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**Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

Italy's football federation (FIGC) prosecutor has asked for a three-and-a-half year ban to be imposed on Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci and one year for winger Simone Pepe over match-fixing, the federation said Friday.

Both played key roles in helping Juventus win Serie A last season.

Bonucci, who also helped Italy reach the Euro 2012 final, is accused of helping to fix the result of a match when he played for Bari in May 2010. The game against Udinese ended 3-3.

Pepe, who was playing for Udinese in the same match, faces a lesser charge of failing to report the alleged fix. Both players deny wrongdoing. The FIGC said its tribunal aims to reach a verdict before the end of next week.

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/italy/105969/default.aspx
 
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Premier League preview No1: Arsenal

Arsène Wenger may have been rocked by Robin van Persie's decision not to sign a new contract but he is in a stronger position than he was this time 12 months' ago

Guardian writers' predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily David Hytner's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position: 3rd

Odds to win the league: 12-1

The reference point for Arsenal's pre-season preparations was provided by the official Robin van Persie website on 4 July. The double Footballer of the Year's declaration of independence, though, was not what any Gooner had wanted to hear.

The striker tried to sugarcoat his "update for the fans", which appeared under a burst of the motivational-speak that dots his site and is surely best vocalised in a Dutch ac-shent: Enjoy every moment, it can be your best!

Van Persie talked about the "respect" he had for Arsène Wenger, his team-mates, the fans and their opinions but the bottom line was that he wanted to win trophies and it was clear to him that he and the club "in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward". He would not be extending his contract, which had one year to run. The Manchester clubs and Juventus are circling.

The sense of deja vu was sickening and, once again, it shone a blinding light on the question of ambition at Arsenal. Is it enough to finish the season in a Champions League place? Why do the club's best players keep wanting to leave? The departures of Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri had scarred the build-up to last season and contributed to what Wenger described as "the most disturbed pre-season" he had known. "When I go to hell one day," he said, "it will be less painful for me than for you, because I'm used to suffering."

One month on from the Van Persie statement, though, and there is suddenly a more optimistic mood about the club. The reason is simple. Wenger has agreed a deal for a world-class talent; Santi Cazorla's imminent arrival from Málaga has set the pulses racing. A member of Spain's three-peating tournament dynasty, the 27-year-old joins in his prime and he is ready to become Arsenal's focal point.

Talk to the experts in Spain and they purr over this complete midfielder, who can operate in wide areas but is more likely to play as the No10 in Wenger's 4-2-3-1 formation. He once turned down a move to Real Madrid and he is noted for his comfort on either foot, skill and vision. He will be under intense pressure to inspire at the outset, which is a little unfair but he knows that it comes with the territory. Cazorla could be the signing of the summer.

He will supplement the purchases of the strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, who arrived to rather less fanfare, possibly because they were compared unfavourably to Van Persie. But with Cazorla coming on board as the team's potential superstar, it feels as though Podolski and Giroud have been re-evaluated for the better. There were plenty of times last season when Van Persie carried the team and losing him would be a terrible blow. But those with their glasses half-full wonder whether Arsenal might prove collectively stronger, particularly as Wenger has further signings in mind.

The Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin is one, with the club confident of securing him on a season-long loan with the option to make the transfer permanent next summer. He stands to compete with or replace Alex Song, who has attracted the tentative interest of Barcelona. Song, with his highly individual streak, is not as secure in Wenger's affections as might be imagined.

Van Persie, of course, does remain an Arsenal player at the time of writing, even if the latent hostility of his statement burned bridges and appeared to make his position at the club untenable. Furthermore, unless he were to perform a U-turn of epic proportions and agree to extend his contract, it would be difficult to see the chief executive Ivan Gazidis allowing him to stay and, in the process, risk writing off at least £15m in lost transfer fees.

All the same, it is a tantalising game to wonder how Arsenal might fare with Van Persie with them this season. He is a really sound bloke, who lives for his football and he could be expected to refocus rather than sulk, if his move did not materialise. One further thought: do Wenger's signings, particularly that of Cazorla, not demonstrate the sort of ambition that Van Persie wanted to see?

Wenger was grumpy when put on the spot over Van Persie in press conferences during the club's tour of Asia, and that was not his only irritation. There is little doubt that the manager is no fan of the commercially inspired jaunt. The travel was gruelling; the weather too hot; the facilities not up to his high standards.

