So Portsmouth had a victory snatched from them thanks to the close control and quick feet of Inzaghi. For a 35-year-old that was some finish. Have a look at it.
His fabulous close control and finishing has made him one of European football's greatest strikers and he merely reemphasised that notion against Portsmouth. Ronaldinho's freekick was also a thing of beauty.
Such displays of individual quality are what make Milan the odds-on favourite to win the UEFA Cup this season. This squad should really be playing in the Champions League but this is the consequence of their inconsistency last season. Fiorentina are now out of the Champions League and are likely to parachute down into the UEFA Cup. It just shows how they are not ready to take on the best of Europe yet.
Anyways back to the UEFA Cup, another result showing a team on the way up was Man City's surprising win over Schalke 04. The Germans are no pushovers and City's win will certainly give them some confidence. The fact that they managed such a victory without their star striker, Robinho, goes to show that they have the quality in their squad to go far in the competition. It also should show the rest of the Premiership that City's ambitions could be realised far sooner than first thought possible. Of course it will take a few more million to refurnish the club but that's another story for another time. For now, City fans can look back and be proud of a performance worthy of such adulation. Stephen Ireland in particular has been in a rich vein of form and he certainly will have a pivotal role in City's future endeavours.
Another stunning result was Olympiakos' 5-1 victory over Benfica. The Greeks played the Portuguese off the park and banished the memory of their opening day defeat to Galatasaray. However, I wasn't so interested in those results as I am in beautiful goals. To add to Ronaldinho's freekick, here is Gonzalo Colsa's fine equalising effort for Racing Club against PSG.
Ronaldinho or Colsa? Take your pick. The Manchester derby is on this weekend and although it may not rival some of the world's greatest derbies, it certainly will grow and intensify. Especially if City continue to make progress. Who knows? It may one day live up to the Glasgow, Milan or Buenos Aires' derbies. For now we'll just have to watch Robinho and Rooney go head to head. Should be an interesting match this weekend.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
I've been thinking about something to rant about for awhile now. Nothing really came to mind. I can't be satisfied with the way football is as there is always a major talking point somewhere, somehow. There's the ever boring topic of the EPL, crap refs, fourth officials, club vs country etc etc on and on. Yet I can't seem to find anything recently that makes me feel like speaking out on the matter. Maybe it's because no answer will solve anything completely. We will never go without controversy in football.
Take the issue of club vs country for example. My personal opinion on it is that the line is far too fine for both sides to be able to come to a decent compromise. Theo Walcott dislocated his shoulder whilst training with England and is now out for 3 months. What to do for Wenger and Arsenal fans? Arsenal may be eligible for compensation but what good is that when they can't replace him with a similar player to cover for him while he's injured? Players should play for their country if fit and available, that's my personal opinion. But it's impossible to predict how or when a player will be injured. Who knew Walcott's brittle shoulder would fall out of place? Clubs have every reason to be wary of these friendlies. On the evidence of England's second string win against Germany, international friendlies are extremely useful for coaches to gauge and judge their player's abilities. Clubs protest against this simply for their own benefit. Obviously they'd rather let a player recuperate for a whole week rather than fly off somewhere and play for their country. Both club and countries have reason to be wary of each other. And any player with any sort of dream and ambition would love to represent their country.
This leads to another stalemate in terms of compromise. Clubs don't want to release players for friendlies for fear of injury, serious or otherwise. Valid point. Players, understandably, want to impress their international manager and cement their places on the national squad. Valid point. Countries want the players to see whether they can do a job for the millions of fans who pin their hopes and dreams on them. Valid point. So what's the answer? Compensation does little for the club who have lost one of their key players (although in Arsenal's case they probably have a fresh faced teenager ready to fill in). (Normal) Players will get annoyed if they are prevented from joining up with the national squad (unless they think it is their God-given right to do their country a favour. By the way that is way over the top for me). National teams will be annoyed because they can't alter the international calendar as the rest of the year is too jam packed with club football to fit in any other dates. So with all three parties having valid arguments and the compromise not able to accomodate the wishes of everyone what happens now? Nothing quite frankly. Just more and more time devoted to people voicing reasons for and against international friendlies. And me feeling jaded and bored with the whole issue.
