Passion for Football

Stop Start Torres - Match Highlights Video -

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Torres Shown Red and making headlines for the wrong reasons. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Torres just can't seem to avoid the headlines lately. overall he hasn't been doing badly at all. He has been improving and showing good form of late. But it is these types of headlines that overshadows his performance. Last week he missed an open goal which overshadowed his overall performance and his well taken goal. This week he decided to lunge into a tackle which made him see red, he really needs to stop attracting negative attention to himself.

But overall during the match, he performed very well to contribute both goals. He controlled a Juan Mata's lofted pass and turn and shoot to give Chelsea the lead. Then he sent A. Cole through running which he set up Ramirez for Chelsea's 2nd goal of the match. Then he went and got himself sent off. I think he would have done well if he didn't rashly got that red card. He probably would have gotten another goal or perhaps a hattrick of goals considering it is Swansea.

These are the highlights, enjoy!

Stoke Battling Hard - Match Highlights Video -

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Crouch heading in a deserved goal for Stoke Source : theguardian.co.uk

Over the weekend, Stoke hosted Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium and it ended 1-1 draw. Stoke definitely showed up for the match and gave Manchester United a hard time and it was good to see that they aren't invincible. Many may say the only reason they lose points on this match is due to Rooney's omission from the line up due to injury but I say that Manchester should have enough depth and quality to see this through regardless.

Both sides created chances but were not as prolific as they should be. De Gea made a few world class saves to prevent Stoke from taking this match. Nani was the first one to take the initiative by scoring a lovely worked goal. Stoke didn't lay down dead and buried and it was through Crouch got the equalizer by hammering a header from a corner and it was all well deserved. Stoke dominated majority of the match and got what they deserved, and if it wasn't for De Gea, Stoke would have won this by a few goals.

This is the first time in the premier league this season that Manchester United was under such pressure from an opposition. Stoke battled hard and long as they fended off Manchester United. Stoke were dominant throughout the match and it was only late into the match that the Manchester club started to get a foot hold in the match and started to threaten the goal of Stoke.

For me De Gea that made the difference in the match, the multiple saves that he has made was crucial and that kept Manchester in the match. But in truth, they should have had 2 penalties and 1 red card for Stoke defender Woodgate for the tackle on Hernandez. That would have changed the overall result for the match but regardless of that controversy, Stoke definitely played well enough to warrant a draw. With Manchester now showing weaknesses, teams will be looking exploit them.

Miss of the Millennium - F. Torres * Video*

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:29:00 +0000

Oh Torres.... worst possible situation? Source : thefirstpost.co.uk

Before you watch the video and have a laugh at how badly that miss was. You got to really feel sorry for the guy that it actually happened to him. I mean it is tough enough that he has a 50 million price tag on his forehead and combine that with 2 goals in 24 games, now with that open goal miss... that will follow him forever. This will be written in history as one of the top 10 misses of the century.

You would think after he scored a fantastic Torres like goal to give Chelsea their first goal of the match, that this goal would be a piece of cake. But he sliced it wide with his left foot and now it can't be unseen and unwritten. People will call this " The Nando". Whenever striker misses a goal like that, no matter who you are or who you play for, your team mates will be saying, " mate, that was a Nando."

I have no idea why Torres's luck is so bad, perhaps it is the karma of the Liverbird that has come back to haunt him. Oh wells Torres, that is for leaving Liverpool in such a disrespectful manner.

Anyway Enjoy the video!!

Red Alert Liverpool!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Praying for an improvement Source : Liverpoolfc.tv

I am writing this as a very heartbroken Liverpool fan and as a EPL blogger, but I will try to keep myself from being too bias towards anything that could be used as blame for our performance. But the bottom line is that we were shitting the bed and that we never turned up. We lost out on everything from the 1st minute to the last and it was disappointing and painful to watch. I give full credit to Tottenham for their play and Luka Modric's fantastic goal and his all round performance. He and a few other players tore into Liverpool's clueless defence like a hot knife through butter.

