Napoli 1-1 Bayern: all the action in the first half

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“These two sides seemed to settle for a draw in the final stages – they remain in the top two positions in Group A, the toughest in the competition. Walter Mazzarri went with his first choice XI with one caveat – Juan Zuniga played instead of Andrea Doessena as the left wing-back, although he is seeing a lot of playing time this season anyway. Jupp Heynckes’ selection was also his most-used players this season with a single exception – Jerome Boateng played instead of Rafinha. This was a peculiar match – a very interesting tactical battle in the first half with the two goals both owing much to the formations and positioning of the sides, and then (in tactical terms) a completely dead battle in the second.” Zonal Marking

Uncertainty interfering with play

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“There could have been plenty of talking points in Germany following the Bundesliga’s ninth round of games at the weekend. Bayern Munich’s continuing, and almost ridiculous, dominance, for instance, or the sudden insurgence of the cellar dwellers, as the bottom three teams all won away from home. Instead, almost everyone – from coaches to pundits like Franz Beckenbauer to the viewers of Werder Bremen announcer Arnd Zeigler’s cult call-in show on regional television – were debating one particular aspect of the rulebook.” ESPN

English Football’s Map of Europe

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“EURO 2012 Qualifying may be over for the time being and although England are in second place behind Montenegro, here is a little glimpse of your average Englishman’s perception of European footballing nations. This is English Football’s Map of Europe by our friend Charlie Anderson (@lucianosays). Be sure to have a look at his site (Things Fall Apart) as well. I think it’s just about right, yeah? It’s all about coming out as the moral victor.” A Football Report

Andy Gray Questions Whether Barcelona Could Handle Stoke or Blackburn
“I admire Lionel Messi’s incredible skills as much as the next soccer fan, but I’m not a member of the recent love fest in the British media where they’ve heralded Barcelona as the greatest team ever. They’re up there, no doubt, but I question Messi’s talent when he comes up against the tough teams either in the Champions League or World Cup, where the Argentine routinely disappears in matches whenever he’s faced against a tough opponent. So many of the opponents that Messi faces in La Liga look like Swiss cheese, allowing the best player in the world too much space to dart in and out before pulling the trigger to score wonderful goals.” EPL Talk

Barcelona Couldn’t Do It On A Wet Wednesday At Stoke
“We’ve all done it at some stage. Pose a hypothetical and often incomprehensible scenario to our fellow co-workers or a friend down the pub in order to back-up an already suspect football related argument. Compared a team of the past to one of the present, constructed a parallel universe where all shots hitting crossbar and posts go in, removed a key player from a club and modified their future results accordingly or, in Andy Gray’s case, cherry picked teams of vastly different stature and speculated on the outcome.” Sabotage Times

Bad start for new Argentina coach

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“Last Tuesday when Venezuela beat Argentina in the second round of South America’s World Cup qualifiers it was historic, but hardly surprising. Venezuela have been making dramatic strides, had home advantage and were taking on an especially vulnerable Argentina side – whose 4-1 win at home to Chile the previous Friday may have disguised the fact.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Latin America’s power struggle
“Just a few rounds gone and, of the nine teams in contention, only two have yet to win a game. The other seven already have one success to their name, but nobody has two. The figures don’t just show it, they shout it: World Cup qualification in South America is more competitive than anywhere else on the planet.” ESPN – Tim Vickery

From the Secret Rulebook

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“Expressions of regret at missing a chance to score require, in almost all circumstances, contact between (a) one’s two hands and (b) one’s head. It is never appropriate to employ one hand only to demonstrate one’s dismay and/or wrath. Parts of the body other than the head may be touched, but only after manual contact with the head. All appropriate hand gestures will employ bilateral symmetry. The repertoire of approved gestures — to be used immediately after popping the easy header over the bar, scuffing the volley into the turf, or dragging the simple side-foot shot well wide of the gaping net — is as follows…” Run of Play

The Rendez-Vous. A Bagatelle for Arsenal in Russian Landscape
“Anyone who has crossed from the leafy district of Hertfordshire to that of Brockhall Village will probably have been struck by the sharp difference between the natives of the respective provinces of Arsenal and Blackburn. The peasant of Brockhall is short, stooping, sullen; he looks at you from under his brows, lives in flimsy huts of poplar wood, does labour-duty for his master; never goes in for trade; eats badly, wears pleated shoes. In Hertfordshire the peasant pays rent and lives in spacious cabins of pinewood; he is tall, with a bold gay way of looking at you and a clean white face; he trades in oil and tar, and on feast-days wears boots.” Run of Play

