May the best team win!

Euro 2008 is officially over with Spain lifting the trophy after 44 long years. The general consensus is that one of, if not the best team has won it, even though many of the pundits had their doubts. For me they were the most complete team with an athletic, although sometimes suspect defense, a fluid midfield and a lethal attack. Their only negative was the "underachievers" tag which is always attributed to Spain, but hopefully this will now change.

The final itself was not an especially great match, but you couldn't help but admire Spain's fluidity. Xavi was justly named player of the tournament as it was his movement and passing which made the team tick. But not naming the rest of that midfield would be a disservice to players such as Senna who provided a strong shield to the back four, Silva and Iniesta who created chances for themselves or their teammates and Fabregas who was always dangerous in the final third. Special mention also goes to Xabi Alonso who was simply in imperious form when given the chance, especially against Greece.

Betting-wise, my bets proved to be profitable. The fact that two of my four picks (Germany, Spain, Italy and Croatia) made it to the final meant that a cover bet was not necessary. A total outlay of 14.22 units on these four picks, with a return of 4.17 x 6.00 = 25.02 units for the winner, means a yield of 75.9% which is not bad for a start. [On a side note, I am planning to keep track of these tips and who knows, maybe sometime they will prove profitable for other people too!]

Now that Euro 2008 has finished and the transfer window is officially open, teams will turn to improve their squads. Scolari has been busy at Chelsea signing Deco for an estimated £8m while Arsenal and Liverpool will soon be sealing the signings of Samir Nasri and Andrea Dossena respectively. Further comment on the transfer dealings will be coming soon. Until then, I am off to enjoy the Euro 2008 winnings .... not!

A great season ahead?

A couple of days ago, Man Utd managed to add to their two European Cup (Champions' League) wins with a third trophy, cutting down Liverpool's lead of European Cups to two (still!). This, after securing a 17th league title compared to Liverpool's 18 (yes, I know the last one was in 1990, no need to be reminded!). On the other hand, Chelsea, for all their spending, high wages, fantasy signings etc, not only lost in their first Champions' League final appearance but also ended their season empty-handed. In my mind, all the above points to one thing: next year will be one hell of a league race!

And I'll explain: Without being privy to Chelsea's financial accounts and/or their transfer targets, my gut feeling says that this summer, they will spend. In fact, spend BIG, even by their standards! They've already agreed with Portuguese right back Jose Bosingwa for a cool £16.2m and following both their Champions' League final disappointment and an anticipated possible exodus of players, it would seem that Abramovich may embark on a shopping spree. Even though putting 11 world-class footballers playing together, does not necessarily mean that you have a world-class team, it certainly helps!

Then you have Man Utd with their manager who will be more than poised to equal Liverpool's record number of league titles as well as further reducing the gap in the European Cups leaderboard. Or to put it more eloquently, as Ferguson once said, "... to knock Liverpool off their fucking perch!". That's before mentioning possible additions to their squad, with the acquisition of a top-class striker being muted.

For the exact same reason (i.e. the title of the "most successful football club in the history of English football", no matter how valid or not this title actually is) Liverpool will probably be equally poised not to relinquish their lead that easily. Add to that the pressure on Rafa's back to deliver the title and I believe that the Reds will really go for it next year. Of course, this is easier said than done, with Liverpool also needing improvement to compliment the team's strong spine of players. So far the only confirmed arrival is the free transfer of Borussia Dortmund's Philipp Degen who, like Bosingwa, is also a right-back. A number of names are being branded about but I always prefer to wait before getting hopes and expectations up, until the new signings are actually paraded in Anfield (I know, it's boring, but saves a lot of the what and ifs) ...

Finally Arsenal which, in my opinion, are a conundrum. They are capable of breathtaking football, but are equally prone to lapses of concentration and/or the burden of pressure. With a manager that may also come under pressure (the Gunners' last trophy was the FA Cup back in 2005), Wenger's team will be a match to anybody. It would also depend on the ins and outs of the summer with Mathieu Flamini having already agreed a move to AC Milan.

The summer transfer window is almost upon us with the fight for players' signatures having already started. The transfer window being a prelude to the battle on the football pitches which will commence in August. But until then, there's Euro 2008 to look forward to. But that's another (blog) story...

A new start ...

Not too sure how this whole blogging business is working but I am positive I will eventually get the hang of it. As for the blog itself, I guess "Research Ability" or even "Researchability" can mean a lot of things and be applied to a whole lot others, so no clear direction has been chosen ... yet! Based on the links on the right, there is football (in the English an not the American sense), Liverpool FC, and the start of the new transfer window, for now. In the future, there's bound to be statistics, finance, academia, betting, and a few other topics covered.

"A new start..." can have different meanings, too! It could be a blog, a new job, even a newborn baby; or it could be all at the same time. Feel free to let me know what you think.