“Liverpool hosted Macedonian side FK Rabotnicki in the second leg of the third round of UEFA Europa League qualifying. The reds had a 2-0 lead from the first leg and would move into the play-off round with a one goal margin loss, a draw, or victory in the match.” (The 90th Minute)
“From the perspective of someone who’s barely been paying attention, one of the more intriguing stories of the offseason has been the weird swerving of the Liverpool crisis-drama, which is still producing twists well into its 24th act. Just when you think the action is about to go stale (with trembling hand, Martin Broughton places a phone call to the Royal Bank of Scotland), they go and follow up the not-one-hundred-percent-intuitive Roy Hodgson hiring by signing Joe Cole, thereby forcing you to realize that, waltzing Elizabeth, the dominant cultural influence in the Anfield locker room next season is going to be…English.” (Run of Play)
“The efficiency that holding midfielders provide teams makes them very important in the modern football. International competitions are always fascinating tactically if anything for the inflexibility they confront managers with. Arrigo Sacchi, in charge of the Italy side who reached the final of World Cup ’94, stated it was “impossible” for a national manager to drill the same understanding that club level coaches are afforded due to the lack of day-to-day availability of personnel. The sporadic amount of time they have with players means it can be difficult for coaches to develop plans so they usually are forced to stick with philosophies they think are correct – and that in turn highlights the common trends in the thinking of modern coaches. And certainly, what has become oblivious from the recent World Cup in South Africa and indeed club football for the past few years is that the use of two holding midfielders in front of the back four is become crucial in the modern game.” (Arsenal Column)
“Evolution never stops. As the World Cup showed, 4‑2‑3‑1 has come to replace 4‑4‑2 as the universal default (18 of the 32 teams played some form of 4‑2‑3‑1 at some stage, with another three fielding a 4‑4‑2 that perhaps should have become 4‑2‑3‑1) so the system at the very highest level has already begun to mutate. Spain, by the end of the World Cup, had followed what Barcelona did at times last season, what Arsenal seemed to be reaching towards, and set up in a 4‑2‑1‑3.” (Guardian)
“Fernando Torres has seemingly confirmed he is staying at Liverpool this season, saying ‘My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed’.” (Guardian)
Inner Life of Fernando Torres
“Louis Armstrong – ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’” (Run of Play)
“Yelling football chants in the street. Puffing on tabs. Urinating beside bins. Contrary to what you might expect, the Rumour Mill doesn’t frown on such loutish behaviour. Indeed, anyone who saw us strutting proudly into work this morning, head back, chest out and arms spread in the classic Big Brave football-fan-backed-by-his-mates “you want some?” pose will know we’re wholeheartedly in favour of it. It impresses people. It earns us respect. It leaves our scent and a puddle on the street.” (Guardian)
Exequias de un emperador romano, Domenico Zampieri
“Arsene Wenger is today being quoted as stating that the new Premier League rule reducing squad sizes to 25, as being “a disastrous decision for football and for the players”. When the rule was introduced, the rules stating that Premier League clubs had to have a ‘Squad List’ of just 25, with eight of these being ‘Home Grown’, it was seen as a great thing for the England football team.” (twohundredpercent)
“Cast your mind back, if you will, eight years to the 2002 World Cup. It’s a sultry night in Seoul and France, defending champions and one of the hot favourites for the title, are facing Senegal, a country playing its first ever game in a World Cup finals. A momentary lapse in concentration sees Youri Djorkaeef loses possession on the half-way line and the Senegalese break with Omar Daf putting El-Hadji Diouf – a relatively unknown forward plying his trade for Lens – away down the left side. Diouf, balanced and composed, comes slightly in-field and reaches the by-line before cutting the ball back into the box.” (The Equaliser)
