Bleacher Report - Articles by Clement Andreau

EPL News: Arsenal Not Mature Yet?

Clement Andreau — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:57:36 -0400

Arsenal started the season in a great way, topping the EPL, qualified for the Champions League second round. Everything was fine until a month ago.

Arsenal still plays with its style, but can't manage to win the big games.

Take, for instance, the match against Chelsea a few weeks ago. Both teams produced an exciting game, and they were both set properly on the field, the organization was perfect.

However, Arsenal could not hold all game like that, and let Didier Drogba scored twice to finally lose the game 2-1.

When they beat AC Milan, a lot of people made them the big favorite for the UEFA Champions League title.

But, although we can still talk about the ref call on the penalty, they once again couldn't hold to their lead, and while they manged to come back, still lost and are out of the competition now. They can try to chase the EPL, but I doubt they'll succeed.

The only thing they can hope for now is to beat Man U "for the glory", and if they are lucky enough, to get a chance to still have a chance for the title.

So, why is it that Arsenal, despite being a great team, seems not to be there when they need to?

Well my personal analysis is that most of the players on the team don't have enough experience enough to be present in two big competitions like that.

Their bench is composed of really talented players, but they still lack experience.

Arsene Wegner picked really hot prospects like Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, or Theo Walcott, but the touch of real high-level experience isn't present enough. Only William Gallas can bring that.

But As I am sure Arsene will manage to keep most of his team next season, and maybe buy one or two experienced players, this season should just be the one they learn from the most, before totally blowing up.

Thierry Henry: Back in the EPL?

Clement Andreau — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:19:14 -0400

Thierry Henry had to go in the conference room today, after rumours and speculations about him since last Sunday's game against Villareal.

Everything started when former Arsenal teammate Robert Pires, who plays now for Villareal, declared "I don't feel like Henry feels comfortable in Barcelona...I wanted to meet him after the game, but he went home straight away after the coach took him out in the middle of the game."

Henry claimed today that he was feeling down because he had seen his daughter Tea only five times in eight months. He said he respected Riijkard's decision not to use him where he would like to play, and was ready to work harder to gain more time on the pitch.

We felt a bit of his disappointment when he declared "You cannot compare me with the Henry of Arsenal", meaning I am not as good as before. Well this is understandable as the Gunners were playing for him, and he was the main striker, now in Barcelona he is just one attacking force among others like Eto'o, Messi or Ronaldinho.

So if he wants to see his daughter, who lives with her mom in London, more often, Hen could move back in England, as speculated by a lot of people.

The question is, where?

There is no way he'll back in Arsenal, first because it is not really the club's policy to buy a player they sold, even when Juventus was relegated to Serie B, they didn't take Vieira back. Secondly, players like Fabregas have claimed publicly that they preferred playing without Henry because it gave them more freedom on the field.

Manchester United obviously wouldn't be interested by his profile as they have really a lot of people forward, and most of them are younger than Henry.

Liverpool could be tempted to associate Henry with Torres, especially with rumours sending Kuyt to Munich, but yet Henry would be more likely to play in a London club.

So out of the Big Four, only Chelsea remains, but with Drogba, Anelka, Kalou, Pizzaro and Chevchenko (would could be moving to AC Milan), I can't imagine the Blues signing Henry, also they have the fund to do it.

In London, only one more club could afford to sign Henry; Tottenham. With Berbatov probably leaving at the end of the season, Henry could get a spot in the Spurs attack.

However, it would be a sad ending for Henry's career to end in Tottenham, lets jsut hope he'll see Tea more often and succeed in Barcelona.

After all, it's only his first season at the Camp Nou, and he still has time to prove he is worth of this team, especially in Champions League, which we know he has hunger to win.

(I added my favourite Barcelona's goal by Henry in my media center.)

L.A. Galaxy: David Beckham Was Wrong!

