“Inter won a crazy game to move within five points of leaders Milan – and they still have a game in hand. Leonardo played Giampaolo Pazzini and Samuel Eto’o but left out Diego Milito in order to bring back Wesley Sneijder. Claudio Ranieri also went with a 4-3-1-2 shape – he was without Francesco Totti and David Pizarro.” Zonal Marking
“Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has committed his future to the club for another 12 months, extending his contract through to the summer of 2012. Guardiola, who would have been out of contract at the end of this season, has led Barca to an unprecedented 16 consecutive victories in La Liga – they have not dropped a single point since drawing at home to Mallorca on October 3 – which eclipses the record set by Real Madrid in 1960-61.” ESPN
Josep Guardiola
ESPN – Pep Guardiola
“1. Kenny Dalglish makes his case for the full-time gig. From flirting with relegation under Roy Hodgson and playing the most unaesthetic style many observers had ever witnessed from a Liverpool team, interim coach Kenny Dalglish has overseen a dramatic turnaround in the club’s fortunes.” SI
“Domm Norris reports on how the issue of racism in Russian football must be considered in a wider historical context, and the potential for positive change.” In Bed With Maradona
“Rangers and Celtic will replay their Scottish Cup fifth-round tie after a pulsating encounter at Ibrox ended with both sides down to 10 men after sharing four goals. It was the first time in 47 years that the home side had hosted Celtic in a Scottish Cup tie but seldom in the intervening time could this famous fixture have produced such an afternoon of drama.” ESPN
Celtic dominate Rangers Cup clash but replay beckons
“Celtic twice came back from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Rangers in their Fifth Round Scottish Cup clash at Ibrox, with both sides ending the game with 10 men. Walter Smith’s side took the lead three minutes into the game with a 20 yard strike from Jamie Ness, and a minute later Steven Davis hit the bar. However soon after Kris Commons equalised for Celtic. But Rangers were back in front just before half time when Steven Naismith was brought down in the box by Celtic keeper Fraser Forster, who was sent off by referee Calum Murray. Steven Whittaker despatched the resultant penalty to send the locals into ecstasy.” Scotzine
“It was a miracle of Marlon de Jesus – and I am still trying to work out how he managed to miss the target. Last Thursday, in the South American Under-20 Championships, Ecuador’s burly striker Edson Montano burst through the right of the Uruguay defence, got to the byline and rolled the ball square to the equally burly De Jesus, who, positioned no more than three metres from the goal, contrived to shoot over the bar. It is a trick he would probably be unable to repeat if he tried.” BBC – Tim Vickery
“Inter Milan threw their hat into the ring for the Scudetto with a dramatic 5-3 win over 10-man Roma. Wesley Sneijder started the scoring in the third minute, but Fabio Simplicio responded for the Giallorossi in the 13th minute. Samuel Eto’o put the home side back in front 10 minutes before the break and the game seemed to be done and dusted for Inter when Nicolas Burdisso was sent off for giving away a penalty, which Eto’o converted in the 63rd minute.” ESPN
Inter Milan 5-3 AS Roma – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
“Even in an eventful summer in France, there was perhaps one transfer which caused the most surprise; that of Laurent Koscielny. Kosicelny made his move from the relative modesty of FC Lorient to the vibrancy and tradition of Arsenal for a fee of £8.5m rising to £10m in 2010; a fee which seems perfectly normally in today’s climate if only Koscielny hadn’t spent just the one season in the country’s top-flight. Cue plenty of back-slapping, man-hugs and lame-cool guy handshakes from those who brokered the move on Lorient’s side.” Arsenal Column
“It’s an all-star line-up for your brand new edition of Football Weekly, with AC Jimbo joined by Sean Ingle, Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and Gregg Roughley in a packed pod. We start by dissecting Fernando Torres’s miserble debut for Chelsea as the Blues went down to resurgent Liverpool. Is the Spaniard the new Chris Sutton? Wiser people than us seem to think so.” Guardian – James Richardson
St George and the Dragon, Vittore Carpaccio
“Two interesting formations produced a tense, tight game which was won by Raul Meireles’ goal. Carlo Ancelotti gave Fernando Torres his debut, fielding the same 4-4-2 diamond system as against Sunderland in midweek, with Nicolas Anelka in the hole behind the front two. Kenny Dalglish continued with his three/five at the back formation, with Jamie Carragher in for Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Maxi Rodriguez replacing Fabio Aurelio.” Zonal Marking