Red = Liverpool Source : Liverpoolfc.tv

Liverpool were all over the place, running around chasing shadows. I am sure all Liverpool fans will concur with me when I say it was difficult to watch. We could blame no one for the goals and 2 red cards that we conceded, the referee got it right and it was thoroughly deserved. We were forced into a corner in trying to preserve our clean sheet that mistakes started surfacing and that's when yellow cards started raining our way. Sooner than later, red cards soon follow as Adam showed studs on Parker and Skrtle for taking out Bale instead of going for the ball. Liverpool may have started the season a little better than previous seasons but weaknesses are appearing and it is up to Kenny Dalglish to raise the bar to improve Liverpool's performance. If we keep up these sorts of performances, we will be no where near the coveted 4th Champions League spot.

Modric strutting his stuff with a screamer! Source : Liverpoolfc.tv

It could have been far worst for Liverpool if Tottenham were more prolific in the first half. It could ended even before the half time whistle. Tottenham were impressive all round and they ran Liverpool to the ground. I was very impressed with Bale, Modric and Parker, especially Parker. Parker will probably be Tottenham's buy of the season. A very experienced player and he held the midfield line and provided a strong foundation. That gave Modric the freedom to roam and create havoc within Liverpool defences. After the horrific start Tottenham endured from both Manchester clubs, they finally put in good performances that will help their cause in reaching for that 4th Champions League spot. With Arsenal on a free fall, this is Tottenham's chance to step it up to form the new look to the top 4 of the Premier League.

Signing Off
Prosoc8

Arsenal's poor form continues

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:56:00 +0000

Lady Luck not with Arsenal.... Source : ESPN Soccernet

The score reads 4-3 to Blackburn, all credit to Blackburn for their performance to push Arsenal for 90 minutes and grinding out a great result for the club. Despite the loss, Arsenal preformed well but they lacked the composure and a solid defence that would have gave them the win. So by theory if you look at the after game statistics, Arsenal should have won this by a landslide and Blackburn should have been buried.

Alright so here is my take on the match, Arsenal played well and there were 2 players that I was thoroughly impressed with, Gervinho and Ramsay. It has been a long time since anyone came close to replacing the legendary Henry. Gervinho certainly as close as it gets to Henry's style, an eye for scoring goals, direct running at defenders and causing havoc in the opponents defence. After his leg breaking incident, he has certainly stepped it up and showed that his previous injury is not going to affect his play. His passing was sharp, timed his runs right and made play happen for Arsenal. But seriously, there is one player today who should be benched or made to do dozens of laps for his little stupid mistakes, that is Arsenal's central defender Laurent Koscielny. He made so many little errors and on top of that he added an on goal to make his performance all the more worst. I think he is the worst player for Arsenal today and Arsenal definitely miss Vermaelen.

Defensive frailties cost Arsenal their win.... Source : ESPN soccernet

In terms of Blackburn's performance, everyone certainly played their part in grinding out a result. Robinson played tremendously well to keep Arsenal from scoring more than 3 goals. Samba and Yakubu provided the physical presence whenever attacking or defending. Arsenal should have signed Samba over Laurent, he would provided the physical presence that Arsenal missed. Yakubu's first goal was definitely class, didn't even have to look to know the keeper is rushing out and all he needed to do is to poke it into the corner.

But overall it was an entertaining match filled with a penalty appeal at the last minute of the game, own goals, a nervy 5 minutes towards the ending... what more can you ask out of a match? If you missed the game, catch it on here. Hope you enjoy take in this match between Arsenal and Blackburn. Arsenal definitely have some work to do on the training ground if they want to keep their themselves above relegation, which is weird thing to talk about considering it is Arsenal we are talking about.

Signing off
Prosoc8

Rose's screamer ends Gunner's title dream!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:16:00 +0000

Rose the next teenage wonder kid? Source: ESPN soccernet

The 2010 London derby is one of the few important derbies as both teams need a win to push towards a goal they been fighting for since the start of the season. Arsenal needed a win to give them a slight chance to be back in the title race, whilst spurs need a win to propel themselves back into the contention for the last Champions League spot. Both teams needed to win, so there was plenty of attacking football from both sides. This match marks the return for two important players in their respective team, Ledley King (Tottenham) and Robin Van Persie (Arsenal).

