Great piece from Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger about the rise and fall of two German footwear companies. For some reason, I did not realize Puma was a German company and knew nothing of the family intrigue involved in the history of these two companies.
[Soccernet via The Offside]
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Quick Throw: Adidas v. Puma
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday Backpasses: His painting is nice
Before we get started tonight, a quick recap of the day's Champions League action:
Draw-Draw-Draw-Arsenal Win.
Well, that works for me. On to the links
OK, OK, I'll expand. Juninho's goal was sublime. Bendtner is shite. This goal was the funniest thing of the day [101 Great Goals]
Quick update: the BNP has cancelled their march in Liverpool that upset the Everton-Stoke game [BBC]
Wait. Which one is real and which one is fake? [The Offside]
Oldest and youngest goal scorer in select leagues this season. Jozy shows up twice [The Best Eleven]
Real Madrid president figures the tie with Liverpool will be a 5-1 cakewalk [Daily Mail]
Indian Sports Minister says hero team of 1956 could beat modern day Indian squad [Reuters]
Finally:
There are times to run a group celebration after a goal. This was not one of them [Dirty Tackle]
UF Quick Throw: Fletcher Shipped to Liverpool
This one is a bit tough because, well, apparently the incident was fairly horrific. Darren Fletcher was burglarized whilst he was away in Italy to play for United; and his fiancee and her mother were held at knifepoint during the incident. Not good.
No, he wasn't actually sold to Liverpool, it's just that the episode is Liverpool-esque. Even the soccernet article bothers to point out: "The raid follows a series of break-ins at the homes of Liverpool players in recent months while they have been away playing high-profile matches."
This is also the basis of the running inside UF joke of the day. We're awful people, yes. But nobody was hurt, so forgive us.
Champions League Liveblog: Ashtray Floors, Dirty Clothes, And Filthy Jokes
Yeah, I can't hardly wait either. But we're inside of an hour to the start of the round of 16 for the Champions League.
Did you think we wouldn't liveblog at least one of the matches?
Inter v. United. Line-ups in a bit. Liveblog at kick.
Taking one for the team here. Every time I go to watch Arsenal at Fearon's they lose or draw (the FA Cup win over Cardiff being the exception that proves the rule). So I will watch the Special One and the Satanic One.
Outside of the Euro and the World Cup, the next two days might be the best in football.
Line-Ups
Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Rivas, Chivu, Santon, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari, Stankovic, Ibrahimovic, Adriano.
Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Maxwell, Figo, Cruz, Burdisso, Balotelli.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Park, Berbatov, Ronaldo.
Subs: Foster, Rooney, Nani, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Gibson, Tevez.
So, of note: Evans and O'Shea are playing. Rooney and Tevez are bench subs.
"You're looking live at the San Siro in Milan, Italy..." Okay, no Musberger but we have live pictures on ESPN2. And they aren't in HD? What the fuck ESPN?
They do a montage with some of the weeniest skinny techno music ever. Apparently ESPN assigns all of its gay interns to soccer.
I'll say it: Zlantan Ibrahimovic is one unattractive man.
ESPN is importing commercials from FSC. They are trying to sell me a Snuggie. O/U on how many Proactive spots they run?
Highlights of Porto under Mourinho beating United. Ha ha, eat shit Sir Alex.
T-minus 5 minutes: I am so excited. I just can't hide it. I think I want the Champions League theme played at my wedding. Any surprise I'm not close to being married?
T-minus 3 minutes: Could they find dorkier looking kids to accompany the players?
Dear Zlatan: When I'm upside down on my mortgage, can I live under your nose? Thanks, Precious Roy.
T-minus 1 minute: Oh my God. Kick already. And then somebody on United get hurt already.
KICK: And we're off...
And someone decided to call me right at kick. Uh, sorry. Not answering.
2nd minute: Sloppy possession by Inter, by United picks it up and counters. Ronaldo is booed severely on his first touch. Then gets a free kick.
3rd minute: From about 25 out. Ronaldo with a rocket but right into Julio Cesar's arms. Game on.
4th minute: O'Shea with a gift to Adriano near the edge of the box, but he can't make anything of it. And they give it back to United.
5th minute: United very patient and deliberate in any build up. Evra earns a corner off a good Zanetti tackle.
6th minute: HOLY SHIT. That was a rocket header from Ronaldo off the corner by Giggs. Julio Cesar with an unreal save from point blank range. Awesome stuff early.
7th minute: Inter chasing the game a bit as United are keeping possession fairly easily. Rivas on Park gives United another free kick from about 30 out. Ronaldo takes it... Just wide. Forces a dive from Cesar but it curves about 2 feet wide. United with the chances early.
