Rifinitore

Liverpool Swoop for Ex-FM Wunderkid?

2010-05-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

Liverpool are rumoured to be interested in buying Valencia's young midfielder Ever Banega for a rumoured 9 million euros. While Valencia would prefer to recoup the original 18.5 million euros that they paid Boca Juniors for Banega, Valencia's well-known financial difficulties may force them to sell the highly-rated 21 year-old. While this is a far cry from the many rumours of big-money moves Silva and Villa, it would nevertheless be a coup for Liverpool to grab an excellent young player for such a reasonable price. Unlucky to be excluded from Maradona's World Cup squad, the Banega has impressed with his excellent passing and strong defensive work in central midfield.

Carragher to Return for England?!

2010-05-07T18:39:00.000-04:00

Reports are emanating from England that Liverpool's Jamie Carragher, who infamously retired from the English national team in 2007, has decided to come to his country's aid and make himself available for selection.
This would be good news for England, with several defensive players out with injuries, and Carra's experience, quality, and versatility would come in handy as an option for Capello. Given the fitness problems that almost all of England's center backs have experienced this season, Carragher would be invaluable were injury to strike Capello's likely first-choice pairing of Ferdinand and Terry, and given his ability to play as a right-back, England fans will be very happy with this news.

Cowardly Kop Crowns Conquering Chelski

2010-05-04T18:08:00.000-04:00

Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea

It has been a week to forget for Liverpool and their supporters. First the energy-sapping loss to Atletico, and then the not-unexpected loss to Chelsea. For a team that prides itself on it's fighting spirit, Liverpool were depressingly quick to capitulate after Chelsea's first goal. Gifted to them by Gerrard's tri-annual back-pass disaster, Drogba and Chelsea took their opportunity with aplomb, and brushed aside Liverpool with ease.

The match started as a pretty even affair, with both teams cautious and cagey. But then Gerrard intervened, playing a perfect pass back to Drogba, and with Pepe Reina unable to intercept, Drogba scored with ease. After that, the match was over. Any heart or desire Liverpool had until that point vanished, any confidence evaporated. Chelsea were solid defensively, and their attacking quartet of Drogba, Anelka, Malouda, and Kalou continuously caused Liverpool's makeshift defence problems. Gerrard never looked like imposing himself, and while Aquilani and Benayoun occasionally threatened Chelsea's defence, the rest of the Liverpool team seemed to have utterly lost heart, content merely to play the rest of the match out. It was no surprise when Lampard scored Chelsea's second; what was amazing was that Benayoun was the only man in the center of defence trying to prevent him from scoring. It was a depressingly apt end to the season Anfield. Chelsea have taken a crucial step towards securing the title, while Liverpool have confirmed that last year's efforts and hopes were merely a prelude to this year's crushing disappointments. Chelsea will be deserved Premiere League Champions, having won every match they've played against the so-called Big Four, and Liverpool have been no better than their depressing league position indicates.

Feghouli to Valencia?

2010-04-30T02:32:00.000-04:00

Rumours are circulating that Grenoble Foot 38 youngster Sofiane Feghouli is poised to move on a free transfer to Valencia. The 20 year-old is just waiting to put pen to paper to confirm his move from the relegated French side.
Hailed for his promising performances for Grenoble two years ago, the ambidextrous attacking-midfielder had a quieter season this year, but his potential mean that this could be a very smart move for financially-strained Valencia. Feghouli can play on either side as a winger, centrally, and as a traditional number 10.

Internazional Make Champions League Final

2010-04-28T17:30:00.001-04:00

For the first time since in 38 years, Inter Milan will be playing in the Champions League Final!

Mourinho has done what he was hired to, and transformed Inter from Champions League failures to Champions League Finalists. An incredibly disciplined performance from Inter at the Camp Nou means that Inter advance 3-2 on aggregate against previous winners and favourites Barcelona.

The match was as many expected, with Barcelona holding the ball in Inter's half of the field, probing for openings. With Xavi, Keita, Busquets, and Toure all playing, Barca weren't short of passing options, but as the game progressed it became clear that Barcelona's slow and steady approach might keep the ball away from Inter, but wasn't actually posing many problems to the Italian team. Inter themselves were looking vaguely threatening on the counter, with Eto'o's speed creating several potential openings, but they failed to ever test Valdez.

In the 28th minute, Motta was given a tremendously controversial second yellow card, resulting in his expulsion. He had raised his hand to ward off Busquets behind him, and while there was minimal contact, Busquets fell to the ground like he had been shot, with de Bleeckere showing no hesitation in bringing out the second yellow. Motta was furious, and grabbed Busquets by the neck, which predictably prompted more theatrics, but Motta eventually left the field. Mourinho was rightly furious, but while this should have been a game-changing decision, in reality there was little difference. Barcelona refused to alter their approach, and with Inter defending with 10 behind the ball as before, it was hard to notice any difference. The match looked like a training exercise, with the attack practicing against the defence. It was a contest that the defence was winning easily.

Barcelona's passing wasn't incisive, their off-the-ball movement slow and predictable, and more than anything, their unwillingness to sprint or take players on meant that Inter's defence was able to sit back and soak up the pressure. Julio Cesar was called in to action only once to make a good save, tipping out Messi's curling strike; Bojan headed wide when given the whole net to aim at, and Barca's two other chances resulted in goals, the first of which was created by a lucky blocked clearance, but was ruled out because of a handball that was clearly ball-to-hand. The second of course, was Piqué's neat turn-and-shot in the box in the 84th minute. While it looked off-sides from the angles I saw, it was excellent play from the defender to turn so calmly and roll the ball in to the net. Barcelona only increased the pressure after that point, but their lack of penetration ended up costing them dearly.
Inter defended with two banks of 4 throughout the match, and their intelligent and disciplined space-control meant that Barcelona were constantly forced to go wide with the ball, and with crosses guaranteed to be headed away by Inter's tall defenders, this was perfect for Mourinho. Guardiola should have learned his lesson after narrowly escaping Chelsea last year, but clearly, he still has a lot to learn.

Nothing but congratulations are due to Inter and Mourinho, they came and did exactly what they had to do. It wasn't pretty, but they got the job done with surprising ease. Now it will be Sneijder vs. Robben in the final.

HT: 0-0, Inter down to 10 men!

2010-04-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

As predicted, Barcelona have dominated possession, but Inter have remained disciplined and strong at the back.
Motta has been dismissed for a second yellow card; his raised hand was enough to send Busquets theatrically to the ground, and we will surely be hearing more about this from Mourinho post-match. Players know that they can't raise their hands about shoulder level, but there's no doubt that no referee in their right mind would have given out a second yellow had they actually seen the incident up close.

Julio Sergio has only been seriously tested once, as he dove to his right to just tip wide Messi's curling shot. Alves has been getting some space on the right, but Inter are clearly utilizing the space he leaves open, with Milito usually sitting there waiting to counter.

Intriguing second half ahead, with both teams still in it. Can Inter hold out, or will Barcelona come to life and score the goals they need to advance?
Força Barça!!

Barcelona-Internazionale Preview

2010-04-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

Barcelona take on Inter in a mouthwatering clash, with the Blaugrana needing a comprehensive win to advance to the Champions League Final. Humbled in Milan, Barca need to win 2-0, by 3 clear goals, or, they can advance via a penalty shoot-out if regular time + extra-time ends at 3-1.

