English UCL Roundup

Liverpool

After an unconvincing win over Ludogrets at Anfield, Liverpool were sluggish again in Switzerland as they fell 1-0 to Basel to further complicate Brendan Rodgers’ current situation.  Basel have now gone unbeaten in the Champions League against English opposition for seven games, adding to their resume of wins over Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. 

With Real Madrid looming in three weeks, Rodgers will be happy to see Daniel Sturridge rejoin the starting XI by then, but collectively the entire team is in a funk.  Even Raheem Sterling, whose form has been encouraging for Liverpool, looked sluggish and was not his usual scintillating self.  

The most concerning issue with Liverpool right now though is their leaky defense.  With Mamadou Sakho relegated to the bench, Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren have to give more for all 90 minutes.  Today, the pairing was solid for most of the day, but lack of communication with Simon Mignolet and a momentary lapse in concentration cost the Reds dearly.  

Chelsea

England desperately could have used the services of John Terry in Brazil.  Terry put in his customary dominant performance at the heart of the Chelsea defense, commanding the defensive third and always being in the right place at the right time.  The star of the show however, was Nemanja Matic.  

Sitting next to the less defensive-minded Cesc Fabregas, Matic was happy to break up play time and time again in the first half, and was gifted a lovely headed goal for his efforts.  Matic is a key cog in the Chelsea midfield, and his value to Jose Mourinho only grows. He will play a key role in Sunday’s London Derby, and will only further prompt Arsene Wenger to rue his inactivity in the market for a defensive midfielder.  

Oscar’s performance was noteworthy too, his well-weighted balls for Andre Schurlle, Eden Hazard, and Diego Costa constantly causing problems for the Lisbon defense.  Times remain free and easy for Chelsea.  

Manchester City

Manchester City followed their competition-opening loss in Munich with a disappointing draw against visitors Roma on Tuesday.  Manchester City’s chances for qualification into the knockout stages took a big hit, and City’s recent dominance in England is no barometer for how this team plays in Europe.  

Gael Clichy was constantly out of his depth tracking the aging Maicon, while Fernandinho and Yaya Toure were stormed in the middle by Pjanic and Keita.  It is becoming too familiar of a theme for City to do so poorly in the European competition, something Manuel Pellegrini’s addition promised 16 months ago.  

The two bright spots for City were their English players Joe Hart and James Milner.  Milner came on for Jesus Navas at halftime, and was effective on both the right and left wings.  Hart, meanwhile, put to rest doubts about his grasp on the #1 jersey, stopping Gervinho from scoring on multiple occasions.  

Arsenal

Danny Welbeck scored a hat trick on Wednesday against Galatasaray, something he failed to do in his entire tenure at Manchester United.  Nonetheless, the Englishman is enjoying life in North London, with six goals from five starts.  

Arsene Wenger will be more pleased with the all-around effectiveness of all his attacking players.  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who got the nod over Alexis in the North London Derby, justified his inclusion in the last two fixtures.  Alexis was his usual self, always up for a chase or a trick.  Mesut Ozil, surrounded by three players with exceptional pace, was gifted the middle of the park and was at the middle of every move in the attacking third.  

Mathieu Flamini’s inclusion made Arsenal fans nervous, but the Frenchman redeemed himself today with a solid performance in front of the back four.  The lone blemish for Flamini was his booking, although one can hardly blame him for lunging in after seeing several of his teammates hacked down, particularly Alexis when Felipe Melo should have been sent off in the first half for an utterly inexcusable two-footed challenge.  

Power Rankings: Palace on the Rise, Liverpool Fall Again

1. Chelsea (1): Another easy win for Chelsea who dispatched of Aston Villa easily at home.  Diego Costa now has eight from six premier league matches, and Jose Mourinho celebrated his 250th match in charge of the club.  Chelsea will look to take advantage of Arsenal’s injury troubles next weekend and replicate the last meeting between the two London clubs.

2. Southampton (2): Since losing at Anfield on opening day, Southampton are undefeated in all competitions (seven matches), riding the high of Ronald Koeman’s brilliant philosophies.  Graziano Pelle’s strike could be the goal of the season already, and Ryan Bertrand looks keen to jump ship from Chelsea permanently.  

