Author Archives: 1960s: Days of Rage

About 1960s: Days of Rage

Bill Davis - 1960s: Days of Rage

What went wrong for Markus Babbel at Hoffenheim? A post-mortem

“Earlier this week Markus Babbel, who in spite of the grim sounding title is still very much alive, was let go from his position as head coach at Hoffenheim after less than a year on the job. The Sinsheim outfit (3-3-9) currently sit on 12 points from their 17 matches which is good for 16th place in the Bundesliga above only the 1 win apiece Augsburg and Greuther Fürth. Sporting Director Andreas Müller said of the decision: ‘Our increasingly threatening situation and the negative trend have left me no choice’ adding that ‘It is important to make the cut’ and ‘We have to hit the re-set switch and start a new beginning’ ; words which sound quite similar to the ones then Sporting Director Ernst Tanner spoke about Babbel’s predecessor Holger Stanislawski 10 months ago.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Palestine on the Pitch

“‘It is unacceptable that children are killed while they play football.’ So declares a statement by 62 professional footballers protesting the recent Israeli actions in Gaza. Posted on the website of Frédéric Kanouté, it includes some of the best known names in global football, notably Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard. It is a striking gesture, one with few precedents. It highlights how powerfully football and politics are increasingly intertwined in Israel and Palestine.” Soccer Politics

Spartak Moscow’s season of self-destruction could suit Celtic

“The Russian newspaper Sovetsky Sport on Monday ran a column that spoke of Chelsea, the St Petersburg ice-hockey team SKA and Spartak Moscow as ‘three broken toys’. All of them, it pointed out, are owned by oligarchs, all have had recent success and all have been undermined by meddling from the top that, to those on the outside, seemed baffling. It compared Roman Abramovich to a boy who loved something so much he hugged it until it suffocated.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

The Guardiola System 2008-2012

“Josep Guardiola i Sala was born in Santpedor on 18 January 1971. After a highly successful career as a Barça player and then gaining promotion as manager of Barça Atlètic, he won fourteen out of a possible nineteen major titles during his four years in charge of the first team. That record was based on an unyielding commitment to the Club’s youth products and to a spectacular style of play built on possession football, passing and pace, which some have described as a re-invention of the game of football. He was, without a doubt, Barça’s best ever coach.” FC Barcelona

YouTube: The Guardiola System 2008-2012 (Video)

Brazil’s goal: a clean sheet

“Brasília – the Brazilian capital carved from the savannah 50 years ago – is a hard city to love. I hate to say this while its architect, 104-year-old Oscar Niemeyer, lies ill in a Rio hospital, but Brasília was built for cars and architecture critics, not for people. It’s a place for bureaucrats to have a quiet life, a Bonn in the tropics. Traffic jams are rare, even at 5pm when the ministries empty and everyone sails home along the huge central axis. This is a middle-class town.” FT – Simon Kuper

Corona, Tijuana climb atop Mexican top flight, more Americans Abroad

“Joe Corona’s list of accomplishments with Club Tijuana keeps growing. It was Corona who scored in the club’s promotion-battle win over Irapuato in May 2011, as the then-relative unknown attacker helped lead his relatively unknown club to the Mexican top flight. Upon arrival, the U.S. national team midfielder scored Tijuana’s first goal as a top-tier side and turned in a productive year that helped Los Xolos remain in the first division. It’s no surprise, then, that with Tijuana remarkably climbing the league mountain in little time that Corona was a vital participant as Los Xolos were crowned Mexican champions.” SI

Is the divisive Luis Suarez on course to become an Anfield legend?

“They say every genius comes with a dash of madness. Talent at its utmost is counteracted by temperament at its worst. Universal acknowledgement is offset by the infuriating capacity to persistently divide opinion. A gifted individual is often the most troubled. And in the enigmatic Luis Suarez, we have the perfect example. Everything a footballer could ever want to be and more, Suarez has, at the same time, everything one could loathe to come with it.” Think Football

Danish Blues: The Demise Of Brondby IF

“Last season the world of European football was mildly surprised to see a new name join the Champions League jet-set. Many words have already been written on the miraculous rise from regional cup final to the world’s richest club competition of FC Nordsjælland. Whilst the champagne corks were popping in the Farum, a sleepy northern Copenhagen suburb, back in May, the usual end of season soul-searching on the other side of the Capital of Cool began in earnest. Brøndby IF, for so long the title also-rans, had experienced a season from hell, finishing just two places and six points above the relegation zone.” In Bed With Maradona

Real Madrid 2-0 Atletico Madrid: Simeone goes 4-4-2, Real score through a set-piece and a break