“So. England have won the World Cup. (In case you haven’t got it yet, I’m asking you to imagine a hypothetical scenario. Try harder.) Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Aaron Lennon have all fulfilled their potential and England have pulled off the greatest feat in the nation’s sporting history. Gerrard, looking slightly less miserable than usual, lifts the trophy aloft in Soccer City. But is it a good thing?” (Footballing World)
“During the excellent world cup coverage on my home channel RTÉ, two ex-footballers decried the rise in the defensive midfielder. Johnny Giles and Liam Brady are two certified legends of Irish football both won multiple trophies at club level and Brady is currently the director of Arsenal’s famed youth system. Both were also midfielders who played at an elite level for most of their careers and have commented on football and have provided genuine insight into the game.” (EPL Talk)
“Having made front-page news earlier this week for offering to find a nice sanctuary for para-sailing Russian donkey Anapka, Harry Redknapp is showing no such compassion to David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane, who he appears ready to ship out to Aston Villa in exchange for Ashley Young.” (Guardian)
“Roy Hodgson will manage Liverpool for the first time tonight as a popular Premier League manager. But it wasn’t always like this. In WSC 130 (December 1997) Matt Nation remembered a fraught few months at Bristol City in 1982.” (WSC)
Stiliyan Petrov
“Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson wants Aston Villa midfield general Stiliyan Petrov as the shock replacement for transfer-seeking Javier Mascherano. (Mirror) Chelsea want to wrap up the £17m signing of Benfica star Ramires in time for their pre-season tour of Germany. (Star) With Sol Campbell heading to Newcastle, Arsenal are ready to turn to Per Mertesacker to solve their defensive crisis. Arsene Wenger will offer Werder Bremen £10m for the German international centre-back. (Mirror)…” (Telegraph)
“It’s that time of the season again, and we have time this year for a pre-season piece on all twenty of the clubs in this season’s Premier League. First of all, since we’re doing this in alphabetical order, Arsenal, where the big question over the next nine months may turn out to be what they can do to end their run without a trophy and how long supporters’ patience with M. Wenger will last.” (twohundredpercent)
Newcomers boost Arsenal’s hopes
“By the time defender Thomas Vermaelen had played just four games for Arsenal after last year’s $13 million move from the Dutch club Ajax, coach Arsene Wenger already knew he had a bargain on his hands. It was after that fourth game, a Champions League-qualifying victory against Celtic, that Wenger spoke of the Belgian’s “football intelligence,” an intangible quality he had also spotted in Alex Song, the young midfielder written off by many who had his breakout season the previous year. Against Celtic, Vermaelen was marshaling the defense, even telling the more experienced William Gallas where to position himself on corner kicks.” (SI)
The Premier League 2010/11 Previews 2 – Aston Villa: Becoming A Single Issue Party
“Aston Villa’s summer thus far can be neatly condensed into two words, and the second of those is “Milner”. Their own supporters will be thoroughly sick to the stomach of the constant pas de deux that has been going on over the last couple of months between their most-prized asset and a team which they last season regarded as rivals for the final Champions League place, and it is starting to become a little wearing for the rest of us, too. Consider, for example, the front page of The Guardian’s section on Villa. At the time of writing, eleven of the fifteen main articles on the site concern the long, drawn-out saga. Aston Villa Football Club are at the point of becoming a single issue party.” (twohundredpercent)
David Villa
“With a new European season fast approaching, we got in touch with various bloggers, prolific members of the footballing twitterati and friends of The Equaliser to make a few pre-season predictions that will undoubtedly make us all look very silly in ten months’ time. So, here are the results of our collective FIFA-approved crystal ball gazing…” (The Equaliser)
