World Cup Group Stage Draw

The World Cup draw is always one of the most looked forward to events of the soccer calendar. It precedes the actual Cup by half a year, but it is a major factor in determining the course of the Cup. This year there was controversy surrounding the "X-Pot," Fifa's odd new addition to the draw. In the end, the US was drawn into the group of death and Spain and the Netherlands will play a rematch of 2010's Final.

Group of Death

The group of death is undoubtedly Group G: Germany, ranked number 2 in the world, and bronze medal winners in 2010; Portugal, ranked number 5 in the world, and carried by Cristiano Ronaldo; USA, under the leadership of Jurgen Klinnsman and with the world's most powerful country at their backs; and Ghana, the team built around Europe based stars Michael Essien, Kevin Prince Boateng and Sully Muntari. This is by no means "overrateed." The quick first glance at the group, looking at the teams on paper, it is clear that the US are out, while Ghana could give Portugal a run for their second place money. However, I believe that the group will be a better contest than that; this is probably due to the fact that I am American, and desperately hope that the red white and blue have a change, which they do. I will preview each group more in depth as the year progresses, but for now, I will say that the Americans and Ghanaians must not be underestimated; Portugal has weaknesses, as it relies heavily on Ronaldo, which it should, and it's defense is weak. This group will only get more interesting as the international breaks in the upcoming months occur.

The Weak Group
Clearly the weakest group of the draw is group E, containing France, Honduras, Ecuador and Switzerland. Now, keep in mind that this is the world cup, and that all the teams involved are quality. However, of all the groups, this is the weakest. France struggled to qualify, Switzerland had the benefit of an easy group containing Iceland, Slovenia and Norway, Ecuador, while starting out very hot in qualification, have won just once in the last 10 games of qualification, and Honduras, while a possible dark horse, are from CONCACAF, which is one of the easier continental qualification pools. This group should not be the most rigorous, but it could bring some drama: might France be eliminated in the first round again? These teams have quality, and it could happen.

Look over the next weeks as I will be previewing each group in depth, including schedules, team strength and coaches. 

Gedion Zelalem: Arsenal and America's Future?

One of the revelations of Arsenal's Asian pre-season tour was Gedion Zelalem; a German of Ethopian descent, who has lived and played in America for several years, played 3 games in the tour, against Vietnam, Nagoya and Indonesia. His play drew the attention of many startled people, pundits and fans alike. And while the season started and attention was drawn away from him, his play hasn't left my mind. With Mesut Ozil now having arrived, most people would think that Zelalem, still 16, would be going to the reserve team, or out on loan; but in fact, the German creators' arrival is probably the best thing that could happen for Gedion.

Most people have been comparing Zelalem to Cesc Fabergas, or even Michael Laudrup; indeed, all three share the common ability to see spaces, to put balls into the spot where their teammate is going, setting up the player for a beautiful goal. But it seems from research that Zelalem isn't as small as the former, measuring up pretty well against the 6 foot 3 Arsene Wenger, and, from the videos on the internet, is more defensive minded than the later. Both Fabergas and Laudrup seem happy to score, and just as happy to set up the goal. Zelalem, in those three games with the first team, showed not that he had an eye for goal, but that rather, he could cut out the oppositions play. He seems just as content to make the first pass in an attack as he is to make the last. You can see this perfectly in the build up to Arsenal's third goal, against Indonesia. Zelalem made just a simple 10 yard pass, straight to his right, but it proved to be the catalyst for the attack, allowing a player to make a run that he couldn't have made a pass to. It looked simple and thoughtless to the naked eye, but proved to be brilliant. Later in that same game, he put a ball through the back line to put the striker through on goal; although the assistant referee would flag for offside, which would be shown to be a poor call, the pass was beautiful, setting up a sure goal. That game alone showed the midfielder's versatility.

As noted above, most pundits have made comparions of Gedion to Fabergas and Laudrup; I think, however, he is more like Andrea Pirlo, the Italian playmaker. Pirlo is what the Italians call a regista, or deep lying playmaker; the midfielder is slated as a defensive midfielder, but really plays more of a creating role, sometimes cutting out plays, and sometimes picking balls up from the defenders and goal keepers; both times he will create attacks from the back forward, either playing a short or long pass to stimulate the more attacking players of the sides. Gedion reminds me of the Italian because of his willingness, at least in the games he has played, to play a defensive role; several times in the games he stopped budding attacks, whether outside his own box or the opponents box, and won the ball back for his side.

Gedion will soon prosper in the side now that Mesut Ozil has arrived; the German fills a slot that Zelalem would have to otherwise had to compete for with players like Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky. He can fit comfortably into one of the two defensive midfielder slots, in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Think of Arsenal's bright future; Zelalem and Wilshere at the back, Ozil, Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain vying for the next three spots, and Olivier Giroud up front. That would be a formidable team, one that would be a consistent title contender.

