Author Archives: 1960s: Days of Rage

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Ajax 0 – 4 Real Madrid: Outclassed in every aspect of the game

“If not for the UEFA millions of the Champions League, Ajax won’t have anything to look back on once these group stage games are done with. Their game against Real Madrid saw them outclassed in every department, highlighted to the extreme by the unique fact of two Madrid players purposefully upgrading their yellow cards to reds by delaying taking a free kick and a goal kick. The video of this sequence of events might serve to illustrate the gap between Europe’s top teams and a struggling Dutch top team at the moment. Tactics hardly played a role in the game, such was the difference in sheer player quality.” (11 tegen 11)

Why Bolton Wanderers Have So Much Debt


Italienische Szene, Nicolaes Pietersz Berchem
“Although this is the most open Premier League for many years, it is still somewhat of a surprise to see Bolton Wanderers sitting proudly in fifth place after just over a third of the season has been completed. Not only that, but they have achieved this with a brand of passing, attractive football that most fans thought beyond them. It’s a far cry from this time last year when Gary Megson’s team was being pilloried by Bolton’s own supporters for the awful combination of poor results and an ugly, negative playing style.” (The Swiss Ramble)

Tactics: Coleman, Stam lead full-backs’ forward charge

“Defensively adept wide forwards such as Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt and Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung have evolved out of the need for attacking players to prevent opposition sides playing the ball out from the back when their teams’ own attacking moves have broken down. The pressing exerted by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi in Barcelona’s 2008-09 quintuple success was seen as one of the key factors behind the team’s ability to keep their opponents penned inside their own half, while a robust and hard-working wide forward is a particularly useful weapon against marauding full-backs of the Maicon or Dani Alves variety.” (Football Further)

Spartak 0-3 Marseille: Marseille progress

“Marseille were better all over the pitch here, and recorded an ultimately comfortable victory in Moscow. Spartak lined up with their usual 4-4-1-1, with Ari playing just off Welliton upfront, and Aleksandr Kombarov and Aiden McGeady either side. Yevgeni Makeev moved to the right, so Martin Stranzl started on the left.” (Zonal Marking)

MB 90 Donde: What’s Next For US Soccer’s Best Prospect ?


“Michael Bradley; he’s a household name to the frequent visitors of this distinguished soccer blog. It is kind of weird to actually type out the full name that Bobbo saw fit to give him though. Junior, MB90, Coach’s Kid, whatever you want to call him, Bradley’s a top performer for a Yank in Europe, and at 23 years old, he’s just entering his prime. So where will the future take the young midfielder? And why must he get out of Borussia Mönchengladbach as soon as possible? Let’s kick the ballistics.” (Yanks are coming)

Braga 2-0 Arsenal: Braga press, then win it late

“A classic Arsenal defeat – dominance of possession followed by slack defending.
Braga played a shape that was 4-2-3-1 when they attacked and 4-1-4-1 when they were defending, with Vandinho playing the holding role in front of the defence. They were unchanged from their weekend defeat to Vitoria de Guimaraes.” (Zonal Marking)

Roma 3-2 Bayern: Ranieri’s half-time switch from 4-3-1-2 to 4-3-3 prompts superb comeback

“Claudio Ranieri tinkered at half-time, and the change meant Roma went from 2-0 down at the break, to 3-2 up by full time. From the start, Ranieri chose the 4-3-1-2 formation he’s favoured in recent weeks, with Jeremy Menez as the trequartista. Francesco Totti was on the bench with Mirko Vucinic and Marco Borriello upfront, and Matteo Brighi started in midfield alongside Leandro Greco.” (Zonal Marking)

Uneasy feeling surrounds Chelsea


Carlo Ancelotti
“So Carlo Ancelotti is staying at Chelsea, for now at least, and with the club sitting top of the Premier League talk of crisis at Stamford Bridge feels slightly hysterical. Even if there was no substance to the reports — strongly denied — that Ancelotti was ready to quit on Sunday evening, though, something is going on behind the scenes, a lead that stood at five points three weeks ago has disappeared and the weakness of the squad’s structure has been exposed.” (SI)

