Does Money Make the Club?

        With the Champions League final done and dusted the 2014-15 season begins to become an after thought. Those fans lucky enough to have celebrated a title start to wind down their celebrations as they realize the team that won them that trophy probably won't be the same as the sun burns brightly through the summer transfer window. As we all know this time of year is particularly dreadful as rumors break faster than Gareth 'Ferrari' Bale down the wing and none of our favorite players are safe from the rumor mill. 

        Some of us have it easier than others though. Even with Financial Fair Play big name clubs have the advantage of being able to open up their pocket books and wave around money like it like it has no value. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG, Manchester City all never shy of opening up their checkbooks to have the best players, but does having the most expensive players really make the squad a winning team?

       The top of the European tables surely makes it seem that way as the richest clubs continue to be the top dogs year after year. Which is why year after year Gooners around the world are demanding Arsenal starts dishing out the big bids to strengthen their side, but Spanish football does a good job to prove otherwise. Two Spanish teams are a leading example of good leadership making a good team and not necessarily the bigger wallet. Andalusian side Sevilla finished 5th in the league which most people wouldn't consider as a successful run, as it wouldn't normally get them even in a qualifying position to the Champions League, but their back to back Europa League titles say otherwise. In the summer of 2013 Sevilla traded nine players to English clubs, including their two biggest stars Jesús Navas and Álvaro Negredo, which left fans thinking the club was sure to be battling in the bottom half of the table. Instead they finished 5th and won their first Europa league title and their third over all. The following summer they lost their captain Ivan Rakitić , who played a large role in securing that Europa League trophy, to FC Barcelona and other key players elsewhere such as Alberto Moreno (current Liverpool). Despite losing out on key players once again, the 2014-15 season was no different for them and they once again secured the 5th place spot in the league while defending the Europa League title; Becoming the first ever team to win two back to back European titles and became the first team to earn the right to a Champions League promotion from winning the Europa League. Despite constant changes in the squad Sevilla have found a consistency that keeps them winning when it counts the most.

      Another Spanish side that deserves recognition for their success despite their constant changing of squad members and even managers is Valencia. Though their Cinderella tale hasn't left them with a title to prove their success their statistics rightfully do so. In his first season as manager Nuno Santo and Valencia were also faced with the challenge of having to replace star players with equally, if not more, talented players that came with a smaller price tag. To do so Valencia looked to their neighboring country and brought in a few young Portuguese stars from Benfica, including a player who had a big impact André Gomes (who I have previously mentioned as a player every club would love to have), and further abroad bringing in five Argentinian players including key defender Nicolás Otamendi. Valencia finished their season in 4th place with 77 points, one point shy of previous league winners Atlético Madrid, securing the final Champions League spot. Having only lost five games in the season Valencia were able to steal points away from every Spanish side except current league winners Barcelona. This includes the crucial draw with Real Madrid, which seemingly sealed the title for Barcelona. And being a young squad it means Valencia will only be able to build on their success and continue to put pressure on the top clubs in Spain.


      So having big money signings must be nice and probably helps to bring kit sales to new heights, it seems squads are proving you don't need to toss out hundreds of millions of euros to play like you're worth that much. While there is no promise that the smaller teams will be able to keep their successful squads with the top dogs looking to steal their talent away, their fans should be able to rest soundly knowing their club will find away around it. As for fans of the top money clubs you should also sleep soundly this summer because while some say money can't buy happiness it sure can buy your new favorite player. Most off all best of luck to all fans out there trying to survive the dreadful transfer period.

-Til next time, this is the Final Whistle.

A mid week interjection- The Black Swans

      We football fans are the luckiest in the world. There is a reason why Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid are some the biggest brands in the world. There is a reason why you cant go a week without seeing a kid in either a Messi or Ronaldo kit. There is a reason we bleed "red" or "blue", and when someone questions it is quite easy to defend beloved sport. But neither of those reasons are the answer  to why we are the luckiest fans in the world. We are the luckiest fans in the world because we get to watch our giants battle it out in some of the biggest games ever played and unlike most sports when the black swans play, when our underdogs take the pitch, bloody hell we are in for a good game of football. This couldn't have been proved more accurate than with yesterday's rounds of the Spanish Copa Del Rey and the FA Cup that took place. 

     As the home side Levante looked to turn around a 0-2 aggregate at the kickoff of the second leg against Malaga it appeared things were going to be even harder despite home field advantage, for the only thing you could see on screen was a sea of empty seats. Young Portuguese striker Ricardo Horta also had no problem reminding Levante who last scored against them when the two side met just a few days ago as he slipped one into the back of Jesus Fernandez's net, adding to their aggregate lead in the 22nd minute. Almost 15 minutes later they doubled their lead once more as Jose Recio added his name to the score sheet  in the 38th minute. As the half came to a close it seemed Malaga had done their part in securing their spot in the next round of the Copa. I myself was ready to congratulate Malaga on their strong performance and their advancement in the tournament as the second half came to a start. It seemed impossible that the home side could turn around a two goal deficit let alone turn the aggregate but the joke was on me and Malaga both. Levante manager Lucas Alcaraz made a tactical switch almost right away as he brought in striker David Barral in the 61st minute of play, After that things happened so quickly, if you were to blink you surely would have missed something. Shortly after being subbed in Barral found the back off the net as caught Malaga's defense off guard, having took advantage of a sleeping Malaga while subbing in a player of their own. It seemed a simple mistake, one that wouldn't happen again, but it apparently Barral cut Malaga's defense deeper than it appeared on screen for five minutes later he struck again, netting his second against the sensational Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa. The wound seemed to spread as Ochoa continued to be tested and the clock couldn't end fast enough for Malaga. Levante once more undid their opponents defense in the 85th minute, this time Juanfran Garcia was the one to celebrate. Just like that Levante had took the lead 3-2. Sadly for the home side it wouldn't prove to be enough as they didn't have enough time and Malaga had the away goal advantage. Levante proved to be relentless and put up an admirable fight, leaving everyone watching on the edge of their seats. Had they had an extra ten minutes who knows, it could have been Levante sneaking through.

