“Below are video highlights for the Premier League matches on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. If a match doesn’t have a link, it’s not yet available but should be added soon.” (The 90th Minute)
“Had Steven Gerrard‘s shot that hit the crossbar bounced down and in to give Liverpool the three points against Wigan, Roy Hodgson’s side would have moved up to fifth in the league – just three points behind Man City in fourth. However, had Liverpool won this game it would have been a huge case of papering over the, rather large, cracks in their performance and manager’s tactics. Not to mention a huge injustice for a Wigan side who outplayed their more illustrious opponents for 70 minutes.” (This is Anfield)
What the hell is Moneyball?
“I’ve seen many reference to ‘Moneyball’ since John W. Henry prised Liverpool F.C. from the cold, obnoxious palms of Tom Hicks and George Gillette last month, but what does it mean? And, given that it’s a baseball thing, can it be applied to football?” (The Long Ball Tactic)
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Liverpool – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“A disappointing match that produced very few goalscoring chances. Roberto Mancini went with his usual 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 system. Mario Balotelli was suspended so James Milner came in, with David Silva switching to the left. Sir Alex Ferguson went with his one-striker formation, seeking to match City in midfield by playing Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick. Nani was on the right with Ji-Sung Park on the left. Rafael continued at right-back.” (Zonal Marking)
Match of the Midweek: Manchester City 0-0 Manchester United
“Perhaps it was ‘The Curse Of ITV’ returning to haunt us again. Last night, they showed a documentary about football in Manchester which examined, through the eyes of Eric Cantona, the current and historical state of the rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United. The two clubs have had their fair share of drama from the matches between them in recent years, so perhaps it was understandable that ITV should choose to schedule this match at this time. Other corners of the press had, after all, also been been building the match up in a wearyingly predictable manner.” (twohundredpercent)
Highly-anticipated match offers little for most to cheer about
“Few Manchester derbies have ever been so hyped; few have ever been so disappointing. It was a game that yielded just one chance of note: the free-kick that Carlos Tevez curved toward the top corner after 35 minutes. The effort lacked pace, though, and Edwin van der Sar was able to make a simple enough diving save. And while most were probably bored rigid, Sir Alex Ferguson could congratulate himself on a job well done.” (SI)
“It’s too early to tell whether Jürgen Klopp can follow in the footsteps of Bayern manager Louis van Gaal and win the Bundesliga championship this season. But the 43-year-old Klopp is certainly on course to have a similarly positive impact as the Dutchman had on the German national team.” (SI)
“Wisla Cracow have forced their way to the top of the Polish game but are struggling to make it to the Champions League promised land. With a look at the reasons why, here’s Michal Zachodny.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Some coaches get their shot with a major club at a relatively tender age (in coaching years, anyway). Barcelona’s Pep Guardiola was 37 when he got the gig. And there are those who get a crack at the big time without ever having played beyond amaetur level, like Aston Villa’s Gerard Houllier. There’s another, smaller subset which includes those who advanced to top jobs with little or no head-coaching experience, like Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho when he took over at Benfica.” (WSJ)
“Diving. Or simulation to use its FIFA approved name. Ask any player, manager or fan in the country and no doubt they’d tell you that they hate it, that conning a referee is never acceptable and that they don’t want to see their club benefit from flagrant cheating. Yet watch any match, from grassroots pub football to the World Cup, Premier League, La Liga, and you will see players accuse each other of feigning contact, referees booking players who they feel have dived and supporters getting angry that the opposition are cheating scumbags who should be in a swimming pool rather than on a football pitch.”(mindgames)
“English football, for all its quirks and layers of social influence, is a relatively apolitical animal. In a direct comparison with the politically charged clubs of Italy and Spain, English teams are arguably far less representative of ideology and cause. With that in mind, the highly politicised regional struggle played out by Barcelona and Real Madrid can seem somewhat alien to the British football fan, the friction between centralism and the movement for Catalan independence a sketchy intellectual argument between two abstracted factions. That conception of the situation, as it happens, could hardly be further from the truth.” (Equaliser Football)
“In the third instalment of an intermittent series of interviews about coaching badges and the standard of coaching in the United Kingdom, Football Further spoke to Pavl Williams, a Level 2 coach working towards his UEFA ‘B’ licence. Pavl has been coaching youngsters of varying ages since 2004 and is (amongst other things) currently working with elite local players aged 6-16 at Manchester United’s Carrington training centre. He is also the editor of Better Football, a coaching website that offers advice and learning resources for developing better coaches.” (Football Further)
“June 10, 1990 — Control your emotions. I know national anthems can be moving, but there’s a game to be played. In fact, there are three games to play. If you can’t handle these early moments, maybe this isn’t for you. If you find this stressful, you should be concerned because it will take a herculean effort for you to make it through the Backstreet Boys, the internet and financial armageddon, three things that I’m just guessing are on the horizon. What’s the internet you ask? I’m not sure. It’s 1990.” (Nutmeg Radio)
“This week sees the long-anticpated (by at least three people) release of ‘Pay As You Play: The True Price of Success in the Premier League Era‘. The Transfer Price Index website is now fully live, and includes extracts and links to order the book. It will also feature new articles based on the TPI work used in Pay As You Play.” (Tomkins Times)
Ten out of 20 Ain’t Bad.