That's just one example. Take refs as another one. You get the whole "refs need to be of a better standard" etc etc and the other side's defending them with "they are only human" etc etc. No decent compromise either. Many other issues with the same debate and answer like salary caps, Beckham to Milan, Liverpool to win the Premiership and why Ryan Babel raps. Incidently have a look at it below.
Click HERE to go to the page where you can get the translation of this ludicrous attempt at integrating talking with weird beats.
That's that for now. Catch highlights of Brazil mauling Portugal if you can. There's an issue with a clear conclusion. Brazil are better. Period.
Take the issue of club vs country for example. My personal opinion on it is that the line is far too fine for both sides to be able to come to a decent compromise. Theo Walcott dislocated his shoulder whilst training with England and is now out for 3 months. What to do for Wenger and Arsenal fans? Arsenal may be eligible for compensation but what good is that when they can't replace him with a similar player to cover for him while he's injured? Players should play for their country if fit and available, that's my personal opinion. But it's impossible to predict how or when a player will be injured. Who knew Walcott's brittle shoulder would fall out of place? Clubs have every reason to be wary of these friendlies. On the evidence of England's second string win against Germany, international friendlies are extremely useful for coaches to gauge and judge their player's abilities. Clubs protest against this simply for their own benefit. Obviously they'd rather let a player recuperate for a whole week rather than fly off somewhere and play for their country. Both club and countries have reason to be wary of each other. And any player with any sort of dream and ambition would love to represent their country.
This leads to another stalemate in terms of compromise. Clubs don't want to release players for friendlies for fear of injury, serious or otherwise. Valid point. Players, understandably, want to impress their international manager and cement their places on the national squad. Valid point. Countries want the players to see whether they can do a job for the millions of fans who pin their hopes and dreams on them. Valid point. So what's the answer? Compensation does little for the club who have lost one of their key players (although in Arsenal's case they probably have a fresh faced teenager ready to fill in). (Normal) Players will get annoyed if they are prevented from joining up with the national squad (unless they think it is their God-given right to do their country a favour. By the way that is way over the top for me). National teams will be annoyed because they can't alter the international calendar as the rest of the year is too jam packed with club football to fit in any other dates. So with all three parties having valid arguments and the compromise not able to accomodate the wishes of everyone what happens now? Nothing quite frankly. Just more and more time devoted to people voicing reasons for and against international friendlies. And me feeling jaded and bored with the whole issue.
That's just one example. Take refs as another one. You get the whole "refs need to be of a better standard" etc etc and the other side's defending them with "they are only human" etc etc. No decent compromise either. Many other issues with the same debate and answer like salary caps, Beckham to Milan, Liverpool to win the Premiership and why Ryan Babel raps. Incidently have a look at it below.
Click HERE to go to the page where you can get the translation of this ludicrous attempt at integrating talking with weird beats.
That's that for now. Catch highlights of Brazil mauling Portugal if you can. There's an issue with a clear conclusion. Brazil are better. Period.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Ronaldinho's back!
He's back! Ronaldinho finally looks like he's on his way back to the top of world football. Granted he won the game for Milan in the UEFA Cup against a team unknown to most of the world (Braga), but there is no denying that he is playing much better this season with his new club. Although I didn't watch the game, the reaction of the goalkeeper after Ronaldinho's screamer flew in says it all. Braga deserved a point. Ronaldinho's moment of magic robbed them of it. Not that many of us care. It's good to see Ronaldinho back on form and his winner last night was not unlike this one.
Another last minute winner. Moments like those seemed like an eternity ago as Ronaldinho struggled at Barca for the past two seasons. The good times seem to be back. Hopefully it won't be a flash in the pan. It'll be like WWE, never as good as it was a few years ago. Somehow, you get the feeling that Ronaldinho is here to stay.
Moving onto another Brazilian, have a look at Robinho's fantastic strike below. It's a highlights package so be patient. It's not that long anyway.