Tottenham, Andre Villas-Boas and the club's ambitious transfer policy

Gareth Bale has been rumored to be moving on from London ever since he exploded this year. In 2010, the Welshman had his breakout year, scoring 11 goals in 41 appearances for the North London side. He won the PFA Player of the Year award, having two memorable appearances against Inter Milan in the Champions League. He scored a hat trick against the Italian side, on 20 October 2010, making Maicon, then one of the best defenders in the world, look foolish. In the return fixture, he led Spurs to a 3-1 win, setting up two of the team's goals. He drew even more attention this year, winning both the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. His play, both in the Premier League and in the Europa League, were captivating, drawing many comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo. He looks set now to join the Portugese winger at Real Madrid, on a world record fee.

Andre Villas-Boas and the board of Tottenham had to know that, entering this summer; that much was evident by the transfers they made. Villas-Boas, one of Jose Mourinho's protege's, bought players who, although they would not replace Bale on their own, would, when put into the greater team plan, more than adequately replace him. Paulinho, the Brazilian midfielder, was the first to come in, leaving Corinthians.
The Brazilian is drawing comparisons to Frank Lampard, with both players sporting a box to box style of play. If those predictions should come true, then Paulinho will look back on a very successful career; indeed, Lampard is the only midfielder in Premier League history to have scored more than 150 goals, and is also second on the all time assists list in the league. Paulinho has spent time in Lithuania and Poland, as well as Brazil, before moving to England. If he can get settled in London, then the Brazilian should turn out to be a fantastic signing. Next came the direct replacement for Bale, Nacer Chadli. Chadli, a Belgian winger with ancestors from North Africa, has the physique of Bale, and could play very comfortably in Bale's position. However, the Belgian could also fill in up top as a striker, having played up there for Belgium. Chaldi is reported to bring the type of attacking vision that Spurs lost when they sold Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart. With Bale sure to leave, the Londoners need that vision more than ever. Chadli also brings Champions League experience, from his time with FC Twente; in fact, the Belgian scored against Tottenham twice, in 2010, in that very league. The sale of Clint Dempsey to the MLS side Seattle Sounders announced the beginning of August for Spurs; two days later, Roberto Soldado was confirmed to be joining the club from Valencia for 30 million pounds. The Spanish striker has already proved that that was money well spent, scoring both of Tottenham's goals in the league so far. Etienne Capoue came later in the month, looking to continue in the mold of Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker, Sandro and Jake Livermore, as a defensive midfielder. He will look to do better than the above stated did at the club, of course. Then followed Erik Lamela, from AS Roma; the Argentine winger tried to single handedly save River Plate from relegation several seasons ago, but when he failed in that near impossible task, he moved to the Italian club. He has been compared to both Javier Pastore and Cristiano Ronaldo, and could play in either role for the club. This adds yet another attacking talent for the club. Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiriches followed today, in a deal that is reported to reach 50 million euros. Both players are young, and come with experience in European play. Eriksen joins the Premier League from Ajax, a storied club in its own right; he was the youngest player in South Africa several years ago, and was also the Footballer of the Year in Denmark, the country from which he hails, that year. Chiriches played central defender for Steaua Bucuresti last year, and will join a depleted Tottenham back line, featuring only Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen at centre back, and Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker at full back. He will be needed desperately, and rounds out a beautifully executed transfer window.

Villas-Boas, in signing seven players to replace one, followed the pattern set by Billy Beane; why pay a lot for one player, who may not even pan out, when you can spread your investments and get a better chance of success. Tottenham is set up for a successful year, both domestically and internationally. And if Bale's transfer falls through, then Spurs will indeed be a fearsome team, able to contend for the title.

Best Games of the 2012-13 Season: Number One

The best game of the 2013-13 Premier League season is Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United. The October 28th meeting between the two giants turned into one of the most tumultuous games the rivalry has seen in recent years.

Build Up:
Chelsea had led the league for the whole season, up to this point, having not lost a game, getting 22 points out of a possible 24. Roberto Di Matteo's side was coming off a 2-1 loss in the Champions League to Shakhtar Donetsk. The Blues certainly did not want to end their unbeaten streak against the Red Devils, 10 years without a loss at home, tonight; Di Matteo started his best side, with David Luiz and Gary Cahill at the centre backs and Ashley Cole and Bransilav Ivanovic at full backs rounding out the back line. The Three Amigos, Oscar, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard, were placed in the midfield, with Fernando Torres up front. Sir Alex Ferguson was without his longtime captain, Nemanja Vidic, and started Johnny Evans and Rio Ferdinand in the center. He did have, however, the two most potent attackers in the league in his starting lineup, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie. Ashley Young, who had been left out because of injury for the past two months, was a starter, rounding out a strong United starting XI.

