Tag Archives: Champions League

Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester United: Real dominate but United withstand the pressure

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Cristiano Ronaldo
“A headed goal for either side – and all to play for the in the second leg. Jose Mourinho chose Rafael Varane at the back, and Karim Benzema upfront – elsewhere, his side was as expected. Sir Alex Ferguson named a very positive starting XI, with four outright attacking players in the side – Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa both started. Jonny Evans played at centre-back rather than Nemanja Vidic. Real Madrid dominated in terms of possession, territory and shots – but both sides had chances to win the game.” Zonal Marking

The Race for Europe: Which EPL Clubs Will Qualify for the Champions League?

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“As it the Premier League table stands at the moment, Manchester United are looking set to snatch back the trophy from the blue half of Manchester. Twelve points clear with 12 matches to play is a rather large hurdle, but in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’ This is certainly true of positions 2-6 and who will get the Champions League/Europa League places. What has made the top of the table so interesting this year is the continued form of both Tottenham Hotspur and Everton as well as the relative inconsistency of Manchester City and Chelsea. Tottenham are currently sitting in 4th place on 48 points followed by Chelsea with 49 points in third and City in second place with 53 points. That is only a 5 point lead for Manchester City with Tottenham set to play Chelsea on the road and City at home while Chelsea will also have to travel to Man City on Feb 24th.” EPL Talk

How is wrestling at corners interpreted in different European leagues?

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“… If you are English and ask anybody in Russia about wrestling at corners, the discussion inevitably turns to a World Cup qualifier in Ljubljana in 2001. With the score at 1-1, Slovenia won a last-minute corner. The referee, Graham Poll, twice prevented it being taken to warn Russian defenders about shirt holding. When the corner finally came in, Viacheslav Daev tussled with Zeljko Milinovic and Poll, his patience gone, gave a penalty. While shirt-pulling and wrestling certainly goes on in the Russian league, the hangover from that decision means that it is seen as very much a British obsession. Jonathan Wilson” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Celtic 0-3 Juventus: Celtic cause problems in the first half, but Juve’s finishing far superior

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“There was much to admire about Celtic’s performance, but they couldn’t sustain their early effort. Neil Lennon decided to use Efe Ambrose at the back, despite his participation in Nigeria’s 1-0 Africa Cup of Nations win on Sunday evening. Upfront, Lennon used three attackers – Kris Commons, James Forrest and Gary Hooper. Antonio Conte is still without Giorgio Chiellini, so Martin Caceres was on the left of defence, and Federico Peluso was the left-wing-back. Alessandro Matri’s good run of form saw him get another start upfront. An odd match – for spells in the first half Juventus looked genuinely rattled, and yet they had already gone 1-0 up with Matri’s early goal. Celtic’s first-half performance depended on energy and brave pressing, which resulted in tiredness late on.” Zonal Marking

Juventus silences Celtic’s rowdy audience, Zlatan red carded

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“The Champions League returned to action Tuesday and despite two early goals scored by the away teams, both matches were compelling encounters. The games threw up some unlikely heroes and, as always, plenty of talking points. Here are a few: Marchisio breaks Celtic hearts: Celtic coach Neil Lennon said pre-match that his side did not play old-fashioned kick and rush football, and that much was true. In fact, it was Juventus who played the first long ball of the night, Andrea Pirlo’s third-minute pass from deep catching Efe Ambrose half-asleep and allowing Alessandro Matri to slot the ball past Fraser Forster.” SI

Statistical Analysis: Is Jermain Defoe consistent enough for Spurs?

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“Prior to the start of this season’s Premier League campaign, Tottenham supporters looked on nervously as the Emmanuel Adebayor transfer saga dragged on into August, wondering if we’d enter the season with Jermain Defoe as our only experienced first team striker. As it happened, we got Adebayor in before the window closed, but due to a mix of injuries, suspension, and lack of form, Adebayor was relegated to the bench while a red-hot Jermain Defoe banged in the goals for the first several months of the campaign.” Think Football

Sneijder confident in taking road less traveled to Turkey

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“Wesley Sneijder, the Dutch national team captain, was on the phone from Istanbul, and I asked him something that had never entered my mind until this week: Is it realistic to think Galatasaray could win the UEFA Champions League? The Turkish club may be the most intriguing team in world soccer right now after pulling off a double-stunner in the past week to acquire Sneijder and Ivory Coast star striker Didier Drogba. Sneijder chuckled a little bit at the question. He has won a Champions League, after all, with Inter Milan in 2009-10, and he knows how hard it is to raise the most important trophy in world club soccer. But doing it with Galatasaray?” SI

