that is.

Certain sections of the media have been making lurid suggestions this season that Wenger is under pressure and that it may be time for "Le Boss" to seek new pastures. However, the short-term form of the team must be put to one side when thinking about Wenger's future.

One only needs look at the success since 1996 to see what effect Arsène Wenger has had on Arsenal Football Club. By winning the League and FA Cup double in the 1997-98 and 2001-02 seasons, and completing an unbeaten season in 2003-04, he has clearly revolutionized the club.

Yet I have heard rumblings among Arsenal fans this season that it may be time for Wenger to move on.

There may be some positives to come out of his departure, should he leave. While his passion for nurturing young talent is certainly admirable, and looks set to produce some genuine stars, especially teenage prodigy Jack Wilshere, one could could argue that a club of Arsenal's size should be chasing the signatures of top-class, proven players.

However, Wenger has signed a few big-name players for big prices that didn't necessarily pan out. For instance, Sylvain Wiltord and José Antonio Reyes were both signed for around £15 million, but never quite lived up to their price tags.

Where Arsène Wenger would be missed is in his ability to sign underperforming or unknown players and turn them into world-famous stars. There is nobody better at doing this in the modern game.

So while I'm sure the appeal of Real Madrid will not be lost on Arsène Wenger, I think he will resist the overtures of Florentino Pérez, purely because the two men have very different footballing ideals—and Pérez would be able to handle Wenger's opinions.

If Wenger was to take the manager's job at Real Madrid, he would likely insist on bringing in his own type of player instead of try to attract superstars. I doubt that he will take the job knowing that he will be under pressure to sign the likes of Kaka, Lionel Messi, and Xavi Hernández.

As such, he will probably remains with Arsenal for many years, whether as a manager or in another capacity.

The current situation at Arsenal requires patience, as the youngsters that Arsène Wenger is nurturing will not become world-beaters over night. But before people write off Wenger, they need to remember his past successes and realize that he has the ability to bring trophies to Arsenal once again.

Theo Walcott: Is It Make Or Break Time in the Young Arsenal Player's Career?

Edward Dennehy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:34:06 -0400

It's sometimes easy to forget just how young Theo Walcott is. At only 19 years of age it may seem ridiculous to be considering whether he is going to make it at the top level.

However, the nature of his transfer to Arsenal and the pressure of the media are causing some doubt over his future. It would have been harsh to expect great things from Walcott as soon as he arrived from Southampton for the initial fee of 5 million pounds in 2006, but the truth is that when you buy someone for 5 million (regardless of their age) you will always expect quite a lot.

The controversial selection of Walcott by Sven Goran Erikson in the England squad for the World Cup in 2006, when he was just 17, further catapulted his name into the media.

He didn't make any appearances at the tournament, however the exposure he received for his selection had added a further burden on his development; he had to cope with being touted by the press as England's 'next big thing.'

The hype surrounding Walcott has certainly decreased since the World Cup, but the expectations that were leveled on him will not go away until he has either achieved his full potential, or it becomes apparent that he will fall short.

Wenger obviously signed Walcott with the intention of nurturing him over a number of seasons, but that period of his career is surely over now. That is why this season looks set to either make him big, or break his reputation.

Thus far he has had a fair impact on the first team in his fleeting appearances, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in the 07/08 season. This record would suggest that he can build on it the future and get on the score sheet more often, but some people are already arguing that this is as much as we can ever expect from Walcott.

Considering Walcott made 25 Premiership appearances last season, scoring four goals and two assists, you can understand why people think he is underachieving.

However, the signs are that the 08/09 season could be a big turning point in Walcott's career, after recently being handed the number 14 shirt, the shirt previously worn by a certain Mr. Thierry Henry; it could signal that Wenger is ready to play Walcott in his preferred position as a central striker.

Whilst his exploits on the wing in his first couple of season at Arsenal have been productive, he has always shown the most ability when playing upfront.

Some of his most impressive performances have come for the England Under-21 team, in particular a man of the match performance against Germany where he netted a classy brace to earn England a place in the Under-21 European Championships.

During an interview last season Walcott set himself a target to: 'make 20 to 25 starts and score five goals.' While he achieved his goals target, he was still some way off 25 starts.

The 2008/09 English Premiership Season could well see Walcott realising his ambition of more starts as Arsenal are facing the possible departures of some big-name players.

One player who is thought to be on his way is Togolese International striker Emmanuel Adebayor—his decision to stay or leave could prove vital in the progress of Walcott.

If Adebayor chooses to leave, then Walcott could well be given his wish of playing upfront. What some are branding turmoil at Arsenal could well end up being the making of Walcott.

I'm sure Wenger is aware of this, and may well sell Adebayor and let Walcott come to the fore. It seems likely that Walcott will end up with far more starts next season, which I think will be the catalyst to getting him scoring on a regular basis.

As all Arsenal fans are aware, 'Arsene knows.'

'Big name exodus' at arsenal... but should we really be worried?

Edward Dennehy — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:14:45 -0400

Another summer has arrived and with it has come the customary transfer speculation surrounding the top players at Arsenal. Mathieu Flamini has already departed for AC Milan on a free transfer, and it seems as if Emmanuel Adebayor and Aliaksandr Hleb will soon follow suit in big-money moves to Milan and Barcelona respectively.

So, should we all be worried that this is the beginning of Arsenal becoming a "selling club", and that it is only a matter of time until our place amongst the top four is surrendered to, (God forbid) Tottenham?

You need not look any further than 12 months ago when we were in exactly the same position. The once untouchable golden boy of Arsenal, a certain Thierry Henry (remember him?), was sold to Barcelona and questions soon began to arise from the media as to whether Arsenal would be able to cope without their mercurial talisman. It soon became apparent that the sale of Henry was one of Wenger's most astute moves during his reign as Arsenal manager.

Without Henry, Arsenal were a changed team. There were no longer any superstars in the dressing room. Every player started the 07/08 season wondering who would rise to the challenge of becoming Arsenal's new star. The burden of playing alongside a footballing great had been lifted off the young backs of the Arsenal team, and their stunning start to season was a testament to this.

The whole team was playing for each other, all the players giving everything for the cause and no inflated ego's strutting about the pitch. The display that epitomised this most was against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, where the team came back from a goal down to slaughter Spurs 3-1 in the second half, with stunning efforts from Adebayor and Fabregas.

If we come back to summer 2008 it is now clear that the team spirit of Arsenal in 2007, post-Henry, has been changed (maybe for the worst, we'll have to see) largely because Hleb and Adebayor had such impressive seasons, and are all too aware of this themselves.

Suddenly, Hleb is being courted by Barcelona and after 3 years of life in London, he decides that London is "too noisy" for him and that the positively sleepy village of Barcelona, is far better for his delicate ears. Poor Adebayor is also struggling in London, stating that he would still love to play for Arsenal, and "loves the club", but one small thing, can his wages be quadrupled please?!

The best thing Arsenal can do now is to sell Adebayor and Hleb, which will hopefully "de-ego" the team, and we can start the season with players eager to establish themselves as first team regulars and new fan favourites.

There is no denying what Adebayor did for us in terms of scoring last season, but to quote a well worn cliche, "No player is bigger than the club". So it's time to say goodbye. I look forward to seeing how the likes of Carlos Vela and Theo Walcott will step-up next season, Walcott is obviously well known to the Arsenal fans, but Vela is an exciting and unknown quantity and could well be another star in the making.