“Chelsea turned the game around after bringing on players more suited to their system. Carlo Ancelotti started with Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba, assisted by Florent Malouda. The natural shape with the XI that started seemed to be a diamond midfield, or possibly even a lopsided 4-4-2, but Ancelotti had other plans.” Zonal Marking
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the EPL matches on April 23, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“It is a little peculiar that the re-emergence of Chelsea as challengers for the Premier League should come as a surprise. Considering that the club completed the Double last season, their abilities ought not to have been overlooked. The players, however, had sent themselves into the shadows and in February, in Fernando Torres’s first two games for the club, a home defeat by Liverpool was followed by a goalless draw at Fulham. Chelsea gave every impression of being a jaded side and, even now, the necessity of rejuvenating the squad is obvious.” Guardian
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on April 16, 2011.” The 90th Minute
“There were no major surprises in Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Shakhtar on Tuesday night. 5-1 up from the first leg, they were fairly comfortable in Ukraine, keeping possession for long periods and winning the game with a Lionel Messi goal shortly before half time. That is, until you consider Barcelona’s line-up, where Javier Mascherano started as a right-sided centre-back, alongside Gerard Pique.” Zonal Marking
Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 FC Barcelona – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea: Ancelotti changes formation but still loses the tie
“Goals from Javier Hernandez and Park Ji-Sung saw United progress to the semi-finals. Sir Alex Ferguson made two changes from his first leg line-up. Nani replaced Antonio Valencia – he played on the left, with Park Ji-Sung on the right. Rafael was not fit enough to play, so John O’Shea came in at right-back. Carlo Ancelotti chose Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Alex ahead of Yuri Zhirkov, Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa.” Zonal Marking
Manchester United 2-1 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats
The 90th Minute
“As Chelsea and Manchester United prepare to battle for a Champions League semi-final spot, Ross Mackiewicz recalls one of the most memorable European Cup runs of them all.” In Bed With Maradona
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on April 9, 2011.” The 90th Minute
“Barcelona became the third side to take a massive lead into the second leg of the European Cup quarter-finals. Pep Guardiola was still without Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal, so Sergio Busquets continued at the back. Pedro Rodriguez was only fit enough for the bench, so Andres Iniesta played in the front three, and Seydou Keita started in the middle.” Zonal Marking
FC Barcelona 5-1 Shakhtar Donetsk – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
The 90th Minute
Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United: first half Rooney goal gives United the lead in the tie
“A tight game at Stamford Bridge saw only one goal. Carlo Ancelotti chose to leave out Nicolas Anelka, starting Didier Drogba alongside Fernando Torres upfront. There was a surprise on the left, where Yuri Zhirkov played over Florent Malouda. Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed back Rio Ferdinand. He also gave starts to Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-Sung, in a surprise midfield four. Javier Hernandez played just ahead of Rooney. The game took a while to settle down into a pattern. Both sides made too many errors in the opening minutes, with misunderstandings between teammates and possession conceded too cheaply.” Zonal Marking
Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
The 90th Minute
“One of Fernando Torres’s main problems at Chelsea has not been confidence, fitness or adjustment but rather that Carlo Ancelotti’s side simply don’t play the type of pass or game that the striker specialises in. In that sense, he’s been wasted, writes Miguel Delaney” eircom
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on April 2, 2011.” The 90th Minute
“The Champions League is now to the quarterfinals which will begin on April 5-6 and conclude on April 12-13. There are two Spanish sides, three English sides, one Italian club, one German club, and one from Ukraine.” The 90th Minute
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on March 19, 2011. The full edition of MOTD can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
Jean-Pierre Clatot
“The draw begins at 11am UK time. By which what we mean, of course, is that the video montages, unnecessary musical interludes, and same-old boring lecture we get every year about how wonderful the Champions League is begins at 11am. Then, all of a sudden, the draw will happen very quickly just when you’ve given up waiting and gone to make a cuppa instead. Fear not, though, I shall be here without to make sure you don’t miss a thing.” Guardian