“The Mill knows that many a hack suffers from the Tetris effect. People who play Tetris over a sustained period of time find themselves thinking about ways that objects can fit together in the real world so, for example, when they see a book they instinctively imagine slotting it into a space on a shelf or if they catch sight of their fist they envisage placing it perfectly into Jeremy Kyle’s provocative face. What this means for hacks who spend their summer days scribbling transfer yarns is that when they see a footballer they instinctively link him with a club where the fit seems plausible.” (Guardian)
“Much of Wayne Rooney’s good form last season was put down to his role as lone striker. The 4-5-1 formation deployed by Sir Alex Ferguson saw Rooney enjoying the freedom to roam in the final third, with the majority of his 32 goals being scored in that position. Fergie still has a decision to make, however. Does he stick with the 4-5-1* going into the new season or does he turn his back on that and opt once again for the 4-4-2, a system in which United were consistently inconsistent with last year.” (ManUtd24)
“The most elegant and cultured midfielder England has ever produced? Glenn Hoddle, of course. It’s absurd that Hoddle won 53 caps for his country, especially when considering that a vastly inferior player such as David Beckham has more than twice that amount. But such was – is – the English mistrust of mercury. We never have figured out how to integrate brilliant individuals into a team.” (Who ate all the pies)
Roy Hodgson
“With the departure of longtime club favourite Rafael Benitez, a lack of Champions League football and a hard rebuilding job with minimum cash influx in front of Roy Hodgson, it’s indeed a tough time to be a Liverpool fan as the decisions taken by Hodgson, Purslow and Broughton might go on to define the club for the foreseeable future. But looking back, the circumstances in which Rafael Benitez had taken up the reigns of the club seem to have a striking similarity to the ones Roy Hodgson now faces, and which ultimately led to the sacking of Houllier and Benitez.” (EPL Talk)
“Roy Hodgson arrived at Fulham in 2007 without much fanfare. He was regarded, probably largely because of an unhappy spell at Blackburn Rovers, as a mediocre manager who’d had reasonable success abroad with a string of mid-ranked countries — Finland, Switzerland, Sweden — but who couldn’t really cut it at the highest level. His two years of rebuilding work at Internazionale in the 1990s, in which the Italian club finished seventh and third and reached the final of the UEFA Cup, was broadly ignored.” (SI)
“So it’s come to this, a once-great European side reduced to selling their best players and bringing in a crocked creative midfielder? This isn’t going to be Inter Milan’s best year. Wait, that was last year, it’s Liverpool this time. When it comes to Liverpool you’re guaranteed two things; Drama and impassioned fans. Impassioned often about complete polar opposites (‘Benitez out’ Vs ‘In Rafa we trust’, ‘Joe Cole is the key’ Vs ‘Joe Cole is a crock’) and football is about these divisive issues. The thing about the beautiful game is that you never know what’s going to happen, however I’m still going to try to predict it.” (EPL Talk)
“So in today’s news, one of the biggest transfer deals of a hitherto quite quiet summer has taken place. Joe Cole has signed for Liverpool. Cole signs on a free transfer after his release from Chelsea in June, a parting of the ways that Cole described as ‘political’ in nature rather than for any particular footballing reasons. As is increasingly becoming the case these days, Twitter has proved an interesting source for news, opinion and information on Cole’s move to Anfield.” (Just Football)
Joe Cole
“At first glance, the signing of Joe Cole by Liverpool might seem like madness. Cole will be twenty-nine years old later on this year and has had a wretched time of it with injuries over the last year or so. He remains a player whose best position remains something of a mystery after ten years of professional football. His four year contract will be worth almost £19m, and his physical condition is, if anything, more likely to slip further rather than improve as he turns thirty. This could turn out to be wrong, but in terms of signing footballers, as in the buying and selling of all other commodities, it’s a matter of balancing probabilities.” (twohundredpercent)
Jamie Redknapp: Joe Cole was right to choose Liverpool over Tottenham and Arsenal
“Joe Cole has made the right decision. Going to Anfield to play for Liverpool is the right move.