Both teams really need this win as their season ambitions rely on itl. There was a surprise name in the line up as 19 years old Danny Rose made his debut for the Premier League. A huge risk on Harry Redknapp part to put a youngster in a London Derby. However, that decision payed off, 10 minutes into the game. Danny Rose fired venomous volley into the Arsenal goal, Almunia couldn't react fast enough as the ball flew into the back of the net and White Hart Lane was estatic! It was an incredible shot from the 19 year old and he will never ever score a goal like this. It was a dream goal on his dream debut. One other youngster started off his Premier League career with a dream goal against Arsenal as well, It was none other than Wayne Rooney and his goal against Arsenal to give them a win. Danny Rose might just have kick started his career in amongst the elite with a contention for goal of the season. Arsenal were winded after that goal as they fail to truly test Gomez during the first half. Without their key players, Arsenal were just unable to break down Tottenham.

Tottenham started the second half in fantastic fashion as Bale ran all the way up, broke through Arsenal's offside trap to slot home a second goal for spurs. Bale the scorer and Defoe the architect Arsenal was just horrible, that goal could have been avoided if Eboue was paying attention at his defensive line. He stayed a yard back to keep Bale in and that resulted in a goal. With 2-0 down, and no sign of any comeback, it looked like Arsenal were going to lose more. However, after 67 minutes, Robin Van Persie finally comes on, in hopes to save Arsenal. It took Arsenal 80 minutes to get the ball rolling, with the help of Van Persie. Arsenal have really missed him and his presence on the field was really inspiring. Arsenal pushed hard for a goal and Gomez was fantastic to keep out a hattrick of saves to prevent Arsenal from coming back into this game. Arsenal did manage to pull one goal back but it wasn't enough as White Hart Lane celebrated and partied when the final whistle came. It was the first win for spurs against their London rivals in the league since
1999, thats an incredible 11 years without a win and now they finally have a taste of a well deserved victory.

"Chelsea play Tottenham on Saturday," he said. "If Tottenham want to fight for the Champions League, they can show they have the quality to do it." -Arsene Wenger

Wenger refuse to admit defeat.
Source: ESPN Soccernet

Tottenham has been pushing for a Champions League spot, if they can overcome Chelsea in the next match then they might just prove themselves to deserve to be part of the top four. Arsenal will have to rely on spurs to beat Chelsea to have any slim chance to be part of the title race again. Can spurs beat Chelsea to put the race wide open again with United and Arsenal lurking?

Just sit back and enjoy!

Signing Off,
Prosoc8

Liverpool in deep trouble!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:46:00 +0000

Settling for Europa League?? Source: Liverpoollfc.tv

Liverpool's season spirals downward as they have now drew 2 out of the 6 games. According to Benitez, they needed to win 5 games and draw 1 to have any chance of claiming the 4th spot. So what now Mr. Benitez? Do you have any bright ideas? Liverpool are now looking at the high probability that they will most likely be playing Europa league or worst.......

With the last Champions league spot now being occupied by Manchester City, Liverpool really need a miracle as the fate of qualifying for Champions league is no longer in their hands. Here is the reason why:

Manchester City 6 points ahead with a game in hand.
Tottenham Hotspur 2 points ahead with 2 games in hand
Aston Villa 2 points away with 2 games in hand

End of the season possibility :
Man City 77 pts
Tottenham 76 pts
Aston Villa 72 pts
LIverpool 68 pts

Liverpool is in a very dangerous spot here with a chance that they might not even make it to the Europa League. If everyone wins their games (discounting them playing against each other in those last fixtures), then Liverpool might just miss out on the Europe all together and that shows how badly Liverpool's season has been. For a club like Liverpool, it should never even come close this type of situation. Liverpool may be mathematically still able to qualify, but with their other competitors having games in hand still to play, it looks highly unlikely that we will be seeing Liverpool playing in the Europe's elite competition next season. That will definitely put a dent in their wish to bring in world class players.

Most world class players would prefer to play in the Champions League than to settle in the 2nd class Europa League. I wouldn't be surprise if any of the star performers for Liverpool wanted to leave the club for the lack of the investment that is put into the club. Gerrard's frustration was evident when Torres was taken off during the Birmingham game, that shows how much Liverpool needed more world class players that can support the spine of the team. Torres also stated his feeling towards the current Liverpool squad, stating that they need a few more world class players if they were to challenge the top 4 next season. With only Gerrard and Torres to carry the team, it is just too much for them to bear. If they want to challenge for honors next year, the owners are going to need to invest big. Its only a matter if those 2 yanks are willing to fork out the money to finally help Liverpool which they have failed to do over the course of their ownership.