Galatasaray adds Sneijder, Drogba and intrigue

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“You have to feel sympathy for Schalke fans this week. As they gathered around televisions to watch the Champions League second-round draw in December, they would have been content with a meeting against Galatasaray. There was the problematic trip ‘to hell’ to overcome, of course, but over two legs and looking at the two lineups, Schalke would have been confident of progression. But in the same week that Lewis Holtby’s transfer to Tottenham was brought forward, robbing Schalke of their inspirational attacking midfielder, Galatasaray completed one of the most remarkable double swoops in recent footballing history.” ESPN – Michael Cox (Video)

Galatasaray 2-1 Besiktas: Gala comfortably win the derby – now for Sneijder and Drogba
“Galatasaray outplayed Besiktas across the pitch – and were rarely troubled even after Felipe Melo’s red card. Fatih Terim was without right-back Emmanuel Eboue and left-sided midfielder Nordin Amrabat because of the Africa Cup of Nations, so played Sabri Sarioglu and Emre Colak. Johan Elmander started rather than Burak Yilmaz, and Wesley Sneijder was only on the bench. Samat Aybaba was forced to cope without striker Hugo Almeidia, which meant Filip Holosko was pushed upfront to play as a lone centre-forward, and Roberto Hilbert was moved forward to play on the right of midfield, perhaps to deal with Albert Riera. Mehmet Akgun made a rare appearance at right-back, while Gokhan Suzen came in at left-back.” Zonal Marking

The Champions League’s Effect On Lower League Attendances

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“Furthering the figures I had for Oldham and Brentford the other week, I wanted to extend the figures out to cover a larger number of teams. After a lot of weighing up either way and looking at the numbers, I elected to avoid teams that had been in Tier 2 in my timespan (because the figures would end up being skewed by the visits of ‘bigger’ teams – there’s already an element of that with Leeds, Norwich and Southampton having toured League One, but it would really fill out the spaces if I included Championship teams).” From Inside Right?

High-five: No Messi, no problem

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“Barcelona achieved a solid 5-0 win against Cordoba Thursday in the return leg of the Last 16 round of the Copa Del Rey. David Villa and Alexis Sanchez (braces) and Thiago scored for the Blaugrana, who enjoyed 63 percent of possession and attempted 20 shots, 12 on target and one that hit the post. The Blaugranas qualified for the quarterfinals, where Malaga awaits, with an aggregate 7-0 victory.” ESPN

Madrid-United the gem of Champions League Round of 16

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“A dramatic Champions League Round of 16 draw was made Thursday morning in Nyon, Switzerland, giving football lovers exciting matchups to look forward to in February and March. Part of the drama of drawing the eight pairings now comes from not knowing exactly how the teams will be playing when the games come along in eight weeks’ time: confidence, injuries and general form could all change the picture between now and then. Not to mention the longer-than-usual three weeks between first and second legs. Here is a breakdown …” SI

New year brings new goals, perhaps new club for Drogba

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” Timing a retirement is hard enough for anybody; for sportspeople, used to the rush of victory and the adulation of the crowd, to the routine of training and a preposterous income, and facing perhaps 60 years of post-playing life, it must seem almost impossibly daunting. In terms purely of narrative, Didier Drogba probably should have gone in May after the Champions League final. It seemed the perfect ending. He had been at the club eight years, and had been striving all that time for European glory. He’d been sent off in the 2008 Champions League final and banned for the ferocity of his protests after Chelsea had lost to Barcelona in the 2009 semifinal. Munich was his redemption. He headed the 88th-minute equaliszr and then rolled in the final penalty.” SI

The Writer & The Economist: An Interview with Soccernomics’ Authors

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“Two weeks ago I was given the opportunity to conduct a Skype interview with Simon Kuper (from Paris) and Stefan Szymaski (from Ann Arbor, Michigan). It couldn’t have been a better representation of how global soccer had become – me, being a recent convert and blogger through watching digital TV feeds from England, talking to men located halfway around the world who had grown up watching and writing about it for a living. What ensued was a nearly fifty minute conversation on all the topics covered in their latest edition of Soccernomics: how the partnership works so well between two writers from very different schools of writing, why the Moneyball approach failed at Liverpool, their thoughts on financial fair play, and how match data is transforming the game. They offered me a few insights into what they might include in the next edition of the book, as well as what they’re working on in the immediate future. They even gave me their thoughts on the Robin Van Persie situation at Arsenal and their predictions for the Champions League final and European Championships. In all, it is 7000 words of insight from two of the preeminent authors in soccer journalism today.” Forbes

Barcelona’s bogey team?

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“Celtic made waves across Europe with their Champions League group stage win over Barcelona. While the result was a notable upset, it was in keeping with the Catalan side’s decidedly average record against teams from Scotland. Curiously, in 18 contests Barca have won six, drawn five and now lost seven against Scottish opposition. The Bhoys’ recent triumph was their second against the side from the Nou Camp, following on from a first-leg win in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup which helped them progress to the last eight of the competition. Back in season 1960/61 meanwhile, Hibernian’s 3-2 victory at Easter Road clinched a 7-6 aggregate win in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup quarter-finals. However, when it comes to taming Barcelona, one Scottish team have a record that many bigger clubs can only dream of.” World Soccer

Tactical Analysis: Is the role of the striker dying out?