I know my dad, Harry, tried to take him to Tottenham and I can see why. He’s a clever footballer, who unlocks defences and who still has so much to offer, an old fashioned dribbler.” (Daily Mail)
For Hodgson, success won’t come easy in his step up to Liverpool
“Roy Hodgson arrived at Fulham in 2007 without much fanfare. He was regarded, probably largely because of an unhappy spell at Blackburn Rovers, as a moderate manager who’d had reasonable success abroad with a string of mid-ranked countries — Finland, Switzerland, Sweden — but who couldn’t really cut it at the highest level. His two years of rebuilding work at Internazionale in the 1990s, in which the Italian club finished seventh and third and reached the final of the UEFA Cup, was broadly ignored.” (SI)
“Now that the World Cup is over (and there will be a couple more bits and pieces to tidy it up over the next couple of days), it is time to start looking forward to the new domestic season, which starts in just over four weeks, and what better way could there be to start it all off than with our annual look at the kits that the teams of 2010/11 will be wearing. As ever, it’s a mixed bag in the Premier League this season, with some clubs getting it right, some clubs getting it woefully wrong and a couple of clubs treating the launch of their new kit as if it is some sort of state secret.” (twohundredpercent)
Krisztian Nemeth
“Roy Hodgson is concerned some elements of the Liverpool squad are “disenchanted” as a result of a disappointing 2009-10 season, but the club are ‘working very hard’ to ensure their best players remain at Anfield. Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League last season and previous manager Rafa Benitez departed Anfield, leaving Hodgson with the task of convincing the likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano that they would be best served by remaining on Merseyside.” (ESPN)
Inter coy on Mascherano“Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca has refused to rule out a move for Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano. Mascherano has been strongly linked with an exit this summer and, amid reports he is set for a reunion with Rafael Benitez, he has revealed he is learning Italian.” (ESPN)
BLOOD RED: Joe Cole fits the bill for Liverpool FC
“WHAT have Thierry Henry and Joe Cole got in common? They’ve both been spotted around Liverpool city centre more than the Superlambanana in recent times. Just as there were numerous sightings of Henry from Lime Street to the Lobster Pot prior to him joining Barcelona three years ago, rumours were rife this week that Cole was camped out at Melwood.” (Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool FC striker Krisztian Nemeth still eager to be a hit at Anfield
“YOUNG Liverpool striker Krisztian Nemeth could be facing an uphill battle to break into new boss Roy Hodgson’s first team plans this season – but remains hopeful of succeeding at Anfield.” (Liverpool Echo)
Roy Hodgson
“Hodgson is the very definition of ‘seen it all before’ and has English top flight experience in the form of an impressive stint with Blackburn (guiding them to a UEFA Cup spot) and Fulham (with a Europa League final spot). Indeed, after a career trailing around Europe, he now cuts a convincing figure as the stereotypical cultured, cosmopolitan European coach, despite his current location on Merseyside.” (ESPN)
“Fernando Torres could be fit for the start of the season after it emerged the thigh injury that ended his involvement in the World Cup final was not as serious as had been feared. Torres suffered only a small tear to his left thigh after coming on as a late substitute in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Holland. He has been told to have three weeks of complete rest and will then undergo a specially tailored rehabilitation programme aimed at getting him fit for Liverpool’s opening game against Arsenal on 15 August – if he decides to stay at Anfield in the face of persistent interest from Chelsea.” (Guardian)
“Liverpool medical staff believe the adductor injury sustained by striker Fernando Torres in the World Cup final may not be as serious as initially feared. Torres, who returned from knee surgery just in time for the finals in South Africa, pulled up in extra-time during Spain’s victory over Netherlands, leading to universal gasps of concern from the red half of Merseyside.” (ESPN)
Cisse targets future Liverpool return
“Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse admits he would relish a dream return to the club, and insists that he never got the opportunity to prove himself at Anfield. Cisse, currently plying his trade with Greek side Panathinaikos, joined Liverpool for £14 million in 2004, having been singned by Gerard Houllier just before he was replaced by Rafael Benitez.” (ESPN)
Nabil El Zhar and Emiliano Insua set for Liverpool FC exit while Reds eye move for Paul Scharner
“MOROCCAN winger Nabil El Zhar wants a move away from Liverpool. The 23-year-old is frustrated at the lack of first-team football at Anfield and is not convinced he will be given a chance to impress new Reds boss Roy Hodgson.” (Liverpool Echo)
Roy Hodgson
“New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson hopes to persuade star players such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to stay with the club. Hodgson officially took on the job vacated by Rafael Benitez on Thursday, and he will have to overcome the doubts of players and supporters ahead of Liverpool’s first Europa League qualifier at the end of July.” (ESPN)