Signing off,
Prosoc8

United's title dream over?

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:31:00 +0000

Berbatov's United career over? Source : ESPN Soccenet

We are at the point of a season that if you want to win the EPL, you must, and i emphasis MUST not drop points against opponents like Blackburn. It's just too much of a risk to drop points against teams who can't match you in terms of quality or financially. Manchester started this match without their star, Wayne Rooney. I knew that it was too early for him to play against Bayern, and i seriously suspect that they injected him with painkillers to allow him to play for an hour before being taken off. Sir Alex, i said if Rooney's ankle is injured further, that you would be facing a hard time battling for the title without your star striker and i am still sticking with my statement, and as for England's World Cup dreams, if he sits out like he did for most of the competition during the 2006 World Cup, there will be fingers pointing at you for pushing him when you shouldn't have only time will tell.

Berbatov started the match partnering Macheda who was called up to replace the injured Rooney. Berbatov who has been poor most of season with only a little glympse of the form that we all seen during his Totteham days, didn't live up to his £30million tag, as he barely tested the former England number one through out the game. The loss to Bayern was evident as United couldn't find their rhythm throughout the match. Manchester United were poor, friction between Ferdinand and Van Der Sar and having 16 shots with only 4 on target pretty much sums up their worst possible week. With a loss to Chelsea (2-1), knocked out of the Champions League on away goals to Bayern (4-4) and now a draw with Blackburn to put their title dreams possibly over. Chelsea lead by one point with a game in hand, they will definitely want to capitalize on this chance to go 4 points ahead of their rivals.

I am suspecting that United will be looking to cut their losses and try to get back some of the pounds they paid for Dimitar Berbatov, he has been a disappointment all season. Without Rooney, Manchester at times looked like a blunt weapon, they will need to do some investing if they are to challenge the title again next season. As i said in my last post, it will be interesting to see how Manchester bounce back from a demoralizing defeat to Bayern, and today it definitely showed that their Bayern hang over is still lingering in each of them and the players didn't have it in them to put out a decent performance. This could spell the end of United's campaign, out of every cup competition and with the title race looking very unlikely.

Signing off,
Prosoc8

Manchester Knocked out by Robben screamer!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:23:00 +0000

Manchester United's European campaign has ended after Robben send the devils packing with a volley from the outside of the box. There was so much pre-match buzz about Rooney returning from injury to play this match. Because Manchester United knows that they needed him to help overcome a deficit of 2-1 at Munich. I personally felt if Rooney did appear, it would be too rushed and if he ends up injuring his ankle again, their title push might suffer a huge blow........and so will England's World Cup hopes and England fans will want Ferguson's head on a platter for this!

Manchester couldn't have asked for a better start as Gibson's shot gives United the lead that they needed. What i don't understand from this goal is what on earth was the keeper doing? He just stood there and watch as the ball sneaked past him on his near post. It was poor goalkeeping and Gibson's goal isn't that great. United's second goal came from Nani, now that is a pure class goal from Nani, he has been in fine form last few months. I was not surprised to see him pull something like that but Bayern definitely didn't defend well enough as the second goal was scored just five minutes after the first goal. Bayern was in total shock as they didn't know what has hit them, they failed to create any clear cut chances inside the first half hour of the game as Manchester played magnificent football. When Bayern started to get into the game, Nani pops up with a third goal for United. The tie looked all over but Bayern had other plans. Bayern quickly got themselves together and pulled a goal back before half time. That meant that they only needed one more goal to send them to the semi finals on the away goal rule.

When second half started, the German side played with a purpose and started to pose a threat to the United defenses. United's right back Rafael decided to do something stupid to put United under more pressure when he was sent off for a second yellow card. Manchester had to play forty minutes with just ten men. So if there was a person to blame for the defeat they could have avoided, it would be Rafael. With Rafael gone, Rooney had to be taken off to be replaced by O'Shea. With Rooney gone and ten men, Manchester's plan was to grind out the result. Unfortunately, the wave after wave of Bayern attack finally paid off when Robben volleyed a corner from Ribery to send the German side to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Bayern Munich definitely deserved their place in the semi finals as Manchester United wasn't organized and discipline enough to hold the German side from coming back into the game. They would have to blame themselves for not holding on to the a 3-0 lead. I have some sympathy for the devils but Bayern Munich definitely deserved to go through. It will be interesting to see how they comeback from this devastating defeat in this week's English Premier League fixtures.