The Game:
Manchester United opened the scoring in just the 4th minute, when Wayne Rooney passed the ball ahead to Ashley Young. Young waited outside the box for Rooney to continue on his run down the wing, then lead him with a pass. Rooney dribbled into the box, crossed back towards the middle and found RVP. The Dutchman hit a shot that rocketed onto the crossbar; the ball came back off the bar, hit David Luiz in the back, before he could turn around, and went past Petr Cech into the net; although the goal would be credited as a David Luiz own goal, but the credit should go to Van Persie. He did get his goal several minutes later, when Rio Ferdinand started an attack from the back; Rafael moved the ball on up field to Antonio Valencia, who crossed the ball low. RVP again got hold of the ball, redirecting it past Cech and into the net. United now had a 2-0 lead, just 12 minutes in. Chelsea tried to get back into the game, with David Luiz forcing a great leg save from David De Gea, following his trademark spinning shot; Eden Hazard hit a shot just past the post a few minutes later. When John Obi Mikel found himself with rooms of space in the box, he passed into the middle, forcing Michael Carrick to stick out a leg. The ball hit off the leg, went straight into the post, and out for a corner. Bullet dodged for United. Gary Cahill headed the ball straight into the net, and pulled one back for Chelsea... until it hit De Gea's leg. The Blues kept knocking on the door, Fernando Torres forcing a reaction save from the Spanish goalie. The Spaniard continued to defend his goal from the Londoners, until Juan Mata finally broke through in the 44th minute. Mata curled a beautiful free kick past the mass of players, leaving De Gea flat footed. Chelsea almost drew even just seconds later when Juan Mata's shot was saved by, again, the legs of De Gea. Fernando Torres picked up a deserved yellow card when he came in on a challenge too high, hitting Tom Cleverly in the chest.

The second half saw Chelsea draw even after 15 minutes. Oscar's lob pass into the box went too long, forcing Juan Mata to dribble it back to the edge of the box, on the goal line. His cross back in went to Fernando Torres at the far post, but the two United defenders sandwiching him touched the ball on. Oscar was there again to pick the ball up, lobbing the ball back into the scrum/middle of the box. Ramires rose above the rest to head the ball down, past De Gea's leg, and into the back of the net. The Blues were finally on equal terms, 53 minutes into the game. Just seconds later Eden hazard, the Belgian wizard, forced another great save from De Gea. Then, things took a turn for the poor, for Blues fans at least. In the 63rd minute, when Ashley Young broke away, Branislav Ivanovic inexplicably clipped the English players heals, garnering a straight red form referee Mark Clattenberg. It was well deserved, and was one of those times where Ivanovic is Ivanovic. Then, 5 minutes, later, the controversy of the game really heated up. As Daniel Sturridge was preparing to come on, Fernando Torres broke away, splitting United's two center backs. Johnny Evans, as Torres flew by, slide tackled the striker. He didn't make much contact, but enough for Torres to work with; or so the Spaniard thought. When Mark Clattenberg whistled, it was not to award Chelsea a free kick in dangerous territory, but instead to give the Red Devils a free kick... and to send off Torres for a second yellow card. Now look, I understand that there wasn't much contact, and that the striker is prone to diving, but to send someone off... for diving? Maybe in a radical case... but here? Now the Blues were 2 men down, and hopes of winning looked all but lost. Indeed, Javier Hernandez, the classic late goal scorer, condemned the Blues this day, scoring one of the most controversial goals of the season. RVP had hit a shot, that Petr Cech had done just enough to keep out. The ball tipped off his hand, and began rolling back towards the goal, swirling just enough to hit the post; Hernandez, Cech and two Chelsea defenders rushed back, with the Czech goalie clearing the ball off the line. It went straight to Rafael, who hit a shot/cross/I-don't-really-know-what-I'm-doing towards the goal. Chicharito rushed back, redirecting the ball into the net. Then the protests began; replays showed, conclusively, that he was offside; not only was he behind both Chelsea defenders, he was behind Cech too! However, to his credit, he made it look like he had just jumped onside. However, the Blues were really down now, and the game, and 3 points, were lost for good, robbed some Blues fans would say.

Aftermath:
The Blues really felt poor after the crushing defeat, and their play in the following month reflected it; in November, not only did they not win a single game the whole month, but they also were eliminated from the Champions League, becoming the first champions to be knocked out in the group stage the next year. United, on the other hand, went on to have a great month, winning all but one game. From then on out, Chelsea, who had been leading the league, fell steadily behind the Manchester clubs, and United, who had been trailing all year, took over the lead, never giving it back.

Best Games of the 2012-13 Season: Number Two

The Number two game on this years list is Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United. The Manchester derby always promises to be exciting, and has, in past years, not disappointed; this game, however, was exceptional even by the derby's standards.


Build Up:
United was leading City by 3 points when this game was played, on the 9th of December. Chelsea's poor run of form in November had allowed both teams to jump the Blues in the standings. United's defense had been a problem throughout the season, with Ferguson starting Michael Carrick in defense early on in the year. That day, Sir Alex gave Patrice Evra and Rafael the fullback jobs, with Johnny Evans and Rio Ferdinand in the middle. He also sat Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez for RVP and Wayne Rooney, a justifiable decision. On the other side, Roberto Mancini favored Mario Balotelli over Carlos Tevez; the Italian was joined up front by Sergio Aguero. He also started Matijia Nastasic over Joleen Lescott and Kolo Toure.