“Now that the Reds have got some kind of foothold under Roy Hodgson, unless results take a disastrous turn for the worst, the 20 game mark appears to be the fairest time to draw further conclusions. (And as such, I’m not going to say too much until then, for fear of repeating myself; I will of course continue to interact with subscribers of this website and write about Liverpool FC, but not analyse every last performance in a make-or-break fashion.)” (Tomkins Times)
Damien Comolli at Spurs: A TPI Case Study
“2nd November 2010. Tottenham beat the European champions Internazionale 3-1 at White Hart Lane with a scintillating display of attacking football. Exactly two years earlier they were rock bottom of the Premier League after 11 games (and 17 points behind Liverpool). Tottenham’s manager in that period has been Harry Redknapp and he has done a fine job, albeit with a lot of the components already in place.” (Pay As You Play)
“Loyal readers (if I’m priveleged enough to have any) will be aware that SKP occasionally drifts away from the cut and thrust of the Campeonato Brasileiro, and into more anecdotal territory. Previous examples have concerned my trips to see games to the Engenhão and the Morumbi; you can have a look at those articles here and here. On this rainy day, I’ve decided to delve a bit further back into the past; to 2009, when I visited the Pacaembu, home of the mighty Corinthians…” (Snap, Kaka, and Pop!)
“NEC Nijmegen might only be sitting in a mid table Eredivisie position right now, but their pin-up striker Björn Vleminckx is emerging as something of a cult hero. Ajax lost at home to ADO too. With a review of the latest games from Holland’s top flight, here’s John Dobson.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Although Milan more than played their part in last week’s thrilling 2-2 draw at the San Siro against old rivals Real Madrid, especially the effervescent Pippo Inzaghi, it is fair to say that the rossoneri have started the season in somewhat inconsistent fashion, having already suffered painful defeats against Cesena and Juventus in Serie A and only winning one of their four Champions League games to date (at home against Auxerre). It remains to be seen whether Milan can mount a challenge for honours this season, but the early signs are not overly convincing.” (The Swiss Ramble)
“A growing and probably quite unhealthy obsession with the concept of Unai Emery caused La Liga Loca to spend Monday musing whether the Valencia manager actually enjoyed his job. It certainly didn’t look like it during the 2-0 loss to Sevilla, Emery watching Mehmet Topal’s rather harsh sending-off scupper any chance of success in the Sánchez Pizjuán.” (FourFourTwo)
Musings on Madrid
“Just in case you wanted to know, Atletico Madrid’s veterans stuffed Real Madrid’s 7-0 on Friday afternoon, and Ricky Carvalho beat Diego Forlan 1-0 in the FIFA 11 (virtual) game in a Madrid hotel the same day. The scorer was Ronaldo, of course. Interestingly, in the real thing on Sunday night, Carvalho opened the scoring and Forlan failed to find the net, but the Uruguayan was at least remaining faithful to tradition. Atletico have now failed to beat their neighbours in the Madrid ‘derbi’ since the 1999-00 season, and often stand accused of not really going for it, particularly in the Bernabeu.” (ESPN)
Accounting Battle Distracts From Barcelona’s Success
“Johan Cruyff, the Dutchman who both played for and coached F.C. Barcelona, once noted that, in soccer, ‘it doesn’t matter how many goals they score, as long as you score one more.’ Winning, however, has not been the only thing that has mattered recently at Cruyff’s former club. Instead, one of Barcelona’s most successful presidents, Joan Laporta, found himself last month on the receiving end of a lawsuit initiated by his successor, Sandro Rosell, alleging unlawful accounting.” (NYT)
“Earlier this year, I cracked like a soft-boiled egg. Fed up with losing three hours of my life to the navigation of a pretend pre-season, I wrote THIS. Now, in blogging terms, criticising Football Manager is sacrilegious, the equivalent of taking a red pen and scribbling, “3/10 could do better” on the inside of a bible. You just don’t do it. But the strange thing was that people agreed with me. From around the world, new players and old sent little messages thanking me for vocalising their growing concerns. Of course, a great many more called me some very mean names while Miles Jacobson, head honcho of the series, got in touch to pointedly direct me to the iphone version if I ‘just wanted a game.’ I don’t blame him. If I’d devoted my life to creating the most realistic football simulator in the history of gaming, I’d doubt I’d have appreciated having a snotty journalist tell me that it was too realistic. Thank God then that Football Manager 2011 is a such an emphatic return to form.” (Iain Macintosh)
