“Barely two months ago, Michael Kempter was considered as the up-and-coming referee in German football, having progressed from Bundesliga to FIFA level at the age of only 27. Today, it is highly unlikely that he will ever be in charge of a professional match again. Manfred Amarell’s career as refeereing supervisor has fallen to pieces, too, and the most intimate details of his private life are currently the subject of public discussion.” (WSC)
“So I realized that in my two years of blogging, I have made a huge mistake – I have somehow avoided the trite comparisons of sport/war and sport/chess. Well, I did touch on weapons in an ages old MLS power ranking, but this simile, like a virgin forest in Alaska, is ripe for a plundering. I also have seen some eery similarities between ancient military tactics and the current state of La Liga. I promise this is not just a rehash of my Argentina piece at Run of Play, but that is a nice intro.” (futfanatico)
“Amid the hullabaloo surrounding Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea on Tuesday, there was one player at Stamford Bridge who also has claims to be a ‘special one’. The moment may have gone unnoticed in London but not in Nairobi where McDonald Mariga’s mum was blowing, yes, a vuvuzela as her son became the first Kenya – and the first East African – to play in the Champions League.” (BBC)
Jonathan dos Santos
“Fraternal similitude is a difficult thing to predict in football. For every pair of brothers like Kolo and Yaya Touré or Gabriel and Diego Milito playing at the very highest level, there’s a John and Paul Terry (currently at Rushden and Diamonds) or a Ryan and Rhodri Giggs (last seen playing for Bacup Borough in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division).” (Football Further)
“Babel lofted the clearance from deep inside Liverpool’s half. The ball somehow latched on to Torres’ homing beacon. The defender let it bounce. Torres ate it up like a starved Bengal tiger. He kept the other defender just at bay, picked his moment and flicked the ball over the sliding keeper. The ball went softly into the net. Liverpool were up 2-0.” (EPL Talk)
Steven Gerrard
“As a lone infantryman wistfully bugles a lamenting Last Post into the chill twilight air, Team Limey stands forlornly on the battlements of Castle Limey contemplating our final EPL column for SI.com. Together, over a last pint of ale, let’s relive some highlights from our five years here. And what a five years it’s been.” (SI)
“Could this be the year that a French team wins the European Champions League? The last team to do so was Marseille, which won the title in 1993, the first year the current format for the European Cup was adopted. But no team from France has lifted the trophy since. Olympique Lyon and Girondins Bordeaux aimed to end that drought this season; both teams advanced to the quarterfinals in impressive fashion. But it will be one or the other as the two teams were drawn Friday to face each other in the quarterfinal round.” (NYT)
“The road to contrition is always a difficult one. Peter Storrie accepts he made mistakes as Portsmouth’s chief executive but wants to set the record straight, to explain in forensic detail the astonishing saga that led to the south coast club touching the void.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
“With just under 100 days to go until Brazil’s 2010 World Cup gets under way against North Korea, coach Dunga stomped away from Emirates Stadium in London aware that, for at least half of it, that time will be dominated by appeals for the recall of Ronaldinho.” (World Soccer – Tim Vickery)
“When we first play football, a left-footer will automatically go to the left, and a right-footer to the right. It is essentially unnatural to swap sides and, speaking from experience as a lifelong left-winger, unremittingly difficult. Either a coach will prompt the move, or the player might have an innate understanding of where he should be. Mostly, though, the possibility of having to use one’s weaker foot brings most wingers out in a cold sweat.” (WSC)
Chile 2-0 Italy, World Cup first round, 1962.
