Good Hosts and Bad Hosts

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“It’s Friday again, and that uneasy feeling rising in your belly is most likely because Friday means it’s Dotmund’s World Cup preview day here on Twohundredpercent. This week, he’s been looking at the fortunes of the host nations of the tournament. Until someone figures out how to astroturf the moon and stop the corner flags floating away, all major sporting events have to take place somewhere. And when you have somewhere, you can rest assured that someone already lives there. The host nation and the home advantage are here to stay.” (twohundredpercent)

Fierce Rivals Face Off in Spain

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“There’s never a low-key game when Barcelona faces Real Madrid. This meeting of Spain’s two biggest and most popular clubs, known around the world as El Clásico, is widely considered the fiercest rivalry in soccer. Decades of history, politics and tradition will be at play Saturday, issues of national identity, cultural independence and years of oppression.” (WSJ)

Thomas Vermaelen’s poor positioning keeps costing Arsenal goals

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“There’s little doubt that Thomas Vermalen has been a good signing for Arsenal. Lacking a top-class centre-back last year, Arsene Wenger did brilliantly to dispose of Kolo Toure and bring in the Belgian – and made a profit by doing so. Vermaelen is extremely popular with the Arsenal fans because he’s the type of player they haven’t signed in recent years – a tall, strong defender who enjoys getting tough tackles in and competing in the air. His early-season goalscoring form made him an instant hit, and he’ll probably win ’signing of the season’ in many pundits’ end-of-season awards.” (Zonal Marking)

Scottish Football: Introducing The Bloggers’ Manifesto

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“It’s hard for an incomer to get used to, but Scotland is just the most extraordinary and spectacular country. One of my favourite drives is the drop down off the M9 into Perth. If you’re passing through the city, you’ll negotiate a series of roundabouts on the city’s edge, and you’ll see signposts pointing, temptingly, to something called ‘The Stadium.’  They make it sound like the Nou Camp, but the signs actually refer to the home of St Johnstone F.C. , McDiarmid Park, and they commemorate a superb gesture by a local farmer, Bruce McDiarmid. Bruce gave St Johnstone £400,000 worth of his land for a new ground “as a gift to the city” when Asda bought up the old ground. He’s not one for the spotlight, and had to be strong-armed into accepting any kind of recognition for his generosity.” (More Than Mind Games)

Manchester United 3-2 Bayern Munich: Arjen Robben does it again

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“Bayern do it again. Their victory in the last round against Fiorentina featured a last-minute goal at home to win the first leg 2-1, and then a 2-3 defeat away from home, with a brilliant Arjen Robben ‘winner’ near the end. It seemed inevitable when Bayern pulled a goal back before half-time that the same would happen here.” (Zonal Marking)

Manchester United 3-2 Bayern Munich – Recap and Video Highlights
“Manchester United hosted Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, April 7, 2010. Wayne Rooney, who was injured in the first leg, made a surprise start for the match. The winner of the match would face the winner of Bordeax/Lyon. The match took place at Old Trafford with over 70,000 in attendance.” (The 90th Minute)

Styles Make Fights

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“There’s so much talk about Barcelona’s style of play in large part because it’s just that: a style. And styles are not easy to come by in soccer. The term can mislead, because it suggests mere aesthetics, how a team looks. But a genuine style is more than that. Just as a poet’s style is not just a few habits of sound-making but a whole way of organizing experience and language, a coherent strategy for marshaling forces of thought and feeling and then deploying them, a soccer style is a complete approach to the game.” (Run of Play)

The Blog Files #1: Just Football interviews Barcelona Football Blog

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“Well, as we celebrate the relaunch of Just-Football.com, we decided to catch up with some of the blogosphere’s leading lights writing about Europe’s top clubs to find out what makes them tick, get their perspectives on the teams they hold dear and their opinions on said team’s prospects for the rest of the season.” (The Blog Files – #1: Just Football interviews Barcelona Football Blog), (#2: Just Football interviews The Republik of Mancunia), (#3 – Just Football interviews Oh You Beauty), ( #4: Just Football interviews Real Madrid Talk), (#5: Just Football interviews AC Milan Blog)

“England” Out Of Champions League, Apparently

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“So it has come to pass. For the first time in seven years, there will be no English clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The manner of the defeats of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United were from three different chapters of the book, ‘How To Get Eliminated From A Two-Legged Cup Tie’. Chelsea were edged out by Internazionale over two legs during which they seldom looked a considerably inferior team. Arsenal were thrashed – fortunate to find a way back into the first leg against Barcelona, they were hopelessly outplayed by one single player in the return match. Manchester United can, at least count themselves slightly unlucky – beaten on away goals after two very tight matches.” (twohundredpercent)

Football At The World Cup: Part Three (1994-2006)