Leverkusen 1-1 Bayern: similar formations, different styles, and an even game

“A decent game where neither side truly hit top form. Leverkusen kept the broad 4-2-3-1 system they’ve favoured this season, making two changes – Sami Hyypia came in at the back for Stefan Reinartz, whilst Erin Derdiyok was back in place of Patrick Helmes.” (Zonal Marking)

Barça-barmy press make first move in pre-Clásico media war

“The big, bold notices splattered across the morning Marca in the run up to a meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona usually either bring La Liga Loca to blubbering, shuddering tears of desperation or have it clapping like a sea-lion given the chance to puke fish guts over Justin Bieber. Monday was very much the former for a tired and distressed LLL. But Tuesday sees the blog in much finer fettle and able to embrace the madness.” (FourFourTwo)

Belief returns for Braga boss


Domingos Paciencia
“As far as Champions League baptisms go, they don’t come much tougher than Braga’s. The Portuguese league runners-up up were humbled 6-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates in their opening group game. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise in retrospect, with the Londoners perpetually in the competition’s final stages and the debutants’ squad assembled for less than €3 million. Yet Arsene Wenger’s men will face reinvigorated opposition when they arrive in the Minho this week looking for a point to seal qualification for the knockout rounds.” (ESPN)

Spain: The Next Generation


“Since 2008, Spain, first under Luis Aragonés and then Vicente Del Bosque, have thrilled the world with their wonderfully aesthetic ‘Tiki Taka’ style of football. Reaping the benefits of a remarkably gifted generation, the likes of Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and David Villa have driven La Furia Roja to both the European and World titles.” (Equaliser Football)

Bruno, the boo boys and Brazil

“A tragic, real-life soap opera unravelling in Brazilian football over recent months has been the story of Bruno, goalkeeper of Rio giants Flamengo, who is in prison accused of ordering the brutal murder of an ex-lover. Flamengo fans have found a way to extract some black humour from such horrific developments. Last year, Bruno captained the team to the Brazilian title. This season, they have struggled. And as they have slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone, the confidence of Bruno’s replacement, Marcelo Lomba, has seemed to suffer.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

The Argentine Renaissance

“To decide the national team roster for the Argentine national side is to paint a picture. The pigments are poignant, the easel world class, and the brush made of the finest hairs from a dark Arabian stallion. Yet, despite these brilliant starting points, an unskilled hand can still botch the promising masterpiece. Surround a wizard like Riquelme with bodyguards such as Cambiasso and Mascherano, and the setting trumps the figures. Field three genius-in-a-bottle strikers like Tevez, Higuaín, and Messi, and the characters fail to connect on canvas.” (Run of Play)

Boca win, River draw

“Boca Juniors recorded a much-needed win in their first match since Juan Román Riquelme’s latest injury, beating Arsenal de Sarandí 2-1 in La Bombonera thanks to goals from Martín Palermo and Sergio Araujo. Elsewhere on Sunday River Plate and San Lorenzo drew 0-0 in a dreadful match, Racing and Quilmes drew 1-1, and Gimnasia La Plata and Vélez also shared points to ensure Estudiantes will finish this round – which continues on Monday – at the top of the table. All the highlights are right here, and Martín Palermo’s goal, by the way, might just be the most Martín Palermo goal ever scored.” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)

Mastering the holding midfielder position


“Manchester City’s decision to start the recent derby game with a midfield of Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Yaya Touré was an extreme example of how much the ‘holding midfielder’ has become a part of the football scene. More than half of the teams in the World Cup used formations with two holding players, and it is just as common to see the same pattern in Leagues One and Two. Not bad for a position that Leeds United legend Johnny Giles describes as ‘a myth’.” (WSC)

Fulham 1-4 Manchester City: Mancini gets the better of Hughes as City run riot

“City’s superb first half display effectively won the game before half-time. Mark Hughes chose a 4-4-1-1 / 4-4-2 formation, with Clint Dempsey just behind Andy Johnson. Carlos Salcido returned so Damien Duff moved back into midfield, whilst Chris Baird replaced Stephen Kelly at right-back.” (Zonal Marking)

