Francesco Guardi , Capriccio con piramide
“Liverpool slumped to their second Premier League defeat in nine days as they lost 3-1 to Aston Villa to put their title credentials firmly on the line. Villa produced a defiant, organised display and deserved their first win at Anfield since 2001. The result also ended Liverpool’s 31-match unbeaten home league record stretching back to December 2007, when Manchester United were the last winners at Anfield.” (ESPN)

Trio of mistakes cost Liverpool dear
“And to think Liverpool had come to the conclusion that the problem was drawing at Anfield. They were held at home seven times last season, a series of frustrations that served as an explanation why the title eluded them. Yet this was altogether costlier than the stalemates with Stoke, Fulham and West Ham. Given Aston Villa’s subdued start to the season, it was equally unexpected.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 1 – 3 Aston Villa
“Aston Villa produced an outstanding defensive display to secure their first win against Liverpool in eight years as Rafael Benitez’s side continued their stuttering start to the new Premier League campaign. Villa had been heavily criticised after losing their opening home game to Wigan Athletic and slumping to defeat in the Europa League against Rapid Vienna – but they answered all the questions in emphatic fashion at Anfield.” (BBC)

Red Crash To Anfield Defeat
“Fernando Torres’ late goal was not enough as Liverpool slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa. The Spaniard’s 72nd minute strike gave the hosts hope after first-half goals from Lucas Leiva (og) and Curtis Davies had put Martin O’Neill’s men in control. But Ashley Young’s penalty just three minutes later dashed any thoughts of a fight back as the visitors condemned the Reds to their second defeat in just three league games.” (Liverpool FC)

Liverpool 1 – 3 Aston Villa: That Was Anfield
“What a piggish little game this was. You might have assumed that Liverpool’s first league defeat at home since 2007 would have been an exhibition of high drama, or at least of reasonable intensity, but the Kop was languid, the crowd left early, and the Liverpool players were fierce only in their complaints.” (Run of Play)

“A few month’s back on Radio 5’s World Football Phone-In (Friday night/Saturday morning, normally between 2.30 am and 4am if you care to join us), the excellent analyst of European football, Andy Brassell, was talking about the first Champions League game he attended in Italy. He had a shock. An English team was involved, but the match stewards could not speak English. In my wanderings around South America, however, I would get a similar shock if I saw such a thing as a steward.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“‘Who do you support?’ For your average American that question, particularly without any context, is almost impossible to make sense of. But as I learned on a tour of Uganda and Kenya with a group of American educators in the summer of 2008, for a surprising number of Africans (particularly the teenage students we met) it is among the first questions a Western visitor will be asked. And, to the further confusion of American visitors, the right answer is almost always one of the ‘big four’: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, or Arsenal.” (Pitch Invasion)

“Well, there we are. The Ashes are back in Andrew ‘Blazer’ Strauss’s and England’s hands. An astonishing Test Match which saw England fans chewing their knuckles even if cricketing history, common sense and the evidence of the previous few day’s play suggested that we couldn’t possibly lose.” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“When I first started watching English football, I rarely got to watch the league matches live. I worked in a bar with no TVs. My friends George and Noel would bring us VHS tapes of the weekend matches. George taped the Setanta matches and my Noel taped the FSC matches (often tacking on Sopranos episodes from HBO after each match). The matchdays I wasn’t working were days I had to find a place to watch since I had neither football channel at home. The English pub in town would always have the games on but they didn’t open until noon on weekends. So I learned to love Liverpool on a delay. Watching tapes some 12 hours after the match was over or catching the repeat airings at the pub.” (EPL Talk)

“The past week has certainly given us our fair share of games to watch, ponder, pull our hair out over, or just genuinely enjoy. Just about every English team has played three games in the last nine days, Serie A just kicked off this weekend, and France and Germany are well into their seasons. Next weekend sees the start of the race to the title between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain which should be a very interesting one indeed, though it may cause international interest to the other 18 teams in Spain to dwindle slightly.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Our lineup of starters came out and proved why they start and the Gamper was just a result of playing the B-team. We dominated from the very first moment and Xavi and Yaya quickly became the lords of the tempo of play. Maxwell and Alves gave the team width and Messi had all the time that he could have hoped for with the ball at his feet. Considering all of this was happening it might seem strange that our first goal didn’t come until the 50th minute.” (The Offside)