He did not take many of his Euro 2012 players, believing that it would have been too much for them but, with the trip to Nigeria cancelled and no fixture having been arranged in its place for this past weekend, Wenger has only one friendly, against FC Köln on Sunday, to provide them with game-time. He has said that Podolski and Giroud will not be fully fit for the season opener at home to Sunderland on 18 August.

Nor will Jack Wheelchair, although his condition is much more worrying. The noises from the England midfielder's camp at the end of last season that he was targeting a full pre-season have long since faded. Wheelchair, who missed the whole of the previous campaign with a stress fracture to the foot, has still not left the gym and Wenger said that it would be October before he returned.

There is a difference, though, between being available for selection and being able to play at full pelt for 90 minutes. Wenger always eases a player back gradually after serious injury and he can be expected to be even more careful with Wheelchair, given the length of the player's absence. It could be December before he is back to normal.

Wenger will find reassurance at the squad's training camp in Germany this week, which leads up to the FC Köln match. There will be no prying eyes, no PR or media commitments, no spotlight; simply hard work, with bibs, balls and cones. It will probably make him feel nostalgic for Bad Waltersdorf, the Alpine retreat in Austria that he favoured before Arsenal's pre-season tours went all far-flung and glitzy.

Wenger will never forget the turmoil of the early season last time out, when the nadir came in the 8-2 defeat at Manchester United and he is desperate for a good start to the new campaign, in which his team's first three away games are at Stoke City, Liverpool and Emirates Marketing Project.

The manner in which he and the squad recovered from the buffeting that they took in the opening weeks of last season to finish third was admirable and it perhaps did not receive the credit that it deserved. If and when Van Persie leaves, the club appear to be on a firmer footing to cope.

The club's seven-year trophy drought will ratchet up the pressure still further and it would be lovely for Wenger to think that he could have better luck with injuries. He said that he could have written a book about last summer alone. With Arsenal, it is wise to buy ink by the barrel-load

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/06/premier-league-preview-arsenal
 
Ravel Morrison’s career has taken another twist after it emerged he was sent home from West Ham’s pre-season tour to have seven teeth removed.

Morrison, who joined Championship side Birmingham on loan yesterday, shocked Hammers staff when he complained of toothache in Germany last week.

Club officials were initially preparing to fine the former Manchester United midfielder for failing to turn up for training when they made the gruesome discovery.

He was flown back to England for emergency treatment and told his teeth are in such poor condition that up to seven will have to be extracted.

Morrison, who has failed to make an impact at Upton Park since he moved from United last season, has been advised to have dental implants, costing around £28,000.

He will initially wear temporary moulds while the implants are being made.

Morrison leads a chaotic lifestyle and surprised Hammers staff on their pre- season tour with his increasingly bizarre behaviour.

The midfielder refused to drink anything other than official ‘West Ham bottled water’ during their short stay in Germany.

Morrison, who made his senior United debut in the Carling Cup against Wolves in 2010, has struggled to convince West Ham boss Sam Allardyce he is ready for regular first-team action.

Although there is no doubt he has the ability to be a top player, he lacks maturity.

Birmingham manager Lee Clark will take the 19-year-old on loan this week, but it represents another huge gamble for the cash-strapped Championship side.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2184678/Ravel-Morrison-seven-teeth-removed-emergency-surgery.html

United fans are adamant he's the next Lee Sharpe. Unwilling to listen to figures of authority and his career will end before it gets started.
 
Premier League preview No3: Chelsea

The pressure is on Roberto Di Matteo to match Champions League glory. But how much time will the manager be given?

Guardian writers' predicted position: 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily Dominic Fifield's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position: 6th

Odds to win the league: 9-2

The Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge has entered a new phase. The single star embroidered on Chelsea's shirts, together with the chorus of "champions of Europe" sure to accompany the team wherever they play this term, will provide a constant reminder of Munich in May and a campaign that was transformed from mess to miracle. Yet, if last season provided a sense of satisfaction, ambition continues to smoulder at this club. The demand laid down now from on high is to build upon giddy success.

Chelsea have already delivered a statement of intent this summer. Their lavish spending in this closed season market, unparalleled to date among those expected to contend for the Premier League, is recognition of domestic inadequacy last time around. The Champions League triumph, together with the FA Cup claimed at Wembley, served to mask – albeit gloriously – the lowest finish of the Abramovich era.

