Thoughts on Two Weeks of EPL

Jackson Schmidtke writes about the English Premier League, U.S. Men's National Team and anything else futbol-related we tell him to write about. Follow him on Twitter.   

Two weeks of Premier League play is in the books. I finally got to watch my first full match of the season on Monday with Manchester United taking on Chelsea. A busy August has regulated me to watch 'Match of the Day' highlights along with bits and pieces of other games in the past couple of weeks. It was a hard fought game and both teams should be happy with the draw.

So with two weeks of play done what do we know about this season? Really the answer is not much. But here are three things I have noticed so far.

1. NBC Sports Network’s coverage is fantastic 

As a soccer fan I’m still in awe of my ability to access every Premier League game. I might never leave my couch on Saturdays and Sundays this Fall. I can wake up early and watch soccer until the Wisconsin Badgers game comes on and then watch whatever college football games are on later in the day. Same thing goes for Sundays too. So much football/futbol and so little time to watch it all! NBC ‘s coverage should help grow the game and the Premier League in the United States and I’m very excited for the rest of the season knowing I will be able to have all sorts of access that I have not had prior to the NBC takeover.

2. The Transfer window is wacky
I love the transfer system and hate it at the same time. It is really cool that teams own a players rights and can loan them out to other teams, but the constant rumors and sheer amount of players all over the world makes it hard to keep up with what is happening where. The Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney sagas are seemingly wrapped up and done while still being completely wide open at the same time. The excitement that a rumor can spark in a fan base is amazing and when that player actually signs it is cool to see fans get giddy with excitement. Everyone expects the big boys of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal to throw around money like it’s from Monopoly but it is been really refreshing to see teams like West Ham, Southampton, and Sunderland shell out money on bigger deals. With just under a week left in the window, it will be interesting to see what happens with the sagas mentioned above and any new drama that might arise.

3. No one knows what will happen
It’s been an intriguing two weeks and not very many assumptions can be made so far. It is probably safe to say that Chelsea, Manchester United, Spurs, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all going to finish on top of the league. After that it’s wide open. Arsenal looked poor against Aston Villa but stepped it up after that. Spurs, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all looked very good. Manchester City were shocked by Cardiff City last week in a game that could be pivotal later in the season when the race for the title and relegation battles begin.

It has been a very exciting season so far and we are only two weeks in. As things continue to shake out during the transfer window it is tough to make any predications or assumptions about teams. Give it a few more weeks and things will become a little clearer.

-Jackson  

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Rooney, Suarez & Bale Making an August Move?

What the heck’s going on over there? Three of the Premier League’s transfer sagas broken down.

Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez, and Gareth Bale are three of the top players in the Premier League and the world  and they’re all locked in interesting transfer rumors. As the soccer transfer season begins to get into its peak I will break down what will happen with these three Premier League stars.

Wayne Rooney

The most interesting and complicated situation in my opinion is Wayne Rooney’s. It is well known that the England international fell out of favor with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of last season. Ferguson retired and David Moyes is now the man at Manchester United. Moyes has adamantly claimed there is not a plan to sell Rooney but top tier teams have lined up to bring in the striker. Chelsea has already made a bid for Rooney but it was rejected. Why Chelsea wants to bring in another striker is beyond me when they already have a gluttony of strikers with Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku, and Fernando Torres, not to mention their fantastic attacking midfielders. But Rooney would be the best striker on that team should he join the Blues. Fellow Premier League squad Arsenal also had a bid for Rooney rejected by Man U where Rooney would be a great fit for a team in need of firepower.

It is become very clear that the relationship between Rooney, management, and fans has soured to the point where the best option is for Rooney to find greener pastures elsewhere.

The question is where are those greener pastures? If you are Manchester United you don’t want to sell him to a fellow Premier League team and risk having to play against an angry Rooney for a league or cup title. So the natural solution is to sell him to a giant foreign team. The problem is who? Spanish league giants Barcelona and Real Madrid do not need him and he would be in a similar situation he is in at Man U playing second fiddle to other strikers. Bayern Munich do not need him either, but Borussia Dortmund might consider bringing him in to replace Robert Lewandowski who will depart for Bayern next year. French side PSG do not need another striker after bringing in Edison Cavani. One of the other high powered French Ligue 1 sides could consider bringing him in, as could a few Italian teams.

Maybe the ideal situation would be for Liverpool and Man U to swap Luis Suarez and Rooney but that likely would not happen. If I had to guess I would say Rooney ends up in France or Italy but it also would not shock me to see Chelsea or Arsenal get him. Then again, seeing as Man U are the New England Patriots of the Premier League, they might end up keeping him on board after all.

Luis Suarez

If it was not for Suarez biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic I probably would not be writing about his

potential transfer. The impending six game ban due to the bite had Liverpool fans fuming at the FA Cup last year and some speculation that he would leave Liverpool this summer. Arsenal have already had bid rejected and are very keen to bring in the Uruguay international. Suarez is angry at the English media and wants to play Champions League football for a top team. Liverpool finished just outside the Champions League this year and Suarez’s ban at the end of the season did not help things.

Going to Arsenal would be an interesting move. Arsenal are looking to bolster their team upfront and Suarez would certainly do that. If he transfers to another Premier League team, he would still have to spend the first six games on the bench. Losing Suarez would hurt Liverpool greatly since they do not have anyone who can replace him effectively. However, despite the interest from Arsenal and their persistence to get him, Suarez is not leaving Liverpool this year. Unless Liverpool get an offer of $70 million or more I do not see them selling. You will see Suarez in a Liverpool uniform in their seventh game of the season.  

Gareth Bale

Bale’s situation is a no brainer. The Tottenham winger has been linked to an expensive move to Real Madrid. Reports have the transfer fee for the 24-year-old Wales international at $130 million and if Spurs hold out they could get more. At that price it’s an easy call, Tottenham have to sell him. With $130 million, Spurs can buy two or maybe even three world class players to replace Bale and strengthen their team. For example, Robin Van Persie went to Manchester United last year for a fee of about $35 million. Even without Bale, Spurs have a strong enough team that they can contend for the Champions League spot.

It’s hard to part with a talent like Bale but for a price like Real Madrid is offering you almost have to sell him. His stock is likely as high as it can be and you are selling him to a team outside of your league. Additionally, there are reports saying Bale wants out of White Hart Lane to play Champions League football.  I fully expect Gareth Bale to be sold before Spurs kicks their season off on August 18^th   they would be crazy not to send Bale elsewhere.   

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Sergio Aguero is now ranked second with Edin Dzeko in premier league and European top scorers table both with six goals, second to Wayne Rooney who score his second premier league hat-trick

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Wayne Rooney is now leading the Barclays premier league and European top scorers list with eight goals

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