9th minute: Now Inter... At the edge of the United box. Ball goes to the right and Stankovic puts it into row DD. Oops.
And my picture flickers. Don't fuck this up ESPN.
11th minute: Stankovic again sends one in to low orbit. Just an awfful toe punch.
12th minute: United easily the more composed side. Inter look tentative on even the shortest of passes. They've had one good sting of passes around the box. United with a throw deep in Inter's half.
14th minute: Zanetti takes Carrick down just outside the 18...
Gigss takes it. And knocks it off the wall. Inter are giving United all kinds of chances from set pieces.
15th minute: Poor communication from Maicon and Ibra and Inter waste another trip to the outside of the United box. Inter look like crap.
17th minute: Inter almost slowing things down. But United counter and Berbs almost hits Park with a clever flick through. Cesar picks it up and the threat is over.
18th minute: Ack! Adriano collections a sky ball and feeds it back to Zanetti who again allows Van Der Sar to tend goal while touching himself if he so chooses.
19th minute: Berbs is deep but some nice defensive cover picks it up from Inter and they counter. Adriano collects it turns it up field. The ball gets to Zanetti and again the cross is errant. Good end-to-end for both teams. Nothing comes from it.
21st minute: Fletcher takes down Santon but no whistle. Ronaldo turns it over and Inter are countering, whoops... No they aren't.
22nd minute: And a feed from Ronaldo deflects right into the box and it hits Giggs in the ass. He can't find it or he had an easy goal. Cleared for a corner that falls dangerously in the box. The ball goes back across the box and Evra sends a nice header just wide of the far post. United having the better of it.
24th minute: Ibra gets a long ball and goes 1-on-3. Kicks it in to Evans' shins and it deflects back to midfield. Now United go long. Suddenly it Route 1 from both sides. United with a throw on the Inter third.
26th minute: Do we overrate Serie A this much? Blackburn looked like they posed more questions over the weekend... Oh and Giggs gets in alone. He's got Ceasr lined up and he makes a huge save. Wasted by United.
28th minute: That was horrid defense by Rivas. Just shocking. Giggs had a one-on-one down the left side. They keep Inter on the defensive off the corner. Adriano fails to clear. Ronaldo falls down and He gets the free kick. Shocker.
28th minute: Another beauty free kick and a rocket at that from Ronaldo who forces another great save from Cesar. Oh... and now a header from Ronaldo goes just wide as he had Cesar flat-footed.
30th minute: Someone check Jose's pants and see if he's shat himself yet.
31st minute: Another free kick for United. Their 114th. It is still scoreless. I was joking but before I can even get this posted, Berbs earns another free kick. Ronaldo takes this one from almost the same spot he hit one against Blackburn over the weekend.
32nd minute: And the natives are getting restless. That's lot of whistling from the locals. Ibra offside on a long ball.
34th minute: Inter's best chance yet. Muntari gets deep but his feed for Adriano goes long to the back post and is cleared away by O'Shea.
36th minute: Inter can't get out of their own half or get out of their own way. A nice ball from Ibahimovic with a clever backheel from Stankovic, but there's not enough on it to worry Van der Sar who collects it. That's the first thing he's had to do all day.
38th minute: Ibra almost feeds it to Adriano but O'Shea gets a touch to it and kills what would have been a naked run in on Van der Sar. At least Inter looks like it belongs on the same pitch, but just barely. United on a counter...
39th minute: Ibra with a nifty move to get some space coming out of the corner and he knocks one toward goal. Adriano tries to redirect but it VdS there first.
41st minute: Cesar comes out and jumps high to punch away a ball off the corner. It's a nervy moment and Chivu clears it down the pitch.
43rd minute: You'd never know that United were the ones with the defensive issues entering the match. Rivan and Santon have been iffy. Evans and O'Shea have been solid. Shit call and Toldo gets carded on the bench? Huh? Yep, Toldo carded for talking shit to the ref and know he's having a laugh about it on the bench. Anyway, O'Shea got Muntari in the nuts and they called Muntari for the foul.
45th minute: Santon takes a shot and it's deflected back. Now Maicon gets fouled by Carrick. It's yellow. For Evra? Or Carrick?
HALF. Just one minute of stoppage. Inter lucky to be in a 0-0 match.
Okay, just went to gamecast to check... there was no card on either Evra or Carrick for that challenge on Maicon right before half.
Inter were getting run off the pitch for the first 30, then merely outplayed for the next 15. They gave up about 8 free kick, 6 of which required some good keeping by Julio Cesar. Inter has also made a spectator out of Van der Sar. So, if Jose wants to see the round of 8, he's going to have to do some halftime voodoo so that a different team takes the pitch in second half. A 0-0 draw isn't a disaster for Inter, but this Inter team cannot win at Old Trafford.