Inter Milan managed to bring the Barca juggernaut to a shuddering halt in Milan, exposing their defensive frailties, and keeping Messi quieter than he's been since last year's Chelsea game. Mourinho did his job to perfection, meticulously preparing his team tactically and psychologically, and Inter gave their best Champions League performances since the Middle Ages. Barcelona were shocked, swept aside by Inter's counter-attacking verve and and defensive discipline, and their fans will be especially nervous considering Barca's sudden defensive vulnerability.

But anyway, back to tomorrow's game. Barcelona will be playing in front of a sold-out Camp Nou, and with all of Catalunya urging them on. The Catalan papers are drumming up support, exhorting everyone to be in full support of their team. Of course, it isn't really necessary: every Barcelona fan in Spain is aware that their team is in the most difficult situation they've been in since Guardiola took the helm, and that every bit of support is needed to push the team on.

I won't go in to a full tactical analysis, as that's been done before. But there are a couple salient points that should be pointed out.

Barcelona MUST defend their flanks better.
As I pointed out in my earlier preview, Barcelona's weakness is their wing-backs. Alves doesn't defend, and neither left-back is particularly good in attack or in defense. Inter Milan exploited this in the first leg, as was expected, and it was a major reason for Inter's 3-1 victory. Inter Milan will be playing a counter-attacking game, and will look to catch Alves and Maxwell out of position; Barcelona simply cannot afford to let this happen, otherwise Inter will get that crucial away goal.

Barcelona must figure out how to open up Internazionale's defence.
Inter will likely be very defensive, knowing that if they can repeat Chelsea's super-catenaccio performance from last year, they will advance to the final. If Barcelona start with Ibrahimovic flanked by Messi and Henry, they will play in to Inter's hands. Lucio and Samuel are both big and physical, and will be able to snuff out Ibra's threat. Of course, Ibrahimovic is capable of truly brilliant moments, but given the way he's played so far this year, it is unlikely that he'll be doing anything special. While Messi is capable of slicing through just about any defence, Inter's experienced defenders already showed how capable they are of marking and closing off space for Messi to run in to. Perhaps Guardiola would do well to spring a surprise and start Messi in the middle, where his massive speed advantage over the two centerbacks could change the complexion of the tie. With Henry and Pedro on the flanks, Barcelona's trident attack would possess far more speed than it would possess with Ibra; even with Inter likely to pack the box with defenders, Messi's speed and dribbling in the middle would be far more difficult for Inter's lumbering centerbacks to contain than the slower and more cumbersome Ibra.

Barcelona's Defence
Barcelona's defence was uncharacteristically lax against Inter in the first leg; a repeat performance will most definitely see them out of the competition. Milito and Eto'o are both excellent finishers, and just one goal for Inter will in all likelihood be enough for the Italians to advance. Eto'o's speed and Milito's off-the-ball intelligence mean that Piquet and Milito (the defender) will need to be very alert. Sneijder is likely to play, despite his "injury" last week, and his long-range shooting coupled with his incisive passing mean that Barcelona's defense cannot let itself be drawn out of formation. Whoever is screening the defence, Busquets or Toure, will have to keep a very close eye on Sneijder, as he can put the ball on a plate for the forwards if he is given the time and space.

Key Players

Barcelona
Lionel Messi: The little man is a brilliant footballer, but was rather quiet in the last leg. Constantly shadowed by Cambiasso and Zanetti, Messi didn't have the space or time to do anything. He is likely to have an even more difficult job this time, with Inter sure to be holding at least 7 men behind the ball at all times. He is Barcelona's best chance at breaking Inter's resistance, with his speed and dribbling more dangerous to a deep and packed defense than even Xavi's wonderful passes. Messi doesn't even need to score, if he can draw fouls and unsettle Inter's defence, then Henry, Pedro, and Ibrahimovic will have a much easier time finding space and time in the box.

Internazionale
Julio Cesar: Over the last two or three years, he has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Last year, he was invincible for Inter, a key part of their scudetto-winning team. Earlier this year, his form dipped however, and he hasn't quite recovered his confidence and form from last year. If he has a good game for Inter, organizing the defence and handling the ball safely, then they will be well on their way, but if he reverts to spilling shots, then Barcelona will show no mercy.

Prediction:
Barcelona 2-1 Internazionale
Barcelona will monopolize possession, but will fail to score more than twice against Inter's strong defence. Expect Inter to get a goal on the counter, and this will be enough to get them through to the final, no matter how much Barca huff and puff.

Opinion: Vaffanculo Balotelli

2010-04-26T19:31:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, there are people that come along in life that are total wankers. Jose Mourinho, for example. But once in a blue moon, there will appear an even bigger jerk, someone who has absolutely no redeeming personal qualities.

Meet Mario Balotelli

Born of Ghanian immigrants in Italy, Mario was raised by the Balotelli family since the age of 3. He started his career with Serie C1 side Lumezzane, making his senior debut at the age of 15. In 2006 he moved on loan to Internazionale, signing a 3-year contract at the beginning of the 2008-2009 season.
He is considered one of the most impressive young talents in the world, and his performances for Inter and the Italian youth teams have only enhanced his reputation.

Unfortunately, his massive talent comes with a massive downside: his personality. He courts controversy non-stop, is continuously in the press for the wrong reasons, and seems to finally have achieved what many thought the arrival of Jose Mourinho would avert, namely, a complete breakdown of relations between him and the club. Considering his history with Inter, this is hardly surprising, as the one thing that sticks out about this player, even more than his talent and potential, is his attitude. No matter how well he does in the pitch, he constantly undermines his work with stupidity on and off the field. His antics on the field have led to several yellow cards and one red card, often for retaliatory tackles. His dramatic face-clutch after being brushed by Felipe Melo's arm led to Melo being handed a (technically correct) second yellow card, and sparked a fierce on-field altercation involving Motta and the usually reserved Buffon. He is often subjected to "racist" chants, particularly from Juventus supporters; what most fail to realize is that the chants have nothing to do with him being black, and everything to do with him being hated by almost every football fan in Italy. In addition, his admitted support of A.C. Milan, and posing on TV in a Milan jersey has driven away even his staunchest fans among the Inter tifosi.

But the recent incidents in the Inter-Barca Champions League match definitely seem to have surpassed previous incidents in their long-term implications. Between throwing his Inter jersey on the ground, provoking the fans, and almost getting in a fight with Inter thug-in-chief Marco Materazzi, it seem that Balotelli's days in an Inter jersey are limited. And he should have no complaint; his actions leave the club with little choice. The utter lack of respect he has shown to Mourinho, one of the most revered (by his fans) and successful coaches in the world, is ridiculous; coupled with the lack of respect he has shown to the club and it's fans, damning. It is clear that Balotelli is incredibly arrogant, his refusal to improve his attitude confirms as much. Does he feel that he should be a guaranteed first team starter? He recently proclaimed that he will become the best player in the world-what does that tell you, coming from a 19 year-old player who currently doesn't even start for his team? If he wants to learn how to be arrogant but successful, then he is under the right coach. But Mario is so arrogant that even Mourinho seems unable or unwilling to handle him! Clearly, he should move on, as he's done an excellent job of destroying any relationship with Inter, the fans, and Mourinho.The club has little chance of fixing relations with the player, and there are few indications that the club even wants to at this point.

His talent is undeniable, but the tremendous amount of problems he causes with his belligerent attitude mean that he is better off getting a clean start somewhere else. Whether or not he'll ever fulfill his potential is doubtful, but maybe a fresh start at a club like Arsenal would be perfect to turn him around. For there is no doubt that if he does not improve his attitude, no team will be able to keep him around and hope to be successful. He can be fantastic, but his overall contribute to a team is overwhelmingly negative at this point. Inter would be well to get rid of him, before he destroys their season.