Premier League chalkboard analysis

“Last week, we looked at how Birmingham’s pressing of Manchester City’s centre-backs at goal-kicks forced Joe Hart to kick the ball long, losing possession on every occasion. Against Fulham, the situation was changed with the introduction of Jô. He offered more of an aerial presence in the City attack, despite being positioned on the left wing. The majority of Hart’s kicks were sent towards the left-hand side, where six of the long balls were won by the Brazilian striker. This chalkboard compares Hart’s distribution in the Birmingham game to the Fulham game, showing how the presence of Jô helps City win possession high up the pitch.” (Guardian)

Liverpool 3 – 0 West Ham United


“It was hardly a proper test of being able to cope without Steven Gerrard but Liverpool did more than enough to dispose of a woeful West Ham at Anfield. With the captain out for a month with a hamstring tear manager Roy Hodgson called for his players to step up to fill the void and the Barclays Premier League’s bottom side provide the perfect opposition.” (ESPN)

Woeful Hammers provide no test
“Humour, cruelty and piercing honesty can go hand in hand on the terraces. The greater a club’s plight, the more illuminating the insights from the supporters can prove, and the more absurd their flights of fancy can become. If it tends to be worth watching the side at the top of the league, it’s instructive to listen to the fans at the foot of the division.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)

World Cup Bids and Saving the World

“While most of the attention around the recent World Cup bidding scandal has rightfully gone to the layers of corruption embedded in FIFA’s current process, that has obscured another interesting angle to the story: the bid bribery was embedded in the nebulous way World Cup bids are supposed to serve development goals. The two officials at the center of the scandal—Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii—were both ostensibly asking for funds to build fields and a ‘sports academy’ to develop the game in their home regions. The absolute certainty with which most of us dismissed those presumably worthwhile goals as a mere front for lining pockets is telling. Most of us want to believe the game can do some good in the world, but many tangible efforts towards that end are immediately treated with skepticism.” (Pitch Invasion)

English Premier League Match Of The Day (MOTD) Video Highlights

“Below are Match Of The Day highlights for all the EPL matches on November 20, 2010. If there’s not a link available for a match, it will be updated shortly. The full edition of MOTD (which includes all matches) can be viewed here.” (The 90th Minute)

Scottish Cup Match of the Week: Bo’ness United 0-2 Buckie Thistle

“I’m very jealous of the FA Cup in England. Not all of it – not the purely financial decision to play semi-finals at the National Stadium, not the ongoing domination of the trophy itself by a small number of teams. We have those bits already. It’s the early rounds, the qualifying rounds and preliminary rounds and the excitement it generates by the simple expedient of allowing pretty much anyone to enter.” (twohundredpercent)

A little white lie is OK sometimes, right?


Earlsmead
“For what I am about to write may the Lord forgive me. Every so often I make bold statements. ‘I will not use my Blackberry after 7pm at night’, ‘I wont use my laptop in bed’, ‘I will have a weekend without watching any football’. What, can you repeat that last one again? I WILL NOT WATCH ANY FOOTBALL FOR A WEEKEND. Yes, in a mad moment some months ago I agreed that I would not go to any games for one weekend in a year.” (The Ball Is Round)

Barca hit eight, Ronaldo keeps Real top

“Lionel Messi struck a hat-trick and Bojan Krkic bagged a brace as Barcelona strolled to an incredible 8-0 victory at lowly Almeria in the Spanish Primera Division. Pep Guardiola’s side raced into a 5-0 lead before half-time in a hugely one-sided contest. Messi opened the scoring after 17 minutes and Andres Iniesta took advantage of poor defending to score the second just two minutes later.” (ESPN)

Almeria 0-8 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – La Liga
(The 90th Minute)

Villarreal 1-1 Valencia: Emery’s three-man defence copes with two strikers, but not three

“Valencia had a specific plan to stifle Villarreal’s fluid 4-4-2 system – and it almost worked. The home side made one change from last week’s defeat to Barcelona. Mateo Musacchio was dropped in favour of the returning captain Gonzalo Rodriguez, so Carlos Marchena moved across to the left side of the centre-back pairing.’ (Zonal Marking)