Media punta power

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“Pride of place this week goes once again to Levante, who stay second behind Barcelona on goal difference after beating Malaga 3-0 in the duel of the new-teams-on-the-block. It’s true that Malaga lost their goalkeeper Willy (he might have to change the name on his shirt if he ever gets signed by an English team) after half an hour to a sending-off, but Levante proved themselves perfectly capable of taking full advantage, winning a game with lots of symbolic meaning attached to it.” ESPN

Lazio 2-1 Roma: Full-backs give Roma the early advantage but Lazio nick it late on

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“A game that turned on a red card and penalty decision – Luis Enrique won the early battle, but Eddy Reja’s side came through for him in stoppage time. Reja chose his usual shape, a cross between a 4-3-1-2 and a 4-2-3-1. Hernanes was the playmaker, Djibril Cisse a left-sided forward, and Alvaro Gonzalez deeper on the right. Enrique was without Francesco Totti and David Pizarro started on the bench, so Miralem Pjanic played as the number ten in, broadly, a 4-3-1-2. A victory for Lazio, then – they had the better of the game overall, but great credit should go to Enrique for his bravery throughout the fixture.” Zonal Marking

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United: little technical quality in open play, goals from set-pieces

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“A poor first half was followed with a more positive second, but neither side stamped their authority on the game. Kenny Dalglish went with the expected side – Steven Gerrard returned to play just behind Luis Suarez, with Dirk Kuyt in the side on the right. Sir Alex Ferguson’s line-up was far from expected – he used Phil Jones in midfield, with Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Nani all on the bench. Liverpool probably had the better of the game – 15 shots (to United’s 11), five on target (to United’s two) and more clear-cut chances. The overall tactical battle was uninteresting, however – static, pedestrian and cautious for the majority of the 90 minutes.” Zonal Marking

Ferguson shuffles his pack at Anfield
“By the end, Sir Alex Ferguson had reverted to type. He had introduced attacker after attacker, seen Manchester United score the latest in a long line of late goals and witnessed and withstood an eventful finale. Quintessential Ferguson? Perhaps, but earlier he had illustrated he is the oldest chameleon in the business. The advocate of experience doubles up as a champion of youth, the apostle of all-out attack venturing into the realms of the defensive strategist. United, the side with 14 goals in three previous games against title rivals, opted for Operation Stifle.” ESPN

Liverpool have good day at the office as owners seek an equitable life
“Until this week there was the sense of it being one long handshake – one big nod to the Kop tradition – but now Liverpool’s new owners are getting down to business, coveting a larger share of overseas TV rights and bemoaning the cost of modern players.” Guardian

Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney show why they must both take their place on plane to Poland
“Ever since Rooney’s eviction from a rain-lashed field in Montenegro nine days ago, Welbeck’s star has risen higher and higher. He started against Liverpool, a delight to those United fans who viewed the “19” on his back as a reminder to their hosts of Old Trafford’s title collection. Capello has confirmed Welbeck will feature prominently during England’s ensuing friendlies as the coach seeks the “solution” to Rooney’s absence for the group stage in Poland and Ukraine. Only 20, Welbeck signalled his promise with a selfless 90 minutes.” Telegraaph – Henry Winter

La Liga Review: FC Barcelona 3, Racing de Santander 0, Or, The Good Kind of Zombie Movie

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“It’s a well-known fact by now that Barça doesn’t do well on the return from international break. With a small squad, mostly formed by players that are required to put a show with their NTs all over the world, Guardiola usually has to deal with a bunch of jet-lagged, sort-of-kind-of injured zombies on dates like this. No wonder that Barça goes from picking 81% of the points in play, under normal circumstances, to a measly 50% on FIFA virus days.” The Offside (Video)

Barcelona 3 – 0 Racing Santander
“Lionel Messi reached another Barcelona landmark with two more brilliant goals to inspire his side to victory over Racing Santander. The Argentinian added the finish following a slick one-two with Andres Iniesta to move clear in second on the Catalan club’s list of all-time top goalscorers. And he rounded off the scoring with a simple finish after Iniesta had produced an outrageous piece of skill and shot against a post.” ESPN

World Cup rights bidding to have major implications for U.S. soccer

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“Next Wednesday is one of the most important days of the next decade for soccer in the United States. That’s when bids are due in Zürich, Switzerland, for the U.S. broadcast rights for World Cups ’18 and ’22. ESPN, NBC and Fox are expected to bid for the English-language rights, while Univisión and NBC-owned Telemundo are expected to be in competition for the Spanish-language rights. After the bids are submitted on Wednesday — there will be no formal presentations, as there were for the Olympic rights bids earlier this year — the FIFA executive committee will meet on Thursday and could reach a decision on the winners as soon as that day.” SI