Clement Andreau — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 08:06:51 -0400

The L.A. Galaxy, since Beckham's arrival, have become a kind of soccer "rock band", touring the world to display David's talents, and usually playing low level teams in Asia or Oceania.

The only "interesting" game was David's first with the Galaxy against Chelsea last summer, with a win by the Blues, who didn't even play 10 percent of their best level.

After that, David and the Galaxy didn't even make it to the MLS playoffs. What a shame for them and the £128 million deal they offered him, a contract that included sponsorship contracts, salary, and a share on the club's benefit.

So, they went to play some games in Sydney and New Zealand, and last week they were touring in Asia.

When David was with Manchester United, Asia was a top market for them as the Beckham-mania was at its peak. But last week in China the stadiums were not full, as Chinese people judged the team was not good enough to spend money to see.

They were right.

When he decided to leave Real Madrid, Beckham declared "After considering several options to stay in Madrid or join other major British and European teams, I have decided to join L.A. Galaxy."

And he was so wrong, he had so much to prove. The only title he won with Madrid was last year's championship, during a season when Capello kept Becks out of the team as long as he could.

David Beckham could have just moved to another big European club, and tried to win titles to prove that he was a decisive man, a team leader, a winner.

Instead of that, he decided to move to L.A., probably pushed by Posh, who sadly (for our ears) toured the world as well but not playing for the Galaxy—which maybe could have helped them.

Now Beckham is desperate to get his 100 caps with the English team. But since a cap is also based on performance in club, Maestro Capello—who is not a big Beckham fan anyway—will probably not pick him unless, again, for marketing reasons.

I am sorry to say it, but David, you were wrong.

You'll be remembered as a famous player but as one who, when it came time to show your talent and finish your career in a top spot, chose money over a real challenge.

To remember Beckham was a good soccer player, one day, I added his best goals in my media center.

EPL: Don't Judge Tim Cahill

Clement Andreau — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:17:21 -0500

Controversy was sparked last Sunday after Tim Cahill celebrated his goal against Portsmouth by crossing his wrists, dedicating his goal to incarcerated brother Sean.

Cahill's older brother Sean Cahill (29 years old) was sent to jail in 2004 for assaulting victim Christopher Stapley, leaving him partially blind. Sean then left for Australia, but was finally caught and judged in England last year. He was sentenced to six years in jail.

The crime is a horrible one, and there is no justification. Sean Cahill is guilty and he is paying for it now.

But Tim still loves his brother and just wanted to say, "Hi." He simply misses his brother; the gesture was not a big deal.

However, Detective Constable Will Hope of the Metropolitan Police declared, " As a sport star in the public eye, Tim Cahill's actions are grossly irresponsible."

The midfielder, who plays for Everton, has said that he does "wholeheartedly apologize if any offence was caused." Knowing a bit about Cahill, I don't think that he is bad at heart. He means well and wouldn't hurt anyone—off the field, that is.

Cahill simply decided to express a personal sentiment in a symbolic way. It’s not like he wore a t-shirt saying "Free my brother." He didn't mime the crime.

So please leave him alone. Cahill is a supremely talented player, and not the guy the press should scandalize.

Go Tim, Go Aussies!

I added 2 of my favourite goals by Cahill in my media center.

Arsenal and Manchester United: Chasing the Same Cups

Clement Andreau — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:10:17 -0500

After last night champions Leagues games, we can say two things:

Arsenal is definitely not dead, with a 2-0 win at San Siro against AC Milan.

Manchester is still very competitive but maybe not as strong as we thought they were. Let me explain:

Manchester has been made favorite for the EPL title, due to their last performances in EPL and Cup (and their 4-0 victory against the Gunners), they are also a serious contender for the Champions League Trophy.

However, with their 1-0 win against Lyon last night, I don't think they have confirm their supremacy, and their status of favorite. The Red Devils, who got a first half goal from Cristiano Ronaldo (41 min), never secured the win and could even have gone to extra time with Lyon's Kader Keita hitting the post in the 70 minutes.