Okay, well farting will be interesting for the Inter players as they all now have a second asshole.
Cordoba on Rivas off for Inter.
2nd Half
KICK
46th minute: Muntari wastes no time in giving it away in the United third to undermine and Inter threat early.
47th minute: Now Ibra deep on the left side. He makes a nice little loft pass into the box, but Evans clears. It... Oh, and Adriano misses a sure goal. Ibra let it go by him right to Adriano who knocks it off his own plant foot to send it over the bar.
48th minute: Oh and Adriano goes down on a cross. Rio with a hand on him but no call. Could have gone either way, but of course, no United player ever fouls anyone in the box.
50th minute: Inter already look a different side. Adriano really did have Van der Sar flat-footed and beaten. Then on a good cross from Ibra, Adriano went down in the box. He flooped but Rio had his hand up on his shoulders. Could have been a foul but Adriano's dive didn't help his cause.
51st: Stankovic takes a "Eh, why the not?" low shot from range. It goes wide without troubling Van der Sar. Now United countering... and they hold it up and reverse field. Evra with a good low cross to the feet of Park but it's broken up and cleared.
54th minute: Yep, different Inter team. Crisper. Making better challenges.
55th minuteL United take it down the left side and Park crosses one long and wide. Julio Cesar lets it go for a goal kick.
56th minute: Ibra gets loose alone deep on the left. But O'Shea blocks the cross. Ibra collects the rebound and sends it back in. O'Shea deflects again and it goes for a corner. The corner goes to the far post. On contact between Adriano and Van der Sar, there's a whistle against Inter.
57th minute: Chivu with a two-footer on Berbs who sells it. It was probably a card, but the Bulgarian did his best shot-victim. Yellow for Chivu.
59th minute: Reading the comments, apparently Bendtner is sucking total ass.
Back in Italy, Maicon gets carded. Bullshit. That wasn't a yellow. Just once I'd like to see a match involving United that was ref'ed fairly. IF that was a card, then Evra's tackle was a card.
60th minute: United is starting to look a little gassed. Expect to see Tevez or Rooney in the next 5 miuntes. And Ronaldo goes to the turf and gets a whistle. Fag.
61st minute: An offside Berbs isn't whistled. And he heads it to Park who is guilty of an obvious handball. And there's a whistle. Thanks ref. Not like it wasn't blatant or anything. Inter making United work on defense a little.
63rd minute: And down goes Ronaldo again. This time no whistle. He pouts. Inter give it away and United counter. Park tries to hit Giggs with all kinds of real estate in front of him, but his ball isn't in the same zip code, or Italian equivalent thereof.
65th minute: Cordoba with a nice header back to Cesar to keep Giggs from getting a shot. And back the othe way. Ibra with a cheeky kick shot. And Muntari is tripped. Oh, and no call...? Really? Come on.
66th minute: United.... Should have scored. Ronaldo gets deep and sends one across the naked goal mouth. Park can't get it. Berbs can't get it. And it's finally cleared out for a corner. Just off the foot of two United players. Ronaldo almost created that by himself. Fucker is good. But he's still a diving douche.
68th minute: Ronaldo again, trying to get loose on the right. He's shielded by Santon and he pushes the youngster down and falls with him. Ha ha. Card his ass, ref. Nope. Just a whistle.
69th minute: Maicon wastes a free kick from about 30 meters out. He swings it wide and high and never bothers Van der Sar. Back the other way... Header flicked to Giggs on the right goes long and out of bounds. Teams swapping the ball at midfield.
71st minute: No liquid football today. Muntari makes a nice move to force a foul from Fletcher. Oooh, and a yellow to boot. Of all the things to draw the first United card, it's that? Not that they've been dirty, but they've certainly had harder challenges. Inter on the attack.
72nd minute: Cambiasso finds Adriano in the box, and against he botches it. That's twice that Ibra has made a nice move to let the ball go through but Adriano couldn't get the ball settled to get a shot off from the edge of the 6.
74th minute: And Cambiasso just stabs it away from Ronaldo. Nice tackle. Inter actually trying to come more up the center of United. They go long to Adriano. Ugh... and Muntari misses two targets in the box. The floater goes easily to Van der Sar.
76th minute: Giggs gets space in front he runs across the box. He fires and it's blocked. Cordoba with a nice block as Giggs had a good look at goal there.
Mutari off Cruz on for Inter.
Adriano off Balotelli on for Inter.