Freiburg 1-2 Hamburg

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“Hamburg remain bottom of the table despite beating fellow strugglers Freiburg in a mistake-laden game at a sunny Badenova-stadion. Interim coach Frank Arnesen needed to guide the north German side to a two-goal margin victory to haul themselves out of 18th spot, but the win at least moves the club level on points with Freiburg and Augsburg. However, if the home side hadn’t been so wasteful in front of goal in the second half, they would have won this game comfortably. Despite producing a wonderfully disciplined first half performance, Hamburg’s defence fell to pieces in the second half, and were ultimately bailed out by their deadly attackers. HSV have now won two of their last three games, and incoming coach Thorsten Fink will have seen enough from this performance to suggest that his new team are too good to go down.” Defensive Midfielder

Brian Glanville on the importance to England of Wayne Rooney

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“And so: no Rooney. Not at the beginning of the European finals which now may or may not take part in disorganised Ukraine as well as Poland. Nor the ensuing friendly at Wembley against Spain. A match from which Fabio Capello has logically enough excluded him.” World Soccer

Euro 2012: Wayne Rooney’s three-match ban a major headache for Fabio Capello
“The nightmare deepens. Rooney has been banned for the group stage of Euro 2012 and England’s manager, Fabio Capello, faces the biggest decision of his tenure over whether to select somebody who could prove only a tourist at the tournament. Rooney was said to be ‘shocked and disappointed’ at the three-game ban. Capello himself was understood to be ‘stunned’ when the news from Nyon was broken to him, a reflection on his conviction that Rooney would receive only 90 minutes in purdah and how grievously he felt the lengthened loss of such a talent. Yet this largely unlovable Italian is not paid £6 million a year to clamber on to the nearest window-ledge at the first hint of adversity.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

Fabio Capello has to make big decision over Wayne Rooney for Euro 2012
“Fabio Capello has been forced to consider leaving Wayne Rooney out of his squad for Euro 2012 after Uefa’s control and disciplinary body handed the England striker a three-match ban that will rule him out of the group stage of next summer’s tournament in Poland and Ukraine.” Guardian

No longer underdogs, Ghana need to become a more complete attacking force

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“When you’re an unfancied side, playing reactive football is natural. It’s how successful underdogs at international level have set out over the past decade, with Greece in 2004 the obvious example. In aesthetic terms they were mundane, but their strategy of defending solidly and breaking quickly was clearly extremely useful. Their key goals came from set-pieces, but they did have an emphasis upon direct football in open play. Venezuela and Paraguay both overachieved at this summer’s Copa America with a not dissimilar style of play, and for various reasons, it makes sense for the underdogs to play this way.” Zonal Marking

Kubala’s legacy at Barcelona

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“Lionel Messi could become the standalone second highest scorer in Barcelona’s history on Saturday night as the Spanish champions take on struggling Racing Santander – Messi needs just one goal to pass Ladislao Kubala’s 194-goal record in all competitions. César still stands in his way but, while the 24-year-old continues to press his claims as a Barcelona great, he still has some way to go to overhaul the legacy that Kubala left when he played his last game for the club on August 30, 1961.” ESPN

Book Review: An Illustrated Guide to Soccer & Spanish

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“Although perhaps too much can be made of the so-called language of football, it’s true that the game possesses its fair share of linguistic quirks. The Football Lexicon, co-authored by occasional Two Unfortunates contributor John Leigh, did a marvellous job highlighting these and the overuse of the word ‘adjudged’ as well as the currency of Hollywood Passes, playmakers and those mysterious channels displays the oddness of the sport’s idiom.” thetwounfortunates

Excerpt: ‘An Illustrated Guide to Soccer and Spanish’
“Soccer in the United States, just like the country itself—even if the National Team and some, um, less liberal sections of the population have yet to fully realize or embrace it—is being shaped by Latino culture. Just listen to Jurgen Klinsmann, the new—and German!—head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, in his introductory press conference. We really don’t have an identity as a soccer-playing nation, but as we, hopefully, start to develop one, Latino culture will and should have as big of an influence as any.” Good Men Project

amazon: An Illustrated Guide to Soccer & Spanish

Comolli helps to guide the statistical revolution at Liverpool

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“This Saturday will mark the anniversary of Fenway Sports Group’s takeover of Liverpool and it comes just a few days after UK magazine FourFourTwo published its annual Football Rich List. The magazine ranked FSG owner John W Henry at 20th in the list, and calculated that each Premier League point Liverpool had earned since the purchase has cost Henry a whopping £7.5 million ($11.7M). (The team it beat last week, local rivals Everton, comes in at £48,000 per point, given that owner Bill Kenwright paid £20M for it in 2004.)” SI