Man U has produced some good plays, but their defensive lacks have been shown, especially during the second half. It looks like they could not insure the win by scoring a second goal, and were pressured by the French sides' attack.

They still won, which prove they are very strong, and they can just do what it takes to win, but I don't think their performance was that great. And Lyon is not the best team they'll meet in their races for EPL and CL.

Arsenal, by beating AC Milan at San Siro, became the first English team to ever win in the Italians' ground, which is a really good performance. The quality of their game was just extraordinary, they have proven they were still a serious contender to EPL and CL victory.

They just played their game, and Milan could not do anything, despite Eduardo's injury and recent disappointing performance, the Gunners have shown they could bounce back.

Theo Walcott also proved he could handle important games, and the others like Cesc Fabregas or Adebayor have confirmed Arsenal is not dead and will fight until the end, and that even one of the best defenses in the world could not match their talent.

With Man U confirming they can get results they need, even in a not so good day, and Arsenal coming back at their best level, the race for both titles is gonna be tough.

As for Chelsea, they might take advantage of the Gunners and Red Devil still being in the CL, to come back slowly but surely.

Clement Andreau

Man U and Arsenal Goals in my media center.

EPL News: One Loan, Two Transfer Rumours, and Three Hours at the Police Station

Clement Andreau — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:55:10 -0500

Here are some news on the EPL.

Sinclair loaned to Charlton

After two successful loans, in Plymouth and QPR, Chelsea's young striker Scott Sinclair (18 y.o, seven games in Premier League this season) has been loaned to second division club, Charlton Athletic. This is a good opportunity for him to gain more time on the field, and also a good opportunity for Charlton to get a very talented youngster untill the end of the season, which can only help them. Alan Pardew stated on Charlton's website that "Scott Sinclair could be the boost Charlton need to kickstart their stuttering promotion bid."

Lets hope he will—I know some people on this website are fans of the club.

Cicinho number one priority for Eriksson

AS Roma's very offensive right back Cicinho recently declared he could possibly leave the Giallorossi if he didn't get more playing time. Former Real Madrid player, only made 19 appearance for Roma this season and scored a goal. He was rarely in Spaletti's starting eleven, which is not good if he wants to keep his place in the Brazilian's national team.

This claim felt directly in Sven-Goran Eriksson's ear, he really would like to bring Cicinho to Manchester City, and made of the 27 years old Brazilian his priority for this summer transfer market.

EPL is probably not the best place for a player with Cicinho's profile, will SGE have enough arguments to bring him over, we will see this summer

Inter Milan sees Figo's successor in Hleb

Arsenal offensive midfielder, Byelorussian Alexander Hleb is being seen by the Nerazzurri like the best match to replace olding Luis Figo. Inter would like to recruit Hleb to replace Figo on the right wing of their attack. The club would be ready to offer 18 million euros to Arsenal to let Arsene's eastern discovery join them.

It is true that Hleb (26 y.o, two goals this season) would be a good match for Inter, but we also know that Hleb's game fits to Arsenal way of playing, would it be the same in a different team, in a different championship?

Carragher and the police

Thirty-year-old Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was being questioned by the police after someone filed charges against him for assault.

Apparently, Carragher assaulted a man, in a street not far from his place,around 9am, on his with to Melwood training center. Carragher was released few hours after he came to the police station.

Liverpool has yet to comment on this event, and we don't know what Carragher risks from this.

For your pleasure I added goals from Sinclair, Hleb and Cicinho on my media center.

Jose Mourinho Says No, Kaka Says Yes, Juventus Says sorry

Clement Andreau — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:50:12 -0500

Here are some fresh news on European Football.

Mourinho says no:

According to France Football José Mourinho has rejected an offer from Olympique Lyonnais, to become French champion's coach for the next season. Apparently due to his contract with Chelsea, Mourinho can't get his next job in England, so why refuse Lyon?