Limp Liverpool Capitulate to Colchoneros

2010-04-22T18:23:00.000-04:00

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool

Well, not much point in writing a full match review after that. While Atletico's goal was a combination of luck, crap attacking, and worse defending, there can be no arguing that they deserved the result. Diego Forlan didn't do his reputation any favours with an attacking display that was more bungling than brilliant, but he managed to grab the crucial goal that puts Atletico in an excellent position in this Europa League Semi-Final.

Atletico's game plan worked to perfectly, pressing Liverpool high up the field, not giving them a chance to counter, and keeping possession. Atletico were dangerous down the flanks, and over the course of the match created far more opportunities than static Liverpool. Benayoun managed to get the ball in the net at one point, but a contentious off-sides call ruled it out. It was a mediocre match overall, with neither team showing much quality, but Atletico at least can claim to have put in a solid display against a Liverpool side that showed no ambition, drive, energy, or spirit.

Luckily for Liverpool, Atletico put on a display of finishing that would embarrass Heskey, with Forlan particularly culpable. His 9th minute goal came after he misjudged a perfect cross, botched his header, and barely managed to hit the ball off Reina's leg and watch it loop in to the corner, despite Carragher's desperate lunge. No one cared though, the ball was in the net despite Forlan and Liverpool's botched efforts. It was a deserved lead, and Liverpool couldn't complain.
Despite periods of possession, the away side showed little attacking spirit through the rest of the match, with Benayoun and substitute Ryan Babel the only players posing any danger to the Atleti rear-guard. Atletico had several more opportunities to extend their lead, but Forlan's idiotic decision to try and chip Reina when through on goal wasted one of them, and Reina's superb reflex save on Simao kept the scoreline at 1-0.

In the end, not a night to remember for Liverpool, and while Atletico will fancy their chances of going through, Liverpool know that the tie is not beyond them, and that a strong showing at home should be enough to see them through to the Europa League Final.

Internazionale-Barcelona Preview

2010-04-19T23:37:00.001-04:00

Inter Milan will try to continue their good run of form against CL favourites Barcelona, while Barca will hope to continue their CL unbeaten streak against Inter.

Inter Squad:
Goalkeepers: 12 Julio Cesar, 21 Paolo Orlandoni, 51 Vid Belec.
Defenders: 2 Ivan Cordoba, 4 Javier Zanetti, 6 Lucio, 13 Maicon, 23 Marco Materazzi, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu.
Midfielders: 5 Dejan Stankovic, 8 Thiago Motta, 10 Wesley Sneijder, 11 Sulley Muntari, 19 Esteban Cambiasso.
Strikers: 9 Samuel Eto'o, 22 Diego Milito, 27 Goran Pandev, 45 Mario Balotelli

Barcelona Squad:
TBA; Iniesta is out, but Ibrahimovic and Abidal are back in full training, so should be in the match day squad

In what is clearly the prime Champions League Semifinal match-up, Barca's tiki-taka maestri take on Mourinho's Internazionali at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milano. Barcelona have taken the long coach ride to Milano because of the disruption of air travel in Europe, but despite fears that the match would be postponed, so far there has been no indication from UEFA that a postponement is likely.

With Inter at full strength, expect the Mourinho to go with his strongest team, Eto'o and Milito up front, with Sneijder playing in the hole behind them. Cambiasso and Motta are nailed-on to start in the middle, while Muntari and Stankovic battling out for the other midfield spot. The defence will be the usual lineup of Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, and Zanetti. It is also possible that Mourinho will look to exploit Barca's jury-rigged defence by starting the explosive Balotelli as a winger; that said, Mourinho is more likely to take a safety-first approach, knowing how important it is to keep a clean sheet at home.

Barcelona on the other hand do not have a full squad to choose from; besides Iniesta, Chygrynski is also unavailable, with 20 year-old central defender Andreu Fontas called up from the reserves to replace him on the bench. Neither Ibrahimovich nor Abidal is likely to be at full fitness, so it is possible that Guardiola will be forced to alter his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Guardiola has pledged that he will stick to his attacking philosophy however, so Alves, Piquet, Puyol, and Maxwell will likely start in the back, with Toure, Xavi, and Busquets in the middle, and Messi, Ibrahimovich, and Pedro providing the trident attack. Barcelona played extremely well with the same formation in the 0-0 draw against Inter in the group stages, so while Inter have dramatically improved since then, Barca have reason to be confident.

Tactical Analysis
Mourinho is most likely to be cautious in his approach to the match, knowing the dangers that Barca pose, as well as the importance of keeping a clean sheet at home. As everyone knows by this point, Barcelona can be stopped, but it requires aggressive closing down, midfield pressing, and endless running. Mourinho will try to nullify Barca's midfield with Cambiasso, Motta, and Stankovich, with all three players likely to be focused primarily on winning back the ball and closing down space. They will keep their play simple, make sure not to lose possession to Barca's high pressing, and rely mainly on Sneijder to provide creativity and flair.
The midfield will have to be very smart though, and be careful to balance and cover for Zanetti and Maicon on the flanks. Maicon and Zanetti are crucial to Inter's tactics, providing powerful overlapping runs on the flanks, crosses, defensive solidity, and as Maicon spectacularly demonstrated against Juventus last week, the occasional goal threat. Against Barcelona, they will have to be vigilant defensively; if they get caught up-field, and leave Inter's center-backs open to Messi and Pedro's runs from the flanks, Inter will concede goals. Inter's midfield trio will have their hands full with Barca's passing, and it will be tempting for both fullbacks to move up-field against Barca's narrow midfield, pressuring Maxwell and Alves. There is no doubt that both Inter fullbacks are better than their counterparts for Barca, and if Inter can keep possession and press Barca up the field, Barcelona's defence will be theirs for the taking. Maicon in particular will be able to get the better of whoever plays at left-back for Barca, and his runs from wide will likely draw one of either Busquets or Toure as cover in addition to Maxwell, pulling Barca's midfield out of shape, and leaving their defence short on cover. Alves of course, is well-known for his willingness to bomb forward and leave the flank open to attack, and while Zanetti is not as quick as he used to be, his exceptional endurance and work-rate mean that he will be more than willing to push up and exploit this weakness.

For Barca, the key is how well they keep possession, as always. If they can keep it like they did in the 0-0 draw earlier in the CL season, they will have an excellent chance of coming away with a good result. While the inventive Iniesta is out, both Busquets and Toure are both good enough to keep possession via Barca's tiki-taka style, as well as providing defensive cover for Puyol and Piquet. They will have to quick on their feet however, with Inter's midfield sure to press, and make sure to close down Inter's fullbacks quickly. Inter will be looking to win the ball back in midfield and counter quickly, and any sloppiness will be punished. If Barca can avoid mistakes in midfield, and Xavi gets the time to pull the strings as he did against Real Madrid, then Barca will leave Milan with a good result.

Key Players:

Internazionale: Cambiasso
If Cambiasso can do his job, shield the back four, and help keep possession in midfield, Inter will win the match. With his experience and dependability, he will be relied on to snuff out Inter's attack, and provide the more creative players with both a safe passing option and a consistent source of the ball. Should he accomplish this, expect Inter to create plenty of opportunities, and for Lucio and Samuel to have an easy night dealing with Ibrahimovic.