“Chile was recovering from an earthquake that had killed nearly 6,000 people, and didn’t have much money in the first place, so its countryfolk weren’t particularly disposed to tolerate the two Italian journalists who swanned into Santiago ahead of the World Cup finals, sifted through the wreckage, and sent home dispatches painting a picture of Chile’s capital as a poverty-stricken hole full of loose women.” (Guardian)
“Far from a ‘sinking ship’, the ferry cross the Mersey showed no sign of being holed below the waterline whatever Albert ‘Dock’ Riera might think. It was never plain sailing against Lille but Steven Gerrard’s penalty and a brace of typically adroit Fernando Torres finishes allowed Liverpool to steam into the quarter-finals of the Europa League last night.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
Liverpool vs. Lille
(footytube)
“For many people, major sports tournaments are the only occasion that national anthems are heard. These peculiar tunes have become a genre of their own, transcending the mere hymns that many of them were in first place, and they range from the gloriously uplifting to mournful dirges. The selection of words has, in many countries, brought about national debate that has been all-encompassing. In the case of Spain, it was decided that it would probably be for the best just to not bother having any for the sake of national unity.” (twohundredpercent)
World Cup 2010 National Anthems: South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay
“Seems like the most popular part of our World Cup 2010 preview podcast was the national anthems segment. I would agree, in that any segment where we’re not talking is instantly preferable to the segments where we are. But since those podcasts contain only 10-15 second lyric-less samples, I thought it was worth expanding the idea into a full series of posts about national anthems.” (World Cup Blog)
“Four years ago, we ran an article on the subject of the theme music used by British television companies for World Cup finals series. It seemed to touch a nerve at the time and today it’s back. It’s a little more complete than it was four years ago, although there are still one or two gaps and we would gratefully appreciate anybody that can help to fill these for us.” (twohundredpercent)
“Spain’s last game before they name their final squad in June could be summed up in a single word. The same word that could also be used to sum up their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. The same word could be used again for their Euro 2008 campaign.” (World Soccer)
“Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett’s official answers appear in Sunday’s Observer and here from Monday.” (Guardian – Paul Trevillion)
“UEFA officials at this morning’s Champions League quarter-final draw will have been delighted that the number of nations represented is at its highest since 1999. Indeed, it’s exactly what UEFA president Michel Platini was aiming for when he talked about democratising the top level of European club football. A major surprise this year is the inclusion of two French teams in Lyon and Bordeaux.”(WSC)
Francois Perrier, Orphée devant Pluton et Proserpine
“Manchester United have already demonstrated this season that they are capable of overwhelming teams despite fielding what on first glance appears to be a conservative 4-5-1 formation, notably in the 3-1 Carling Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City in January. They were at it again in the 4-0 win against Milan last week, when a side fighting hard for the Serie A title were simply torn apart by a United team fielding only one dedicated attacking player in the form of Wayne Rooney.” (Football Further)
“Quick—who’s the best goal scorer in Europe right now? If you answered Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi or Didier Drogba, think again. Those three players top the standings in the race for the European Golden Shoe, given annually to the leading scorer in Europe, but according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, the continent’s most dangerous finisher is actually plying his trade for an unfashionable Italian team currently fighting relegation from Serie A. Step forward, Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale.” (WSJ)
“A few weeks ago, following our piece on Man City’s innovative online work, I was tipped off to a website in beta being built by Sheffield Wednesday’s web team that is one of a kind as an official club production in England: a social networking site that gives fans a forum, the ability to blog, upload photos and videos, make ‘friends’ and create groups. Unlike Manchester City’s expensive effort, this was built by a Championship club at a much smaller cost, and is an interesting experiment in how clubs can use social media to reach out to fans and build community online.” (Pitch Invasion)
“Lionel Messi staged another masterclass to power holders Barcelona into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of Stuttgart. Messi struck a brilliant opener after just 12 minutes to put Barca on track, and then played a key role as Pedro Rodriguez made it 2-0 soon after as the Catalan giants built a 3-1 aggregate lead.” (ESPN)
Messi happy to help those in need
“A man who torments opposing defenders is equally adept at helping children in need. FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, as part of the UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year 2009, received a cheque for €100,000 from the adviser to the UEFA president, William Gaillard, before last night’s UEFA Champions League first knockout round second-leg encounter with VfB Stuttgart at Camp Nou – before going to on to score twice in an outstanding display as Barcelona charged into the quarter-finals.” (UEFA)
Forget Rooney, magical Messi is the world’s best
“The famously insular world of English football has been quick to crown Wayne Rooney as the best player in the world in recent weeks – unsurprisingly perhaps in a World Cup year – but in Barcelona on Wednesday night, Lionel Messi demonstrated exactly why those claims ring hollow with a masterful performance in a 4-0 rout of Stuttgart.” (ESPN)
“With eight games to go (9 in Chelsea’s case) and this being the closest league finish in many many years, it presents endless opportunities for the dreamer in me to fantasize – a la that Kurosawa classic, Rashomon. Presenting two of such tales with four crucial fixtures (chapters) taken as the crux.” (BigFourZa!)