Match of the Week: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur

“It’s a lunchtime kick-off for the North London derby, and there are still a few empty seats on display at The Emirates Stadium. A chance for that one last drink before kick-off. Supporters of both teams could well be forgiven for taking the opportunity to have that drink today. Arsenal will go top of the Premier League table if they win today, but they have been strangely limp at home against Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion already this season. Spurs supporters, meanwhile, have been receiving mixed messages from their team so far this season. For every win against Internazionale, there has been a defeat at Bolton Wanderers. If their Champions League season isn’t to be a one-off, they need to improve their consistency. Which Spurs will we see this afternoon, though?” (twohundredpercent)

Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham: Redknapp proves he is a decent tactician, even if he doesn’t want to be
“An astonishing second half comeback gave Spurs their first win in this fixture since Arsene Wenger became Arsenal manager. Arsenal brought in Laurent Koscielny in place of Johan Djourou at the back, and Denilson came in with Jack Wilshere a slight injury doubt.” (Zonal Marking)

Rafa Benítez struggles to deal with Inter expectations

” Reports in the Italian media that Inter manager Rafa Benítez has three games to save his job should come as no surprise. With the shadow of José Mourinho still hanging over them Inter sit a modest fifth in Serie A, seven points off their tally at this stage last season. They are six points off top spot, with only two wins and five goals in eight games. To rub salt into the wound a derby defeat to AC Milan on Sunday ended an undefeated run of 46 games at home and saw Milan retain top spot.” (WSC)

Roy of the Rovers stuff…literally


“Roy of the Rovers was as bigger part of my childhood as football stickers and near constant rejection by women. I looked forward to Melchester Rovers weekly adventures more than ‘Arry Redknapp looks forward to a transfer window. I was an addict and mum was the dealer, scoring for me every Wednesday so I could consume the whole magazine as soon as I got home from school. I once had a letter printed asking what Roy thought his transfer value was in the light of Chris Waddle’s £4.5m transfer to Marseille, I’m not sure the birth of my first child will top the feeling.” (I Know Who Cyrille Makanaky Was)

Barcelona’s dalliance on wonderkid Thiago Alcántara could prove costly

“The Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, a member of the 1994 squad that was victorious in the United States, called him ‘complete.’ According to the former Vasco de Gama, Fiorentina, Valencia and Celta de Vigo player, ‘he can use both feet, takes people on, has vision, can join the attack, and can finish off chances, scoring goals.’ Then again, Mazinho would say that. After all, Mazinho is his dad.” (SI)

USA-South Africa Final Thoughts and Player Ratings

“As usual, though a bit late, here are three quick thoughts and player ratings from Wednesday’s 1-0 United States Men’s National Team victory over South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Cup. I promise to litter a bit of optimism in my piece without discounting Dr. Crowley’s egg-nog sized glass of pessimism. I found a few things in the Yanks Cape Town performance particularly worthy of optimism, and since we’re nearing the holidays and that’s the season of perpetual hope, I’ll begin there.” (Yanks are coming)

Embracing History


Rockville Maryland Soccer Club, 1928-29
“History, specifically American soccer history, is top of mind these days. I’m taking a few days away from the bill-paying job, and while I’m mostly serving as a toddler’s jungle gym at erratic intervals that are threatening the viability of my…male paraphernalia, I’m also doing my best to keep up with the goings-on in the soccer world (frankly, I need a 12-step program to break my addiction to my newsreader and Twitter), provide as much content here as vacation-affected motivation will allow, and visit family that deserve a modicum of my attention.” (Match Fit USA)

Sporting KC is nothing new as far as Europhilia goes in US Soccer
“Couple of items of business today. First, a hearty thank you for your responses yesterday; I’m glad to know you haven’t all signed up to some sort of football news reading technology that made you USSF D-2 geniuses in a matter of seconds. I’d be a little ticked if I’d missed out on that.” (A More Splendid Life)