Spanish Supercup Result: FC Barcelona wins 3-0 (5-1 AGG)
“Barça are playing the Best Football of the continent (possibly the World) & it’s a spectacle to watch them play & see how the new incorporations of Ibrahimovic & Maxwell have settled in nicely into the scheme of things.” (Spanish Football)

FC Barcelona Wins Spanish Super Cup
(All About FC Barcelona)

“Much has been made of the many comings and goings at the ‘Big Four’ clubs throughout a summer full of signings and speculation. The Premier League title is destined, however, for the team which makes the most of their resources, whether massive or relatively meagre. Personnel, motivation – and luck – are all important factors, of course, but countless points will be won and lost on the pre-game chalkboard.” (Footballing World)

Changing Lanes
“As Real Madrid embarked on a typically senseless transfer rampage, Barcelona stood still. Nothing broken, nothing needing fixin’, was their attitude. Winning the treble last season dictates that the current squad possesses something special, but nevertheless, a leading supermarket can never afford to sit back with a contented smile because the competition will not, and will never, give up the chase for supremacy. Yet Barcelona did just this at the beginning of the summer. And so, with the less successful competitor having snapped up the best locations and offering the best prices, the leading brand responded in a frenzy in order to, somehow, hold onto its dominant market position.” (Footballing World)

“Some 30,000 interlopers from the western extremity of the Soviet Union descended on Moscow on 17 Aug 1969 and, in a spontaneous assertion of nationalism, sang Ukrainian folk songs in the heart of the Soviet empire. Following a 20-hour train journey, supporters of FC Karpaty celebrated the temerity of a regional second-division club in making Soviet soccer history. The team known as the Carpathians, from L’viv, defeated SKA Rostov-on-Don, a top-flight Russian side, to become the only Soviet Cup winners from outside the first division.” (The Global Game)

“Invariably, Jermain Defoe is in the thick of it, cracking jokes and volleys, startling apprentice keepers with the power of his shooting. Exuberance reigns. A natural finisher, Defoe’s knack of finding the target has been further honed through hard work. Having the popular Ferdinand around adds to the enjoyment of the session – and the expertise. Ferdinand understands what it is like to fight for an England place, knows how forwards like Defoe are creatures of confidence.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

Honey Baked Tottenham
“For today, at least, it’s good to be Steve Nash (even more so than usual), Jeff Beck, (suddenly) Bill Simmons, my buddy Suppe and yes, even according to this website Andrew Ridgley. Granted it’s a mere two games into the marathon that is the 2009-10 Premier League season, but there is reason to be excited about the heady days at White Hart Lane as Tottenham — the classic tease if there ever was one — is 2-0-0 with six points in the bank with seven goals scored in those matches.” (That’s on Point)

“Before a ball was kicked in the Serie A season, the national coach, Marcello Lippi, expressed the wish that the Italian league would make the world sit up and notice its quality before the World Cup in 2010. Maybe it will. But it might not be the Italians doing it. The eye-catching performances in AC Milan’s 2-1 victory in Siena on Saturday night were Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho in the attack and Alessandro Nesta and Thiago Silva in defense. Three of the four are Brazilians who are hoping the Italian league makes their national coach, Carlos Dunga, sit up and notice them.” (NYT)

“Gianfranco Zola is doing his best to dispel the myth that good guys cannot succeed in the harsh world of Premier League management. It is hard to find anyone who has a bad word to say about the little Italian, whose cheeky smile and boyish enthusiasm for the sport he mastered as a player looks set to continue into what may soon be hailed as a successful coaching career.” (ESPN)

“During his halcyon days at Aberdeen, Alex Ferguson made a pronouncement to a gathering of football writers, a number of them visitors from England, which had a startling impact. Responding to the question of how he had restructured the club, with particular emphasis on scouting, he said: ‘Let me put it this way: no Denis Law will ever be allowed to leave Aberdeen again.'” (Guardian)

“Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (born 4 November 1972 in Almada) is a former Portuguese footballer who played as a midfielder for Sporting Clube de Portugal, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale during a career which spans over 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portuguese national football team.” Wikipedia, Guardian, YouTube, (1)

“The idea may cause a certain amount of outrage inside these football borders but there is someone willing to give us the definitive analysis of the strange and disturbing case of Joleon Lescott. He is the much reviled, former football genius Michael Platini. He might just be able to draw a practical line between the rage of Everton manager David Moyes that his season has perhaps been irreparably sabotaged by the Manchester City belief that they can merely reach for their chequebook and summon a key player of a less wealthy rival – and the player’s legitimate belief that, like most everyone else in the land, he has the right to accept the best available offer for skills he will enjoy only for a relatively brief phase of his life.” (Independent)

“What do the following have in common: keeper Vincenzo Fiorillo (Sampdoria), full-back Francesco Renzetti (Genoa), centre-half Giuseppe Bellusci (Catania), midfielders Fabio Sciacca (Catania) and Andrea Poli (Sampdoria), and strikers Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Guido Marilungo (Sampdoria) and Alberto Paloschi (Parma)? Well, apart from being under-20, these multinational young talents will all struggle to hold down a permanent Serie A starting place next season.” (World Soccer)

Juande Ramos and Pep Guardiola
“Last season Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona thrilled Europe with their fluid, vivacious, irrepressible brand of football. Led by the combined talents of Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Messi and Eto’o, Barca surged to an exceptional treble which established the Catalan club as the most formidable on the planet.” (SoccerLens)

“The cliché coaches like to use when their teams win the first leg of a cup tie is that their team has a foot in the next round. After their 5-1 demolition of Anderlecht, Lyon have both feet inside the door and are just about to close it behind them. Even on television, the atmosphere in the Gerland felt like a carnival – unless, of course, you were an Anderlecht fan for whom it felt more like a burial.” (FourFourTwo)

“I’m not going to spend a lot of time crying about what a tragedy last season was. We won the European Cup. Yes, we lost our streak of consecutive Serie A titles and got blown out by A.C. Milan, but we still finished second in the league, won the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, and ended the season as champions of Europe. That’s not a bad year, even if it doesn’t live up to all our (unearthly, outsize, hyperinflated) expectations.” (Run of Play), Pro Vercelli: The 3-4-3 in Action – (Run of Play)

Jose Mourinho
“First came denial, then anger, bargaining and depression. Now, at last, acceptance: Serie A has reached the end of an era. No Italian sides reached the quarter-finals of last year’s Champions League, and there is a strong possibility that one of the country’s four places in that competition will soon be lost to Germany. More troubling still, Serie A’s 20 teams now boast a collective debt of close to €2bn. More painful still, two of the league’s most gifted players – Ricky Kakà and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – have left for Spain’s La Liga. Three of its most iconic – Paolo Maldini, Pavel Nedved and Luis Figo – have retired.” (Guardian)

Q. & A. With A.C. Milan’s Oguchi Onyewu
“Oguchi Onyewu joined his new team, A.C. Milan, during the club’s preseason tour of the United States last month. After a day of training and promotional events in the Boston area, Onyewu and his teammates enjoyed a team dinner at the Four Seasons downtown. After dinner, he sat down with The New York Times for an interview about his new team and his experience playing soccer overseas. What follows is a partial transcript of my interview with Onyewu.” (NYT)

“From Irish predators to a Danish maestro, we look at six players who didn’t get the credit they deserved” (Guardian)

“When Man Utd toured the Far East this summer, Dimitar Berbatov said he felt like a Beatle. On Wednesday night the striker and his team-mates looked more like Bez – dazed and confused. United’s defeat by Burnley was the biggest shock since Robert Smith first discovered hairspray, as a thumping effort from Robbie Blake (or ‘Blobbie Rake’ as he’s known in the trade) earned the striker the freedom of the city.” (BBC)

“Like a recurring ulcer, we’re back after a summer of excess and decadence. When we last checked in, Cristiano Ronaldo was still a Red Devil, AC Milan looked competitive and the U.S. national team looked like it could beat Spain, no problem. Honest. In any case, we’re getting the Rankings machine going again after a blistering summer of some serious cash moving around, despite the supposedly slow economy.” (SI)