Steven Gerrard is a period piece out of kilter with modern mores

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“Welcome back, then, Steven Gerrard. For all the Premier League’s enduring celebrity tinnitus, the parping flatulence of its star fixation, the return of Liverpool’s captain has been relatively soft-pedalled. Gerrard, who has been suffering from groin‑related maladies, will play against Manchester United on Saturday, his first start since March. And, for once, the rather flaccid fanfare has offered an opportunity to put out a flag or two of one’s own.” Guardian

Ian Ayre, I Am *VERY* Disappointed In You

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“I’ve always rather liked Liverpool. Hardly surprising really. In 1980s Essex, as they were in most of the Home Counties, they were the natural affiliation for all 8 year old boys. Indeed, until my dad took me to Roots Hall and turned me to the mediocre side, I had ‘Shankly Gates’ bedcovers. There, I said it. But there’s something about Liverpool that appeals to me even now, much to the amusement of other more cynical souls. I love the history, the ethos, Bill Shankly’s socialist principles, the Kop and their standing ovations for opponents who have pleased them.” In Bed With Maradona

France 1-1 Bosnia: Bosnia dominate first half, France lucky to get back in the game late on

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“Bosnia were 15 minutes from topping the group, but Samir Nasri’s late penalty put France into Euro 2012. Laurent Blanc brought in Anthony Reveillere and Eric Abidal at the back, and Jeremy Menez came on down the right in a 4-2-3-1. Safet Susic also went with a 4-2-3-1 – albeit with some important modifications, explained later. Despite the result favouring France, Susic got things right tactically from the outset. Bosnia were much more of a force in the first half and can consider themselves unfortunate to have lost the lead late on – they allowed France few clear chances, though rash tackles meant set-pieces were always likely to be a way back into the game for the home side.” Zonal Marking

The McDonaldization of English Football

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“Football ‘has always been‘, writes David Conn in The Guardian, ‘riven with contradiction between the amateur sporting principles of the game’s founding fathers and the professional carnival to which they unwittingly gave birth‘. This is undoubtedly true, and such a split is wider now than it has ever been. The chasm between the grassroots and the £100,000 salaries of celebrity players or £100 non-VIP tickets at the Emirates Stadium emanate from the popularity of the 1990 World Cup and the advent of Sky Sports soon after.” In Bed With Maradona

Preparing for yet another white elephant mega-event

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“‘The whole country is celebrating a gift to all our people,’ Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych brazenly announced at last weekend’s official opening of Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, the 70,000-seat venue that will stage the Euro 2012 final. What a wonderful present indeed for the people of the economically crippled Ukraine! And a gift being something that you receive for free, one must assume that the estimated costs for the stadium of over £500 million did not come from the people’s pocket. Just as Shakira, who sang at the opening ceremony, no doubt waived her fee and showed up for the mere prestige of being there.” WSC

Classic Players: Ronaldo – A year in Catalunya

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“As part of our ever expanding features this season, we introduce a new section to the website – the classics. As important as the current scheme of Spanish football is, and the future, it would be wrong to neglect its fine history. To overlook this area for us will be Mohamed Moallim, who becomes our chief writer on all things of a historical nature. Here he starts with a ‘phenomenal’ story…” Spanish Football

Tensions rise, sparks fly as Greece, Croatia go their separate ways

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“Friday should have been a night of triumph for Greece. A 2-0 win over Croatia moved it back to the top of its Euro 2012 qualifying group, and a draw away to Georgia on Tuesday will guarantee the top spot in the group, while Slaven Bilic’s Croatian side has to go through a playoff. But the events in the stand that caused the match to be stopped for seven minutes cast a long shadow. None of Greece’s 11 national sports papers led with the hooliganism, but these were serious outbreaks, not something to be brushed under the carpet of a satisfactory result.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Goals galore in South American World Cup qualifiers

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“It’s the same teams, three months apart, coming up with a totally different spectacle. Back in July the Copa America in Argentina was always enthralling, but its fascination was frequently the grim, attritional kind, with defences holding the upper hand. Now in October, the first round of South America’s marathon World Cup qualification campaign produced four open games – at times absurdly so – and 15 goals. Much of this can be explained by the differing demands of tournament and league football.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Montenegro 2 – 2 England