3. Manchester City (3): The top three remains unchanged here, given Southampton’s form in September.  City won 4-2 at Hull City, but made it harder on themselves than necessary; Eliaquim Mangala will want to forget this day which saw him conceded a penalty and put one in his own net.  

4. Arsenal (4): Arsenal only stay in the top four of the rankings by virtue of the four teams behind them losing.  Saturday’s North London Derby was a disappointing result for the Gunners, with fans scratching their heads wondering why Alexis started on the bench.  The Chilean has been Arsenal’s best player in the young season, and his introduction changed the game late on.  A full 90 from Arsenal’s big signing could have seen a different outcome.  

5. Crystal Palace (9): Crystal Palace’s rise in the last two weeks has been meteoric; two wins in six days an a recent home victory over talk-of-the-town Leicester will put to rest any doubts about Neil Warnock’s pedigree for now.  Mile Jedinak continues to log impressive shifts in the middle for Palace; there are probably a host of top teams wishing they had a player of his solidarity.  

6. Leicester City (5): Leicester couldn’t continue the blistering pace with which they dispatched of Manchester United last Sunday, and subsequently fell to Crystal Palace 2-0 on the road.  Nigel Pearson is a manager who, however, ‘gets it,’ and they should look to impress more moving forward. 

7. Aston Villa (6): That’s two losses from two for Aston Villa, but this one won’t sting like last weekend’s 3-0 home loss to Arsenal.  Chelsea are in a different class, and it’s important for Paul Lambert and Roy Keane to refocus their efforts toward more winnable fixtures ahead.  

8. Swansea (7): For the second week in a row, Swansea drop a spot in the rankings.  Lukasz Fabianski was a busy man on Saturday, and also for the second weekend in a row Swansea ended the game with 10 men.  This time it was Angel Rangel who received his marching orders, but credit Sunderland for making it very difficult for Swansea to find chances throughout.  

9. Everton (13): Everton stood firm in the season’s first edition of the North London Derby.  Phil Jagielka’s pile-driving effort assured a point for Roberto Martinez, but today’s here for Everton was American Tim Howard.  Howard had a disastrous outing last Sunday, making two unforgivable errors.  On Saturday, Howard was Everton’s best player, making several impressive saves even while falling victim to Steven Gerrard’s brilliant free kick.  

10. Stoke City (12): Another club on the rise for the second week in a row, Stoke City easily dispatched of sputtering Newcastle United.  This could be the last nail in the coffin for Alan Pardew.  

11. Hull City (8): Steve Bruce will applaud his side’s resilience after going down 2-0 so early, but won’t be happy with some of the lazy marking which allowed Sergio Aguero to open the scoring.  Had it not been for Eliaquim Mangala’s day to forget, it could have been much worse for the Tigers.  

12. Manchester United (15): 19 year old Paddy McNair was handed his debut by Louis Van Gaal, more papering over the cracks than a must-see first start.  However, credit the debutant for holding his ground and managing a near-physically impossible clearance down the stretch from a dangerous West Ham cross.  Wayne Rooney’s sending off only adds to the laundry list of questions directed toward the Red Devils’ captain.  

13. Liverpool (11): Liverpool missed an opportunity to springboard into a run of excellent form, as they did last year when they dismantled Everton 4-0 at Anfield.  Brendan Rodgers’ side took 37 or the next 39 available points after that, and a team struggling to find it’s post-Suarez identity won’t look to this one for any encouragement.  

14. Tottenham (14): Tottenham scored against Arsenal, something they didn’t manage once last season, so that has to be a huge positive coming away from this one.  

15. West Brom (17): West Brom dismantled Burnley, thanks to a brace from Saido Berahino.  Berahino’s impressive start to the season continues, and Fabian Delph’s call-up gives the youngster hope of seeing action in Roy Hodgson’s England squad.  

16. West Ham (10): Taking a closer look at this game, West Ham missed an opportunity to snatch a point from Old Trafford.  Enner Valencia blasted wide from a Daley Blind error, United capitalized on a terrible error for their second and game-winning goal, and Wayne Rooney's sending off should have boosted the Hammers coming off their win over Liverpool last weekend.  