“Days before the Maltese football season is due to start and still the future of Marsaxlokk FC and Vittoriosa Stars, the two clubs at the centre of corruption charges, is unknown after hearings were repeatedly postponed. For years, rumours of corruption have undermined the credibility of local football but when these were brought up the official reply always was that unless someone stepped forward with proof nothing could be done.” (twohundredpercent)

“Well we’ve now had two rounds of Premier League fixtures and gosh, hasn’t it been interesting!? It’s fair to say there have been some major shocks already, so what have you made of the season so far? What are your first impressions? I’m going to give my two cents worth with three conclusions below, but please leave a comment and let me know what your reaction to the start of the ‘09/’10 season has been.” (They think it’s all over…)

“Stephen Derek Heighway (born 25 November 1947) is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.” Wikipedia, LFC History, All Experts, MySpace

“What is the official name of this new round anyway? Fourth round? ‘Playoff bracket’? How about “the mere formality”, because that’s what it turned out to be yesterday. While all were hoping for a big upset and a Champions League Cinderella, the big clubs went quietly about taking care of business, disposing of the riff raff before the the second leg.” (The Offside), Champions League Qualifying: Home Sweet Nothing – The Offside

“It’s injury time in Tirana and, with the score at 1-1, Portugal know that they are effectively on the brink of elimination from the 2010 World Cup. Another long ball is floated into the Albanian area and, as the home goalkeeper fails to hold the ball, Porto centre-back Bruno Alves appears at the back post to head the ball in. Cue wild celebrations on the Portugal bench. It’s as if they have just beaten Brazil in the World Cup Final.” (World Soccer)

The Arrival on the Bay, Salomon van Ruysdael
“Liverpool put the misery of their opening day defeat at Tottenham firmly behind them with a convincing 4-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield. Last season Tony Pulis’ men grabbed a 0-0 draw in this corresponding fixture, one of the results boss Rafael Benitez maintains cost Liverpool the title. This time around there was no mistake. Steven Gerrard created two of the goals and new boy Glen Johnson had an outstanding game surging down the right at will.” (ESPN)

Liverpool 4 – 0 Stoke
“Liverpool made amends for their opening day Premier League defeat at Tottenham with an emphatic victory against Stoke. Fernando Torres gave the Reds the early lead when he stroked in Steven Gerrard’s cross from 10 yards. Glen Johnson then scored his first goal for the club with an acrobatic finish just before the interval.” (BBC)

Liverpool 4-0 Stoke City (This is Anfield)

Reds 4-0 Stoke (Liverpool FC)

“Unless Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has something up his sleeve before the transfer window shuts, you have to say his side look a weaker proposition. The system that worked so well for them last season was nowhere to be seen in the 2-1 defeat against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The link-up play between Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that was key to them pushing Manchester United all the way was not there.” (BBC)

Rafael Benítez needs to up his game to avoid being portrayed as a sore loser
“There is an old, old story, possibly apocryphal, of the day Alan Ball made his debut as a co-commentator and the television station received a record number of complaints from viewers about a high-pitched squeaking noise coming out of their sets.” (Guardian)

“If Italian football supporters had any doubts that Serie A is now a Big Issue-selling relation to the English and Spanish top flights, they have been dispelled this summer. First Kaka moved to Real Madrid, kicking off Florentino Perez’s spending orgy and prompting AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi to vow to do something about football’s “mad prices” after having pocketed €68 million (£58m). The comments did little to make up for the loss of his side’s main creative force, but they did produce some chuckles from those who remember when Berlusconi used to be the one destabilising transfer markets by willy-nilly cash splashing.” (WSC)

“Manchester City is like a black hole that has opened up in the fabric of the Premier League. Sucking mass, masses of expensive players and media attention, it leaves many fans unsure about how to approach the club’s awakening and limitless powers. Some laugh. Some wince. Most shake their heads, confused and afraid, especially those millions of fans of any of the now comparatively-less-rich Big Four, which constitute most of the Premier League fans here in America and elsewhere outside England. This is understandable. Manchester City’s profligate spending has driven up transfer prices, undermined other teams’ prized resources, and presented a serious threat to the Big Four’s establishment and their lock on Champions League places.” (Foot Smoke)

