....and release.
Let's let out a deep breath, grab a paper cup of Gatorade and collapse into a heap.
Together we made it through the 2009-10 Premier League season.
As I've said in the past, I don't own a degree in medical science. Hopefully, the worst anyone suffered was a little sleep deprivation for getting for those early Saturday a.m. kickoffs or a numb butt check here from sitting on the couch.
However the stars we watch from afar each weekend (and a surprisingly high number of weekdays) barely limp home for the shortest possible offseason. Congrats if you're not playing at the World Cup, you'll get most of May and all of June off.
If you're a full level international, enjoy this next week or two and maybe you'll be able to sneak off to Mallorca or Cyprus -- if you're Gary Neville -- for a week of fun in the sun.
It's worth bringing this up, because although it's not fun to compare the world of sports to war, but the Premier League truly has become a war of attrition.
Just think -- it's an extreme example -- Owen Hargreaves almost missed two full seasons with injuries. Two years.
The Premier League loves to bill itself as the best and brightest league in the world, chock full of the biggest stars on the planet not tied down in Madrid, Milan or Barcelona.
If we took a list of the Prem's "marquee"* players: Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez and Frank Lampard, all except Lampard and Teve have seen a least a little time injured. Aside from Torres and Fabregas, all the listed players at least passed the 30-league games played plateau. (Torres only made it to 21, Cesc 27.)
* Marquee and star are probably interchangeable. For this exercise let's count players who are household names worldwide.
Perhaps this is a result since all the players named played on "Big Four" clubs meaning they're in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League (ok, in Liverpool's case the Europa League, too). This means a regular starter at one of these clubs could amass anywhere over 40 gamers per season. Gerrard, alone, in his career which began in 1998, has logged five 50+ appearance seasons.
No matter how physically fit, pro soccer players are going to get muscle pulls (the groin seems to be the killer) or stress fractures (think metatarsal). As Lou Brown said in the 1989 classic, "Major League" -- "Over 162 games and even tough guys get strained, a soar arm or a muscle pull." Sure he's talking about baseball, but the grind of the Premier League spread out over 10 months is nearly as bad as the Major League baseball season.
For what it's worth I went through the 20 Premier League clubs and realized how many "name" players spend good chunks of the year on the sideline.
It's hard enough chronicling the league on a weekly basis. Can't even begin to imagine the physical toll it takes on a body.
Time lost:
Rio Ferdinand (12 league matches); Emmanuel Adebayor (25)**; Andrey Arshavin (29), Robin van Persie (15); Mikel Arteta (22); Nemanja Vidic (23); Aaron Lennon (21); Michael Essien (14); Michael Owen (19); William Gallas (26); Jonathon Woodgate (3); Ledley King (19); Joleon Lescott (18); Glenn Johnson (25); Clint Dempsey (28); Andy Johnson (9); Phil Jagielka (11).
I'm probably omitting some long-term casualities, or others.
** ANC Duty, plus the Togo bus tragedy.
As I did this, two things I discovered were fascinating.
1) Darren Bent has played in all 37 matches.
2) Here's Aston Villa's season: James Milner (35); Gabriel Agbonlahor (35); John Carew (32); Ashley Young (36); Richard Dunne (34). In other words, Villa would have been in major trouble if it had somehow coaxed the fourth place finish. Martin O'Neill better know a secret, hidden bargain bin because he'll need a lot more legs if he puts any effort into the Europa League next season.
Not sure there's a big conclusion to be drawn from these observations.
If the grinding pace and grueling scheduling the reason for these injuries? Are they contact, Ryan Shawcross leg breaking tackles? Is it just part of the game?
It would seem, if you want want to put your eggs in the star-system basket, you best hope they stay healthy or you have some ready-made guys ready to step in.
One little thing:
UEFA apparently changed the playoff structure a bit. This happened last season. Flew over my head. Bad job outta me, regardless.
It's fairly complicated, but Spurs previous runs in the UEFA Cup factor into it. As it stands, the fourth place Premier League team is in the hopper with the fourth place teams from Spain/Italy and third place teams from Germany/France, along with the 10 remaining teams from the rest of the playoff rounds.