17. Sunderland (18): Sunderland are also still searching for their first win of the season.  A draw to Swansea isn’t the worst thing that can happen, but Gus Poyet may see pressure from above if he continues to go winless.  

18. Newcastle (18): If cats have nine lives, Alan Pardew surely has hundreds and is by now running out.  Newcastle lack inventiveness, organization, and fighting spirit.  Only a matter of time now until SackPardew.com can finally be deemed irrelevant, but while it’s not, check it out; lot of interesting facts about the Pardew era on there.  

19. Queens Park Rangers (20): The only thing keeping Queens Park Rangers out of the DFL zone is Burnley’s unworldly poor form.  However, had it not been for Graziano Pelle’s unworldly strike, Harry Redknapp could have walked away with a point from the South.  

20. Burnley (16): Ironically enough, Burnley had three bids for Michael Dawson rejected over the summer.  Dawson scored from Chris Brunt’s corner to only worsen the 4-0 defeated handed to them by West Brom, while Burnely are currently riding a 526 minute streak in which they have not scored a league goal.  

Power Rankings: Chelsea Overtake Stumbling City

Chelsea take the top spot in this weeks power rankings, while Stoke City and Aston Villa made the biggest leaps following their impressive wins at the weekend.  

1. Chelsea (2): Jose Mourinho’s men flexed their muscles at Goodison Park on Saturday, blowing away Everton at the tail end of a 6-3 thriller.  Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have taken this team to the next level, while players already at the club have improved as well.  They’ve been the best team going into the international break, and are 100% deserving of the top spot. 

2. Liverpool (5): Many thought Sunday’s contest with Tottenham would be an even contest, but Liverpool stormed the gates of White Hart Lane to a 3-0 win.  There are always room for improvements, and it will take time for Mario Balotelli to re-acclimate himself with the league.  But, as Brendan Rodgers said this morning, Liverpool is not the Balotelli show, and they showed it.  

3. Manchester City (1): As surprising as the result was for Manchester City, it’s not shocking to see this team go missing for almost an entire game.  This happened several times last season in their road to the championship.  However, Manuel Pellegrini will have to go back to the drawing board in order to get his high-octane offense going once again.  

4. Swansea (6): Gary Monk has enjoyed nine points from nine for Swansea City to start the season.  Going into the international break, Nathan Dyer has given Roy Hodgson something to think about next time around; the winger was a revelation on Saturday, linking up nicely with Wilfried Bony, whose form and power make Michu a forgotten man in Wales.  

5. Southampton (7): For all the work he’s put in in the first three fixtures, there wasn’t a man more deserving of a goal than Graziano Pelle.  The Italian finished off a 3-1 road win at Upton Park which saw Morgan Schneiderlin pick up a brace that will surely ease the pain of being left behind to face the music at Southampton.  James Ward-Prowse is making this team click with his precision long-balls and ability to control the tempo of the game.  

6. Arsenal (4): A flat performance from the gunners saw them drop two points to new boys Leicester City.  The loss of Olivier Giroud is still having an impact on the team, but Danny Welbeck’s arrival should ease pressure off of Alexis Sanchez and the flailing Yaya Sanogo to produce goals from the tip of the attack.  

7. Tottenham (3): Just when we all thought Tottenham were for real, Liverpool came to town and swept them away 3-0 at White Hart Lane.  After two wins to start the year, Mauricio Pochettino has some thinking to do over the international break.  The talent is there for Spurs, but they must figure it out as a unit. 

8. Aston Villa (14): In a matchup of damage control after two respective mid-week losses, Aston Villa were the more resilient side against Hull City.  Andy Weimann continues his excellent start to league play, and Paul Lambert can rest easy during the international break.  Tom Cleverly will improve the side as Carlos Sanchez settles into life in England.  

9. Manchester United (11): I had to move Manchester United up in the rankings despite the disappointing away draw to Burnley because of what they did in the dying days of the transfer window.  Angel Di Maria was the Red Devils’ best player on the pitch Saturday, while Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao should further improve the starting XI.  