The Game:
The first goal of the game came 15 minutes in, when Patrice Evra chipped a ball 15 yards forward, from deep in his own half, to Ashley Young. Young headed the ball straight back another ten yards to RVP, who returned the pass to the Englishman. The winger dribbled for 10 or 15 yards down the wing, before hitting a short pass into the middle to Wayne Rooney. Rooney took the ball across the box, and, when he had reached the middle, with all his momentum going right, hit the ball all the way back across the goal, to the left. Joe Hart was caught completely flat footed, not even being able to dive to stop the ball. Rooney scored again to widen the Reds lead when, in the 28th minute, he got on the end of a low Rafael cross, redirecting it past Joe Hart. Michael Carrick had started the move, making a beautiful 30 yard lob pass to Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian played a through ball straight ahead to the streaking Rafael, who in turn crossed it in. City was down, going into the half, 2 goals, to United, at home.

Things got better though, for in the 60th minute, off several beautiful saves by David De Gea, Yaya Toure one timed a Carlos Tevez pass into the back of the net. It was disappointing for De Gea, who had made so many great saves on the play, only to be beat by a simple shot. City finally pulled even 25 minutes later, when a Tevez corner kick was headed out into the middle of the box, almost outside of it in fact, by RVP, standing 5 yards ahead of the front post. Pablo Zabaleta ran onto the ball, with no Red shirts for about a mile around him. The Argentine half volleyed the shot past De Gea, who was blocked by the large group of played directly in front of him. City and their fans had thought that they now had a point. But not so, said RVP, or perhaps better put, Samir Nasri. RVP had a free kick about 35 yards out of the box, on the right side, near the corner of the box. He curled the kick around the wall and past Joe Hart. The ball would have hit Samir Nasri in the chest, had he not been a panzi. The former Arsenal player tried to duck behind his other two teammates in the wall and just stick out a leg. That leg, in fact, helped the ball get more height, and thus go into the net. So United got the win in the Emirates, in the Manchester darby.

Aftermath:
Rio Ferdinand was hit in the face with a coin while celebrating RVP's winner, and a fan tried to run at the ref, but those ugly scenes do not reflect on the whole game. After all, Joe Hart defended Ferdinand from a City fan when the pitch invader tried to attack the United defender. All in all, it was a fantastic game, worthy of the number two spot. United would go on to win the title, dominating the league from that point on.

Stay tuned for the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the Premier League season. 

Best Games of the 2012-13 Season: Number 3

The 3rd best game of last years season was Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham. This game was crucial to both teams Champions League hopes, with Chelsea needing a win to secure a qualification, and Spurs needing a win or a draw to stay in the race.

Build Up:
Chelsea were coming off a streak of 5 wins from 7 played, including a 1-0 win over Manchester United just days before. As said above, the Blues only needed a win to secure qualification. At this point, with just 3 games left in the season, the race for the spots was really heating up. Tottenham had won two straight games, starting with a 3-1 win over City to keep them in the race. Gareth Bale had been in prime form all season, winning the PFA Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and FWA Player of the Year awards; the only other player to win all three of those awards in the same season was Cristiano Ronaldo, to whom Bale has often been compared.

The Game:
The opening chance of the game came in the 7th minute, when Juan Mata hit a curling half volley just over the bar. The Spainard delivered a fantastic corner that Gary Cahill caught a hold of in the middle of the box; the English defender headed the ball down towards the far post, where Oscar redirected it with his head back into the net. Spurs equalized 15 minutes later, when Emmanuel Adebayor led a counter, taking the ball all the way to the edge of the box, before hitting a high shot over Petr Cech. The shot looked like it would go over the bar the whole way, until just at the end, it dipped under the bar and into the upper corner. It was a fantastic goal, worthy of the sporadic but brilliant goal's Spurs had been scoring in the season. Chelsea pulled in front again 15 minutes later, when Fernando Torres picked the ball up on the right wing, in tight space, and took several touches; he then played a through ball between two Spurs defenders, which Ramires hit, curling and fast, past Hugo Lloris, falling as he did it. So Spurs went into halftime needing a goal or two to stay in the UCL race.

Chelsea continued to look good in the second half, with Cesar Azpilicueta looking to cross to Juan Mata at the back post, but in the end almost scoring; the ball barely soared wide and high as Hugo Lloris stretched for it. Eden Hazard's beautiful touch on to set Mata on a break created another great Blues chance; the Spanish midfielder got to the box, and passed to a wide open, speeding Ramires; it was a clear goal, a game cincher for the Blues, but, just as the ball reached him, the Brazilian slipped, banging his head on the pitch. That missed opportunity proved fatal for the Blues, as, in the 80th minute, Emmanuel Adebayor touched a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross back to Gylfi Sigurdsson, and the Icelander curled the low shot past Cech to equalize. Replays showed the Adebayor was close to being offside, and debate would rage for a day, but the goal stood, and that was that.