77th minute: Berbatov gets in but Chivu rides him far enough out that by the time Berbs gets it settled his angle is cut off and he pushes it to outside of the net.
79th minute: Cruz botches a give-and-go with Ibrahimovic. Now United walk it back up the pitch. Turnover at the edge of the box. Inter coming back. Game is slowing on both sides as they swap possession.
80th minute: Corner United. Evans fouled Cesar on the in-swinger. Rooney getting instructions from Sir Alex. So he's about to come on...
82nd minute: Maicon with a steal. Evra with a BLATANT hand ball on the edge of the box. No whistle. Ball is cross in... How the fuck did Cambiasso not score that. Ugh... That was a terrible non-call on the Evra handball. It must have been bad as even United apologist Smyth thought it was a handball.
Rooney on Park off for United.
83rd minute: So off a throw deep in the United end Ibra flicked it across the box and it hit Cambiasso in the chest but he couldn't get anything behind it so it was saved by Van der Sar. Best chance for Inter all night. So close that Ibra had already started celebrating. Doh.
85th minute: Long free kick for Inter. Ibra takes it, and it comes off Evans but they give a goal kick to United. Really, that was not a good call.
86th minute: So 0-0 is looking more and more likely...
87th minute: Stankovic gets it deep. And the cross comes in, but it's cleared by O'Shea. Ball comes out and Ronaldo finds the ground to draw a foul on Balotelli. It was a foul.
88th minute: And a yellow for Rooney who came in late and high on Cambiasso. Tommy Smyth is trying to fellate Rooney, but that's a yellow.
89th miunte: Whoa... Awful decision by Cesar to come out and Inter almost gift one to United, but Cordoba gets a great touch to push the ball wide to safety. Or wait, on replay was it Julio Cesar that got the touch?
Three minutes of stoppage.
90 +1: Stankovic from distance. Gets it off but it goes high over the bar. Never a real threat. But Inter still pressing.
90 +2: Rooney with a chip in to the box that floats to Cesar. United back on the attack. And Ronaldo takes a dive on minimal contact and gets a dubious whistle. WTF? A Yellow for Cordoba for that? Okay. Contact was legit on the replay, but that was no card. God, I hate Ronaldo. And the Spanish ref is buying every bit of his histrionics today. So United with a free kick at the death.
90 +3: With the last kick, Ronaldo lasers one right into Julio Cesar. On the rebound the whistle blows. So no second chance for United as it comes off Cesar's chest.
Game. 0-0. So it's all on the line for the return at Old Trafford.
Thanks for playing along.
Whither EPL Playoffs?
Manchester United is a giant Jurassic-sized mosquito in my life. The club is too big for me to nonchalantly swat away, the resulting damage from its bite has left me pale, sallow, weak, and it is generally sucking my will to live.
Or, at least, the club is bleeding out any enjoyment of the EPL (suck it, Barclays!) season. I just wish some club named Off! would come around to rid us of this pest.
Sunday was likely the climax of the season when previously impotent road team Manchester City held an uninspired Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. Ironically, the Manchester Blues handed hated city rivals the Manchester Reds a seven point advantage at the top of the table and given the Borg-like efficiency of the Red squad likely will never relinquish.
The next twelve EPL (suck it, Barclays!) matches are just the denouement of this year’s story tying up the loose ends of what seemed such a promising story in December.
Give Manchester United its due, Blackburn did its best Bilbo Baggins performance wounding the previously impenetrable (at least for the past umpteen matches) United scales with a Roque Santa Cruz strike, but ManU still prevailed 2-1 keeping Rovers in the drop zone. The Paraguayan’s manager last season is the current (checks internet, yup still there) Citeh manager and was Santa Cruz’s suitor this January transfer season managed to stay his execution with Sunday’s draw. Really, all that seems to be of interest anymore is the relegation battle and European slots.
To help maintain interest, and to obtain executive support earn a bit more revenue, it might be time for the EPL to consider a playoff system. It may not be Game 39, but it would certainly add some drama to season’s end. Plus, it could serve a dual purpose of making the Jurassic-mosquitoes extinct or at least less common.
In the US, soccerphiles have long proselytized on the greatness of the relegation system. So, it seems appropriate that EPL borrow a staple of the US sports systems (sans college football, of course)—the playoffs. Surely, the EPL (suck it, Barclays!) could wring a few more ducats out of it.
What kind of system would it be? I can envision four different formats—with 2, 4, 6, or 8 teams—each with pluses and minuses.
Two teams—only the top two point totals in the regular season make the playoff. It could be a home-and-away or one-off at Wembley. It has the benefit of not adding much to the season, but really doesn’t affect the power structure.