Roy Hodgson ‘can’t force’ Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard to stay at Liverpool
“Hodgson has claimed he ‘cannot nail their feet to the floor’ when asked about the future of the club’s most influential players. Flanked by Martin Broughton, Hodgson emphasised that financial issues remain under the supervision of interim chairman, but added he would endeavour to keep both Torres and Gerrard at the club.” (Telegraph)
Roy Hodgson heads for talks with Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher
“Roy Hodgson plans to meet Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher this afternoon after being unveiled as the new manager of Liverpool.” (Guardian)
“Rafael Benitez has left Liverpool by mutual consent. Benitez, who took over from Gerard Houllier in 2004, found his position untenable after a disappointing season which saw Liverpool finish seventh in the Premier League, just 12 months after being runners-up to Manchester United.” (ESPN)
“My memories of how I learned about the news regarding the Hillsborough Disaster and the Bradford Fire Disaster are a lot more vivid than what happened 25 years ago today in the Heysel Stadium Disaster. Part of the reason was because both the Hillsborough and Valley Parade games were played on a Saturday, while the European Cup Final of 1985 was played on a Wednesday night in Brussels. For me, living in the United States, it was certainly easier to follow games on my shortwave radio on a Saturday morning when the signal was much more clearer than on a Wednesday afternoon when I would be working and the signal strength was abysmal.” (EPL Talk)
Pastorale, François Boucher
“Hot on the heels of the Goals of the Season, we move on to the Football Further European Team of the Season. As in any decent dream team this side is strongly, perhaps even foolishly, oriented towards attack. Feedback, particularly of the irate, finger-jabbing kind, is warmly welcomed.” (Football Further)
Dejan Stanković
“In the hope of provoking plenty of debate, disagreement and downright indignation, Football Further proudly presents – in purely chronological order – its Goals of the Season 2009-10…” (Football Further)
“The Champions League final has been and gone, so we are now officially at the end of the 2009/10 season. This would not be an internet football site without an article outlining some reasonably pointless ‘awards’, but since this is a site focussed on tactics, hopefully the tactical angle will – like a newly-signed winger that doesn’t appear to fit into the team – ‘provide something different’.” (Zonal Marking)
“David James is said to be interested in taking over from Avram Grant as Portsmouth manager. James could be a good fit for the club – if anyone is likely to know what the Portsmouth players need to do, it could be the man who has been standing behind them for the past four years. For the player, however, taking the job could be a disastrous career move. James is not short of job prospects.” (WSC)
Pepe Reina
“With only one game left of the 2009/10 season, it’s time to create that inevitable, impossible-to-please dream team from across the major European leagues. Playing in a fluid 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 system that remains the most popular formation throughout Europe, it also reflects the current emphasis upon centre-backs who can pass the ball, attacking full-backs, ball-playing central midfielders and versatile attacking players.” (Zonal Marking)
“Abas Suan’s life straddles two worlds that seem inexorably locked in eternal conflict. Suan is an Arab citizen of the state of Israel, one of 1.4 million Muslim citizens of the Jewish state. Suan is a hero to the people who support his hometown club team, Bnei Sakhnin. Suan is also a beguiling figure among Israelis — an Arab who played on the country’s national soccer team and scored a crucial goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Ireland in the country’s abortive attempt to advance to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.” (NYT)
“An interesting (if ultimately pointless) graph that shows the points tally of equivalent clubs from the Premiership, La Liga and Serie A (all of which play with a 20-team, 38-game season).” (Zonal Marking)
“The Liverpool reign of US ‘entrepreneurs’ George Gillett Junior and Thomas O. Hicks has been full of oddball news stories from the two warring co-owners’ busy PR departments. But none were stranger than last week’s space-filler about Liverpool’s (latest) sale process. Had the papers waited a day, they’d have had their story.” (twohundredpercent)
Claude Gellée, Idyll: Landscape with a Draughtsman Sketching Ruins
“On the surface, the praise for Lionel Messi during his current extraordinary run has been pure. Astonishing — astonished — praise has followed his every deed. Not for a generation has there been such a rush to consider someone alongside the pantheon of great players past; to name a planet after him; to dress him in armour, plonk him on a horse, dip him in bronze and place him halfway between La Masia and Camp Nou, beside a stall selling miniature bronze-coloured plastic replica hims. Scienticians are rushing to prove by July that he is, in fact, a physical constant.” (Sport is a TV Show) (Must Read Soccer)