History Incorporated, The Quest to Preserve America’s Soccer Heritage
“Americans are among the world’s greatest hoarders and collectors. Drive down any road in this country and it will not be long until you pass by an antique store or a collectibles shop. Go to a flea market and it is possible to find a wide array of items ranging from 19th Century artifacts to last year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. It is a cultural phenomenon that is both fascinating and profound. It is a reality most Americans take for granted. For in America, as the logic goes, if you hold on to anything long enough, eventually it will be worth something.” (Box Score News)

Republic of Ireland 1-2 Norway

“Norway continued their fine recent form by beating Ireland on a rainy Wednesday night in Dublin. From the off, Ireland were moving well against a compact Norway side set out in three very flat banks – 4-5-1. But although Ireland retained possession, and had passing options, the ball was stuck in harmless areas. Despite the Irish being set out in a 4-4-2, you could argue that they had four banks – the widemen pushing up higher than the very deep centre-midfielders.” (Defensive Midfielder)

Great Football League Teams 1: Leeds United 1989-90


“The 1980s could not have been more miserable for Leeds United. Unfortunate to suffer an eight year sojourn outside Division 1 at a time when football reached its lowest ebb and beset by hooliganism and low gates, it was a decade of despair matched only by their recent, financially driven decline. Lowlights included Paul Petts’ hat-trick in a 5-1 defeat at Gay Meadow in 1983 and a 5-0 tonking by Chelsea that saw the whites’ hated rivals promoted on the last day of that same campaign.” (the two unfortunates)

David, Salut Et Merci!

“On the 29th November it will be 5 years since FC Utrecht and Dutch football lost one of their most promising players. A central defender who could play in the midfield, Frenchman David Di Tommaso, or DiTo as he was affectionately known to team-mates and fans, won the ‘FC Utrecht Supporters Player of the Season Award’ for his performances in his first season at the club, and quickly became a firm fans’ favorite in the Domstad.” (In Bed With Maradona)

Portugal 4 – 0 Spain


Cornelis Van Poelenburgh – View of the Campo Vaccino
“Portugal gained a measure of revenge for their World Cup exit at the hands of Spain by inflicting a heavy defeat on their Iberian neighbours in tonight’s friendly in Lisbon. Goals from Jorge Carlos Martins, visiting defender Sergio Ramos, who put into his own net, Helder Postiga and Hugo Almeida sealed a deserved win for the Portuguese, who were knocked out at the last-16 stage in South Africa as Spain went onto win their maiden World Cup crown.” (ESPN)

Portugal 4-0 Spain – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

England 1 – 2 France

“Fabio Capello opened a door on the future for England – and the fans did not like what they saw as the Three Lions were jeered off after defeat to France at Wembley. Aside from Andy Carroll, who did as well as he could with such little service, and the ever-dependable Steven Gerrard, there were few straws for England to grasp until substitute Peter Crouch did what he does best within seconds of his arrival.” (ESPN)

France offer brighter future after Wembley win
“It is a curiosity of modern British football that the concept of a ‘friendly’ international inspires such apathy and resentment among players, coaches, fans and media alike. England versus France would seemingly possess the standing of a game between rivals with shared history between them but such traditions are not respected by the managers of England’s elite football clubs. Unlike in rugby, where the international match is king, and the club game subjugated, and games between countries are regarded as ‘tests’, a weekend of Premier League action will remain the focus. It barely helped that these two nations had revolted – in both senses of the word – during the summer’s World Cup.” (ESPN)

England 1-2 France – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

Argentina 1-0 Brazil: Messi with superb winner

“This game started well, faded in the second half, before being won with a brilliant Lionel Messi goal. International friendlies are, as much as anything, an opportunity to experiment – to try a new shape or new players in a pressure-free environment. That is the main concern for managers (rather than necessarily trying to win the game with a tactical shift to exploit the opposition’s weaknesses) so rather than the usual analysis of how the two sides faced each other, here we’ll take the sides individually.” (Zonal Marking)