Four teams—the top four point totals get in with the title and the top CL qualifying spot up for grabs. These could be home-and-away series or just one-offs with the higher seed with homefield advantage in the semis and the final at Wembley. Again, this doesn’t really affect the current power structure, but at least it keeps the title alive until the end of the season and more teams have an incentive to play in the final weeks.
Six teams—top six point totals qualify with the top two getting a bye to the semis while the next four play one-offs with the highest point totals getting homefield. This format would only add two weeks to the season if the first round is played midweek, semis on the weekend and the final at Wembley a week later. Plus, the winning team would get the top qualifying CL spot and the title, potentially shunting the fourth place regular season squad to the UEFA Cup, which would bring all sorts of excitement to the competition. This has the potential to be the best option not adding too many games or time to the season but including enough teams to potentially disrupt the current power structure.
Eight teams—essentially the same as the six-team format without the byes. The drawback with this format is that you are getting to NBA-numbers for playoff inclusion, which cheapens the regular season a bit too much adds too much time to the season.
Would the EPL ever extend the season for playoffs? The Cola-ship already has them and I think it has been a success. Other European leagues have playoffs as well. I think it is workable with two caveats of working within the CL framework to prevent fixture congestion if an EPL club progresses to the final stages and the worry of having too long of a season.
Colaship Review: Fight Time. Who Wants It?
Thats Norwich on the left and Plymouth in their 'gray fur' away kit.It's been a few weeks, I know. The thing is, punters, it's been very hard to write about the Colaship. In fact, just peeking at the table through my fingers brings panic. My heart races and misery settles in for the rest of the day. My beloved Norwich are in the bottom 3, needing maybe 5 or 6 wins to survive. But it's not just at the bottom that trouble is brewing, Wolves are doing their best to blow the title, but no-one else seems to want it!
Wolves have lost 2 (Burnley and Coventry) and drawn 2 (Norwich and Cardiff) in their last 4. In short, they're doing their best to choke the title, but Birmingham and Reading have wasted the golden opportunity to jump ahead. Wolves look nervous and desperate at the moment. They only managed a point this weekend thanks to an absolute shocking keeper error by Cardiff's bungling goalie Dimitrios Konstantopoulos. Konstantopoulos dropped the ball over his line to gift Wolves at point at home. Wanderers are remarkably still four points clear at the top.
Birmingham blew the chance to make up ground on their midlands rivals by losing at home to Coventry last Saturday, a team that is in serious form after beating Wolves recently too. Oh, and it's a Coventry side who visit Norwich next week (crying inside). In fact, Bongo have just one win in their last four and Alex McLeish must be fuming at the wasted chances to catch Mick McCarthy's stuttering Wolves.
Mick McCarthy is doing his best to give up the title.
What about Reading, Bigus? They were second and right up Wolves backside no? Yes they were and they, ironically, beat Wolves just 3 weeks ago. But they too don't want the title either. Two goalless draws (QPR and Preston) and a loss at home to Bristol City this past weekend has left them 5 points adrift of the top.
Does anyone want to win this league?
Let's now look at the teams below occupying the play-off spots.
Cardiff's cup exploits with Arsenal have left them with 4 games in hand over Wolves and if they win them all, they will catch the leaders. With Watford, QPR and Barnsley making up 3 of those late games, it actually looks possible.
Bristol City are en fuego right now. They may have needed Andy D'Urso to gift them 3 points at Carrow Road two weeks ago but have since picked up six points against Southampton and Reading. They did stutter with a loss at Doncaster but this appears to be a blip, and they look set to make the play-offs for the second season in a row. Testament to the incredible management skills of Gary Johnson. Bristol have a home game with Blackpool coming up before a tough visit to Birmingham.
Preston are one of those 'odd' teams. They look fabulous one week and absolute shite the next. They have been picking up points however, and currently sit 5th in the league. But they are punching above their weight and will have a fight on their hands to make the play-off places this year. Sheffield United, Burnley and Swansea are all within distance.
Now for the bottom. This is how the table currently looks.
(Position/Team/Games Played/Goal Difference/Points)
---
15 - Derby 32 -3 41
16 - Doncaster 33 -11 40
17 - Blackpool 34 -14 38
18 - Watford 32 -7 36
19 - Barnsley 32 -11 36
20 - Plymouth 34 -13 36
21 - Nottm F 34 -14 34
--------------------------
22 - Norwich 34 -9 33
23 - Southampton 33 -19 31
24 - Charlton 33 -21 26
As you can see, Norwich are in deep shit. Watford and Barnsley have games in hand to help them out, as do Southampton. But all is not lost. Plymouth are in free fall and have some very tricky fixtures. Forest are in touch and one of Watfords games is with Southampton.