Cornelis van Poelenburgh (1594-1667). Ruins in Rome
“For a team supposed to be scared of the ‘cauldron’ of Parkhead, Arsenal did well to hide their fear as they gave themselves a great chance of progressing to the group stages by netting two away goals against Celtic. Arsenal became the first English club to win a European tie at Celtic since Nottingham Forest in 1983 and it was the perfect result for Arsene Wenger, who kept the same side that dismantled Everton at the weekend.” (ESPN)

Celtic 0 – 2 Arsenal (ESPN)

Arsenal Have Celtic Jumping Through Hoops (A Cultured Left Foot)

“This transfer season has really brought out the armchair manager in all of us. From Two Yellows’ dad stressing over Harry Redknapp’s transfers to my own personal daily agony over the selling of Xabi Alonso, it often seems like fans have more insight into how their teams work than managers do.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“With the new Italian season almost upon us, Italian football journalists are already queuing up to sound the alarm bells for AC Milan, after mediocre displays in six consecutive friendly-defeats fuelled speculation that Leonardo’s new tactical regime (following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea) will ultimately lead to a horror season for the former Champions League winners.” (ESPN)

Paris Saint-Germain
“I’m on the eve of a quick tourist trip to Paris, and I leave in a perplexed frame of mind. How can it be that a major European capital has only one big soccer team? And even Paris Saint-Germain, founded in 1970, is a recent arrival, with little tradition.” (SI – Tim Vickery)

“In a recent conversation with my good friend Rhydian Morgan we discussed the idea of sporting legends. Who are these people? What does it take to make a legend? Is it an era-defining performance or is it consistent excellence? Is it accumulated trophies, preternatural ability or something akin to ‘Je ne sais quoi’?” (Left Back In The Changing Room)

“If we’re going to follow Burnley through the year, and throw their last Championship season up for comparison, I thought it might be just as well to involve their first title year as well – 1920-1. There’s what must be all of the surviving Burnley footage, save the 1940s pioneering colour film of Turf Moor, in this excellent if blurred Youtube compilation…” (More Than Mind Games), (1)

“The Times had an interesting list of the top ten stadiums in the world last week, as judged by Tony Evans. Here’s his top ten, with a photo of each — what do you think of the list? It seems impossible for one man to have visited enough world stadia to have even made this judgment, and there doesn’t appear to be any particular criteria being used — no special focus on architecture, atmosphere, location or history, just a jumbled up mix of each randomly justifying each selection. Notably, nine of the ten stadiums are in Europe, and only one has been built since the 1970s (though most have obviously been renovated or almost entirely rebuilt since their original openings).” (Pitch Invasion)

“Well, here we go. 365 days, 524 recipes. Time to learn a little something about life. Operating assumptions for the start of the season: Spain is more interesting than England. All good souls should want Arsenal to win the Premier League. (I will be unabashedly wanting that this year, thanks very much.) Serie A is a ghost town, and it has a ghost town’s rickety appeal: good for hideouts, rendezvous, creepy scenes in the middle of Hitchcock movies, gunfighters, preservationists, and cacti. Folks in these parts say that if you put your ear to the old well at night, you can still hear the moaning of José Mourinho’s ego.” (Run of Play)

“Like a kid at Christmas, the waiting has been unbearable. The restless nights and the days filled with anticipation, before the moment finally arrives and you have the presents in your hands. Similarly, after waiting and waiting the Premier League finally got under way on Saturday and the days worth of football didn’t disappoint, with the possible exception of my team Aston Villa, who due to confusion surrounding the kick-off time failed to turn up and instead submitted eleven Madame Tussauds waxworks in the starting line-up.” (Three Match Ban)

“The idealistic president of UEFA, Michel Platini, once said that he would favour abolishing the current European club cups to stage instead a single, 256-team, unseeded knockout tournament. A real European Cup, in fact, where the final eight would be impossible to predict, and where Milan, Bayern, Barcelona and Chelsea would risk being knocked out in September. How New Football laughed at that idea. But it’s doubtful Platini ever seriously thought he could even start the discussion about such a plan. Like all idealists, he was merely setting out his best-case utopia. Something we could at least think about working towards.” (WSC)

