The GoalChatter Radio Show hosted by Aleks V.
The GoalChatter Radio Show hosted by Aleks V.
- EPL manager sackings, feat. AVB
- UCL/UEL knockout stage draws
- RPL transfer window update
This week's show:
It's odd to see more than half of the season played before the winter break, but that's only one bit of the strange character the championship has taken on this year. From a failing Anzhi to a rising Dynamo and slippery Zenit, nobody could have predicted the surprises that came with the 2013-14 Russian Premier League.
Amkar, the Unlikely Stunners
One of the best defensive sides, Amkar are also the only team that has not lost a single game at home thus far. The Red-and-Blacks were one of the dark horses that gave Zenit a run for their money with a 1:1 draw, with defender Thomas Phibel opening the score, and Zenit striker Danny putting in the equalizer in the first half after a poor clearance by Semyonov. They may not have made too many chances themselves, but Amkar held off the St Petersburg side for the entire 2nd half. Keeper Narubin fended off Luciano Spalletti's goal-hungry team, causing moments of frustration for Hulk and Kerzhakov. The Perm side have also beaten Spartak, Dynamo and Kuban.
Best Away Team - Lokomotiv Moscow
The Railroaders have the best away record. They're 7-2-2 and have scored the second-most goals as visitors (22). With last season's 9th place finish and a lack in managerial stability since 2005, it was hard to picture Lokomotiv as a serious title contender. That all changed when Leonid Kuchuk took to the managerial helm. The former Kuban manager extended his 12-match unbeaten streak to two more games with the Railroaders before they fell 1:2 to CSKA in the Moscow derby. They also seemed to have trouble against Spalletti's side. Kuchuk's men more than made up for their faults, however, by beating Spartak, as well as getting two wins each against Dynamo and Kuchuk's former side, Kuban. Lokomotiv are currently tied with league-toppers Zenit and will be looking to extend their 3-game unbeaten run next year.
The Enigmatic Rostov
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| Hulk vies for the ball in Rostov's 2:0 win against Zenit. Photo: RFPL |
FC Ural
Despite being second to last in the league table, Ural have shown they've got some pretty skilled players, like defender Chisamba Lungu. They're held back by having gone through too many changes in too short a time span. They've changed managers 5 times in the past 2 years, while 16 players left the club in the last transfer window. Along with Anzhi, Ural are the only team to not have won a single home game. They've also conceded the most goals at home (25) of any team, and, along with Volga, have conceded the most goals overall (37 in 19 games). With the impending onslaught from teams in the top and middle of the table, getting out of the relegation zone is highly unlikely.
Rubin Kazan
Despite retaining their status as the best defensive side in the PL, Rubin seemed to have forgotten about the other half of the equation. With 24 points after 19 games, they're in a 4-way tie with Krylya, Kuban and Rostov. Their challenge: balancing their Europa League efforts (they were unbeaten in the group stage) with the domestic championship.
Predicted end-of-season finish: 9th
CSKA Moscow
If anything, the first half of the season showcased both the strong and weak points of the Army Men. They can be creative without a striker, incorporating the midfield and defensive players, but that strategy is by no means a universal solution against any opponent. You can get a slew of set pieces against a defensive side, but an attacking team that forces the Army Men to leave behind too much space by pushing the whole team forward wreaks havoc. With Vagner Love in China and Doumbia's difficulty in recovering from last season's injury, Leonid Slutsky's side will continue to lose points and any hope in a top 4 finish if not for some shopping in the winter transfer window.
Predicted finish: 4th
Terek Grozny
3rd from last in the relegation zone, Terek failed to follow up their amazing run last season (they ended in 8th, the best result in the club's history). Things began to go downhill after manager Stanislav Cherchesov left to Amkar Perm, currently 7th in the league compared with 14th-place Terek. The difference is quite noticeable: along with Anzhi, Terek are the only other side that have not won a single away game this season. With so much more competition this time around, it's highly unlikely they'll make it higher than 10th.
Dynamo Moscow
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| Dynamo players celebrate their goal against Zenit. Photo: RFPL |
Predicted finish: 4th or 5th
Anzhi
The only team to have not won a single game (0-8-11), it's almost impossible to fathom that this team finished 3rd last season. With more than half the team gone after the last transfer window and two managerial changes, Anzhi are starting from scratch in mid-season. Eventually, the management decided that fifth time's a charm and invited former Krylya manager Gadzhi Gadzhiev to take over from Rene Muelensteen. The familiar route may be just what Anzhi need to step it up next season, but they'll have to duke it out in the relegation playoffs first.
Zenit St Petersburg
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| Hulk leads Zenit past CSKA. Photo: RFPL |
Spartak Moscow
The red-and-whites finished 4th last season, and are currently title contenders thanks to Valeri Karpin. Away games against the bigger sides, however, seem to be Spartak's achilles heel. Of the few games they've lost so far this season, their biggest was the 4:2 defeat away against Zenit (ironically, Karpin's men beat Spalletti's with the same score in the 16th round). They've had a similar issue against CSKA, whom they beat 3:0 and later lost 1:0 against. The only two teams Karpin's men haven't beaten or drawn against? Amkar and Lokomotiv.
Krasnodar
The better of the Kransodar sides, FC Krasnodar have shown considerable progress under new manager Oleg Kononov. Despite a good record at home, they did manage to get a 0:1 win against Rubin at Kazan. A solid mid-table team, they left for the winter break on a high note, beating CSKA 1:0 at home.