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MapOfEurope
“At the mention of Pele, Puskas, Muller and Eusébio, you instinctively think ‘goals’. They were both great goal scorers, and scorers of great goals. They lit up world stages, influenced generations, tormented defenders and forged an image of lethality at the mention of the word ‘striker’. You might even mistake them for hit-men; they were that feared. They are so well known, well remembered and well documented that it would be almost impossible to imagine football history without them. There would be a gaping hole in the Annals of football if we neglected them and their feats. But is it time that we overlook these types of players?” Think Football

Is Bayern Munich ready to ascend to Champions League winner?

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“Bayern Munich made it a historic clean sweep of top-of-the-group finishes for the three Bundesliga sides in the Champions League with a 4-1 win over BATE Borisov on Wednesday. On Thursday, Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen, Hannover and Mönchengladbach all qualified for the next stage of the Europa League. That’s another first: Germany’s top flight has never had seven teams involved at the international stage after the winter break.” SI

Barcelona hopeful on Messi’s knee; Chelsea makes dubious history

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“Lionel Messi picked up an injury while Chelsea made horrible history as the Champions League group stages concluded Wednesday night … 1. Messi injury spoils Barcelona’s night. What started as an irrelevant match for the Catalans took on an alarming importance as Lionel Messi was taken off on a stretcher with what appeared to be a left knee injury near the end of a goalless draw with Benfica at Camp Nou. With qualification at the head of Group G already assured, Barcelona rested numerous first-teamers for the match, which the visitors dominated in the first half. But Messi came off the bench in the 58th minute. He twisted his knee trying to beat Benfica goalkeeper Artur in the 85th minute and looked in considerable pain.” SI

Commons touch takes Celtic into knockout stages

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“A Kris Commons penalty nine minutes from time took Celtic FC into the UEFA Champions League round of 16 for the first time in five seasons as a narrow victory against FC Spartak Moskva secured second place in Group G. The Scottish champions kicked off level with SL Benfica on seven points but needing to better their Portuguese rivals’ result to go through for the first time since 2007/08. All looked promising when Gary Hooper fired them into a 21st-minute lead only for a delicate Ari chip to bring eliminated Spartak level before the break. With time running out, Celtic pushed for a winner and were rewarded when Giorgos Samaras was impeded by Marek Suchý, Commons smashing his spot kick in off the underside of the crossbar to earn a result that, combined with Benfica’s draw in Spain, sparked joyous scenes at the final whistle.” UEFA

Schrödinger’s Coach

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“You’re familiar with The Gaze, yes? It’s late in the match. Arsenal is trailing 2-1 to a beatable opponent. The Gunners are passing with urgency, doing everything but scoring, when suddenly some jumped-up Championship striker — let’s call him, I don’t know, Lee Stanhope, or maybe Robbie Davies — nabs the ball on the counter and goes barreling off toward Szczesny. He gets past Koscielny — it’s not hard — and finds an opening before Sagna can track back. Quick chip shot and … yes! It’s 3-1, just in time for the fourth official to hoist his little light board. The air sucks out of the Emirates. Game over.” Grantland – Brian Phillips

Shakhtar 0-1 Juventus: Juve’s bravery pays off

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“Juventus were the better side, and won to secure their place in the knockout stages, at the expense of Chelsea. Mircea Lucescu was without two key players, Luiz Adriano and Tomas Hubschmann. He selected Eduardo upfront. Antonio Conte was without the suspended Claudio Marchisio so played Paul Pogba in midfield, while Sebastian Giovinco was chosen alongside Mirko Vucinic upfront. Of course, the interesting factor here was that a draw was a satisfactory result for both. Shakhtar had already confirmed their qualification for the knockout stages, but a draw would ensure them topping the group. Juventus were at risk of going out (with Chelsea winning, as expected, against Nordsjaelland) but a draw would confirm qualification.” Zonal Marking

Spartak Moscow’s season of self-destruction could suit Celtic

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“The Russian newspaper Sovetsky Sport on Monday ran a column that spoke of Chelsea, the St Petersburg ice-hockey team SKA and Spartak Moscow as ‘three broken toys’. All of them, it pointed out, are owned by oligarchs, all have had recent success and all have been undermined by meddling from the top that, to those on the outside, seemed baffling. It compared Roman Abramovich to a boy who loved something so much he hugged it until it suffocated.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Danish Blues: The Demise Of Brondby IF