“Two similar systems and little creativity in open play. Top of the table Lazio set up with a 4-3-1-2 formation, a shape they’ve used in roughly half of games so far, the other option being a 4-2-3-1. Tomasso Rocchi started his first game since mid-September upfront alongside Sergio Floccari, whilst Guglielmo Stendardo started in place of the suspended Giuseppe Biava at the back.” (Zonal Marking)
Sevilla 2-0 Valencia: Emery doesn’t change despite red card, both Manzano subs score
“Sevilla eventually broke through after Valencia’s Mehmet Topal was sent off in the first half. For the home side, only Martin Cacares remained from the back four that conceded five goals at the Nou Camp last week. Further forward, it was the same midfield and attack, with Frederic Kanoute pushed up closer to Luis Fabiano.” (Zonal Marking)
Jock Stein
“This week’s Video Of The Week sees us return to the BBC’s Match Of The Eighties collection for the final episode in the series, for the 1985/86 season. The season before had been the one in which English football had finally been found out with the twin tragedies of Valley Parade and Heysel exposing the extent of the rottenness at the core of the game. English clubs were banned from European competition indefinitely and, as if to mark the fall from grace of the game, a dispute over television rights meant that no live matches in the First Division were shown until Christmas.” (twohundredpercent)
“Beginning with this installment, the Goal blog is inaugurating a new feature that offers a statistical (courtesy of OPTA) and graphic representations of select matches from the European Champions League. At the end of each week when matches are played, the editor of zonalmarking.net, will provide analysis powered by the Total Football iPhone/iPad app, which is available at totalfootballapps.com and the iTunes App Store. Similar Chalkboards can be dissected at the Web site of the Guardian of Britain and at the zonalmarking Web site.” (NYT)
“So here we are after 11 games, all the SPL teams have now played each other, and it’s time to reflect on the early season title race, ahead of Wednesday’s big match on ESPN – Hearts v Celtic. It should be a cracker. Right, let’s start at the top – Rangers. Things could hardly have gone any better for Walter Smith’s side and Sunday’s victory at St Mirren Park on ESPN put the Gers back on top of the table. Only one slip up to date (a home draw with Inverness) has Rangers ahead of Celtic by one point. The question remains though – do Rangers have the stamina to stay there?” (ESPN)
Ref or end ‘em: Scottish football shrouded in refereeing controversy
“Nani’s recent goal for Manchester United against Tottenham caused a frisson of controversy in England. But you think Mark Clattenburg has it bad? Try refereeing Celtic or Rangers in Scotland. Making his debut for Just Football we welcome William Heaney who has more…” (Just Football)
“This weekend Argentines were in fine form in Spain, Portugal and Mexico, whilst in the USA a Boca Juniors legend might have played his last game, as Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s Columbus Crew exited the MLS playoffs. The selección’s first-choice centre back pairing both had poor weekends, though. Martín Demichelis’ Bayern München dropped points, whilst Walter Samuel injured his cruciate ligaments and will miss the match against Brazil later in the month, as well as quite some time thereafter. All this and more, right here…” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)
“No huge changes to the Ligue 1 table after Round Twelve of the French season as all the leaders failed to win. Brest began the weekend top of the standings but were blown away by a resurgent Lille who went ahead late in the first half through Moussa Sow. Lille had the better chances in the first half but had to wait until Emerson was sent down the left and his cross was half blocked by Johan Martial, diverting it onto Sow’s forehead a mere two feet from goal. He couldn’t, and didn’t, miss. Six minutes after the break, an intricate passing move ended with Gervinho free in the penalty area to tuck away the second, the Brest defence looking at each other bewildered as Lille’s one-touch passing guided the ball through them at speed.” (In Bed With Maradona)
The Battle of San Romano, Paolo Uccello
“Liverpool got their best result under Roy Hodgson by beating Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday. The performance was far from vintage, but with Chelsea being unusually poor, the Reds rarely looked troubled. Let’s take a look at the tale that the chalkboards tell us.” (Tomkins Times)
16 Conclusions On Liverpool v Chelsea
” After Liverpool’s past couple of wins, the opinion has been voiced by a number of their fans that they had mixed feelings about the victories – happy with the points, but frustrated that the successes would buy Roy Hodgson some extra time in charge. So will this win be enough to convince those who still doubt? And if not, how many wins will it take before they cast aside their stubborn stance and accept Hodgson as their own?” (Football 365)
Winning, the Liverpool Way