Aftermath:
Although some Chelsea fans may have been dismayed at the draw, there was nothing in the end to be worried about. The Blues had an extra game on Arsenal and Tottenham, and in the end finished with ease in a UCL spot. Tottenham, however, stayed close with Arsenal until the last day, when they needed an Arsenal loss; their wishes were not fulfilled, however, and they were denied Champions League play again.

Stay tuned for the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the Premier League season.

Best Games of the 2012-13 Premier League Season: Number 4

The 4th best game of last year's Premier League season was Tottenham 3-1 Manchester City. The game was critical to Spur's staying in the race for the Champions League spots; if they lost, then all of Gareth Bale's hard work, and yes, almost all the work for Tottenham had, up to this point, been done by the Welsh men, would go to naught.

Build Up:
Gaerth Bale returned for his first game since an ankle injury on April 4th, in a Europa League quarterfinal game against the Swedish side FC Basel. Spurs were coming in off poor form, having won only one of their past 7 games, but would now get the boost of having the best player in the Premier League. City, although the title race was effectively over, were picking up on a good run of form, having won 8 of their last 9 games. Both teams certainly wanted to win, but with Tottenham at home and absolutely needing a win, you could expect the North Londoners to be the more attacking squad of the two. However, it should be noted that Hotspurs had not beaten City since 2010, two years before.

The Game:
Clint Dempsey got the first real chance of the game, hitting a cross/shot hybrid that Joe Hart punched down and got a hold of. Directly off that save, Carlos Tevez dribbled to the corner flag, turned and passed a ball that split three defenders; a show of quality that only the Argentine and maybe Messi could have pulled off. James Milner took the ball down the line, and hit a waist level cross that Samir Nasri volleyed to the far post. Kyle Walker almost saved it on the line, but the ball got past him. City up 1-0, not good for Tottenham. It took almost the rest of the game for Spurs to strike back, but finally they equalised, after Gareth Bale made one of the best outside foot passes you will ever see. The American merely stuck out a foot to redirect the beautiful pass into the net. White Hart Lane had hope now. Several minutes later Gylfi Sigurdsson hit Jerome Defoe with a through ball; the striker took several touches, tapped the ball back inside, and, using Vincent Kompany as a guide, curled the ball past Joe Hart. Just 3 minutes later Gareth Bale sealed the game for the North Londoners, lobbing Hart. That put the finishing touch on a fantastic comeback for Spurs.

Aftermath:
Spurs needed the win to stay in the race for Champions League; although they would end up falling short, at the time they looked like they were gonna challenge Arsenal and Chelsea. City, with the title having been lost, focused on the FA Cup, which they also ended up losing, to Wigan, who would be relegated from the League on the last day of the season. What really took away from this game was the overall quality of play. Although the goals were brilliant, the game was exciting only in the first 5 minutes and last 15.

Stay tuned for the rest of the list, as well as all of Pitch View's countdown to the start of the season. 

Best Games of the 2012-13 Season: Number 5

The 5th best game of last year's Premier League season is Manchester City 3-2 Southhampton. The game was the highlight of the opening weekend of the Premier League, with City, the defending champions, faced off against newly promoted Southampton.

Build Up:
Roberto Mancini's City was coming off a convincing 3-2 win over Chelsea in the Community Shield. The two biggest changes from that lineup was the addition of Joe Hart instead of Costell Pantilimon, and Jack Rodwell over Nigel De Jong. Nigel Adkins left Rickie Lambert, who had been Championship player of the year the season before, and had scored 27 goals in the league to help the Saints secure promotion, on the bench. The Merseysider would become crucial to the game, later on.

The Game:
Southampton had a good chance in the 11th minute, with Morgan Schniederlin hitting a 25 yard shot several yards wide of the post. City drew a penalty in the 15th minute when Jos Hooiveld tripped up Carlos Tevez as the Argentine was trying to turn around him. David Silva stepped up to take the penalty, hitting it low and to his right; but Kelvin Davis guessed right, easily saving the ball, whereafter Daniel Fox put the ball out for a City corner. The Southampton players mobbed Davis, the keeper reminding them to play smart with the corner coming. Tevez finally broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, picking up a Samir Nasri through ball, down the right wing with miles of space. He hit a strong shot past Davis, who was caught flat footed. Replays would show that the Argentine was offside, but, as usually, he showed no problem with scoring controversial goal (refer to this). So the Saints, for all their hard work, went into half time down a goal.