“Real Madrid triumphed in a hugely disappointing match. Jose Mourinho named a familiar side, basically the 2011/12 Real Madrid team. Fabio Coentrao was at left-back, while Luka Modric was only on the bench with Mesut Ozil starting in the hole. Diego Simeone named a 4-4-2 side, which meant Diego Costa playing upfront with Falcao, and Koke on the right side of midfield. Cata Diaz came into the side very late, at left-back. There was little to recommend this game, which lacked rhythm, tempo, shape and genuine attacking quality.” Zonal Marking

Dundee United’s Domination Of Barcelona

“Celtic made waves across Europe with their Champions League group stage win over Barcelona. While the result was a notable upset, it was in keeping with the Catalan side’s decidedly average record against teams from Scotland. Curiously, in 18 contests Barca have won six, drawn five and now lost seven against Scottish opposition. The Bhoys’ recent triumph was their second against the side from the Nou Camp, following on from a first-leg win in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup which helped them progress to the last eight of the competition. Back in season 1960/61 meanwhile, Hibernian’s 3-2 victory at Easter Road clinched a 7-6 aggregate win in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup quarter-finals. However, when it comes to taming Barcelona, one Scottish team have a record that many bigger clubs can only dream of.” In Bed With Maradona

TTU’s Goodreads 30-11-12

“Three new essays to feast on as the month draws to a close: The New Best or Best Forgotten? The Rise and Fall of Lee Sharpe, The 90s Football Party; Hunting in Pairs: Vialli and Mancini, Sampdoria, Regista; Real Oviedo – the remarkable story of a club the world united to save, The Guardian. thetwounfortunates

The European Football Revolution Will Be Televised

“If there is one old adage that football has chosen to ignore above all others, then that which states that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ must be amongst the contenders for pole position. Barely a year goes by without something being rebadged or rebranded, as if applying a tenth new coat of polish to our clubs and competitions will definitely this time lead to a hitherto elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Michel Platini hasn’t been entirely bad as the president of UEFA – occasionally misguided, perhaps but nowhere near approaching what we might describe as Blatteresque levels of appallingness – this mornings announcement that European club football needs to be rethought is a potential minefield of disaster for UEFA which should be negotiated with the utmost care.” twohundredpercent

Hamilton Academicals: a template for the future of Scottish football?

“Craig Levein. Judging by how the post-game talk was dominated by whether the Scottish FA should replace him or not when Scotland lost to Belgium in the World Cup qualifying stage, a defeat that left them bottom of their group with just two points, you would think that pointing at the manager was all that was needed to identify the reasons behind this dire situation.” World Soccer

Lionel Messi’s brace helps Barca cruise

“Barcelona continued its amazing start to the La Liga season with another victory Saturday evening, with Lionel Messi’s 83rd and 84th goals of the calendar year helping the Catalan club trounce Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp. Two goals in three minutes — from Gerard Pique and a deflected Messi effort — midway through the opening 45 minutes put Barca firmly in the ascendancy and Adriano added a superb third in first-half stoppage time.” ESPN

La Liga: FC Barcelona 5-1 Athletic Bilbao: Match Review
“A recap of Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou as goals from Lionel Messi (2), Gerard Pique, Adriano and Cesc Fabregas secured another three points for the Blaugrana. Barcelona produced a five-star performance to run-out 5-1 winners against Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou on Saturday night. Gerard Piqué’s opener got the ball rolling for the Blaugrana who raced into a 3-0 lead before half-time courtesy of goals from Lionel Messi and Adriano Correia. Cesc Fàbregas added a fourth soon after the interval, and while Ibai Gomez pulled one back for the visitors, Lionel Messi’s 21st league goal of the season (!) restored Barcelona four-goal lead and placed pressure on both Real and Atletico Madrid ahead of the Madrid derby.” Barca Blaugranes

All About FC Barcelona: FC Barcelona – 5 : 1 – Athletic Bilbao All Goals (Video)

Rene Adler – From Leverkusen Pariah to Hamburg Savior

“Germany has traditionally been solid at the back and has produced some great goalkeepers in the world of football. Sepp Maier, Herald Schumacher,Bodo Illgner, Andreas Koepke, Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann, All of them produced moments of magic in German Football. Quite notably, the competition for the number one keeper for 2006 WC on home soil between Kahn and Lehmann only made both of them better keepers.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Bayern Munich in a hurry to put last season’s disappointment behind them
“Who cares about the finishing time in a title race that no one’s ever really been too bothered to win? The biggest surprise of this midweek round of fixtures perhaps wasn’t so much Bayern Munich securing the (purely ceremonial) title of ‘Herbstmeister’ (literally: autumn champions, even though it should be ‘winter champions’, ‘end-of-calendar-year champions’ or maybe let’s-just-make-up-our-own-little-honour-sponsored-by-Arsène-Wenger-champions’) in record-busting fashion with three games to go, but the fact that somebody in the DFL’s stats basement had been keeping a record of these inconsequential efforts in the first place.” Guardian