Sixth was unacceptable and culpability did not rest solely with André Villas-Boas and his choked tenure as manager. The tasks with which the Portuguese had been charged, reinvigoration of a squad and reinvention of their playing style, are essentially still being addressed. It was just the diplomacy around their execution that was lacking. Roberto Di Matteo must implement change while maintaining a more persuasive title challenge this time round.

The margins by which success will be gauged are terrifyingly slim, but Di Matteo will be relishing the opportunity to construct a team bolstered by so many mouth-watering new arrivals. Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior (or simply "Oscar") is Brazil's No10 and Chelsea's new No11, a 20-year-old of jaw-dropping talent and vision who could illuminate the English top flight. Eden Hazard had just that effect in France after emerging as a teenager with Lille, a club he carried to a first league title in 56 years in 2011. That pair alone cost in excess of £50m, with the Germany international Marko Marin a relatively cheap addition at £7m from Werder Bremen, to whom Kevin de Bruyne has been loaned. Wigan's Victor Moses is potentially still to come.

The blueprint is Barcelona-esque, a gaggle of tricky, skilful attackers to provide a blur of movement and leave opponents dizzy and distracted. If they realise their potential and combine with last season's inspiration, Juan Mata, there will be fluid, creative attacking football aplenty to appreciate in SW6.

Finding a formula to incorporate so many similar players while maintaining a level of stinginess at the back will test Di Matteo, though he will presumably be able to mix and match his attackers at will. The Italian has already spoken enthusiastically about the choices available to him. "Moving between lines and rotation can be an attacking threat for us," he said. "It makes us more difficult to be marked and more unpredictable. However, we also need width in the game so it's not just always coming between the lines: it's about giving width to the team as well. There aren't going to be radical changes but, inevitably, we are going to change a bit the way we play with the integration of the new players."

There should be variety to the team's approach, the rather rigid feel from recent seasons cast aside. Opponents will be wary of the attacking talent that is likely to pour at them, even if it will take time for all – including Mata after an exhausting summer that took in Euro 2012 and the Olympics – to find their rhythm.

Certainly, Chelsea will feel rather unfamiliar. Gone is the brawn and sheer muscular presence of Didier Drogba as this team's attacking focal point. Absent, too, from this time last year are Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou. Where once this side bullied, now they will seek to dazzle. The onus is on Fernando Torres, no longer shivering in the Ivorian's shadow, to take centre stage, the Spaniard returning to this club having claimed the golden boot at Euro 2012 but still with much to prove in London.

Torres should not be wanting for opportunities given the supply line that has been constructed at his back. It is tempting to suggest all the excuses for underachievement to date, and seven league goals in 46 appearances is underwhelming despite the assists he has provided en route, have been stripped away. Torres now has to deliver not least because, unless a Hulk or Andre Schürrle is added to the ranks, Chelsea arguably lack quality cover at centre-forward.

Yet, if the club and some of its key playing personnel have reason to attack the new campaign with points to prove, the manager's own motivation is clearest of all. A year ago, Di Matteo was Villas-Boas' right-hand man, his own coaching career having apparently been derailed at West Bromwich Albion. He ended last term, remarkably, as a European Cup-winning manager but, for all the inevitable public insistence to the contrary, confirmation of his appointment on a permanent basis felt as if it was only delivered with a certain reluctance and once Pep Guardiola had made it abundantly clear he intended to take a year-long sabbatical after leaving Camp Nou.

Now Di Matteo, a figure rightly lauded by the supporters, will confront his first campaign in charge with Guardiola an unnerving presence on the fringes. The Italian will not be alone in feeling vaguely threatened – Chelsea are not the only club to have been entranced by what the Catalan achieved in his four years at Barça – but any stutter could surely have implications for his prospects of seeing out a two-year contract. Heaven forbid should Chelsea stumble in the new year, as they have done in the last two seasons. After all, Di Matteo himself has proved what can be achieved when change is instigated by a hierarchy's midterm panic.

The size of the task that now awaits is arguably greater than that he took on last year. His mission back in March was primarily to salvage a season, something he achieved by reverting to basics to instil confidence into a disillusioned squad and tap into their established qualities. His approach was pure pragmatism. Now the "project", to revert to Villas-Boas's jargon, is more progressive. Di Matteo must prove he is not merely a stopgap until Guardiola decides his batteries are recharged, but the long-term answer: a manager to restore Chelsea to the pinnacle in the Premier League with a team almost entirely overhauled from that of the glittering José Mourinho era. He has already made stunning history at this club. Now he must initiate a glorious future.

