Odds and Sods

Roma

Roma are coming off an excellent season, led by everyone’s favorite Francesco Totti, who won the European Golden Boot with 26 goals (31 in all competitions).  Their dynamic attacking style took the depleted league by storm as they finished 2nd in Serie A and won the Coppa Italia.  They also made the quarterfinals of the Champions League, before being booted by Manchester United.

Over the summer, they bolstered the defense by adding Brazilians Juan (Bayer Leverkeusen) and Cicinho (Real Madrid).  They also brought in French bete noire Ludovic Giuly from Barcelona to help out in midfield.  They have been off to a flying start so far, winning the Supercoppa as well as their first two Serie A matches without conceding a goal.  Man U may be the better squad on paper, but Roma have the firepower to put teams away when the Red Devils may struggle for goals.

Manchester United

Man U began by firing on all cylinders, and never looked back last season.  They won the Premier League in style, scoring 83 goals (even without a true striker).  They also made the FA Cup Final and the Semifinals of the Champions League, where they were defeated by eventual champion AC Milan.  Not content, Lord Ferg spent over 50mGBP in slick Glazer cash to supplement the squad with World Cup Standout Owen Hargreaves, with spunky midfielders Nani and Anderson, and with a Carlos Tevez for good measure.

Despite the supplements to the squad, Man U have been on nowhere near the form that won them the title last season.  Unable, due to suspension and injury, to field Rooney and Ronaldo, they have sputtered at the start earning 8 pts from 5 matches, and scoring a mere three goals.  There is probably too much talent not to get going eventually, but they will be distracted by their efforts to climb up the league table, which may hinder their performance in the group stages a bit.  The lack of depth in the group will keep them from dropping, however.

Sporting Portugal

The club formally known as Sporting Lisbon finished a close second in the Portuguese Liga, beaten by a frisky FC Porto who edged them by a mere point.  They participated in the Champions League, but were eliminated in the Group Stages after a last place finish in Group B.  Their major move over the summer, was the sale of Nani to Manchester United for 25.5m euros.  They currently sit 3rd in the league with 6 pts from 3 matches.

Dynamo Kyiv

Dynamo Kyiv won the Ukranian double last season, winning their 12th Ukranian title in 15 years, and their third straight Ukranian cup.  They participated in the Champions League as well, but were eliminated in the group stages after earning just 2 pts from 6 matches.  They bought an exciting 22 year-old Guinean striker named Ismael Bangoura from Le Mans, who currently has 4 goals in his first five matches for the club.  But, that won’t be enough to keep them around.