Barcelona: Ibrahimovic
In what will probably end up being a tight and tactical affair, having a striker who is confidant and playing well is crucial to turning the half chances in to crucial away goals. As Torres has so often demonstrated for Liverpool, a team that isn't creating much can nevertheless survive if the striker puts the ball in the net given half a chance. Ibrahimovic has too often been mediocre this year, with neither the showy tricks nor the simple finishes working out for him. However, his recent 2 goal haul against Arsenal may have boosted his confidence, and while he still isn't playing particularly well, he is beginning to score again. While Messi is of course the most brilliant player in the world, expect him to be very closely marked against Inter, and it won't be surprising if his influence isn't decisive. As a result, it is imperative for Barcelona that Ibrahimovic performs. There is no doubt that he will have his chances to score, as Barcelona simply don't fail to create chances, but if he reverts to his recent bad form, then expect Barcelona supporters to be very frustrated come the end of the match. A good finish or two however, and Barcelona will likely be hoisting the Champions League trophy in May.

Prediction:
Inter 2-1 Barca
While Barca will pass the ball around nicely, they will be unable to penetrate Inter's deep defences, and while Messi might create or score a masterpiece, expect Inter to make their attacks count, leaving the tie delicately poised.

Cannavaro Stung in Doping Test

2009-10-08T22:26:00.002-04:00

Fabio Cannavaro tested positive for a banned substance, but the Juventus defender insists that it was legal and above-board. After incomplete paperwork was submitted to the Italian National Olympic Committee, a test was administered to Cannavaro, which came out positive. Cannavaro and the Juventus medical staff have come out with a statement saying that the banned substance from a shot given to prevent anaphylactic shock, a serious and potentially fatal reaction to wasp stings. While this wouldn't normally be a big deal, the fact that the club involved was Juventus, infamous for alleged doping infractions in the 90s, has made the case less straightforward than it would otherwise be.

Cannavaro has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Les Bleues Win Battle of Stamford Bridge

2009-10-05T23:54:00.001-04:00

Chelsea battled hard to win against Liverpool, courtesy of goals from Anelka and Malouda.

Clearly the big match of the weekend, Chelsea-Liverpool ended up being a relatively simple match in the end. Chelsea didn't make any big mistakes, and took their chances. Liverpool made one big mistake, and were duly punished.

Liverpool started with Riera on the left in place of Benayoun, but the rest of the line-up was as expected. Chelsea surprisingly left Malouda on the bench, and Deco was given the start.
Liverpool started well, pressing Chelsea, and creating openings in the final third, but were lacking the killer pass. Mascherano and Lucas kept Chelsea's midfield in check, and Kuyt and Riera kept Cole and Ivanovic penned back. But Chelsea grew in to the game, and while they were surprisingly the team that was playing on the counter-attack, their midfield managed to cut down on the passes to Gerrard and Torres that have worked so well for Liverpool in the past. Finally, it was Liverpool that cracked, Mascherano attempting to dribble up the field, but losing the ball to Lampard. The ball was played quickly to Drogba down the left channel, who's excellent cross reached Anelka right in front of the goal. Carragher couldn't reach the cross, and with Insua having failed to track Anelka's run. Liverpool tried to respond, but Chelsea held firm, closing down players and preventing Liverpool from creating any clear opportunities. As Liverpool pressed more and more, it was Chelsea that scored the second goal of the game, Malouda turning in Drogba's cross, sealing the match for Chelsea. As if to add insult to injury, Benayound and Torres both missed excellent chances in the last minutes of the match, but neither one could add a late consolation.

Moan of the Match: Drogba
I have never seen anyone display anything like the recuperative abilities of Didier Drogba. He clearly has his ankle broken several times during the match, but is always up and running within five minutes! OK, OK, that joke has been made before, but his theatrics seem to be getting worse, not better. If he would just grow a pair or grow up, he'd been twice as much of a threat. Instead, he spends a good 20% of each match on the ground. Pathetic.

Chelsea-Liverpool Preview

2009-10-03T16:42:00.002-04:00

Premature previews were being written last week, after Chelsea's shock defeat to Wigan, and Liverpool's mauling of Hull at Anfield. But the midweek Champions League fixtures have completely changed circumstances, particularly for Liverpool.
Liverpool's 1st half display will have Drogba, Lampard, and Cole licking their chops, and while the second half was a big improvement, Liverpool's defence, questionable since the beginning of the season, showed a lack of organization and leadership beyond anything seen since the first half of that famous match against Mr. Ancelotti's excellent AC Milan team in the Champions League Final. It must noted though, that Chelsea also didn't perform particularly well in their midweek match, but came back with a 1-0 victory over Apoel Nicosia.

Chelsea's supporters will feel confident, as the chances of Chelsea performing poorly for 3 matches in a row is very slim, and the players are expected to bounce back in style against Liverpool. Drogba is in excellent form, and will relish coming up against Carragher, who has a difficult time on the best of days against the Ivorian hitman, and in current form looks like providing little in the way of opposition. Drogba currently has 6 league goals (joint second with Bent and Rooney) and will be looking to knock a couple in, especially given Reina's assertion that Torres, not Drogba, is the best striker in the league.
Lampard on the other hand hasn't been hitting the heights in terms of goals so far, but it's difficult to see that lasting. He will relish the prospect of coming up against the inexperienced Lucas, who despite his strong displays so far this season, will have his hands full. Lampard's ability to be at the right place at the right time will be crucial, and he will be certain to draw some dangerous free kicks from the often-rash Lucas. The deified/vilified figure of John Terry will of course be crucial in Chelsea's defence, and it will be his job to bully Torres in to submission and silly yellow cards. Torres has a good record against Chelsea, averaging around a goal per game against the London club, but most of those goals have come in the home matches. Expect Terry to try to dominate Torres physically, roughing up the striker, preventing him from turning, and as always getting the benefit of a lenient referee.
Essien, Chelsea's most important and dynamic player, might be asked again to man-mark Gerrard, which he did to great effect last season in the 3-1 victory at Anfield. Whether or not Ancelotti asks him to perform the same task is unclear, for while it potentially will remove Gerrard from the game, Essien's attacking drive and and presence, while not as dangerous as Drogba, might be just the thing to keep Mascherano occupied, leaving the Liverpool defence exposed to Drogba, Anelka, and Lampard, a prospect that will leave Liverpool fans expecting the worst.
On the flanks, Cole and Bosingwa will be looking to repay last years defeat by turning the tables on Liverpool's fullbacks, with the inexperienced Insua and the very attacking Johnson both open to exploitation. If they can nullify those two, then Liverpool's attack becomes much more predictable, and it will be easy for Chelsea to isolate Torres, Benayoun, and Kuyt.
Now, not all is rosy with Chelsea, as Cech is suspended, and will be replaced by Hilario in goal. Hilario has performed well in the past, but is definitely not in the same class as even the current Cech, who himself is clearly not what he was 3 years ago. If Liverpool can test him early, and rock his confidence, then Chelsea will be challenged.