Is that realistic? Instinct suggests it would constitute a staggering achievement to lead Chelsea to the title this term given they ended 25 points adrift of both Manchester clubs in May, with three other rivals also far more consistent over the campaign. The sheer number of key ins-and-outs at Stamford Bridge offers a reminder of continuous transition, yet time is never afforded to this club's management and it is unlikely Abramovich has spent the summer preparing to be patient. The transfer outlay is evidence of that much. Yet, just as was the case a year ago, it is time that is most desperately required.

Hazard, Oscar, Marin and any other new arrivals secured before the closure of the transfer window will need to bed in and find their feet. Even established players, from Frank Lampard to Ramires, may have to adjust to tweaked positions and new demands. The manager, too, is not playing catchup but attempting to set the pace. This is all alien. Di Matteo and his players must treat it as an opportunity to be seized. Pre-season has been a stagger, preparations hampered by Euro 2012, the Olympics and the unsettling nature of John Terry's trial at Westminster magistrates' court.

Now, somehow, they must conjure a method of hitting the ground running as the campaign proper commences. Munich is merely a glorious memory. The real challenge lies ahead.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/07/premier-league-preview-chelsea
 
Just seen Yassine El Ghanassy has signed for West Brom on loan, watch out for this guy, another promising Belgian
 
Premier League preview No6: Liverpool

New manager Brendan Rodgers has been asked to reshape Reds as a league force but cut wage bill at the same time

Guardian writers' predicted position: 6th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position: 8th

Odds to win the league: 16-1

There has been no talk of a top-four finish from the powers-that-be at Liverpool this summer, no "major disappointment" quote that can return to haunt the manager should he win the Carling Cup, reach the FA Cup final but limp home lame in the Premier League. It is just as well. The Champions League is key to Fenway Sports Group's vision in a world of Financial Fair Play and a formidable target for Brendan Rodgers with the players currently at his disposal.

Putting the truth on the record has not always been easy for Liverpool managers as they balance huge expectation with increased competition from their rivals, some better financed, others having made fewer mistakes. Refreshingly, Rodgers has adopted that course amid some fierce resistance to perceived negativity. He will have to stand firm on his ideals and beliefs – as he did when accepting the job – in a season that could shape the short-term future of Liverpool.

"The challenge here is immense," Rodgers has said. "Let's be under no illusion. The club and where it was at over the years – will any club ever do that again? That's a big question. I certainly think with a club of our status and value to the football world, that we can go again. It's going to take time and whether it will be in my time, I'm not so sure."

This from a manager who signed a three-year contract with Liverpool on 1 June. The man from Carnlough cited the financial might of the "top six or eight clubs" as cause for caution, adding: "They are some of the superpowers of world football and we are competing with that, but it's not all about money." Liverpool must hope not, despite lavishing £120m on new players in 2011.

It is premature to deliver a verdict on Liverpool's transfer policy under Rodgers with the window still open and several targets being pursued, even if the club's competitive season has begun. That fortunate 1-0 win over FC Gomel in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg last week, incidentally, illustrated how Liverpool are lacking in the kind of players who bought into Rodgers' methods at Swansea City. As Rodgers said: "The make-up of the group will change before the season starts and that will change the dynamic of the team also."

On the evidence so far, Rodgers has been tasked with rejuvenating Liverpool as a Premier League force while trimming the wage bill associated with one. Fabio Borini has arrived for £10m from Roma and the Italian international striker should have few problems adapting to Rodgers, the pair having worked together at Chelsea and Swansea. But otherwise it has been all about outgoings at Liverpool following last year's splurge under Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli. Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodríguez, Alberto Aquilani and Fabio Aurelio have gone since the end of last season, Craig Bellamy will soon follow, Daniel Agger's future is uncertain amid strong interest from Emirates Marketing Project and Andy Carroll will go should Liverpool get their way.

The four confirmed departures are no cause for alarm necessarily, although the £1m release clause in Kuyt's contract was another inherited headache for FSG, but raise doubts over the strength of the squad in the absence of replacements. Joe Allen, Swansea's £15m-valued midfielder, is a confirmed target and Clint Dempsey another possibility. The appointment of David Fallows as head of scouting has been held up, however, after he was placed on six months gardening leave by Emirates Marketing Project.

