When Arsenal were drawn against Sparta Prague in the Champions League qualifiers, most, if not all Gooners predicted a relatively simple, yet physically testing passage to the group stages of Europe’s elite club competition. At the end of the two legged contest, they were proved right- the Gunners winning 2-0 away from home courtesy of goals from Cesc Fabregas and Aliaksander Hleb, while later beating the Czech side 3-0 at the Emirates stadium after Rosicky netted against his former club and then Fabregas and Da Silva finished them off. During the Champions League draw, Arsenal could have drawn the likes of Lyon and Valencia; however the eventual outcome was Czech side Slavia Prague, Romanian side Steaua Bucharest and Spanish side Sevilla. Here I take a look at how those sides got into the Champions League, as well as what kind of threat they will pose to us.

SK Slavia Praha (Slavia Prague)

Although the Czech side beat Dutch giants Ajax to take their place in the Champions League group stages, they should not pose much of a threat to the youthful Gunners. As the Gunners have already beaten Czech champions Sparta to reach the same stage as the lesser known Slavia Prague taking care of their lesser known counterparts should not prove a problem for the likes of Rosicky, Fabregas and van Persie. For the weak Arsenal side of yesteryear the away match would have been a problem; however the Arsenal side of this season has shown that it is ready to scrape it out with the kickers of the football world and should find them as much as a problem as Sparta were to beat. Slavia got into the group stages of the Champions League by beating Ajax 1-0 in the Amsterdam Arena and then taking them back to the Czech Republic and winning 2-1. While in the past Slavia had players such as Karek Poborsky, Patrik Berger and Pavel Kuka, their most threatening player of the modern side is Vladimir Smicer. Although Smicer has already picked up a Champions League winners medal during his time at Liverpool, even scoring during the remarkable comeback against AC Milan, he is on the wane as a player and the likes of Gilberto should be able to shackle him with ease.

Most notable player: Vladimir Smicer

FC Steaua Bucure?ti

Steaua Bucharest broke into the group stages of the Champions League by beating Belarusian side BATE Borisov 4-2 on aggregate. After a thrilling 2-2 draw in Belarus, Steaua comfortably ran out 2-0 winners at the Stadionul Ghencea (stadium) in Bucharest. Steaua Bucharest are the most successful domestic side in Romania’s football history, having already won twenty-three National Championships, twenty Romanian Cups and the European Cup in 1986. While they will prove a harder task than Slavia, they will not be the hardest team Arsenal will have to face this season and if Arsenal are not careless at the back and keep it tight, they will do well against their Romanian opponents. In history their best player would have to be current head coach Gheorge Hagi- regarded as the best player to ever play for Romania. At the present moment, star players include Nicolae Dica, a promising striker wanted by the likes of Benfica and Aston Villa during the summer transfer window; Mirel Radoi, a strong, powerful defender that can play all across the backline; and Valentin Badea, a technically gifted striker that Steaua coach Becali said would eventually become Romania’s top striker.

Most notable player: Nicolae Dica

Sevilla FC

Sevilla are a side that love to come out and the beautiful game as it should be played. A great side to watch going forward, Sevilla surprised many last year when they competed in an astonishing title race with the Real Madrid and Barcelona- despite spending much, much less than the other two clubs. Having won the UEFA Cup for the past two years in a row, as well as picking up the Copa Del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, Sevilla are blessed with an array of talent. Possessing the likes of Fredric Kanoute and Luis Fabiano up front, Jesus Navas and Renato in midfield as well as the dynamic Dani Alves in defense, they are a side that has quality in all areas of the pitch. Their best player has to be the Brazilian fullback Dani Alves, a player that orchestrates the majority of their attacks from his position at the right side of the defense- his brilliance causing owner del Nido to put a £27m price tag on his head to ward off potential buyers. Sevilla got into the group stages of the Champions League by beating Greek side AEK Athens 6-1 on aggregate, winning the first leg 2-0 at home and then destroying AEK 4-1 during the second leg in Greece. While Sevilla’s abundance of quality all over means they will prove a testing team for the Gunners, Sevilla love to come out and attack- and more often than not Arsenal beat those kinds of sides.