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“Last season the world of European football was mildly surprised to see a new name join the Champions League jet-set. Many words have already been written on the miraculous rise from regional cup final to the world’s richest club competition of FC Nordsjælland. Whilst the champagne corks were popping in the Farum, a sleepy northern Copenhagen suburb, back in May, the usual end of season soul-searching on the other side of the Capital of Cool began in earnest. Brøndby IF, for so long the title also-rans, had experienced a season from hell, finishing just two places and six points above the relegation zone.” In Bed With Maradona

Dundee United’s Domination Of Barcelona

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“Celtic made waves across Europe with their Champions League group stage win over Barcelona. While the result was a notable upset, it was in keeping with the Catalan side’s decidedly average record against teams from Scotland. Curiously, in 18 contests Barca have won six, drawn five and now lost seven against Scottish opposition. The Bhoys’ recent triumph was their second against the side from the Nou Camp, following on from a first-leg win in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup which helped them progress to the last eight of the competition. Back in season 1960/61 meanwhile, Hibernian’s 3-2 victory at Easter Road clinched a 7-6 aggregate win in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup quarter-finals. However, when it comes to taming Barcelona, one Scottish team have a record that many bigger clubs can only dream of.” In Bed With Maradona

Tactical Analysis: What is going wrong at Newcastle?

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“Newcastle finished in a very impressive fifth place finish last season, drawing plaudits from across the footballing World. After a recent dip in form and expectations, Pardew appeared to have brought Newcastle back to the upper echelons of the footballing elites, with one eye on potential Champions League spot. Memorable victories last season included an impressive 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge as well as a big 3-0 win at home to United.” Think Football

Champions League group stage approaching a climactic finish

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“This has been one of the most memorable Champions League group stages in history, and Matchday Five will be a pivotal moment for several big clubs. It could see the elimination of champions from England, Holland, Russia, Portugal, and Italy, while reigning champion Chelsea has a nerve-wracking away game to negotiate too. The previous Matchdays have provided late drama, superb goals, surprising shocks and stars of the future. Here are some storylines to watch from Matchday Five…” SI

Champions League Team of the Week

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“Much was decided in the last round of Champions League fixtures, with as many as 13 of the 16 knockout round qualification places now filled. The fact that one of them was not taken by Chelsea on Tuesday night following a defeat in Turin ultimately cost Roberto Di Matteo his job, despite the fact that the Blues look likely to end the group on 10 points. However, as the Italian looked set to become the first ever manager to exit the competition at the group stage having been victorious the previous season, Abramovich wielded the axe yet again.” ESPN

Tactical Analysis: Should Rafa Benitez switch Chelsea to a 4-3-3?

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“Having failed to win a game in their last four Premier League games, some may say that Chelsea are experiencing a mini-crisis. Having been purring up until their controversial defeat to United, everything looked rosy, but now there is talk of dressing room unrest and people are doubting the viability of Roberto di Matteo’s 4-2-3-1 formation. With this in mind it may be worth exploring a plan B, such as a move to a 4-3-3. A new manager may wish to come in and alter this, but do Chelsea have the personnel for a 4-3-3?” Think Football

Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid: City out

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“Roberto Mancini started with a back three, then moved to a back four, but Manchester City couldn’t find a second goal. Mancini decided to start with a similar XI to the second half shape against Tottenham, when they looked good with a back three. Nine of the 11 players were the same, with the exception of Matija Nastasic coming in for the injured Gael Clichy, and Samir Nasri (ill for the Spurs game) starting in the centre alongside Yaya Toure, an extremely attack-minded midfield.” Zonal Marking

Galatasaray – Manchester United: 1993-2012 Whats Changed?

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“Galatasaray welcome Manchester United to hell… well not quite, the famous chants and Welcome To Hell banners may be the same but the city has gone through a major transformation since the early 90’s when the giants of English football met the titans of the Turkish game. United fans looking around for the Ali Sami Yen Stadium will probably be glad to know it doesn’t exist anymore. The stadium renowned for unbelievably passionate supporters and an atmosphere which was off the richter scale has been reduced to the history books. The ramshackle stadium in Mecidiyeköy, right in the middle of one of the busiest urban residential areas of the city has moved uptown and upscale to the beautiful surroundings of the Belgrade forest in the northern suburbs of the city.” Turkish Football

Leverkusen 2-0 Schalke: Schurrle stays in a position to counter-attack

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“Leverkusen comfortably won a very simple game of football. Sami Hyypia selected a 4-1-4-1 / 4-3-3 shape with roughly his first-choice XI this season, although left-back Michal Kadlec is out injured, so versatile Japanese international Hajime Hosogai filled in. Huub Stevens was without Ibrahim Afellay, so Julian Draxler started on the left of midfield. Otherwise, they were unchanged from the win over Werder Bremen. Leverkusen were by far the better side throughout the game, with Stevens furious at the performance of his side.” Zonal Marking