Signing off,
Prosoc8

Magical Messi

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:38:00 +0000

I knew when i saw the draw up for the Champions League quarter-finals that this game would be special. Both very technical side that plays very fluid and beautiful football. The first leg was very entertaining as Barcelona completely dominated Arsenal from start to finish. Arsenal were definitely lucky to end the game with a 2-2 draw. And the second leg didn't fail to produce the same type of magic that the first leg had.....

There was one and only player that can be counted on to bring down a resilient Arsenal side, and it was none other than "World Best Player" Lionel Messi. He completely ran the show and didn't let up the whole night, the Arsenal players could only chase his shadows as Messi haunted the the defenses. Arsenal may have taken the lead through Nicklas Bendtner, but that didn't stop Messi from producing one of his best performances on the big stage. Scoring four goals during the night to send the cup holders to the semi inals of the Champions League. This consolidated the running of him becoming world best player. He may be smaller compared to the likes of Ronaldo, Torres or Rooney, but he has shown that his trickery and sharp body turns were too much for the Arsenal defenders to bear. If he does ever leave the Camp Nou, it will definitely be exciting to see him play in the English Premier League where his skills will be tested week in, week out, in one of the top league's in the world.

Arsenal just didn't showed up for this game as they were completely mauled by the magician Messi. Even Wenger admitted that his side were completely outplayed by the "world best player". Which was evident as Arsenal gave little resistant to a very strong Barcelona side. I think Arsenal just laid low and just watch Messi preform his magic, Arsenal didn't have the player that could mark a player like Messi, so that was the reason for their failure. This years World Cup will definitely be a good one with world class players on top of their form. I will be looking forward to seeing how Messi will do at the world cup in South Africa.

Signing Off
Prosoc8

Malaysian Wonder Kid!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:18:00 +0000

The potential of this wonder kid is very very exciting indeed, an American born Malaysian, Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal that is only twelve years old is tearing apart defenses in his own junior league. Personally i haven't seen any Malaysian youngster that is so full of flair and potential, it excites me that this kid could one day lead Malaysia to finally achieving something. I do hope the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) is keeping tabs on this boy and be prepared to offer him an incentive to play for Malaysia instead of getting a US citizenship to play for the US. There is definitely enough potential for him to reach the level of the English Premier League, if only his skills are developed well as he matures. At only an age of twelve years old, it is exciting to see how much he will be able to improve as the years to come.

DO enjoy the brilliance of this kid.

Signing off,
prosoc8

Gerrard Frustrated....

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:01:00 +0000

If any of you watched the Liverpool game during the weekend, you would understand how frustrating it is. The weekend game against Birmingham at St. Andrews should have been won easily no doubt. But the lack of quality in front of goal and defensive blunders has again failed them this season as they try to salvage the 4th Champions League spot from their disappointing campaign.....

The first half was dull as both sides had their chances limited, but it all changed during the second half as Gerrard scored two minutes after the restart. Gerrard turned the Birmingham defender inside out and before curling a shot to the far post. That is Gerrard's 10th goal of the season and what a goal it is. Hart had no chance as the ball curled into the far corner of the net. That definitely brings back glimpse of Gerrard's brilliance, which i truly believe is from playing him in a deeper role of midfield then the support role of a striker, where he is truly more comfortable. However, the lead only lasted nine minutes as Liam Ridgewell took advantage of Liverpool's awful defending to score the equalizer. If you watched the game, Liverpool could have lost the match if Bowyer scored his open goal opportunity. The Liverpool defense was totally abysmal and they definitely need to work on it. The defensive errors were such elementary football level errors which shouldn't happen in a professional level.

What made it worst for Liverpool is when their so called "Master Tactician" Rafa Benitez took off their world class striker Fernando Torres during the second half. Gerrard's facial expression definitely says it all as he is obviously puzzled and frustrated at why Torres has been taken off. The only reason that Rafa gave on the post match press conference is that he is "tired". If i were to choose Champions League spot or Europa Cup, It should no doubt be Champions League. With Torres off, and Ngog coming on, no wonder the scoreline stayed 1-1. The French youngster missed three golden opportunities that you would have bet Torres score, to win Liverpool all three points. Gerrard was instrumental in creating those chances but it wasn't going to Liverpool's day as they miss chance after chance to put Liverpool back in the lead. It is safe to say that Liverpool are very much unlikely to make the champions league spot as they will have to settle for a Europa spot.

