The Arrival on the Bay, Salomon van Ruysdael
“Liverpool put the misery of their opening day defeat at Tottenham firmly behind them with a convincing 4-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield. Last season Tony Pulis’ men grabbed a 0-0 draw in this corresponding fixture, one of the results boss Rafael Benitez maintains cost Liverpool the title. This time around there was no mistake. Steven Gerrard created two of the goals and new boy Glen Johnson had an outstanding game surging down the right at will.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 4 – 0 Stoke
“Liverpool made amends for their opening day Premier League defeat at Tottenham with an emphatic victory against Stoke. Fernando Torres gave the Reds the early lead when he stroked in Steven Gerrard’s cross from 10 yards. Glen Johnson then scored his first goal for the club with an acrobatic finish just before the interval.” (BBC)

Liverpool 4-0 Stoke City (This is Anfield)

Reds 4-0 Stoke (Liverpool FC)

“Unless Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has something up his sleeve before the transfer window shuts, you have to say his side look a weaker proposition. The system that worked so well for them last season was nowhere to be seen in the 2-1 defeat against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The link-up play between Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that was key to them pushing Manchester United all the way was not there.” (BBC)

Rafael Benítez needs to up his game to avoid being portrayed as a sore loser
“There is an old, old story, possibly apocryphal, of the day Alan Ball made his debut as a co-commentator and the television station received a record number of complaints from viewers about a high-pitched squeaking noise coming out of their sets.” (Guardian)

“If Italian football supporters had any doubts that Serie A is now a Big Issue-selling relation to the English and Spanish top flights, they have been dispelled this summer. First Kaka moved to Real Madrid, kicking off Florentino Perez’s spending orgy and prompting AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi to vow to do something about football’s “mad prices” after having pocketed €68 million (£58m). The comments did little to make up for the loss of his side’s main creative force, but they did produce some chuckles from those who remember when Berlusconi used to be the one destabilising transfer markets by willy-nilly cash splashing.” (WSC)

“Manchester City is like a black hole that has opened up in the fabric of the Premier League. Sucking mass, masses of expensive players and media attention, it leaves many fans unsure about how to approach the club’s awakening and limitless powers. Some laugh. Some wince. Most shake their heads, confused and afraid, especially those millions of fans of any of the now comparatively-less-rich Big Four, which constitute most of the Premier League fans here in America and elsewhere outside England. This is understandable. Manchester City’s profligate spending has driven up transfer prices, undermined other teams’ prized resources, and presented a serious threat to the Big Four’s establishment and their lock on Champions League places.” (Foot Smoke)

Cornelis van Poelenburgh (1594-1667). Ruins in Rome
“For a team supposed to be scared of the ‘cauldron’ of Parkhead, Arsenal did well to hide their fear as they gave themselves a great chance of progressing to the group stages by netting two away goals against Celtic. Arsenal became the first English club to win a European tie at Celtic since Nottingham Forest in 1983 and it was the perfect result for Arsene Wenger, who kept the same side that dismantled Everton at the weekend.” (ESPN)

Celtic 0 – 2 Arsenal (ESPN)

Arsenal Have Celtic Jumping Through Hoops (A Cultured Left Foot)

“This transfer season has really brought out the armchair manager in all of us. From Two Yellows’ dad stressing over Harry Redknapp’s transfers to my own personal daily agony over the selling of Xabi Alonso, it often seems like fans have more insight into how their teams work than managers do.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“With the new Italian season almost upon us, Italian football journalists are already queuing up to sound the alarm bells for AC Milan, after mediocre displays in six consecutive friendly-defeats fuelled speculation that Leonardo’s new tactical regime (following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea) will ultimately lead to a horror season for the former Champions League winners.” (ESPN)

Paris Saint-Germain
“I’m on the eve of a quick tourist trip to Paris, and I leave in a perplexed frame of mind. How can it be that a major European capital has only one big soccer team? And even Paris Saint-Germain, founded in 1970, is a recent arrival, with little tradition.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

“In a recent conversation with my good friend Rhydian Morgan we discussed the idea of sporting legends. Who are these people? What does it take to make a legend? Is it an era-defining performance or is it consistent excellence? Is it accumulated trophies, preternatural ability or something akin to ‘Je ne sais quoi’?” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“If we’re going to follow Burnley through the year, and throw their last Championship season up for comparison, I thought it might be just as well to involve their first title year as well – 1920-1. There’s what must be all of the surviving Burnley footage, save the 1940s pioneering colour film of Turf Moor, in this excellent if blurred Youtube compilation…” (More Than Mind Games), (1)