      It seemed only fair to start with the Spanish affair first since everyone, though I don't necessarily agree, seems to have the opinion that there is more competition in England than there is elsewhere in Europe. Still England has its underdogs and there is no better competition for them to shine than the FA Cup and while Everton and West Ham are not exactly bottom of the table in league competition, they're also not everyone's first choice in winning the FA Cup. That's why this is the competition for them and after the performance yesterday its hard to decide which one of these two teams actually shined brighter. Though both sides started off strong it took awhile before either team saw a break through, the first half ending level at nil-nil. While goals from both sides seemed promising I don't think anyone could have predicted what was to come in the second half. West Ham broke first with Enner Valencia in the 51st minute. Soon after Everton looked to be in trouble as Aiden McGready was shown red for his second yellow of the game, leaving his side to fend off a promising West Ham who seemed eager to score more. This wasnt going to be allowed as Everton subbed in the ever promising Kevin Mirallas who found them the equalizer late on and as the teams remained level at the end of regulation time it seemed it would have to be settled in extra-time. Everton might have been a man down but that didnt damage their determination as Mirallas continued to be a contributing factor as he sent a low pass into the box for Lukaku to stun the home side and take the lead. Having been a goal down and a man down and coming back to take the lead in extra time seemed reason enough to hope to see Everton through but we all know that's not how the beautiful game works, and proved to be true as West Ham took their turn to even out the scoreline. Even with players exhausted chances continued to come for both teams but not before time could run out and with the score 2-2 it meant penalties. As if the game couldn't get interesting enough the shootout ended 9-8 with West Ham goalkeeper Adrian scoring the winning penalty kick for his team.

We are the luckiest fans in the world. For every person who doubts it, for every person who misses out on games like these, I truly am sorry.

-Til next time, this is The Final Whistle.

Two is the Magic Number

As week 21 comes to an end it proved that is weeks magic number was two. Chelsea, Palace and Burnley all found wins by only knocking in two goals. Everton, City, West Ham and Swans fans all only saw two goals scored in their matches as each team was only able to get one goal in the back of the net.

The only team who was able to get past the second goal this week was the home side in North London at the Emirates stadium, netting 3 goals past Stoke City's keeper David Ospina. Everything seemed to going right for Arsenal this week as they put up a strong front. 6 shots on target, 7 shorts off target, 53 percent ball possession and didn't concede a yellow card they were clearly the better side. They will need the confidence as they face Manchester City in the next week and hopefully Wenger could use this run of good luck to help him with his jackets.

Roberto Martínez may not be having the best run this season having only won 1 point in the last 5 matches but still he happens to have something that most managers in the Premier League don't have, and that's the ability to slow down Manchester City. Whether he is winning the FA cup with Wigan or as this weekend stealing points away from them in the league with Everton, holding City to a 1-1 draw. Everton fans could only hope that this draw will be enough to encourage their side to find the whole 3 points in their upcoming match match against West Brom.

No one can be more thankful for Roberto's talent than the blues around the world, but no doubt the blues had their own say in re-securing their first place spot. Jose's side continued to show their dominance in the league taking out Newcastle with a 2-0 win letting the rest of England know they are still in it to win it despite having recently suffered a disappointing loss to cross town rivals Spurs. I think the big difference between Jose's current squad and last years side who gave a decent run, is that Jose has finally settled in and has produced a well rounded team. For when one star doesn't show up there is still another star just as talented that will takeover willingly. Shown in the win against Newcastle as Oscar stepped in and had not only a goal but also an assist to leading goalscorer Diego Costa. This season we are used to seeing Fabregas' name in that spot but Jose's side is proving that it's not possible have too many stars on team, for these players are only making each other better.


Goal of the Week- I'm not sure if this is a feature that's going to stick but with the abundance exceptional goals I have to take the time to talk about in my opinion the best of the bunch. With the top of the Serie A table so cluttered and each clubs reputation on the line, Juventus not wanting to drop to another loss to Napoli, Paul Pogba's strike in the 29th minute opened the scoreline and gave hope to the Turin faithful that their side could hold their place at the top of the table. Getting the first goal in such an important match is usually enough to be the talk of the game but Pogba's strike could speak for its self in any match. Standing unmarked alongside the 18 yard box Pogba shows off his world class talent and creates a goal out of nothing that you have to watch repeatedly to believe. watch it here *note I do not own this video. all rights to owner and Serie A*

Before I end this weeks post I would like to congratulate Cristiano Ronaldo on his Ballon D'or.

-Til next time, this is the Final Whistle.

Its a Man's...World?

      Its a Man's World, why yes, yes it is. Despite the advancement of the female image by players like Hope Solo or Marta Vieira da Silva, football is definitely a man's world. But just because it's a man's world that doesn't mean that we females don't fit into it, and I'm here to prove that, because well, football is MY world.

      So here it is, The Final Whistle, a football blog with commentary, review, predictions and a bit of bias (which despite fallacy will have nothing to do with how a player looks) all from a female fan. Due to popularity I will mostly focus my content on the EPL but I wont able to contain myself from lavishing about La Liga, Serie A and even Liga Zon Sagres every once and a while.