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical of how Robinho would fit in at City when he first signed. I thought he had a bit too much talent to fail miserably but there's always the lingering doubt that accompanies South Americans to the Premiership. Brazilians have evolved over the years but Robinho isn't exactly tall and stocky. I'm pleased that I've been proven wrong for now but then again Juan Sebastian Veron promised so much when he first signed for United, especially in Europe. There's still a slight doubt in my mind but for the most part I've gladly accepted that Robinho has settled in nicely in England and with the extensive media coverage of Premiership clubs, I can easily watch one of my favourite players regularly.
On a completely unrelated matter what's up with Werder Bremen? These guys score for fun in the Bundesliga, yet always seem to udnerachieve in Europe. They scored five goals again on the weekend. I think I've seen them do that twice before but I'm a bit lazy to check up on that. What I do know is that they're underachieving in Europe and it's getting to me. Maybe they attack too much for their own good. Whatever it is they need to sort it out. They were expected to qualify from their Champions League group comfortably behind Inter. Instead they find themselves behind Cypriot wildcards Anorthosis and Panathinaikos. I still expect them to qualify but it's won't be a smooth path to the last 16. Anorthosis have proven to be no mugs and Panathinaikos showed what they were capable of by beating Bremen. Should be an interesting end to Group B.
I just previewed the layout of this post and I have to say the preview picture of the first video of Ronaldinho fits in perfectly with the title. RONALDINHO 80. Brilliant. Of course should you choose to watch it, the artistic nature of it will disappear. However, it is a sacrifice worth making. When did anyone prefer looking at a picture as opposed to a video?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Refs and others
I have attached the Roma Chelsea highlights above. If you don't like them you can go look for your own or pay for TV. Keep an eye out for Vucinic. His goals last night were both of top quality.
However the night was soured by the sending off of Deco. I have seen some truly horrific decisions by referees (including a goal given when a goal kick was appropriate), but last night the decision was simply wrong. Deco who was already on a yellow, took a freekick quickly which released a teammate on the right flank. The referee trying to look like he fit in the cool crowd then pulls out a yellow and sends Deco off. For what? A genuine piece of creativity and invention. That is just criminal to say the least. Even if he had warned Deco to wait prior to taking the kick, was a yellow necessary? It's not like anyone was harmed or a serious foul occurred. This sort of performance from refs make the Respect campaign look utterly ridiculous. Or in less formal jargon, retarded. I know the Respect campaign is only ongoing in the Premiership and doesn't apply to Europe but there have been some truly bad decisions being made week in and out in the Premiership and Europe. Poor refs in European football aren't going to help the reputations of refs in general either. Sure refs make mistakes but there was no excuse for any mistake or misjudgment in this case. Taking a freekick early is not a yellow card offense in any part of the world. Ok maybe if the player constantly ignores the ref's orders to wait five times in a row then that's asking for it. Deco was not guilty of that particular offense. The fact that he was sent off as a result of his creative genius is even more difficult to fathom. If you're going to give an inexplicable yellow, at least make sure the person receiving it is not already booked. It just makes the stupid decision twice as bad.
Moving on to less retarded matters, I am going to comment on Dimitar Berbatov. Yes I'm biased but I can't help it. The guy looks like he is settling in and is displaying his wide array of skills, tricks and flicks. Pure class. Have a look at his assist for Ronaldo's goal below.
Stunning. That's all I can say. My jaw doesn't usually drop a lot when it comes to football but that took my breath away. He looks more comfortable in the side and is beginning to show why he commanded such a high price. He's been getting goals as well as his fair share of assists, not to mention the various tricks and skills he pulls off in matches. His first touch is first class and I think his form can only get better as he still isn't at his best. Scary. The only downside to his brilliance is that Tevez has been benched a lot. Hopefully Fergie will find a way to keep him happy because I would not be pleased if he left.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Coming up next
Forgive my erratic posting schedule. Uni work and other stuff occupy my mind most of the time and will probably be the case until November. Until then bear with me. Not like I have a massive audience to satisfy either.
Moving on, my complete lack of access to any channels on TV showing football leads me to other places to get my fix, namely the internet. I'm pretty sure I watch more highlights than Astro cares to offer. I now get weekly shows for the entire English Football League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Scottish Premier League and other leagues I can't be bothered to name. Which means I get to see players from across Europe regularly. And this brings me to my topic. On a side note www.fbtz.com is a great forum and where I get my stuff. Check it out.