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Jacques-Louis David, The Intervention of the Sabine Women
“Wayne Rooney was sensationally sent off for the second time in his England career to spoil what should have been the celebration of reaching Euro 2012. First-half goals from Ashley Young and Darren Bent were enough to claim a draw against a Montenegro side who were rampant in the second half following Elsad Zverotic’s deflected effort in stoppage time before the break, and they levelled at the end through Andrija Delibasic to grab a play-off berth. But the journey home for England was spoiled by Rooney’s red.” ESPN

Montenegro 2 England 2: match report
“On a stormy night in the Balkans, England made desperately heavy weather of reaching Euro 2012, receiving a timely wake-up call about the work required before next summer, also receiving a painful reminder that Wayne Rooney can still walk on the wild side. No excuses for Rooney. No expectations for England. As the rain lashed down, goals from Ashley Young and Darren Bent put Fabio Capello’s side in charge but poor concentration allowed Elsad Zverotic and then Andrija Delibasic to underline the reality that England are only a qualified success.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

Montenegro or bust: England must be wary of an in-form striker
“England: beware Mirko Vucinic! He has a penchant for scoring goals against English sides; as he showed when he was playing up front for Roma. Now the Montenegro striker is playing up front with great success for Juventus and had an outstanding match last weekend when Juve beat Milan in Turin. Just turned 27, Vucinic was the perfect all round lone ranger, linking cleverly with his midfielders, well able to hold the ball up, as well as to strike for goal.” World Soccer

Self-harming England give Fabio Capello plenty to ponder
“Fabio Capello must now prepare not for one European Championship, but two. At some point in the group stage – after one game or two if Uefa extends the punishment – the England coach will have to take his team sheet for the start of the tournament and rip it up, to allow for the return of Wayne Rooney, who was dismissed against Montenegro for a lamentable loss of self-control.” Guardian

Euro 2012: Five lessons Fabio Capello can learn from World Cup failure
“1. Avoid a repeat of the claustrophobic training camp in Rustenburg. England and Fabio Capello appear to have learned from their experiences in South Africa, where their choice of base – the isolated, if plush, Royal Bafokeng complex on the outskirts of Rustenburg – prompted the familiar complaints of mind-numbing tedium from his squad.” <a href=”

The race to the Euros

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“By Tuesday evening we’ll know the 12 of the 16 nations which will participate at Euro 2012. Poland and Ukraine will be there as hosts of the tournament, while England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain can already book their flights. The eight group winners qualify automatically along with the best runner-up. As three groups only have five teams, the groups with six teams will have the record of the team finishing bottom of the group ignored to calculate the best runner-up. We take a group-by-group look at who can still qualify, and how they can get to the finals. Head to head record comes before goal difference in this qualifying campaign.” ESPN

Football Manager 2012 3D Match Views: Sneak Video Preview

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“The release of Football Manager 2012 is just weeks away, but we have a sneak preview of what the enhanced 3D Match Views will look like. As you can see from the above video, the level of detail that has been added to the 3D Match Views is quite substantial. That includes everything from improved stadiums, player injuries, animated player responses, better lighting and much more.” EPL Talk

Belgium’s “Golden Generation” hits a rocky road on the way to Rio

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“The idea that Belgium could have an outside chance of winning the 2014 World Cup might seem strange to anyone who considers its lack of recent success and a domestic league suffering from low budgets and poor stadiums. However, a look at the current squad shows that for the first time in 20 years there is talent to spare: Vincent Kompany, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, Steven Defour, Axel Witsel, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Moussa Démbéle; the list is endless. This sudden blossoming of talent though is more by accident than design. Sadly, there is no Belgian blueprint.” SI

Argentina 4-1 Chile: debut victory for Sabella

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“Alejandro Sabella’s first competitive game ended in a convincing 4-1 win over an ever-entertaining Chilean side. Sabella chose a flexible 4-4-1-1ish shape for the game – more on that later. One of the more eye-catching selection decisions was his choice of Rodrigo Braña in the holding role, his trusted number five from Estudiantes. Having played 3-4-1-2 for most of the Copa America, Claudio Borghi tilted the midfield triangle to include both Mati Fernandez and Jorge Valdivia, leaving Carlos Carmona as the sole holder in an unusual 3-1-4-2ish shape. Main man Alexis Sanchez was out injured.” Zonal Marking

Czech Republic 0 – 2 Spain

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“Spain continued their 100% record in Euro 2012 qualifying and kept Scotland’s hopes of sealing a play-off place from Group I alive with a dominant win over the Czech Republic. Juan Mata’s calm finish in the sixth minute put the visitors in control and they doubled their lead midway through the first half as Xabi Alonso slotted home a fine cut-back from David Silva.” ESPN

