“Another poacher’s goal from Javier Hernandez, and another late victory for Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson made many changes to his side, bringing in Darron Gibson and Johnny Evans for rare starts. Wayne Rooney played off Javier Hernandez. David Moyes was without Johnny Heitinga, so brought Jack Rodwell into the central midfield zone alongside Phil Neville, with Tony Hibbert at right-back. Tim Cahill was on the bench.” Zonal Marking
Author Archives: 1960s: Days of Rage
Part One: Introduction, Aims and Context

“The first part of four in the serialisation of my dissertation ‘To what extent can Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona be considered to have been political institutions in Spain during the twentieth century?’, this instalment introduces the topic at hand and provides academic and historical context to the subject.” The Equaliser – Part One: Introduction, Aims and Context, Part Two: The Political Life of FC Barcelona, Part Three: Real Madrid, Franco and the Socio Model, Part Four: Conclusions
Xolos Rising
“It took decades, but in the end it was just a short journey to find something seemingly so far away: the transcendent football experience. On a Sunday morning in April, soccer fan Dean Mitchell leaves his home in San Diego and heads south towards the border. The barren desert geography doesn’t change much between his home and Tijuana, Mexico, but nearly everything else brightens once he passes that wall, including Dean’s mood. Crossing the border on foot it takes literally one step to enter a completely different world – away from a soccer niche to a land hot with football fever.” this is american soccer
On Building an American Identity
“GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — A weathered, eight-lane track rings the field at Estadio Mateo Flores, site of the 2011 CONCACAF U20 Championship. Far from the pitch, on a narrow strip of real estate between lane eight and the near-empty stands, six young Americans juggle a single Nike ball. As I observe from the press box that doubles as a VIP area and triples as general admission seating, United States substitutes Cody Cropper, Eder Arreola, Moises Hernandez, Omar Salgado, Sacir Hot, and Sebastien Ibeagha stay loose.” Run of Play
Fernando Torres may have cost Chelsea the title as well as £50m

“It is a little peculiar that the re-emergence of Chelsea as challengers for the Premier League should come as a surprise. Considering that the club completed the Double last season, their abilities ought not to have been overlooked. The players, however, had sent themselves into the shadows and in February, in Fernando Torres’s first two games for the club, a home defeat by Liverpool was followed by a goalless draw at Fulham. Chelsea gave every impression of being a jaded side and, even now, the necessity of rejuvenating the squad is obvious.” Guardian
Tottenham 3-3 Arsenal: chalkboards
“Another exciting north London derby finished all-square at White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp chose to use both Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko upfront together again, with Rafael van der Vaart going to the right in place of Aaron Lennon. Arsene Wenger brought in Abou Diaby for Jack Wilshere, and Bacary Sagna replaced Emmanuel Eboue at right-back, but he used the same front four as against Liverpool.” Zonal Marking
La semaine en France: Week 31
“Another misstep from Lille allowed Marseille to close to within a point of the leaders in Week 31, while Paris Saint-Germain confirmed their return to form by beating Lyon 1-0 and relauching their bid for a Champions League place. Lille were held to a 1-1 draw by Bordeaux last Saturday – Vujadin Savić cancelling out Moussa Sow’s 21st goal of the season with a near-post header from a corner – but Rudi Garcia refused to sound the alarm and said he had been much more encouraged by his team’s performance than in the 1-0 loss at Monaco the week before.” Football Further
Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona (AET): Ronaldo header wins Real the Copa del Rey

“A tight, scrappy game was won by Cristiano Ronaldo’s 103rd minute goal. Jose Mourinho had to reshuffle his defence with Raul Albiol suspended. Sergio Ramos moved into the centre, and Alvaro Arbeloa came in at right-back. Mourinho also chose to play no true striker – Karim Benzema was dropped with Mesut Ozil back in the side on the right. Ronaldo started ufpront.” Zonal Marking
Real Madrid Lay Hands on the Copa del Rey
“Less than a week after their hard fought tie in league play, Madrid and Barça met in the final of the King’s Cup. Mourinho sent his defensive set into the midfield again, then put in Özil from the start for an added touch of creativity in attack, and sprinkled the whole side with an extra dose of aggression dust.” Cult Football
Jose’s Barça-Bothering Continues in Cup
“The notion that there is a ring-bearing, hairy-toed, mystical, ‘I love you Master Frod’ friendship surrounding World Cup winners was firmly dispelled in Valencia in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey final. Ten of those who triumphed in South Africa came face to furious face in Mestalla and spent a wonderfully ill-tempered 120 minutes kicking and stamping each other along with generous volleys of insults thrown in for good measure.” Football 365
FC Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (El Clasico) – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Copa del Rey
The 90th Minute
Power shift in Copa Libertadores apparent as knockout stage looms
“The Copa Libertadores can seem like a slow burner, but it is about to catch fire. The final group games are taking place in South America’s equivalent of the Champions League. Next week, the 16 remaining teams kick off the knockout stage. Come June 1, just two are left standing — and it is a fair bet that one of them will be from Brazil. In the last 20 years, only three times has the final not featured a Brazilian club.” SI Tim Vickery
Napoli’s Success Story