Watching the Ligue 1 highlights show, two players stood out. And no they're not obscure, in fact they're the touted future superstars of French football, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. I'm sure everyone has heard of them before, and probably even know what I'm going to say about them. However, it's unavoidable. These two ARE the future of the French national team. Benzema was involved in both of Lyon's goals this weekend. He first collected the ball in the opposite half of the field, ran a bit, did a SINGLE natural stepover (take note Robinho, Nani) and comfortably beat his man before finishing at the keeper's near post with his left foot. His second telling contribution was a swift turn and deft lob with his left foot over the opposition defense from his own half which led to a goal. He may not have scored nor was it an assist, however, it was a moment of class, one which completely changed the pace of play and resulted in a goal. It may not sound impressive in words but let me assure you that that finish and lob was simply confirmation that this young man is ready to take on the world. Lyon's annual target to get past the quarterfinals of the Champions League is certainly more realistic with this man's presence in their first XI. There have been rumours of Man City and Man Utd readying bids of £80m for him and although it is likely to be simply talk, it shows how far this striker has come in his short career.
Meanwhile, Hatem Ben Arfa wasn't as impressive but one moment of magic from him resulted in Marseille taking the lead. Receiving the ball in the box, he shimmied and evaded 4 defenders before his placed shot wrongfooted the keeper. Cristiano Ronaldo probably couldn't have done that. He'd probably have gone to ground before he got past one defender. Ben Arfa is another one ready for the big time, I feel. I don't really have much to say about him. I'm simply highlighting his obvious talent. His summer move from Lyon to rivals Marseille may not have been the smartest but at least it ensures he'll be playing week in and out, although it's hard to imagine him not getting a starting spot at most clubs. When he does decide to leave, you can imagine the scramble for his signature. Or he might just end up at Man City.
As for the shambles at Newcastle and Spurs I'm not going to bother talking about that. The simple solution to every problem nowadays is sack the manager and get yourself a foreign owner apparently. The real answer is simply to let the manager handle things and make him SOLELY responsible for running the team (including transfers). Then if and when he screws up, he is SOLELY responsible and sacking him will not cause outrage from fans and force you to sell your luxury toy.
I'd like to end by giving my approval to the small teams that made it to the group stage of the Champions League, ie. CFR Cluj, BATE Borisov, Aalborg BK and Anorthosis Famagusta. Please go and knockout one of the big guns. I could do with watching another fairytale. Money has completely overrun football and it'd be nice to be reminded again what it really is all about.
Moving on, my complete lack of access to any channels on TV showing football leads me to other places to get my fix, namely the internet. I'm pretty sure I watch more highlights than Astro cares to offer. I now get weekly shows for the entire English Football League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Eredivisie, Scottish Premier League and other leagues I can't be bothered to name. Which means I get to see players from across Europe regularly. And this brings me to my topic. On a side note www.fbtz.com is a great forum and where I get my stuff. Check it out.
Watching the Ligue 1 highlights show, two players stood out. And no they're not obscure, in fact they're the touted future superstars of French football, Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. I'm sure everyone has heard of them before, and probably even know what I'm going to say about them. However, it's unavoidable. These two ARE the future of the French national team. Benzema was involved in both of Lyon's goals this weekend. He first collected the ball in the opposite half of the field, ran a bit, did a SINGLE natural stepover (take note Robinho, Nani) and comfortably beat his man before finishing at the keeper's near post with his left foot. His second telling contribution was a swift turn and deft lob with his left foot over the opposition defense from his own half which led to a goal. He may not have scored nor was it an assist, however, it was a moment of class, one which completely changed the pace of play and resulted in a goal. It may not sound impressive in words but let me assure you that that finish and lob was simply confirmation that this young man is ready to take on the world. Lyon's annual target to get past the quarterfinals of the Champions League is certainly more realistic with this man's presence in their first XI. There have been rumours of Man City and Man Utd readying bids of £80m for him and although it is likely to be simply talk, it shows how far this striker has come in his short career.