“After the draw at St. Andrews I contended that Liverpool needed to change the way they played to get results. They were too narrow, with no pace and their full-backs went nowhere. It led to a dour game of football and a nil all draw that kept Liverpool in the lower regions of the table. The problem then was a lack of invention, a resistance to change and a team still getting to know each other, yesterday that all changed.” (EPL Talk)
“Shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, maybe because much of the forward’s game is played in the 30-metre ‘zone of terror’ where little Leo has scored in five consecutive matches for Pep’s Dream Boys.” (FourFourTwo)
Real Madrid 2-0 Atletico Madrid: early goals and a routine victory for Real“Ricardo Carvalho and Mesut Oezil’s first half goals gave Real a commanding lead.
Jose Mourinho kept the same side as in the 2-2 draw in Milan in midweek. No change in formation either – 4-2-3-1. Qique Sanchez Flores went for the usual 4-4-2 with inverted wingers, Simao Sabrosa on the left and Jose Antonio Reyes on the right. Luis Perea was out, so Tomas Ujfalusi moved over to the centre-back position he made his name in, whilst Juan Valera started at right-back. Mario Suarez made his second start for Atletico in the centre.” (Zonal Marking)
“A successful and promising relationship has come to a premature end with the news that Marcelo Bielsa will not continue as coach of Chile. There is little point in appointing a foreign coach unless he brings something fresh – which the eccentric, but highly respected Argentine certainly has in the course of his three years in charge.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)
“Not many sides keep a clean sheet against Arsenal. Newcastle’s 1-0 win at the Emirates was only the second time Arsene Wenger’s side have failed to score this season. In most wins in football there is an element of the victorious side being good, and the losing side being bad. Arsenal’s poor performance cannot be overlooked – the whole team were sluggish with their passing and not creative enough. Cesc Fabregas gave the ball away far too often and didn’t look fit, and on the rare occasions he plays badly, Arsenal struggle.” (Zonal Marking)
“It must have been a good day yesterday at the Spakenburg as I woke up with my feet in the mini bar and a Ijsselmeervogels temporary tattoo on my arm. How did I get here? It is all a bit of a blur but I do remember a man with a goat at some point and a taxi driver called Willem who claimed he was once an extra in Coronation Street, buying a bag of bomboms from Mavis Riley no less. I remember a school disco, a bloke dressed as a pope, Stoffers walking around with 25 beer glasses on his head and finally Smullers spicy crockets. Danny Last helps me remember some of the events in his report here but I still cannot fill in the blanks. I remembered I was in Utrecht, Holland’s 4th largest city and home to the Museum of Automatically Playing Musical Instruments. And why were we here? – for another game of course.” (The Ball Is Round)
“Two excellent first-half goals from Fernando Torres secured Liverpool’s best result under Roy Hodgson. Dirk Kuyt came back into the side after a long period out injured, with Martin Kelly the other surprise name on the team sheet. Maxi Rodriguez continued in midfield. Didier Drogba was only considered fit enough for the bench, so Carlo Ancelotti used Saloman Kalou on the right and Nicolas Anelka as the main forward. Frank Lampard was injured, as was Michael Essien, so the midfield trio was the same as in the win over Spartak in midweek.” (Zonal Marking)
Liverpool 2 – 0 Chelsea
“Fernando Torres produced a striker’s masterclass to score twice as Liverpool inflicted only a second defeat of the season on Premier League leaders Chelsea. Torres has a liking for playing the Londoners at Anfield, as his six goals in five matches against them at home shows. Chelsea were heavily linked with a summer bid for Torres but it never materialised and manager Carlo Ancelotti said he did not need to buy the striker as he was satisfied with his own forwards.” (ESPN)
The real Fernando Torres stands up
“His body language has been overanalysed, his future debated and his commitment criticised, but one statistic seemed to suffice to sum up his start to the season. Fernando Torres had scored as many goals as Sotirios Kyrgiakos. After a brace to pull ahead of the Greek in a Mediterranean mini-league at Anfield, to scythe Chelsea stylishly apart and to give Roy Hodgson much the best result of his nascent reign, one thing is clear. He’s back.” (ESPN)
We’re All Wrong, We’re All Right
“At long last, Liverpool look like a proper team again. Not a great team, admittedly, but at least a team. My criticisms from the summer relating to the appointment of Roy Hodgson remain, although my reactions a few weeks ago after a run of eight dire league games (and performances, which makes it even worse) obviously look increasingly premature.” (Tomkins Times)
Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on November 6, 2010. You can watch the full episode of MOTD here (contains all matches).” (The 90th Minute)
Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“This week might well prove a turning point for Ajax’ season. Losing away at Auxerre saw the club effectively eliminated from the Champions League and losing a second Eredivisie home match this early in the season has put the club three and four points behind PSV and Twente, respectively, in the race for the title. ADO, meanwhile, will definitely take this. They’ve managed to defeat Ajax with their open, direct 4-3-3 game. Even without top scorer Bulykin, ADO showed that they belong among the clubs competing for the play-off places should they be able to keep this strong run of form going.” (11 tegen 11)
“The twice yearly clash between Roma and Lazio is one of world football’s most passionate derbies. On Sunday, the two sides meet with Lazio in fine form. Rocco Camisola looks forward to an exciting clash.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Juan Román Riquelme – and, lest it be forgotten, Claudio Borghi – took on their old club, Argentinos Juniors, and lost 2-0 thanks to two late goals in quick succession after a late nightmare by Boca Juniors goalkeeper Cristian Lucchetti. Riquelme had a few moments, but by and large lacked precision – as you’d expect, him having been out for six months. Elsewhere today, Racing and Arsenal de Sarandí drew 2-2 in an entertaining match, Gimnasia beat Quilmes 1-0 in a very dull one, and Godoy Cruz and Newell’s drew 0-0 with visiting goalkeeper Sebastián Peratta putting in a phenomenal performance. All the highlights are right here.” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)
“Groningen managed to beat NAC Breda, two teams separated by only three points in last year’s final standings, but having quite different season starts this year. Young manager Pieter Huistra continues to impress with a 4-2-3-1 that suits the Groningen players very well. Against NAC they dominated the match, although the score line suggested otherwise, but creating 11 shots on target while allowing only one sums up the story here.” (11 tegen 11)
“Read, if you haven’t, my new Slate piece on Wayne Rooney, which is less ROONEY CONTRACT PANIC than a look at how the notion that he’s some kind of half-formed man-child, or an eternal adolescent, has clustered around his career. The gist is that for all the (sometimes justified) criticism he’s received for being immature or childish, what’s really infuriated his fans this year is that he’s acted too much like an adult, particularly in taking a view of his career that didn’t simply give everything up to the greatness of Manchester United.” (Run of Play)
Man U’s Man-Child
“The biggest star on the world’s biggest soccer team has the eyes of a mercenary and the face of a little boy. Athletes who become famous at an early age always seem younger than they are, and Wayne Rooney—who burst onto the world stage at 16, signed with Manchester United at 18, and now, at 25, is comfortably the second-most-recognizable English soccer player on earth—has to all appearances become lodged in semi-adolescence, as if time tried to swallow him and couldn’t get him all the way down.” (Slate)
The battle of Wayne
“One day in 2004, Wayne Rooney was doing what he usually does when he isn’t playing football: watching TV. At the time he was breaking with Everton, the club his clan had always supported. Sky TV was reading out text messages from viewers who called him a rat, a greedy traitor, and so on. Watching at home, Rooney grew fed up. He texted the programme himself: ‘I left because the club was doing my head in – Wayne Rooney.’” (FI – Simon Kuper)
“‘Diego Maradona,’ came the bold claim from Roy Hodgson, Gerrard’s manager at Liverpool. ‘Giancarlo Antonioni, Rainer Bonhof and Wolfgang Overath,’ came Friday’s verdict of Carlo Ancelotti, whose Chelsea visit Gerrard’s lair on Sunday. Praise indeed. All four have won World Cups.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
“Messina is the third largest city in Sicily and thirteenth in Italy; founded in the 8th century BC throughout its history it has endured countless catastrophes. Seized by Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Spaniards for its tactical position; it has also been the site of plagues (rumoured to be the port where the Black Death entered mainland Europe), earthquakes and even a tsunami. The most recent earthquake in 1908 brought the city to its knees killing 60,000 people and destroying most of the ancient architecture. A further catastrophe is on the verge of occurring for the fans of the city’s football team.” (The Football Express)
“This week’s analysis of all 16 Champions League games, courtesy of the excellent TotalFootball iPhone app” (Zonal Marking)
“I try to imagine them, the sad, gray men in their laboratories, staring into grainy screens, lifting heavy pens to tick a piece of paper every time Big Sam takes a step. Was it a ‘big’ step? That’s two ticks. 6.7 miles he’s travelled so far, and only 3 more games to go before you move on to Harry Redknapp. You won’t sleep tonight, boy. Oh! He lumbered forward slightly! That’s half a tick!” (Yahoo! – Brian Phillips), (Football Manager)
