The Lions' Pride

Saw that this morning. It could ignite a striker shakeup (Torres?), but El Clasico showed again that Barca doesn't need an out and out striker to be affective. Their movement and interplay is plenty to put the ball in the net.

Champions League knockout stages:

Lyon v APOEL Nicosia
Napoli v Chelsea
AC Milan v Arsenal
FC Basel v Bayern Munich
Leverkusen v Barcelona
CSKA v Real Madrid
Zenit v Benfica
Marseille v Inter Milan

Tough draws for the English squads.

I'll take:
APOEL to continue the Cindarella ride for one more round
Chelsea (though I wouldn't be shocked whatsoever if Napoli wins)
Milan
Munchen
Barca
Real
Benfica
Inter (although, I also could see Marseille winning that tie)

Cavani isn't moving midseason. He could move next summer, but Napoli has essentially blown off their domestic season for the sake of UCL. He would be Cup tied anyways. I think Drogba sticks until the end of the season, and Chelsea makes a striker move over the summer. They will grab a midfielder/winger and central defender though, IMO.

My unofficial wishlist...

1. Pato: Depends on Tevez, but cheaper and more physical than Neymar. Better long-term fit in England than Cavani IMO. Close friends with Luiz and Ramires.
1a. Higuain: If no Pato, he's the next choice. Built for the EPL, and Real is overstocked with strikers.
2. Tiote: Would provide perfect balance to the midfield. True replacement to Essien. Would also make Mikel dispensible if necessary. Competition will be fierce...wanted by pretty much the entire Big 6.
3. Cahill: Young, dependable, cheaper than Godin.
4. Inkoom: Young, physical, athletic fullback. Van der Wiel sounds like he's headed to Valencia.
5. de Bruyne: Winger of the future.

Losing out on Vargas hurts, but de Bruyne would still do well...and he wants to be here. Downside is that he's cup-tied, and not ready to contribute fully with the first team yet. I'm sure they'll look for a more experienced winger.

I'm excited for tomorrow's game. I think it will be close regardless of Spurs' injuries. Chelsea is still mightily struggling to generate offense, minus Sturridge. They've solidified a little defensively, but are still susceptible to counter-attack and boneheaded errors under pressure. Spurs still have enough quality with Adebayor, VdV, and Modric to create havoc. I think Bale gives it a go as well.

I don't think Cahill is an 'over the moon' prospect, but he's an upgrade from Alex and we need a replacement for Terry. If anything, it provides better depth and didn't cost a fortune. We still need a fullback...preferably a right back...to truly round out the back line. We were heavy after Van der Wiel, but he's heading to Spain...so I'd go with Inkoom. He wanted to come here in August...very young, strong, and athletic.

It's imperative at some point that we get another center forward. If AVB is determined to stick with the 4-3-3, it needs to happen. Sturridge and Lukaku are the future, but Drogba is leaving (could be leaving for Marseille or Shanghai before the African Cup) by the summer and Torres is the neverending enigma. We're strong on the wings with Mata and Sturridge...the right center forward would form a dangerous line. Pato makes a lot of sense. He's physically built for the EPL. He's second fiddle to Ibra and Robinho at Milan. If they get Tevez, he's lacking opportunities. He's really close with Ramires and Luiz. Just seems to make sense.

My dream lineup for 2012...

Ivanovic Cahill Luiz Cole
(Inkoom) (Terry) (Bertrand)

Tiote
(Romeu)
Ramires
(Essien, McEchran)
Gotze
(Mierles)

Sturridge Pato Mata
(???) (Torres, Lukaku) (de Bruyne)

Sell Bosingwa, Mikel, Lampard, Drogba, Kalou, and Malouda. Pay the price for Gotze, Pato, Tiote, de Bruyne, and Inkoom. Look for another winger. Get younger, tougher, faster.

Word today is that Newcastle has emerged as the leader for Vertonghen. They have cash to spend. Arsenal and Man City also interested in addition to Spurs.

Chelsea's updated top targets...
1. Higuain
2. Krasic
3. Barrios
4. Cahill***

And...Milan are now rumored to be interested in Torres if a deal for Tevez falls through. I can't see that happening...yet. Frankly, I don't see Barrios as a fit either. Higuain yes, but I still prefer Pato. Krasic would be a terrific fit...fills a huge need at right wing and opens up more opportunities for Sturridge to play in the middle. Could swap Alex as part of the deal. Still hope we chase a fullback too.

Arsenal are looking to make a big splash too...with Wayne Bridge. Bwahahahahahahaha.

Only got to see about 2/3 of the match. Solid stuff all around. Quite honestly, thought Ade was onside for the disallowed goal. But great game back and forth. Could be a tribute to attacking style or a result of mediocre to bad defense. I'll stick with the first.

Either way, I'll take a point lead for 3rd with a game in hand heading into the holiday season.

Revised hopes for January:
Gio Dos Santos and Super Pav out.

Junior Hoilett in.
Another centre half.
A flyer on a young GK.

Alright...it's revived from the dead.

Wanted to thank the Gooners for taking some dead weight off our hands...

I hope so. Spurs need to come back down to earth a little bit to help everyone fighting for UCL spots. Somehow, I doubt it.

He was definitely offside, but it was the class one would expect of Henry. He doesn't score many goals which lack class...except against Ireland...

No reason for Spurs to come back to earth, but I think you'll see them a bit tired by the holiday schedule. They could have made a significant move, but the draw with Swansea was a killer.

King tore his hamstring for the 234th year in a row, so getting Samba is paramount. Bringing Hoilett with him would be great. Lots of rumors to sift through for the next 3 weeks. Hopefully they keep pressure on the Manchester clubs and continue to get points out of these matches.

Diddy - me too on Fifa. As for Samba, it just seems so obvious doesn't it? Plus 'Arry's loved him forever. Agreed on Remy - they were after him prior to his switch to Marseille and didn't pull the trigger. They should now, however. With Ade unlikely to stay past this year due to his wages, another forward is huge to keeping up some success and hopefully another decent spurt through the CL.

Once the stadium thing settles, they should have cash, but they really really need to rake in that CL money next year.