Chelsea 0 – 1 Liverpool
“Fernando Torres’ much-anticipated Chelsea debut ended in disappointment for player and club as Raul Meireles sealed a memorable win for the Spaniard’s former Liverpool team-mates. Meireles hooked home from close range after 68 minutes to take the game – and potentially any lingering title aspirations – from the big-spending Blues. It was a different story for £5 million Torres though, with the most expensive player in British football history hauled off after 65 unremarkable minutes. Torres received a noisy reception when his name was called, with his new fans cheering and his old ones booing the announcement.” ESPN
Luis Suárez, the romantic hothead who fought his way to Liverpool
“Luis Suárez is famous for many things but to employees of Beter Horen, a Dutch hearing aid company, he will always be remembered as the face of a television advertisement promoting its discreet earpieces. That oft-repeated commercial offered some instructive insights into the character of Liverpool’s new £22.8m attacking acquisition from Ajax.” Guardian
Rafael Benitez talks to Football Focus
BBC
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool – Video Highlights
The 90th Minute
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 5, 2011. The full edition of Match Of The Day (all matches in one highlight) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Luke Bowen
“Port Talbot Town 3-0 Caersws – Welsh Cup 4th Round – 5th February 2011 by Mark Pitman. Attentions turned to the Welsh Cup for Welsh Premier League side and last season’s finalists Port Talbot Town as Cymru Alliance opponents Caersws arrived at The GenQuip Stadium. Manager Mark Jones has built a young and talented squad at Port Talbot and their latest test would be against a Caersws side guided by experienced manager Mickey Evans and featuring a number of players with a wealth of Welsh Premier League experience.” The Ball Is Round
“Don’t take one defeat as a sign of decline, after ten straight years in La Liga, the Yellow Submarines show no sign of relenting. Welcome to IBWM Ross Mackiewicz.” In Bed With Maradona
“The teams ranked 14 and 15 in the Eredivisie before the kick-off went into this game knowing that, after wins by both Excelsior and VVV, a loss today would bring them close to the relegation play-offs. Unfortunately this insecurity shone through the start of the match with both teams clearly lacking confidence.” 11 tegen 11
Ajax 2 – 0 De Graafschap: The ugly game explained
“Frank de Boer’s Ajax faced newly promoted side De Graafschap at home in a must-win match to keep up with title contenders PSV and Twente. They ultimately succeeded in their goal of winning three points, but the style of play did not please the home crowd at all as a lot of simple passes were misplaced and De Graafschap proved more stern opposition than most Ajax supporters had expected. Let’s dive into the tactics of this match to find out why Ajax never succeeded to turn on the style…” 11 tegen 11
Wolves 2-1 Man United: poor defending from set-pieces costs United their unbeaten record
“Manchester United lost in the league for the first time this season. Mick McCarthy made two changes. David Jones and David Edwards made way for Jamie O’Hara and Nenad Milijas. Sir Alex Ferguson’s right side of his defence changed – Rafael in for John O’Shea, whilst Jonny Evans was a late replacement for Rio Ferdinand. All the goals here came in an action-packed first half. It was not a particularly ‘tactical’ contest – United were 4-4-2, Wolves were 4-4-1-1 with Jamie O’Hara just off Kevin Doyle. Both sides played their natural game, and didn’t particularly look to change things throughout.” Zonal Marking
“The last time I was over for the match, smoke bombs were let off during the game, as has become increasingly popular during the brief history of our club. Whereas in the past the effect of flares and smokebombs had looked ace (view based on anecdotal evidence from messageboard comments and friends, as well as my own views), and had even received positive acclaim from some unlikely sources (ESPN’s commentary of the Brighton FA Cup replay described our support as colourful whilst showing footage of the flares. Shoot Magazine featured a photo of the flares at the Rochdale game and commented on the tremendous atmosphere directly underneath that photo), the effect on the 22nd January was however slightly underwhelming.” FCUM A.D.