Norwich also have to play Plymouth AND Watford at home and pay a visit to Blackpool.
This coming weekend sees Coventry visit Carrow Road, and Bigus will be there praying for 3 points. Victory at home to the 'Sky Blues', Plymouth, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday are all necessary. I cannot see a victory away from home for the rest of the season except for maybe at the Valley on the last day, and nobody wants to have to rely on that. Trips to Bongo, Swansea and QPR will be fruitless, but points are possible at Blackpool and in the derby at Portaloo Road. Reading and Cardiff at Carrow road is a 'shot in the dark'.
I want to see this nutter cry.
But will 15 or 16 points be enough for survival? Plymouth have a very tough schedule with top three challengers Wolves, Reading and Birmingham. They also have crucial games, that may do Norwich a favor, with Barnsley, Doncaster and Watford. They also have Burnley, OPR and Swansea away. That lot gives me some hope as I can see Plymouth nabbing 8-10 points from the remaining fixtures. Throw in their visit to Carrow Road and our survival could be in our own hands.
The frustrating thing is that we're not playing badly.
Robbed by the worst referee in history (D'Urso) at home to Bristol City and unlucky not to bag a winner at home to Burnley last weekend, City will need to take their chances from now on if they are to stand a chance. The 3-3 draw with Wolves showed we can 'play up' away from home when we want to.
However, Norwich are missing a hero, someone who can bag 4 or 5 goals in 6 games. Whether one shows up is anyone's guess. Cureton is infrequent with his goals these days and Cort has been unlucky but improving every game. Can loanees Killen and Gow step up and help out? Maybe young Luke Daley is the man to hit some form and make an impact like young Chris Martin did two seasons ago. Daley made his debut late on in Saturday's draw. Someone needs to be the catalyst for a run. Hard working performances mean little if the chances are not converted.
Hero to save the day? Young Luke Daley has pace but no experience.
Forest are also in the mix for a drop into 'hell' or 'League One' to use it's correct name. The defeat to rivals Derby has left Forest just one point above Norwich. Forest play Reading next and still have Wolves to play. They also have to face play-off hopefuls Preston, Swansea, Bristol City and Sheffield United. But more importantly, they play no less than four of their relegation rivals -- Watford, Blackpool, Southampton and Barnsley -- and three of the four are away from the City ground. Thank you Lord.
It's going to be a rough ride for sure. Lets hope my ticker holds out.
-Bigus.
Read more on "Colaship Review: Fight Time. Who Wants It?"...
Champions League Preview: Inter Milan v. Manchester United
With all due respect to my compatriots, this is the big match. Sir Alex versus the Special One. Two teams absolutely flying in their leagues. Two of the most entertaining offensive players in Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo. Manchester United's decimated defense (blame the Club World Cup!).
And yet, with all that drama, isn't a bore draw all but inevitable?
For all of Teletubby's talk of "kill or be killed," Manchester United would simply love a nil-nil or 1-1 draw. And the thing about United this year is that the cards always seem to fall their way.... Destiny and the quadruple and all of that.
But, let's look at the positives. Let's look at the unknowns. The biggest will be who exactly forms United's back four. Jonny Evans and John O'Shea traveled to Italy, but both will face last-minute fitness tests (expect the physios to break out lots of the magic spray). After that, and with all due respect to Richard Eckersley and Rafael's twin brother, United have only two fit, available defenders in their squad: Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra. So could we see Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick pushed into the back line?
On the other side of the pitch, Inter Milan have been in great form in Serie A, where they are 9 points clear of second-place Juve. Mourinho has already announced most of his squad, which will of course include Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Cambiasso and the like. And then there's the good ol' Special One with his very special mouth:Manchester United are a great attacking team but I have watched every one of their matches in the Champions League last season and they changed the way they play away. When they played Barça, they had a different approach.
I am not saying they are afraid. I know United don’t like that word. I know Sir Alex doesn’t like that word. But they respect us and they know they can lose and because of that they won’t try the same approach in the Champions League. They will change more than us.
Really, what Premiership fan doesn't miss Mourinho and his mindgames?
So here is what we know: Inter will be pushing for a win. And Man U will be playing to do as little damage to themselves as possible, in the hopes that they can return to Old Trafford and seal it there. This match therefore comes down to which team can impose their will on the game. At best we'll see the classic tactical battle between Fergie and Jose. At worst, it'll be a lot of tentative holding football.
Prediction: I already gave it away above, but I see a 1-1 draw. Inter come out and score in the first half, Man U get a late equalizer by let's say, oh, Berbatov. I loathe United as much as the next non-Mancurian. But they just have that certain aura about them that championship teams get.