Signing off
Prosoc8

Lucky Arsenal escapes with a draw!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:40:00 +0000

Arsenal has always been known for their beautiful short passing, fluid football. It was going to be an exciting encounter when Barcelona visited Arsenal at the Emirates. But i have never in my lifetime seen Arsenal cornered like this at their own home turf. Barcelona played magnificent football, it wasn't Messi that was destroying Arsenal, it was the whole Barcelona team and how they outplayed Arsenal during the first half, with the amount of chances, they could have put the tie to bed even before the half hour mark. If people wanted to see how beautiful football should be played, watch this highlight.
It was definitely a shock how the scoreline stayed goalless after Barcelona pretty much bombarded the Arsenal goal, lucky Almunia recovered from that Birmingham blunder to put up a inspiring performance to keep the home side in the match. But Barcelona didn't even give Arsenal a chance to breathe in the second half as they scored right after the kickoff. Arsenal's defense was split right open and Almunia rushed out but could only watch as Ibrahimovic looped it over his head and into the net. Ibrahimovic then scored another goal 13 minutes later from the same position to put Barcelona 2-0 up.

From the on, i thought Arsenal's game is over as Barcelona was in total control, but i was wrong and i admire how the character of the young Arsenal side is starting to mature. It was good to see that they managed to pull themselves together and never gave up. It was definitely encouraging to see! Theo Walcott managed to pull back one goal which i felt was fortunate, even so, Arsenal did deserve a goal for the persistence. As the game started to come to an end, Farbregas shouldered the hopes and dreams of the Arsenal fans to put give Arsenal the equalizer from the penalty awarded. It was a shock to how Arsenal manage to come back after being pushed around the first half. It may not be as close to the Liverpool vs Ac Milan Champions League final comeback, but it was definitely a great comeback from the young gunners against a quality side. Injuries and suspensions to both sides is going to make the 2nd leg at the Nou Camp a very entertaining match to look forward to. I hope the match will just as entertaining as this one!

Arsenal v Barcelona
Uploaded by imorenball. - More professional, college and classic sports videos.

Signing off
Prosoc8

Manchester United, a one man team?

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Wayne Rooney is on the best form of his footballing career, scoring his 34th goal of the season, in the 2-1 loss to Bayern at last night's Champions league encounter. However, on the 92 minute of the match, only a few seconds before Olic scored that crucial goal that gave the home side a win, Rooney rolled on his right ankle and had to walk out of the stadium with crutches with protective boots in place. Manchester United fans should start worrying and praying as they have a crucial game in the weekend against Chelsea and then a second leg match against Bayern in Old Trafford.....

There has been so much hype about Rooney getting injured, which i feel only amplifies how much the team relies on him. The last minute double blow at Munich may have demoralized the team, with Rooney potentially injured and a last minute goal dealt to them. It will be interesting to see how the Devils will bounce back from this. Rooney has scored most of United's goal, he has really stepped up his game this year after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. But i think it is unfair to Rooney that he has the burden of the entire fan base and team on his shoulders as they look to him to provide the goods. They should have enough players to provide as well, they have the squad dept and quality in them to match up to any team, so i don't understand why Rooney is the focus of the team when everyone else has the potential to provide the same!

Rooney may have scored the first goal in less than 2 minutes but Bayern slowly got a grip of the game and started pouring forward. If you look at the stats of the game, Rooney was slowly marked out of the game as the scoring opportunities started to favored Bayern. To be honest , Manchester United were very poor and thinking that they could just rely on Rooney to bail them out... not this time... the tide has turned and Bayern have done a 1999 Champions League final reverse on United. Manchester were lucky that Robben wasn't fit to play, it could have been a far worst scoreline as Robben and transfer targeted Ribery would have turned the United back four inside out.

Here is a little food for thought,
What would happen if Rooney couldn't play both crucial matches? Lose out on the title race and Champions League glory on the reliance of one player.

Signing off,
Prosoc8

Who will win the English Premier League 09/10?

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:22:00 +0000

The end of the season is near but the title race is still wide open with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal battling hard for it. It will be hard to predict what would be the outcome this year's race.......