“Rwanda is a country that still bears the scars of its recent past. Just seventeen years ago 850,000 people were murdered as post-colonial tensions spilled over into a genocide that was perpetrated by members of the Hutu ethnic community against the Tutsi people. Powerful memories of those brutal days still reverberate throughout modern Rwanda, but today the country is one of contemporary Africa’s greatest success stories.” The Equaliser
“For the first time since the inception of this blog, writers of TYAC have not touched on a USMNT match – the USA-Chile match last week. At this point, a comprehensive analysis serves no purpose for two reasons…” The Yanks Are Coming
“It’s Super Bowl weekend here in the United States and football is on my mind. I grew up in Los Angeles, a city without an NFL team. In fact I’ve never lived in a city with an NFL team. When I’m asked what team I support I run through a brief flow chart, and this year I’m backing the Pack. I’ve based my chart predominantly on geography, and the Packers come out on top because I lived in Wisconsin for three years. You could say this makes me a disingenuous fan or some kind of fake or a bandwagoner, but nobody ever has. People just shrug and nod their head. It’s not that controversial.” Run of Play
“A handful of surprise results saw Lyon, Rennes and champions Marseille fall off the pace in the title race, while Paris Saint-Germain tightened their grip on second place and Bordeaux ended a six-match winless run stretching back to the end of November. Lyon’s 13-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt halt in a 2-1 loss at Valenciennes, with Aly Cissokho the chief culprit in an error-strewn performance and Yoann Gourcuff worryingly off the pace. It followed hot on the heels of a 1-0 defeat by Nice in the Coupe de France and left Claude Puel’s side seven points off the pace in third place.” Football Further
Pedro
“Who are your top 3 players in the world? Naturally it changes every couple of years as new stars emerge. At the end of 2011? Here’s Luke Colbourne on a contender.” In Bed With Madadona
“It was assumed that Fernando Torres’ arrival would mean a place on the bench for Nicolas Anelka, but Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over Sunderland showed that Carlo Ancelotti might have a different role in mind for the Frenchman. So far this season, Chelsea have generally lined up in a 4-3-3 shape, with Anelka and Florent Malouda either side of Didier Drogba. In the long term, Torres might not be competing with Anelka and Drogba, who will be 32 and 33 respectively by the end of this campaign, but for the final months of the season, Ancelotti has somewhat of a selection dilemma, with three top-class strikers.” Zonal Marking
“Michael Cox is the editor of the award-winning tactics site Zonal Marking. He also does regular chalkboard analysis for the Guardian and appears on their Football Weekly podcast. But then, you probably knew all that. So let’s just hear about Michael’s favourite goal …” Ghost Goal
“Ask Danny Last, editor of European Football Weekends, whether he thinks Fernando Torres will be a success for Chelsea and you’ll most likely be greeted with a blank stare and disinterested mumbles. But ask him about football stadiums in Romania or fan culture in Turkey and the response couldn’t be more different. Like a frog in a pond or Jose Mourinho in a press conference, Danny is at home when he speaks about football travel culture. It is his passion and for many years it has taken over his life.” Football Nomad
“AC Milan have been making waves in the transfer market of late. But as Adam Digby reports, their most important addition could be a veteran centre-back with a fascinating story.” In Bed With Maradona
“As you dear readers will know, a few weeks ago we popped down to the Keith Tuckey Stadium to take in a game at one of the most newsworthy sides in the Non Leagues, namely, Croydon Athletic. Unless you have been living in Ignorance, Texas then you will have seen the recent take over of the club by a Danish organisation called Fodboldselskabet A/S. My superb Danish skills can tell you that the literal translation is Soccer Company. And that is essentially what they are. A limited company formed to invest and run a football club. Many questioned their potential involvement in English football, so we went round the corner from TBIR’s Copenhagen office to speak to Morten Madsen, Communications Manager for the club and ask him Vad är poängen?” The Ball Is Round
“Raul Meireles and Luis Suarez scored the goals as Liverpool eased to victory. Kenny Dalglish named an interesting team, with Luis Suarez on the bench and Dirk Kuyt upfront alone. Tony Pulis played a 4-5-1 shape – John Carew made his full debut.” Zonal Marking
Liverpool 2 – 0 Stoke City
