Who Is The Player of the Tournament So Far?

My wife and I moved into our new house over the weekend.  Turns out that moving is a lot of work and priorities must be set.  On Saturday morning with a house full of boxes, we navigated our new neighborhood and found a gigantic sports bar that was showing the game to very few people watching.  My wife was bitterly disappointed that Argentina showed so poorly (if I hadn't mentioned it, she spent a lot of time in Argentina while she was in high school and college so her second favorite national team after the US is Argentina) there wasn't much hope of breaking away from the moving chores for the later match.  This led to more text messages than usual between me and Jeremy over the course of Spain/Paraguay. 

Aside from the insanity of the two missed PKs and the one re-called make in-between, the conversation turned to the following topic..."Who is the man of the tournament thus far?"  We're down to four teams and unless someone who has played reasonably well to this point has an incredible "Final Four" then we probably already have our finalists.  In my mind, the obvious candidates are (in no particular order):

1. Mueller, GER - He won't get to play in the semi-final but he's been in the right place at the right time all tournament.  He doesn't have the outrageous skill of a Ronaldo or a Messi but he always seems to be in the right place, make the right pass, strike the ball solidly, and make something happen in a way that neither Ronaldo nor Messi were able to do in this tournament.
2. Sneijder, HOL - I can't say I love his game but it certainly has been effective for the Dutch thus far.  Maybe the Special One has rubbed off on him but he seems to be more able to stay in control and keep his team together than in years past.
3. Forlan, URU - I think I've enjoyed watching him play more than any other single player in the tournament.  Uruguay haven't had a very difficult road to the semis but you can hardly blame that on Forlan.  He has been everywhere showing great passing, strong set pieces, orchestration in the attacking half of midfield, and a vicious strike from distance.  Tell me again why striker-shy ManYoo let this guy go.
4. Villa, SPA - Spain hasn't been all that impressive really but they've won and he's scored the goals so hard not to put him in the conversation.

So, who is my pick for my man of the tournament so far? One of this blog's favorite gunners (not to be confused with Gunners) from last season's Premier League Fantasy season.  That's right, Mr. Kevin Prince Boateng.  What you say? You're picking a guy who went out in the Quarterfinals to a back water South American team? Yup.


Why KPB? His has been by far the greatest impact in the tournament.  His influence on this tournament is so great that he started making it in May.  I'm referring, of course, to the tackle that crocked Michael Ballack and left Mueller and Ozil with the freedom to run wild in midfield.  If you think that the confidence and flair that those two are playing with for Germany would have come out with Old Man Ballack getting starts for Lifetime Achievement as opposed to current skill/capability then you're crazy.  Ballack's shadow would have been cast over the entire German side and I'm guessing they would have gone out early.  With Ballack gone, Mueller and Ozil could take control and not worry about sharing the spaces in the center of the midfield with the now-plodding, toothless veteran. 

Oh yeah, outside of his unintentional influence on the tournament, Boateng also scored a critical goal that helped Ghana into the Quarterfinals and provided a lot of the attacking impetus that the Black Stars were missing with Michael Essien unavailable due to injury/the Chelsea Curse.


So, for all those things, congratulate KPB for winning the 2010 Fantasy Blog Man of the Tournament Award (at least until someone does something not to be believed in the semi-finals and/or finals).

Transfer Roundup

Foster joins Blues

Birmingham have completed the signing of Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster.

The England international has agreed a three-year contract and although Blues have not disclosed fee, it is reported to be around £6million.

West Bromwich Albion clinch Gabriel Tamas transfer

West Brom have signed Auxerre defender Gabriel Tamas on a permanent deal following his successful loan spell.

The Romania centre-back, 26, arrived at The Hawthorns back in January and played 26 games, scoring twice.

And while not directly impacting the Premier League, today's big news and possible domino signing (the transfer that gets other things moving, say Cesc, etc):

Barcelona sign striker Villa for $49M

(CNN) -- Barcelona have signed Spain striker David Villa from league rivals Valencia for $49 million, further boosting an already potent forward line.
The 28-year-old goalscorer will be in Barcelona on Thursday evening and will undergo a medical test on Friday morning, the Spanish champions said on their official Web site.

And speaking of Fabregas, the article continues:

Meanwhile, club president Joan Laporta has commented on rumors that Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is to make a return to the club he played for as a youth team player.

Fabregas has once again been strongly linked with leaving Arsenal amid media speculation that he wants to play once again for his home town club and Laporta said: "It's remarkable that a player should commit himself in this way (if the reports are true)

"If the club technical staff believe we need to make the extra effort and sign him, we'll speak to Arsenal," Laporta added.