“The Times had an interesting list of the top ten stadiums in the world last week, as judged by Tony Evans. Here’s his top ten, with a photo of each — what do you think of the list? It seems impossible for one man to have visited enough world stadia to have even made this judgment, and there doesn’t appear to be any particular criteria being used — no special focus on architecture, atmosphere, location or history, just a jumbled up mix of each randomly justifying each selection. Notably, nine of the ten stadiums are in Europe, and only one has been built since the 1970s (though most have obviously been renovated or almost entirely rebuilt since their original openings).” (Pitch Invasion)

“Well, here we go. 365 days, 524 recipes. Time to learn a little something about life. Operating assumptions for the start of the season: Spain is more interesting than England. All good souls should want Arsenal to win the Premier League. (I will be unabashedly wanting that this year, thanks very much.) Serie A is a ghost town, and it has a ghost town’s rickety appeal: good for hideouts, rendezvous, creepy scenes in the middle of Hitchcock movies, gunfighters, preservationists, and cacti. Folks in these parts say that if you put your ear to the old well at night, you can still hear the moaning of José Mourinho’s ego.” (Run of Play)

“Like a kid at Christmas, the waiting has been unbearable. The restless nights and the days filled with anticipation, before the moment finally arrives and you have the presents in your hands. Similarly, after waiting and waiting the Premier League finally got under way on Saturday and the days worth of football didn’t disappoint, with the possible exception of my team Aston Villa, who due to confusion surrounding the kick-off time failed to turn up and instead submitted eleven Madame Tussauds waxworks in the starting line-up.” (Three Match Ban)

“The idealistic president of UEFA, Michel Platini, once said that he would favour abolishing the current European club cups to stage instead a single, 256-team, unseeded knockout tournament. A real European Cup, in fact, where the final eight would be impossible to predict, and where Milan, Bayern, Barcelona and Chelsea would risk being knocked out in September. How New Football laughed at that idea. But it’s doubtful Platini ever seriously thought he could even start the discussion about such a plan. Like all idealists, he was merely setting out his best-case utopia. Something we could at least think about working towards.” (WSC)

“Italian football has been blighted by a series of exposing scandals in recent years; Calciopoli in 2006, the Plusvalenze scandal and the murder of a Lazio fan by police in 2007 all degrading the once esteemed reputation of Serie A. The 2008/09 season, however, did much to restore people’s faith in Italian football, a campaign free of corruption and legal accusation allowing fans to focus solely on the football on display. Followers of Serie A will be hoping that the league can consolidate the rebuilding of its respectability in 2009/10 in what is set to be one of the most interesting seasons in recent years.” (SoccerLens)

“Well that was some weekend, I’ll trust the lot of you stayed glued to your televisions for better parts of the morning Saturday and Sunday. Hope you enjoyed it, because I sure did. At this point every game has some excitement to it, nobody is in a deep hole and playing bad yet and you don’t really know how anything is going to shake out.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t but 95 percent of the time I have to work Friday nights. This makes getting up for that early Saturday morning match a chore, well, so much as getting up to watching a sporting event in your pajamas can actually be a chore. Saturday, after rising to my alarm with sand in my eyes and truding down the stairs of my condo to fire up Chelsea/Hull City, this paradigm has been changed, not just changed but shattered by two letters — H & D. The Premier League in High Def? I was like my cat after giving her a whiff of catnip — thoroughly memorized. Who cares if it was a place as loathsome as Stamford Bridge, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.” (That’s On Point)

“If strength in depth is the key to winning the Premier League title, then Liverpool may be destined to spend yet another season as nearly men. After falling just four points short of ending their painful 19-year wait for a domestic championship last May, this was the summer when Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had his chance to apply the finishing touches to a squad that may only be a couple of players away from being hailed as the very best in the country.” (ESPN)

The Liverpool Lie
“Nothing bothers me more in football than when myopic TV pundits and journalists alike ignore the facts. I’m talking about facts. With the Annual Arsenal Write-Off duly shown two-fingers by the Gunners and Liverpool putting in an uninspired (to say the least) performance at White Hart Lane, you have to ask whether pundits and journalists should have seen this coming. Perhaps, it is Liverpool, not Arsenal, who should be looking over their shoulder at the likes of Man City.” (SoccerLens)