Arsenal’s Finances – 21 Questions

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“Just a few months ago Arsenal were riding high, as they still had credible chances to win trophies in four competitions. However, a late defeat to unfancied Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final initiated an awful sequence of events. Elimination by Barcelona in the Champions League was maybe predictable, though hopes had been high after a scintillating victory in the first leg, but the collapse of form in the Premier League was less understandable.” The Swiss Ramble

Shallowness of France squad echoes Blanc’s Bordeaux slump

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“In the build-up to France’s final two Euro 2012 qualifiers, the French press have been quick to draw comparisons with the situation that faced Les Bleus at the end of their ill-fated qualification campaign for the 1994 World Cup. Needing just a single point from their last two matches at home to Israel and Bulgaria, Gérard Houllier’s side somehow conspired to lose both to gut-wrenching last-minute goals. The stunning failure confirmed France’s unwelcome reputation for producing gifted but psychologically fragile sportsmen and the trauma of the event was only partially alleviated by the outcome of the next World Cup on home soil five years later.” Football Further

Brian Clough: Nobody Ever Says Thank You – By Jonathan Wilson

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“Brian Howard Clough was never less than a complex man; the sum of a contradictory bunch of impulses, desires and drives. Jonathan Wilson, in this first full, critical biography draws an intimate and powerful portrait of one of England’s greatest football managers, and his right-hand man, Peter Taylor, and reveals how their identities were forged in the unforgiving world of post-war football, a world where, as Clough and Taylor’s mentor Harry Storer once said, ‘Nobody ever says thank you.'” In bed With Maradona

Brian Clough, Bosnia & Bruce – Our Chat With Jonathan Wilson
“The words ‘genius’ and ‘legend’ are bandied about football these days far too easily. Nyron Nosworthy accidentally does a Cryuff turn in the face of Wayne Rooney, he’s a ‘legend’… A manager staring defeat in the face brings on two strikers with ten minutes to go, they both score, the team wins, he’s a ‘genius’… please, don’t insult us.” Roker Report

Happy Twenty First, Germany

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“It has been, by any standards, a quiet twenty-first birthday. The reunified German nation celebrated its coming of age on Monday, not with wild revelry, but with a mature, modestly demure acknowledgement of this remarkable achievement. Of course, Germany has been young before its time. Alcohol consumption began not this week, nor surreptitiously in mid-teens, but with uncharacteristic abandon upon its very birth, in the wreckage of the Berlin wall in the remarkable autumn of 1990. Germany has been financially responsible for itself for a long time; and for some years has held the keys to the Eurozone door. It is a protective parent, privately admonishing a young, careless Greece, whilst agreeing to bail it out of its worst excesses.” In Bed With Maradona

Three Stadiums, A Team and A Road: Remembering Romeo Menti

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“Football pays homage to the great and the good through various touching appreciation. At the bottom, above conversation in the pub of course, are songs, ‘I still see that tackle by Moore and when Lineker scored Bobby belting the ball and Nobby dancin,’ that sort of thing. In England most clubs will honour a real legend with a staute, Billy Wright outside Molineux, Billy Bremner at Elland Road, Sir Stanley Matthews at The Britannia. Great managers get roads; Sir Matt Busby Way, Brian Clough Way, Sir Alf Ramsey Way. That prospect certainly gives the adage; Where there’s a will there’s a way, a more physical feel. Finally there’s stands; the Matthew Harding Stand at Stamford Bridge, the Gill Merrick Stand at Birmingham City and so on.” In Bed With Maradona

Ecuador and Venezuela set sights on 2014 World Cup

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“As recently as two decades ago, when Ecuador met Venezuela in World Cup qualification it was about as significant as when Liechtenstein take on the Faroe Islands. Not any longer. This Friday, the two South American countries face each other in the opening round of the continent’s Fifa 2014 World Cup qualifiers – with both entitled to believe that they are taking the first step on the road to the finals in Brazil.” BBC – Tim Vickery

‘Shrek’ represents Valencia’s future

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“He isn’t green or fat, he doesn’t have a movie franchise and there is no Princess Fiona in his life, but Valencia defender Adil Rami is happy to answer to his nickname, “Shrek.” The French-Moroccan will freely admit it’s because he eats voraciously and has been known, just occasionally, to belch. Loudly.” ESPN

Conversations with Paul Binning (Bristol City)