“With the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 done and dusted, here are five things we’ve learned…” ESPN
“I know I promised fun-filled clangers, but those will have to wait while I tackle something a bit more serious: the persistent misunderstanding of goalkeeping by well-paid pundits, commentators, and other assorted football experts. I say this without malice or snobbery. None of them actually were goalkeepers, and so it makes sense that they all, be it Andy Gray (once upon a time), Craig Burley, or Jamie Redknapp, tend to trot out well-worn cliches in absence of more in-depth knowledge.” The Goalkeepers’ Union
“Borja Valero. Midfielder – Villarreal – Pass-master, dead-ball wizard, no hair. In an alternate universe, a happy Borja Valero is the king-pin playmaker in the centre of West Brom’s midfield, guiding the Baggies towards a top six finish and all the footballer-lusting floozies the squad could ever need. Unfortunately, the real world is largely a sucky one which is why Valero couldn’t be tempted back to the West Midlands, last summer, after a loan spell with Mallorca after the apparent horrors suffered in England in the 2008-2009 season and WBA are facing relegation. And maybe one or two nights too many for the players with just naughty magazines for company. …” Sabotage Times
“Chelsea eased past a disappointing Copenhagen side with two goals from Nicolas Anelka. Ståle Solbakken changed his side from the formation that had served him well in the group stages – using two strikers with Jesper Gronkjaer played out on the left, rather than just off the frontman. Carlo Ancelotti left out Didier Drogba and brought in Anelka and Fernando Torres. Copenhagen put up a good fight in the group stages, drawing at home to Barcelona and progressing ahead of Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos, becoming the first Danish side ever to qualify for this phase of the European Cup.” Zonal Marking
“Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole missed penalties as Chelsea crashed out of the FA Cup. Carlo Ancelotti left Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien out. Paulo Ferreira started at right-back. David Moyes played his expected line-up. Tim Cahill played off Jermaine Beckford upfront. The game had two phases – first Everton shut Chelsea out and the game was neutral, before Chelsea dominated after half-time.” Zonal Marking
Chelsea 1 – 1 Everton (3 – 4 PKS) – FA Cup Replay Review
“The 4th Round replay of Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge needed penalties to decide the outcome, with the Merseyside club pulling out the upset. I chose to cover this match because Chelsea had a dilemma; they have a midweek Champions League match at Copenhagen. How much would Chelsea play their first team? Everton has been abysmal for much of the season. Would David Moyes go all out to keep their hopes for a title alive?” EPL Talk
“Anyone who has watched Match of the Day over the past three weeks will know that Daniel Sturridge has enjoyed a fine start to his loan spell at Bolton. Having failed to score a single league goal for Chelsea in the first half of the season, he has now found the net three times in three games. He was on target in the 2-0 defeat of Everton on Sunday, but in the second half of the game he came close to pulling off something truly remarkable.” Football Further
“Same as it ever was, same as it ever was – Talking Heads. Financial analysts could be forgiven for thinking that it was the same old story at Chelsea, as the club once again reported a thumping great annual loss of £71 million, but attempted to put the usual positive spin on the results. In an attempt to prove that he was the right man to replace former chief executive Peter Kenyon, who frequently spoke of the club’s determination to break-even, the new man at the top, Ron Gourlay, claimed, ‘The reduction in operating losses and increased sales in 2009/10 shows that we are moving in the right direction.'” The Swiss Ramble
“Below are EPL MOTD video highlights for February 12, 2011” The 90th Minute
“Even in an eventful summer in France, there was perhaps one transfer which caused the most surprise; that of Laurent Koscielny. Kosicelny made his move from the relative modesty of FC Lorient to the vibrancy and tradition of Arsenal for a fee of £8.5m rising to £10m in 2010; a fee which seems perfectly normally in today’s climate if only Koscielny hadn’t spent just the one season in the country’s top-flight. Cue plenty of back-slapping, man-hugs and lame-cool guy handshakes from those who brokered the move on Lorient’s side.” Arsenal Column
“It’s an all-star line-up for your brand new edition of Football Weekly, with AC Jimbo joined by Sean Ingle, Barry Glendenning, Barney Ronay and Gregg Roughley in a packed pod. We start by dissecting Fernando Torres’s miserble debut for Chelsea as the Blues went down to resurgent Liverpool. Is the Spaniard the new Chris Sutton? Wiser people than us seem to think so.” Guardian – James Richardson