Most notable player: Dani Alves

This Champions League group certainly has the potential to be interesting- to state the obvious we could slip up in any of our games yet we could also win them all. A win at home followed by a draw away to each of the other teams should be enough, although if we want to finish top perhaps we should be looking at taking maximum points from the Slavia and Steaua Bucharest encounters (and take a draw at the very least in Spain). While last season’s Champions League campaign was a bit shambolic, one only hopes we can do as well as we did in 2005/06- and not just reach the final this time, but win it as well.

Posted on September 4th, 2007 | No Comments »
Filed under: Arsenal, Champions League, football, foreign

A foreign player quota; that is a limit on the amount of foreigners you can have in your squad. Discussed by world football’s leaders, many have blasted leading clubs to take into account players born in the country they play in, as those clubs prefer to sign cheaper foreign alternatives. The influx of foreign players in the English Premiership in particular has long been drawn up as a reason why England constantly fails on the international stage.

While just eleven ‘foreigners’ were listed to start in the first week of fixtures at the start of the Premiership in the 1992/93 season, a massive 59% of players that took to the field in last year’s campaign were foreign. Fans of the England international team will suggest that those foreigners are taking up valuable squad places for English youth, but is that the case? If those English youth players are good enough, they will be able to realise their dreams of moving to a top four club- as Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Shaun Wright-Phillips have all done.

That’s not to say a stint at a top four club is the best for young English players because they will often get limited playing time. Often, a spell at a smaller club can benefit those youngsters greatly- the likes of Leighton Baines at Wigan, Micah Richards at Manchester City and Fabrice Muamba at Birmingham can testify to this. Whereas at a top four club the trio would be mostly bench players, they are allowed to flourish in an environment with less pressure and if they have not already, they will get their first England caps in the coming months. Even though the top clubs do not really take gambles on those players from the lower divisions, clubs further down in the Premiership do- as shown when Everton paid what could be an eventual £5m to bring Joleon Lescott to Goodison Park. Impressing greatly, Lescott has been one of the star performers of an Everton side that qualified for the UEFA Cup. Another young English player to do well in the Premiership is Nicky Shorey, bought for a mere £25,000 from Leyton Orient to eventually arrive with Reading into England’s top flight, and even earning himself an call-up to England’s friendly against Brazil a day before his wedding. The last example I bring you is that of once non-league winger Michael Kightly, who could soon be playing in the Premiership. The English player moved to Wolverhampton Wonderers from Conference side Grays Athletic, with Premiership champions Manchester United apparently interested in getting his signature. Once known as ‘the Ryan Giggs of non-league football’, Wolves have put a £2m value on Kightly and with his stock continuing to rise, it is likely he will make the step up sooner rather than later.

How does the influx of foreign players help the England national team, you ask? Foreign players have contributed to developing one of England’s greatest squads of all time, with the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand all capable of getting into any football side in the world. The foreign ‘invasion’ has also meant English players have gained football knowledge and skills they would not have had there been a ban on foreign imports. Joe Cole and Aaron Lennon possess technical prowess matching some of the best continental players in the world, with the former regularly turning in virtuoso performances for Chelsea while the latter hoodwinks defences with his quick feet and ability to play in confined areas.

A quota on the amount of foreign players allowed in the Premiership would not just be detrimental to the league as a spectacle, but it would not help the national team either, with only a larger amount of mediocre players becoming available. Only the cream of the crop rise to the top, and in today’s difficult Premiership it is clear that those best suited to playing for England are doing so. All that is needed for the national team is a half decent manager and some serious, serious penalty practise and they will be up there competing with the best as with the likes of Bentley, Richards and Lennon coming through the wait for England to end their barren run on the national stage draws closer every time a promising youngster manages to break into the Premiership.

Posted on June 29th, 2007 | No Comments »
Filed under: England, foreign, international, youth