Still according to FF, Mourinho was spotted in Barcelona, where he met with FC Barcelona's board. José is supposed to have made a DVD with Barcelona's actual weaknesses and the way he would fix that up. He even came up with a list of players he would like to recruit if he was Barça's coach. The list included Karim Benzema (Lyon), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Dani Alves and Seydou Keita (FC Seville), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Maicon (Inter Milan) and Luka Modric (Dinamo Zagreb).

Well it seems like Riijkard better do good this season, because sneaky José is waiting at the Camp Nous' door. But, Roman Abrahamovic would also like Riijkard to be Chelsea new coach, that would almost be like a coach swap. And for the rumours sending Mourinho in Japan well, José is a competitor and unless a Japanese club moves to Europe I don't think he'll coach a club from Nippon, but who knows with José's craziness anything can happen.

Kaka says yes:

Kaka is probably, with C.Ronaldo, the most wanted player in the world, and AC Milan knows that. This is why to avoid any speculation around the 2007 Golden Boot winner, Milan and Ricardo Kaka (25 y.o., 20 Serie A games, five goals,this season) are now linked until 2013.

Kaka recently declared he would not mind to spend his entire career playing for AC, and it seems like Milan would not mind neither.

Juventus apologises to Arsenal:

After many rumours relating to Juventus' interest in the Gunners' defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamin, Alessio Secco, one of Juve's managers had to calm the hype down, declaring: "It is wrong to say we are interested by Flamini. However, he is a very good player but we never tried to recruit him. Thursday morning our Director J-C Blanc called Arsenal staff to insure them that was just bad rumours. The Gunners appreciated that call, and we will continue to have transparent relations with them"

Well if Juve wants to keep transparent relation with the Gunners it's probably because they are planning on dealing with them soon, and apparently, not for Flamini, so for whom?

The 50 Highest Paid Players in European Football

Clement Andreau — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:35:12 -0500

Futebol Finance, a Portuguese website specialising in football economy, published the list of the highest paid players in Football.

Golden boot Kaka is number one on the list, followed by Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard.

The EPL is the most represented League with 20 players. One surprising thing—some of these players are not from the four big dogs. Michael Owen from Newcastle Utd ranks 14th, Portsmouth's defender Sol Campbell is 15th, and Darren Bent from Tottenham comes in 19th place.

Real Madrid and Barcelona both have six players in the rank, confirming their financial power. Italy is also well represented, Inter and Juventus have three players in the rank, Roma with Totti and Cassano for Sampdoria are also there. French League only has four players, O.M's Cissé being the highest paid player in France.

Without any surprise, David Beckham is the only non-European based player, but he only comes in 44th position. This is because the list doesnt add the sponsorship contracts—it only accounts for the salary clubs give to players per month.

Here is the list:

1. Ricardo Kaka AC Milan—750.000 €

2. Ronaldinho Gaucho FC Barcelone—710.000 €

3. Frank Lampard Chelsea FC—680.000 €

4. John Terry Chelsea FC—680.000 €

5. Fernando Torres Liverpool FC—660.000 €

6. Andriy Shevchenko Chelsea FC—650.000 €

7. Michael Ballack Chelsea FC —650.000 €

8. Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester Utd—640.000 €

9. Thierry Henry FC Barcelone—640.000 €

10. Steven Gerrard Liverpool FC—640.000 €

11. Didier Drogba Chelsea FC—615.000 €

12. Wayne Rooney Manchester Utd—610.000 €

13. Iker Casillas CF Real Madrid—600.000 €

14. Michael Owen Newcastle Utd—560.000 €

15. Sol Campbell Portsmouth—550.000 €

16. Raul Gonzalez CF Real Madrid—535.000 €

17. Ruud Van Nistelrooy CF Real Madrid—535.000 €

18. Rio Ferdinand Manchester Utd—505.000

19. Darren Bent Tottenham Hotspur—495.000

20. Carlos Tevez Manchester Utd—490.000 €

21. Fabio Cannavaro CF Real Madrid—490.000 €

22. Luca Toni Bayern Munich—460.000 €

23. Robinho CF Real Madrid—460.000 €

24. Francesco Totti AS Roma—455.000 €

25. Arjen Robben CF Real Madrid—445.000 €

26. Ryan Giggs Manchester Utd—435.000 €

27. Michael Essien Chelsea FC—420.000 €

28. Adriano Lima Inter Milan—417.000 €

29. Zlatan Ibrahimovic Inter Milan—417.000 €

30. Patrick Vieira Inter Milan—417.000 €

31. Gianluigi Buffon Juventus FC—417.000 €

32. Samuel Eto´o FC Barcelone—417.000 €

33. Charles Puyol FC Barcelone—417.000 €

34. Sergio Aguero Atletico Madrid—417.000 €

35. Oliver Kahn Bayern Munich—412.000 €

36. Edwin Vandersar Manchester Utd—405.000 €

37. Fernando Morientes Valence—405.000 €

38. Alessandro Del Piero Juventus FC—400.000 €

39. Harry Kewell Liverpool FC—400.000 €

40. Djibril Cisse OM—400.000 €

41. Joe Cole Chelsea FC—390.000 €

42. Pedro Pauleta Paris SG—384.000 €

43. Juninho Pernanbucano OL—380.000 €

44. David Beckham LA Galaxy—375.000 €

45. David Trezeguet Juventus—FC 375.000 €

46. Sidney Govou OL—375.000 €

47. Deco FC Barcelona—375.000 €

48. Gianluca Zambrotta FC Barcelona—375.000 €

49. Petr Cech Chelsea FC—360.000 €

50. Antonio Cassano Sampdoria—350.000 €

My favourite trick by Kaka last year against Liverpool in my media center.

EPL: Is Martin Taylor's Suspension Fair?

Clement Andreau — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:42:17 -0500

The Eduardo-Taylor's case might be closed soon. Here is the latest update on how it is going to fold up for the Croatian's aggressor...

We know Eduardo might come back on the field in nine months, if he's lucky, and that is with getting medical support from the best doctors in the world, which we know he will.

Martin Taylor is suspended for the next three games, and I can hear some of you already screaming "it is not fair" or "he is a butcher." For the moment the only people happy with the decision are in Birmingham, with Radhi Jaidi, BCFC's substitute, who will benefit from Taylor's suspension, and gain more time on the field.

Three games! I think it's not much if you have a close look at the challenge. I read on BR that some people say the tackle was not that harsh, or that you could see this kind of tackles every week. Really? I agree to the fact that you can see violent tackles every week, but a tackle with enough power to break a leg is not that common.

It might not look like a big one when you watched it live but, Taylor knew that if he was not gonna touch the ball, his challenge will hurt Eduardo. Sometimes there are defenders who play a very physical game, but the ones who go crazy on their slide tackles are not playing fair anymore.

These are either desperate by their opponent's technical skills or they want players to fear them.

When this happens at a professional level, three games suspension is not enough. Next time a player has an option to roughly tackle someone to the point of breaking their leg why not? The only risk is a three game suspension and a killer reputation, which is good to have when you are back on the field (ask Tacchinardi or Matterazzi).

If you haven't seen the tackle yet, check out my media center.

La Liga: Madrid Shouldn't Celebrate Yet, Barcelona is Coming Back

Clement Andreau — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:34:01 -0500

After 18 straight victories at home stadium Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid lost to suburban neighbors Getafe. The opposing squad were coached by former Real striker, Dane Mikael Laudrup.

And what a loss! While Real reveled in an invalid goal by Robben—refused because of an offside position by Raul—Getafe's Francisco Casquero took the ball all the way to the box. Nigerian striker Ikechukwu Uche then scored and displayed his acrobatic talent with a superb celebration move.