“Luis Suarez scored on his debut as Liverpool concluded a turbulent few days with a valuable victory over Stoke. The Uruguayan slotted home the Reds’ second goal of the game in front of the Kop to ensure Fernando Torres’ £50 million move to Chelsea was no longer the major talking point. And if questions were being asked about how the Reds would cope in their former striker’s absence then efforts by Suarez and Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles – with his third goal in four matches – provided a swift answer.” ESPN
Reds deals signal break with recent past
“The British record transfer has been attributed to the overseas owner. Rightly so, too. Without Roman Abramovich’s investment of £50 million, Fernando Torres would not be a Chelsea player. Yet this is a deal that owes its origins to another boardroom altogether. It is proof that the poisonous legacy of Tom Hicks and George Gillett extended after the Americans’ time at Anfield officially ended.” ESPN
“Below are video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 1, 2011, February 2, 2011.” The 90th Minute, The 90th Minute
“Juventus were made to pay for their terrible start here, and lost the game despite dominating for long periods. Delio Rossi made one change from the weekend defeat to Inter, as Sinisa Andelkovic came in for Ezequiel Muñoz. However, he was forced to replace Federico Balzaretti early on, and brought on Matteo Darmian at left-back.” Zonal Marking
“Gav Stone is the editor of Les Rosbifs – a fantastic site dedicated to English footballers playing overseas. You can follow him on Twitter @LesRosbifs .. Here is Gav’s favourite goal (it’s No.1 at the end of the video below)…” Ghost Goal
“West Ham outworked Blackpool in the central area of the pitch to record a deserved victory as Ian Holloway shuffled his team selection which ultimately appeared to disrupt the fluency that they have found at many stages this season.” Tangerine Dreaming
Ronaldo
“Does anyone know who’s leading the Liga? No, not La Liga; the Liga, the Primeira Liga—Portugal’s first tier of domestic football. Does anyone know? Does anyone care? Heck, even I’ve been known to look past the Primeira Liga, and I’m Portuguese. That’s the lure of the fast-paced, money-rich, crowd-packed Premier Leagues and Bundesligas and La Ligas of this world, whose fan-friendly cable packages are often too much to resist when the alternative is a game between Paços de Ferreira and Olhanense in an empty back-lot stadium that wouldn’t make it in League Two in England. Most teams in the Championship have bigger attendances and heftier budgets than, oh, around 12 of the 16 teams in the Primeira Liga.” Run of Play
“There may have been comical goalkeeping, half-empty stadiums and a ticketing fiasco that marred the final, but the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar was also able to boast some fine football and a handful of breath-taking matches. Football Further looks at some of the tactical points of interest at the 15th edition of Asia’s showpiece tournament.” Football Further
“A very interesting game that Arsene Wenger managed to turn around with a second half change in formation. Arsene Wenger was without Samir Nasri, and chose Tomas Rosicky rather than Andrei Arshavin on the left. The rest of the side was as expected. David Moyes made no changes from the side that drew with Chelsea at the weekend.” Zonal Marking
Arsenal show they have the character for title run-in
“When in a title run-in, there are two ways to assess the crucialness of a fixture in comparison to your rival(s); take it game-by-game and use the league table as your reference or on a team-by-team basis. At 1-0 down against Everton, Arsenal may have done the latter and judged the harshness of the result by the quality of the team they were facing. They knew they had to get a draw at least but because Everton are regarding as a tough team to beat and still have to face Manchester United again, the points dropped could be cancelled out when the pair meet each other.” Arsenal Column
Luis Suarez
“The last time I saw new Liverpool signing Luis Suarez in the flesh, he was playing his biggest game so far in his native continent. It was November 2009, and Uruguay were taking on Costa Rica with the final place in South Africa 2010 at stake. As Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez reflected recently, the World Cup can be enjoyed but the qualification process has to be suffered. Uruguay certainly suffered to book their place, and despite having a 1-0 lead from the away leg, they were certainly suffering that night against Costa Rica. They dominated the game, but while the goals refused to go in, nerves were jangling, especially for Suarez.” BBC – Tim Vickery
Agony and Empire
“And so it came to pass that a helicopter carrying Fernando Torres touched down on the wreckage of several earlier helicopters only thought to have been carrying Fernando Torres, and Fernando Torres raised his serene gaze from the book about helicopters that he had been reading on his helicopter and looked inscrutably out the window, leaving the rest of us to stare at his helicopter and wonder what it all could mean.” Run of Play
What’s next for Torres & Co.?