“There are strong rumours this morning that, in Gareth Barry’s absence, Fabio Capello is considering switching to a system featuring three centre-backs for the World Cup. It would unquestionably be a risky move, completely changing England’s shape that was so successful in qualifying, and installing a three-man defence that hasn’t been used effectively by England for twenty years. The BBC report states that ‘A switch in formation would be a major change for the Italian, who has demonstrated his preference for 4-4-2 throughout his coaching career’, which is certainly true, but a three-man defence has not been alien to him.” (Zonal Marking)
“The Premier League may not be home to the best football, an honour belonging to La Liga of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but it is certainly home to the most excitement. The Spanish keep their beach-balls on the beach. The season lacked a star but not drama and there was enough barmy material to keep soap-opera scriptwriters in episodes for years.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
“As the dust settles on a Premier League season that somehow managed to be full of surprises and yet completely predictable at the same time, Football Further looks at some of the tactical trends that characterised the campaign.” (Football Further)
The 2010 Premier Premiership Revue Review
“Was this a season of disappointment? Of competitive balance? A two horse race with an overpriced and underachieving show pony stealing headlines? Has the European soccer planet shifted gravitational pull towards the Iberian peninsula? The story lines abounded, and a few refreshing moments shall wet your appetite before the MOST IMPORTANT EVENT is explained.” (futfanatico)
“It depends how you want to interpret the number ‘1′. There is no shame in losing a league title by a single point, but the flip side is that when you’re a club as used to success as Manchester United, a mere one season without silverware is considered a failure. The statistics about goals easily sum up United’s problems. They had the best defensive record, despite the fact that first-choice central defensive partnership Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic started just nine of the 38 games together.” (Zonal Marking)
“Ronaldinho’s gap-toothed grin will be missing from the Brazilian team photos from South Africa. The most dazzling player of a generation was omitted from Dunga’s preliminary roster Tuesday, signaling perhaps that supreme talent alone is not enough to be part of the Seleção, and that training habits and commitment may also be important.” (NYT)
“Chelsea – Premiership champions 2009/10. A great side? Probably not, but it’s hard to argue that, over the course of the season, they do not deserve to lift the trophy. In terms of the players who have started the greatest number of matches, Chelsea’s XI this season reads: Petr Cech (34); Branislav Ivanovic (21), John Terry (37), Ricardo Carvalho (22), Ashley Cole (25); Jon Obi Mikel (21), Michael Ballack (26), Frank Lampard (36), Florent Malouda (25), Nicolas Anelka (31) and Didier Drogba (31). And yet, on only one one occasion this season has that XI actually started a match together, in the 2-0 home victory over Arsenal in February, when Ancelotti fielded a Christmas Tree formation with Anelka and Malouda playing Didier Drogba.” (Zonal Marking)
Carlo Ancelotti eyes long Chelsea stay & more trophies
“Boss Carlo Ancelotti plans to establish Chelsea as the leading force in English football after winning the Premier League in his first season at the club. The Blues last lifted the title in 2006 but thrashed Wigan 8-0 on Sunday to wrest it away from Manchester United.” (BBC)
Chelsea Wins Premier League Title
“Chelsea regained the English Premier League soccer title from Manchester United with a 8-0 victory over Wigan on Sunday as Didier Drogba scored three goals. Even though United finished the campaign with a 4-0 home victory over Stoke at Old Trafford, the big celebrations were at Stamford Bridge in London where goals by Mr. Drogba, two by Nicolas Anelka and one each by Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole left Chelsea champions by one point in manager Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in English football.” (WSJ)
“‘What makes a player?’ Answers to this question, here quoted from Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger’s foreword to the newish book A Beautiful Game, are plentiful in world football. We debate the right age to go pro, the role of intensive youth academies, shifting population demographics, the dangers and benefits of increasing professionalization, and more in hopes of figuring out how to best tap the potential of millions of children playing the game with unstructured joy.” (Pitch Invasion)
“Liverpool’s dismal season ended as it began, with a whimper, as they were second best in a goalless draw at relegated Hull. If this was to be Rafael Benitez’s last match in charge – and his future remains very much in doubt – it would be a sad end to his Anfield reign. Hull had the better chances with Mark Cullen missing two close-range chances in the first half, while the closest Liverpool came was when Alberto Aquilani hit the crossbar just before the interval and Steven Gerrard a post moments before the final whistle.” (ESPN)