Under this scenario, it would actually be huge for Spurs to now push for third place over Arsenal.
Sunday:
All games, aside from WHU/Man City streaming on foxsoccer.tv
* Wolves v. Sunderland -- Nice end to the season for Wolves. Good to see Marcus Hahneman play a role in it, too. Problem is, with a revived Newcastle United coming up next season, Wolves look ready to emulate their mustard-colored brethren -- Hull City -- going back down to the Championship in season No. 2. Perhaps Wolves can take a page from Stoke City and play a game that isn't very appealing, but is resolute enough to lodge enough points for safety. It's amazing Wolves might be able to make a profit off Kevin Doyle, a striker who doesn't score. ... Sunderland? Nice little season, which ran out of gas early. Steve Bruce is always making moves, mainly in bulk with a couple panning out. The framework is there to be a team that can push for the top half, but getting another gun behind Bent is a must. Would Sunderland fans sign up for a place in the Europa League? That's about the best they can do for now. ... Wolves 1, Sunderland 1
* Arsenal v. Fulham -- Feel like I've made my points on Arsenal. If a top-tier keeper isn't purchased over the summer, I may have to turn in my blogging credentials. It is amazing, isn't it, that Fulham not Arsenal will be playing in a European final. As for this game, maybe Wenger throws out the kids and they sparkle, setting Gunners fans up for another false August. Arsenal can't screw up here, though, and lose because the difference between fourth and third place is fairly huge. Wenger can't piss away the automatic Champions Leagues spot, can he now? Fulham won't play anyone, since it's not worth risking the health for the Europa League Final. The Cottagers need to save some energy for the Reeperbahn anyhows. ... Arsenal 2, Fulham 1
* Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers -- Tough blow for Villa, losing one of its promising youngsters -- Fabian Delph -- a little while ago. If Delph, who should miss the first half of next season, were healthy he and Nathan Delfouneso would have given Villa some internal players to build on. Blackburn's biggest issue going forward is just making sure Sam Allardyce sticks around and keeps the dressing room on his side. Somehow he's figured out the right mix to coax enough results together. It's not pretty, but it works. ... Aston Villa 3, Blackburn 0
* Bolton v. Birmingham City -- Stuart Holden is on track to play in this one, actually giving Americans a reason to pay attention. Hopefully Alex McLeish's boys play nice. ... Bolton 2, Birmingham City 0
* Burnley v. Tottenham -- Burn-ley? How quick we are to forget. Hope the club invests properly, hopefully not in any Greek players. Wonder how motivated Spurs will be? After dousing 'Arry during his postgame interview Wednesday after beating Man City, it looks they might have gotten into the bubbly quite early. Is the chance to maybe finish third and ahead of Arsenal that big of a motivation? For the fans, yes, the players? Probably not. With the new UEFA math, wonder if someone in the Spurs backroom can go over how important it is for Spurs to try to finish third. The players might not be the smartest dudes, but they have to realize that third place is an automatic spot in the Champions League. And apologies to Mr. Redknapp for not praising him in my post about playing the preferred Bale-Modric-Huddlestone-Lennon/Bentley midfield. He went for it vs. City and it paid off. ... Burnley 1, Tottenham 1
* Chelsea v. Wigan Athletic -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) Outside of John Terry giving up two or more penalties, there isn't any way I don't see Chelsea winning this game. The Blues are going to huff, puff and eventually blow down the Wigan door. Sports are all about expecting the unexpected. That might be true, but don't expect Chelsea coughing it up at the Bridge Sunday. Chelsea have too many bullets and too many rifleman. ... Chelsea 4, Wigan 0
* Everton v. Portsmouth -- What are people thinking? Is Landon Donovan going to end up back at Goodison? The Toffees were borderline great, giving Chelsea and Arsenal a run for their money, with El Landito in the lineup. Better yet, can Everton keep would-be suitors away from Steven Pienaar, who'd look good in anyone's shirt? As with every summer, Everton will probably be forced to sell off at least one marquee player for the money. David Moyes remains MacGyver, molding a team that knows how to win with limited funds. Portsmouth, it's been fun. Best of luck. See you in the FA Cup. ... Everton 2, Portsmouth 0