“The big kick-off to a new season is always exhilarating, fuelled by the energy of fans flocking back to their spiritual home after more than three months of absence. The regularity and depth of this contact between fans, stadium and team means that the club game will always be football’s central experience. But maybe a tilt is taking place in the direction of national teams. It could just be that this is World Cup season. Or perhaps because I’m briefly back in England at a moment when there is a mini buzz of expectation around Fabio Capello and his men.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“There are a ton of cock-ups and numpties to flag up this week as we had a bumper selection of errors over the past seven days in world football. The season wouldn’t be the same without the men in black spoiling things.” (101 Great Goals)

Joachim Patinir, Saint Jerome in the Desert
“Title hopefuls Liverpool suffered defeat in their first game of the new Barclays Premier League campaign as Sebastien Bassong scored on his debut in a 2-1 victory for Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Reds boss Rafael Benitez had spent the summer plotting how to overhaul champions Manchester United, having fallen just short last season in the quest for a first title since 1990.” (ESPN)
Thin resources could cost Liverpool’s ambitions (ESPN)
Tottenham 2 – 1 Liverpool (BBC)
Spurs 2-1 Reds: Opening day defeat at the Lane (This Is Anfield)
Liverpool 1-2 Tottenham (oh you beauty)
Rafa Benitez: Lack of funds won’t shake our title challenge (Lliverpool Daily Post)
Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1 (Liverpool Daily Post)
Tottenham 2 – Liverpool 1 (101 Great Goals – Video)

“Yesterday, Raul declared his immediate eligibility for the old age home by proclaiming Mikey Owen a possible candidate for the Premiership scoring title, despite ample evidence to the contrary (such as years 2004-2009). But it brings up a good question: just who is the likely scoring leader – and not just of England, but of the whole damn continent? Who will win the hallowed – umm…what’s that goddamn acronym again?…ah yes – ESM Golden Shoe? This we must ponder.” (The Offside)

“With Brazilian clubs continuing to lose players in the transfer window the perennial calls are being made to bring the country’s football calendar into line with Europe’s. There is near-unanimous support for restructuring from clubs who would free to play in tournaments in the European close season, as well as not losing players mid-championship. But the powerful Globo media network and, less openly, the Brazilian federation (CBF) are opposed to the change.” (WSC)

“To sit with Stan Bowles and listen to riotous tales of fun and insurrection in the 70s is to be reminded that, for all its modern excesses, football fundamentally has always been a playground of the ego. This, after all, was a man for whom the round ball might have been invented as his personal plaything so brilliant was he, a footballer Denis Law once described as ‘100% talent”‘. Yet he entered into countless battles of the will, won a few, lost more and ultimately squandered his gifts. It is a crime he played only five times for England – but some of the wounds were self-inflicted.” (Guardian)

“Every year I like to draw up the Premier League as a system of tiers. This year I didn’t do it, but the caste system is about as pronounced as its ever been. In an scenario eerily similar to the actual world, the small group of elites (The Big Four) are growing richer, the middle class is getting squeezed and the poor unwashed masses continue to grow.” (That’s On Point)

Will you walk alone?
“Xabi Alonso is the new Chuck Norris. You’d think, given the melodramatic manner in which his homeward-bound transfer to Madrid has been covered in the professional press and on the interwebs of amateur punditry, that the Handsome Basque once ate an entire ream of rice paper and shat out some origami swans and Shunsuke Nakamura. You’d think he could withstand a lethal dose of Napalm in his Lucozade. You’d think the Taliban requested peace talks after watching highlights of the Spanish midfielder’s long-range bombs against Luton Town and Newcastle.” (That’s On Point)

 
“With South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup resuming next month, the top four positioned teams of the continent tested their strength in what ended up being worthwhile friendly matches on Wednesday. While Brazil, Argentina and Chile claimed hard-fought victories in Europe, Paraguay lost in Asia.” (SI)

“The 2009/10 Premier League season kicks off this weekend – and the organisers are already describing it as an overwhelming success. For the first time annual revenue is expected to exceed £1bn, with much of this success fuelled from abroad. Matches will be beamed into 575m homes in 211 territories around the world and a total of 90,000 hours of action will be broadcast.” (BBC)

Where the Premier League’s players come from (BBC)