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“We move on this evening to the final part of the history of the British television coverage of the World Cup finals, which takes us from FIFA’s revolutionary idea to hold the tournament in a non-traditional football environment to the introduction of High Definition broadcasting four years ago. On the pitch, however, the football frequently flattered to deceive and the broadcasters were left to try and make up the slack with more and more desperate marketing gimmicks. The 1990s saw television go from being a sport watched, broadly, by a hardcore into a mass commercial entertainment medium, with predictably mixed results.” (twohundredpercent)

FC Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal – Recap and Video Highlights

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“Barcelona hosted the 2nd leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Arsenal with the score 2-2. The winner would advance to the semifinals to face Inter Milan. Arsenal came into the match without several key players (Gallas, Arshavin, and Fabregas) while Barcelona were without two defenders (Puyol and Pique). Arsenal would not be the favorites and have a tough task to get a win at the Camp Nou.” (The 90th Minute)

Barcelona 4 Arsenal 1; agg 6-3: match report
“They don’t need to hold an election to find the right man for No 10 here. Lionel Messi, who wears the Barcelona No 10 shirt with such distinction, scored four goals in a performance of such majesty that comparisons with the great Diego Maradona grow in substance with each stylish showing.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

Match Of The Midweek: Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal
“How, then, do Arsenal solve a problem like Lionel Messi? If he isn’t unquestionably the best player in the world at the moment then he is in the top two or three, and if this evening’s Champions League quarter-final proves anything, it proves that one player, in irresistable form, can win a match. Lionel Messi has been in sensational form all season but this evening, with an individual performance so sublime that it feels at times as if he is the only player on the pitch, there is simply no stopping him. Arsenal supporters may wonder aloud what difference the injured Cesc Fabregas, William Gallas and Robin Van Persie might have made to their team, but it is difficult to imagine that anything barring a full, career-threatening assort upon Messi would have made any difference to what happens this evening.” (twohundredpercent)

Messi – the devastating decoy
“Reading Phil McNulty’s blog after the Arsenal-Barcelona game, I was struck by the number of people who went out of their way to criticise the performance of Lionel Messi. It is indicative of the enormous pressure the young Argentine will be under in the World Cup – the same pressure that broke his friend and former Barca team-mate Ronaldinho four years ago. People are expecting circus tricks and something special in every game. It is the dilemma of the big name star in today’s football.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

Messi Lifts Barcelona With 4 Goals
“Lionel Messi pretty much put Barcelona in the European Champions League semifinals by himself. The reigning world player of the year scored four goals, getting a hat trick in a 22-minute span of the first half, to lift the defending champions over Arsenal 4-1 Tuesday night and advance Barcelona to the semifinals for the third straight year. ‘A player like this only comes along every 25-30 years,’ Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez said.” (NYT)

Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal: Messi produces a stunning performance, but Arsenal gave him the room to do so
“If there was any remaining doubt that Lionel Messi is the greatest football player of his generation, they were erased tonight, as Barcelona got the better of Arsenal in the much-hyped battle of the teams playing football ‘the right way’. Arsenal didn’t lose this match tactically, but they didn’t help themselves.” (Zonal Marking)

Barcelona – Arsenal: A Champion League Live Blog
“We all wish no one had to win. Of course we do. In a just world, these two teams would combine to form a pure white dove made of energy, which would fly across the land, fields greening in its wake. But they can’t (probably, depending on Xavi’s passing). Someone has to win this, and it won’t be Cesc Fabregas’s femur. Savagery is afoot, and if you’re using the word “dilly-dallying,” you’re dilly-dallying already.” (Run of Play)

Barcelona’s celestial No 10 has Nou Camp in raptures
“It is getting increasingly difficult not to resort to hyperbole when describing the feats of Lionel Andrés Messi. Judgement should be withheld until the World Cup, when the 22-year-old will carry the hopes of an Argentina team handicapped by having Diego Maradona as coach. If Messi can still perform then as he does for Barcelona he truly will rank alongside Pele, Alfredo Di Stefano, Johan Cruyff and Maradona himself.” (Independent)

Masterclass from Lionel Messi ends Arsenal’s European dream
“Arsenal were outclassed by a Barcelona side simply to good for them and a masterclass from Lionel Messi in which he scored a breathtaking hat-trick in twenty-one minutes. You could have tried blindfolding him. Handcuffing him even. To a railing. Quick-dried slabs of cement around his feet. Rolled a giant boulder off a cliff like a Wile E. Coyote contraption. In fact, no matter what you tried, nothing was going to stop him. Lionel Messi was that good and comparisons with the best ever are wholly justified.” (Arsenal Column)