“After a woeful season, many Liverpool fans would be forgiven for wanting to see the back of a manager whose sole CV highlight in six years is one implausible achievement in Istanbul. But on Merseyside, they don’t and it’s perplexing. That Rafa Benítez got Liverpool to another Champions League final, won an FA Cup and finished second last season should not cloud the matter that he has had ample time and funds to forge a regular title-challenging squad. Seventh, if that’s where they finish this season, is a woeful effort for a side boasting Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Javier Mascherano, Glen Johnson and Jamie Carragher” (WSC)
“The Premier League’s most exciting ever season will end this Sunday. Well, that’s what I heard on the BBC and Sky during the weekend. They have had less to say about it being three of the same old big four swapping places at the top of the table. As a close contest it had more to do with the inconsistency and obvious flaws of the top teams than the excellence of their football. And the sub-plot of teams competing to get their snouts in the fourth place of the Champions League trough has been taking place 16 points distant from the top – hardly an advert for competitive balance.” (WSC)
“Liverpool’s parent company posted a huge loss of £54.9m for the year ended on 31 July 2009 as debt interest payments and severance costs hit hard. The loss was 34% worse than 2008’s figure as £40.1m went on servicing the club’s £351.4m debt to Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and US firm Wachovia. Pay-offs to senior staff, including former chief executive Rick Parry, accounted for a further £4.3m.” (BBC)
Benitez meeting offers no hints to Liverpool future
“The future direction of Liverpool hasn’t become any clearer after the first in a series of meetings between Rafael Benitez, chairman Martin Broughton and managing director Christian Purslow on Thursday.” (ESPN)
Andrea Mantegna, Pallas Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue
“Tottenham emerged victorious from this Champions League playoff, primarily because they created more clear-cut chances. Peter Crouch’s winner was slightly fortunate, but it was no more than Spurs deserved. Manchester City played their expected line-up in a game they needed to win – two strikers with Emmanuel Adebayor as the targetman, and Carlos Tevez dropping off in behind, in a position he seems to prefer, judging by his recent display at Arsenal. Craig Bellamy and Adam Johnson continued as inverted wingers.” (Zonal Marking)
Manchester City 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1: match report
“Fortune favoured the brave last night and the brave now inherit a fortune. Adventurously set up by Harry Redknapp, Tottenham Hotspur hit the heights of the lucrative Champions League and it was the 6ft 7in Peter Crouch who lifted them and their ecstatic support into dream-land.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
Match Of The Midweek: Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
“When the Champions League play-off suggestion was made earlier this season (and laughed out of court accordingly), few would have guessed that we would be where we are with four and a half days of the Premier League season left to play. Aston Villa’s wobbly second half of the season coupled with Liverpool ably demonstrating that the abjectness that they displayed during the first half of the season was absolutely no flash in the pan have set up something approaching what the originators of the plan had envisaged. With two matches left of the season, either Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur will be taking their chances in the final qualifying round of the Champions League. It has been a very odd season indeed in the Premier League.” (twohundredpercent)
Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur – Video Highlights and Recap – EPL – 5 May 2010“The battle for the last UEFA Champions League spot in the English Premier League was at stake on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 as Manchester City hosted Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs had a one point lead over City before the match and would clinch a top four finish with a victory. Both teams will be playing in Europe next season in either the Europa or Champions League.” (The 90th Minute)
“Having supposedly died out halfway through the last decade, the 4-4-2 formation has enjoyed a surprising renaissance this season. England’s unthinking attachment to the shape first introduced by Alf Ramsey’s ‘Wingless Wonders’ in 1966 (pictured) took a battering when José Mourinho swaggered into English football in 2004 and promptly won back-to-back Premier League titles with a counter-attacking 4-3-3 at Chelsea. The 2006 World Cup, meanwhile, was dominated by teams playing in a 4-2-3-1 to such an extent that hosts Germany were the only side playing in a 4-4-2 to achieve anything of note in the tournament.” (Football Further)
“All great relationships come to an end, the natural course having run as far as it can. Sometimes they start passionately and brightly and quickly burn away to nothingness. Sometimes, they are a slowly burning and taut affair that consumes all within them in a supernova of passion oblivious to all around them. Occasionally, despite saying the opposite, things simply aren’t working. The public face presents a lie, when everything behind the scenes falls apart.” (EPL Talk)