City continued to have good chances early on in the second half, as Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Gael Clichy all shanked balls into the keepers mitts or over the bar. Adkins finally brought Lambert on in the 55th minute, and hit impact was immediate, scoring a goal in the 59th minute. After several deflections, Lambert found the ball on the edge of the area and tried to play the ball into the box to Guilherme Do Prado, only to see the ball come right back to him. He took advantage of it, smacking a curling shot past Hart. The Saints fans were sent into euphoria, with the stewards just barely holding them back. Southampton took the lead ten minutes later when, after breaking away off a City set piece, Steven Davis picked up a deflected pass that he, much like Lambert's goal, had passed, and curled it again around Hart. This goal was eerily similar to the second goal QPR scored in the last game of the previous season. The Saints and their fans were now ecstatic; a win in their first Premier League game, and against the defending champions too! But City had another thing coming. Edin Dzeko drew even off a corner just 4 minutes later, and finally, in the 80th minute, Samir Nasri won the game for the Manchester club, when a Gael Clichy cross, which was hit long to the back post, was headed back towards the middle by Daniel Fox; Nasri took it on a half volley, slamming the ball into the old onion bag.

Aftermath
The game, for City, was quite similar to the finale of the previous season, where they went down 2-1 to a small team, QPR, but made a late comeback to win 3-2; that game, of course, carried much more weight, as it was to decide the title. City went on to have a poor campaign, going out of the Champions League in the group stage, losing in the final of the FA Cup and losing their title back to United. So'town stayed up, finishing a respectable 14th place. This game's biggest detraction was that it was the opening weekend, not as crucial to the season as other game later on.

Stay tuned for the next four Best Games of the 2012-13 Premier League Season from Pitch View, as well as the rest of the blog's countdown to the start of the season. 

Best Games of Last Season: Honorable Mention

The Honorable Mention on this years "Best Games of the Season" list is West Brom 5-5 Manchester United. The game was played on the final day of the season, as United celebrated their 13th title under Sir Alex Ferguson; the game was also Ferguson's last as United manager, the Scot having announced his retirement on the 8th of May.

Build Up:
Ferguson announced his retirement just 11 days beforehand, and while this game was played on the road, Sir Alex was given a guard of honor by both teams and the referees as he came out onto the pitch for his last game as a manager. As ESPNFC points out, Ferguson did not start the old timers, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, instead going for a younger, more towards the future of United, lineup. West Brom was looking to put a winning end to a fantastic first season under manager Steve Clarke. Clarke lead the team to the 8th spot in the league, including the surprise 2-1 upset of Chelsea in November. Clarke left Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku on the bench. The Baggies were coming into the game with terrible form, having won just one of their last ten games.

The Game:
Although West Brom "opened with a sense of purpose," according to ESPNFC, it was United who struck first, in the 6th minute, after Javier "Chicarito" Hernandez had chased a lob pass to the corner; the Mexican then hit a cross to the near post, which Shinji Kagawa headed into the ground and past Ben Foster. United struck again just 3 minutes later, with Kagawa again involved in the goal; the Japanese player made a 15 yard run to the edge of the box, were a deflected pass landed at the feet of Anderson; from there the Brazilian passed it onto the wing, where Antonio Valencia hit a low cross into the box; Jonas Olsson stuck a foot out in hopes of pushing it around the post for a corner, but, to his dismay, the ball instead went into the net. In the 30th minutes United widended the lead, off a Valencia throw in. Michael Carrick passed a through ball to the center, touched on by Hernandez, to Tom Cleverly; Cleverly passed to Alexander Buttner, who found himself with miles of space on the left wing; the Dutchman then curled the ball past Foster into the low corner for United's third of the game. It indeed looked like United were running away with the game at this point.

James Morrison got one back for the Baggies in the 40th minute, redirecting the ball off a Graham Durrans cross. The ball just got by United keeper Andres Lindegaard. At this point United still looked in control. However, the most important moment of the game came just after half time, when Clarke brought on Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who has been heralded as the new Didier Drogba; the comparisons are not lacking, as Lukaku, like his predecessor, became a thorn in the side of Ferguson and United fans. The huge striker picked up a loose ball 35 yards from goal, took one touch, then curled the ball to the lower right corner, just like the spot Buttner had hit earlier; Lindegaard just got his finger tips to it, but it wasn't enough to push the ball wide. However, RVP struck back for the dark side, pushing the United lead back to two goals, at 4-2. Javier Hernandez had gotten hold of a stray ball before pushing it out wide to Antonio Valencia; the Ecuadorian hit a low cross into the box, which Van Persie buried in the top of the net. Hernandez added another goal to the tally 10 minutes later when he tapped a Ryan Giggs cross into the net. United fans and Ferguson especially could now rest easy on a day that was supposed to be a walk in the park for the Scot.

But not yet, said the Baggies. Romelu Lukaku picked up a through ball from Markus Rosenberg, and then smashed the shot past Andres Lindegaard to slim the lead. He hurried the ball back to the midfield circle, and just seconds later Youssuf Mulumbu latched onto a Billy Jones pass, pushing it to the far post, past the United keeper who stood no chance. No United and Ferguson were really worried, and it would again be a Chelsea player that ruined Sir Alex's day. A long cross went to the far post, where Mulumbu hit a bouncing ball back several feet to Lukaku; the Belgian tried to push it on, but the ball was blocked back by Rio Ferdinand. Lindegaard and Ferdinand were both caught out of position and could only watch as Lukaku, who was lying on the ground at this point, headed the ball into the net. The game ended thus at 5-5.