Tom Tomsk
Tom Tomsk was one of the teams that looked promising after the last transfer window, having acquired 19 new players, mostly from other RPL sides. Unfortunately, the club failed to extend the contract of then-manager Sergei Perednya, who led the team to 2nd place and promotion to the Premier League just one season after their 15th-place finish in the First Division. So far, Tomsk have lost 12 out of 19 games, the most of any team this season.
Volga
One of the other interesting mid-table teams, Volga caused quite a few problems for Dynamo in the opening game of the season, leading 0:2 for 25 minutes away at Arena Khimki and having to deal with a draw. Unfortunately, the rest of the season was a series of defeats and small victories against their less-savvy opponents. They lost their last two games before the break, one of which was a devastating 6:1 defeat at Spartak. Volga will need to step it up in 2014 to avoid the relegation spots. The transfer window provides a perfect opportunity to strengthen both the defense and the attack.
Krylya Sovetov Samara
Along with Rubin, Krylya are the ultimate mid-table team, having drawn the most games (9 out of 19) since the season began. Having survived last season's relegation playoffs for another shot at the PL, the ever-unstable Krylya now find themselves in a 3-way tie with Kuban and Rostov, but are unlikely to finish above either side.
FC Kuban
Kuban Krasnodar are a formidable side in the attack, and they made it known in their draws against Zenit and Spartak. They have goalkeeper and team captain Belenov to thank for much of their success as well. Kuban will likely remain near the middle of the table at the end of the season.
Predicted end-of-season table:
1 Zenit*
2 Spartak
3 Lokomotiv
4 CSKA
5 Dynamo
6 Krasnodar
7 Rostov
8 Amkar
9 Rubin
10 Kuban
11 Krylya
12 Volga
13 Terek
14 Ural
15 Tomsk
16 Anzhi
This week's show:
- MLS Cup: final thoughts on SKC vs RSL
- UCL and UEL roundup
- RPL 2013 analysis
- Games of the Week
CONNECT WITH GOALCHATTER!!!
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| New York loves futbol. Photo: Aleks V Arts |
Where
does one find a chunk of land in New York City large enough to build
a soccer stadium on? The owners of New York City Football Club are
asking the same question. As the twentieth addition to Major League
Soccer, NYCFC has tremendous commercial potential. Imagine an MLS
team in the largest American city, where the number of soccer fans
skyrocketed after Italy's victory in the 2006 World Cup and continues
to grow as more TV channels broadcast soccer games.
Speculation
on NYCFC's future home has left fans across the city divided in
support of their boroughs. No matter what other locations are
introduced, however, Yankee Stadium is the best option to host NYCFC.
Bronx
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. voiced his support for bringing
soccer to his borough. Ironically, he backed the building of a new
arena while pointing to the success of soccer games at Yankee
Stadium. Why waste millions when the solution is staring you right in
the face?
The
attendance for baseball at Yankee Stadium was dramatically low this
past spring, averaging below 40,000 fans per game. Ticket sales are
the primary source of revenue for the Yankees, bringing in almost
twice the amount of money as the sales of broadcasting rights. NYCFC
would rectify the Yankees’ revenue woes. No one would have to
resort to lowering ticket prices either!
For
now, Yankee Stadium is only being considered as a temporary home for
the team. Yet there are many advantages of keeping soccer there that
are being overlooked.
Yankee
Stadium is incredibly accessible. Numerous subway lines can transport
the average New Yorker to the arena from anywhere in the city, thanks
to the many transfers available along the way at stations like
Atlantic Avenue.
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| Fans gather for a Soccer Series game. Photo: Aleks V Arts |
The
success of the Soccer Series games at Yankee Stadium underscores the
point further. Each game pitted Europe's biggest teams, like Real
Madrid and AC Milan, against each other. With 40-45,000 fans
attending each game, the stadium picked up enormous revenue not just
from ticket sales, but also from the sales of food, drinks and team
merchandise. If soccer games that are held only twice a year at the
arena can sell out, why shouldn’t a team play here year round?
Skeptics may point to the fact that Real Madrid and AC Milan are
world-famous teams with ready-made fan bases. They're forgetting that
NYCFC's majority owners are Manchester City, one of the biggest (and
wealthiest) franchises in soccer. Besides, as a new team, NYCFC will
need to be advertised and build a following no matter where it’s
playing.
What’s
more, old-time soccer enthusiasts will be swept off their feet with
nostalgia, recalling the days that Yankee Stadium hosted the New York
Cosmos in the 1970's. There's nothing more marketable than a blast
from the city's past.
Still,
the folks behind NYCFC seem more interested in building an all-new,
soccer-specific arena in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. The
park already holds Citi Field, home to the New York Mets, as well as
the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the US
Open tennis tournament. Avid soccer fans in Queens were thrilled at
the possibility of no longer having to travel to New Jersey to watch
New York's only MLS team, the Red Bulls, and to have a local team of
their own, but what about the rest of us? It's easy to drive there,
but not everyone owns a car.
Besides,
baseball and tennis enthusiasts attending games in Corona Park are
unlikely to jump on the MLS bandwagon. Spending time and money into
coaxing fans of other sports to “convert” to soccer is almost as
laughable as trying to get Miley Cyrus fans to attend Metallica
shows.
Both
the past and present of Yankee Stadium, as well as the current
popularity of soccer in the city show that fans will hand over their
cash as soon as they get the chance. So NYCFC owners, quit stalling.
Time is of the essence. Get out your thinking caps - preferably those
with the Yankees logo - and show us all that two sports can benefit
by pursuing a common goal: the happiness of the investors and the
fans.
This week's show:
- FIFA World Cup 2014 Draw
- MLS Cup preview - Sporting Kansas City vs Real Salt Lake
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