“For over a hundred years football programmes have been the vital accompaniment to any match. Even the smallest, most insignificant game is normally commemorated by the issue of a matchday programme. I know some people who will not count that they have been to see a game unless they can get a programme or at least a team sheet.” (The Ball Is Round)
“Chelsea has made a stunning start to its Premier League campaign for the second successive season, currently sitting five points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United after 10 games. What makes them so good? Here are five points to consider.” (ESPN)
“The re-birth of Villarreal has come with the fruition of several events. Firstly, the partnership that Brazilian Nilmar and the Italian-American Giuseppe Rossi has cultivated week-on-week and will continue to be one of the most dangerous in La Liga. The two have scored eleven of Villarreal’s nineteen goals and Rossi has shown ruthless finishing that was once missing; Nilmar, as well as scoring five goals, is joint third in the assist rankings up to this point.” (Talking About Football)
“Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard came to his side’s aid once again as his late hat-trick inspired the side to a 3-1 Europa League victory against Napoli which highlighted the gulf in class within the squad. The Reds were deservedly behind to Ezequiel Lavezzi’s goal after a dire first-half performance but the England midfielder’s introduction at the interval changed the dynamic.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 3-1 Napoli – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Europa League
(The 90th Minute)
“Torrential downpours in southern France prompted the postponement of two matches over the weekend, and when the skies finally cleared the unlikely team sitting on top of the table was Brest. Marseille’s game at home to previous leaders Rennes appeared to represent OM’s chance to recapture top spot for the first time since the end of last season, but incessant rain saw the match at Stade Vélodrome pushed back from Saturday until Sunday and then postponed definitively when the poor weather continued.” (Football Further)
“‘Please accept my resignation. I wouldn’t belong to a club that would accept me as a member’, said the telegram that Groucho Marx in his famous telegram to the Friar’s Club of Beverly Hills, and the Football Association must be inwardly feeling the same as Marx with their admission that recent press revelations into the behaviour of various senior FIFA delegates has had an extremely damaging effect on their bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The FA had apparently at first thought that they had managed to escape the ire of those at the top of the world’s governing body over the revelations made by The Sunday Times, but with an edition of the BBCs Panorama on the subject also due to be shown before the vote next month it is now widely anticipated that the award will go to Russia.” (twohundredpercent)
“I read a statistic the other day which gave me pause for thought: Russia, the world’s largest country by area, takes up approximately 11.5% of the Earth’s entire land mass. Actually as a journalist covering Russia I’ve have to learn by rote a good number of shorthand statistics to express the country’s size. 7,500 kilometres from East to West; a ten hour flight from its Baltic to Pacific coasts; nine time zones (thought it used to be eleven until earlier this year).” (The Football Ramble)
“Recent news reports from South America indicate that the coach of Chile’s national team, Marcelo Bielsa, will be leaving his post with immediacy. To the casual observer, this comes as a shock. Bielsa has been credited with restoring discipline and professionalism to a national soccer association known more in recent years for scandal than for footballing feat.” (Soccer Politics)
“Football Manager 2011 (FM) is released this Friday in Europe and tentatively dated the 16 of November in the US. A Football Management ‘simulator’ you are put in charge of basically any club of your choice in a ridiculously realistic setting. Playing Football Manager can often be like taking a degree in football, you learn the rules of each league, the transfer rules regarding ‘Bosman’s’ and the compensation clauses in signing youth players and also you will learn to love, hate and covet players you may never have heard of.” (EPL Talk)
“A pulsating game that finished all square, with both sides disappointed to have given up the victory. Milan recalled Ronaldinho in place of Robinho, and moved back to a 4-3-3 rather than the 4-3-1-2 they used in the first half against Juventus. Only Alessandro Nesta remained from that back four, with Gianluca Zambrotta, Ignazio Abate and Thiago Silva coming into the side.” (Zonal Marking)
AC Milan 2-2 Real Madrid – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Minute)
“Chelsea took longer than usual to get into their stride, but recorded a familiar comfortable victory.