* Hull City v. Liverpool -- Hey, look, it's the "Disgruntled Fans Bowl." Are Hull fans so upset by the mismanagement of the club that they'll make Liverpool fans jealous? At least Liverpool will be in the Prem next season, albeit without Champions League football. In a shocking statement, Tom Hicks admitted Liverpool isn't "his life." What's next, that you don't mess with Texas? ... Hull City 1, Liverpool 1
* Manchester United v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC+, 11 a.m.) Look, United probably aren't winning a fourth-straight Prem title. As a consolation, Darron Gibson, Kiko Macheda, Johnny Evans, Ritchie De Laet, etc. will get a crack at the MLS All-Stars in Houston. That's what we call a win-win situation. ... Manchester United 2, Stoke City 0
* West Ham United v. Manchester City -- (Live, ESPN2, 11 a.m.) Just a guess, but City lets out its frustrations this weekend at Upton Park. Wonder if West Ham can somehow coax the deep-pocketed City ownership to take Kieron Dyer, et al. off their payroll books. C'mon, he's fun at parties! ... West Ham 0, Manchester City 3
Last round: 5-5
Season: 186-177
Let's let out a deep breath, grab a paper cup of Gatorade and collapse into a heap.
Together we made it through the 2009-10 Premier League season.
As I've said in the past, I don't own a degree in medical science. Hopefully, the worst anyone suffered was a little sleep deprivation for getting for those early Saturday a.m. kickoffs or a numb butt check here from sitting on the couch.
However the stars we watch from afar each weekend (and a surprisingly high number of weekdays) barely limp home for the shortest possible offseason. Congrats if you're not playing at the World Cup, you'll get most of May and all of June off.
If you're a full level international, enjoy this next week or two and maybe you'll be able to sneak off to Mallorca or Cyprus -- if you're Gary Neville -- for a week of fun in the sun.
It's worth bringing this up, because although it's not fun to compare the world of sports to war, but the Premier League truly has become a war of attrition.
Just think -- it's an extreme example -- Owen Hargreaves almost missed two full seasons with injuries. Two years.
The Premier League loves to bill itself as the best and brightest league in the world, chock full of the biggest stars on the planet not tied down in Madrid, Milan or Barcelona.
If we took a list of the Prem's "marquee"* players: Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez and Frank Lampard, all except Lampard and Teve have seen a least a little time injured. Aside from Torres and Fabregas, all the listed players at least passed the 30-league games played plateau. (Torres only made it to 21, Cesc 27.)
* Marquee and star are probably interchangeable. For this exercise let's count players who are household names worldwide.
Perhaps this is a result since all the players named played on "Big Four" clubs meaning they're in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League (ok, in Liverpool's case the Europa League, too). This means a regular starter at one of these clubs could amass anywhere over 40 gamers per season. Gerrard, alone, in his career which began in 1998, has logged five 50+ appearance seasons.
No matter how physically fit, pro soccer players are going to get muscle pulls (the groin seems to be the killer) or stress fractures (think metatarsal). As Lou Brown said in the 1989 classic, "Major League" -- "Over 162 games and even tough guys get strained, a soar arm or a muscle pull." Sure he's talking about baseball, but the grind of the Premier League spread out over 10 months is nearly as bad as the Major League baseball season.
For what it's worth I went through the 20 Premier League clubs and realized how many "name" players spend good chunks of the year on the sideline.
It's hard enough chronicling the league on a weekly basis. Can't even begin to imagine the physical toll it takes on a body.
Time lost:
Rio Ferdinand (12 league matches); Emmanuel Adebayor (25)**; Andrey Arshavin (29), Robin van Persie (15); Mikel Arteta (22); Nemanja Vidic (23); Aaron Lennon (21); Michael Essien (14); Michael Owen (19); William Gallas (26); Jonathon Woodgate (3); Ledley King (19); Joleon Lescott (18); Glenn Johnson (25); Clint Dempsey (28); Andy Johnson (9); Phil Jagielka (11).
I'm probably omitting some long-term casualities, or others.