“Six weeks ago, Oliver Kay joined us ahead of the onset of UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16, venturing a prediction that the English Premier League teams would find this year’s tournament rougher than those of the preceding seasons. Today, Oliver joined me to reflect on the knock-out round performances of Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Also, we look forward to this Sunday’s match between Manchester United and Liverpool and ask what Liverpool needs to go to maintain their string of good performances over Alex Ferguson’s side.” (EPL Talk)
“Everyone knows footballers live a life less ordinary, but Brian Laudrup must be in a select band of one to have personal experience of the inside of a car boot after being whisked away from the clutches of irate Fiorentina fans. ‘It was a complete nightmare,’ Laudrup told Soccernet of his first season of calico, the topsy-turvy 1992-93 campaign which saw La Viola metamorphose from title pretenders to relegation fodder. ‘The fans were so disappointed. I don’t think they wanted to beat us up, but it was a very hostile atmosphere. Cars were set alight, armed police on the streets, so it was quite hectic’.” (ESPN)
“It’s elementary sports psychology: To produce their best in the biggest moments, athletes are advised to recall peak performances from the past. But as Bordeaux prepares to face Olympiakos for a place in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals tonight, Laurent Blanc, coach of the French club that’s been the surprise of this year’s tournament, will focus his team’s attention not on the six European matches it’s won this season, but the only one it didn’t.” (WSJ)
Mid-Week Review Show: EPL Talk Podcast
“Looking back on the mid-week action for Premier League sides in Champions League, Europa, and within the Premiership, analysts Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer join host Richard Farley on this version of the EPL Talk podcast.” (EPL Talk)
Match Of The Midweek: Chelsea 0-1 Internazionale
“How would you feel if you were Roman Abramovich after this evening’s Champions League match between Chelsea and Inter? When he disposed of Jose Mourinho just over three years ago, it was reportedly a show of player power the likes of which the English game had seldom seen before.” (twohundredpercent)
Different Routes Yield Same Result
“One of the joys of sports is that they confound just about any theory that attempts to explain them. When Real Madrid was eliminated from the Champions League last week, and Manchester United produced one of the biggest victories in its history, it was reasonable to conclude that stability counted for something.” (NYT)
Italian press celebrate Inter’s victory over Chelsea
“Having held a grim-faced silenzio stampa (press silence) for the past week, Jose Mourinho’s relationship with the Italian media had reached a new low on the eve of Inter’s Champions League return leg against Chelsea. A touchline ban, a pitiful display against Catania and ongoing grief with Mario Balotelli had formed a simmering backdrop to the game, with the Nerazzurri lumbered with the added burden of being Italy’s sole survivors in the competition.” (WSC)
Chelsea vs. Inter Milan
(footytube)
“Dunga’s Brazil side isn’t popular back home. The use of two holding midfielders, the tendency to play on the counter-attack and the overlooking of the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Pato have all seen him accused of playing in an un-Brazilian way, by ditching the classic Brazilian principles of yesteryear for a more patient, less spectacular way of playing.” (Zonal Marking), (Must Read Soccer)
“In Jan 03 I started a website of world soccer and called it ‘The Global Game.’ The idea hardly seemed original. I was aware of similar online soccer resources—for example, the Football Culture site the British Council once maintained. In discovering world football and its power to connect people I was a bit like a child who realizes she can skip a flat rock across a pond. I’ll congratulate her, but I don’t want to tell her that it has been done a million times before.” (The Global Game)
“Brazilian midfielder Mauro Silva checked in his luggage to travel to to Colombia for the 2001 Copa America, and then had second thoughts. Scared by the country’s reputation, he decided not to go. I remember feeling a similar trepidation at exactly the same time when I boarded the plane in Rio to fly up and cover the tournament. What on earth was I letting myself in for?” (SI – Tim Vickery)
“When discussing the history of any sport, any talk of the “greatness” is bound to be met with a quick hop in a time machine, going back into the annuls annals where myth and storytelling often displace fact and reality to the back seat. And this was necessary in a time when most could only follow sport through the words of others; words which were often embellished, contorted, polished, creating an aura which far superseded the event. Similar to the children’s game which starts with a simple sentence at one end of the room and morphs into something entirely different by the time the exercise ends.” (World Cup Blog)
Francesco Guardi – Cappriccio mit venezianischen Motiven