“Despite a disappointing home defeat to Udinese last Sunday, this has still been a great season for Napoli, who currently lie second in the Serie A league table with five games remaining. Even though the scudetto is now probably beyond them, there’s still a slim chance that they could catch the leaders Milan, while qualification for the Champions League looks more than likely. The team has played its football at a fast tempo and with the intensity typical of manager Walter Mazzarri, a shrewd tactician and a powerful motivator, which has delighted the club’s passionate supporters.” Swiss Ramble
Rafael van der Vaart comes up trumps as Tottenham win the battle for midfield
“If Tottenham are to challenge at the top level consistently, they need complement their British directness with a bit of continental flair. And it’s safe to say that, in their inaugural year in the Champions League, Rafael van der Vaart has helped to provide that. Against Arsenal, the Dutchman rediscovered his best form after it, like many of his peers nominated for the PFA player of the year award, took a dip after the New Year but he was inspirational at White Hart Lane as Spurs came back from behind to draw 3-3.” Arsenal Column
Tottenham Hotspur 3-3 Arsenal – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
Feature: Streetwise Marseille slip into title gear
“For their rivals in the French title race, the manner in which Marseille have muscled their way into position in recent weeks bears an ominous trace of déjà vu. Just as they did last season, when they ended an 18-year wait for the Ligue 1 championship, Marseille are steadily grinding out results while their opponents flounder. The 2-1 comeback victory at Montpellier on Sunday enabled Didier Deschamps’s side to close to within a point of wobbling leaders Lille, held to a 1-1 draw by Bordeaux the day before. Third-place Lyon, meanwhile, saw their title ambitions hit in a 1-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain that left them six points off the pace with seven games remaining.” Football Further
Napoli 1-2 Udinese: Guidolin without Di Natale and Sanchez, but masterminds great victory

“Two fantastic goals gave Udinese an important win over Napoli. Francesco Guidolin had numerous absentees, most notably his two star forwards, Antonio Di Natale and Alexis Sanchez. He had to play Kwadwo Asamoah just off German Denis, the former Napoli player. Walter Mazzarri played his usual 3-4-2-1 system – Hassan Yebda continued over Walter Gargano in midfield, and Victor Ruiz started at the back.” Zonal Marking
Under-strength Udinese force Napoli to rewrite their Serie A script
“Giampaolo Pozzo has never been afraid to ask for a little divine intervention. For years the Udinese owner has been leading his players up into the hills to the east of their city, on an annual pilgrimage to the Blessed Virgin’s Sanctuary of Castelmonte. As they climb he might recount the sanctuary’s legend, telling of how the devil once challenged the Virgin Mary to a race to Castelmonte’s peak, with the winner taking possession of the local town of Cividale.” Guardian
The Velvet Underground and Raúl
“I still remember the first time I heard a Nico solo track from the post-Velvet Underground, post-Chelsea Girl era. It was ‘My Only Child’ off Desertshore, Nico singing largely a capella in her unique voice, with occasional trumpet notes. It was like nothing else I had heard. I was stunned to find it was a song she had written herself. It was on a German anthology of ‘death songs’ that my girlfriend gave me for Christmas in the far-off days of my unremembered youth (a.k.a. 2003).” Run of Play
Barcelona 2011 vs. AC Milan 1990
“Ask anybody who’s done it, and they’ll tell you that sustaining success is much harder than achieving it in the first place. The great Hungarian coach Bela Guttmann refused ever to spend longer than three years at a club because he felt that after that he could no longer motivate players. It may be that in the modern world of soccer in which money begets money, success is easier to sustain than previously, at least on a domestic level. On a European scale what that means is a cluster of perhaps eight or so super powers constantly battling for the Champions League, which is surely the main reason no side has successfully defended the title since the AC Milan of Arrigo Sacchi in 1990.” SI
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool: amazing late drama