Chelsea rested John Terry and Michael Essien, so Branislav Ivanovic moved to the centre of the defence, and Ramires came in on the right side of midfield. Saloman Kalou replaced Florent Malouda. Spartak moved Yevgeni Makeev to right-back and brought in Andrei Ivanov on the left. Alex returned, so Ari dropped to the bench.” (Zonal Marking)
Blues forced to play out second billing
“It has been many a long year since Chelsea supporters looked upon those who swear allegiance to Tottenham Hotspur with an envious eye, but that might just have been the case this week. Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues may be riding high at the top of the Premier League table and assured of a placed in the last 16 of the Champions League after this comfortable romp against an outclassed opponent, yet such serene progress becomes a little mundane when it is the norm.” (ESPN)
Chelsea 4-1 Spartak Moscow – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Minute)
“Yesterday everybody screamed the praises of one Gareth Bale, one week after a certain disreputable website sang his praises by comparison to the Garbage Pale kids. That disreputable website was this one. And I admit my mistake. Gareth Bale is a shining example of athleticism, a white knight, the hero at the end of the fairy tale who smooches the princess, slays the dragon, and lives happily every after. But Pippo Inzaghi is not. Which is why I love him.” (futfanatico)
“Ajax adapted their formation to finally find the right solution to the problems that Auxerre’s 4-4-1-1 caused them. Unfortunately it was too little too late for Ajax, as Auxerre managed to win through a deflected shot and a debatable offside situation in a quickly taken free-kick.” (11 tegen 11)
“Ultras, a word in football that immediately brings to mind certain negative images. However, a new movement of ‘Ultra’ fan groups are organizing themselves in a different way, intimidating through artistic displays of support for their team. Martyn Fisher reports.” (In Bed With Maradona)
“Much like Rafael Benitez’s time as Liverpool manager the arrival of Damien Comolli at Anfield as the club’s director of football strategy is likely to divide opinion both with fans and pundits – good or bad, genius or idiot?” (BBC)
Calumny of Apelles, Botticelli.
“Gareth Bale dominated the game to a staggering extent as Tottenham recorded a famous victory. Spurs went with their expected XI. Carlo Cudicini came in for the suspended Heurelho Gomes. Elsewhere, Tom Huddlestone and Peter Crouch returned, with the rest of the side the same as the one which faced Manchester United at the weekend.” (Zonal Marking)
Tactics: What is Gareth Bale’s best position?
“Claims that Gareth Bale’s two scintillating performances against Internazionale have turned him into the best player in the world may be a little far-fetched, but it is no exaggeration to say that in Tuesday night’s match at White Hart Lane, almost everything he did with the ball at his feet was magnificent. Speculation is already rife about which European giant he will elect to join if and when the time comes to leave Spurs, but an important decision also needs to be made about where on the pitch he should play.” (Football Further)
The inevitable rise of Gareth Bale
“It’s amazing what two games of football can do to a player’s reputation. Following a pair of sublime performances against Rafael Benitez’s Internazionale, Gareth Bale has come to be spoken of in the most glowing of terms. From Tottenham’s unlucky charm to arguably their most influential player, the speed of Bale’s development seems to have turned hyperactive of late, the Welshman now being considered by some as one of the best left-sided players in European football.” (Equaliser Football)
Match of the Midweek: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Internazionale
“Maicon is not a bad player, by any stretch of the imagination. He didn’t win the Italian national lottery to win a place in the Inter side, and he isn’t related to Massimo Moratti. He broke through the youth system in the fiercely competitive world of Brazilian football and into the Cruzeiro team. From there he was transferred to Monaco, where he again managed to hold onto his place in the first team and attract the interest of the Italian giants, Internazionale. He has played well over one hundred games for Inter, and has won four Serie A champions and, earlier this year, the UEFA Champions League. He has also played over sixty games for Brazil.” (twohundredpercent)
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Inter Milan – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Minute)
“Barcelona will have to wait to book their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League after being held by FC Copenhagen at the Parken Stadion this evening. Barca knew a victory in Denmark would guarantee themselves a place in the knock-out stages and the two-time reigning Spanish champions looked on course to achieve that after taking a 31st-minute lead through Lionel Messi.” (ESPN)