‘Mythical, universal, the Lord’s anointed one’ – Spain hails Leo Messi
“Leo Messi did something impossible last night. He got even better. He had scored in the Champions League final, the Copa del Rey final and the World Club Cup final, emulated that goal from Diego Maradona, hit three in the clasico against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, two at the Santiago Bernabéu, and scored two hat-tricks in a row. But he’d never scored four before. Until last night. Last night, even Marca and AS, the myopic leaders of the Madrid media dropped to their knees; last night, so did the English. They could ignore him no more. Last night, as El PaÌs, put it, “Messi ate Arsenal’.” (Guardian)

Video Of The Week: Football Stories – Roy Keane

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Map: Ordnance Survey One-inch “Popular” edition, Scotland, 1921-1930
“It seems appropriate that, in the week after rumours of his departure from the managerial position at Ipswich Town started to do the rounds, our Video Of The Week should be about one of the more complex characters of the last twenty years or so of English football, Roy Keane. Keane’s journey from Cobh Ramblers to Manchester United and the captaince of the Republic of Ireland has been well documented, but this programme tells his story as well as anywhere, including his fractious relationship with Brian Clough at his first club, Nottingham Forest, the inconsistent explanations over that tackle on Alfe-Inge Haaland and his dispute with Mick McCarthy prior to the 2002 World Cup finals, a dispute that ended his international career long before it had run its natural course.” (twohundredpercent)

Arsenal, Barcelona, & the Beautiful Game Myth

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“In the soccer sporting world, certain assertions are taken as universal truth. A headed goal is ugly. A pass in the air that sales for over 30 yards is “direct.” A team unwilling to pressure for possession, instead waiting to capitalize on mistakes, is cynical. The linear equation of “pass + pass = beauty” can be replicated on an exponential scale. Arsenal & Barcelona, of course, embody this principle in the flesh & blood. But, in anticipation of the Kantian ideal of beauty vs. the slightly-better-looking Kantian ideal of beauty, the rematch, I suggest such statistics fail to account for certain integers that loiter in a gas station parking lot between X and Y.” (futfanatico)

CSKA Moscow 0-1 Inter Milan (Internazionale) – Recap and Video Highlights

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“Inter Milan took a 1-0 lead from the first leg into the second at Moscow against CSKA on Tuesday, April 6, 2010. The winner would advance to the semifinals where they would play the winner of Arsenal/FC Barcelona. Inter Milan were favored to advance but CSKA Moscow have been a surprise team in the competition.” (The 90th Minute)

“The Rhetoric of Artistic Endeavor”

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“It used to be that men were men, thighs were fierce, kits were muddy, fields were gouged, and every match was a wet November night away to Scunthorpe. It wasn’t pretty, but English football knew what it was. If you saw a ball, every fiber of a being that had been handed down to you through generations of hard-kneed public-house titans cried out to kick it as far as it could sail. If you saw the Mona Lisa, well, tosh, you’d knock her over once just to let her know you were there.” (Run of Play)

The Monday Profile: Yann Kermorgant

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“Cornish footballers have been notably thin on the ground over the course of the history of the game with Nigel Martyn, Matthew Etherington and Exeter City legend Tony Kellow the most famous of a very rare bunch indeed. Oddly, the case is different across the Channel, where Cornwall’s close cultural brethren in Brittany have produced more than a few well known stars. Amongst these, one finds ex-Rangers boss Paul Le Guen, current Champions League starlet and the latest to be afforded the label, “the new Zidane”, Yoann Gourcuff, ex-Nantes star Yvon le Roux, French league title winner Patrick Colleter and Laurent Viaud, who became a scout for Liverpool.” (thetwounfortunates)

FIFA Makes Its Islamophobia Official & Bans Iranian Women for Donning the Hijab

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Iran’s National Women’s Football Team, 2007
“FIFA has declared that Iran can’t enter its women’s team into this August’s Youth Olympic Games if its athletes play in headscarves. Iran’s football association is calling for international protest – quite rightly. This decision comes from the International Football Association Board, which is made up of representatives of the four UK Football Associations (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) and FIFA, which itself has four votes in these decisions. One can imagine what that boardroom looks like – Sith Lords of Soccer, Imperial Experts in Sexism and Islamophobia.” (From A Left Wing)

Rafael Benítez insulted Liverpool fans with his Birmingham surrender

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“Liverpool’s manager has eschewed qualifying for football’s grand prize by focusing on the Europa League, the realm of also-rans. How the mighty are falling. Finding Liverpool concentrating on the Europa League is akin to discovering The Beatles entering the Eurovision Song Contest. They should be above it. Great fans deserve better. Ambitious players such as Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina deserve better. Even Benitez’s backers struggle to support him now.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

World Cup scouting: defensive midfield

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“If there is one area of the England team that has divided opinion in recent years, it is the midfield. The perennial problem for the England manager used to be who would play down the left. The main bone of contention then became whether Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard could play together in the middle, but, thanks to Gareth Barry’s success as a holding midfielder, that is no longer an issue either.” (BBC)