United escapes as rivals fall farther back in Premier League race

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“1. Manchester United doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The club has become so used to coming from behind to win this season, maybe it has grown blasé. On Saturday, United came from behind not once but twice, in the first 34 minutes, as it won 4-3 at Reading. All seven goals came in a first half in which it looked as neither team knew how to defend. There could have been an eighth, but the officials did not spot that a shot from Robin van Persie had crossed the line. Now that United has been cheated, expect the chorus for goal-line technology to swell. …” SI

Liverpool 1 – 0 Southampton

“Defender Daniel Agger’s first goal of the season ensured Liverpool returned to winning ways at home to Southampton but they made hard work of the 1-0 victory. The Denmark international powered home a header just before half-time, only his fifth in 133 Premier League appearances, after a host of chances had gone begging. In doing so he helped the Reds to only their third home win of the season and back-to-back league wins at Anfield for the first time since September 2011.” ESPN

QPR’s woeful start conjures memories of great Everton escape

“It is probably impossible to regret winning the FA Cup, but if anybody has come close, it’s former Everton manager Joe Royle. When his side lifted the trophy in 1995, it was just a couple of weeks after it survived relegation from the top flight, and just six months from what was until now (apologies, fans of winless Queens Park Rangers) the worst start to a Premier League season.” SI

AC Milan’s ultimate anti-hero

Riccardo Montolivo
“At no other point in the previous two decades would a player like Riccardo Montolivo be captaining AC Milan. This is the club of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, among the most celebrated captains in the history of European football. Montolivo leading out Milan for the match against Juventus on Sunday felt like a perfect example of Milan’s decline in quality and character.” ESPN – Michael Cox

The Question: is Cristiano Ronaldo a strength or a weakness to a team?

“Real Madrid stand 11 points behind Barcelona in the league only 13 games into the season. They looked distinctly second best in taking just one point from two games in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Pressure is mounting, it seems, on José Mourinho: six previous Real Madrid managers have found themselves more than six points off the lead at this stage of the season; none have made it until May. Yet it may be that the criticism is being directed at the wrong Portuguese.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Mourinho’s future at center of coaching issues spanning Europe

“Coaches have been dominating the agenda across Europe this week, whether they are under pressure, like Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, or on sabbatical, like Pep Guardiola. Two Premier League clubs sacked their coaches last week, with their replacements receiving markedly different reactions. Here is a round-up of the latest from the managerial merry-go-round.” SI

Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, plus more Premier League thoughts

“1. It’s all about Chelsea. This was a lively weekend in the Premier League. Manchester United came from behind to win again, beating Queens Park Rangers, 3-1, to regain first place. In another entertaining game, West Brom won 4-2 at Sunderland to climb to the oxygen-deprived heights of third. Arsenal followed emphatic victories over Tottenham and Montpellier with an utterly insipid performance at Aston Villa. The Gunners managed just one shot on target in a 0-0 draw. On Sunday, Clint Dempsey finally began to look comfortable with his new teammates, helping to set up two goals as Spurs rediscovered their mojo with a 3-1 home victory over a woeful West Ham. But none of these matches can alter the fact that this week has been all about one club: Chelsea.” SI

The Role of a Central Midfielder in a Possession Based Team

“Researching or studying football tactics can seem like an overwhelming task, simply because aside from the basic framework provided by the rulebook, so much else is left fluid. Formations, player roles, player positions, they all mean something different depending on the context and meaning of the speaker. Is a striker always a striker? What about when he’s a false nine? Is a midfielder always a midfielder? If his main job is to tackle and shield, wouldn’t that make him a defender? Football’s most loved characters and teams have been the ones that transcended the duties of their positions, rising to a higher plane. Franz Beckenbauer scoffed at the idea that a defender should be confined to a third of the pitch. Total Football placed players anywhere they could be useful. Positions are changing constantly, and by extension so are the players that fill them.” EPL Talk

Cameroon’s Théophile Abega was so intelligent they called him the doctor

“Some time towards the end of January, Théophile Abega stopped replying to my calls. I was in Equatorial Guinea, heading on to Cameroon, and was keen to meet him, partly to talk about the rivalry between Thomas N’kono and Joseph-Antoine Bell for my book on goalkeeping but mainly because, well, because he was Théophile Abega, one of the most skilful African midfielders of all time, the man who led Cameroon in 1984 to their first Cup of Nations triumph, scoring a brilliant goal in the final.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Tactical Analysis: What is going wrong at Newcastle?