Mou given warm homecoming as Pep’s boys struggle away again
“The Barcelona players are single-handedly destroying the notion that footballers are more than comfortable playing away from home, as it has been almost a year since Pep’s Dream Boys managed to get their metaphorical legs over by winning on their travels in the Champions League.” (FourFourTwo)
FC Copenhagen 1-1 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Minute)
“Two goals from Roberto Saldado were the difference as Valencia cruised past Rangers in Champions League. Soldado’s goals came in the 33rd minute and 71st minute while Alberto Costa added the final goal in the 90th minute. It’s a tough loss for Rangers who need to finish strong to move into the knockout stage.” (The 90th Minute)
Bursaspor 0-3 Manchester United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Marking)
“A scoreline that makes the game seem closer than it was – Benfica were 4-0 up and cruising before switching off in the final minutes. Benfica played a cross between their 4-4-2 diamond shape and a classic 4-4-2, influenced by the late withdrawal of Pablo Aimar through injury, with Salvio coming in. Oscar Cardozo was still out so Alan Kardec started upfront. Javi Garcia played in the holding role, and sometimes dropped into the backline when Benfica had the ball, with Martins moving deeper.” (Zonal Marking)
“For the 2nd Premier League game running, Arsene Wenger chose to field a Denilson-Song-Fabregas midfield three but unlike the City game last weekend, Arsenal had to make do with playing against the 11 men of West Ham in a fixture that has been quite tight and low-scoring in recent years. As such, this was the first true test of this new midfield’s ability to break down a deep-lying defensive team. A similar system was in place against Partizan with Denilson the deepest midfielder and Song more box-to-box, but on that occasion Jack Wilshere played as the attacking midfielder in place of the injured Cesc Fabregas. Wilshere was of course suspended for this fixture and the one at Eastlands, had he been available it’s likely we may not have seen this novel midfield system in place.” (The Backwards Gooner)
Arsenal yearn for the drive of Alex Song
“For eighty minutes of the game, it looked like one of the most effective man-marking jobs in football. Given West Ham’s desperate position at the bottom of the Premier League, Scott Parker’s shackling of Cesc Fabregas was ever more selfless as Parker kept Arsenal’s captain as quiet as he’s ever been. It was like Berti Vogts on Johan Cruyff in West Germany’s 2-1 win over Netherlands or Michael Essien’s shadowing of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in 2009. Except it seems Fabregas was playing with a handicap – a tight hamstring meant he was unable to, in his own words, turn or sprint without suffering great pain as he took part in his ‘worst’ first-half ever.” (Arsenal Column)
“Milan had more chances, but Juventus were more clinical and took three points away from the San Siro. Milan kept the same team that beat Napoli 2-1 in the previous Serie A round, in a fairly traditional 4-3-1-2 shape. Robinho started as a trequartista but drifted to the left. Luca Antonini was back at left-back, and got forward well early on.” (Zonal Marking)
“Two men sent off in the first half hour put West Brom on the back foot, but Blackpool couldn’t kill off the game. Blackpool continued to use the 4-1-2-3 system that has won both points and plaudits so far this campaign. One change was made – Marlon Harewood did not start, instead Gary Taylor-Fletcher moved upfront and Elliot Grandin came into the midfield.” (Zonal Marking)
Match of the Midweek: Blackpool 2-1 West Bromwich Albion“The early season is over now. The clocks have gone back, which means that there will be precious few matches that finish in daylight between now and next spring, and in commemoration of this fact the Premier League rolled out the luminous yellow ball last weekend. There is something deeply aesthetically unsatisfying about the yellow ball. Marketing fools still doubtlessly proffer the argument that it is somehow more ‘visible’ than a white ball, as if we are incapable of seeing through their guff, but still they press ahead with it. The ball isn’t the only affront to the eyes at Bloomfield Road this evening, either. Both Blackpool and West Bromwich Albion have their shirts adorned with sponsors’ logos which defy all logic by making the companies – a payday loan company and an emergency insurance company respectively – that they are flogging even less unattractive than they may already be.” (twohundredpercent)
Scissors Kick 