10. Stoke City (19): Going into the matchup, finding Jim Morrison alive would be more likely than Stoke City snatching all three points from the Etihad.  Thanks to some excellent organization and defending, especially from Ryan Shawcross, Stoke were able to pull off the deserved shocker against the holders.  

11. Everton (10): Everton were brutally exposed by Chelsea, but it shouldn’t deter Roberto Martinez’ men one bit.  Chelsea put six goals past Tim Howard, but there are plenty of positives to take from a match in which Everton wouldn’t stop clawing back.  The Toffees will look to bounce back in a fortnight when they head to the Hawthornes to take on West Brom.  

12. Crystal Palace (17): Times are looking up once again for Crystal Palace.  New manager Neil Warnock was rewarded a point against Newcastle by new signing Wilfried Zaha, who looks to re-vamp his post-United career. 

13. Burnley (15): Similar to Leicester City, Burnley had a chance to inflict damage on an already hurting club in the confines of their own stadium.  The point against United is a good one, but like their fellow new boys will regret not snatching three shocking points from a doable fixture.  

14. Hull City (12): Hull City endured a poor week, losing mid-week in the Capital One Cup, then falling 2-1 to Aston Villa.  Things could have been much worse for Steve Bruce, who say his Tigers thoroughly outplayed in the first half.  

15. Sunderland (9): Gus Poyet will regret not seeing his team go ahead early on, as they dominated the first portion of the match with QPR.  Overall, a disappointing result against a team who has scored one goal in three matches thus far this season.  

16. Leicester City (18): There are two sides of the coin to take from Sunday’s match with Arsenal.  Leicester City should be somewhat satisfied with a point against the Gunners, but will rue the opportunity to snatch three points against a top four team at home.  

17. West Ham (8): Sam Allardyce will not be happy with the atrocious defending on Southampton’s second goal, which saw the Saints catch the Hammers off guard from a corner.  After a big week two, West Ham are among the biggest fallers in this week’s rankings.  

18. Newcastle United (16): On the bright side, Rolando Aarons has arrived and could be a pleasant surprise for the Magpies this season.  On the not so light side, a late goal conceded cost Alan Pardew two valuable points in an otherwise outstanding contest from a neutral perspective.  

19. Queens Park Rangers (20): The highlight of the game was probably new signing Leroy Fer’s cannon off the crossbar, but other wise a huge step in the right direction for QPR.  Three points will ease pressure on Harry Redknapp, but more work is to be done if they are to stay in the league next season.  

20. West Brom (13): West Brom were thoroughly outplayed by Swansea City on Saturday, and because of it have fallen to the bottom of the rankings.  Swansea are off to a miraculous start, but the usually tough and physical Baggies were overrun by Gary Monk’s men.  

Chelsea Set For Everton Test

Jose Mourinho has had the luxury of facing two premier league newcomers in Chelsea’s first two premier league fixtures.  After a brief scare against Burnley, the Blues have gone on to dominate both games, winning comfortably in the end.

To make matters even better for Mourinho, he saw his team draw by far the easiest group of any English team in the Champions League yesterday.  This weekend Chelsea will face their first real test of the season when they travel to Goodison Park and face Everton.  

The two blue-clad clubs dueled to offsetting 1-0 home wins last season, leaving no doubt that tomorrows fixture will be hotly contested.  Everton have a pair of Chelsea strikers facing fitness battles before the weekend, but anyone who claims Samuel Eto’o isn’t out for revenge to some degree is kidding themselves.  

Eto’o, the ever confident Cameroonian who recently retired from international duty after 56 goals in 118 appearances, will have his former manager's comments about the strikers age in the back of his mind.  However, he has been with the team for less than a week, and his inclusion will likely be limited to a substitute appearance should he be available.  

Regardless of Eto’o’s fitness status, Romelu Lukaku will lead the line for the Toffees.  A year ago, Lukaku declared that he would score more goals in the premier league for Everton than any Chelsea strikers while on loan.  He came through on his promise, netting 15 goals and eventually earning a permanent contract with Everton.  

