Wesley Sneijder joins Galatasaray from Inter Milan

Holland star Wesley Sneijder has permanently joined Turkish Super Lig giants Galatasaray.  The deal, reportedly for a fee of around €10 million, should be a snip for a player who at 28 years of age isn’t just still in his prime, but eminently capable of being one of the top five footballers in the world.

Sneijder’s time at Inter Milan had run its course.  His lavish wages – and perhaps his abrasive nature – didn’t fit with club President Massimo Moratti’s schemes for a leaner Internazionale; the result was his exile from the club in September for refusing a contract which would scale his wages back by a seven-figure sum.

Galatasaray’s fans went bonkers at Sneijder’s presentation, as well they might: the player is a precocious talent and is dressed entirely with the arrogance that often accompanies the artisan.

While the fact Sneijder was sold is interesting in itself, his impact on his new club will be well worth watching. While they are a quality team, Galatasaray are headlined by familiar names – Altintop, Riera, Melo, Elmander – rather than superstars.  It will be Sneijder (who will fit in slightly forward of Felipe Melo and behind Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz), Hamit Altintop and then then everyone else.  “The Smurf” will be called on to provide not only provide his trademark passing, but also a sense of the spectacular and confidence that Galatasaray are capable of beating anyone.

That he has moved reinforces again the nomadic nature of football.  While player movement has always been a fixture of the sport –Sneijder himself has moved emigrated three times – the number of truly great players who have changed club colours over the past five years is amazing. 

Scanning the Guardian’s recent list of the 100 best players in the world reveals that within that hundred, there have been 49 transfers since the conclusion of the most recent World Cup.  Twelve of these involve players listed as being in the Guardian’s Top 30.  Of those same 49, nineteen occurred before or during the current season.

Player movement is great.  It allows for a renewed interest not often seen in sports with salary caps, and provides for hope when perhaps the previous season there was none.  Even though Galatasaray are currently perched atop the Super Lig table, the addition of a world-class player like Wesley Sneijder gives their fans reason for excitement (and to set off flares) at the hope of further challenging Europe’s best teams.

What happened to Holland?

Courtesy: thearmchairpundits.com

The Netherlands whimpered one final time, threw up their hands and now stumble away from Northern Europe. Three losses in a tough group has left the Dutch with fractured egos, a burnished reputation and questions as to the continued viability of employing manager Bert van Marwijk. Eviction from the tournament was always a possibility, especially in a group in which they were drawn against three other top-ten teams. However, the manner of their dismissal should be cause for extreme conern.

A constant tone of discontent undermined the tenuous harmonies of South Africa, goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg played all three matches despite poor play and two quality replacements, the Dutch defence showed as much resilience as a wet rolling paper and key players like Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder showed only a fraction of their full qualities.

Should he have any hope of retaining his position, van Marwijk will have to talk very hard – and potentially very quickly – to justify his creation: a dysfunctional iteration of the Dutch national team. Under his watch, Holland have displayed sublime talent, occasional violent streaks and a penchant for restlessness.

Any hopes of the Oranje making the same impact as in the 2010 World Cup was improbable almost as soon as the tournament began. Starting left-back Erik Pieters withdrew because of injury, while central defender Joris Mathijsen appeared unable to recover from an injury suffered playing for his club side. Despite a strong qualification campaign, Dutch achievements from two years ago appeared an effort of overachievement.

Milan derby to decide Serie A

Rafael Benitez's short reign at Inter has already been overshadowed by the sparkle of his successor's. With the Nerazzurri following Brazilian Leonardo in a rapid climb up the Serie A standings, league-leading AC Milan appear scared of losing what, at one point, had been a double-digit lead in the points standings. Since Benitez's methodical approach was superseded by Leonardo just rolling the ball out and saying "Go play, boys", what was once a fifteen-point differential has been cut to two.

Both Inter forward Samuel Eto'o and Leonardo have gone on record as saying the derby won't decide the title race, but such talk is fatuous. This match is probably the most crucial in Italy for the entire year. Though there are several matches remaining for the season, a win for either could well mean the death-knell for their rivals' aspirations. Should the Rossoneri win, the gap would be five points again and breathing room. If the Nerazzurri triumph, they would overtake their nemeses and continue AC's poor-ish run of form - a mild slump which has seen their grasp on the title downgraded from "quite strong" to "quite shaky".

AC Milan are missing serial pest Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the man who has scored or assisted in over 40% of their goals this season, but could regain Andrea Pirlo from a lengthy injury-enforced absence. The loss of Ibrahimovic could well be compensated for by Nerazzurri centre-back Lucio, who is also suspended. Should Clarence Seedorf and Pirlo be required to play heavy minutes for Milan it could prove problematic as age and injury have currently robbed each of his ability to play ninety minutes of their best football.

It's likely that pace could prove the ultimate factor here as both defences struggle to cope with outright pace (doesn't everyone?) For Inter, the key will be - as always - Wesley Sneijder and his ability to get the ball to deadeyes Eto'o and Pazzini. His task will be made all the more difficult by the presence of Marc Van Bommel, the man for whom the term "Midfield Destroyer" was invented. The Rossoneri's speedy forward trident of Antonio Cassano, Robinho and Alexandre Pato are likely to be crucial in determining who will be Milan's (and probably Italy's) champion of 2011. Game on.