“Newcastle finished in a very impressive fifth place finish last season, drawing plaudits from across the footballing World. After a recent dip in form and expectations, Pardew appeared to have brought Newcastle back to the upper echelons of the footballing elites, with one eye on potential Champions League spot. Memorable victories last season included an impressive 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge as well as a big 3-0 win at home to United.” Think Football

Milan 1-0 Juventus: Milan sit deep, then break quickly through their front three

“Juventus lost in Serie A for the second time under Antonio Conte. Max Allegri continued with the 4-3-3 shape he used away at Napoli last week – Mario Yepes replaced Francesco Acerbi at the back, while Marco Amelia started in goal. Antonio Conte picked Martin Caceres on the left side of defence in place of the injured Giorgio Chiellini – previously, Caceres has played to the right of the back three, with Andrea Barzagli moving across, but Barzagli remained in his usual position. Ahead of him, Mauricio Isla started rather than Stephane Lichtsteiner, who must have been more badly injured than was reported before the game. Milan were a shade fortunate to win the game – it was universally agreed that the ball didn’t strike Isla’s arm for Robinho’s penalty – but overall they were the better side, as Gigi Buffon agreed. They defended solidly and attacked at great speed.” Zonal Marking

Ruch Chorzów standard bearers for Upper Silesia

“We’re not German; We’re not Polish; We’re Silesian. This is a common refrain from members of the Silesian minority in the industrial region of Upper Silesia in southern Poland. With a population of around 2,000,000, the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union (GZM), whose largest city is Katowice, is one of the biggest urban agglomerations in Europe. For many years, this densely populated region straddled the border between Germany and Poland, with Katowice (Kattowitz) part of the German Empire and neighbouring Sosnowiec part of Congress Poland.” World Soccer

50 Football Blogs/Sites You Must Look At!

“I always think its nice to share. The worldwide web is full of great things… No not just porn! We have some fantastic, diverse and unique footballing websites out there. So I have taken it upon myself to let you all know which sites I like and why. Its like free advertising but hopefully you can find one, two or even a whole host of new blogs or websites that grab your attention. I have kept away from the mainstream media. For me if you want general football news and views you can’t beat the Guardian’s coverage. For Scottish Football checkout STV. So here is my list, in no particular order.” The Footy Blog

Predictable Arsenal lose midfield battle

“Recent Arsenal teams are damned by comparisons with their predecessors. Arguably Arsene Wenger’s greatest side were endearingly revolutionary in their movement. As Villa halted the modern-day outfit, perhaps they were too predictable in their shape. Wenger’s finest front four contained Thierry Henry, a striker who drifted to the left wing; Dennis Bergkamp, the No. 10 who would wander deeper into midfield; and ostensible wide men in Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg who avoided the touchline to veer infield. As neither was a winger, they can’t be called inverted wingers, but Pires was a right-footed left-sided player who headed for the penalty box. Even last season, Robin van Persie called himself a nine-and-a-half; neither a No. 9 nor a No. 10, but a hybrid, who could lead the line and drop off.” ESPN

Rodgers, Rafa and Revolutions

“So, what’s been happening lately? Not much? It’s obviously something of a shock to see a recent Liverpool manager in charge of Chelsea, especially as he wasn’t even considered for a return to the Anfield dugout this summer. As was their prerogative, FSG chose Brendan Rodgers, and it’s up to the young Irishman to prove he is in the same class; hopefully he will. Rodgers has my full support in that I want him to do as well as is humanly possible; but as yet, not necessarily my total trust that he’s the perfect solution.” Tomkins Times

Swansea City 0-0 Liverpool

“Brendan Rodgers secured a point on his return to the Liberty Stadium but will feel his Liverpool side deserved more at the home of his former employers. The Reds had Jose Enrique’s first-half strike ruled out for a marginal offside decision, while teenage prodigy Raheem Sterling rattled the bar and Jonjo Shelvey’s late strike was beaten out by Gerhard Tremmel. Man of the match Pablo Hernandez had Swansea’s best chances. The Spain winger curled narrowly wide in the first half before having his low-free-kick brilliantly tipped wide by Jose Reina.” ESPN