Lukaku will show the determination to prove himself under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho, who sold the Belgian earlier in the summer.  Ross Barkley is still sidelined with injury, as are Steven Pienaar and Bryan Oviedo.  Roberto Martinez still has plenty of quality players at his disposal however.  

The midfield duo of Gareth Barry and James McCarthy has been excellent in the past year, while fullbacks Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines are a mainstay on either flank.  John Stones could deputize anywhere along the back line should Martinez need a late replacement.  Muhamed Besic has yet to make his first premier league start, so I wouldn't rule out Martinez sending him out there in front of the holding pair of Barry and McCarthy with confidence.  

Chelsea will have their hands full going into a hostile environment, but will have a full squad to choose from.  Diego Costa had a brief injury scare midweek, but has passed a fitness evaluation this afternoon and will likely lead the Chelsea line.  

Mourinho has fielded an attacking lineup in the two previous matches, but could opt for a more defensive starting XI and deploy the tireless Ramires next to Nemanja Matic in the middle.  

This would mean either Oscar or Cesc Fabregas would be sacrificed to the bench, something Mourinho is not afraid to do in big games away from home.  Ramires could also feature on one of the wings, since defending the flanks is never easy against Everton.  Whoever Mourinho selects on either wing must have a tactical understanding and help out against the marauding Coleman and Baines.  

As they did last weekend against Arsenal, Everton will likely come out aggressively.  However, Mourinho will not allow his team to go down 2-0 as Arsene Wenger did.  He has to be wary of how dangerous Everton can be when the run of play favors them and at times will be forced to play behind the ball.  

For Everton, it is imperative that lessons be learned from last weekend’s result against the Gunners.  For 75 minutes, Everton defended excellently and took their chances extremely well.  They took advantage of a sluggish Mertesacker and a weak defensive midfield, but must know the team they face tomorrow will be tougher and more organized.  

If Everton grab the lead, they mustn’t so deep in the dying moments as they did against Arsenal and allow Chelsea to mount a comeback.  Chelsea will probably play relatively simple and compact for the first portion of the game and Jose Mourinho will adjust as he always does.  

If Mourinho can sustain a defensive presence and assess how to improve the squad he has on the pitch at halftime, Chelsea could sneak away with a win.  However, the big game mentality that Roberto Martinez instills in his players will reign supreme over Mourinho’s methods.  I’m predicting Everton to snatch their first win of the season in what is sure to be a heavyweight duel, 1-0.  

Chelsea Lucky, Familiar Foes for Arsenal, City

Arsenal

A familiar foe for Arsenal in recent history, Borussia Dortmund join the Gunners in Group D.  Group mates in three of the past four seasons, Arsenal and Dortmund won their respective away games against each other last year.  Even with the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich, Dortmund are still an extremely dangerous team in this competition.  

However, the bottom half of the group is much easier for Arsenal than the likes of Napoli and Marseille were last season.  Anderlecht, having won the Belgian championship three years running, will likely be the whipping boys of the group; they have only progressed past the group stage twice in their history.  Galatasaray, under new manager Cesare Prandelli, will look to play spoiler here, but it’s difficult to imagine them upsetting either Arsenal or Dortmund.  

Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers will be happy with Liverpool’s favorable draw in Group B.  Sure, they’ll have Ronaldo and the boys to deal with twice against Real Madrid, but advancing past the likes of Basel and Ludogorets should be a formality.  Expect Liverpool to finish second in this group, with an outside chance of ruining Los Blancos’ expected finish atop the group.  

Bulgarian side Ludogorets will be happy taking any points from this group, but Basel have adequately played the spoiler role in the Champions League in recent years.  However, I see Brendan Rodgers having a lot of success in European competition in years to come.  Rodgers is such an excellent tactician, partnered with his shrewd business in the summer.  Many of the players he has signed have Champions League or Europa League experience and are comfortable in the European game.  

Manchester City 

The Citizens finally progressed past the group stages in last years competition, but were disposed of rather easily by Barcelona.  This year, the draw isn’t much easier, but Manuel Pellegrini will expect his team to go through and perhaps even challenge Bayern for the top spot in the group (assuming his math is correct this time ‘round).