Harry Redknapp the preferred candidate to be Ukraine manager

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“Five months after leaving Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Redknapp could be making an extraordinary return to football as manager of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Football Federation has been seeking a new manager since Oleh Blokhin resigned last month to take charge of Dynamo Kyiv, and announced on Tuesday that it will open negotiations with Redknapp’s representatives. Redknapp is known to be keen to return to management and has been strongly linked with QPR, whose manager Mark Hughes is under pressure after taking only four points from the opening 12 games of the season.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Freedom for Pavlychenko

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“For those who have been paying attention to Eastern European football over the past couple of weeks, you may well have noticed a name gradually becoming increasingly prominent across the region. ‘Pavlychenko ‘ is the name that has become more and more apparent, donning the often provocative banners that line the masses of football fans who take to the stands on any given matchday. It is difficult to truly grasp the manner in which football is perilously divided across the entire region of Eastern Europe. The tribalistic mentality in which fresh generations of fans are brought up within means that time has only ever served to make rivalries between specific clubs, cities and nations even more bitter and twisted than previously.” SF Union

Lamela evokes memories of Roma greats

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“French philosophy, in particular the work of Rene Descartes, is unlikely to have had any great appeal to the Roma legend Rodolfo Volk. ‘I think therefore I am’ isn’t how he approached football. ‘I don’t think,’ he said. ‘I shoot.’ And Volk rarely missed, scoring 103 goals in 157 games for the club. He was one of the great strikers of the Fascist era in Italy and joined Roma soon after their formation in 1927. ‘Sciabbolone’ as Volk became known or ‘the Big Sabre’ was one of the club’s pioneers. Left foot. Right foot. He slashed away as Roma broke new ground.” Eurosport

Tactical Analysis: Can playing Hazard up front solve Chelsea’s striking problems?

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“With Lukaku loaned out, as well as releasing Champions League hero Didier Drogba, Chelsea have been left incredibly light up front. Sturridge has missed large chunks of the season out injured and di Matteo seems to have little faith in using him as a sole striker. Chelsea have persisted with Torres as their main striker, but despite scoring goals he does not look quite comfortable in the system and still appears short on confidence. This has led to Chelsea being linked with a wide array of Europe’s finest strikers such as Cavani and Falcao, however, until January Chelsea may have an answer closer to home in Eden Hazard, who has played in the lone striker role for Lillie and for Belgium.” Think Football

Celtic 2-1 Barcelona: a famous victory

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“Little possession for long periods – then a set-piece opener followed by a second on the break – a classic underdog victory. Neil Lennon was forced into a few changes from the side he used at the weekend, but kept to a 4-4-1-1ish formation. Adam Matthews played at left-back despite being right-sided, Kris Commons moved to the right of midfield, and Miku linked up with Georgios Samaras upfront. Tito Vilanova picked roughly his expected side – Cesc Fabregas was only on the bench (he’s been a regular this season) and Marc Bartra started at the back. Alex Song was in the holding role. Yes, Celtic spent most of the game in their own half, and rode their luck at times – but they didn’t simply park the bus. They retained an attacking threat throughout the game, while changing their usual strategy to suit the task at hand.” Zonal Marking

CL (mini) review: Celtic 2 – 1 FC Barcelona: Same scoreline as before, wrong way ’round…
“Due to circumstances on my end, this review will be on the shorter side. I apologise. But please don’t leave yet! Barça lost…trolls, come out from your hiding place! So Barça finally lost a match – but all winning streaks come to an end. Even Barça’s! Tito started the match with the following players: VV – Alves, Bartra, Mascherano, Alba – Song, Xavi, Iniesta – Messi, Alexis and Pedro. No Busquets, as he was suspended, but he’s still the best DM in the world and I rate him a 12 for this match!” The Offside (Video)

Celtic’s big win a reminder of the Euro gap
“Celtic’s 2-1 upset win over Barcelona on Wednesday prompted some to describe it as the ‘second greatest night in the history of the club’ after — presumably — that night in 1967 when 11 men born within a few miles of Parkhead went out and became champions of Europe.” ESPN

Shakhtar Donetsk have learned lessons and again stand in Chelsea’s way

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“And so it goes on. Shakhtar Donetsk beat Metalurh Zaporizhzhya 2-0 on Saturday – Douglas Costa converted a penalty before a late goal from Luiz Adriano sealed it – to take their winning streak in the Ukrainian league to 23 games, 14 of them this season. They lead the table by 12 points and, already, with the season one game from its halfway point, it seems inconceivable that they will not lift a seventh title in nine years. The focus, understandably, is all on the Champions League and Wednesday’s game against Chelsea.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Chelsea 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
“Victor Moses came off the bench to score an incredible last-gasp winner tonight as Chelsea somehow survived a Shakhtar Donetsk onslaught to keep their Champions League fate in their own hands. The Blues were in danger of being the first holders to crash out of the competition before Christmas as former target Willian twice cancelled out almighty howlers from goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov which gifted goals to Fernando Torres and Oscar, the latter’s fourth in as many Champions League games.” ESPN