Di Matteo another victim of Chelsea’s strange politics

“The first intimation that something was amiss came in Roberto Di Matteo’s late arrival for the press conference after Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat to Juventus. Usually he arrives half an hour or so after the final whistle; this time it took him 75 minutes. He didn’t seem particularly upset or resigned but it later emerged he’d told the players not to come in on Wednesday for their usual post-game warm-downs as he had ‘meetings’ to attend. By 3am as he trudged through the south terminal of Gatwick airport, he was struggling to raise a smile for the small gaggle of fans seeking photographs.” SI

More than a club: FC Barcelona and Catalonia’s road to independence

“As Catalonia votes in an election that could lead to a referendum on independence from Spain, Sid Lowe looks at one of the region’s great cultural sporting icons, FC Barcelona, and its role in Catalan identity. Key figures in the club’s history, including Johan Cruyff, Joan Laporta and current vice-president Carles Vilarrubí explore Barça’s motto ‘more than a club’ and its role in today’s political landscape” Guardian (Video)

Champions League group stage approaching a climactic finish

“This has been one of the most memorable Champions League group stages in history, and Matchday Five will be a pivotal moment for several big clubs. It could see the elimination of champions from England, Holland, Russia, Portugal, and Italy, while reigning champion Chelsea has a nerve-wracking away game to negotiate too. The previous Matchdays have provided late drama, superb goals, surprising shocks and stars of the future. Here are some storylines to watch from Matchday Five…” SI

Champions League Team of the Week

“Much was decided in the last round of Champions League fixtures, with as many as 13 of the 16 knockout round qualification places now filled. The fact that one of them was not taken by Chelsea on Tuesday night following a defeat in Turin ultimately cost Roberto Di Matteo his job, despite the fact that the Blues look likely to end the group on 10 points. However, as the Italian looked set to become the first ever manager to exit the competition at the group stage having been victorious the previous season, Abramovich wielded the axe yet again.” ESPN

Tactical Analysis: Should Rafa Benitez switch Chelsea to a 4-3-3?

“Having failed to win a game in their last four Premier League games, some may say that Chelsea are experiencing a mini-crisis. Having been purring up until their controversial defeat to United, everything looked rosy, but now there is talk of dressing room unrest and people are doubting the viability of Roberto di Matteo’s 4-2-3-1 formation. With this in mind it may be worth exploring a plan B, such as a move to a 4-3-3. A new manager may wish to come in and alter this, but do Chelsea have the personnel for a 4-3-3?” Think Football

Madness, Or Something More Calculated? The Inevitable Early Departure Of Roberto Di Matteo

“If there is one aspect of the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo that actually does retain the capacity to startle, it’s the numbers. Di Matteo is the ninth Chelsea manager to have left Stamford Bridge in the nine years to since Roman Abramovich bought the club. This is a higher managerial turnover than the club had in the first seventy years of its existence, a stark figure, even if we factor in the fact that clubs generally have a higher turnover of managers than they used to have and, while it is clear that the club has won more trophies over these last nine years than it did during those first seventy, we could counter-argue that this may have had more to do with with the vast amounts of money that have been lavished on the first team than the clubs appointment policy with regard to its managerial staff has.” twohundredpercent

Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid: City out

“Roberto Mancini started with a back three, then moved to a back four, but Manchester City couldn’t find a second goal. Mancini decided to start with a similar XI to the second half shape against Tottenham, when they looked good with a back three. Nine of the 11 players were the same, with the exception of Matija Nastasic coming in for the injured Gael Clichy, and Samir Nasri (ill for the Spurs game) starting in the centre alongside Yaya Toure, an extremely attack-minded midfield.” Zonal Marking

Galatasaray – Manchester United: 1993-2012 Whats Changed?

“Galatasaray welcome Manchester United to hell… well not quite, the famous chants and Welcome To Hell banners may be the same but the city has gone through a major transformation since the early 90’s when the giants of English football met the titans of the Turkish game. United fans looking around for the Ali Sami Yen Stadium will probably be glad to know it doesn’t exist anymore. The stadium renowned for unbelievably passionate supporters and an atmosphere which was off the richter scale has been reduced to the history books. The ramshackle stadium in Mecidiyeköy, right in the middle of one of the busiest urban residential areas of the city has moved uptown and upscale to the beautiful surroundings of the Belgrade forest in the northern suburbs of the city.” Turkish Football

Leverkusen 2-0 Schalke: Schurrle stays in a position to counter-attack

“Leverkusen comfortably won a very simple game of football. Sami Hyypia selected a 4-1-4-1 / 4-3-3 shape with roughly his first-choice XI this season, although left-back Michal Kadlec is out injured, so versatile Japanese international Hajime Hosogai filled in. Huub Stevens was without Ibrahim Afellay, so Julian Draxler started on the left of midfield. Otherwise, they were unchanged from the win over Werder Bremen. Leverkusen were by far the better side throughout the game, with Stevens furious at the performance of his side.” Zonal Marking