As for Man U's defense, I think that Inter will be so focused on exploiting it that they'll lose some play. Thing is, United still has Rio Ferdinard and Van Der Sar, who should be able to cover up for any mistakes by Fletcher, Eckersley or the red pylon cones that Sir Alex sends out to cover up the gaps in the back line.
God knows my heart is hoping for a smashing 2-0 win by Inter that puts heaps of pressure for the return leg at Old Trafford. My brain just tells me otherwise!
Champions League Preview: Arsenal v. Roma
As the resident UFer who follows Arsenal in a I-like-to-cheer-for-a-team-I-can-actually-see-on-TV- once-in-a-while-and-my-wife-really-liked-
Fever-Pitch sort of way, this preview fell to me. It seems that I alone of our contingent did not fear jinxing the Gunners' progress in the Champions League. Or something like that. Whatever. You're stuck with me.
I don't fear jinxing it, because I don't think Arsenal will advance. Well, that was my initial take on it anyway. When the draw was done and Arsenal were installed as slight favorites, I talked to some betting friends of mine and told them to put money on Roma.
Whether or not they listened to me is their own problem.
Because, you'll see, I don't feel the same way anymore. Arsenal may not have won in a dog's age, but they aren't losing either. Throw away the last Group Stage match against Porto, when Arsenal advancing was already assured, and this team has not lost since the start of December. Nil-nil draws against the likes of Sunderland in the league aren't making the supporters happy, but a couple of nil draws and PK advancement here and they will be, if not ecstatic, happy enough.
Unfortunately, a couple of nil-nil draws might just be what this team needs to get through. New signing Arshavin is cup-tied and, of course, there are the injuries. Rosicky's never coming back. Walcott and Fabs are still a ways off. Now, Eduardo has picked up a hammy to complement Adebayor's.
That's a lot of potential goal scorers who just are not available. Which leaves the Arsenal list of go-to goal scorers at one-and-a-half. Robin van Persie being the one, and Bendtner filling out the rest. While some of the kids (Vela, Wilshere, Ramsey) may have impressed back in the first two League Cup matches, I don't fancy them to step up here.
How, then, does Arsenal have any chance to score?
The answer lies on the other side of the ball. Roma have been woefully inconsistent of late. Two weeks ago, they trounced on-fire-at-the-time Genoa 3-0. They followed that up one week later with a 3-0 loss to Atalanta. Going back through their fixtures, a pattern develops. One week, they shut down an opponent, the next they ship a couple of goals. For this to work in Arsenal's favor, Roma would have had to shut out their last opponent. On Sunday, Roma defeated Siena 1-0.
Roma seem to be built to play an anti-catenaccio. They are strong in the middle of the park, somewhat overwhelming up top, but virtually anonymous at the back (save the street fightin' Mexes). Therefore, the M.O. seems to be: score first; get the other team pressing to score; score again. With the add-in that if Roma go behind, they are unlikely to pull back. That is, Roma will be defeated by catenaccio, but cannot use it themselves. Which does not bode well for Roma when going up against Arsenal.
Prediction: In an odd shift of personality, Arsenal have become defensive stalwarts while they struggle to score goals. In fact, you have to go back to Boxing Day against Villa to find a match that Arsenal allowed more than one goal in. In the ten matches since, Arsenal have conceded only three goals. It's not the Arsenal that I came to know when I first got FSC, but it is an style that suits two-legged ties well. And it's a style that will see Arsenal advance, I think, but I'm not willing to bet on it. Arsenal 2-1 over 2 legs.
Champions League Preview: Atlético Madrid v. FC Porto
Porto almost didn't make it to this point despite winning their group.
Remember last year they were banned from European competitions for bribery allegations that date back to 2003-04 (when Jose Mourinho was still in charge)?
They lodged an appeal early last June and had the ban overturned less than two weeks later on the basis that the allegations hadn't yet been adjudicated.
Porto's president, Jorge Pinto da Costa, was just cleared a couple of weeks ago on individual charges of trying to bribe a match official by providing him with not one but two prostitutes. Their nicknames? Fruit and Chocolate.
The case died when the judge threw out the testimony of a star witness. And who was that witness? Da Costa's ex-wife.
We really should pay more attention to Portugal around here.
By the way, it's not over for da Costa though as he still faces more serious charges and has been suspended by Portuguese league officials since May of '08. So they may be out of future competitions. But back to the here and now because thing are pretty good for the club there (or here).
Here's FC Porto's form in their last, oh, let's go twelve league matches: W-W-W-W-D-W-D-W-W-D-W-W. That's 9-0-3 in the Portuguese Liga.