CSKA Moscow and Roma round out the bottom half of the group, both of which are respectable Champions League opponents.  Traveling to Moscow is never easy, while Rudi Garcia continues to build an impressive foundation at Roma.  Pellegrini has added more depth to his team in the summer, showing he is ambitious to make some noise in the Champions League this season.  However, this is probably the hardest group in the entire competition, so don't count on chalk here.    

Chelsea

By far the easiest draw of any premier league side, Chelsea should have no problem not only advancing but winning this group easily.  Jose Mourinho has depth at every position, and could feasibly change all 11 starters from a premier league game and be fine against these teams.  

Sporting Lisbon look a dangerous side with Nani in the fold, but last year was truly a revelation in the Portuguese league and I don’t expect them to hit the same form again this season, especially if William Carvalho leaves before Monday.  Maribor impressively eliminated Celtic, but will be the bottom-feeders in this group.  Schalke have a good record in European competition, but with the emergence of Bayer Leverkusen will be happy to just be back in the Champions League next year and likely focus on the Bundesliga.  

Week Two Preview: Chelsea v Leicester City

If Chelsea’s opening fixture against Burnley was David vs Goliath, one would argue the Blues’ hope opener against Leicester City could be construed as the United States vs Grenada.  The Blues were impressive in disposing of top flight new boys Burnley on Monday, and look to wow the fans at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.  

Cesc Fabregas turned in an immaculate performance in his competitive debut for the East London club, delivering a man-of-the-match performance which included a sublime flick to Andre Schurrle for the Blues’ second tally.  Diego Costa also impressed, opening his account for Chelsea to level at 1-1.  Even so, Chelsea showed some vulnerability, but don’t expect them to do so again this weekend.  

After going down 1-0 on Monday, Chelsea kicked it into top gear.  This weekend look for Chelsea to attack from the opening kickoff, feeding off of the Stamford Bridge crowd.  Leicester were impressive in their home draw against Everton, Riyed Mahrez putting in a terrific performance.  Mahrez showed he belongs in the top flight, and that should be encouraging for Leicester.  

However, Chelsea will be near impossible to compete with at home, at least for a club like Leicester.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Chelsea went unbeaten at home this season, given Jose Mourinho’s pristine record at the Bridge and the arrival of new signings Fabregas and Costa.  

Felipe Luis earned a place on the bench in the opening fixture, but could feature this weekend at left back with Cesar Azpilicueta moving over to right back in place of Branislav Ivanovic.  I would speculate that this would be the long-term solution to Chelsea’s deep set of fullbacks.  Luis has a great deal of pace compared to the aging Ivanovic.    

The combination of Oscar, Nemanja Matic, and Fabregas in the midfield is a lethal one.  Matic is happy to sit deep and dictate the middle third, with Oscar and Fabregas searching out creative opportunities up the field.  Eden Hazard turned in an exceptional performance against Burnley, as did Andre Schurrle who was on the end of Fabregas’ wonder-through ball.  

Diego Costa completes this Chelsea team.  Costa showed promise that he could replicate his La Liga form in the premier league, while his skill set could have easily made the difference in Chelsea’s title challenge last season.  He doesn’t look it, but Costa is still at a tender enough age that he could yet show his best.  

Under Jose Mourinho, Costa will be managed well, not that he wasn’t under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.  With a top striker, Chelsea look set to reek havoc both in Europe and in England.  Mourinho has the depth at every position to challenge on multiple fronts, and expect them to take care of business fairly easily this weekend.  They have yet to be tested against a contending team, but the Blues look to be in excellent form early on.  I see Chelsea coming away with a 3-0 win on Saturday.  

No Place for Diving in England

Being a football fan in the United States, it’s not uncommon for me to hear criticisms of the sport in general.  First off, ‘it’s not football, it’s soccer’.  Well, no.  Actually it’s not, because the whole world refers to ‘soccer’ as ‘football’ so that’s that.  Other than the most basic of complaints about what people refer to the sport as, diving takes the drivers seat in the most-complained about aspects of the sport.  