Harry Redknapp the preferred candidate to be Ukraine manager

“Five months after leaving Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Redknapp could be making an extraordinary return to football as manager of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Football Federation has been seeking a new manager since Oleh Blokhin resigned last month to take charge of Dynamo Kyiv, and announced on Tuesday that it will open negotiations with Redknapp’s representatives. Redknapp is known to be keen to return to management and has been strongly linked with QPR, whose manager Mark Hughes is under pressure after taking only four points from the opening 12 games of the season.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Freedom for Pavlychenko

“For those who have been paying attention to Eastern European football over the past couple of weeks, you may well have noticed a name gradually becoming increasingly prominent across the region. ‘Pavlychenko ‘ is the name that has become more and more apparent, donning the often provocative banners that line the masses of football fans who take to the stands on any given matchday. It is difficult to truly grasp the manner in which football is perilously divided across the entire region of Eastern Europe. The tribalistic mentality in which fresh generations of fans are brought up within means that time has only ever served to make rivalries between specific clubs, cities and nations even more bitter and twisted than previously.” SF Union

Lamela evokes memories of Roma greats

“French philosophy, in particular the work of Rene Descartes, is unlikely to have had any great appeal to the Roma legend Rodolfo Volk. ‘I think therefore I am’ isn’t how he approached football. ‘I don’t think,’ he said. ‘I shoot.’ And Volk rarely missed, scoring 103 goals in 157 games for the club. He was one of the great strikers of the Fascist era in Italy and joined Roma soon after their formation in 1927. ‘Sciabbolone’ as Volk became known or ‘the Big Sabre’ was one of the club’s pioneers. Left foot. Right foot. He slashed away as Roma broke new ground.” Eurosport

Suarez reiterates his value to Liverpool

“For Liverpool and Roberto Martinez alike, this was the footballing equivalent of the wilfully cruel part of gameshows where prizes are paraded and contestants taunted with a message: look what you could have won. For the Anfield public, the answer was apparent: a manager with distinct similarities to the one they appointed. Along with Brendan Rodgers, Martinez was interviewed in June. These are two stylists with a past at Swansea, precocious evangelists for the passing game. Meet the new boss, same as the other boss.” ESPN

I’m Sick of Manchester United

“I’m sick of Manchester United. In many ways, this is a compliment to Manchester United. When your emperor is cruel and merciless and rules from his twisted iron throne for like a million consecutive years, your pathetic longing for revolution is just proof that he’s great at oppressing you. If Manchester United weren’t permanently welded to the top or near-top of the Premier League table like the star on a Christmas tree no one throws out till May, I wouldn’t have had all this leisure time to accrue malevolent emotions toward their consistency and their stock prices and their players and their stupid face. Great job, Manchester United!” Grantland

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham: Villas-Boas goes for two strikers, but loses Adebayor early on

“For the third consecutive season, this fixture saw plenty of goals and featured an impressive comeback. With Wojciech Szszesny back in goal, Arsene Wenger played his expected side – Theo Walcott was fielded on the right, while Thomas Vermaelen continued at left-back. Andre Villas-Boas was without Steven Caulker, so shifted Jan Vetonghen into the middle and used Kyle Naughton at left-back. Upfront, he started Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor together for the first time in the Premier League, in a 4-4-2. There were three separate tactical battles here. Stage one was the opening formation battle, stage two was Spurs’ reaction to Adebayor’s dmissal, and stage three was when Villas-Boas switched to a 3-4-1-1ish formation at half-time.” Zonal Marking

Hoffenheim 1-3 Wolfsburg

“LORENZ Günther-Köstner’s temporary spell as Wolfsburg coach continues to get better and better, as his side registered their fourth win from the five games they’ve had under the 60-year-old’s control. Crucially, the result also lifted Wolfsburg out of the relegation zone and above Hoffenheim, who paid the price for their woeful first-half performance (and an improved, if not much better, second-half showing). Markus Babbel’s side, coming into this game with their spirits buoyed after learning on Friday that popular, talented midfielder Boris Vukčević – involved in a nasty car crash in September – had finally woken up from his coma, just never got going, and played like a side who have only won one of their last seven games.” Defensive Midfielder

Welcome to Estadios de Fútbol en España

“If this is your first visit to Estadios de Fútbol en España or you are simply returning, can I offer you a very warm welcome to the only English language site dedicated to the history of Spanish stadiums. I appreciate that it is a slightly obscure subject, but no doubt your interest in La Liga and/or football stadiums drew you here. That, or you’re lost! ” Estadios de Fútbol en España

The Question: why are more goals being scored?