Leo Messi scores like Leo Messi, beats Brazil
“Picking up where he left off with Barcelona against Villarreal over the weekend, Lionel Messi did what he didn’t do at the World Cup and scored a fabulous late winner for Argentina against Brazil on Wednesday. The unfriendly friendly in Qatar wasn’t exactly at a World Cup level, but Messi’s goal should at least temporarily shut up his critics who say he doesn’t score for Argentina the way he does for Barcelona. A one man show in injury time to beat Brazil, of all opponents, usually does that.” (Yahoo)

Argentina 1-0 Brazil – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

French make toast of woeful England

“James Richardson has Kevin McCarra, Owen Gibson and Barry Glendenning on board for this edition of Football Weekly Extra to look back on England’s soufflé-like collapse against Laurent Blanc’s France. We wrap up the best (and worst) of the rest of the international friendlies – including Sid Lowe’s account of Spain’s 4-0 defeat to Portugal, Italy’s controversial draw with Romania, and Scotland’s demolition of, er, the Faroe Islands – and get up to speed with the latest shenanigans at Fifa.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Flickin’ Hell


“In March 1947 in the small Kent village of Langton Green a game was invented that literally changed the past times of millions of children around the world. A chap there called Peter Adolph created a set of plastic footballers that he wanted to market in a game called ‘Hobby’. Unfortunately he could not get a trademark on such a generic name so he settled for the slightly similar Falco Subbuteo which was a bird of prey also known as the Eurasian Hobby (see what he did there…).” (The Ball Is Round)

United States 1, South Africa 0: Some Negative In A Good Result

“Just before kickoff Neil sent an email to the TYAC staff that said ‘BORNSTEIN is your captain gentlemen. Try not to kill yourselves.’ I wrote back ‘I hate to tell you I told you so…..’ because Neil and I had a talk about this last weekend and I was convinced that this was going to happen. Levy countered with a couple jokes about his tribe. I thought the TYAC e-mail string would end there, but it was not to be. Apparently, today was the day where collectively as a unit, all major players at TYAC decided, at least for a little while, that we were going to e-mail bomb one another for the day in celebration of the last USMNT game of the year.” (Yanks are coming)

South Africa 0-1 USA – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Friendly
(The 90th Minute)

KC Barcelona

“I have a new piece in Slate on the MLS Cup and why the league doesn’t do more to connect fans with American soccer history. MLS has had a lot of success marketing stars, but for various reasons—largely because it’s been so keen to distance itself from the failure of the NASL—it’s done very little to foster the kinds of traditions that could give the American game an identity beyond the latest branding campaign. American soccer history is a lot deeper and more interesting than most people realize; it’s full of great stories that fans have never been told.” (Run of Play)

Black Wings…


“It’s just over a year since Robert Enke, Hannover 96 and Germany goalkeeper, committed suicide at the age of 32. It emerged after his death that he had struggled with depression for years. To mark this bleak anniversary, BBC Radio 5live produced a half-hour special, featuring candid and illuminating interviews with, among others, Enke’s biographer, agent, and therapist.” (In Bed With Maradona)

5 live Sport
“Eleanor Olyroyd hosts a 5live Sport Special a year on from the tragic suicide of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke. Eleanor visits Enke’s home town to speak to the people who knew him best and looks at a story that stunned Germany.” (BBC)

River Plate 1 – 0 Boca Juniors: the goal

“River Plate have beaten Boca Juniors in a competitive match for the first time in over three years, with a 1-0 win in El Monumental on Tuesday. Former Boca defender Jonatan Maidana scored the only goal of a game River dominated, and in which Boca star Juan Román Riquelme was non-existent in the first half before being taken off at the break. Boca coach Claudio Borghi might well not be manager very much longer now. I’ll post all the round fourteen scores, and a longer highlights video, after having some food and a couple of drinks, but for now here’s the goal.” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)

Superclásico Apertura 2010: live updates
“My first superclásico in Argentina does not, sadly, mean I’ve got press accreditation for this one, but it does at least mean that I can watch the game on a proper telly and thus the updates here on HEGS will be closer to live than ever before.” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)

Tactics: What should England expect from France?