Kenny Dalglish
“Robin van Persie broke the record for the latest-ever Premier League goal…then Dirk Kuyt broke it again. Alex Song was only fit enough for the bench, so Arsene Wenger played Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere in the centre of midfield. Theo Walcott came in for Andrei Arshavin. Kenny Dalglish named his expected side, although he had to make two like-for-like changes because of injury during the game – both Fabio Aurelio and Jamie Carragher were forced off. Amongst the crazy few final moments, the main tactical story from this game was simple – Arsenal struggled to break down a disciplined Liverpool defence.” Zonal Marking
Late penalty drama rocks Gunners
“Arsenal saw their Premier League title hopes all but extinguished in a dramatic 1-1 draw with Liverpool. Dirk Kuyt secured a point for the Reds with a penalty after 10 minutes of injury time – just moments after Robin van Persie’s own spot-kick had looked enough for victory. The Gunners are now six point points behind leaders Manchester United having played the same amount of games.” ESPN
Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1: match report
“And that is why Arsenal remain beautiful bridesmaids. And that is why Arsenal, for all their individual elegance, for all their collective style, will not be champions of the Premier League. Manchester United would have seen this game out, protecting their lead with their lives. And that is why United are destined to lift the trophy.” Telegraph – Henry Winter
Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool – MOTD – Sunday, April 17, 2011
The 90th Minute
Prepare for some twists and turns
“The time has arrived in South America when fans all over the continent will need a calculator in one hand and the phone number of a cardiologist in the other. This is the last week of the group phase of the Copa Libertadores, the continent’s equivalent of the Champions League. Of the eight groups, four have been completed, while the rest have their last round coming up on either Tuesday or Wednesday.” BBC – Tim Vickery
Ten top Ligue 1 talents who could be on the move this summer
“The current row over TV rights in French soccer might not have made the news across Europe but its consequences soon will. Orange has dropped out of the bidding for next season’s rights — it paid the French league €200 million ($288M) to show one game a week for the last three seasons — leaving Canal Plus as the sole bidder. Canal has shown a willingness to pay something similar to its current deal, worth €450 million ($650M), but whatever happens, it will not make up the huge shortfall caused by Orange’s drop-out.” SI
Fantasy Flicker – Handpainted Subbuteo
“Fantasy Flicker can cater for those fantasy subbuteo teams that you’ve always wanted!” Fantasy Flicker
The New York Cosmos Want to Take the Field Again
“As a theme for a downtown party, a salute to late-’70s American professional soccer sounds a little on the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding side. But anyone who walked into Openhouse Gallery in NoLIta one rainy night in mid-February would have seen a young crowd in a huge room celebrating the New York Cosmos, the long-defunct team that briefly turned the world’s most popular sport into a glamorous New York fad.” NYT
Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona: Real fight back impressively, but gap remains eight points
“A penalty each from the two Pichichi contenders saw honours even at the Bernabeu. Jose Mourinho left out Mesut Ozil and brought in Pepe to give extra grit in the centre of midfield. Raul Albiol started at centre-back, and Karim Benzema got the nod upfront. Pep Guardiola welcomed back Carles Puyol, allowing Sergio Busquets forward into his natural position. Elsewhere, it was as expected.” Zonal Marking
Ronaldo earns draw in el clasico
“Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late penalty to earn 10-man Real Madrid a dramatic 1-1 draw from the clasico showdown with bitter rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo’s 82nd-minute spot-kick cancelled out Lionel Messi’s 53rd-minute penalty for Barca, which came following an incident that also saw Madrid defender Raul Albiol sent off.” ESPN
Real Madrid 1-1 FC Barcelona (El Clasico) – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
Man City 1-0 Man United: Toure dominates the game in midfield and scores the winning goal
“Manchester City won the derby to progress to the FA Cup final next month. Roberto Mancini chose to leave out Edin Dzeko despite Carlos Tevez’s absence – he went with Mario Balotelli upfront, supported by Yaya Toure, with Adam Johnson and David Silva on the flanks. Sir Alex Ferguson left out Ryan Giggs and Javier Hernandez. He used three ‘wingers’ – though Park Ji-Sung played in the centre. Dimitar Berbatov started alone upfront.” Zonal Marking
Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – FA Cup
The 90th Minute
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Freiburg
“Borussia Dortmund cruised to victory against a Freiburg side who should be made to refund the 4,000 or so travelling fans who took the four and a half hour journey to North Rhine-Westphalia.” Defensive Midfielder
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on April 16, 2011.” The 90th Minute
Renaixença