Aftermath:
Although Sir Alex would have wanted to win his last game, the match was a fitting send off for one of the greats. Only one other game in Premier League history has scored more than the ten scored that day at the Hawthrones; never have both teams in a Premier League fixture scored five times each. This game was well worth the money for all the fans who showed up. However, this game's downfall was that it was not significant; aside from being Ferguson's last game, it carried no weight; United had already been crowned champions, with the meaningfull games being played in London and Newcastle. That's why its an honorable mention.

Stay tuned for the 5 best games of the 2012-13 Premier League season, as well as the rest of Pitch View's countdown to the league.

Premier League Countdown: Top 5 Game of the Season Introduction

With the Premier League season just 3 weeks out, Pitch View is starting the countdown with a recap of the 5 best games of last season. To make this list, the game had to pass several tests; 1.) What was the quality of the game? If it was a stagnant, boring game, then how could it be on the list; also, one sided affairs really shouldn't make it, because it wasn't all around good, just one team totally dominating; for that reason Chelsea's 8-0 whooping of Aston Villa can't make the list. 2.) What was the significance of the game? West Brom 5-5 United may have had lots of goals, but on the last day, with the title decided a month before, really isn't as big as Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham. 3.) What teams were involved? I understand that a game between Swansea and Villa can be pleasing to the eye, but it can't carry the same weight that City v. Chelsea does. The games on this list are games that, when they are being replayed on t.v., you just must watch. So here we go.

Bayern sends a message to everyone else

Bayern Munich just sent a major message to every other European Cup contender, having bought Spanish sensation Thiago Alacantra; to quote the great Larry Bird, "Which one of you guys is coming in second?" However, while on paper it might appear as though Bayern have built a midfield to rival that of Barcelona's, which is very true, there are some problems; problems that could tear apart the dressing room and in effect sink Pep Guardiola's German-copy of Barcelona. As ESPNFC writer Susie Schaff explains, Bayern Munich now have a "murder of midfielders." That may be exactly what happens; murder. Who is going to make way for Thiago? Not any of the starters, (Arjen Robben, Frank Ribery, Tomas Muller, Bastian Schwienstager and Javi Martinez), unless Pep Guardiola has gone senile; perhaps Mario Gotze, Cladio Pizarro, Toni Kroos or Xherdan Shaqiri; all of those players are capable, especially Gotze, and all will fight Alacantra for their spots; and, as Schaff points out, that's discounting all the youth squad players who could be promoted; this is presneting one of the best and yet most destructive problems a manager could face; an abundance of great players. However Guardiola is probably best suited of anyone to deal with this dilemma, having been manager of Barca for 3 years at their height, dealing with Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Fabergas and company. If Guardiola can work this out and pacifiy everyone then this Bayern team could be more potent than this year's treble winning side! Think about that; they would roll over the competition like Kevin Durant playing 5th graders; it would be unholy. But let us not forget that there our contenders; PSG nearly beat Barca this, we can never leave out the Catalans, especially since they have now bought Neymar; teams like Juventus, Chelsea, Man U and Real Madrid could become instant major contenders with the addition of maybe one more player. It should indeed be a interesting season.

Chelsea's Changing Face

When Jose Mourinho was signed several weeks ago, Chelsea's odds for winning the Premier League shot up in Vegas. However, several major issues still loomed over the team; the fact that Fernando Torres and Demba Ba are not adequate, top level strikers; or that this current Chelsea is a completely different team from when Mourinho coached them. The Special One has immediately begun to address the latter issue in signing Bayer Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle and Vitesse Arnhem attacking midfielder Marco Van Ginkel. He is trying to reconstruct the Stamford Bridge side in an image of his own liking.

He started be convincing Romelu Lukaku, coming off a great year with West Bromwich Albion, to return to the club for the upcoming season. It's easy to see why he would want Lukakau; the Belgian is an almost carbon copy image of Didier Drogba, Mourinho's beloved striker. Mourinho then secured Andre Schurrle. Rumors have been circulating for several months that clubs are interested in Juan Mata; however silly and saddening it would be for Mourinho to sell the beloved midfielder, it would make sense; Mata doesn't exactly fit into the physical, counter-attacking style that Mourinho uses. On the other hand, the Spaniard has been Chelsea's Player of the Season for two years running. The signing of Van Ginkel confirms Mourinho's path for the season; he will try to recreate the Chelsea of his glory years. This could mean that he won't sign a striker, instead trusting in Lukaku; or perhaps he will go after Edison Cavani or Robert Lewandowski. Aside from the need for a striker, Chelsea are a championship team; they have a solid back line, buckets of good midfielders and a great amount of attacking potential. What the Blues need the most is a solid coach, someone who will lead them through the low and high points of the season. That's what Mourinho will provide the most of, and what will make them a sure title contender this season.