The battle for South African football’s future

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“To say that the chairman of South Africa’s World Cup Organising Committee (OC), Irvin Khoza, and his CEO, Danny Jordaan, do not get along is a bit like saying John Terry and Wayne Bridge aren’t the best of friends. And last week, one of the World Cup’s most enthralling sub-plots – a tale of power, greed, ambition, political connections and long-established rivalry – lit up like an exploding arms depot. The intrigue could give John Le Carre a run for his money.” (BBC)

Arsenal must master transitions if they are to prevail at Camp Nou

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“Arsenal must remain disciplined first and foremost if they are to have a chances of success against Barcelona and exploit quickly on the break. ‘This will be the most spectacular of all the quarter-finals in terms of football. These are two teams that play open football and the match will be a duel to keep hold of the ball.’ That was the reaction of Barcelona’s sporting director, Txiki Begiristain shortly after the quarter-final draw was made but following the 2-2 draw in the first leg, there is only going to be one side who will have the ball.” (Arsenal Column)

Run of Play

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Tiepolo’s The Sack of Carthage
“When in the course of human events, etc. It’s been a long time coming—boats against the current and so on—and I am extremely excited to welcome you to the new Run of Play. I hope you’ll enjoy exploring it and that you’ll like what you find. Above all, I hope it will offer a pleasant reading experience, and a different sort of reading experience from the one you usually encounter on the web. The goal has been to cut down on some of the typical distractions of online reading while also making it possible to host a more engrossing slate of images, videos, and music.” (Run of Play)

Schalke 1-2 Bayern Munich – visitors triumph despite early dismissal

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“A game as tight, tense and nervy as you’d expect from a 1st v 2nd clash – Bayern emerge from it on top, despite playing for 50 minutes with ten men after having Hamit Altintop dismissed. The most notable characteristic of the game was its sheer physicality – two reds, six yellows and many, many strong challenges. In truth, neither side played great football and the game essentially came down to which side could make the most of the limited chances that came their way.” (Zonal Marking)

The South African Connection: Kaizer Motaung, Jomo Sono, and the North American Soccer League

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“In the mid-1990s, when I spent a rather inglorious season as the only non-African playing in the Malawian Super League, one of the few constants across games, teams, and locales was to be found on players’ feet: Puma Jomo Sono Kings. They were simple, decent boots—cheapish black leather with a one piece foot plate of white plastic studs. And as far as I could tell, they were worn by every single player on every single top-level team in Malawi. I didn’t think much about the exotic sounding name at the time: the shoes seemed to be a mass-market version of the kangaroo leather Puma Kings I wore in college and I had other things to worry about.” (Pitch Invasion)

Media glare continues to suffocate Brazil’s stars

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“In the 1974 World Cup Brazil took such a beating from Holland that four years later it was obsessed with imitating the ‘total football’ of the Dutch, with their constant positional changes and intense pressure on the ball. It didn’t work. As one Brazilian journalist commented, ‘in a team game like soccer you need to have the right cultural base to introduce modifications’.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

Ghana and Algeria are seeking last minute additions for their World Cup squads

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“There are still noises about Mario Balotelli but it is more than a long shot to expect Ghana will be able to persuade the Internazionale talent to throw in his lot with their team before the World Cup. But the Black Stars, and fellow African finalists Algeria, are moving to strengthen their squad with other players before the trip to South Africa. This despite both countries performing better than anticipated at January’s African Nations Cup finals in Angola.” (World Soccer)

European Teams Vie for Champions League Semis

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“Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid will be preparing for Saturday’s Spanish “clasico” with Barcelona, but the rest of the soccer world will be fixated on the four return matches in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League. ‘I don’t like to watch the Champions League matches because it leaves me a bit annoyed because I know that our team was good enough to remain in the competition and we are not because of our own fault,’ Ronaldo told a Spanish television station.” (NYT)

Louis Vuitton Takes Inspiration From Soccer

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“It just seems that the collaboration between football and fashion have no bounds. We’ve written about how football impacts fashion design on and off the pitch with articles featuring the works of fashion designers Dirk Bikkembergs and Stephen Wong. In another illustration of how football serves as creative inspiration for fashion designers, we bring you the work of famed fashion house Louis Vuitton.” (Nutmeg Radio)

Low-Key Ancelotti Thrives in Tough Spots

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“There’s a widespread belief in soccer, as in most sports, that a successful coach is basically at war 24/7, scoring virtual “public-opinion” points whenever he can. He can take a jibe at the officiating here, make a quick moan about how injuries have affected his team there, and give a recap of his own successes seamlessly dropped into conversation—just as a reminder, of course—over there.” (WSJ)