“General Custer, in his last stand, was ambushed by overwhelming forces. Rafael Benitez might perceive a similar scenario when he barrels to the dugout at Anfield today for what is likely to be his last stand at a stadium where he has given wing to so many dreams.” (TimesOnline)
“Liverpool find themselves in the awkward position of potentially crowning bitter rivals Manchester United as Premier League champions today. If Liverpool defeat Chelsea, United could set up their 19th League title by beating Sunderland today and Stoke next week, while also going above Liverpool as the most successful club in the history of English football.” (WSC)
Adoration of the Magi, Sandro Botticelli
“Chelsea edged closer to the Premier League title with a crucial victory over Liverpool at Anfield. An error by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard handed Didier Drogba a simple opening goal in the first half and Frank Lampard added a second after the break. The result ensured Chelsea remained in pole position to win their first championship for four years but also finally put paid to the Merseysiders’ hopes of securing Champions League football next season.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea: goals change games
“In the end, Chelsea were comfortable, and effectively won the title today against a poor, tired Liverpool side that didn’t get a shot on target until the 91st minute of the match – but Liverpool had started the stronger. The home side were without their regular full-backs, and chose to deploy Javier Mascherano at right-back, and Daniel Agger at left-back. Alberto Aquilani started as the most advanced of the three midfield players.” (Zonal Marking)
Didier Drogba says Steven Gerrard’s mistake gave Chelsea confidence
“Didier Drogba, the Chelsea centre-forward, said that Steven Gerrard’s mistake had given the Premier League leaders the momentum they needed to go four points clear of title rivals Manchester United. Drogba nipped in to intercept Gerrard’s back pass to put Chelsea ahead and Frank Lampard added a second after the break.” (Guardian)
“We’ve got another vintage documentary for you as this week’s “Video For The Week”. Produced as part of the “Jaywalking” series of local interest documentaries for the Midlands commercial television station ATV in 1975, “Shouts For City!” follows local television stalwart Sue Jay as she spends some time with local club Stoke City. As a club that had been one of the founder members of the Football League in 1888, they had long been punctuated with great players such as Gordon Banks and Stanley Matthews, but had never built a team that would achieve true greatness.” (twohundredpercent)
“Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan scored against Liverpool for the second time in a week to end the Merseysiders’ dreams of a third European final in five years. The former Manchester United forward, who hit the only goal in the first leg, stabbed home the crucial extra-time away goal which booked their place in May’s Europa.” (ESPN)
Liverpool 2 – 1 Atletico Madrid (agg 2 – 2)
“Diego Forlan struck an extra-time away goal to end Liverpool’s Europa League hopes and book Atletico Madrid’s place in the final against Fulham on 12 May. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Spain, Liverpool levelled the tie when Alberto Aquilani converted Yossi Benayoun’s cross with a fine finish. And they added a second early in extra time through Benayoun’s half-volley.” (BBC)
Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid – Video Highlights and Recap – Europa League – Thursday, April 29, 2010
“Liverpool hosted Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Europa League Semifinals second leg on Thursday, April 29, 2010. If they were to advance, they would meet Fulham in final with two English clubs. Atletico Madrid had a 1-0 lead from the first leg and would advance with a draw or a 2-1 score with an away goal. The match took place at Anfield where Liverpool traditionally have been very strong.” (The 90th Minute)
Peter Paul Rubens. A Peasant Dance
“Two goals from captain Steven Gerrard, a first Liverpool strike for Maxi Rodriguez and a late effort from Ryan Babel relegated Burnley from the Premier League and kept alive the Merseysiders’ distant hopes of finishing fourth. With two matches to play the Clarets cannot now catch 17th-placed West Ham and return to the Championship after just one season in the top flight.” (ESPN)
Burnley 0-4 Liverpool – Recap and Video Highlights – EPL – Sunday, April 25, 2010
“Liverpool still had slim hopes of Champions League football for next season but needed a win at Burnley. The two teams met at the Turf Moor on Sunday, April 25, 2010. Burnley have all but been relegated while Liverpool is in one of the Europa League spots before the match. A win for Liverpool would move them within two points of 4th place.” (The 90th Minute)
“Liverpool failed to gain any reward for their valiant efforts in making the long-haul trip to Madrid as a familiar foe gave Atletico a 1-0 victory in their Europa League semi-final first leg. Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan hit a scrappy winner in only the ninth minute but the tie is far from over and even without an away goal Rafael Benitez’s side will be optimistic of overturning the result at Anfield next week.” (ESPN)
Scissors Kick 