For Liverpool, the postmortem continues over their defeat to Fiorentina (who played a perfect first half, it must be said,) where the organization, discipline, and desire often characteristic of Liverpool in Europe was instead displayed by their opponents. Liverpool looked lost, unable to maintain possession, and very, very susceptible to the counter-attack. Carragher and Skrtel both looked like novices, and a big improvement is imperative if Liverpool are to stand a chance against Chelsea. However, this is the type of match that Carragher has made his reputation from, with backs-to-the-walls defending and last-ditch tackles required. However, Carra has never had a good time against Drogba, and most pundits are predicting the worst for the Liverpool stalwart. If Drogba gets in his head, then the game will be over, and even a sending off for Carra wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Carra will also have to improve on his leadership and do a better job of organizing the defence, particularly the off-sides trap and marking duties.
On the flanks, Insua (or Aurelio) and Johnson will be expected to improve, and they will be tasked with providing good offensive support to Kuyt, Benayoun, or Riera, but will also have to contribute defensively. We all saw what happens when Carra or Skrtel get caught 1v1 or 2v2, with neither central defender comfortable coming out wide or fast enough to recover if the full-backs get caught out. West Ham's Hines had a field day against the slow Liverpool defence, and it was only once the quick Johnson started to come infield and cover him that Liverpool finally looked secure. Expect Anelka or Malouda to pose the same sort of threat, and with the CB's hands full with Drogba, the fullback's defensive duties will be crucial.
In midfield, Mascherano is expected to return, and provide his usual tough tackling and defensive runs. Hie hasn't been at his best this season, and the fans have been on his back because of his desire to go to Barcelona. If he can return to his best and put in a performance in this match, much will be forgiven. His predicted midfield partner, Lucas, is as always the subject of much debate in Liverpool circles. While some point to his displays as evidence of an excellent all-round player, who's subtle but crucial contribution goes unnoticed by the more "knee jerk" type of fan, other fans decry his unambitious displays, pointing to his defensive passing, occasional mistakes, and formerly-wavy hair as reasons why he's simply nowhere near good enough. I personally think he can do an excellent job in midfield, as his passing and movement are both excellent, and with some more confidence he could become an excellent box-to-box midfielder. That said, I expect him to be thoroughly tested in this match, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was completely overrun by Chelsea's midfield.
Gerrard, another player who's form has been unexceptional, to put it mildly, could do with a performance. Mediocre in his last two matches against Chelsea, he will be looking to prove a point against Essien and Lampard. If he can avoid being shackled by Essien, and if he re-ignites his partnership with Torres, then Liverpool fans will have reason to hope. Benitez is sure to have told him to use his long-range shooting early on to test Hilario, so expect him to be closed down quickly. If he can control the ball better than he did against La Viola, and make those crucial passes to Torres, then expect Terry and the Chelsea defence to have their hands full.
Kuyt is as always expected to start in this crucial match, and will be looking to lock down Ashley Cole and press Chelsea's midfield and defence when they have the ball. If he can do his usual job of neutralizing the opposition full-back while providing opportunities for Torres, Benitez will be thrilled. On the other side, it is unclear whether or not Benayoun or Riera will start, but I expect Riera to start, providing Liverpool with a true winger, and giving Bosingwa something to think about. He will need to provide something of a goal throat as well, for any crosses in to the box are likely to be dealt with by the aerially-excellent Terry. Benayoun will be expected to be on the bench with Babel, as both can proved a spark coming on as subs. Babel is finally starting to show some of the ability that convinced Benitez to gamble on him, and if he can provide some speed (I swear if I hear the word "pace" again, I'm going to kill the commentator or pundit!) and width down the right side, he could be the difference-maker.
Torres has been in pretty good form so far this season, despite early-season criticism, and will be looking to extend his good form against Chelsea. Bot for Torres to perform, he will need to get the ball, and will need support. If he is put in the same position as he was in against La Viola, then he will be very hard pressed to produce anything against Chelsea's excellent defence.
In goal, Pepe Reina will be hoping that he can avoid any sort of mistakes, and will need to be in top form against Drogba and Anelka. No silly penalties like the one conceded against Man United last year, and if he can dominate his box, then Liverpool will feel much more secure in defence.

Key Man/Key Tactical Battle: Michael Essien/Midfield
If Essien can produce one of his box-to-box displays, then Liverpool's midfield will in all probability be overrun. His defensive energy and physicality mean that he will probably be tasked with stopping Gerrard, and if he can do that while going forward as well, then Liverpool will have an extremely tough task. The midfield trio of Lampard, Ballack, and Essien has all the ingredients to overwhelm the the Liverpool trio of Mascherano, Lucas, and Gerrard, and if they can pull it off, then they will win the game.

Prediction:
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool

Chelsea's midfield and attack will be too much for Liverpool to handle, and with Torres isolated in attack, Liverpool will be toothless.

Premiership Poaching Players-Guilty or Not?

2009-10-03T15:09:00.001-04:00

Headlines were made with the schocking announcement that Chelsea have been banned from registering players for 1 year. FIFA announced the punishment after deciding that Chelsea had induced Gael Kakuta to leave his club, Racing Club de Lens, in breach of contract in 2007.
While this incident was big news, and with Chelsea sure to appeal, we'll be hearing a lot about it for the foreseeable, the underlying issues is actually far more important.
Crucially, clubs in mainland Europe can not offer youth players professional contracts until they are 18. Players often sign pre-contract agreements, which essentially commit them to the club, with the full contract kicking in when the player reaches 18. Another option is paying youth players by the month, but that is more common in lower league teams, and with players that are not considered good enought to be worth a full contract. In England however, the situation is different, with clubs allowed to offer youth players professional contracts from the age of 17, as well as a host of other incentives that can be very enticing for young players and their families. All of England's top clubs take advantage of this, with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United all guilty of taking the pick of a clubs youth system, and paying miniscule compensation, often less than 500,000 Euros.
English clubs have of course consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that because of the English laws limiting their recruiting, they are forced to seek elsewhere for top young talents. Clubs in England are in fact not allowed to incorporate players from further than 70 Kilometers away in to their youth academies. While this seems minor, it can be quite a problem for teams like Liverpool, for whom much of their potential recruiting area is ocean.
That said, it is disingenuous to use that as an excuse for systematically hoovering up all the best talent in the world without paying adequate compensation. In the long term, it is in the best interest of the fans that the young talent is spread around, rather than being developed only from a select group of ultra-clubs. Of course, clubs that have the opportunity to grab all the talent will do just that, unless laws are put in place to make sure that adequate compensation is required. It is in their best interests to do whatever they can to succeed, and rules or fairness be damned. The financial rewards that a talented youngster can bring, as well as the sporting rewards, are well worth any minor tap-on-the-wrist that the clubs may receive, and that needs to change. UEFA needs to act, and act now. Strong action will be better for European football, and strong action might help bring UEFA some genuine respect from fans and clubs.

UEFA Show Character

2009-09-16T01:02:00.000-04:00

The entire football media have focused all their efforts on covering the fallout from the Man City - Arsenal game, in general, and Mr. Adebayor in particular. It seems that UEFA have been offended finding themselves in the shadow of the Togolese, and decided to come up with something more ridiculous then Adebayor's post-match interview. Days after they banned Arsenal/Croatian striker Eduardo, they've lifted the ban, to entertain the public and confuse the referees even further. From a very simple case where the player clearly dived and the referee fell for it (something which happens every weekend in every league, unfortunately) UEFA made a spectacle of their own rules. Now its unclear whether the referees should card divers, what's considered a dive (depending on what team a particular player is on) whether results can be annulled post-factum, etc. If UEFA would have to handle the Adebayor case, we would probably see that goon disqualified...till City's next game against Arsenal, that is.

Championship Manager 2010 Demo Review

2009-09-10T16:08:00.000-04:00

I've spent a decent amount of time in the last couple of years playing Football Manager (5,000 hours and 16.5 minutes, to be exact), and in that time I've heard a lot about the wonders of the "other" management program, i.e. Championship Manager. However, since my management days started relatively recently, I've never tried the Championship Manager series. Now the series has been revived, and Championship Manager 2010 is the result of TWO years of serious work-CM 2009 was skipped in order to catch up to Sega's Football Manager. Keep in mind however, that the version out now is a demo, which is technically a beta version. That said, on to the review!