Concern for Arsenal after night of comebacks, controversies, draws

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“It has been an incredible Champions League so far this season and, once again, the first round of Matchday Four games did not disappoint. There were two dramatic comebacks from two goals down as well as controversial — and significant — decisions made in the last minutes. Dinamo Zagreb and Montpellier were eliminated, Porto and Malaga reached the next round, while things are looking bleak for Zenit St. Petersburg and Manchester City.” SI

Champions League permutations
“A look at the qualification situation in each group with two rounds of fixtures still to be played before the make-up of the Champions League last-16 is confirmed.” ESPN

Shakhtar Donetsk have learned lessons and again stand in Chelsea’s way

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“And so it goes on. Shakhtar Donetsk beat Metalurh Zaporizhzhya 2-0 on Saturday – Douglas Costa converted a penalty before a late goal from Luiz Adriano sealed it – to take their winning streak in the Ukrainian league to 23 games, 14 of them this season. They lead the table by 12 points and, already, with the season one game from its halfway point, it seems inconceivable that they will not lift a seventh title in nine years. The focus, understandably, is all on the Champions League and Wednesday’s game against Chelsea.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

The end of the holding midfielder?

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Jan Brueghel, the younger – Venus in the forge of Vulcan
“When Manchester City beat Manchester United in what was effectively a title decider at the end of April last season, the area in which they were dominant was clear. United fielded a midfield three of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Park Ji-sung. Against City’s 4-2-3-1 that should have given them an additional man in the centre. Even though City had the trident of David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri dropping back, United had Ryan Giggs and Nani doing much the same – but as it turned out United were physically overwhelmed.” World Soccer – Jonathan Wilson

Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid: Dortmund press as a unit and expose Essien at left-back

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“Dortmund bounced back from their weekend disaster against Schalke to record an important victory. After Saturday’s disaster against Schalke, Jurgen Klopp returned to something approaching his first-choice formation and XI, although Jakub Blaszczykowski remains unavailable. Jose Mourinho selected his expected starting XI. With Fabio Coentrao, Marcelo and Alvaro Arbeloa all out, Sergio Ramos and Michael Essien were at full-back. Sami Khedira only lasted twenty minutes before being replaced by Luka Modric.” Zonal Marking

Alba breaks Bhoys’ hearts

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“An injury-time goal from Jordi Alba stunned Celtic and gave Barcelona a dramatic 2-1 victory in their pulsating Champions League Group G clash at the Nou Camp. Celtic had led at the famous stadium when, in the 18th minute, Georgios Samaras’ header from a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick went in off the back of Barcelona’s makeshift centre-back Javier Mascherano. It looked for a while like the Greek striker, who had scored the winner against Spartak Moscow earlier in the month to clinch Celtic’ first away victory in the competition, might have just have played his part in an even more momentous goal.” ESPN

Zenit learning that money doesn’t always buy success

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“After a couple of seasons mixing domestic success with continental disappointment, 2012-13 should have been Zenit St Petersburg’s time to shine in the Champions League under highly rated coach Luciano Spalletti. There were various reasons for optimism. After an 18-month transition season to shift the Russian Premier League from a summer to a winter calendar, in keeping with the rest of Europe, Zenit could have no complaints about fitness levels at certain stages of the campaign — a common complaint for many Russian clubs over the years.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Shakhtar’s Brazilian Carnival Shocks Chelsea

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“It was quite an exciting first half to Champions League Matchday 3 yesterday. We watched at Woodwork again, which was nicely mellow, with 3 different matches on their 3 screens–from left to right: Shakhtar-Chelsea, Juve-Nordaelland, and Barcelona-Celtic, with the house sound system tuned to the Barça match for the first half, and the Juve match for the 2nd. (One Manchester United fan showed up too late to claim a TV, and so was reduced to streaming the match against Braga on his laptop.)” Cult Football

Shakhtar 2-1 Chelsea: Shakhtar attack with pace and forward bursts from Fernandinho and Srna

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“Shakhtar dominated the match, and should have won by more. There were no major surprises from Mircea Lucescu – Alex Teixeira was on the right, and Tomas Hubschman in the centre of midfield. Roberto Di Matteo brought Frank Lampard back into the side, with Ramires pushed to the right. But Lampard only lasted 18 minutes – Eden Hazard came on, Ramires dropped back into the centre of midfield, and Chelsea were back to their usual format of three rotating attackers. John Terry returned in place of Gary Cahill. This was an extremely fast, frantic game that Shakhtar dominated primarily of better attacking combinations.” Zonal Marking