Barca breeze past Bilbao

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“Barcelona showed they have plenty in reserve ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal as they beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 with a team featuring several fringe players at the Nou Camp.” (ESPN)

FC Barcelona – 4, Athletic Bilbao – 1
“FC Barcelona moved back to the top of La Liga witha 4-1 win against Athletic Bilbao and will remain there for atleast 24 hours. Bojan who started in place of Ibrahimovic, who got injured in warm-up scored twice and Messi and Jeffren scored one each for Barca. Susaeta scored the consolation goal for Athletic Bilbao. This victory is more sweet considering that many of the regular starters were rested for this encounter and still Barca was able to dominate the game. I have criticised Guardiola’s strange tactics many times and this match also I was clueless when I saw Chygrynskiy and Pique in the centre of defense.” (All About FC Barcelona)

Americans Abroad in the EPL Recap and Video Highlights – Saturday, April 3, 2010

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“It was an average day for Americans playing in the English Premier League as some had success (Brad Friedel) and others didn’t (Hahnemann and Altidore). Jozy Altidore come on as a substitute for Hull City while goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Marcus Hahnemann played the full matches for their clubs. With Hahnemann’s recent form and regular playing time, he could be making a strong case for the back-up to Tim Howard for the USA at the World Cup. Here’s a recap along with video highlights for Saturday, April 3, 2010” (The 90th Minute)

Birmingham 1 – 1 Liverpool

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Tiziano Vecellio
“Liverpool’s hopes of securing fourth spot and Champions League qualification suffered a big blow after a lacklustre draw at Birmingham. In a dour first half, Maxi Rodriguez hit the bar for the Reds, while Roger Johnson headed over at the other end. Liverpool took the lead when Steven Gerrard turned Lee Bowyer to curl in after Glen Johnson’s mis-hit pass. Birmingham hit back as Liam Ridgewell bundled in James McFadden’s cross and survived three late David Ngog chances.” (BBC)

Reds European dreams on hold
“Liverpool’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot are hanging by a slender thread after Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell earned his side a share of the spoils at St. Andrew’s. Reds skipper Steven Gerrard put his side ahead a minute into the second half but Ridgewell levelled matters nine minutes later.” (ESPN)

Liverpool held by Birmingham as Champions League hopes fade
“There is no disgrace in drawing with a Birmingham City side that have now taken points off every club in the top six at home but the harsh reality for Liverpool is that matching their rivals’ results is no longer enough. Liam Ridgewell’s equaliser, after Steven Gerrard had put Liverpool in front with his 10th goal of the season, means that Rafael Benítez’s side are four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City having played a game more.” (Guardian)

Liverpool draws with Birmingham, loses ground in hunt for fourth
“Rafa Benitez defended his decision to substitute star striker Fernando Torres despite seeing his misfiring Liverpool side drop further points in the race for fourth place with a 1-1 draw away to Birmingham.” (SI)

Birmingham City 1-1 Liverpool – Recap and Video Highlights
“Liverpool traveled to St Andrew’s Stadium to face Birmingham City in the English Premier League on Sunday, April 4, 2010. They needed a win to gain ground on 4th place Manchester City and keep their Champions League hopes a live. A loss would probably end their chances while a draw would also significantly hurt them. Birmingham City was middle of the table and safe from relegation heading into the match.” (The 90th Minute)

Inter Milan (Internazionale) 3-0 Bologna – Recap and Video Highlights – Saturday, April 3, 2010

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“Italian Serie A leaders needed a win on Saturday against Bologna as their lead was cut to one point. This was a result of last weekend’s loss against AS Roma which keeps the title race wide open. A win would assure they stay on top of Roma by one point and rivals AC Milan by three points.” (The 90th Minute)

Cagliari 2-3 AC Milan – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Saturday, April 3, 2010
“AC Milan traveled to face Cagliari in the Italian Serie A needing a win to keep pace with leaders Inter Milan. A loss for Milan would probably end their chances of winning the Scudetto. Cagliari are comfortably in the middle of the table but too far back to be in contention for a spot in the Europa League.” (The 90th Minute)

Ivorian With a Game to Match His Brazilian Name

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“Few African national soccer teams in recent years have supplied as many impact players to Europe as Ivory Coast. Sven Goran Eriksson, the team’s new manager, is no doubt familiar with the Ivorian stars of the Premier League like Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Emmanuel Eboue. But many of the country’s best players began their European careers in France, and it is in Ligue 1 where Eriksson might find the next name for his World Cup roster this summer: Gervais Yao Kouassi, known as Gervinho.” (NYT)

Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea: Ancelotti gets it right with his strikers