It was an unfortunate goal, but actually the Madrid squad did deserve to lose. They produced a low quality game, very different from their loss against Roma in which Real still managed creative attacking.

Pedja Mijatovic, Real's manager said after the game, "It is very sad to lose like that."

Yes, Pedja, it was an upsetting loss and an upsetting sight. Your players delighted in a goal not realizing it was disallowed, and left only two defenders to protect against Getafe’s attacking side.

Barcelona, after a few deceiving results, is definitely back on track. After winning against the Celtics in Glasgow, the Blaugrana punished Levante 5-1 with Eto'o scoring a hat trick. Messi also scored and Ronaldinho confirmed his comeback with an excellent performance.

This means competition for the title is not dead. Madrid now leads Barcelona by just two points.

Mijatovic told his team "…to remain calm and don't panic." There are still 13 games to play, after all.

But just the fact that Real’s manager was compelled to say this indicates what is going on with the team. A few weeks ago Madrid was nine points ahead of Barcelona. Now that it looks like the Catalans have finally woken up, who knows what they can do?

After losing last year's championship on goal difference, Barça is really hungry. If Ronaldinho returns to his best level of performance (can he?), the Fantastic Four (Henry,Eto'o,Messi, Ronnie) will probably be able to exact a powerful revenge.

To see Uche's goal and Eto'o's hat trick, visit my media center.

Manchester United News: Cristiano Ronaldo Won't Be Pointed At

Clement Andreau — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 07:35:55 -0500

Cristiano Ronaldo decided to press charges to the UEFA court, for being followed by a laser pointer during last Wednesday's Champion's League game against Lyon.

The Portuguese player claims he was pointed at while warming up and during the entire first half. Lyon's staff hasn't reacted yet, but if the UEFA decision goes against them, the Olympique Lyonnais will have to pay the fine.

Ronaldo said the laser was pointed at his eyes, which, on top of bothering him, can damage his sight. I hope that's not the reason why he did not score during the game.

Last sunday, France's "classico" game between Olympique de Marseille and Paris SG also had some issues with some Marseille supporters pointing at Paris players with a green laser.

I thought this technology was kind of old, but apparently French football fans just discovered it.

I know Man. U fans wont be that dumb during the return game. This time, Cristiano's real reason for not scoring should be due to Boumsong and Squilacci's defensive talents, like it was during the second half of Wednesday's game.

(To see the video of Ronaldo pointed by the laser check out my media center.)

Tony Parker: A Real MC?

Clement Andreau — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:11:24 -0500

Last season's finals MVP, Tony Parker just came back from an ankle injury. But the Spurs point guard has another career on the side.

Tony P, his very original MC name, created the surprise hit of last summer in France, when he released an album that topping the French charts—probably thanks to his many teenage fans.

However, Parker has declared that while injured, he focused on resting, and mentioned that he did not have any plans to record another album.

Strange, for a guy who came into the rap game claiming he was a real MC and that he loved rapping as much as playing basketball. When critics questioned his album—which by the way, was a lyrical catastrophe—Tony P emphasized consistency, and that it was just his first album, predicting his flow will get better with time.

Tony P raps in French, although his English is perfect (his dad is American). But with lyrics like "I dunk on your head" we understand why. Imagine fellow MC/Baller, Shaq (who was a terrible rapper as well) hearing something like that, Tony Parker would be subjected to a lot of dissing.

So, Tony, why don't you be honest with us and tell us the reason you released this album was to get more money, and try to get some French street cred?

Turns out, he actually lost his street cred, because real rappers already loved Tony Parker for what he was doing on the court. Now they are just joking about his flow-less rap. And as for the money, well I for one don't think he needed more.

Let's just hope this was a mistake, that Tony Parker will never rap again, and only focus his talent on playing amazing basketball.

And if he wants to rap, well Eva can still listen to him, I heard she is already desperate.

(to see Tony P rapping check out my media center)