“The English Premier League season will begin this weekend, and several Americans who played in the United States team’s 2-1 defeat to Mexico will be playing in what many consider the most exciting league in Europe. Here’s a brief rundown of the United States players and other Americans you’ll see in England’s top flight this season…” (NYT)

“‘Tis the season… The Premier League finally kicks off again tomorrow and I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I’ve been asking mummy for a shiny new League Title for months but I have this fear I’m destined for a pile of knee-socks and hand-knitted sweaters. Honestly, I might not sleep tonight. I’m that charged up. Of all the team sports I love to watch (football, basketball, baseball, that other football), the Premier League has the shortest off-season, yet this is the one that’s hardest for me to survive. But I made it. We’re here.” (EPL Talk), Final Thoughts Before The Premier League Opener, part 2 – (EPL Talk)

“Bill of the outstanding Bill’s Sports Maps returns to Pitch Invasion with another wonderful map, this time an illustrated map of La Liga for the upcoming 2009-10 season, including attendance, city population, and club badges. Beautiful work from Bill, as ever.” (Pitch Invasion)

“In the early 1990s, football entered a new era. A media-led, lad-culture-infused revival was in train. Football was, cautiously, on its way to becoming a mainstream pursuit, a lifestyle choice in an era of aggressively marketed leisure. The manager was part of the wider scene now. There was no need for him to seek fame. It came looking for him. And in the process some peculiar things started to happen.” (Guardian)

“Failing an extremely unlikely historical blip – such as Boavista’s success in 2001 – you can once again choose any one from three for the Portuguese title. Benfica claim to have six million fans around the world and they were jubilant last Christmas – the team were sitting on top of the table and were thus the unofficial winter champions. It didn’t last, naturally, and they trundled in third behind FC Porto and Sporting.” (WSC)

“Why do I care about the Golden Boot? What does it matter to me as a lover of a club? The Golden Boot doesn’t guarantee titles (eh, Mr Anelka?) or even European placement (eh, Mr Phillips?) It is glory for the individual in a collective endeavor and should be a mere footnote to the supporter who hungers for team glory. ‘Should’ being the operative word. I’m desparate to see Fernando Torres make the Golden Boot his own.” (EPL Talk)

“WITH exactly 300 days to go before the first ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is kicked, the City has made big strides to ensure the event is a big success – from building world-class stadiums to generating excitement. Signing the lease Today marks yet another milestone in the road to the World Cup, with less than a year to go to one of the most exciting World Cups ever.” (Joburg)

“With the new Premier League season underway tomorrow, numerous players will be making their debuts – and with it comes the chance to make a name for themselves.” (Independent)

Azteca Stadium
“A tense second half ends the way all but one previous U.S.-Mexico encounter at Azteca has ended. El Tri are victorious, giving Coach Javier Aguirre his second consecutive win over the United States and boosting the national morale.” (NYT)

A Line Was Drawn at Estadio Azteca
“They would not give up their domination of their region, not in their home, not to the Americans. To a sports fan, sitting back and watching, it was admirable, the way the Mexican team regrouped, facing the disaster of a loss in Estadio Azteca.” (NYT – George Vecsey)

Player Ratings: U.S. vs. Mexico
“What a difference two weeks made … until it didn’t. For 82 pressure-packed minutes at Azteca Stadium, the United States held Mexico at arms length in a critical Concacaf World Cup qualifier between the region’s two giants.” (NYT)

Mexico Restores Order to Its Universe
“The United States took its first lead in four decades of playing soccer at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday, but the advantage proved as thin and gasping as the air at high altitude. Meanwhile, Mexico played with great patience, controlling possession along with its emotions, remaining serene despite enormous pressure not to lose at home for the first time to the Americans and further jeopardize its ability to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.” (NYT)

USA falls at Azteca again as Mexico nets late winner
“The Americans almost escaped Estadio Azteca with a point, but Mexico kepts its cool and created the game-winning chance it needed. Miguel Sabah’s 82nd minute goal off a Jay DeMerit deflection gave Mexico a 2-1 victory against the United States and breathed some much-needed life in ‘El Tri’s’ World Cup qualifying hopes.” (Soccer By Ives – V)

USA vs. Mexico (Matchday Commentary)
“The time has finally arrived. The U.S. men’s national team is in Estadio Azteca today to take on Mexico in a crucial World Cup qualifier in Mexico City. The Americans have never beaten Mexico in Mexico, but come in riding the confidence of a strong showing in this summer’s Confederation’s Cup.” (Soccer By Ives)