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Carlo Ancelotti
“A tight game that was won the better side. United looked tired after their midweek game in Munich – Chelsea were fresher, brighter and created more goalscoring opportunities. They are now in the driving seat. Sir Alex Ferguson would have gone with a 4-5-1 regardless of Wayne Rooney’s absence, so it was essentially a straight change, with Dimitar Berbatov in to replace him. Michael Carrick was dropped after his poor display midweek, so Fletcher and Scholes played deep, with Park Ji-Sung in the central role he played so well against Milan.” (Zonal Marking)

Time for Berbatov to show he cares
“Manchester United have been called a one-man team for the past three seasons. Cristiano Ronaldo was said to carry them before leaving for Madrid and now Wayne Rooney is supposed to be their only match-winner. United fans might be fearing the worst ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford today, but Alex Ferguson has never allowed his team to rely on one player. In the same way that Ronaldo’s exit provoked a reaction from Rooney, his injury ought to prove the catalyst for someone else to step up. If Dimitar Berbatov is ever going to prove his worth to the club, this is his moment.” (WSC)

Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea – Recap and Video Highlights – Saturday, April 3, 2010
“One of the biggest matches in the English Premier League this season took place on Saturday, April 3, 2010 as Manchester United hosted Chelsea. The two teams are separating by only one point head into the match and the result could determine who would win the title. Manchester United would be without star striker Wayne Rooney because of an ankle injury he suffered in the Champions League.” (The 90th Minute)

James Lawton: For the World Cup’s sake, football must protect its prime assets – the players

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“Oscar Wilde would have summed up most succinctly the loss of Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas in the space of 24 hours this week. It is as he said of departed parents: losing one, unfortunate; mislaying two, carelessness. Isn’t this the story of how football increasingly puts the need for non-stop cashflow above the care of its most precious assets, players who have the capacity to illuminate every game they play, right up to the point they break down?” (Independent)

American Soccer Fans – Do Some Conditions Apply?

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“This hasn’t been the greatest week for marketing in Major League Soccer; the Sweeper has already joined Fake Sigi this past week with a look into what went (horribly) wrong with the launch of mlssoccer.com, as well as criticizing the not-very-well-thought-out marketing campaign to get more fans to come watch FC Dallas. But is it possible that European club-following American soccer fans might never watch MLS games, either live or on TV, no matter how well MLS markets the game or how much the league improves? Could they be conditioned to dislike MLS despite a steady improvement in quality over the years, or the league’s attempts to attract better players despite a shoestring budget relative to other American sports?” (Pitch Invasion)

Cardozo hits 10-man Liverpool

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“Whether it is called the Stadium of Light or the Estadio da Luz; whether it is by the Wear or the Tagus, it is a venue that this season Liverpool have left with bleeding, self-inflicted wounds.” (Independent)

Benfica 2-1 Liverpool: Benfica scrap to a victory, but it should have been more resounding
“A decent game for the neutral tonight, but fairly underwhelming from a tactical point of view. Both sides played as expected, the result was no surprise, and all the goals came from defensive mistakes rather than attacking brilliance. Benfica played with a variation of their usual shape, because of the injury to Javier Saviola. Pablo Aimar moved forward into a more offensive role behind Oscar Cardoso, whilst Carlos Martins came into the centre of midfield. This change meant that Ramires and Angel di Maria played slightly wider than usual, and the two swapped wings throughout the game, although di Maria was always more effective on his natural left-hand side.” (Zonal Marking)

Benfica turn their attentions to Liverpool
“One league title in the past 15 years hasn’t done much to expand Benfica’s trophy room. Fruitless seasons have witnessed a long line of increasingly inept managers – 15 of them since 1995. Only Giovanni Trappatoni could leave with some integrity after Benfica stumbled to the title in 2005. The lack of continuity had left its mark on the club and success seemed as distant as ever, until the arrival of Jorge Jesus.” (WSC)

Benfica 2-1 Liverpool – Recap and Video Highlights – UEFA Europa League – Thursday, April 1, 2010
“Portuguese side Benfica hosted Liverpool in the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal 1st leg on Thursday, April 1, 2010. Both sides are favorites to win the entire tournament but for Liverpool it’s much more important to salvage their season. Liverpool are struggling to qualify for the Champions League next season and could be in serious financial troubles unless they can find success in the Europa League.” (The 90th Minute)

World Cup Gallery

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“Having put a card reading ‘PRESS’ in the brim of his hat and given him some sandwiches, Dotmund will be producing some World Cup previews for this site on the next ten Fridays before the tournament kicks off in South Africa in 11 weeks time. You have been warned. Today, our resident ‘artist’ casts his ‘artistic’ eye over the official World Cup posters from down the years. You have, as I say, been warned.” (twohundredpercent)