“After a flurry of activity on Monday, the January transfer window is closed. Clubs won’t be able to wheel and deal again until the summer. In the meantime, many teams will now have to adjust to new players joining their squads or key players leaving town. Here are the five big questions facing a few clubs in the English Premier League.” ESPN
A difficult decision that Torres could not resist
“Fernando Torres: Chelsea striker. Actually seeing it in writing feels strange, and the sight of him in a blue, rather than red shirt, harder for fans to come to terms with than the fact the former Liverpool number nine switched clubs for a record breaking £50 million. Last week, the idea that we’d be referring to Torres as a former Red by the following Tuesday was simply un-imaginable for the majority of Liverpool fans – yet the feeling that he was at a club progressing much slower than he had hoped had been growing within the player for some time – and when Chelsea made a serious enquiry ahead of Liverpool’s game against Fulham, Fernando sensed that this was an opportunity that he could not resist.” Guillem Balague
Andy Carroll: Is He Worth It?.
“Yesterday marked the third time Kenny Dalglish has broken the English transfer record for a Geordie striker. On the previous two occasions it worked out pretty well. In 1987, Peter Beardsley arrived for £1.9m, and Liverpool turned into arguably the finest English club side seen to date (certainly few have bettered that red vintage). The Reds won the league that season, and in a three year spell were one win away from completing the league and cup double each time.” Tomkins Times
“There were several interesting reports this week about the fact that some of the best organized and most effective groups involved in the protests in Egypt came from what some saw as a surprising place: football fan groups.” Soccer Politics
A little information about Ultras fan clubs in Egypt
“Egypt’s football fan clubs are figuring prominently in stories about the current uprising. For readers wanting to learn more about the Ultras in Egypt and their role in the uprising, here are a few links: James M. Dorsey, ‘Soccer Fans Play Key Role in Egyptian Protests’ (readers of this blog will not be surprised, as this is a fairly consistent topic in writing about the sport and politics). The Football Scholars Forum posted a link to that story and to this BBC interview with David Goldblatt (of The Ball is Round): The Secret Policeman’s Football.” From A Left Wing
“The ‘Decade by Decade’ series continues in February with a look at football in the 1940s. Interrupted by the Second World War, the decade was in many ways a disjointed and transitional one for the game. After the seismic advances of the 1930s, conflict disrupted football’s progress during the first half of the 40s, but that did not prevent a series of fascinating stories coming to pass.” The Equaliser
“If the Premier League’s final day of the winter window was a giant paella of SKY TV excitement, la Liga’s was a manky grain of rice sitting at the side of the pan with just six piddling transfers being made in the final few hours in Spain. Perky Carolina from Gol TV had been sent to the offices of the LFP where she made the giddy-eyed promise of fax machines whirring away, churning out contract details of Andrés Iniesta heading to his secret love team of Espanyol and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoying the Pamplona experience so much, on Sunday, the forward had decided to opt to play for Osasuna for the rest of his days.” FourFourTwo
“Athletic Bilbao, the club which has come to popularly represent Basque identity in the sporting world, was founded in 1898 and quickly established itself as one of the strongest teams in Spain. Ten Copa del Rey titles were won in the first twenty-five years of the club’s existence, but it was during the 1930s – following the establishment of the national league in 1928 – that Athletic enjoyed its greatest run of success.” The Equaliser
“Everyone from the Muslim Brotherhood, to labor unions, to Wikileaks are being credited for contributing to Egypt’s uprising. But what about hardcore soccer fans? These guys are better at tangling with cops than just about anyone. When asked about the role of political groups in organizing protests, prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa abd El-Fatah told Al Jazeera today: ‘The ultras – the football fan associations – have played a more significant role than any political group on the ground at this moment.'” Gawker