In the World Cup, Arjen Robben assured the world that diving is still an unfortunate yet massive of the sport, as did Fred, Neymar, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.  Ironically enough, Neymar actually sustained a real injury when Juan Zuniga of Colombia kneed him in the back, effectively ending the Brazilian talisman’s World Cup.  

After all the times I saw Neymar rolling around on the ground as if Popeye himself had walloped him in the face with a shovel, I wrote off the Zuniga challenge as another instance of his antics.  However, I was wrong, and found myself wondering if Neymar’s parents ever told him the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  

Not that I would ever wish injury on an athlete, but this is one of the more poetically just things to have happened in Brazil.  Diving is an action that should have no place in football.  It is arguably the least enforced form of cheating in sports, and is a cowardly way of trying to deceive the neutral official into making a wrong decision.  

If there is one league in Europe that is actually doing something about diving, it’s the premier league.  It’s a fair dissertation to declare the premier league the fastest and most physical league in Europe.  Often times, players joining the league from other leagues have a hard time adapting to these challenges.  

Diego Costa, who previously plied his trade in Spain, was booked for diving yesterday in Chelsea’s opening visit to Burnley.  Whether or not it was a dive is up for debate, but the fact of the matter is referees do their research and know the players they police on the pitch.    

Michael Oliver may have made the wrong decision (one could also argue that Costa, already well off-balance, left his right leg out in an effort to create the contact himself) but he did the right thing.  Booking Costa on the opening set of fixtures for diving sets a tone for the season and gives teams an idea of how officials are going to judge these calls.  

Widely considered the two most prone divers in England, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale now ply their trade in Spain.  During his tenure in the premier league, Suarez was the constant center of controversy, and was never in the good graces of referees who knew of his exploits.  

Similarly, Gareth Bale was one of the more harshly officiated players in the league, having actually accumulated enough simulation yellow cards to merit a ban in his final term with Spurs.  I’m not taking anything away from these two outstanding footballers, but from a diving point of view it’s a relief to see them gone.  

Here in the States, football takes a back seat to several other sports.  In my humble opinion one of the things holding football back in this country is the reputation for simulation.  Anyone who says there isn’t diving in the States is full of it though; just look at Lebron James’ antics over the years. 

However, the NBA, for one, is doing something about it.  In the last two seasons, the governing body of basketball has begun handing out fines for players who dive, something European football leagues should take into consideration.  The premier league is tough, relentless, and physical, but these are the exact reasons it’s the best league to watch in Europe.  

New Look Chelsea

Chelsea solidified themselves as title favorites with a comfortable 3-1 win on the road against recently promoted Burnley.  After a Scott Arfield screamer to make it 1-0 in favor of the hosts, Chelsea unleashed a fury of attacking moves, wave after wave of blue shirts converging on the Burnley defensive third.  

Burnley were declared huge underdogs going into the fixture, but they showed fight and resolve in the second half, not to mention the impressive opener.  Chelsea were up for the task though, maintaining their shape and defensive work rate until the final whistle.  On both sides of the ball Chelsea looked comfortable.  

In the transfer market, Jose Mourinho constructed the most balanced starting midfield; a group who fits well with each other, but also complement each other very well.  Nemanja Matic is the defensive anchor that all premier league sides could use, allowing Cesc Fabregas to roam and seek out creative chances with the ball.  

Meanwhile, the relationship between Oscar and Eden Hazard appears to only be getting better by the day.  Now with two full seasons together, the two are accustomed to overlapping each other and dropping into other positions in perfect harmony.  Andre Schurrle looked good in a wide role, linking up nicely with Fabregas for the second.  

Diego Costa is what separates this team from last years squad though.  Costa is undoubtedly World Class, despite his poor form at the World Cup.  His presence changed the way Chelsea attack, in that he draws defenders further up the pitch and allows more space for the wealth of creative midfielders to shine.  

To cap it off for the Brazilian…erhmm, Spaniard, he scored in his premier league debut, a far cry from Fernando Torres’ start to life at Stamford Bridge.  Arsenal have done a lot in the transfer market, and so have Liverpool.  However, Chelsea have won the transfer window thus far in addressing their most urgent needs first.