Media glare continues to suffocate Brazil’s stars

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“In the 1974 World Cup Brazil took such a beating from Holland that four years later it was obsessed with imitating the “total football” of the Dutch, with their constant positional changes and intense pressure on the ball. It didn’t work. As one Brazilian journalist commented,’in a team game like soccer you need to have the right cultural base to introduce modifications’.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

Ferenc Puskas: Magical Magyar

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Ferenc Puskas
“Like Johan Cruyff, the story of Ferenc Puskas is the story of a glorious failure. Possessing possibly the best left-foot shot in the history of football, the man known as the ‘Galloping Major’ – by virtue of his playing for army-team Honved – was the skipper of a side that were overwhelming favourites to win the World Cup.” (ESPN)

Life in ‘Tin Can Town’ for the South Africans evicted ahead of World Cup

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“Children squint as wind whips the grey sand into their faces. A teenager braves the flies and stench of a leaking outdoor toilet to draw water from a standpipe. He stares vacantly along regimented rows of corrugated iron shacks encircled by a tall, concrete fence. No grass or trees grow here.” (Guardian)

Football Weekly Extra: Arsenal back from brink in Barça clash

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“After a fantastic midweek of Champions League action, Sean Ingle, Barry Glendenning and Raphael Honigstein join James Richardson to look back at the key moments. First up, the pod assess how Arsenal were able to get back into their thunderously exciting first-leg against Barcelona and assess what chance their injury-hit squad have in the second leg.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Pep Guardiola hails brilliant Barcelona

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Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of San Lorenzo, Gentile Bellini
“Pep Guardiola described Barcelona’s supremely dominant first-half performance against Arsenal as “the best 45 minutes” the Catalans have produced during his reign. A thrilling encounter ended 2-2 at Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, but Manuel Almunia had to be at his best in the first half to deny, amongst others, Xavi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Barcelona enjoyed 71% possession and produced a succession of excellent chances.” (ESPN)

Arsenal 2-2 Barcelona: Wenger’s side utterly outclassed, but somehow rescue a draw
“A crazy game of football to watch, a difficult one to analyse. Two open, attacking sides produced a wonderful game for the neutral, but one that will probably leave both managers absolutely fuming – Wenger because his side were awful and conceded poor goals, Guardiola because his side threw away a 0-2 lead.” (Zonal Marking)

Theo Walcott’s dazzling introduction gives Arsenal hope to take to Barcelona
“Theo Walcott’s introduction to the fray switched Arsenal’s flow to the dynamic and the direct to give the Gunners hope in the second leg at the Nou Camp. Barely twenty minutes had registered on the clock but those watching the game were in unified agreement that already, they were witnessing something spectacular. Arsenal had just survived the most relentless onslaught you are likely to see in world football this season but yet, somehow, came out of the early exchange with no goals conceded.” (Arsenal Column)

Fantasy Football Comes Alive
“Tonight, the game gets beautiful again. As Arsenal and Barcelona prepare to meet at London’s Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, this is fantasy football come to life: a showdown between arguably the two most attractive teams in Europe today. Here are two sides linked by a philosophy of flair, a shared vision that prizes creativity and fast, free-flowing, one-touch football above all else. It’s what the Spanish call tiki-taka, what the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, describes as ‘football that is like art’.” (WSJ)

School’s Out – 8 things I noticed from Arsenal vs Barca
“Before we start, I should probably preface this article by saying I’m going to be writing it in the style of the game itself. Which is to say, it will be overwhelmingly a Barca love in for the first 2/3rds before finally rallying to the Arsenal cause in the final stretch. So any over sensitive Gooners should probably skip to the end. You have been warned.” (FootballFanCast)

Arsenal 2-2 FC Barcelona – Recap and Video Highlights – UEFA Champions League – Wednesday, March 31, 2010
“Arsenal hosted FC Barcelona in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The two teams are known for playing very attacking and open styles that could provide a very entertaining match. Barcelona remain one of the favorites to win the tournament while Arsenal need a good result with the second leg at the Camp Nou.” (The 90th Minute)

Inter Milan (Internazionale) 1-0 CSKA Moscow – Recap and Video Highlights – UEFA Champions League – Wednesday, March 31, 2010

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“Inter Milan continued their UEFA Champions League run with a first leg match against CSKA Moscow. After defeating Chelsea in the round of 16, Inter will be full of confidence and face one of the surprise teams in CSKA Moscow. Both sides weren’t really expected to reach the semifinals of the competition but now one of them will. The match took place at the San Siro.” (The 90th Minute)

World Cup 2010 National Anthems: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

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“Before every international football match, the national anthems of the two competing teams are played. It’s all about tradition and patriotism, and it’s one of my favourite ceremonial things about the World Cup. We’re writing about the national anthems of the 32 team at World Cup 2010 four at a time, group by group. Last week we did Group B. So this week it’s Group C: England, USA, Algeria and Slovenia.” (World Cup Blog)