“Midfielder Alberto Aquilani finally found a performance to justify his £17 million price tag, capping a masterful display with his first Liverpool goal in the 4-1 win over Portsmouth at Anfield. The summer signing, brought in after Xabi Alonso’s sale to Real Madrid, has struggled to adapt to life in England but was at the heart of everything in only his fifth Premier League start.” (ESPN)
Gerrard to escape FA punishment
“The FA have confirmed they will take no action against Steven Gerrard following his clash with Portsmouth’s Michael Brown during Liverpool’s victory at Anfield on Monday night. The Liverpool captain appeared to elbow Brown in the back of the head in the 73rd minute of their 4-1 win, with Rafael Benitez substituting Gerrard immediately after the incident.” (ESPN)
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard faces fresh video row after Michael Brown clash
“With a quarter of the match to go Gerrard and Brown chased a ball towards the penalty area but, as the Portsmouth midfielder tried to hold off his Liverpool counterpart, Gerrard seemed to hit his opponent with his forearm. Referee Stuart Attwell was only a few yards from the incident but took no action against the Liverpool captain.” (Telegraph)
Manchester United angry as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard escapes FA probe
“Steven Gerrard has escaped disciplinary action over for the use of his forearm against Portsmouth’s Michael Brown in Liverpool’s 4-1 win yesterday. The decision has incensed Manchester United and led to allegations that the Football Association has employed double standards. Had he been found guilty of violent conduct, Gerrard would have been banned from Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. The collision with Gerrard knocked Brown to the floor.” (Guardian)
“Following the international friendlies, I wrote last time that the week’s big winner was Argentina coach Diego Maradona. Seven days later, perhaps his Brazilian counterpart can crack the biggest smile. As Andre Kfouri wrote in the sports daily Lance!: ‘Dunga must have loved the elimination of Real Madrid and Milan from the Champions League. The Spanish giant, because Kaka will have a lighter fixture list in the build up to the World Cup. And the Italian giant because the pressure to recall Ronaldinho will diminish. And the national team coach will be cheering for Chelsea to knock out Internazionale – a rest for Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon, more work for Drogba’.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)
“German football fans have enjoyed a largely positive press for the past 20 years thanks to a number of well co-ordinated campaigns. Among other things, these have helped to retain standing areas, affordable tickets and a reasonable number of Saturday afternoon kick-offs. And it’s thanks to the concerted efforts of fan groups that the atmosphere in stadiums makes for a loud and boisterous match day. Although some people might find the idea of a “conductor” with a megaphone at the front of the terrace leading the chants as a little less than spontaneous, it’s certainly preferable to a mute support restricted to either cheering goals or moaning.” (WSC)
“We have a little break from the usual this morning, with a downloadable, four-part audio cassette produced by the BBC in the early 1990s, just before the death of Sir Matt Busby, which tells the story of Manchester United Football Club through the prism of the involvement of the man that took a run of the mill First Division club and made them the champions of Europe and one of the biggest club sides in the world. Written and narrated by the late Bryan Butler, the BBC radio commentator, it features commentary snippets from many of United’s great matches of the post-war era, as well as interviews with the likes of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, George Best and Harry Gregg.” (twohundredpercent)
“The timing could hardly have been more acute for the release by UEFA of a report into the financial excesses of Europe’s top clubs, just as Portsmouth were placed, insolvent, into the knacker’s yard of administration. UEFA’s report, ‘The European Club Footballing Landscape,’ a mammoth comparison of 654 clubs in the top divisions across Europe, showed that more money is coming in than ever before, but almost half of clubs overall, 47 per cent, still made losses in 2008. European football, the richest club sport in the world, lost €578million (£513m) in total.” (World Soccer)
“It would be the cruelest of defeats for Chelsea fans if the Blues, a team built at great expense to win the Champions League, were to be eliminated by the man previously tasked with capturing European glory for the club. Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, will return to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday with that same goal as the boss of Inter Milan, which holds a 2-1 lead in the two-game elimination series. The current Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, will try to do what Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Guus Hiddink could not do.” (NYT)
Zanzibar queens game photo
“An oft repeated trope of Africa is barefoot children playing joyously with a handmade soccer ball on colorful patches of dirt. There is, however, a reason the children in that image are almost always boys: in many parts of Africa girls don’t play much football. Why not?” (Pitch Invasion)