Appearances:
To those used to FM, the user interface takes some getting used to. The blue background is quite nice, and everything seems quite polished. Perhaps too polished-for my taste, the interface would be better if it were more usable and less slick. I found some things hard to get to quickly, especially in windowed mode. However, everything really does look nice, the background animations, scrolling news bar, and gradients all particularly slick. I just don't think they do a great job of making all the important parts of the game easy to reach, FM definitely doing a better job of keeping things clear and easy even on a small screen. In particular, having the bullet-style menu on the left is not particularly bright, as screen space is usually more limited vertically, obliging the user to constantly scroll or expand/contract the bullet points. In fact, while writing this, I've switched to FM to compare, and while the default skin is nothing spectacular looks-wise, it does a much better job of keeping all the different features and parts of your game accessible and organized. The layout is simply more intuitive and easier to find your way around.
Match Engine/3D
The match engine, which actually simulates the matches, clearly has received a lot of attention. The graphics look very good, even better than FM 2009. The match animations are smooth, and while there aren't too many of them, they're quite polished. The 3D implementation however, like with FM, has some issues. Or perhaps, it's not the 3D implementation itself, but rather the issues with the match engine that become clear when showed in 3D. Whatever it is, it becomes clear in 3D that the amazing run by your backup LB is actually total BS, he barely touched the ball, it merely bounced off a series of heels, knees, and arses, before falling perfectly placed for his crappy cross. Or that seemingly fantastic goal was your striker getting tackled multiple times, but having the ball bounce back to him after getting tackled by the defender. If these problems can be cleaned up before the final release, then the match engine and 3D implementation certainly can compete with FM's offering. In fact, the general graphics are better than FM's, and there are more options to tweak the graphics, theoretically letting someone with a laptop or a gaming machine tailor the graphics to what their machine can cope with. And even on my 3 year-old Macbook Pro running Bootcamp, the 3D matches were smooth and enjoyable to watch. It must be noted though that FM 2010 will be coming out shortly, and will surely have improved on the 2009 edition, so a final comparison will have to wait.
Manager Options and Features:
Scouting-Scouting is quite simple to set up. One can select a country or area, and select how much money is invested in scouting that area. Different scouts can also be assigned to scout specific players. Easy to set up, but the overall system is not nearly as good as FM's scouting system. One has far fewer options in terms of controlling the scouting, but in some ways this is good, as one has no option but to scout a player to get more accurate numbers for his ability, whereas on FM one a box one can tick in order to show all the numbers for a player, whether or not you've ever scouted him.
Training-Championship Manager has definitely sent a shot across FM's bow, with highly customizable training and drills. One can specify specific schedules for each player or position, with options such as Shooting, Attacking, and the slightly unclear "Move Training". In addition, one can design custom drills, to maximize different areas of a players technique. Another innovating and interesting feature is the ability to create original set-pieces. The set-pieces are quite easy to set up, with five different steps available. However, the implementation of the set-piece practice was not great, with the team almost getting worse at each set-piece the more it was practiced. Of course, much of that is due to the defence learning the set-piece procedure, but even so it could be implemented better. Matches between 1st team and Reserves are also easy to arrange, giving one the chance to watch tactics and players evolve in a less pressurized arena than a league match.

Conclusion
Overall, Championship Manager 2010 is a huge step in the right direction for the series, and will provide a viable alternative for the now-ubiquitous Football Manager series. The new features are very interesting, and certainly will be enough to interest players such as myself who have never played or considered Championship Manager. However, I don't think that this edition has quite the depth of Football Manager, and it also lacks the feeling that all of the features have been carefully designed and integrated in to the overall product. With FM, despite it's many bugs and issues, one nevertheless feels that everything is very well integrated, and that all the different parts of the game (training, player development, match practice, coaching) etc work together very well, creating a very realistic and enjoyable manager game. Championship Manager, despite it's interesting and and innovative features, doesn't quite manage to compete in terms of depth, realism, and long-term playability.

Transfer Roundup

2009-09-02T16:11:00.000-04:00

An inside source at Liverpool says that Ribery and his agent were both served tea today at 4 pm after arriving from Germany. The alleged transfer is set to be announced tomorrow, with the fee being a flat 45 million Euros. Hicks and Gillet's contacts in Germany were supposedly instrumental in enabling this very surprising transfer.

Chelsea are finalizing the 52.3 million Euro transfer of "Kun" Aguero, after Ancelotti's personal visit to Spain to talk to the player and his agent convinced Kun that a transfer to Chelsea would be the right step, instead of waiting another year before leaving Atletico.

Manchester United have turned the tables on Real Madrid, grabbing Casillas for a goalkeeper record sum of 48.7 million Euros, with additional bonuses and incentives potentially taking the total outlay to an incredible 60 million Euros. Alex Ferguson was supposedly so incensed at Real's tortuous pursuit of Ronaldo that he decided to embarrass the club by grabbing one of their biggest and most prized assets. He also had to use one of his famous bottles of red wine in order to soften up Florentino Perez, and even then he had to include the future 120 million Euro transfer of Nani to Real, to go through in 2011, when Nani has replaced Messi as the world's best player!

Arsenal have confirmed signing the rights to the Paris, Lyon, and Marseille sperm banks, in order to tie up the French foetus pool for the next four generations.

Spalleti Resigns, Ranieri the Replacement-CONFIRMED

2009-09-01T08:59:00.000-04:00

Rumours are flying that Roma tactician Luciano Spalletti has had his resignation accepted by the Roma board. In addition to the lack of options on the field, reports have surfaced of a rift between the coach and the players, namely that the players are no longer behind him. Roma's board have allegedly already had talks with Claudio "The Tinkerman" Ranieri, former Juventus and Chelsea coach, and an agreement is in place for him to succeed Spalletti.

This has now been confirmed, Ranieri officially replacing Spalletti as the Giallorossi manager.

Juventus Sack Rome

2009-08-30T16:33:00.000-04:00

Juventus convincingly beat Roma 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, courtesy of two goals from Diego and one from Felipe Melo.
This fixture has become something of a rivalry, with both clubs doing their best to embarrass the other. Totti famously irritated Juve with his 4-finger salute after a 4-0 win, and Juve have handed Roma some serious thrashings in recent years. Last year Juve recorded a 4-1 win at the Olimpico, and this year were tipped to beat Roma easily, given the Lupi's bad form and lack of significant reinforcements over the summer, but Roma were always going to put a lot of energy in to the fixture. Juve started the match with Diego in the hole behind Amauri and Iaquinta, who scored last week. Melo got his first start of the season for the Bianconeri, while Camoranesi, Del Piero, and Poulsen were all on the bench. Roma started with Julio Sergio, their 3rd choice goalkeeper between the sticks, but otherwise the Lupi lined up as expected, with Totti leading the attack. Juve started the better of the two sides, out-passing Roma, but Roma's tough tackling and energy made it very difficult for the Bianconeri to create clear opportunities. The referee's reluctance to hand out yellow cards meant that the tension in the match built of very quickly, with Roma players in particular guilty of some brutish tackles. Juve's quality started to show more and more, and Amauri was inches away from converting Iaquinta's excellent cross (he should give the Juve fullbacks some tips), and Sergio was called on to make an excellent save after Tiago headed on Diego's free kick. Juve were not to be denied though, and in the 25th minute Diego picked Cassetti's pocket, and set off the field. After racing away from Cassetti, Diego held off Riise's challenge, and flicked the ball in to the corner from the outside of his right foot, leaving Sergio no chance. It was an excellent way to announce his arrival in Serie A, and the Juve fans responded. However, Roma responded quickly, taking a free kick which took Juve unawares, got the ball quickly to De Rossi, who blasted a long-range dipping shot past Buffon and under the bar. Juve responded well, with Amauri being denied by a diving Sergio save and the post. Juve continued to press, but Roma sprang on the counter, and Buffon had to perform a brilliant save after Totti had been sent through by Menez. At the half, Tonetto replaced Taddei, but this didn't bring any improvement from Roma. Amauri again got free, but his left-footed shot was right at Sergio. The angle wasn't great, but Amauri should have done better. Claudio Marchisio was eventually forced off from a toe injury, and was replaced by Camoranesi, promptly lowering the odds on a sending off. Juve were still the better team, and when Iaquinta's nifty back-heel sent Diego through, the Brazilian bamboozled Mexes with a couple step-overs and smashed the ball in to the far corner. Vucinic was thrown on to replace Riise, and Roma started to be far more dangerous. Legrottagli was put in for De Ceglie, and Chiellini was moved to LB to make room for Legro. Roma continued to press higher up the pitch, as Juve were unable to relieve the pressure. Totti smashed a slightly-deflected drive off the post, Buffon rooted to the spot, and Menez and De Rossi also wasting promising opportunities. Goal-hero Diego was taken off for Poulsen, as Juve strengthened the midfield. Roma were unable to make their pressure tell though, and in the end it was debutant Felipe Melo, winning the ball in midfield, who strode up the field and smashed a left-footed shot in to the right corner, to seal the win for the Bianconeri.