Mexico – USA: We Are Quasi-Live-Blogging This
“Come and hang out around, say, 3:55 pm Eastern, for a sort of live blog of the USA-Mexico game. This isn’t going to be the kind of live blog where I print the team sheets and, you know, write a lot of “things” designed to “help” the fan who isn’t watching the match. This is going to be more like an occasionally-updating commentary track.” (Run of Play)

“Whether the northern heavyweights are successful will largely depend on who leaves the club before the transfer window closes. So far, they have lost top scorer Lisandro Lopez and versatile left-back Aly Cissokho to Lyon, while influential midfielder Lucho Gonzalez has joined Marseille. To soften the blow, Argentinian playmaker Fernando Belluschi from Olympiakos and Colombian striker Radamel Falcao (River Plate) have been brought in. The pressure will be on coach Jesualdo Ferreira to make those new pieces fit in his puzzle and keep the championship streak going.” (World Soccer)

“It is hard to imagine that Parma were once the cream of Serie A – hamming it up as part of the ‘seven sisters’ of top-flight Italian football and serving-up a veritable feast of exciting action across Europe. Fabio Cannavaro, Lillian Thuram, Gigi Buffon, Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron were just some of the star names to wear the shirt in the mid-90s and early noughties.” (FourFourTwo)

“As a young star-struck kid, like most of my peers, my unswerving ambition was to meet some of my heroes (all footballers needless to say), get an autograph… a photograph even, and become the envy of my football crazy mates. It never actually happened though! My being in Dublin and my heroes hanging-out in Manchester didn’t help and, in truth, I never actually had a cohesive strategy…just a distant dream.” (SoccerLens)

“Note: After last week’s unplanned hiatus, it’s time to get this story moving. That’s right: we’re covering the entire 2020-2021 season in one day, in an epic, two-part update. The following is an excerpt from the bestselling Pro: How a Small-Town Team Defied the Odds and Conquered the World of Soccer, by an unnamed reporter from worldsoccer.com, which was recently published by the Jeeves imprint of Snirp WorldSports.” (Run of Play), Pro Vercelli: Stalking Catastrophe with Hardcover Nonfiction, Part II – (Run of Play)

Nicolas Poussin, Autumn
“Jermain Defoe struck twice as England came from two goals down at the interval against the Netherlands to earn a creditable draw in Amsterdam. Dirk Kuyt and Rafael Van der Vaart punished errors by Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry to give the Dutch control.” (BBC)
Capello in total control as England seek higher level (Independent)
Netherlands 2-2 England: Defoe’s deadly double (ESPN)
Holland 2 England 2: match report (Telegraph)
Football: Holland v England (Guardian)

Pedersen double helps Norway crush Scotland
“Gary Caldwell was sent off as Scotland’s World Cup hopes unravelled in spectacular fashion against Norway in the Ullevaal Stadium. The Celtic player picked up two yellow cards within a minute in the first half, the second of which allowed John Arne Riise to fire in the opener from the resultant free-kick.” (ESPN)
Norway 4-0 Scotland (BBC)

Russia 2-3 Argentina: Aguero & Lopez on target
“Inspired substitutions proved the difference as Diego Maradona’s Argentina came from behind to beat Guus Hiddink’s Russia in a friendly in Moscow. Lisandro Lopez and Jesus Datolo both scored within seconds of coming on to give Argentina a 3-1 lead before Russian substitute Roman Pavluchenko pulled one back for the home side with 10 minutes remaining.” (ESPN)
Argentina’s Favorite Sport in Trouble (NYT)

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 (espn)

Football tables(BBC)

“Soccer is as much a religion in Argentina as it is in arch rival Brazil. So it is almost beyond belief that Aug. 14, opening day of the main league competition, Primera A, will pass without a ball being kicked. The Argentine Football Association (AFA), the game’s governing body in the country, had postponed indefinitely all games in the Primera A, along with those in the second and regional divisions, because of the clubs’ estimated $300 million in debt, $180 million of which is thought to be owed by the 20 Primera A clubs.” (Forbes)

“We are all familiar with the feints, the look-away passes, the surgical free kicks that made the world’s football fans fall in love with Ronaldinho. Even those who were not Brazilian or Barcelona fans could not argue that “the force” was strong with this one.
Remember that game against Real Madrid (you know the one) where he scored two of the most amazing goals that will be forever imprinted in the memories of Real Madrid fans. The whole Bernabeu audience stood up in awe of this great athlete.” (Bleacher Report)