“It’s a sad day in podland, and not just because Phil Brown has been relieved of his duties at Hull City. On your brand new Football Weekly, we sing an ode to David Beckham, whose World Cup dream is over in the wake of a potentially career-ending achilles injury (although that cut under his eye looks fairly nasty too). James Richardson and a dangerously sleep-deprived Rob Smyth shed a tear.” (Guardian – James Richardson)
“Come June, soccer’s World Cup will be hosted by South Africa. Though only 4 of the 64 games are to be played here in Nelspruit, a $137 million stadium was built for the occasion. The arena’s 18 supporting pylons reach skyward in the shape of orange giraffes. At nightfall, their eyeballs blink with flashes of bewitching light.” (NYT)
“”The fox is wounded,” yelped Gazzetta dello Sport, and they weren’t talking about Goldenballs. David Beckham’s ruptured achilles represents a cruel blow for the player and perhaps also for England (then again, perhaps not) – but on a weekend like this it was never going to get top billing in Italy. As if a Ferrari one-two in the first grand prix of the season wasn’t enough to be getting on with, this was the weekend when the Serie A title race got blown wide open.” (Guardian)
“Longtime reader(s?) of this blog will know that I have something of a soft spot for films that don’t really give much of a damn about plot or story. I may be the only person who seriously considers Le Mans (1971, D: Lee Katzin/Steve McQueen; see article on the film here) every time he tries to assemble a top ten list of films in his head. I am often drawn to films which illuminate action and motion and exteriority.” (Running Downhill), (Must Read Soccer)
“FC Barcelona hosted Valencia in the Spanish Primera Division (La Liga) on Sunday, March 14, 2010 with a chance to go top of the table. With Real Madrid playing the late match, Barcelona could go top of the table, at least for a few hours. They could also gain ground on goal difference which is where Real Madrid have the current advantage. Valencia were in third place and not likely to catch Real Madrid or Barcelona.” (The 90th Minute)
“David Beckham checked into a hospital Monday for surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, hoping for a ‘swift and full recovery’ from an injury that will keep him out of the World Cup. Beckham left a private jet on crutches at Turku airport and was whisked away in an SUV. Minutes later, he arrived at the Mehilainen hospital surrounded by security guards amid cheers from hundreds of fans who had gathered outside the entrance. Surgery is set for later Monday or Tuesday.” (ESPN)
David Beckham Ruptures Achilles Tendon
“Video of David Beckham suffering a ruptured achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan in their 1-0 win over Chievo Verona in the Italian Serie A on Sunday, March 14, 2010.” (Free Soccer Highlights)
“Ross Turnbull enjoyed a mellow afternoon in goal for Chelsea in its 4-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, which briefly took the club back to the top of the Premier League standings. There was nothing he—or anyone—could have done about Scott Parker’s first-half piledriver, which rocketed past him, and his only semitough save, off Carlton Cole in the match’s dying minutes, was competently pulled off.” (WSJ)
“There is a phenomenon in Spain, one that is on the lips of commentators of the Primera División all over the world, one that tinges any match involving Spain’s two biggest teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona: villarato. When I hear the word uttered on GolTv, on ESPN, even on the Fox Sport family of networks, it quickly becomes clear that the depth of this conspiracy is not that evident to those whispering its sinister name.” (Soccer Politics)
“Some ill-advised comments made by the Celtic chairman John Reid at last year’s club AGM may now be coming back to haunt him, as rivals Rangers seem to be coasting to a Scottish Premier League championship. Mark Murphy takes a look at how the two clubs have progressed this season and finds that Reid’s bullishness couldn’t have come with much worse timing.” (twohundredpercent)
“Italian coaches will be everywhere at the Bridge. The Impossible Job has become the Italian Job. Marcello Lippi has won the World Cup while Giovanni Trapattoni wins friends with the Republic of Ireland. Zola, though, is under pressure. Widely considered one of the nicest men in an often heartless profession, the Sardinian who made the ball smile as an elegant maestro with Napoli, Parma and Chelsea, among others, now battles to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)
“Coaches could do worse that scan their opposition for signs of the mental state of their opposition and call their players back in. You can almost imagine Fabio Capello in the middle of a huddle of England players, explaining that they should push the ball wide early on because the opposing full-backs stood like rabbits caught in the glare of a car’s headlamps throughout the duration of, ‘Turks and Caicos, Sweet Home of the Parrot’. Today we sent noted musicologist and patriot Dotmund to cast his ear over the funky fresh sounds of Groups C and D.” (twohundredpercent)
“Paul Hart’s instalment at Crystal Palace last week continued the trend for this 2009-10 Championship season to resemble an episode of Swap Shop. We have remarked more than once in recent months how Chairmen have spent a minimum of time over their re-staffing decisions: the first name that springs to mind has become the main axiom. Hence, the newly sacked have been deemed the most suitable to take clubs forward – current experience has been valued above all and we have Darren at Preston, Brian at Burnley, Alan at Hillsborough and now Paul at the Palace.” (thetwounfortunates)