Why It’s Important A German Team Will Win The Champions League

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“The decision making process at a football club is a complicated matter, but the bottom line is that the man with the money is the man with the final say. As John Terry once said to a Russian Magazine: ‘Abramovich is the big boss. Everyone respects him’. In the last few decades, football was taken over by men who want the final say and are willing to pay for it. These owners care more about themselves than the club, or the community it created many years before they “owned” it. These owners are usually ego-motivated to take over the club, seeking trophy glory, political capital, or the fulfillment of childhood dreams. It’s basically all about their ego, and their methods endanger clubs and leagues.” Soccer Issue (Video)

Henrik Mkhitaryan orchestrates Shakhtar Donetsk’s great leap forward

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“Henrik Mkhitaryan is only 23 but this year he will almost certainly win his third Armenian player of the year award. So consistent has his excellence been that the surprising thing now is not that he was won so much so young, but that he did not win the award in 2010. The Metalurh Donetsk midfielder Karlen Mkrtchyan had better have made the most of that success, because there’s little chance of Mkhitaryan relinquishing the award any time soon.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Eight Tactical Points from Valencia v Athletic Bilbao

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“Mathieu struggled at left-back. The understanding between Jordi Alba and Jérémy Mathieu over the last few seasons has been sublime, combining well and covering for whoever was furthest forward. Mathieu appeared more vulnerable with a more natural winger in-front of him, Markel Susaeta and Óscar de Marcos both gave him a torrid time in the first half, crossing the ball early when he wasn’t tight enough, beating him individually and looking to overload him with 2 v 1situations. It was no surprise the opening goal came from his side as he was caught out positionally, as Iker Muniain’spass got in behind him, though the Frenchman was unfortunate that his last-gasp sliding challenge fell to Aritz Aduriz. Who opened out his body and executed a curling effort into the back of the net.” La Liga UK

How to Survive the Apocalypse

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“The ships came out of the sky without warning and devastated most of our cities. Washington, D.C., is a crater; Moscow is lit with green flames. In London, packs of slavering, glistening aliens roam the streets outside the rubble of Parliament, harvesting survivors for the minerals in their bones. The future is canceled. To all appearances, humanity is doomed.” Grantland – Brian Phillips

Benfica 0-2 Barcelona: Sanchez and Fabregas exploit the space between Pereira and Jardel

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“Barcelona constantly attacked into an inside-left position in their comfortable victory over Benfica. Jorge Jesus chose 4-1-4-1ish system with Nemanja Matic sitting deep in midfield and Bruno Rodrigo having most license to get forward. Oscar Cardozo wasn’t fit, so Lima started alone upfront. Tito Vilanova brought back Carles Puyol into defence, while Cesc Fabregas played in Andres Iniesta’s left-centre midfield position. That turned out to be a crucial part of Barca’s gameplan – Fabregas stormed forward to turn Barcelona’s front three into a front four and overwhelmed the Benfica defence.” Zonal Marking

Tito Vilanova sticks to just tweaking Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona plan
“From the first day, the message was clear: keep calm and carry on. On 27 April, Pep Guardiola, appeared in the press room at the Camp Nou to announce that he was leaving at the end of the season. Sat among the journalists were a handful of Barcelona players but Lionel Messi was not one of them. He later said that he just couldn’t be there: the emotion was too great. Barcelona’s most successful coach was leaving, the man who symbolised the club better than anyone else, ever.” Guardian

Porto 1-0 PSG: Porto dominate with more width

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“PSG remained narrow while Porto played with plenty of width – and the home side’s two wingers were the key attacking players. Vitor Pereira chose his expected line-up in the usual 4-3-3 system. Carlo Ancelotti left out Javier Pastore, preferring Jeremy Menez and Nene. At the back he brought in Mamadou Sakho. Porto played superior football throughout the match, and although PSG had a few chances on the break, Pereira’s side were fully deserving of the three points.” Zonal Marking

Carlo Ancelotti should sharpen his tactics
“For a double European Cup winner, a title winner in two major leagues, and one of the most celebrated coaches of his era, it’s surprisingly difficult to work out whether Carlo Ancelotti has any tactical nous. Wednesday night was a great example. Ancelotti’s Paris Saint-Germain club traveled to Porto and produced a poor performance completely lacking in creativity, width or ambition. PSG lost 1-0 after a late James Rodriguez goal, but the score line could have been 3-0 or 4-0 and not flattered the Portuguese champions, who had 20 shots to PSG’s eight, six on target to PSG’s two. It was a 1-0 thrashing.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Big-spending Zenit face Milan under strain of divisions and defeats

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“It’s not difficult to pinpoint where it started to go wrong for Zenit. Last season they won the league by 13 points, lifting the title for the second time in succession. Although they were beaten in the Super Cup by Rubin, they began this season with four straight wins, despite a fixture list that looked testing: there was a 3-1 triumph at CSKA and then a 5-0 demolition of Spartak. At that stage, it looked as though Zenit might cruise to a hat-trick of Russian titles.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Time to stop complaining about time?