“Reports in Spain suggest Hull City have completed the signing of Algerian forward Kamel Ghilas from Celta Vigo.” (BBC)

“The massive bowl, Estadio Azteca, sits in the southern part of this sprawling metropolis like a concrete sombrero. The stadium’s mystique — especially its 105,000 spectators and its 7,200-foot altitude — will play an integral role Wednesday in a World Cup qualifying match between Mexico and the United States.” (NYT)

Mexico Tries to Reclaim Soccer Rivalry With U.S.
“When Mexico was a dominant regional soccer power, the 7,200-foot altitude of Estadio Azteca in Mexico City provided sufficient advantage to assure a home victory against the oxygen-starved United States.” (NYT)

U.S. Names Squad For Mexico Match
“With all the Premier League excitement going on lately, it’s easy to forget that there’s also an important World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. This game is, of course, Mexico vs. USA; it’s kind of a big deal for both teams. This time out, though, it’s a particularly interesting match. Mexico is sitting in fourth place in CONCACAF; they need a win just to keep their dreams of qualification alive and kicking.” (Avoiding the Drop)

Five factors favor the U.S. as it looks to break curse in Azteca
“The U.S. has been in Azteca before with the chance to make history and beat Mexico, but each and every time has fallen short. However, that could all change on Wednesday. A closer look at the two teams reveals a few factors that could tilt the result of the crucial World Cup qualifier in favor of the Americans. (SI)

Whoa Mexico
“Depending how you slice it, Wednesday’s U.S./Mexico game at the Azteca is either the biggest game in the history of mankind … or the sixth match of ten in CONCACAF World Cup 2010 qualifying. Is it the last relevant game for the U.S. ahead of South Africa? Probably.” (That’s on point)

“You’ll know that most of the Edwardian film footage of football that we still possess was the work of the northern firm Mitchell and Kenyon, and that they also produced travelling panoramas. … I came across a more modern equivalent during an idle surfing session yesterday. Three films, on Youtube, taken from the window of a car in 1985 as it drove through Bedford, the town in which I had the indubitable privilege of growing up.” (More Than Mind Games)

“Chelsea and Manchester United set the tone for the battle at the top of the Premier League in a Community Shield encounter liberally sprinkled with spice and confrontation. The traditional quartet will jostle at the sharp end of the table – but can anyone break up the cartel of the so-called ‘Big Four’?Can Liverpool end a 20-year wait to bring the title back to Anfield? Who will emerge from the pack? Who will consolidate? Who will be condemned to a season fighting for survival? It will all unfold once the top-flight campaign commences next Saturday.” (BBC – Phil McNulty)

Arsenal gunning for glory (BBC)

Far more to Premier League than Fergie vs Rafa (ESPN)

“A gnawing and suspicious paradox lies at the heart of African national team experiences in world competition: African teams tend to do much better at the youth level than they do at the senior level. Take the fact, for example, that African teams have won 5 of the 12 FIFA U17 World Cups (with the 2009 version scheduled to be hosted by Nigeria in October and November), but not a single African team has ever made it as far as the semi-finals of a full World Cup.” (Pitch Invasion)

“Regaining the SPL title will be the minimum requirement for Tony Mowbray in his first season in charge of Celtic, but he will also need to improve on the team’s patchy Champions League record. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Paul Hartley have been replaced by a pair of Nancy boys: £3.8million forward Marc-Antoine Fortune (who Mowbray had on loan at West Brom last season) and Cameroon international Landry N’Guemo, who will slot into a midfield that will be without Shunsuke Nakamura this season after he left for Spanish side Espanyol.” (World Soccer)

Scottish Premier League preview (ESPN)

“Twenty years ago the idea that a top flight English club’s record signing coming from Ecuador would have been utterly inconceivable. Two decades ago there was hardly a foreigner to be found. These days – thanks to the extraordinary globalisation of the game – supporters of even lesser Premier League clubs can receive a global geography lesson merely by plotting the birth places of the first team squad.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“Liverpool: the latest news, rumours and gossip, plus all the done deals, for the Premier League summer transfer window.” (Telegraph)