“It may surprise the casual fan or those new to the sport to learn that Hungary were once, bar none, the greatest team in all the lands. In fact the Aranycsapat – the Magnificent, Magical, Marvellous or Mighty Magyars – still reign as a team of such hushed majestic legend you wonder if they existed in reality at all. They were tactical revolutionaries, the brainchildren behind Brazil’s dash to prominence and much of the modern game in general, and football’s unparalleled juggernaut; within a frame of six years, they lost one solitary football game.” (World Cup Blog)
“‘Remember Portsmouth’ was Rafa’s rallying call before last week’s game at Wigan. The rationale being, you’d imagine, that by invoking painful memories of that 2-0 defeat in December, Liverpool’s players would never dare tolerate such ignominy again. Unfortunately though, they took the manager’s words a little too literally, performing in much the same way they did at Fratton Park. That is, lumbering about the field with all the precision of a pensioner who’s forgotten where he left his glasses.” (WSC)
“A privileged few have experienced the honour of captaining their country to World Cup glory. Just two have won the competition as player and manager. But only one man has completed the hat-trick by ‘winning’ the World Cup as an administrator as well. It is hardly surprising, then, that the great Franz Beckenbauer will always be inextricably and inescapably associated with football’s greatest competition.” (ESPN)
“The lasting image from France’s anemic, controversial, but ultimately successful campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup will be the un-penalized handball by Thierry Henry that helped Les Bleus slip by Ireland in a two-match playoff last November.” (NYT)
“I’m the fan who demands my one year in denial. I cling to the hopes of last season, refusing to believe something can’t be salvaged from this one (as the definition of salvage changes from Can we still finish top four? to Can we still finish top six? Top seven?) With my team so plagued by injury and other abrupt halts to any momentum, I’ve looked to those few inspiring performances to show me that a run of great form is on its way.” (EPL Talk)
“From the British Film Institute, a short film about the 1921 ban against women playing football. You can watch another film about this period in English women’s football history – a compilation of early film footage and photographs documenting the background for the Dick, Kerr’s Ladies football team.” (From a left wing, Las Fútbolistas (Great Grandma on the Left Wing))
Marcello Lippi
“At the start of the season, looking forward to the World Cup finals in June, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said he was ready for any number of tormentoni (literally, pest or nuisance) on the run-in to South Africa. The tormentoni in question, let’s be clear, do not concern player injuries, match schedules or training facilities. No, these torments are media and fan inspired and take the form of pretty forthright “advice” as to who he should take to the finals this summer. In particular, Lippi was bombarded with suggestions for his attack.” (World Soccer)
“Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett’s official answers appear in Sunday’s Observer and here from Monday.” (Guardian – Paul Trevillion)
“Anyone with an active interest in the history of sport will be glad for an introduction to the Sport in Modern Europe research network. It’s being led by Dr. Chris Young at the University of Cambridge assisted by Professors Alan Tomlinson of Brighton and Richard Holt at De Monfort.” (More Than Mind Games)
1465 Sandro Botticelli, Mardochai lamenting before the gates of the palace
“Just when Lyons’ heroics in the Bernabeu had seemed to cast Liverpool’s Champions League elimination at that club’s hands in a more sympathetic light, Lille provided a reminder of precisely where Rafael Benitez’s side stands in the European scheme of things last night.” (Independent)
Eden Hazard’s late goal for Lille leaves Liverpool with plenty to do
“Lille are known as the Mastiffs and an unnerved Liverpool retreated from their lair nursing a nasty bite. No matter that Eden Hazard’s late, wickedly dipping thoroughly elusive, free-kick appeared flukey; it gave Rudi Garcia’s team a deserved first-leg lead.” (Guardian)
Lille vs. Liverpool
(footytube)
“Milan had come to fail. Despondency was close to the surface and bound to overwhelm the side as soon as Manchester United scored. The visitors were diligent enough, but they could not fend off a weariness of soul and body in the 4‑0 loss. Too much has rested on them for too long.” (Guardian)
“Barney Ronay is a senior sports writer for the Guardian and a regular contributor to When Saturday Comes. In this edition of the EPL Talk podcast, I pick up when we left off the last time Barney was on the program, talking about the state of the manager in the English game. Barney, who wrote The Manager, talks about the increased use of the continental model and reflects on Mark Hughes’ time at Manchester City.” (EPL Talk)
Scissors Kick 