As Rodgers insists, it is not all about money, and hopes of a Premier League recovery rest both on the clear purpose of their young manager and a myth that has attached itself to Dalglish's one full season in charge – namely, that he had to go on account of a dreadful league campaign. Eighth was, without question, unacceptable but did not reflect a performance level often more dominant and more attractive than results following the Carling Cup final indicate. That is not to absolve Dalglish of responsibility for Liverpool's lowest top-flight points tally since 1953-54 or to buy into the argument that 33 attempts against the woodwork and seven penalty misses represent bad luck and not bad finishing. Merely to suggest there is ample room for improvement from within.

Rodgers will be reliant on Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, José Enrique and, in the unlikely event he stays, Carroll, to rectify last season's collective failure for that to happen. Carroll's ludicrous price tag detracted from the meagre contributions of other new signings last season, notably Downing, who flourished at Aston Villa after a quiet debut campaign and is under pressure to do likewise at Anfield, and also from his own transformation come spring. That does not appear to have convinced Liverpool's new manager as he looks to Luis Suárez, now secured to a new contract despite interest from Juventus among others, and Borini to develop a potent understanding.

It is through Rodgers, of course, that FSG hope to realise their initial vision for Liverpool and his refusal to enter their beauty parade when first approached to replace Dalglish, and to work under or alongside a proposed sporting director, shows they have appointed a man convinced of his own worth and ideas. He will need everyone to buy into them.

Rodgers will be under far more pressure to take the game to opponents at Anfield than at the Liberty Stadium and, for a new manager implementing new ideas with few new players on board so far, the fixture list has not been kind. Emirates Marketing Project, Arsenal and Manchester United are Liverpool's first three home games of the new season. Rodgers will require further assistance in the transfer market by then.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/aug/08/premier-league-previews-liverpool
 
Going by their predictions so far it will be:

1. City
2. United
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Spurs
6. Liverpool
7. Saudi Sportswashing Machine
8. Everton
9.
10. Fulham
11.
12. Villa
 
Based on transfer windows, I'd have Fulham 9th. Who do they think will do better than them!
 
Jordinho said:
Bottom five will be Norwich, Southampton, West Ham, Wigan and Reading.
Click to expand...

I get the feeling Swansea will be in there as well.

Tallywhacker;

City
United
Chelsea
Spurs
Arsenal
Saudi Sportswashing Machine
Liverpool
Everton
Sunderland
QPR
Fulham
Villa
Norwich
Stoke
WBA
Southampton
Reading
West Ham
Swansea
Wigan
 
Swansea should be comfortably ahead of Norwich IMO. Wigan, Southampton and Norwich have the weakest squads, but hopefully someone will surprise us and send Wham down.
 
Jordinho said:
Swansea should be comfortably ahead of Norwich IMO. Wigan, Southampton and Norwich have the weakest squads, but hopefully someone will surprise us and send Wham down.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but

1)Norwich have Chris Hughton as their boss,
2)Southampton have Nigel Adkins (another good manager) and have signed some fine players (Jay Rodriguez, Nathaniel Clyne, Steven Davis et al), and
3)Swansea have installed a new boss with little experience in the English top flight, and are battling to keep hold of their players (Allen, Sinclair, Williams, etcetera). They've already lost two of the players that were key to them performing last season (Caulker and Siggy) and have lost their manager and coaching staff as well.

It's a bit surprising, but I do believe Swansea have serious problems below the surface.
 
Swansea have added 3 quality players (Michu, Chico and de Guzman). Norwich overachieved last season and Hughton doesn't strike me as a tactical mastermind. Both Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Birmingham were highly inconsistant under him. I do agree on Laudrup though, very overrated as a manager and new to the PL.
 
Michu will do well, I think. De Guzman, however...well, he didn't get much playing time at Villarreal even when they were struggling to avoid being relegated. More hype than substance, I feel. Chico I've never heard of. I thought he was the Ugly from The good, The bad and the ugly?

Hughton isn't a tactical genius (4-4-2 pretty much standard policy), but he builds solid teams and gets them motivated and committed. The outcry when he was sacked by Saudi Sportswashing Machine said it all, I think. He also led Birmingham to fourth in the league last season, despite having to battle with an extended fixture list (Europa League) and considerable financial difficulties. A good appointment by Norwich, I think.
 
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