Porto get good midfield support from Cristian Rodriguez and Lucho Gonzales. The latter has been recovering from a knee injury but should be fit for the match in Spain. More fierce than flash, the former River Plate mid is also Porto's on field leader, so having him healthy should bolster the squad.
Pretty sweet analysis: Having one of your better players back helps you. There's a reason you come to UF.
Porto also have one of the best-named strikers in all of football with Hulk. He's sitting on seven goals through 19 matches, so while not prolific, he's fairly efficient. In fact Porto rely on scoring balance, having four players with five or more league goals to this point in the season.
Defensively, Porto are tops in the Liga with a plus-21 goal difference. How does that translate into Europe? Eh, a healthy Arsenal put a 4-0 pasting on Porto in their first group play match but that's when FCP were still struggling to find form. In the return leg Porto beat the Gunners 2-0, but that was against almost a B-team (Vela, Ramsey, Abou Diaby, Song, Bendtner). So, neither result is enough to draw much from.
As for the opposition,we're pretty sure that "Madrid" means "Madrid" so that must mean that "Atlético" translates roughly as "Tottenham."
Atlético have talent up and down the roster and they suck. Or, more accurately they've been sucking as of late. They are 1-4-3 in their last eight. That's not very good.
They kicked manager Javier Aguirre to the curb a couple of weeks back, but have failed to get the much touted bounce from the new manager Able Resino. And Resino has admitted that he may ask Aguirre for advice on playing in Europe.
I'm sure there's a joke about Atlético and the mattress makers and them already lying on their backs. But look at the roster: Forlan, Aguero, Maniche, Ujfalusi, Simao, Maxi Rodriguez. I'm not sure how this team can be so pitiful.
Full disclosure: Atlético were my dark horse pick to go deep in the Champions League. And I felt like a genius when they came within a late Stevie G goal of winning their group. That seems so long ago that I don't even feel like I'm jumping off a bandwagon, more like I'm jumping off the Adrea Doria, which would be kind of ridiculous because didn't almost everyone get rescued off that boat?
We're not even talking football anymore, are we?
Prediction: For tomorrow, Atlético's strikers should get some room to operate around Porto's slower defenders. On the other end Porto should get some chances against a slightly banged up Atlético back line. In two weeks, eh who knows? Plenty could happen between the legs in the leagues.
But we're going with FC Porto in a mild upset. 1-1 at the Calderón and 2-1 Porto at home for a 3-2 aggregate win.
Champions League Preview: Lyon v. Barca
Round 1 of the Champions League tie between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona takes place today at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, kicking off at 2:45 (EST).
Les Gones. Blaugrana. Claude Puel. Pep Guardiola.
These two clubs met last year in the group stage, with a 2-2 result in Lyon and a 3-0 Barcelona victory at the Camp Nou. What awaits them this year in the knockout stage, with Round 1 today and Round 2 on March 11th? In their domestic leagues Lyon has been dominating all competition and holds a 6-point lead at the top while Barcelona have struggled slightly but still remain in first place by 7 points.
The talk coming into this match has definitely been the "poor" form of Barca, who drew 1-1 with Real Betis and lost their derby match against Espanyol 1-2. But this is the Champions League, where Barcelona have a far better record than Lyon. Although the latter club have played in the European competition for the past 6 years, they have never been to the final while Barcelona won in 1992 and 2006 (where, sadly, they defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Stade de France) and finished 2nd in 1986 and 1994. In this year's competition, Barcelona are the leading scorers as a club, although Messi and Benzema are tied with 5 goals each for individual honors.
Lyon gaffer Claude Puel has made an attempt to downgrade expectations by publicly stating that he feels Barcelona are the best club in the world. To his own team, however, he has stated that they should focus more on their own strengths rather than those of the Blaugrana, noting that both Benzema and Juninho are capable of changing any match. On the opposite side of the pitch Messi will be hoping to play as well against the French club as he did against Les Bleus in the February 11th friendly between Argentina and France.
Lyon come into the match without Clerc and Reveillere, so I would expect the following line-up:
Lloris, Gassama, Grosso, Mensah, Boumsong, Ederson, Toulalan, Makoun, Juninho, Keita, Benzema
Barcelona are missing Abidal, Iniesta and Milito, so I anticipate the line-up as:
Valdes, Alves, Sylvinho, Puyol, Pique, Toure, Keita, Xavi, Messi, Eto'o, Titi
My prediction? I see a 1-1 draw at the Stade de Gerland today, with goals coming from Juninho and Messi. Round 2 will see a 2-0 Barcelona victory, with goals from Eto'o and Titi.
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