Meanwhile, Hatem Ben Arfa wasn't as impressive but one moment of magic from him resulted in Marseille taking the lead. Receiving the ball in the box, he shimmied and evaded 4 defenders before his placed shot wrongfooted the keeper. Cristiano Ronaldo probably couldn't have done that. He'd probably have gone to ground before he got past one defender. Ben Arfa is another one ready for the big time, I feel. I don't really have much to say about him. I'm simply highlighting his obvious talent. His summer move from Lyon to rivals Marseille may not have been the smartest but at least it ensures he'll be playing week in and out, although it's hard to imagine him not getting a starting spot at most clubs. When he does decide to leave, you can imagine the scramble for his signature. Or he might just end up at Man City.
As for the shambles at Newcastle and Spurs I'm not going to bother talking about that. The simple solution to every problem nowadays is sack the manager and get yourself a foreign owner apparently. The real answer is simply to let the manager handle things and make him SOLELY responsible for running the team (including transfers). Then if and when he screws up, he is SOLELY responsible and sacking him will not cause outrage from fans and force you to sell your luxury toy.
I'd like to end by giving my approval to the small teams that made it to the group stage of the Champions League, ie. CFR Cluj, BATE Borisov, Aalborg BK and Anorthosis Famagusta. Please go and knockout one of the big guns. I could do with watching another fairytale. Money has completely overrun football and it'd be nice to be reminded again what it really is all about.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Back to business
It's been awhile but sadly assignments have to be done. I'm back for the meantime.
At any rate let's focus our attention on the Premiership. Yes the same league that grabs attention every single day and pushes its rivals to the not so glamorous sidelines. Think about it. The coverage of Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga news is an entire galaxy apart from the Premiership. The again we feed the craze so we only have ourselves to blame. But how can you ignore a league in which Robinho joins a mid table team for a British record fee.
At any rate let's focus our attention on the Premiership. Yes the same league that grabs attention every single day and pushes its rivals to the not so glamorous sidelines. Think about it. The coverage of Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga news is an entire galaxy apart from the Premiership. The again we feed the craze so we only have ourselves to blame. But how can you ignore a league in which Robinho joins a mid table team for a British record fee.
Yes, the inevitable topic of ADUG springs up. All I can say is that I went to bed on Monday night and all seemed well. When I woke up, City were suddenly the world's richest club and had broken the British transfer record, signing Robinho for £32.5m. Just 24 hours before, he was declaring his love for Chelsea. Now while most people are getting on his back for following the financially smart option, I thought he had no other choice. Chelsea simply did not want to stump up the extra £4m to get their man. City did. As a result, instead of Robinho aiming to win the Premiership with Chelsea, he's aiming to bring it to City for the first time in their history. Scary. Their owners have already declared their intent on bringing the best football players in the world to this "superclub". Ronaldo, Fabregas, Torres and Messi are just a few names they have made public. This undoubtedly has sparked off rumours of Mark Hughes having no authority over players brought into the club. So far, this has been denied but the situation will certainly crop up again come January 1. It will be interesting to see how Sparky takes control of this cash rich club. He could never have envisaged this situation when he first took over. It's now up to him to deliver, and fast, otherwise we could see a new face in place before the end of the season.
Speaking of sackings and resignations, Newcastle and West Ham have both lost their managers within 24 hours of each other. Kevin Keegan officially resigned from the managerial position at Newcastle yesterday, following Alan Curbishley's example the day before. Both of them cited problems with their clubs' transfer policies leading to their exits. This isn't exactly anything new but it's coming up with increasing regularity. Since when did directors up in the air-conditioned offices bring in players? What good does it do for the club? These directors don't work with the players on the training ground everyday. They don't know their strengths and weaknesses as well as the manager. So why would they have a say in who the club brings in? A manager is the only one who knows his team better than anyone else. Therefore he should be the sole one in charge of bringing in players and moving them out. This relatively simple concept is incomprehensible to many fat men saddled with the uneviable task of carrying chequebooks to offices. If they desperately want to take control of a club, don't hire a manager. Or play fantasy football. Either option works although the former is the most attractive to neutrals.
"I have been left with no choice other than to leave," said Keegan. Some may say this is nothing new from the man who left Newcastle once and England as well instead of sticking it out. But this time you feel it's different. It's like playing Football Manager and not having control over who to buy. What's the point?