Travelers Awaiting a Ferry, Philips Wouwerman
“Despite overtures to delicacy, Barcelona FC has become an unwieldy force, a football leviathan. Coinciding with the city’s international debut in the ’92 Olympics, the club began two decades of furious attack on Real Madrid’s hegemony over Spanish football with championships in La Liga and the Champions League, with Super Copas and thrashings at the Bernabéu. Their popularity among passing fans and football writers has swelled and their influence seems ubiquitous: it’s a small step from the club’s success to the success of the Spanish side in the 2008 Euro Cup and 2010 World Cup; their mind-boggling sextuplet of championships in 2009 persuaded Real to spend record amounts assembling a team dubbed ‘galactic’.” Run of Play
Real Madrid v Barcelona: tactical preview
“Barcelona have an eight-point gap going into the second of five Clasicos this season. No-one needs reminding what happened in the previous fixture between these two sides. The 5-0 was a truly historic result, and the heaviest defeat of Jose Mourinho’s managerial career. Mourinho has a reputation for learning from his mistakes, though – his Inter side were outplayed by Barcelona at the Camp Nou in early 2009/10, but he returned in the semi-final to record an unlikely victory.” Zonal Marking
Mainz 1-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
“Mainz took a huge step towards Europa League qualification after overcoming ten-man Borussia Mönchengladbach with a late goal from André Schürrle.” Defensive Midfielder
Wolfsburg 2-2 St Pauli
“Wolfsburg scored a late equalizer to grab an undeserved point at home to fellow strugglers St Pauli. The point leaves both sides four points adrift from safety with just fives games to go.” Defensive Midfielder
Media Muppet of the Month, April 2011.
“This old chestnut is revived thanks to David Anderson of the Daily Mirror, who wrote a peach of a piece this week; taking nonsense to new heights. After all, wasn’t it about time someone wrote a piece criticing Rafa Benítez, for no apparent reason? Here he tells us of the folly of playing Dirk Kuyt out on the wing, after he scored a great goal playing … out on the wing.” Tomkins Times
A Brief History of El Clasico aka The Greatest Football Rivalry

“They called him Judas. They threw bottles, cigarettes, rubbish, and heck even a rotten pig’s head to show their disgust. The Boixos Nois, once the neo-nazi ultras of Barca, were banned from the stadium after this incident. Such was the level of hatred. This was treachery, one of ridiculous proportions. Transfer of players between these two clubs was not new, in fact 27 people had moved directions before Luis Figo did, but not one of them was in this fashion. Never before had a player who belonged to the club, one who was loved and admired by the fans for more than just his footballing skills, left so bitterly. ‘The derbi of shame’ they call it, brought out all the emotion that could ever be thrown out, by this magnificent rivalry.” The Offside
Madrid vs. Barcelona: Four Times a Soccer Classic
” A ‘clásico’ encounter between Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona, the two biggest and most successful teams in Spanish soccer, inevitably generates high expectations. But the prospect of four such clásicos in 17 days has triggered a frenzy here that is rekindling memories of last July, when Spaniards followed with bated breath their national team’s triumphant march to its first World Cup trophy in South Africa.” NYT
Camp Nou Stadium for FC Barcelona
“FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium, one of the world’s greatest football venues, is to be extensively remodelled. The stadium, already the largest in Europe, will be enlarged to accommodate over 106,000 fans, together with extensive new facilities including hospitality and public areas.” Foster + Partners
Meet and Greet The Owners and Presidents of Serie A
“Because Milanisti are such gracious hosts, Milan Insider Matteo Bonetti takes a few moments to reflect on the owners and presidents who would be there as peers looking out for the welfare of new American owner Thomas DiBenedetto. Matteo offers some key talking points to help the prospective AS Roma owner adjust to his new surroundings in Serie A. Buona Fortuna!” Beyond the Pitch
Intelligence and Tribalism
“There are two very different types of football fan which clash. The first type is a thinker. They are intellectuals. They base their opinions on reason and evidence. They listen to Football Weekly, read Zonal Marking and Run of Play. They follow Iain Macintosh and Swiss Ramble on Twitter. They have read Brilliant Orange and Inverting the Pyramid many times. They stream the Argentine Apertura at 2am on their laptops.” Watching and Thinking
La semaine en France: Week 30
“As France baked in unseasonably warm spring temperatures, Lille and Marseille both fluffed their lines to allow Lyon a glimpse of the title and permit Paris Saint-Germain to re-ignite their Champions League ambitions.” Football Further
My Favourite XI: Rob Marrs
“This brand spanking new My Favourite XI is from Rob Marrs, the author of Left Back in the Changing Room. When Rob submitted his team, he explained that he’s focused on players he was able to see ‘as live’, and also found it difficult to resist picking eleven creative midfielders. He’s not the only one.” twofootedtackle
Tactics: How the Champions League semi-finalists line up

