English Clubs Just Aren't Very Good This Year

It's an off year for English football. Despite all the money and hype, amid all the allegations of racist abuse and "handshakegate"s and other drama, English teams have consistently come up short in international competitions.

Take Arsenal. Here is a team that sit fourth in the English Premier League, which is good enough to make the UEFA Champions League next year. Other than one embarrassing display at Old Trafford in late August, Gunners have looked fully capable of hanging with the best teams in England.

Today, against AC Milan in the first elimination round of this year's UCL tourney, Gunners looked more like a youth side taking on the senior club -- or if you prefer a U.S.-centric comparison, the JVs facing the varsity. Either way, it wasn't pretty. Arsene Wenger's men were outplayed, outhustled and overwhelmed by the rossoneri, going down 4-0 in a game that frankly didn't look that close. The teams really didn't look like they belonged on the same pitch at the same time. Milan's pace was far faster, their passing crisper, their marking tighter. They made better runs in attack. Their goalkeeping was better. This was Arsenal's worst-ever defeat in European competition and one that, barring a miracle in the return leg, will leave them with nothing but the FA Cup and fourth place in the Prem to play for.

And it's not just Arse, either. Neither Manchester club (currently 1-2 in the Premiership) made it out of the group stage of this year's Champions League. That's just embarrassing considering the payroll disparities between the Mancunians and their group stage opponents, particularly in Man U's case (Otelul Gulati and FC Basel? Really?).

Or take the Europa League. Tottenham Hotspur were drawn into a group with teams from Ireland, Russia and Greece (Greece!) and couldn't even finish second. This is a club, Spurs, that are supposed to have a realistic shot at winning the league in the first time in (what might as well be) centuries. Birmingham City and Fulham didn't make it out of their groups either. I know there's a big gap between those clubs and the ones at the top of the Premiership table, but come on. Interestingly enough, the team with the toughest Europa League draw, Stoke City, actually qualified for the elimination round.

All of which begs the question: is this just a one year anomaly we are looking at? Or is the sun finally setting on the Premiership empire? Time will tell, but the signs are ominous. Last year's Champions League finale showed us just how far the gap has widened between the best team from Spain and its English counterpart. This year's Champions League and Europa League group stages demonstrated that English clubs at the very least play down to the level of inferior opponents, if they can indeed be called that. Today we saw that the fourth-placed Premiership side were little more than target practice for the top team in Italy.

What is the cause of this? That is another topic for another day but suffice it to say that it can't be economic, given all the petro and oligarch cash that has flooded the Premiership in recent years. That would mean that the players are certainly still world class. What about the coaching? We can sing the praises of Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp and others, and deservedly so, but maybe, just maybe their counterparts on the continent have overtaken them. Arsenal especially just seem to lack something this season that could suggest Wenger has lost his magic touch. Do English teams maybe have a handicap when it comes to fitness levels? Have they gotten sloppy with their defending? These things deserve a look. Stay tuned.

With Tim Ream, Bolton's Defense Gets Some Sorely-Needed Help

Tim Ream, whom Bolton acquired from the New York Red Bulls this week, is a quality defender and very nice young man who should help the team in its struggle against relegation. Bolton fans should just be advised against expecting too much, too soon.

I watched Ream closely the last two seasons at Red Bull and actually met with him a few times. He is humble, polite and well-spoken, a demeanor that (surprisingly perhaps for an American defender) is reflected in his appearance on the pitch. In his position in central defense, the St. Louis native is calm and collected. What he lacks in size and speed (again unusual for an American soccer player, much less one who was just acquired by a Premiership team) he makes up for in positioning, tackling skills and ability to read the game. His passing is underrated.

So the English press will certainly find a lot to like about the 24-year old (he turns 25 in October) and his midwestern levelheadedness. At Red Bull, he and his fiancee lived in a modest apartment and took public transport home from matches (true story, I ran into him once).

Still, Bolton should be advised against expecting a savior. In New York (actually New Jersey), Ream had the benefit of being a virtual unknown who wasn't even selected in the first round of the Major League Soccer draft. He had an entire preseason to get acquainted with his teammates and competition--with nobody watching, as MLS is essentially ignored by major media outlets. Additionally, Ream was a late bloomer who had not even been capped at any youth levels. So it's not even accurate to say expectations were low--there were no expectations. Quite literally: none.

At Bolton things will be a lot different. For one, there are the shoes of Gary Cahill to fill. And while the transfer fee of $2.75 million is chump change for the Man Citys and Chelseas of the world, it is a not insignificant amount for a club like Wanderers. Obviously the competition will be much fiercer. Premier league clubs have some of the best attackers on the planet in their ranks. An entirely different stratosphere from the guys who ply their trade in MLS.

Also, Ream's game is not flawless. There is the aforementioned lack of speed and strength, which could be lethal in a league as fast as the Premiership. Also, in his sophomore season in particular he suffered several mental lapses, which caught the ire of teammate Rafa Marquez. While the Mexican international is a notorious hothead whose views were denounced by coaches and teammates, they were not without merit, and Ream even admitted as much. There can also be concern about how much, if any "upside" there is left in a soon-to-be 25-year old defender whose professional experience is limited to North America and who has not always impressed in his few appearances with Jurgen Klinsmann's national side.

The stakes at the Reebok are great. With 19 points from 22 matches, the 17th-placed Trotters have no margin for error. This from a club that has conceded a league-worst 47 goals so far this season (and that was with Cahill). Two of the team's next four fixtures are against Chelsea and Manchester City. So Bolton don't only need Ream, they need him at the top of his game ready to contribute immediately. While there is reason to believe Ream will develop into a bonafide Premier Leaguer in time, that may be expecting a little too much.