Is it Time for Lukaku to Return to Chelsea?

After Chelsea took care of their top priority, signing Jose Mourinho to manage the team, the focus has shifted to the transfer market and the search for a top striker. Chelsea has been rumored to be in talks with top forwards such as Edinson Cavani (Napoli) and Hulk (FC Zenit Saint Petersburg), but their best option might already be under contract.

Romelu Lukaku, who was on loan to West Bromwich Albion last season, has stated that he wants to return to the London squad for next season. Lukaku had a phenomenal season at West Brom, netting 17 goals in 35 games, including a hat trick vs Manchester United, in which he was inserted into the game as a second half substitute on the last day of the season. The 20 year old Belgian has often been compared to another former Chelsea star striker, Didier Drogba.

Lukaku is a tall, strong and agile player that has shown that he has ability to give opposing defenders fits in the offensive end of the field. His physical stature and imposing demeanor is what Chelsea have been missing since Drogba left at the end of the 2012 season. Combine that with the success he had last season playing for a lesser club in West Brom, and the fact he has experience playing against top Premier League defenders, and you have a player who is ready to take on the challenge of cracking Chlesea's starting 11.

Back in the 2010-2011 season, then current Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho was quoted as saying that he wanted to bring Lukaku over to Real Madrid. Lukaku later decided to join Chelsea, and now Mourninho has the chance to coach the player he insisted on obtaining a few years back.

Chelsea's current forwards Fernando Torres and Demba Ba were unable to be that model of consistency for the Blues up front. Torres, who actually had a quietly productive season, already has been rumored to be heading out of town, possibly to Napoli if they sell Cavani. Demba Ba is a nice player, but he's not a top quality striker for a top quality team. He would be a serviceable backup to Lukaku and/or anyone else Chelsea would buy. Mourinho was the one who brought in Didier Drogba, and was able to shape him into being one of the top forwards in the world. Lukaku has all the right tools to become even better than Drogba was in his prime, and just needs the opportunity and some guidance from "The Special One."

It's time for Lukaku to come home and join his fellow Belgian Eden Hazard in the mission to help Chelsea collect another trophy or two in the upcoming campaign.

2011-2012 English Premier League

Let the games begin! This weekend was the start of the 2011-2012 season for the English Premier League. Each of the 20 Premier League teams will play 38 games, for a total of 380 games to be played throughout the season.

Reigning EPL Champions, and 2011-2012 favorites, Manchester United, started off on the right foot with a 2-1 road win vs West Bromwich Albion. ManU narrowly escaped an opening week tie due to an own goal late in the match, when a cross by Ashley Young was deflected into the net by West Brom defenseman Steven Reid. ManU also survived some shaky play by their new 20 year old goalkeeper David De Gea. De Gea will have big shoes to fill in place of former keeper Edwin Van Der Sar who had retired after the end of last season. If the Reds want to repeat as champs, they will surely need some solid play from their young unproven keeper.

 

Another favorite to win the EPL, Chelsea, got off to a slow start in a road game against Stoke City. Chelsea played well, dominating the game for most of the time, but failed to put the ball in the net. The game finished in a 0-0 tie. Last seasons big name acquisition, Fernando Torres, played well in the first game of the season. This is in comparison to last season when Torres struggled after being transferred over from Liverpool in February. He's still not in top form, but Sunday's game was definitely a step in the right direction.

 

Other top contenders, Liverpool and Arsenal both failed to impress as they both came away with ties on Saturday. Liverpool had a 1-0  lead against Sunderland until the 58th minute when Seb Larson scored on a beautiful volley to make it 1-1.  Arsenal played Necastle, and got into a heated battle around the 73rd minute after the game started to get out of hand. Arsenal's Gervinho clearly dove in the box trying to draw a penalty after a failed to score. Newcastle's  Joey Barton took exception to the play and physically confronted Gervinho by grabbing him. The two then exchanged words and then Barton went down acting as if he’d been punched. This incident escalated out of hand and had players from both teams confronting each other. The referee gave  Gervinho, the Arsenal striker a red card, and decided to give Joey Barton yellow card for his involvement.

 

Top 3 finisher Manchester City is set to face off against Swansea City who is the first Welsh team to play in the EPL division since its formation in 1992. They are sure to have there hands full with Manchester City who finished the 2010-2011 season in 3rd which was their highest finish ever. With rumors swirling around their star forward Carlos Tevez, will Man City be able to come out with a victory? We shall see at 3pm.

In case you missed it: Messi's phenomenal goal vs Real Madrid

Lionel Messi's second goal during the first leg of the Champions League semifinal vs Real Madrid on April 26th. Barcelona won the game 2-0.

Red Bulls start off season on a tear

The New York Red Bulls are currently in 1st place through six games of the 2011 MLS season. The team is made up of a mix of International Superstars, MLS veterans, as well as some exciting young players.

Through six games, the Red Bulls defense has only let up two goals against. The strong defense, along with the hot goal scoring from Theirry Henry, Juan Agudelo, and Luke Rodgers has the Red Bulls atop of the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls are currently 3-1-2 though six games for a total of 11 points, 1st in the East and 3rd best in the MLS.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

The Red Bulls recently added midfielder and MLS veteran Dwayne De Rosario from Toronto FC. De Rosario is a Canadian International and has been a star in the MLS for years while playing for Toronto FC. He is a five-time All-MLS player and has won four championships in his career. His presence was immediately felt in his first game as a Red Bull.  De Rosario entered the game against the Houston Dynamo on April 2nd at halftime, and assisted on a goal two minutes later to tie the game at 1-1.

De Rosario has continued to help the Red Bull offense as the team has scored seven goals in their last two games, after scoring only two goals in their first four games. Although he has only one assist and no goals in his first four games, he has helped control the midfield and has had good chemistry with the other Red Bulls players.

If the Red Bulls continue playing the way they are playing now, they will surely be near the top of the Eastern Conference come season end. The MLS has been gaining interest as the surge of International Stars into the MLS continues.  The Red Bulls are sure to garner some interest from casual soccer fans as they have Superstars, a year old arena, and have been playing well. The Red Bulls have had an average of 16,000 fans in their first three games, and with the summer coming up and their recent play, that number is going to increase.