Open Mike Monday: Team GB's Penalty Woe, American TV Ratings, Wenger's Magic
The cliche applies almost as well in world football as it does in life.
You see, the more things change in football—from players' names and the teams they represent to the newsmakers from around the world—the more they stay the same.
Take this week for instance.
As most footie fans know, English teams find excruciating ways to lose at major tournaments. They can do so in a number of ways, but they always seem to come back to their same old, tried-and-true methods in the end.
This time, the names were changed. But even as Great Britain, there was no avoiding fate.
Meanwhile, the American women keep winning, the latest match-fixing scandal in Italy keeps getting worse and Arsene Wenger keeps proving doubters wrong.
All that and more in this week's edition of Open Mike Monday.
Most Depressingly Familiar Tale
1 of 5The names have changed, along with the places and settings and technically even the nationality.
But in the end, we all should have known better. In the end, the other team won and the Brits went home heartbroken.
Great Britain crashed out of the Olympic tournament Saturday, and everything about the whole sorry episode was depressingly familiar.
Not just for Britons themselves. Everyone who's seen England play football before had seen something just like this sometime in the recent past.
Euro 2004. World Cup 2006. Euro 2012. Saturday could have been any of those, except that this time, it was Great Britain instead of England. And this time the opponent was South Korea.
Not that any of it really mattered.
Once again, there was a goalkeeper error. Once again, the British team was unable to adjust tactically when it counted.
Once again, there was a questionable coaching decision or two (notably leaving out Ryan Giggs from the start). Once again, heartbreak struck in the form of a penalty shootout. Of course.
And—most tellingly—once again, no one was really surprised.
Most Pleasantly Surprising Ratings
2 of 5In significantly less dismal news, the United States women's soccer team produced something of a pleasant surprise last weekend.
It wasn't on the scoreboard. The Americans have been expected to win all their matches, and so far they've delivered in some style.
No, the surprise came in the form of Stateside television ratings.
According to one report, the U.S. women's soccer team drew more viewers at the peak moment of a televised game against Colombia last weekend than the U.S. men's basketball team drew during their game against France (Soccer America).
Scoff if you want. Discount the methodology if you dare, and snicker at the U.S. women at your own peril.
These ladies are breakout stars on their side of the Atlantic, and that's nothing but good news for the beautiful game in America.
Now, back to the gold-medal quest. Only two more games to go, starting with Canada on Monday.
Highest-Profile Scandal Casualty
3 of 5The latest Italian match-fixing scandal has claimed its highest-profile casualty yet.
Juventus manager Antonio Conte is in hot water, though it's not exactly for the reasons you might think.
Conte, who formerly managed Siena in 2010-11, faces charges of neglecting to report an attempt at match-fixing at his former managerial position. While that's not as serious as some of the potential charges he could have faced, consider this.
This week, Conte had a potential plea bargain rejected because Italian football officials felt the proposed punishment would have been too soft (ESPNSoccernet).
That's bad news for fans of Conte, bad news for fans of Juventus and bad news for fans of football being played fairly and without the stain of corruption.
Conte led Juventus to the scudetto in 2011-12—his first season at the helm—and he's generally seen as a rising star in the ranks of European managers. With that in mind, this news is serious, troubling and potentially career-damaging.
Conte sat out Juventus' friendly victory over Malaga on Saturday, but the worst is probably yet to come. Whatever happens, let's hope the punishment is appropriate, fair and reasonable.
And for the sake of Conte, Juventus and Italian football, let's hope this scandal is finished flowering.
Latest Wenger Magic
4 of 5This was supposed to be the latest, direst summer in the recent history of dire Arsenal summers. Instead, it's becoming more intriguing and exciting by the day.
Captain and 30-goal striker Robin van Persie announced in July (RobinVanPersie.com) that he would not sign a new contract with Arsenal. The announcement immediately led to rampant speculation over the Dutchman's future (BBC Sport).
There's still time for RvP to move on the way Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri did last summer, but that time is running out fast. The season starts in less than two weeks, and the transfer window closes in less than four.
So as each day passes, it's more likely that van Persie will remain in the red half of North London. He could still go, but even if he does, the Gunners and manager Arsene Wenger seem to be lining up replacements in impressive fashion.
Following the transfer captures of attackers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, Arsenal now are on the verge of signing Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla from debt-ridden Malaga (The Independent). Reports also indicate that Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin could be next (The Guardian).
Both would be classic Wenger signings, and both would help the club immensely.
Arsenal reportedly chased Cazorla last summer before losing him to big-spending Malaga (Daily Mail). Now that the Spaniards are in financial trouble, though, Wenger appears to have popped up with a shrewd offer and a financially prudent bit of business.
Sahin, meanwhile, is an outcast at Real Madrid, but few who saw him play at Borussia Dortmund would doubt his abilities. Should he sign for Arsenal, it's likely Sahin would join initially on loan with a view to a permanent transfer.
Once again, then, Wenger would be playing the market as deftly as any manager in the game. If so, Arsene does indeed still know—not that he ever actually stopped.
Now the kicker: Does all this mean a title challenge is next?
The Speediest Comeback
5 of 5French full-back Eric Abidal received a liver transplant in April. Obviously, he hasn't played a professional football match since then.
By the end of the calendar year, however, he could be back on the pitch for FC Barcelona.
From the club's official website:
"I have started working out in the gym and it feels good. I’m on the right track and let’s see if I’ll be able to play again before December.
"
That article also reports that Abidal is more concerned about simply returning to football than he is about the actual timetable.
In this case, that's something all fans can probably agree on. After reading the news about Abidal and his liver transplant this past spring, most of us must be wishing Abidal the best and speediest of recoveries.
Get well soon, Eric.