“Italian football has been blighted by a series of exposing scandals in recent years; Calciopoli in 2006, the Plusvalenze scandal and the murder of a Lazio fan by police in 2007 all degrading the once esteemed reputation of Serie A. The 2008/09 season, however, did much to restore people’s faith in Italian football, a campaign free of corruption and legal accusation allowing fans to focus solely on the football on display. Followers of Serie A will be hoping that the league can consolidate the rebuilding of its respectability in 2009/10 in what is set to be one of the most interesting seasons in recent years.” (SoccerLens)

“Well that was some weekend, I’ll trust the lot of you stayed glued to your televisions for better parts of the morning Saturday and Sunday. Hope you enjoyed it, because I sure did. At this point every game has some excitement to it, nobody is in a deep hole and playing bad yet and you don’t really know how anything is going to shake out.” (Avoiding the Drop)

“Maybe you know this, maybe you don’t but 95 percent of the time I have to work Friday nights. This makes getting up for that early Saturday morning match a chore, well, so much as getting up to watching a sporting event in your pajamas can actually be a chore. Saturday, after rising to my alarm with sand in my eyes and truding down the stairs of my condo to fire up Chelsea/Hull City, this paradigm has been changed, not just changed but shattered by two letters — H & D. The Premier League in High Def? I was like my cat after giving her a whiff of catnip — thoroughly memorized. Who cares if it was a place as loathsome as Stamford Bridge, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.” (That’s On Point)

“If strength in depth is the key to winning the Premier League title, then Liverpool may be destined to spend yet another season as nearly men. After falling just four points short of ending their painful 19-year wait for a domestic championship last May, this was the summer when Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had his chance to apply the finishing touches to a squad that may only be a couple of players away from being hailed as the very best in the country.” (ESPN)

The Liverpool Lie
“Nothing bothers me more in football than when myopic TV pundits and journalists alike ignore the facts. I’m talking about facts. With the Annual Arsenal Write-Off duly shown two-fingers by the Gunners and Liverpool putting in an uninspired (to say the least) performance at White Hart Lane, you have to ask whether pundits and journalists should have seen this coming. Perhaps, it is Liverpool, not Arsenal, who should be looking over their shoulder at the likes of Man City.” (SoccerLens)

“The big kick-off to a new season is always exhilarating, fuelled by the energy of fans flocking back to their spiritual home after more than three months of absence. The regularity and depth of this contact between fans, stadium and team means that the club game will always be football’s central experience. But maybe a tilt is taking place in the direction of national teams. It could just be that this is World Cup season. Or perhaps because I’m briefly back in England at a moment when there is a mini buzz of expectation around Fabio Capello and his men.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

“There are a ton of cock-ups and numpties to flag up this week as we had a bumper selection of errors over the past seven days in world football. The season wouldn’t be the same without the men in black spoiling things.” (101 Great Goals)

Joachim Patinir, Saint Jerome in the Desert
“Title hopefuls Liverpool suffered defeat in their first game of the new Barclays Premier League campaign as Sebastien Bassong scored on his debut in a 2-1 victory for Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Reds boss Rafael Benitez had spent the summer plotting how to overhaul champions Manchester United, having fallen just short last season in the quest for a first title since 1990.” (ESPN)
Thin resources could cost Liverpool’s ambitions (ESPN)
Tottenham 2 – 1 Liverpool (BBC)
Spurs 2-1 Reds: Opening day defeat at the Lane (This Is Anfield)
Liverpool 1-2 Tottenham (oh you beauty)
Rafa Benitez: Lack of funds won’t shake our title challenge (Lliverpool Daily Post)
Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1 (Liverpool Daily Post)
Tottenham 2 – Liverpool 1 (101 Great Goals – Video)

“Yesterday, Raul declared his immediate eligibility for the old age home by proclaiming Mikey Owen a possible candidate for the Premiership scoring title, despite ample evidence to the contrary (such as years 2004-2009). But it brings up a good question: just who is the likely scoring leader – and not just of England, but of the whole damn continent? Who will win the hallowed – umm…what’s that goddamn acronym again?…ah yes – ESM Golden Shoe? This we must ponder.” (The Offside)