Soccer clubs central to ending Egypt’s ‘Dictatorship of Fear’
“Over the decades that have marked the tenure of Egypt’s “President for Life” Hosni Mubarak, there has been one consistent nexus for anger, organization, and practical experience in the ancient art of street fighting: the country’s soccer clubs. Over the past week, the most organized, militant fan clubs, also known as the “ultras,” have put those years of experience to ample use.” SI
Egypt’s Soccer Revolution
“He was wearing a soccer replica-uniform but he was not on his way to watch a game but to Tahrir Square in Cairo to tackle Mubarak and his regime. Some reports from the region suggest that Egypt’s soccer fan organizations, known as Ultras, have been on the vanguard of the country’s revolution. An Egyptian blogger, Alaa Abd El Fattah, was quoted on Al Jazeera, – ‘the Ultras have played a more significant role than any political group on the ground.'” SFGate
‘Ultra’ soccer fans at heart of Egyptian protests
“‘Ultra’ soccer fans in Cairo long have had a reputation for street fighting. This past week, they’ve turned their fury from rival clubs and countries to the government. Alaa Abd El Fattah, a prominent Egyptian blogger, said in an interview seen on Al Jazeera, ‘The ultras – the football fan associations – have played a more significant role than any political group on the ground at this moment.'” SFGate
“It’s time, then, to wind down with our weekly selections of non-league highlights from the last seven days. Our first match this evening comes from Twerton Park, and it’s the Blue Square Premier match between Bath City and Wimbledon. Wimbledon are still chasing a place in the Football League and needed three points from their trip to the west country from this match. Bath, however, may still harbour hopes of a place in the play-offs at the end of the season and provided a stiff test for the team that has spent much of the last few months at the top of the table.” twohundredpercent
“2-0 down at half-time, Leonardo gave Giampaolo Pazzini his Inter debut and the game changed dramatically. Leonardo made various changes to his side, but kept the 4-3-1-2 shape he’s used since taking over as manager. Diego Milito returned upfront, Coutinho started as a trequartista. Delio Rossi used his usual 4-3-2-1 system with his expected eleven players – there can’t be many more consistent starting XIs in Europe than Palermo’s.” Zonal Marking
Heerenveen 1 –4 Groningen: A tale of the centre-backs
“Groningen beat Heerenveen for the second time this season. Not only does this mean a second victory over their main rivals after previously beating them 1-0 at home, it also means a second victory of Pieter Huistra over his predecessor Ron Jans. Three important points for Groningen as they maintain their current fourth spot in the Eredivisie which would guarantee Europa League football next season.” 11 tegen 11
Southampton 1-2 Manchester United: Ferguson’s switch back to a system with width turns game
“Manchester United yet again came back from an awful first half display to take the win. Nigel Adkins was without key playmaker Adam Lallana, so went for a fluid 4-3-1-2 / 4-3-3 system. Sir Alex Ferguson made numerous changes, and he also lined up with a 4-3-1-2.” Zonal Marking
Adoration of the Golden Calf, Jacopo Robusti
“For the first couple of seasons at Liverpool, Fernando Torres was the most complete striker I’d ever seen at the club; Ian Rush’s pace and finishing prowess, but with the ability to also beat defenders with skill and hit a wider variety of strikes. He seemed humble, hard-working and devoted to the club. He was perfect. While his goalscoring remained impressive last season, in spite of injuries and the team’s struggles, his attitude had changed from that of someone grateful to be at the club to that of someone who often looked moody and disinterested, and far too concerned with getting into verbal spats with opposition players. He’d explode into life, but also descend into sulks, as was noted many times. Being managed by Roy Hodgson only deepened his visible depression.” Tomkins Times
Football Weekly podcast: The Torres transfer and a bad romance
