Arsenal Bounce Back

Goals scored  by Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and an own goal from Aly Cissokho courtesy of a Kieran Gibbs cross

Arsenal came into the weekend with just six points in four games, and were staring at an Aston Villa squad in second place in the EPL. Everyone was focused on two players under scrutiny: new striker Danny Welbeck, and last summers bug signing Mesut Ozil. Some fans wanted Ozil out of the lineup, or at least moved to his preferred center midfield spot, but manager Arsene Wenger opted to keep him in the same role, out on the left hand side with freedom to roam to the middle. Santi Cazorla was slotted in that middle role, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlein out on the right, meaning Alexis Sanchez would not be starting. Villa gave the Gunners a few scares at the beginning of the match, but keeper Wojciech Szczesny turned the chances away to keep the match level. In the 32nd minute, Welbeck played a brilliant through ball towards the box, and Ozil raced it down and put a left footed chance past Villa keeper Brad Guzan. It was a huge relief for fans, management and Ozil alike. In the 34th minute, Ozil and Welbeck switched roles, with the German international playing a cross past Guzan and onto the waiting foot of Welbeck. It was Welbeck's first goal in an Arsenal uniform. But then in the 36th Kieran Gibbs gained possession in Villa's half and played a long cross towards Chambo. Aly Cissokho tried clearing it out of the back of Villa's end, but his touch put the ball in the back of the net instead. In all, it was just three minutes and 12 seconds separating all of the Gunners goals. They now currently sit in third place with nine points, but expect that to possibly change by weekends end. Hopefully this served as a wake up for Ozil, who had been invisible all season, and even nation back to last year. Same goes for Welbeck, much maligned at Manchester United. If they both turn it on, Arsenal has the depth and talent to compete with Chelsea, ManCity and the rest of the best in the Premier League.

Is Chelsea Approaching Manchester United Status?

Diego Costa was one of the biggest signings of the summer

They are the number one team in the Premier League. They have arguably the best squad in the world. They have a manager who has won every place he has been, and is nicknamed "The Special One".  They are the boys in blue from West London: Chelsea FC. Chelsea have always been one of the top teams in the Premier League, but this year there is something different about them. Owner Roman Abramovich shelled out a lot of money to ensure this. Reminiscent of the dominant Manchester United teams of this past decade and beyond, Chelsea are dominating, they are confident, and they are full of expensive depth. During the transfer window , manager Jose Mourinho brought in Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis, Didier Drogba, Loic Remy and Thibaut Courtois, among others. Add that firepower onto who they brought in last year: Andre Schurrle, Willian and Nemanja Matic. Oh but they leveled out the expenses by selling a lot of good players: David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku, Victor Moses, Juan Mata, Martin van Ginkel, Michael Essien, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard, Demba Ba and Ashley Cole just to name a few (yes a few). Chelsea has done a remarkable job building and buying their team, which makes some fans dislike them. I am one of those fans, mainly because I support Arsenal and Chelsea ate up all the good strikers on the market, leaving the Gunners with Danny Welbeck filling in for Olivier Giroud. Fan disdain for the Blues is beginning to rival the disdain for United, although nothing will bring a smile to the face of a fan then seeing United lose. Chelsea could probably beat the World Cup champions Germany right now. The duo of Fabregas to Costa has been unstoppable: in four games Cesc has six assists, and Costa has seven goals. Courtois pushed Petr Cech, the long time starter, out of the number one goalie slot. Eden Hazard continues to be one of the best young players in the world. Chelsea is clicking on all cylinders, evident by picking up every point thus far this season, with a goal differential of +9 to boot. They are the new Man. United. You hate to love them, and love to hate them.

Deadspin Paints Bob Kraft As A Hypocrite

I'm heated and I don't know why. This is something produced by Deadspin. Basically calling Patriots owner Bob Kraft a hypocrite because he says he is against domestic abuse, but oh wait, he once met Floyd Mayweather, a known abuser, during a Monday Night Football game last year and they were captured meeting on TV. Naturally the SHEEP that blindly follow Deadspin and take everything they say as the Bible were calling him a hypocrite and telling Kraft to screw himself and all that. I love it and hate it even though I shouldn't hate it because those people are morons. Kraft and Mayweather met ONE time, and it was on TV because it was a primetime football game and two very wealthy people in the sports business were meeting for the FIRST time. But now that Kraft says domestic abuse is bad he's a hypocrite? Why? Because he was seen with Mayweather briefly last year and hasn't been seen with him since? Implying that they're FRIENDS is asinine. They do not do business together, they don't invite each other to events, they met once. Oh but all the freaking internet trolls and Twitter Know-It-Alls are quick to call him a hypocrite. So I guess meeting somebody who abuses women makes you a supporter of domestic violence. THAT MAKES PLENTY OF SENSE. Seriously, FUCK all the people calling him a hypocrite. It is stupid. STUPID. Read a book for me one time you idiots.

The 2014 Premier League Transfer Window: The Most Expensive In History

Every professional sports league has its own free agency period, and when a notable player is not under contract it can be a frenzy to sign them for big money. The problem is that a big name player is needed to create hype around North American free agency. That is what makes the European soccer “Transfer Window” so special. First off, there are two opportunities, one in the summer offseason and one midway through the season in January. Two chances to get a big name and create a splash. But the other beautiful thing about the Transfer Window is that any player, no matter their contract situation, can move teams, either permanently or “on loan”; basically a rental. 

Big names that moved clubs. From top left and clockwise: Angel di Maria, Mario Balotelli, Luis Suarez, Shinji Kagawa, James Rodriguez, and Alexis Sanchez. All shown with their new teams.

The most recent Transfer Window closed on September 1, 2014 at 11 PM (British time), and the final numbers at the end of the day were nothing short of staggering. According to Forbes.com, the total gross spending of Premier League clubs alone was 835 million British Pounds. To put that into perspective that is nearly 1.4 BILLION U.S. dollars. This is due in part to improved broadcast deals for the league, mainly with the United States, meaning there is more money to spend. Manchester United is often compared to the New York Yankees due to their deep pockets and frivolous spending, and the Red Devils flexed their muscle this summer, leading the league with a £150 million gross spending spree; roughly 16% of the Premier League’s gross total. That trumps Liverpool, the next highest spender, by £23 million. But then we look at net spending, because every team also sold players which cuts into the gross expenditure, and United still topped the rest of the pack with a net spend of £122 million; 30% of the total net spending by the entire league. Yes, a single team was almost a third of the leagues net outlay.  Across all leagues in Europe big names and stars of the World Cup swapped clubs, including James Rodriguez, Mario Balotelli, Luis Suarez, Alexis Sanchez, and Radamel Falcao.  Some of the biggest stars in the game move to new clubs within a summer, something rarely seen in America, and there is so much hype and media generated by this event. Fans stay up all hours of the day to see the latest signings, and there are television shows across the UK dedicated to the final hours. It’s treated like a national holiday. So, I will be the one to say it: soccer has the best free agency period, and it’s not even close. 

Radamel Falcao after his move to Old Trafford