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa
“A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of goals. They’re everywhere – in every competition, in every country, in every stadium (apart from games involving Sunderland). Four-goal leads are regularly obliterated (Angola v Mali, Newcastle v Arsenal, Germany v Sweden, Arsenal v Reading). Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falcao break goalscoring records every week. Everybody attacks, all the time. In the top flights of England, France and Spain, there has been a clear upward trend in the numbers of goals scored per game over the past decade. Last season, for the first time ever, the knockout stage of the Champions League yielded more than three goals per game and that has continued into this season’s group stage, with 3.03 goals per game. And even in Italy and Germany, where goals per game have remained relatively constant for 10 years, this season is showing above average numbers of goals.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

How English game of pace and power benefits from European precision
“More passes, less ‘hoofs’ from back to front, and a slicker goalscoring rate: the Premier League has become a more technical “continental” competition that is a fusion of English pace and power and European subtlety. These are the implications of statistics from Opta that chart a shift over the past five years from a direct approach to a more patient game that now features greater precision in passing and finishing. The national team continue to see little benefit from this evolution, with experts citing the prime factors as the influx of foreign players and coaches, better club pitches and training facilities, a clampdown on tackling and the influence of a Champions League dominated by Barcelona’s carousel-passing style.” Guardian

Are Liverpool Taking the Wrong Type of Shots?

“When Brendan Rodgers got the Liverpool job, he brought in a very Spanish-Dutch style of play. Possession is everything. All offensive and defensive work starts with the ball. When you are without the ball you need to win it back as quickly as possible. Rodgers has already spoken about his desire to see Liverpool play and win through domination of the playing zone. ‘Death by football’ was his direct quote. The Spanish style popularized by Barcelona and La Roja also accepts the Total Football idea of only requiring one strategy. When Barcelona are losing, they don’t throw balls into the box without thinking. They continue their strategy of passing around the opponent.” EPL Talk

Rise of La Viola

“Glance at the Serie A table, and you’d be forgiven for wondering what has changed at Fiorentina. From 13th place at the end of a difficult 2011/12, they’re now riding high in fourth position, having won five of their last six games. Inspect their squad list, and it’s obvious what has changed. Of the 21 players Vincenzo Montella has used in Serie A this season, 16 were signed in the summer. As a club that went bankrupt a decade ago, then had to continually evolve their side as they climbed from Serie C2 to the Champions League, Fiorentina are used to transformations – but a 75% playing staff turnover remains extraordinary.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Dictators and Soccer: Mobutu Sésé Seko of Zaïre

Mobutu (right) with Pelé in 1968 – Zaïre – 1974 World Cup
“In 1974 the ex-colonial and newly named Zaïre played its first World Cup in West Germany. The country’s diminutive strongman Mobutu Sésé Seko, famous for his trademark leopard-print pillbox hat, had rechristened the Lions the Leopards. (Consistency is key in propaganda.) He had convinced himself that Zaïrean soccer could further elevate his own stature. He liked elevating himself and he liked renaming things. He’d re-minted the country from Congo Crisis First Republic (formerly The Belgian Congo) to Zaïre, which translated to, ‘The river that swallows other rivers.’ He fully intended to hoover up every power and exploit every possibility. He’d already outlawed all political parties except his own, and outlawed all wearing of leopard-print hats, except of course his own.” Cult Football

Dictators and Soccer: Nicolae Ceaușescu, Genius of the Carpathians
“Up until Christmas 1989 when a three-man firing squad executed Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena after a quickie two hour tribunal, the archetypal Iron Curtain strongman ruled Romania with an iron fist. After getting strafed with bullets, however, the iron fist swiftly went limp, then rigor mortis. And as the title up top suggests, soccer most definitely played its part in the image engine of the autocratic regime.” Cult Football

Hamilton Academical: The Future Of Scottish Football Is Here

“Craig Levein. Judging by how the post-game talk was dominated by whether the Scottish FA should replace him or not when Scotland lost to Belgium in the World Cup qualifying stage, a defeat that left them bottom of their group with just two points, you would think that pointing at the manager was all that was needed to identify the reasons behind this dire situation. Yet, for all Levein’s defects and mistakes, the fault lines of Scottish football lie much deeper than the manager’s role. For a nation that once produced world class players like Kenny Dalglish and Dennis Law, Scotland now struggles to produce players who are even remotely close to that level. There are many reasons for that, yet one of them has to be the lack of vision shown by clubs. Few have dared to be innovative; fewer still have been brave enough to build their teams around the players coming through their system.” In Bed With Maradona

Bundesliga 50: The 1960′s – The Rise of Professionalism and the Anglo-German Rivalry

“The 1960′s were characterized by Germany’s gradual rise as a force in international football again. The success in 1954 had been a one off but from the late 1960′s Germany was an established force in international football and the rewards paid off in European Cups as well as triumphs at the European Championship in 1972 and the World Cup in 1974. More importantly, the 1960′s saw the formation of the Bundesliga, which became an instant success story. This is the first piece in a series covering the last 5 decades of the Bundesliga, commencing with the 1960′s.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Who will win the Pep Guardiola sweepstakes?