“The press pack accompanying the France squad to England may have been slightly miffed at the lack of attention given to Les Bleus in Fabio Capello’s pre-match press conference, but Laurent Blanc’s side will have plenty of opportunities to make themselves headline news when tonight’s match at Wembley kicks off.” (Football Further)

Passing on the Past


Dave van den Bergh
“Last Sunday night, with one final smolder for the cameras, David Beckham conveyed his hairstyle off the pitch and out of the MLS playoffs. The L.A. Galaxy’s 3-0 loss to F.C. Dallas—a game in which Beckham’s slow-wilting sprout of a ponytail was an accurate meter of his side’s fortunes—deprives the competition of its most telegenic team. It also sends unheralded Dallas on to face the Colorado Rapids on Sunday in the least obviously glamorous sports final since, oh, the 2010 World Series. Instead of mashing CTRL-V on Beckham and his teammate-turned-World-Cup-hero Landon Donovan, the marketing wing of MLS now faces the task of selling a championship game contested by two teams who don’t even fill their own stadiums.” (Slate)

On Talent, and Using It

“It might not be obvious every time we watch a game of soccer, but there’s a tacit contract between players and observers of the sport. In it, we the viewer expect nothing less than maximum effort, maximum fun, and we can never see that soccer is not the be-all and end-all for our heroes. Blood, sweat, tears, and none of the complaining that comes from living a more ordinary life. In exchange, our offering is simple. Love. Worship. Respect.” (Run of Play)

Wigan 1-0 West Brom: Positive Substitution Makes The Difference

“Saturday’s match that sent West Bromwich Albion north to DW Stadium against Wigan Athletic provided an entertaining match of two clubs looking to assert themselves, albeit in different ways. Albion has been riding a strong first month, and wanted to continue to maintain real estate in the top half of the table, while the Latics have been clawing from the bottom ever since their Week One shock loss against visiting Blackpool. Wigan found success this day, thanks to a shrewd halftime replacement.” (EPL Talk)

Harry Redknapp’s Tactical Theorems Make Jonathan Wilson Look Like Goodluck Jonathan

“Some say Harry Redknapp’s tactics are simplistic. Others are like, ‘no they’re not.’ Still others are barely even paying attention. When your mere presence is food and light to the players who follow you, you don’t just blunder into a room and start garrumphing about wingers who cut inside in the 4-3-3.” (Run of Play)

Why Ajax Are No Longer Dutch Masters


“For football fans of a certain age, the name Ajax resonates with history, bringing back memories of the early 70s when the famous club from Amsterdam won the European Cup three years in a row, displaying a brand of ‘total football’ that also inspired the Dutch national team in its dazzling run to two World Cup finals.” (Swiss Ramble)

Superclasico Time

“A midweek clash between two mid-table teams that brings a country to a standstill? Sam Kelly builds up to Rive Plate v Boca Juniors, the biggest match in the Argentine calender.” (In Bed With Maradona)

River Plate vs Boca Juniors: starting lineups
“The superclásico will be upon us in around four and a bit hours, at 7pm local time (10pm Greenwich Mean Time) with Argentina’s two biggest clubs doing battle in what has become a mediocre middle-of-the-table clash, but which will grab all the attention of the country’s football-watching public anyway. The latest indications are that each team’s most important player will play, after a late injury scare for one of them during the week: Juan Román Riquelme has shaken off a knock in training to feature for Boca, and Matías Almeyda returns after a spell out injured for River. Former Boca defender Jonatan Maidana is also in the River lineup, whilst Jesús Méndez, the midfielder who started out at River, is playing for Boca. Both XIs are right here…” (Hasta El Gol Siempre)

Roman returns as the gladiators prepare to do battle
“After the will-he, won’t-he saga surrounding his contract negotiations, after the repeated demonstrations, in nearly every match, of how much his team are missing him, and after a long injury layoff, Juan Roman Riquelme returned for Boca Juniors on Saturday. Perhaps fittingly, he did so against his first club, Argentinos Juniors – who also happen to be the club that current Boca manager Claudio Borghi took to the title back in May.” (ESPN)