** ANC Duty, plus the Togo bus tragedy.
As I did this, two things I discovered were fascinating.
1) Darren Bent has played in all 37 matches.
2) Here's Aston Villa's season: James Milner (35); Gabriel Agbonlahor (35); John Carew (32); Ashley Young (36); Richard Dunne (34). In other words, Villa would have been in major trouble if it had somehow coaxed the fourth place finish. Martin O'Neill better know a secret, hidden bargain bin because he'll need a lot more legs if he puts any effort into the Europa League next season.
Not sure there's a big conclusion to be drawn from these observations.
If the grinding pace and grueling scheduling the reason for these injuries? Are they contact, Ryan Shawcross leg breaking tackles? Is it just part of the game?
It would seem, if you want want to put your eggs in the star-system basket, you best hope they stay healthy or you have some ready-made guys ready to step in.
One little thing:
UEFA apparently changed the playoff structure a bit. This happened last season. Flew over my head. Bad job outta me, regardless.
It's fairly complicated, but Spurs previous runs in the UEFA Cup factor into it. As it stands, the fourth place Premier League team is in the hopper with the fourth place teams from Spain/Italy and third place teams from Germany/France, along with the 10 remaining teams from the rest of the playoff rounds.
Under this scenario, it would actually be huge for Spurs to now push for third place over Arsenal.
Sunday:
All games, aside from WHU/Man City streaming on foxsoccer.tv
* Wolves v. Sunderland -- Nice end to the season for Wolves. Good to see Marcus Hahneman play a role in it, too. Problem is, with a revived Newcastle United coming up next season, Wolves look ready to emulate their mustard-colored brethren -- Hull City -- going back down to the Championship in season No. 2. Perhaps Wolves can take a page from Stoke City and play a game that isn't very appealing, but is resolute enough to lodge enough points for safety. It's amazing Wolves might be able to make a profit off Kevin Doyle, a striker who doesn't score. ... Sunderland? Nice little season, which ran out of gas early. Steve Bruce is always making moves, mainly in bulk with a couple panning out. The framework is there to be a team that can push for the top half, but getting another gun behind Bent is a must. Would Sunderland fans sign up for a place in the Europa League? That's about the best they can do for now. ... Wolves 1, Sunderland 1
* Arsenal v. Fulham -- Feel like I've made my points on Arsenal. If a top-tier keeper isn't purchased over the summer, I may have to turn in my blogging credentials. It is amazing, isn't it, that Fulham not Arsenal will be playing in a European final. As for this game, maybe Wenger throws out the kids and they sparkle, setting Gunners fans up for another false August. Arsenal can't screw up here, though, and lose because the difference between fourth and third place is fairly huge. Wenger can't piss away the automatic Champions Leagues spot, can he now? Fulham won't play anyone, since it's not worth risking the health for the Europa League Final. The Cottagers need to save some energy for the Reeperbahn anyhows. ... Arsenal 2, Fulham 1
* Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers -- Tough blow for Villa, losing one of its promising youngsters -- Fabian Delph -- a little while ago. If Delph, who should miss the first half of next season, were healthy he and Nathan Delfouneso would have given Villa some internal players to build on. Blackburn's biggest issue going forward is just making sure Sam Allardyce sticks around and keeps the dressing room on his side. Somehow he's figured out the right mix to coax enough results together. It's not pretty, but it works. ... Aston Villa 3, Blackburn 0
* Bolton v. Birmingham City -- Stuart Holden is on track to play in this one, actually giving Americans a reason to pay attention. Hopefully Alex McLeish's boys play nice. ... Bolton 2, Birmingham City 0
