Sunday, October 2, 2011

Europhiles Notebook - Europe's Financial Elite

With so many clubs in Europe now owned or directly under the control of foreign multi-billionaires, the phenomena of sugar daddies owning clubs are not as rare as they once were. While foreign ownership is fast becoming the norm in leagues such as the English Premiership, there are now those teams which are a level above.


Having been bought by the financial elite, these clubs are playthings for stratospherically mega-rich owners for whom breaking the financial ceiling of transfer records while doling out astronomical wages is the rule rather than the exception. We review the performances and standing of some of Europe's richest clubs and see how they are doing with their monetary advantage.


Grading the Rich:


Manchester City - A - A few stumbles including a defeat at perennial juggernauts Bayern Munich aside, City have been in irrepressible form this season. At home, in the Premiership they have played attractive, explosive football that has seen them rise to the top of the table, tied with defending champions Manchester United on points. Having improved markedly under Roberto Mancini last season, they have taken the step up this year, to become outright contenders and consistent title challengers. Confident, composed and enviably deep, their squad is ready and willing for a fight on all four fronts. With the form displayed so far, they could well win a few pieces of silverware this season - and be the best looking such side to boot.


Malaga - B - Usurping the two mega-giants in Spain is always a tall ask, especially with a new team and so many fresh faces. However, under the command of canny operator Manuel Pellegrini, Malaga have made good on their pre-season promise to rise up the table and sit in the top four in Spain's Primera Liga. One loss, on the opening day at Sevilla, from six games and defeats of Getafe and Bilbao along the way, have been better than par for the course. Malaga remain unbeaten since their opening day reverse and their resilience and belief is outstanding for a team that has only just sat at the table of contention and expectation. A new power is indeed rising in Spain and the Champions' League could have a new debutante next Autumn.


PSG - B - Spending, the like that the French League had never seen, while stocking their squad with some of Ligue 1's most eye-watering talent has made PSG into title favourites even before a single ball had been kicked this season. The Parisian giants have made good on that billing by storming to the top of the table with consistent performances that have been more composed than crushing. Manager Antoine Kombouare has added talent shrewdly with only the astronomical purchase of Javier Pastore turning any heads. His team is well balanced, deep and acquitted itself well so far, despite an opening day loss in the league and their recent Europa League reverse at Bilbao.


Anzhi Makhachkala - C - Despite bold statements from their owners and the addition of veteran Brazilian warhorse Roberto Carlos and the financially doped addition of one of Europe's best strikers in Samuel Eto'o, the Russian upstarts have hardly impressed. Sitting in eighth place is below their basic remit after such a massive financial outlay while only one win in their last six games is not the form of a team expected to challenge on all fronts. Their team is unwieldy and they lack the balance and creativity required to express their ambitious spending. A cup defeat at Dinamo Moscow shows the gravity of the situation, as the established quartet from Moscow along with domestic powerhouses Zenit St. Petersburg, need to be conquered first.


Racing Santander - D - With an elusive and quiet owner, who allegedly boasts of heavy financial backing and multiple corporations, Santander have been fairly quiet. Their ambitions are unknown and their performances decidedly lacklustre as the club seeks to build on an 12th place finish last season. Manager Hector Cuper's appointment was the immediate change after the acquisition of the club in January 2011 and so far, no big name players have followed him to El Sardinero. At time of writing, Santander were still winless after their first six games of the season, sitting in 18th.


Chelsea - B - Once the beau of the ball with both the biggest bank balance and the strongest team, Chelsea's automatic hold on silverware in England has been steadily eroded with Manchester United's resurgence and Manchester City's emergence. They are still ridiculously rich and can command fees and salaries beyond the realm of belief to attract the best talent from around the globe. However, now they are merely one of many who can do so, and are third favourites at home while being no closer to winning the big prize in Europe. How far their stock has fallen can only be judged at season's end, but for a club owned by a football mad billionaire to simply be an also ran is a harsh reality for the first ever plaything of a sugar daddy.


Getafe - D - As a club that was bought only as recently as April 2011 by another super rich consortium from the Middle East, it escaped a lot of the newsprint devoted to its more illustrious counterparts. However, despite being undisclosed, their financial might is rumoured to be considerable and like Santander, their transfer dealings and ambition have been muted to escape the attentions of the rest of the financial elite. As it happens, fans may start to worry as last season's 16th placed club currently sit just outside the relegation spots in 17th and the club has won just one of its six games so far, despite showing plenty of fight at Real Madrid, where they lost 4-2 and recently at Malaga, where they led till the second last minute to go down 3-2.


Real Madrid - B - Despite not being bought by anyone outright, the fact remains that Real are still funded by combination of extremely generous banking and a financially blessed building tycoon who moonlights as its chairman. However, over a quarter of a billion in transfer spending in the past three seasons has seen the club come no closer to winning either the title at home or the Champions League abroad. For all their financial power, second only to City and Chelsea, Real's path to glory is still blocked by arch rivals Barcelona. Perhaps something different is in the offing but for a club that boasts coffers and ambition above anyone else on the planet. This season may yet prove different, but so far, Real are just very good without being excellent.



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