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“Following Keith Millen’s exit from the managerial post at Bristol City earlier this week, we are very pleased to welcome Paul Binning for our latest interview. Paul trades under the name @cider1977 on Twitter and runs the consistently enjoyable blog, The Exiled Robin. He also contributes a regular feature on social media and football that appears in the Bristol City matchday programme and I was lucky enough to pave the way for this conversation when I met Paul in person at Bedminster Cricket Club last week. Here are his thoughts on the interregnum at Ashton Gate…” thetwounfortunates

Ronaldo vs. Messi

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“Tall, powerful, sneering Cristiano Ronaldo and short, slippery, cheerful Lionel Messi ought to form one of the great dichotomies in sports — think Magic/Bird, only in Romance languages. They’re the two best soccer players in the world.1 They star on opposite sides of Real Madrid versus Barcelona, currently the game’s most compelling rivalry. And they’re temperamental opposites — Ronaldo a flamboyant, collar-popping he-diva who measures time in lingerie models, Messi a low-key, affable team player who seems to live for the game.” Grantland

A New Age For the New Saints

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“When a football club averaging just 350 regular fans plays its way into the European history books you cannot help but wonder how it has belied the odds against it. After frightening mighty teams such as RSC Anderlecht and CSKA Sofia in recent years its progression could be the catalyst for a generation of change both in its own fortunes and the league in which it plies its trade.” In Bed With Maradona

Rainbows in the Sky at Night

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“Like every aspiring plutocrat who loves AC Milan, I sometimes fantasise about owning the club. I have big plans for it. Investing heavily in the youth programme. Engineering unbreakable bonds of affection between players and club. Brokering a creative and generous understanding between our ultras and local government. Smiling calmly from the director’s box as the team crushes English clubs in the Champions’ League. This is before we lead our revolutionary boycott of UEFA competitions, demanding a structure that creates more equitable opportunities for smaller leagues and clubs. Giving incentives to star players for participating in local coaching initiatives, and encouraging young players (from the revitalised youth programme) to undertake higher education. Improving the rose gardens at Milanello. Exacting lasting vengeance on those who let so much as a single tear fall from the eyes of Andrea Pirlo.” Run of Play

Soccer Cities: The Ruhr

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“Connected by the local overland regional train, the S-Bahn, Germany’s industrial heartland is home to Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund and German Cup holders Schalke in the top flight, along with Duisburg and Bochum in the second tier. All four enjoy a healthy fan base, with Dortmund and Schalke pulling in some of the highest attendances in Europe, while even modest Rot-Weiss Essen, who reached the German Cup Final as recently as 1994, attract relatively good crowds to their Regionalliga West games in the country’s fourth division.” World Soccer

Arséne Wenger’s side are still searching for their identity

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“Begrudgingly, Arséne Wenger may have to accept progress has been made despite facing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal didn’t play like second-best but the difference in confidence was evident between the two sides; Tottenham with a ruthless ambition about their forward play and Arsenal, nervy and twitchy around the box. When Spurs took the lead, there was an uncertainty about Arsenal’s attacking play. Both their most direct players – and both carrying knocks before the game – were withdrawn, making you wonder why they both started.” The Arsenal Column

Eredivisie Top Scorers Chart based on Win Points Added

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“Traditional top scorers charts rank players simply by counting the number of goals scored, thereby assuming that every single goal scored has equal value. This goes against both emotional feeling and rational thinking. A late winner against superior oppositions ranks higher on both these scales than a goal that extends a dominating home team’s lead from four to five goals.” 11 tegen 11

Guardiola’s cosmetic changes at Barca not necessarily for the better

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“It didn’t start with ‘an exciting interpretation of the 3-4-3 formation,’ but Barcelona admitted a move from pop to pretension with that teaser. As brilliant as Pep Guardiola’s team has been at times this season — last Saturday’s 5-0 win over Atletico shimmered in the floodlights, as did Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Bate in the Champions League — its winks at the pantheon have left it the kind of self-conscious that can be crippling. Three draws from seven games so far are the result: it’s far too good for any of that nonsense. The club is riddled with third album syndrome. Two European Cups down, the search for a third has come with a nasty awareness of what great is and what great should be. The tick-list on what’s required for history-making has been drawn up and handed out to players and coaching staff.” SI

Energie Cottbus 1-4 St Pauli

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“St Pauli moved level on points with 2. Bundesliga league-leaders Eintracht Frankfurt and Greuther Fürth after punishing Energie Cottbus’ mistake-laden defence. The home side cannot stop shipping goals this season, but the worst part was that against St Pauli, they barely created enough chances to compensate for their numerous lapses in concentration at the back. Full credit to the visitors, though, who put in a disciplined performance on and off the ball, capping it by showing their top-flight credentials in front of goal.” Defensive Midfielder