* Burnley v. Tottenham -- Burn-ley? How quick we are to forget. Hope the club invests properly, hopefully not in any Greek players. Wonder how motivated Spurs will be? After dousing 'Arry during his postgame interview Wednesday after beating Man City, it looks they might have gotten into the bubbly quite early. Is the chance to maybe finish third and ahead of Arsenal that big of a motivation? For the fans, yes, the players? Probably not. With the new UEFA math, wonder if someone in the Spurs backroom can go over how important it is for Spurs to try to finish third. The players might not be the smartest dudes, but they have to realize that third place is an automatic spot in the Champions League. And apologies to Mr. Redknapp for not praising him in my post about playing the preferred Bale-Modric-Huddlestone-Lennon/Bentley midfield. He went for it vs. City and it paid off. ... Burnley 1, Tottenham 1
* Chelsea v. Wigan Athletic -- (Live, FSC, 11 a.m.) Outside of John Terry giving up two or more penalties, there isn't any way I don't see Chelsea winning this game. The Blues are going to huff, puff and eventually blow down the Wigan door. Sports are all about expecting the unexpected. That might be true, but don't expect Chelsea coughing it up at the Bridge Sunday. Chelsea have too many bullets and too many rifleman. ... Chelsea 4, Wigan 0
* Everton v. Portsmouth -- What are people thinking? Is Landon Donovan going to end up back at Goodison? The Toffees were borderline great, giving Chelsea and Arsenal a run for their money, with El Landito in the lineup. Better yet, can Everton keep would-be suitors away from Steven Pienaar, who'd look good in anyone's shirt? As with every summer, Everton will probably be forced to sell off at least one marquee player for the money. David Moyes remains MacGyver, molding a team that knows how to win with limited funds. Portsmouth, it's been fun. Best of luck. See you in the FA Cup. ... Everton 2, Portsmouth 0
* Hull City v. Liverpool -- Hey, look, it's the "Disgruntled Fans Bowl." Are Hull fans so upset by the mismanagement of the club that they'll make Liverpool fans jealous? At least Liverpool will be in the Prem next season, albeit without Champions League football. In a shocking statement, Tom Hicks admitted Liverpool isn't "his life." What's next, that you don't mess with Texas? ... Hull City 1, Liverpool 1
* Manchester United v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC+, 11 a.m.) Look, United probably aren't winning a fourth-straight Prem title. As a consolation, Darron Gibson, Kiko Macheda, Johnny Evans, Ritchie De Laet, etc. will get a crack at the MLS All-Stars in Houston. That's what we call a win-win situation. ... Manchester United 2, Stoke City 0
* West Ham United v. Manchester City -- (Live, ESPN2, 11 a.m.) Just a guess, but City lets out its frustrations this weekend at Upton Park. Wonder if West Ham can somehow coax the deep-pocketed City ownership to take Kieron Dyer, et al. off their payroll books. C'mon, he's fun at parties! ... West Ham 0, Manchester City 3
Last round: 5-5
Season: 186-177
Labels: English Premier League, Prem Picks, Premier League, Soccer
The UEFA CL rules last year -- the first year -- were strange. There were 10 spots available for the group stage where clubs had to go through qualification rounds. Most of those teams were the champions of their respective team's leagues: 37 or so, all based on the UEFA coefficient's for that country. (53 total UEFA countries, and even SP Tre Fiori from San Marino got a spot in the 1st round of qualifying.) So 39 of those champion teams played through qualifying down to 5 teams that went to the group stages.
Then they also invited 15 non-champion teams that didn't get auto-group bids (lowest ranked country was Czech at #15 in the coeeficient rankings). Of those 15, the lowest 10 had a 2-legged playoff, then those 5 winners played the remaining 5 "Best placed" teams. Last year those 5 were: Arsenal (England); Atletico Madrid (Spain); Fiorentina (Italy); Lyon (France); & Stuttgart (Germany).
I believe, tho I can't remember now, that those top 5 teams were seeded, so that they could not be drawn against each other, and were drawn against the 5 prelim winners (which were Timisoara (Romania); Panathinaikos (Greece); Anderlecht (Belgium); Sporting (Portugal); & Celtic (Scotland)).
I bring all this up to show 2 things. A) the new rules last year definitely brought bigger hurdles to the 4th place EPL team, but B) they (apparently) did seed the highest teams so that, say, Lyon wouldn't play Arsenal in the playoff, knocking 1 team out of the CL before the group stages.
I haven't been able to find the 2010-2011 UEFA coefficients AND Access list for next year...I'm assuming that they're keeping it under wraps until the final in Madrid. It does start early, however; last summer the 1st Qualifying Round began on June 30.