The Keys to Mourinho and Chelsea securing more silverware next season

Jose Mourinho is back in town! The Special One is back to the place he has always known he belongs, Stamford Bridge. However, let us not get overexcited; Mourinho has to complete a couple things if he wants to win anything at the Bridge.

1.) Learn this team's style
Jose Mourinho is not used to the fluent, passing based style that Roberto Di Matteo and the Three Amigos brought in; he always played a physical, pragmatic play based around Drogba, Robben, Lampard and Terry. He must learn how this team plays and how to coach them if he is to even begin to think about silverware.

2.) Sign a world class striker
Fernando Torres and Demba Ba will just not cut it; maybe in the Europa League and League Cup, but if Chelsea and Mourinho want to challenge for the Champions League and Premier League, they need a real, consistent, world class striker; someone like Robert Lewandowski, coming off a 36 goal year, and rumored to be for sale; or maybe Wayne Rooney, who has also rumored to want to be out; or Edison Cavani, who scored 38 goals in 43 appearances for Napoli in the Serie A, winning the golden boot. Maybe even go after one of Mourinho's Madrid strikers, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain. But the Blues must sign a top striker this summer.

3.) Move David Luiz to center defensive mid
The Brazilian solted into that spot during much of Chelsea's Europa League campaign, and indeed helped them win that competition. He would give Mourinho great long balls up to the striker, speed and power shots, and an extra defender in front of the back line. His free kicks are prolific; all in all, he is best suited for the center-defensive-mid spot. So play him there!

Champions League Final Preview

Tomorrow marks a important day in European day; Bayern Munich, German giants and superclub, squares off against Borussia Dortmund, underdogs and cross-country rivals. It almost certainly marks the rise of German soccer as the best league in the world, replacing La Liga and the Barclays Premier League. It also marks the return of Munich, finalists for the 3rd time in 4 seasons. Dortmund is in just its 2nd final ever, hoping to defeat their hated rivals. To make the game even bigger, Dortmund's starlet and Germany's "Lionel Messi," Mario Gotze, announced several weeks ago that he would be leaving Dortmund for none other than Munich; Gotze will not be playing in the final, due to a convenient "hamstring tear," but the game will still be a tense one.

With Gotze out, the focus of Bayern Munich's defense and Dortmund's offense will turn to the Polish Wonder, Robert Lewandowski. With his 4 goal display against Real Madrid several weeks ago, Lewandowski catapulted himself into the focus of every major European club, with Man U rumored to want him. The Polish striker will be the center of the game, most likely, with Munich doing what ever they can to stop him, and Dortmund hoping that he can pull off another game like the Madrid one. Dortmund will also hope midfielder Marco Reus can replace Gotze. Just a year ago, Reus made major news by choosing to move to Dortmund instead of Munich, bucking the trend of most great, young German players. Reus will now look to boss the game in midfield. In the back, star Mats Hummels will anchor Dortmund's back line. He will certainly have a task on his hands, given the potency of Munich's attack. With Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery coming down the wings, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Thomas Muller down the middle and Mario Gomez or Mario Mandzukic in front, the Bavarian's are the most dangerous attack in Europe this year. They hog possession, press hard and fast, and score lots of goals; sounds a little like Barcelona huh? Bayern's coach, Jepp Heynecks, will leave after this game, to be replaced by Barca's old coach, Pep Guardiola. Heyneckes will surely want to win a final after having missed out twice; but I don't think it will happen for that very reason. Munich has been in the UCL Final twice and have lost out both times, once to Jose Mourhino's treble winning Inter side, and last year, at home, to Chelsea, on penalties. Though that may be even more motivation to win, I am unconvinced this Munich side is a big time team. I put my faith in Dortmund; they win 2-1 in a tight, tense and testy game.

Watch List: Champions League

Though I posted this after a day of games, the Champions League knockout stages remain yet fresh and young. Thus, I will give to you my top three contenders for this years title.

1.) Barcelona
How could the leader of the pack not be the Catalans. Leading La Liga by 12 points, winning their group by 3 points, the supreme offensive team in Europe is a near shoe in for the final in London. Only a Chelsea-like game can keep the on fire Messi and his Catalans from Wembley glory, again.

2.) Real Madrid
Yes, they are playing horribly in the league right now. And yes, both Mourhino and Ronaldo have been far from at their emotional highs this season. And yes, Iker Casillas, Spain captain and number goalie, is down with injury. And yes, they face Man U in the first round; but despite all that, the Madridistas could make a run. If they get past United, and convince Ronaldo to play in his best form, a title is not out of the question. They can't win the league, and a cup tie with Barca on the 26th, with the score tied 1-1, isn't looking favorable. Don't count out them out.

3.)Manchester United
Again, either Madrid or United will go out in this round; but if United wins, then they are very dangerous. They have possibly the second best attack in all of Europe, with Rooney, Van Persie, Welbeck and Hernandez in the front line, and Sir Alex is an experienced manager. However, they will need to a find a solid midfield and defense if they really are going to win it all