Over the weekend, Chelsea thrashed and humiliated Aston Villa 7-1 with F.Lampard scoring 4 of the goals. Aston Villa is never an easy opponent to play as they have shown their European credentials. However, Chelsea showed no mercy and Aston Villa was powerless to stop a Chelsea side playing on high gear. It was a perfect reaction from the previous week's draw with Blackburn. They thumped Portsmouth 5-0 and now 7-1 to Aston Villa, and if they can keep up their form for the remaining games, the title is definitely up for grabs.

Manchester on the other hand, won 4-0 over Bolton even without their ace striker Rooney. Rooney has been the driving force for Manchester United, scoring 25 goals during the 09/10 campaign, but he was forced to miss this game with an injury. Manchester showed no signs of missing Rooney as they still managed a comfortable 4-0 win over Bolton, with Berbatov scoring a brace. The scoreline in my opinion flattered Manchester as at times Bolton did cause problems for the Devil's back four, if it weren't for Van derSar, the scoreline would have been different.

Just when Arsenal are starting to pick up the pace for the title, they were halted as Kevin Phillips of Birmingham scored his 250th goal of his professional career to prevent Arsenal from taking all 3 points. Arsene Wenger wasn't happy about the tackle on Fabregas and his made his feelings known during the press conference.

"He got tackled at the knee, kicked just under the knee. We tried to take him off but he said he was all right. Am I suggesting there were a lot of bad tackles? Leave me alone with that, for f***'s sake.

"You are always looking for controversy, you do not need me to tell you what happened on the pitch. I can give you my opinion about our game but you always create this controversy." -Arsene Wenger

This result has dented Arsenal's push for a title but there are still chances for Arsenal to keep up if they keep up their form. Arsenal need to stop relying on Fabregas, once Fabregas was kicked, he wasn't the same player anymore with poor touches and poor passing throughout the game.

Arsenal still have a big game this week against Barcelona and they will have to be at their best if they want to compete against a very strong Barcelona side.

SO who will win this year's English Premier League... you will just have to wait and see...
Arsenal will be given a chance to catch up when the Devils meet the blues next week in a match that could decide which side is favored to win this year's Premier League. Can Manchester United stop rampant Chelsea? Or will the blues continue their goal scoring form?

Signing off
Prosoc8

Confidence goes a long way!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:09:00 +0000

Confidence is important when it comes performing to your best. Having the confidence when performing a skill gives you the edge of actually being successful at it.

Recently, I have had some confidence issues with my ability as a player and thus my performance has taken a knock. A team with low confidence, however good they may be will suffer performance wise because there is the "I can't" mentality that creates hesitation that will hinder players from performing to their full potential. Take Liverpool for example, this season they had so much potential to challenge for the league title after finishing a close second last season. However, injuries and a few bad results in a row has demoralized them and without their ace striker Torres and inspirational midfield Gerrard, Liverpool have now lost seven premier league matches and are now in 6th place. This is an example of a team lacking of confidence.

So to all football/soccer players, i hope you won't let this viral mentality get to you and ruin your performance on the field. There is a few things that you can do to that might help:

1) If your weak on a particular skill, work at it till you feel confident enough so that you don't feel insecure.

2) This is one of my favorites, looking at videos of football greats like Henry, Zidane, Owen, Rooney and so on..... just watching them play and imagining yourself being able to do what they do will help lift you.

3) Having good friends and team mates to back you up when your in a vulnerable state of mind. It is crucial that you have people like this around to support you. If you have friends who kicks you while your down, then it is obvious that you need new ones! Period!

4) Don't over think it. Some players worry too much of the simple stuff and end up messing up the simple passes, control or shots.... just play to your best and you will do good.

5) Worrying too much of the past mistakes will put you down as well, the key is to move on from those mistakes or work at those mistakes so that you don't make them again.

I hope this has helped strengthen your mentality!!!
Comments please on the subject!!

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Prosoc8

"Red Devils silenced as Gunners take top spot! "

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:12:00 +0000

This year's Carling cup semi-final pitted the two Manchester clubs against each other in a fierce derby battle. Man city conceded an early lead to the Red Devils but rallied to score a penalty through Tevez before half time.