Gunners Misfire, Dire Red Devils Escape

2009-08-30T04:53:00.000-04:00

Manchester United came from behind to record a thoroughly undeserved 2-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

First Half
Manchester United and Arsenal mirrored each other, both starting lone strikers up top, with Van Persie supported by Arshavin, and Rooney supported by Giggs and Nani. Neither team managed to keep possession past their half-way line from the beginning, with passing in the final third particularly egregious. In the 10th Rooney created a chance for Darren Fletcher in the box, but he ballooned over from 12 yards. This was to be Manchester's only decent chance of the night though, with the visitor's passing becoming better and better, and with Manchester unable to gain control of the midfield, Arsenal started to create chances. Van Persie had a shot blocked by Evra, and Arshavin sent a shot fractionally wide of the top corner, after Foster had flapped at a corner. Minutes later, Arshavin again controlled the ball in the box, but was taken out by Fletcher, in what was a clear penalty. The only contact Fletcher had with the ball was with his arm, and he clearly wiped out Arshavin. The referee however, followed Old Trafford convention and deigned to ignore the clear foul. Arshavin didn't let this stop him however, and minutes later, he strode in to the box and unleashed a wonderful shot into the net, silencing the Old Trafford crowd with his trademark (slightly obnoxious) goal celebration. Perhaps Foster should have done better, but it was a beautifully struck shot, and a deserved lead for Arsenal. Manchester tried to respond, but were unable to create anything, despite concerted pressure in the last couple of minutes in the half
Second Half
Whatever one hears about Fergie's famous half-time talks, Manchester United showed no signs of a spirited comeback, and should have been down 2-0, but Foster pulled off an excellent save on Van Persie after Arshavin had again created space on the left and sent in a wicked cross. Wes Brown should have covered Van Persie's run, but the Dutchman got in behind him and looked to have an easy finish, but Foster saved brilliantly with his foot. Arsenal were playing well, taking the game to a disjointed and disorganized Manchester. Fletcher did his best in midfield, but the mediocre Giggs did little to help, and Manchester looked toothless in attack and soft in the midfield. Arsenal's oft-maligned trio of Song, Diaby, and Denilson were doing a solid job, if unspectacular. As always thogh, the laws of football were not to be denied, and Manchester were given a route back in to the game, courtesy of Almunia's idiotic (surprise surprise) decision. Giggs sent in a through ball for Rooney, and despite Rooney's run leading away from the goal, Almunia rushed out and managed to get just enough contact on Rooney to support his exaggerated fall. Rooney started falling before being touched, but Almunia failed to react to Rooney's first touch, and brought him down despite Rooney having lost control of the ball. Smart play from Rooney, who anticipated and sold the penalty, but Almunia should be replaced as soon as possible for Arsenal's sake. Rooney duly dispatched the penalty, celebrating as if he had scored a Maradona-esque goal. This incident raised temperatures on the pitch several notches, and the tension on the field was palpable. Van Persie's well-struck free kick from outside the box was pushed on to the woodwork by Foster, as Arsenal didn't let up their passing and pressure. Unfortunately for them, in the 65th minute Diaby idiotically headed Gigg's free kick past Almunia! It looked like it would be a routine clearance, but Diaby elected to try and head the ball out for a corner, but instead sent it past the stranded Almunia. The Gunners, for so long the better team, suddenly had the tables turned on them, and were chasing the game. Bentdner and Eduardo duly were brought on, and the inspirational Arshavin taken off for what seemed to be a minor injury, as Arsenal pressed hard for the equalizer. Van Persie got the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out for an unclear off-sides call that came a little early on Gallas. Wenger, furious, kicked a water bottle, and the 4th official pedantically had him sent off. It was a bit of a farce though, as Wenger stood up with his hands out, and masses of jeering Manchester United fans behind him hurling insults. In the end though, it was Manchester United who celebrated a crucial, but completely undeserved win, over their bitter rivals.

Conclusions?
Despite Manchester's win, the match poses more questions for them than it answered. Why was 30-million-pound Berbatov left on the bench? United were toothless in attack, and one must wonder why Mr. "final-piece-in-the-puzzle" was left on the bench. The inclusion of Giggs was a specious masterstroke, as his pass and cross led to both Manchester goals, but in fact his contribution was pitiful; his passing horrific, running laborious, and overall influence nowhere near what Ferguson would want from such a senior player. Perhaps the most telling criticism is that Giggs made Nani look like Ronaldo. What about Manchester's midfield? Most fans and pundits have come to the conclusion that Manchesters midfield, shown up against Barcelona and Liverpool last year, is not as strong as the best teams in Europe. The constant injuries to Hargreaves gives Ferguson something of an excuse, but surely Ferguson isn't the type to let an excuse like that undermine his quest to truly "knock Liverpool off their f****** perch". At this point though, the lack of top class players in their midfield is the most persuasive argument against their reclaiming the Champions League and winning a fourth consecutive Premiership title. Particularly with their top match winner Ronaldo now scoring penalties (but not much else) for Real Madrid, there is a lot of pressure on Rooney to become that match winner. Unfortunately for Manchester, Rooney is no Ronaldo, despite the adulation of the English press, and Manchester will struggle to play with the best teams without the addition of a top-class midfielder. The fact that Arsenal's young and inexperienced midfield, minus their top player, more than held their own, AT Old Trafford, is another glaring indication of this weakness.

For Arsenal, the match was in many ways encouraging, as they managed to more than match their older and more experienced opponents. Unfortunately for Arsenal though, they shot themselves in the foot with horrific mistakes, the type of which they MUST eradicate. It was good experience for their young team, particularly the midfield, and will help them develop. This won't come as much consolation though, to Arsenal fans demanding a title challenge right now. If the young players can quickly take on-board the lessons learned, and improve the mental side of their game, then they can challenge this year, but that is a lot to ask. The addition of Fabregas will of course improve their midfield, but the need for a truly top-class defensive midfielder might really be apparent in the Champions League, if not against Manchester United.

Inter leave Rossoneri black and blue

2009-08-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

Inter Milan spanked an abject Milan 4-0, in Milan's "home" match. Wesley Sneijder surprisingly started for Inter, with Huntelaar on the bench for Milan.