“With Brazilian clubs continuing to lose players in the transfer window the perennial calls are being made to bring the country’s football calendar into line with Europe’s. There is near-unanimous support for restructuring from clubs who would free to play in tournaments in the European close season, as well as not losing players mid-championship. But the powerful Globo media network and, less openly, the Brazilian federation (CBF) are opposed to the change.” (WSC)

“To sit with Stan Bowles and listen to riotous tales of fun and insurrection in the 70s is to be reminded that, for all its modern excesses, football fundamentally has always been a playground of the ego. This, after all, was a man for whom the round ball might have been invented as his personal plaything so brilliant was he, a footballer Denis Law once described as ‘100% talent”‘. Yet he entered into countless battles of the will, won a few, lost more and ultimately squandered his gifts. It is a crime he played only five times for England – but some of the wounds were self-inflicted.” (Guardian)

“Every year I like to draw up the Premier League as a system of tiers. This year I didn’t do it, but the caste system is about as pronounced as its ever been. In an scenario eerily similar to the actual world, the small group of elites (The Big Four) are growing richer, the middle class is getting squeezed and the poor unwashed masses continue to grow.” (That’s On Point)

Will you walk alone?
“Xabi Alonso is the new Chuck Norris. You’d think, given the melodramatic manner in which his homeward-bound transfer to Madrid has been covered in the professional press and on the interwebs of amateur punditry, that the Handsome Basque once ate an entire ream of rice paper and shat out some origami swans and Shunsuke Nakamura. You’d think he could withstand a lethal dose of Napalm in his Lucozade. You’d think the Taliban requested peace talks after watching highlights of the Spanish midfielder’s long-range bombs against Luton Town and Newcastle.” (That’s On Point)

 
“With South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup resuming next month, the top four positioned teams of the continent tested their strength in what ended up being worthwhile friendly matches on Wednesday. While Brazil, Argentina and Chile claimed hard-fought victories in Europe, Paraguay lost in Asia.” (SI)

“The 2009/10 Premier League season kicks off this weekend – and the organisers are already describing it as an overwhelming success. For the first time annual revenue is expected to exceed £1bn, with much of this success fuelled from abroad. Matches will be beamed into 575m homes in 211 territories around the world and a total of 90,000 hours of action will be broadcast.” (BBC)

Where the Premier League’s players come from (BBC)

“The English Premier League season will begin this weekend, and several Americans who played in the United States team’s 2-1 defeat to Mexico will be playing in what many consider the most exciting league in Europe. Here’s a brief rundown of the United States players and other Americans you’ll see in England’s top flight this season…” (NYT)

“‘Tis the season… The Premier League finally kicks off again tomorrow and I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I’ve been asking mummy for a shiny new League Title for months but I have this fear I’m destined for a pile of knee-socks and hand-knitted sweaters. Honestly, I might not sleep tonight. I’m that charged up. Of all the team sports I love to watch (football, basketball, baseball, that other football), the Premier League has the shortest off-season, yet this is the one that’s hardest for me to survive. But I made it. We’re here.” (EPL Talk), Final Thoughts Before The Premier League Opener, part 2 – (EPL Talk)

“Bill of the outstanding Bill’s Sports Maps returns to Pitch Invasion with another wonderful map, this time an illustrated map of La Liga for the upcoming 2009-10 season, including attendance, city population, and club badges. Beautiful work from Bill, as ever.” (Pitch Invasion)

“In the early 1990s, football entered a new era. A media-led, lad-culture-infused revival was in train. Football was, cautiously, on its way to becoming a mainstream pursuit, a lifestyle choice in an era of aggressively marketed leisure. The manager was part of the wider scene now. There was no need for him to seek fame. It came looking for him. And in the process some peculiar things started to happen.” (Guardian)

“Failing an extremely unlikely historical blip – such as Boavista’s success in 2001 – you can once again choose any one from three for the Portuguese title. Benfica claim to have six million fans around the world and they were jubilant last Christmas – the team were sitting on top of the table and were thus the unofficial winter champions. It didn’t last, naturally, and they trundled in third behind FC Porto and Sporting.” (WSC)