UEFA & “Financial Fair Play” – The Book Of The Film

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“The UEFA Financial Fair Play proposals were scrutinised by the British press this week. Mark Murphy thumbs through it, takes a look at the press reaction to it and concludes that, unless there is a fundamental shift in the attitudes of football clubs or the loopholes are great enough for them to be able to squirm through, the game’s civil war – a war against regulation – may be just around the corner.” (twohundredpercent)

World’s Focus Is on Old Trafford

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“Hobbled by an ankle injury, Wayne Rooney looks certain to be cast in the role of spectator as Manchester United and Chelsea collide in a potential Premier League title decider on Saturday. He won’t be the only one watching. With a single point separating English football’s top two sides and only six games remaining, the eyes of the world will be on Old Trafford, with an expected global audience of about half a billion people—one in every 12 people on the planet.” (WSJ)

History Of The World Cup (1958)

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Brazil defeats Sweden 5-2 in the World Cup. Pele;, at age 17, scores a goal in the game
“The venue of the 1958 World Cup was Sweden which infuriated the South Americans who expected it to revert back to them after Switzerland four years ago but they buried their hostility enough to be represented by Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Paraguay. For the first and only time, all four of the British home nations qualified and we saw the first entry for the Soviet Union. People forget just how vast the Soviet Union was – once it split in 1991, the remnants formed a total of 15 different countries including Russia.” (Yanks Are Coming)

Bayern 2-1 Manchester United: Ferguson loses the game with a strange substitution

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“How on earth did Manchester United manage to lose this game? On top after twenty seconds of playing time, Rooney causing the Bayern centre-backs no end of trouble, and a spare man in the centre of the pitch, it really is quite remarkable that Bayern will go to Old Trafford with the advantage. Sir Alex Ferguson has been constantly praised on ZM for his tactics so far this season, but he might have to take the blame here.” (Zonal Marking)

Carragher: We can still salvage our season

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“Rewind twelve months and Jamie Carragher was looking back on what had been a prosperous March for Liverpool, having played every minute of the Reds’ four successive victories against Sunderland, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Aston Villa. With fifteen goals scored – including four against both United and Madrid – and just one conceded, Rafael Benitez had just signed a new five-year deal, Steven Gerrard had just netted a hat-trick in the 5-0 mauling of Villa and the boys from Anfield were just a point off top spot in the Premier League.” (ESPN)

Caniza experience crucial for Paraguay

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“Can Lionel Messi reproduce his Barcelona form for Argentina? Will Wayne Rooney be able to sustain his current level of performance into June and July? Might Cristiano Ronaldo, or even Kaka, be fresher at the end of the club season because Real Madrid are out of the Champions League? The World Cup is where reputations are confirmed and football fans across the planet are hoping the stars to be firing on all cylinders in South Africa.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

Tactics: Alchemist Blanc harnesses power of the collective

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Laurent Blanc
“Irrespective of what Bordeaux go on to achieve this season, it is impossible to overstate what their coach Laurent Blanc has done for the club. In just under two years and nine months he has transformed the south-west side from occasionally successful also-rans into the emerging force in French football, having led them to a league and Coupe de la Ligue double last season, the top of the table this term and the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 1988.” (Football Further)

Van Gaal’s technological revolution

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“Last season I interviewed Louis van Gaal a few weeks before he celebrated the Dutch title with AZ Alkmaar and it became very interesting when we started talking about the prospect of technical aids in football. In the previous game, AZ had a goal disallowed for offside and we both agreed that the decision was debatable. The scorer of the AZ goal was level with the stomach of a defender, who was lying prostrate with his head near the goal-line and his feet in the direction of the penalty spot. We both wondered which body part exactly constitutes offside and which makes it level.” (ESPN)

2009-10 UEFA Europa League, Quarter-finals: the 8 clubs, with stadium photos

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“Europa League fixtures/results, Europa League fixtures/results (ESPN Soccernet). The Quarter-finals of the 09/10 Europa League begin on Thursday, 1st April, with the second leg matches a week later. Of the 8 clubs still alive, there are 2 English clubs (Fulham and Liverpool), 2 German clubs (Hamburg and Wolfsburg), 2 Spanish clubs (Atletico Madrid and Valencia), a Belgian club (Standard Liege), and a Portuguese club (Benfica).” (billsportsmaps)

Arsenal’s dynamic dribbling duo can drive the Gunners to glory

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“The benching of Arsenal’s too most gifted dribblers due to slight knocks did not help the Gunners’ cause in the 1-1 draw to Birmingham. Two goals. One had a bit of luck; the other was dizzyingly graceful. Yet both were just rewards for the almost impudent desire of both players – although paved with good intentions – to get as close to the goal as possible.” (Arsenal Column)