Gerard Pique
“This season’s Champions League semi-finalists reached the last four with an average aggregate winning margin in the quarter-finals of four goals, making them the most comfortable set of semi-final qualifiers in the Champions League era (post-1992). The diagrams below depict their tactical line-ups from the first legs of their quarter-final ties, before there were any leads to be defended or deficits to be overturned.” Football Further
Lessons from the Champions League
“The Champions League semifinals are now set. What did we learn in the quarterfinals about the teams that made it through to the final four? Here are five lessons to keep in mind before Europe’s premier competition returns with the first legs of two highly anticipated ties, Manchester United vs. Schalke on April 26 and Barcelona vs. Real Madrid on April 27.” ESPN – Michael Cox
The Brilliance of Barcelona B
“As a football fan, there are many things worse you could do with your time than watch Barcelona B. From afar, perhaps on a low quality stream or from a high seat in their 15,000 capacity Mini Estadi, you may just think you’re watching the senior side playing with their usual swagger. Pass, pass, pass, pass. Possession football at its very finest that is the core to Barcelona’s success. That’s probably because you’re watching the next crop of Barcelona first team players, and they’re a very talented bunch.” The Oval Log
Hello, New World!
“This Thursday night, 14 April 2011, the Timbers Army will sing the official ‘Star Spangled Banner’ at a stadium in the heart of Portland, Oregon, and the local football club will play its first home match in America’s top division. The Timbers face Chicago’s Fire. The match will occasion large amounts of beer consumption on premises and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and play its own small part in hastening the decline of the traditional nation-state.” Run of Play
Portland readies for home debut, Beckham rants; more mailbag
“There’s something that just seems right about the match between Portland, Ore., and soccer. You can see for yourself tonight when the Portland Timbers host their historic first MLS home game (ESPN2, 11 p.m. ET) against the Chicago Fire in what figures to be a festive cauldron in their refurbished downtown stadium.” SI
On Disappointment
“There are several major reasons why a player disappoints: 1. He or she—I’ll use just “he” from here on, but these points apply equally to female athletes—gets injured and has difficulty recovering. 2. He turns out to be older than many people had thought, that is, on the decline at an age when some other players are able to maintain peak performance. 3. He is not, and never was, as good as some people thought he was…” Run of Play
The Island of Arsenal
“It’s impossible to talk about Arsenal without talking about the je ne sais quoi of Arsenal, its ineffable Arsenal-ness, that special mélange of esprit and souffrance that sets Arsenal willfully and gloriously and somewhat ludicrously apart from every other soccer team in England. Arsenal plays the most stylish soccer, an intricate passing game of overlapping runs and constant movement. Arsenal suffers the most agonizing collapses: five years and counting without a trophy.” Slate – Brian Phillips
1960s Month: Kansas City Spurs, Glory and Oblivion
“The year was 1969. Only one year earlier, professional soccer had finally arrived in Kansas City, under dubious circumstances. The National Professional Soccer League had merged with the North American Soccer League, forcing the then Chicago Spurs into a bind – they could either dissolve to make way for the newly minted Chicago Mustangs, or move. And move they did.” The Equaliser
The Greatest Footballer in the World