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“Sir Alex Ferguson was exceptionally grumpy on Saturday night. His Manchester United side was trying to mount a furious comeback against Tottenham and ran out of time: The referee gave four minutes of injury time, added a handful of seconds and that was that. ‘The biggest insult is the wasted time,’ Sir Alex fumed. ‘It’s an insult to the game. It’s denying you the proper chance to win a football match.'” ESPN

Carles Puyol injury mars Barcelona’s Champions League win over Benfica

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“Lionel Messi set up goals for Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fábregas in Barcelona’s 2-0 Champions League Group G victory over Benfica on Tuesday but their victory was overshadowed by a serious-looking arm injury sustained by their captain, Carles Puyol. The Catalans had Sergio Busquets dismissed two minutes from time but will be more concerned about Puyol, who landed awkwardly after leaping for a ball and was carried off on a stretcher in obvious pain on 78 minutes. The Spain international was playing his first match since recovering from a knee problem. The club said later he had dislocated his elbow.” Guardian

Everton reverses trend with superb start to Premier League season

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“Everton goes into this weekend in third place in the Premier League (ahead of West Bromwich Albion on goal difference!) and playing some of the nicest soccer around. Does David Moyes not know it is still only September? It’s been five years since his side had 10 points from the opening five games, with Everton renowned for split seasons that start badly and end well since at least 2005-06, when the Toffees lost the first three European fixtures and the domestic ties that followed them. It took an injury-time winner from Tim Cahill against Sunderland (and against the run of play) on New Year’s Eve to turn a tide that threatened to carry the club to the second tier.” SI

Messi saves Barça; reigning champ Chelsea off to stuttering start

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“Another astonishing night of Champions League action rounded off Matchday One in dramatic style. Lionel Messi lit up the night as only the world’s best player can, while elsewhere there were jitters for holders Chelsea, penalty drama at Old Trafford, shocks in France and Portugal and more new stars bursting onto the scene.” SI

Football Weekly Extra: Close but no cigars for Chelsea and City in the Champions League
“In today’s Football Weekly Extraaaaaah, AC Jimbo has Rob Smyth, Paul MacInnes and Jonathan Wilson in the pod to marvel at some truly liquid football. Ronaldo’s last-gasp winner against City – woof! Oscar’s screamer against Juventus – double woof! PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic becoming the first player to score for six teams in the competition – legend woof!” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson – James Richardson

Chelsea 2-2 Juventus: Juve take advantage of their areas of strength

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“Oscar’s strikes gave Chelsea two-goal lead, but Juventus found a way back into the game. Roberto Di Matteo selected Oscar as the central playmaker in his 4-2-3-1, with Juan Mata on the bench. The rest of the side was as expected. Antonio Conte (and assistant Massimo Carrera) named the expected side. There were no major surprises in the way the sides lined up, either – it was 4-2-3-1 against 3-5-2, and both sides had areas of strength and weakness.” Zonal Marking

Oscar shines, but Chelsea’s defense breaks in draw with Juventus

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“Sooner or later people are going to start believing in Oscar’s genius. Last year, in extra time in the final of the Under-20 World Cup in Bogota, he floated a chip from wide on the right over Portugal goalkeeper Mika to complete his hat trick and give Brazil a 3-2 victory. It was, everybody agreed, a sensational goal — if he meant it. He insisted he did, but there was doubt: could anybody really, in the heat of the game, have had the vision, the audacity and the control to execute such a shot?” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Dortmund 3-0 Leverkusen: Leverkusen caught out by Dortmund full-backs overlapping

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“Dortmund recorded a comfortable victory over Leverkusen side that offered little attacking threat. Jurgen Klopp named a side familiar from last season, with Marco Reus carrying a slight knock and therefore only on the bench. Sami Hyypia made a single change, bringing in Jens Hegeler for captain Simon Rolfes. This was an interesting formation battle that favoured Dortmund, whose movement had a clear purpose and was effective at dragging Leverkusen out of position, before exploiting the space on the flanks.” Zonal Marking

Real Madrid 3-2 Manchester City: second half switches leave City exposed down their right

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“An excellent match, defined by a chaotic final 15 minutes. Jose Mourinho surprisingly named Michael Essien, rather than Mesut Ozil or Luka Modric, in the centre of his midfield. Sergio Ramos was dropped, with Raphael Varane starting at centre-back instead. Roberto Mancini also made a surprise selection decision, with Matija Nastasic starting over Joleon Lescott at the back. Yaya Toure played at the head of City’s midfield triangle. Real dominated the majority of the game but twice fell behind, while City scored two goals against the run of play, before losing the game after some shambolic defending late on.” Zonal Marking