“Barry Glendenning makes his return to the Football Weekly pod as AC Jimbo and co look back on the all the action from the FA Cup and speculate wildly on the future of Fernando Torres and various other comings and goings on the last day of the transfer window.” Guardian – James Richardson
“It’s too early to pass judgement on the Venky’s era at Blackburn Rovers, but any last minute transfer business will give an indication of what’s to come for the Lancashire club. Sam Kelly looks at an intriguing transfer saga.” In Bed With Mardona
“It isn’t a lack of strikers that sees Real Madrid seven points behind Barcelona and Marca’s back page on Monday instructing the Spanish FA to blast the message from their HQ with a megaphone that the Catalan club can ‘pick up the trophy from our offices, whenever you want’.” Football 365
“In the space of six months, all three of English football’s historical triumvirate – as well as its future force – have seen those idols their fans treasure above all others threaten to reject that devotion. Fabregas asked Arsène Wenger to allow him to move to Barcelona; Rooney informed Manchester United he would not sign a new contract; Tévez pleaded with Manchester City to release him from his £160,000-a-week bondage at Eastlands. And now Torres, first “verbally intimating” to Liverpool that he wishes to join Chelsea, then handing in a transfer request.” Telegraph
Liverpool selling Fernando Torres would be a sign of self-confidence
“Football’s most powerful clubs prosper by expelling those who no longer want to work there. The institution asserts its power over the individual. These partings can be painful, and appear calamitous, but there is always another talent out there to be hired. The club renews itself, the departing star is doomed one morning to retire.” Guardian
“Everton and Chelsea drew 1-1 for the second game running. David Moyes used Jack Rodwell behind Louis Saha, in a 4-4-1-1 system. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov replaced Leon Osman on the left of midfield. Carlo Ancelotti welcomed Frank Lampard back into the side, dropping Jon Obi Mikel and using Michael Essien as the holder. The rest of the side was as expected.” Zonal Marking
Japan 1-0 Australia: late extra time winner
“Tadanari Lee scored a superb volley – his first ever international goal – to win the 2011 Asian Cup. Alberto Zaccheroni made two changes to the side which beat South Korea on penalties. Shinji Kagawa was out injured, so Jungo Fujimoto started and Shinji Okazaki moved to the left. At the back, Maya Yoshida was available again after suspension, and replaced Daiki Iwamasa.” Zonal Marking
“Recorded shortly before Friday prayers (yesterday), this discussion with three Egyptian political activists in Cairo reveals more about the passions that are driving the Egyptian revolution than any amount of analysis from outside observers. The political power now unleashed across Egypt will topple the Mubarak regime not in spite of being leaderless but because it is leaderless — because it has no ideological or social bias but truly represents the will of the people. …. ‘The ultras — the football fan associations — have played a more significant role than any political group on the ground at this moment,’ Alaa said. ‘Maybe we should get the ultras to rule the country,’ he joked.” War in Context
“Hertha comfortably beat Arminia to notch up their 13th win of a professionally conducted 2. Bundesliga campaign. The home side created a nervy last few minutes when Josip Tadić scored in the 85th minute after their first incisive through-ball of the match (Christian Müller). But the away side fully deserved the win, and will go into next week’s derby against Union on top of the league and feeling on top of the world.” Defensive Midfielder
AZ 6-1 VVV
“Kolbeinn Sigþórsson grabbed a quintuple as Gertjan Verbeek’s side grabbed their first win at home since November. Graziano Pellè got an 89th-minute winner when these sides met at De Koel earlier this season, but there was never any danger of AZ needing a late match-clincher this time. The game was sealed just shy of the quarter-hour mark, but perhaps that was unsurprising – Venlo have been on a torrid run of form in the league recently, with no win since November 5, and now 25 goals leaked in the last eight games.” Defensive Midfielder