“Generally speaking, I’m on three different co-ed soccer teams. My outdoor team, however, plays only in the spring and fall; because of this, I’m forced to sometimes supplement my two-game-a-week habit with the occasional pick-up game. Tuesday was one such night, and it occured to me while running around that, well, not everyone was on the same page.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Finally granted an occasion to show off their replica-jersey collections, soccer-deprived Atlantans took advantage Jul 22 at a friendly between Club América and AC Milan. Yellow América shirts, featuring the Bimbo Bakeries sponsorship logo that never fails to raise eyebrows among English-speakers, predominated in the Georgia Dome, an American football stadium that had never hosted a professional soccer match.” (The Global Game)

Washerwomen below a Bridge, Hubert Robert
“Apart from transfer rumours, commentary on managers probably forms the bulk of football chatter. Before, during and after every game, every decision is scrutinised; every minute move debated; tactics, strategy, man-management, motivation, appearance — all feed into an endless discourse debating whether any given manager is succeeding or not. Protest and praise come by the truckload, and managers end up prematurely grey from it in every country.” (pitch invasion)

Simon Kuper on Money (More Than Mind Games)

The 8% (Left back in the changing room)

“Good day Ladies and Gentleman, and welcome to the first part of my Premier League Preview. Over the next few days I’ll be looking in detail at all of the twenty teams that will compete in the Premier League this season, with a view to providing a comprehensive preview to what should be an exciting season.” (they think its all over…), 2, 3, 4

“His players had barely begun pre-season training before Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc started the psychological battle. According to Le President, his target for the forthcoming campaign is exactly the same as it was last time out: to finish in the top four. Pull the other one, Laurent. Having finally broken the Lyon hegemony there’s no way Bordeaux will be happy with anything less than another championship triumph and Blanc’s comments surely have more to do with keeping the pressure off his own side than any genuine targets. So is it possible Bordeaux could chalk up back-to-back league titles? Possible, yes; probable, maybe not.” (World Soccer)

Ligue 1 Preview – Bordeaux, Marseille and Lyon’s Summer of Love
“What a difference a year makes. Against odds, FC Bordeaux dethroned Ligue 1’s 7 time consecutive champions Lyon to lift the Ligue 1 trophy. With 12 wins on the trot at the tail end of the season, FC Bordeaux secured a top dog status with its first league title in a decade. Along with the Coupe De La Ligue crown to secure a league and cup double, les Girodins wagged its tail at fellow title hopefuls Marseille and Lyon – leaving the former chasing tails and the latter stuck with its tail between its legs.” (SoccerLens)

Turkey: new season previewed by Mehmet Demircan (World Soccer)
Czech Republic: new season previewed by Sam Beckwith (World Soccer)
Belgium: new season previewed by Nicholas Harling (World Soccer)
Holland: new season previewed by Klaas-Jan Droppert (World Soccer)
Denmark: Superliga new season previewed by Jim Holden (World Soccer)
Austria: new season previewed by Harry Miltner (World Soccer)
Switzerland: new season previewed by Nick Bidwell (World Soccer)

“The Argentine first division was supposed to start on the same weekend as England’s Premier League this year, but to those who pay attention to the goings on in Buenos Aires, Wednesday’s announcement that the Apertura championship probably wouldn’t start as scheduled came as no surprise.” (WSC)

“Chelsea will be the team to beat this year. The partnership of Drogba and Anelka looked irresistible towards the end of last season, and if they carry that form into this season they will dominate almost any defence they come up against. I can see Ancelotti coping very well in his first season, and they are surely the favourites for the league and will almost certainly get to the CL final.” (Times)

“It was in early 2007 that opportunity knocked for Argentinian goalkeeper Marcelo Ramon Elizaga and, true to form, he grasped it firmly with both hands. Having spent the previous two seasons in Ecuador with Emelec, Elizaga was approached by then Tricolor coach Luis Fernandez Suarez, who offered the custodian the chance to join the national-team set-up should he take Ecuadorian nationality.” (FIFA)

“The list was not exhaustive but it could exhaust all hope. Mark Venus, the Celtic assistant manager, was asked yesterday about the players side would have to watch in their Champions League play-off tie against Arsenal. ‘Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri, Rosicky, Diaby, Sagnol, Eboue, Van Persie, Clichy they are a good team,’ he said. But if this seemed like a litany of despair, then fear not. Venus and Tony Mowbray are the Chuckle Brothers of European football. Their optimism knows no bounds.” (The Herald)