A second goal from Tevez sealed the win for Man City in the Semi final first leg (Second leg to be played in Old Trafford). Gary Neville's comment about Tevez being not worth 25mil sparked the Argentinian to do his talking on the pitch with a brace of goals! Fergie must be kicking himself for not signing the striker. The other semifinal match(2nd leg) Aston Villa (Aston Villa lead 1-0 away in the first leg) has beat Blackburn Rovers with a classic scoreline of 6-4 to proceed to the final of the Carling Cup.

At Anfield, Liverpool put on a determined performance to outdo Spurs 2-0. Kuyt scored a brace for Liverpool as they are now one point from the 4th spot. Is this a sign of Liverpool's comeback which they are so famous for? The score could have been more if the Liverpool players had their shooting boots on, the scoreline could have read 3-0 even before Kuyt scored the crucial second goal to seal the win. Spurs were just not good enough as they couldn't conjure up any clear cut chances. Had that controversial disallowed goal been allowed, it would have been a different game. But credit to Liverpool for pulling a win when no one thought they could.

Arsenal foughtback from a two goal deficit to beat Bolton 4-2 to surge to the top of the league. Bolton played well but couldn't stop an in form Arsenal side from scoring four goals. Arsenal are finally coping with the loss of Van Persie to injury, they are now on the verge of leading the pack and possibly winning this year's Premiership but that awaits to be seen if they can keep up their good form and prevent any injuries.

So any thoughts on Arsenal's form? Liverpool's season revival? and Manchester United's troubles building up with their club's debt rising to 700m and their inconsistent form.

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Prosoc8

" Always first to the ball!!! "

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:19:00 +0000

"Always first to the ball", that's what my coach always told me during the years of playing football for my high schools. I didn't understand then how crucial it is till few years back when i finally realized the importance of going for the ball first and not letting your opponents get in first.

It is important that players take this mentality into their matches. Whichever position a player plays during a match, it would definitely be beneficial for the team to have this type of committed mentality going into a match. I have seen so many matches where players just hesitate when there is a 50-50 ball, when you hesitate like that, your abandoning your chances to win the ball for your team and that might consequently result in a goal for the opposition. One wrong decision like that could cost you the match, especially during crucial stages of the match.

One of the situations that require the determination to want to win possession of the ball first are midfield battles. The midfield of a team is like the engine and if the opposition team's engine can be stalled by winning these midfield battles, then the advantage goes to the team that is able to initiated attacking plays from winning possession, if your opponent doesn't have the ball, they can't score.

However, this mentality alone won't get any wins if your team lacks the skill or knowledge of tactics to take advantage of it. Ball technique and team work is required to compliment this mentality. A player may have the determination to win a 50-50 ball, however,without the skills to accompany it, it will not be as effective. Some of the crucial basic skills needed, for example, are the right jumping and heading technique, ball control, tackling and more. i will blogging specifically about skills and technique in another blog post.

Let me know your thoughts on the subject.
Any sort of comments are welcomed!!

Signing off
Prosoc8

Woeful Liverpool...

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:31:00 +0000

Liverpool have been knocked out of the FA cup by a Reading side that is struggling in their own league. This loss shows the lack of quality and confidence from the Liverpool side that couldn't even conjure up a good attacking play to break down a very resilient Reading defense. You would wonder how Reading ever ended up in the bottom end of the league when they managed a shock win over one of the "big fours" Liverpool. With Ace striker Torres injured in the first half and Captain Gerrard injured in the early second half, this definitely wasn't going to be Liverpool's day and the loss in the extra time condemned Liverpool to possibly their worst season in a decade.

With Liverpool's season going from bad to worse, Benitez's future at Liverpool seems to be coming to an end. Many Liverpool fans would agree after seeing their side losing Xabi Alonso, knocked out of the Champions League, knocked out of both Carling and FA cup and far far away from the top 4 spots in the league..... Which leaves the only consolation the Europa Cup. With the free transfer of Maxi Rodriguez, it goes to show that Liverpool are still financially incapable of spending with the amount of debt that the club currently have.... I wonder how the future will unfold for Liverpool....... Could this be another Leeds United......??

Match goals for Liverpool Vs Reading

So what do you think will happen in the near future for Liverpool?
Any thoughts? Please Comment

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Prosoc8

New on the Block!

noreply@blogger.com (R.Deou) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Welcome everyone to Everything about Soccer!
This is my first post, i will be updating really soon!

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Prosoc8