We've already seen the consequences of Andriy Shevchenko's nightmare at Chelsea. It took them two years to get rid of him and probably didn't help their objective of breaking even in the coming years. On a completely unrelated note, imagine if Abramovich died tomorrow. Chelsea's reign at the top would end earlier than one cycle of Newcastle's Next Top Manager.
Back onto more pleasant matters (from my perspective at least), Man Utd finally signed Dimitar Berbatov after almost an entire summers of countless stories and rumours. I never really thought they would miss out on him, just a bit frustrated that it took so long to reach a conclusion. They ended up paying over £30m for Berbatov anyway. Why couldn't the deal be reached two weeks ago? We might have a 100% record in the league as well as a Super Cup in our trophy cabinet. Not that it's an important trophy, just for the sake of saying we've won it. At any rate, the goals should start flowing once Berbatov settles in. With support from Tevez/Rooney and Ronaldo, this season should be nothing short of spectacular for Man Utd.
And a slight mention for Amr Zaki here. The Wigan striker has already shown the Premiership what a capable striker he is and Steve Bruce may have got himself a steal. Then again someone else could easily steal him come January. Money is not an issue for most clubs these days. The same can't be said of Wigan.
World Cup qualifiers to look forward to this weekend. Too much for me to keep track off and too much focus on England. So I will talk about neither. However if Andorra do score against England, there's an unavoidable topic to discuss. It would be unheard of. Almost the same as Malaysia stringing 5 passes among themselves without losing the ball.
Speaking of sackings and resignations, Newcastle and West Ham have both lost their managers within 24 hours of each other. Kevin Keegan officially resigned from the managerial position at Newcastle yesterday, following Alan Curbishley's example the day before. Both of them cited problems with their clubs' transfer policies leading to their exits. This isn't exactly anything new but it's coming up with increasing regularity. Since when did directors up in the air-conditioned offices bring in players? What good does it do for the club? These directors don't work with the players on the training ground everyday. They don't know their strengths and weaknesses as well as the manager. So why would they have a say in who the club brings in? A manager is the only one who knows his team better than anyone else. Therefore he should be the sole one in charge of bringing in players and moving them out. This relatively simple concept is incomprehensible to many fat men saddled with the uneviable task of carrying chequebooks to offices. If they desperately want to take control of a club, don't hire a manager. Or play fantasy football. Either option works although the former is the most attractive to neutrals.
"I have been left with no choice other than to leave," said Keegan. Some may say this is nothing new from the man who left Newcastle once and England as well instead of sticking it out. But this time you feel it's different. It's like playing Football Manager and not having control over who to buy. What's the point?
We've already seen the consequences of Andriy Shevchenko's nightmare at Chelsea. It took them two years to get rid of him and probably didn't help their objective of breaking even in the coming years. On a completely unrelated note, imagine if Abramovich died tomorrow. Chelsea's reign at the top would end earlier than one cycle of Newcastle's Next Top Manager.
Back onto more pleasant matters (from my perspective at least), Man Utd finally signed Dimitar Berbatov after almost an entire summers of countless stories and rumours. I never really thought they would miss out on him, just a bit frustrated that it took so long to reach a conclusion. They ended up paying over £30m for Berbatov anyway. Why couldn't the deal be reached two weeks ago? We might have a 100% record in the league as well as a Super Cup in our trophy cabinet. Not that it's an important trophy, just for the sake of saying we've won it. At any rate, the goals should start flowing once Berbatov settles in. With support from Tevez/Rooney and Ronaldo, this season should be nothing short of spectacular for Man Utd.
And a slight mention for Amr Zaki here. The Wigan striker has already shown the Premiership what a capable striker he is and Steve Bruce may have got himself a steal. Then again someone else could easily steal him come January. Money is not an issue for most clubs these days. The same can't be said of Wigan.
World Cup qualifiers to look forward to this weekend. Too much for me to keep track off and too much focus on England. So I will talk about neither. However if Andorra do score against England, there's an unavoidable topic to discuss. It would be unheard of. Almost the same as Malaysia stringing 5 passes among themselves without losing the ball.
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