“The reason I can attach a title as vitriol-inspiring and inaccurate as the one above is because no such person can exist, by any standard. Pele? Zidane? Maradona? Cruyff? What about Clint Dempsey (kidding…sort of)? The debate rages, without any hope of ever coming to a consensus. So instead of casting my lot with the rest of despairing humanity, I’m sloughing off the bounds of biology and physics and building my own footballer, Mary Shelley style. Selecting eleven factors that I believe to be the most important when building a great player, I set to work in a virtual Gothic mansion, shrouded in storm clouds and ringing with echoes of my own maniacal laughter.” The Other 87
Guardiola uses Mascherano at centre-back in 1-0 win over Shakhtar
“There were no major surprises in Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar on Tuesday night. 5-1 up from the first leg, they were fairly comfortable in Ukraine, keeping possession for long periods and winning the game with a Lionel Messi goal shortly before half time. That is, until you consider Barcelona’s line-up, where Javier Mascherano started as a right-sided centre-back, alongside Gerard Pique.” Zonal Marking
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea: Ancelotti changes formation but still loses the tie
“Goals from Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-Sung saw United progress to the semi-finals. Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes from his first leg line-up. Nani replaced Antonio Valencia – he played on the left, with Park Ji-Sung on the right. Rafael was not fit enough to play, so John O’Shea came in at right-back. Carlo Ancelotti chose Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Alex ahead of Yuri Zhirkov, Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa.” Zonal Marking
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
Goalkeepers: undervalued, underpaid and priceless
“If, as they say goalkeepers are mad, then they ought to have really started a union by now. They are an essential anatomy of a team along with the striker says José Mourinho in ‘Can England win the next World Cup?’ but they are not nearly as valued much. In the Premier League, Craig Gordon stands as the most expensive goalkeeper at £9million when he moved from Hearts to Sunderland but he is not even close to getting into the list of the all-time most expensive transfers in England and still some way short of the £15million paid by Newcastle for Alan Shearer – some fourteen years ago now.” Arsenal Mania
Football Weekly: Stan Kroenke gunning for full control at Arsenal
“It’s Arsenal who dominate the agenda with their activities both on the field and off it. While Jens Lehmann made his return to see the Gunners through to victory against Blackpool, we wonder what the ownership of Stan Kroenke means for the club (apart from replica moustaches for fans). Next, it’s the second legs of the Champions League quarter-finals. Spurs look to have an impossible task overturning their 4-0 drubbing in Madrid, but there’s still everything to play for between Chelsea and Manchester United, while can defending champions Inter come back from their 5-2 deficit in Germany?” Guardian – James Richardson
The Famous Past of Farrar Road
“Bangor City and Napoli are both currently challenging for the championship in their contrasting domestic competitions of the Welsh Premier League and Serie A respectively. While the two clubs appear to have little else in common other than their tradition of playing in blue, their one and only meeting on Welsh soil 49-years-ago has been brought back into the spotlight this week as the ground that hosted that famous Bangor City win is now set to be replaced by a leading supermarket.” In Bed With Maradona
City in ruins as Reds run riot

“Strikers have a natural tendency to command the attention, but sometimes it is exacerbated. The stark contrast of a rich plot meant that, ignoring the other 20 players, an emphatic win of the old order over the new could be distilled into images of a delighted Andy Carroll and a disconsolate Carlos Tevez.” ESPN
Dalglish revels in strike partnership
“Kenny Dalglish was in buoyant mood after seeing Luis Suarez and Andrew Carroll link-up brilliantly in Monday night’s 3-0 demolition of Manchester City at Anfield. Carroll scored his first goals for Liverpool following his £35 million move from Newcastle United in January, and for the first time there were signs that his partnership with Suarez could be something for the fans to get excited about.” ESPN
Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City: Liverpool find space between the lines
“This game was over by half time as Liverpool scored three goals in the opening period.
Kenny Dalglish gave a start to young John Flanagan at right-back, and played Fabio Aurelio at left-back. The front six was as expected, in a 4-4-1-1. Roberto Mancini rested a couple of players ahead of next week’s FA Cup semi-final, giving a start to Edin Dzeko upfront, with Carlos Tevez in behind. James Milner started on the left. The first half was about constant Liverpool pressure. Both sides tried to press in the first few minutes, but Liverpool settled much quicker and passed the ball better, and had wave after wave of attack.” Zonal Marking
Thirteen Months of Obstinacy
“For five years, the number of consecutive unbeaten La Liga games (managed by a Cruyff-inspired Barcelona side en route to the Spanish title in 1974) stood at a quite remarkable twenty-six. The current Barcelona side recently sailed past this total and now has a loftier target in sight; the sole notable domestic landmark neither of Spain’s big two can lay claim to and one that remains the preserve of a little corner of the Basque country. Real Sociedad from San Sebastián may be a modest club historically, but between April 1979 and May 1980 and spanning a remarkable thirty-eight League games, they were impossible to beat.” In Bed With Maradona
An Economic Geography of Football
“Heading to Ryton for last Saturday’s Northern League Day, I was once again treated to one of the classic vistas of UK travel. The sweeping arc of the train as it approaches Newcastle upon Tyne is a dramatic one – the Tyne far below, Victorian palaces on the opposite shore, the Millennium Bridge and Baltic Arts Centre gleaming in the sunshine and St. James’ Park visible on the horizon. It seems a confident city these days; its smart central business district thronged with consumers, a quintessential regional centre.” the two unfortunates
When Aston Villa Conquered Europe
“As Chelsea and Manchester United prepare to battle for a Champions League semi-final spot, Ross Mackiewicz recalls one of the most memorable European Cup runs of them all.” In Bed With Maradona
Udinese 1-2 Roma: quiet first half followed by exciting second, and frantic finish