“For a guy who stands short of 6 feet and has spent the past few months holed up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Pep Guardiola casts a huge shadow. In fact, you struggle to remember the last time a manager’s absence from the big time caused so much buzz around the game. Conventional wisdom has it that he can write his own ticket. And, in fact, he just about can. He could phone up just about any club in the world, say, ‘Hey, I’d like to be in charge there next year, what do you reckon?’ and you could probably count on one hand the clubs that would not return his call.” ESPN

Diskerud goal in injury time gives Americans draw at Russia

“Mix Diskerud scored his first international goal in the third minute of injury time, giving the United States a 2-2 draw against Russia on Wednesday in a friendly at Krasnodar. Michael Bradley, who scored in the 76th minute, sent a long ball into the penalty area toward Terrence Boyd, who was marked by defender Sergei Ignashevich. The ball rebounded off Ignashevich to Diskerud, and the 87th-minute substitute sent a 20-yard, right-foot shot in off a hand of goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov.” SI

U.S. fortunate to escape Russia with draw in final match of 2012
“The U.S. got a tie despite being largely outplayed. This was just a friendly, so there’s little reason to make much of the result, just as there was little reason to do so when the U.S. won at Italy and Mexico in friendlies earlier this year. That said, there’s still some value in bagging a tie even when you weren’t the better team on the day, and the U.S. managed to do so thanks to Mix Diskerud’s injury-time equalizer. Goalkeeper Tim Howard made several key saves that kept the U.S. in the game, and give some credit to subs Juan Agudelo and Terrence Boyd, who had knockdown header assists on the U.S. goals. It’s fair to ask if Michael Bradley may now be making The Leap. The Roma starter was the best player on the U.S. squad, continuing an upward trend in his play over the past year, and his opening strike from distance was a thing of beauty.” SI

Milan 1-3 Fiorentina: Allegri’s Milan outplayed across the pitch

“Fiorentina produced an excellent display, particularly in the first half, while Milan looked completely uncomfortable in their system. Max Allegri continued with the 4-2-3-1 system he’d successfully used in the 5-1 win over Cheivo, but brought back Philippe Mexes, Mattia De Sciglio and Kevin-Prince Boateng into the side. Vincenzo Montella was without Stevan Jovetic, so used Luca Toni as his primary striker. Fiorentina’s system seemed to cause Milan problems across the pitch – they were unable to win the ball quickly and didn’t exploit their numerical advantage on the flanks.” Zonal Marking

Brazil milestone evokes memories of Pele and Moore

“‘One of the biggest blasts of hot air, which I’ve been hearing ever since I was an adolescent, is the idea that top level sport is a good place to learn and develop ethical and moral values. It never was. Ambition, the desire to be a hero and to make lots of money are usually much stronger.’ So wrote 1970 Brazil great Tostao in Sunday’s version of his always interesting column, a twice weekly space where football is analysed by someone of great knowledge and intelligence who loves the game but is even more fascinated by the subtleties and contradictions of the human being.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Horncastle: Borussia Dortmund and the need for speed

“Mustafa Amini stands in the middle of a cage. Rest assured, this isn’t what it seems. Contrary to appearances, the Borussia Dortmund youngster isn’t the club’s captive. This isn’t some draconian punishment for a poor performance, ill discipline or threatening to grow back that outrageous auburn afro. No, this here is an experiment and Amini is a willing guinea pig. Why? Because, with time, he might leave the cage a Footbonaut. That’s the name of the new state-of-the-art training machine Dortmund unveiled at their Brackel training ground back in late September.” The Score (Video)

In Argentina, Martino follows line of Bielsa disciples to success

Gerardo Martino
“He has a fluffy demi-mullet. He wears big, slightly academic glasses (although without a cord). He paces the technical area nervously during games (although without ensuring each perambulation takes 13 steps). Even without watching his side play, it’s not hard to work out who Gerardo Martino’s main influence as a coach is. Given he also preaches hard-pressing, ball-retention and verticality, it’s obvious that Martino is another follower of Marcelo Bielsa.” SI – Jonathan Wilson