Inter settled relatively quickly, Sneijder's rocket forcing a good stop from Storari, and in the 28th minute an excellent passing move from Inter sliced through Milan's static defence, and Thiago Motta curled a perfect left-foot finish past Storari. Inter were dominating, as Milan couldn't string together more than 2 passes at a time. Minutes later, Maicon's excellent long pass sent Eto'o in on goal, and as he cut across Gattuso he was brought down. The referee awarded the penalty, but only gave Gattuso a yellow card, despite him being the last defender. Four minutes later, Gattuso made up for that however, with a stupid lunge on Sneijder (even while Seedorf was preparing to come on for him!) leaving the referee no choice but to send him off. In stoppage time , Maicon and Milito played a nice one-two, with Maicon finishing well to make it 3-0.
For the second half, Leonardo tried to alter the proceedings by bringing on Seedorf and Ambrosini for Borriello and Flamini, but it was to no avail. While Seedorf did his best to create something from Milan, only Pato replicated his efforts, and eventually the disappointing Ronaldinho was replaced by Huntelaar. However, Inter continued to control the game, Sneijder taking his usual long-range shots (although they weren't as consistently dangerous as usual) but it was Stankovic who scored Inter's last goal with a long-range shot that he blasted in to the top right corner, leaving Storari absolutely no chance. Milan were dead and buried, and while Huntelaar had a couple good chances, his finishing let him down, and Milan didn't have any sort of consolation on a night when everything went wrong for them. Leonardo must be wondering what the hell he's gotten himself in to, and Berlusconi wishes he'd stayed in bed with his latest bella ragazza. Meanwhile, Mourinho was so happy after the match he didn't even mention Juventus!

Bi..Bilya.....Diniyar!!!

2009-08-26T00:55:00.000-04:00

During the last couple of days I enjoyed reading multiple blogs and articles of both fans and pundits, who thought that the price for Joleon Lescott was (slightly) inflated. Just when I feared that the humour would die down, the usually-economic David Moyes spend approximately 10 million pounds on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, giving Russian sports sites and journals plenty of room to exercise their wit. From the start, I want to say that I genuinely don't mind Bilyaletdinov, despite his stable triumphs in the most-overrated Russian player poll and the rather popular abbreviation of his last name to something rather less polite, that sounds...you get the idea.

While not questioning the character of Diniyar Rinatovich Bilyaletdinov (rumours that John Motson is retiring, are fortunately unfounded) there are quite a few things that puzzle me. First of all, Moyes kept referring to Diniyar as a winger. The anecdote from the Russian team at EURO's was that when Bilyaletdinov came on, his tactical assignment was to stay the hell out of Zhirkov's way on the left and not get into Anyukov's legs on the right. The 24-year old definitely has some dribbling moves, although he's been rather reluctant to demonstrate them lately and a very good left foot. However, his right one (foot) is just for walking and despite his 186 cm frame, he isn't a presence in the air. Most striking, however, is that Bilyaletdinov was considered physically too weak for the Russian League; and his lack of speed and power as well as his inability to defend were the reasons why he hasn't developed into the player everyone thought he would. With such a history it is difficult to see him succeeding in the very physical Premiership, nevermind the ultra-physical Toffees. Anyways, best of luck to the lad, at least he leaves knowing that he won't make Everton any worse than they have been this season.

Thank you, Messieur Platini

2009-08-26T00:16:00.000-04:00

As I was contemplating whether to go work out for a six-pack or buy one, I had the dubious pleasure of watching Maccabi Haifa battle Red Bull Salzburg for a place in the group stages of the Champions League. In years past this would be considered a fluke tie in qualifying for Europe's elite competition, but due to the efforts of a certain Frenchman this will become the norm from now on. You see, after proclaiming his desires to see more teams from lesser-developed leagues in the CL at the expense of Spanish and English teams, Platini and UEFA changed the qualifying format, and separated the champions of their leagues from teams placing 2-4th. Yes, when you were wondering how you could see ties like Arsenal - Celtic and Debrecen - Levski in the same round, here's your answer. This is the same Platini who suggested that EURO's format be changed to incorporate 24 teams instead of 16, meaning that the only countries struggling to make it would be Malta, Andorra and England under McClaren. And this after what was widely considered the best tournament in terms of both football and profit in the history of UEFA!

Anyways, as I was watching Maccabi doggedly wear down a team of what I could only describe as the New York Red Bulls reserves, I imagined what the CL holds for us this season. Instead of the usual unpredictability, most of the group winners and runner-ups can already be determined tomorrow, when the groups are announced; there will be plenty of games decided by the half-time whistle and when Debrecen pile 11 men plus the statue of Puskas in their penalty box and get a 0-0 draw it will be celebrated as the triumph of Platini.

It is evident that no sporting principle is evident in this solution; no sane fan or analyst will argue that the 4th placed team in the EPL is weaker than the champions of Hungary, even if they do still have Silvestre on their roster. Of course, the football socialists will start whimpering that these changes will bring more money to Europe's lesser leagues and develop young talent. Saudi Arabia made repeated appearances in the World Cup; can anyone honestly tell me they are any further away from a 8-0 drubbing by the Germans than they were 7 years ago? And this, after they won the Asian Conference, a bit tougher than the Latvian League. UEFA has the Europa League where lesser-experienced teams can get great runs against tough opposition; there are youth tournaments. Getting scored on in double digits will hardly increase a player's skill or morale, for that matter. The votes of the smaller federations that got Mr. Platini his job, are an entirely different matter.

It was the 5th minute of Haifa-Salzburg as the keeper slid his goalkick right into the path of Katan, 14 yards in front of the goal, dead-centre. As the defenders curiously watched while Katan hit the corner flag, I reached for the six-pack...

Liverpool 4-0 Stoke

2009-08-19T17:34:00.000-04:00

Liverpool bounced back from their opening day defeat by thrashing Stoke 4-0. The first half was dominated by Liverpool, with Stoke only providing sporadic threats from set-pieces. Daniel Ayala was given his first start for the club in place of Skrtel, and it was Fernando Torres who opened the scoring after good work from Gerrard in the 4th minute. Glen Johnson scored his first for the club with an acrobatic bicycle kick after Sorensen had parried Kuyt's goal-bound header in the 45th minute to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead. Stoke started the second half far better, with Reina forced to save well from a Roy Delap throw, err, shot, but Liverpool quickly regained control of the match, with Johnson dominating the right flank, Benayoun and Gerrard looking dangerous, and Lucas doing very well in the middle of the park. In the 78th minute some beautiful short play on the right side between Gerrard, Mascherano, and Johnson led to Kuyt poking home Gerrard's cross. To finish the scoring, Johnson's excellent play down the right led to a slightly deflected cross that Sorensen could only palm on to N'Gog's head, the ball going in off the bar. It was a confident performance from Liverpool, plenty of chances created, and very good outings from Gerrard, Johnson, Lucas, Benayoun, Kuyt (who could have scored 3) and Insua.

Benitez to resign?!

2009-08-19T15:19:00.001-04:00

Rumours are circulating that Benitez will resign from Liverpool following the Stoke match, which Liverpool currently lead 1-0 thanks to Fernando Torres. This shocking news has no official confirmation, but repeated slashing of odds on Benitez leaving by several large betting organizations has given a bit more credence to a story that otherwise would have been quickly dismissed. Stay tuned here for more updates and the latest news.

Update-Benitez has dismissed rumours of a Liverpool exit, saying "I remain 100 per cent committed to the club"