“Francesco Totti was the hero again, scoring a chipped penalty and a 94th minute winner. Gokhan Inler was suspended for Udinese, so fellow Swiss international Almen Abdi took his place. Alexis Sanchez was initially named in the starting XI, but a late injury meant he dropped out of the side, with German Denis coming in. Vincenzo Montella was without Philippe Mexes, Jeremy Menez and Julio Sergio. Aleandro Rosi started on the right, with Matteo Brighi ahead of David Pizarro and Daniele De Rossi in the midfield trio.” Zonal Marking
Valencia 5-0 Villarreal: spare man at the back, and direct football going forward
“Third-placed Valencia demolished fourth-placed Villarreal at the Mestalla. Unai Emery brought Ever Banega back into the side in the centre of midfield, and also recalled Portuguese defenders Miguel and Ricardo Costa at the back. Juan Carlos Garrido was forced to change things at the back, after the news that centre-back Gonzalo Rodriguez is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg. He gave a rare start to Kiko, resisting the temptation to move Carlos Marchena from his ‘new’ central midfield position.” Zonal Marking
Hamburg 1-1 Dortmund: late equaliser snatches a point for the leaders
“Jakub Blaszczykowski scored a thunderous volley in stoppage time, so Dortmund’s lead now stands at five points. Michael Oenning brought back Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Jarolim into his starting XI, playing a 4-1-3-2 formation. Jurgen Klopp played his expected XI – unchanged from the previous weekend’s win over Hannover, and with the exception of long-term injury victim Shinji Kagawa, this was the standard starting line-up throughout the season. This was a decent game – the entertainment value game from the tension and the importance of Dortmund’s result, however, rather than any great technical quality or major tactical interest.” Zonal Marking
Will Piazon stand out at Stamford Bridge?
“Have Chelsea done a good deal acquiring Sao Paulo striker Lucas Piazon, who joins the club next year when he turns 18? Sao Paulo are certainly happy. The deal enables them to sell a player who has yet to appear in their first team, bring top-class centre forward Luis Fabiano back to the club – he scored 118 goals in 160 appearances for Sao Paulo between 2001 and 2004 – and still have some money left over.” BBC – Tim Vickery
Cesc Fábregas-inspired Arsenal punish Blackpool’s adventurism

“If this win is to re-ignite Arsenal’s title challenge – a title challenge which had threatened to actually descend into ‘considerable disappointment’ – then it is probably apt that it was a game which displayed Arsenal’s season in a microcosm that invigorated them. Arsenal were exuberant in attack for most parts, picking off Blackpool’s courageously high backline with ease but were profligate in attack; and that, coupled with a sudden inexplicable nervousness, contrived to throw open the game.” Arsenal Column
Scouting Report : FC Porto
“Twenty-five games played for twenty-three victories and two draws, a balance sheet better than Barcelona’s one, the Liga Sagres’ title already won even though there are five games left, a Europa League quarter-final to play and a manager who walks into Mourinho’s footprints… All these reasons make the tactical analysis of Porto’s tactics quite relevant, the Villas Boas’ one, who became the youngest manager to win the championship’s title on Sunday night. Moreover in Lisbon after a victory over Benfica. What else?” Panenka
1960s Month: The Nomad’s Curse
“It is high noon in Vienna, May of 1990. Benfica is scheduled to play the great Milan side of Baresi, Rijkaard, Gullit, van Basten and Sacchi the following day for the European Cup. A man kneels beside a gravestone and murmurs a few words with a light, weeping voice. He stands and leaves with a glance that combines both anguish and love. The name on the gravestone is that of Béla Guttmann. The weeping man goes by the name of Eusébio da Silva Ferreira.” The Equaliser
That Was Northern League Day