“One of the must see places in Europe during your lifetime has to be Monte Carlo, or Monaco to give it its true name. Essentially Monte Carlo is the main town within the principality of Monaco, but as the place is so small there isn’t really room for any other habitats and so the names tend to be interchangeable. The fact still remains though that it ranks up there as one of THE places to be seen in. However, whilst other high class spots such as Marbella, Cannes and Portofino are definitely the playground of the rich, Monaco is actually a place of work.” The Ball Is Round
“It is not often you walk away from a football match counting how much money you have left in your wallet and thinking that you must have had a hidden £20 in there. Admission, programme, beer, plate (yes PLATE) of chips and still change from a tenner (almost) is a bargain in anyone’s book irrespective of the twenty two players running around a muddy pitch.” The Ball Is Round
“There has been plenty of chopping and changing in terms of personnel and systems in the Manchester City camp so far this season. These changes create patterns and therefore betting opportunities, says master of tactics Michael Cox.” Betting Betfair
“So, one of the world’s best strikers signs, on the day that we’re told one of the world’s best strikers is supposedly intent on leaving. Nothing is ever simple as a Liverpool fan these days, is it? But while Suárez has signed, Torres has yet to go anywhere. In theory, they look like a perfectly balanced front pairing. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to find out.” Tomkins Times
“Arsene’s on the TV, moanin’ in the microphone,
I’m on the cell phone, talkin’ like a megaphone.
The man in the black shirt, flag out, played off-
side; I got a red top, I wanna knock his fade off.” Run of Play
“From Ernie Hunt’s classic to a magic Matt Le Tissier moment, here are half a dozen goals created on the training ground” Guardian
“Number 17, Manchester City will play number 32, Manchester United. That concludes the draw for the fourth round of the Carling Cup. Games will be played in week beginning 3rd December 2012 in The Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi.” The Ball Is Round
“Few football clubs can lay claim to a history as successful and yet ultimately tragic as that of Hakoah Vienna. An exclusively Jewish team which enjoyed global fame for a short time before being unsentimentally dissolved by Nazi invaders, Hakoah’s history now stands as a monument to the Jewish culture which blossomed in Central Europe during the first decades of the twentieth century, only to be abominably stamped out by the forces of the Third Reich.” The Equaliser
African Nations Championship – Uganda
“While the Asian Cup may be drawing to a conclusion with Japan facing Australia in the final on Saturday, keen observers of international football don’t have long to wait until their next fix. The second African Nations Championship (CHAN) gets underway on 4th February in Sudan, a tournament similar to the Africa Cup on Nations but with the fundamental difference that it is open only to players who play their football in their domestic leagues.” The Equaliser
“Liverpool’s renaissance under Kenny Dalglish continued as victory over Fulham lifted them into their highest Barclays Premier League position of the season. It was not the most notable of performances, although there were plenty of spells of good football from the hosts, as John Pantsil’s second-half own goal divided the teams.” ESPN
Liverpool 1-0 Fulham – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Here’s a date for your diary. On Sunday Feb. 6 I can’t believe there’s anything more fascinating taking place in the world of soccer than the clash between Argentina and Brazil in the South American U-20 Championships. Whatever might be happening in England, Spain or anywhere else, this is the date when the city of Arequipa in the south of Peru can claim to be, for 90 minutes at least, the capital of the global game.” SI – Tim Vickery
Bob Bradley
“The secret is out on Bob Bradley: The U.S. coach has some tactical wanderlust in him, after all. We all raised a curious brow at that dalliance with the 4-2-3-1 formation late last year, a walk on the wild side for a man previously tied to a 4-4-2. Fans wondered if it was just a brief fling. Now they may be nodding with approval at something that looks more like a steady thing.” SI
Scissors Kick 