Everton 0 – 2 Liverpool

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Joseph Vernet, Imaginary Landscape, Italian Harbor Scene
“Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was the villain in the eyes of Everton fans after he was involved in the sending-off of Jack Rodwell before scoring the second goal in a controversial 2-0 derby victory. The Uruguay international was berated as a cheat by the majority of Goodison Park – and appeared to have a coin thrown at him – after making the most of Rodwell’s sliding tackle midway through the first half.” ESPN>

Everton vs. LIVERPOOL: 15 positives to take from the game
“Liverpool’s victory against Everton at Goodison Park was marred by an outrageously negligent red card decision, but there were still plenty of positives to take away from the game.” Liverpool Kop

Conversations with Danny Brothers (Northampton Town)

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“Our latest conversation is with Danny Brothers, author of a number of posts for us including a look back at Northampton Town’s 1996-7 play-off winning side. Danny runs his own blog and this has the obligatory moniker, A Load of Cobblers, although he spreads his net beyond the watershed of the River Nene to League 2 as a whole, joining forces with our last interviewee Ben Mayhew and Maxi Hobbs for an enjoyable preview of the season back in August. Here, Danny gives us his views on Gary Johnson, Adebayo Akinfenwa, the challenge of the oval ball game and the club’s current home at Sixfields…” thetwounfortunates

Groningen 1 – 0 Ajax: On hard labor and playing to your strengths

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“By putting up an intense physical battle and smartly targeting their opponent’s weaker points, Groningen earned a 1-0 victory. Winning most tackles in midfield, while pressuring Ajax early on, Groningen frustrated their opponents, paying a price in terms of yellow cards earned, but getting away with three well earned points. Ajax made a powerless and tired experience and never really got to their opponent’s box in order to exploit their own strengths.” 11 tegen 11

Valencia – On The Road To Recovery?

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Roberto Soldado
“Despite losing to Sevilla last weekend, Valencia have made a very promising start to this season, most evidently when they led reigning champions Barcelona twice before securing an unexpected draw. On the one hand, this should not be too much of a surprise, as Valencia have finished third in La Liga in each of the past two seasons, though admittedly they were a hefty 25 points behind Pep Guardiola’s superlative team last year. On the other hand, this represents a hugely impressive achievement for Los Che after all the upheaval they have faced both on and off the pitch.” Swiss Ramble

Hope Solo, on her toes

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“Could they please just let her dance in flats? That’s what I thought as I watched Hope Solo fight her way through a jive in high-heeled converse sneakers. Letting Solo dance in flats would make this whole Dancing With the Stars thing less anxiety provoking. Who isn’t worried about her turning her ankle? Those joints are of national importance! I have been so preoccupied by her feet I’ve scarcely noticed this season’s gender drama.” From A Left Wing

Scotland, Despair and the World Cup Final

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“Sport, and perhaps most predominantly football, is one of the few facets of society where men can be unabashedly emotional and not be frowned upon for being so. The TV cameras love identifying a fan showing their feelings at the end of a big game. Whether it’s the ecstatic character celebrating a title win or a weeping child commiserating relegation, football and emotions are inexorably linked and I, like any other fan have experienced every single one over the years.” In Bed With Maradona

2000s Month: Istanbul

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“It was the night which saw Liverpool born again. The 25th of May 2005 is now synonymous with the European Cup’s most marvellous and fairy tale. Despite the great lustre and rich history surrounding Liverpool, the side were a distant second best to Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan boasting some of the best world’s greatest talents. Indeed, the route to Istanbul for Liverpool contained enough twists and turns for the Kopites to perhaps feel it was their team’s destiny to march on and claim their fifth European Cup.”The Equaliser

2000s Month: The Power of Anfield
“In the UK in the early May of 2005, there was a clash between two different ideologies, cultures and backgrounds as Liverpool played Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final second-leg at Anfield. A few days later there was a general election. Although it was a match low on technical excellence and even tactical nous, the drama of the night more than made up for it.” The Equaliser

The Noordwijk Experiment – Ajax and the 3-4-3

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“The last time Ajax regularly played three at the back, Sandra Bullock was one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood with a bright future ahead, and the same could be said for Ajax who dined at the top of Europe’s elite table. Since those halcyon days Bullock has gone on to amass a fortune and bag an Academy award in the process whereas the Godenzonen have been in the doldrums, slowly losing their identity and barely feasting on the crumbs.” Just Football