Seaham Red Star
“The sun shone on the Tyne Valley and roared on by their third-highest crowd of the season, Ryton Football Club won their first home game of the season – and their first three points in any competition since a 2-1 win at Sunderland RCA on Tuesday 10th August 2010. Northern League Day really began a few minutes after midday, when 106 fans at Whickham (including Northern League Chairman Mike Amos, George Caulkin of The Times and at least one football blogger, saw Washington’s Joseph Mence put through his own goal. By that stage, the Socrates Ryton football writers had come to the unanimous conclusion that Mordue Brewery’s Riverboat was far and away a better choice of brew than ice-cold Foster’s Lager. Well, the near unanimous conclusion…” northernleagueday
English Premier League (EPL) Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on April 9, 2011.” The 90th Minute
La semaine en France: Week 29
“And then there were two. A week after Paris Saint-Germain gave up the ghost in the Ligue 1 title race, Lyon and Rennes both followed suit in Week 29. Lyon led 2-0 going into injury time at Nice on Sunday, before capitulating completely in the space of just three minutes to leave their title ambitions in tatters. Pape Diakhaté was the villain of the piece.” Football Further
Barcelona 3 – 1 Almeria

“Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona survived a scare to come from behind and beat bottom club Almeria at the Camp Nou and preserve their eight-point lead over fierce rivals Real Madrid at the top of the Primera Division table. Barca had seen Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mames earlier in the day but found it surprisingly difficult to break down an Almeria side playing their first game under new coach Roberto Olade.” ESPN
FC Barcelona 3-1 Almeria – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
Blackpool 1-3 Arsenal: Arsenal continually exploit Blackpool’s high defensive line
“Arsenal had some nervous moments, but attacked intelligently and were comfortable after their third goal. Ian Holloway kept his back four unchanged, but brought four players into the side, with only Charlie Adam and Gary Taylor-Fletcher surviving from the side which lost 3-0 to Fulham last weekend. DJ Campbell returned after suspension. Arsenal had Abou Diaby in for Alex Song, and also had a late change in goal, where Jens Lehmann returned after Manuel Almunia went down with an injury shortly before kick-off.” Zonal Marking
That’s Entertainment
“Fulham-Blackpool—the encounter I watched last Saturday with real attentiveness—is, in a weird sort of way, my kind of match. Not that I don’t enjoy the big clubs with their expensive workforces: especially when they play one another there’s an entertaining Clash of the Titans feel to the enterprise.” Run of Play
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Werder Bremen

Antoine Jean Gros, The Battle Of Abukir
“Two sides still too far away from mid-table security played out an entertaining, chance-heavy and yellow card-ridden 1-1 draw. Although Werder Bremen perhaps deserved the win on the balance of play, the fact they were held to a draw is unsurprising given that the last clean sheet they kept in the league was on December 4, 2010 against Wolfsburg.” Defensive Midfielder
I Just Can’t Get Enough
“He’s been likened to a horse, had semi-serious cannibalism allegations thrown at him, and is theoretically barred from the world’s second largest continent. This could easily be the story of a villain in a bad ‘B’ movie, though instead, is the story of Luis Suarez; the Uruguayan striker spear-heading the new look Liverpool into a new era. A player who could possibly go on to define Liverpool for the next decade, similar to the way in which Steven Gerrard has spent the last decade doing so. That may sound a little optimistic, though after just a handful of appearances in a red shirt, the twenty-three year old has already had to modestly put to one side comparisons with another Liverpool number seven who needs no mention.” Some Team Up North
Benfica 4-1 PSV: overlapping full-backs crucial
“Benfica will take a commanding lead to Holland next week after a confident performance in Lisbon. Jorge Jesus was able to bring back Oscar Cardozo and Maxi Pereira after they missed the weekend defeat to Porto, whilst Jardel started at centre-back. Fred Rutten named an unchanged side from the XI that lost to Twente last Saturday (the teams came into this game off the back of similarly devastating results) in 4-2-3-1 system. The game was open and exciting throughout – five goals were a fair reflection of an attack-minded contest.” Zonal Marking