St George and the Dragon, Vittore Carpaccio
“Two interesting formations produced a tense, tight game which was won by Raul Meireles’ goal. Carlo Ancelotti gave Fernando Torres his debut, fielding the same 4-4-2 diamond system as against Sunderland in midweek, with Nicolas Anelka in the hole behind the front two. Kenny Dalglish continued with his three/five at the back formation, with Jamie Carragher in for Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Maxi Rodriguez replacing Fabio Aurelio.” Zonal Marking
Chelsea 0 – 1 Liverpool
“Fernando Torres’ much-anticipated Chelsea debut ended in disappointment for player and club as Raul Meireles sealed a memorable win for the Spaniard’s former Liverpool team-mates. Meireles hooked home from close range after 68 minutes to take the game – and potentially any lingering title aspirations – from the big-spending Blues. It was a different story for £5 million Torres though, with the most expensive player in British football history hauled off after 65 unremarkable minutes. Torres received a noisy reception when his name was called, with his new fans cheering and his old ones booing the announcement.” ESPN
Luis Suárez, the romantic hothead who fought his way to Liverpool
“Luis Suárez is famous for many things but to employees of Beter Horen, a Dutch hearing aid company, he will always be remembered as the face of a television advertisement promoting its discreet earpieces. That oft-repeated commercial offered some instructive insights into the character of Liverpool’s new £22.8m attacking acquisition from Ajax.” Guardian
Rafael Benitez talks to Football Focus
BBC
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool – Video Highlights
The 90th Minute
“It was assumed that Fernando Torres’ arrival would mean a place on the bench for Nicolas Anelka, but Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over Sunderland showed that Carlo Ancelotti might have a different role in mind for the Frenchman. So far this season, Chelsea have generally lined up in a 4-3-3 shape, with Anelka and Florent Malouda either side of Didier Drogba. In the long term, Torres might not be competing with Anelka and Drogba, who will be 32 and 33 respectively by the end of this campaign, but for the final months of the season, Ancelotti has somewhat of a selection dilemma, with three top-class strikers.” Zonal Marking
“Ask Danny Last, editor of European Football Weekends, whether he thinks Fernando Torres will be a success for Chelsea and you’ll most likely be greeted with a blank stare and disinterested mumbles. But ask him about football stadiums in Romania or fan culture in Turkey and the response couldn’t be more different. Like a frog in a pond or Jose Mourinho in a press conference, Danny is at home when he speaks about football travel culture. It is his passion and for many years it has taken over his life.” Football Nomad
“Below are video highlights for all the EPL matches on February 1, 2011, February 2, 2011.” The 90th Minute, The 90th Minute
Luis Suarez
“The last time I saw new Liverpool signing Luis Suarez in the flesh, he was playing his biggest game so far in his native continent. It was November 2009, and Uruguay were taking on Costa Rica with the final place in South Africa 2010 at stake. As Uruguay coach Oscar Washington Tabarez reflected recently, the World Cup can be enjoyed but the qualification process has to be suffered. Uruguay certainly suffered to book their place, and despite having a 1-0 lead from the away leg, they were certainly suffering that night against Costa Rica. They dominated the game, but while the goals refused to go in, nerves were jangling, especially for Suarez.” BBC – Tim Vickery
Agony and Empire
“And so it came to pass that a helicopter carrying Fernando Torres touched down on the wreckage of several earlier helicopters only thought to have been carrying Fernando Torres, and Fernando Torres raised his serene gaze from the book about helicopters that he had been reading on his helicopter and looked inscrutably out the window, leaving the rest of us to stare at his helicopter and wonder what it all could mean.” Run of Play
What’s next for Torres & Co.?
“After a flurry of activity on Monday, the January transfer window is closed. Clubs won’t be able to wheel and deal again until the summer. In the meantime, many teams will now have to adjust to new players joining their squads or key players leaving town. Here are the five big questions facing a few clubs in the English Premier League.” ESPN
A difficult decision that Torres could not resist
“Fernando Torres: Chelsea striker. Actually seeing it in writing feels strange, and the sight of him in a blue, rather than red shirt, harder for fans to come to terms with than the fact the former Liverpool number nine switched clubs for a record breaking £50 million. Last week, the idea that we’d be referring to Torres as a former Red by the following Tuesday was simply un-imaginable for the majority of Liverpool fans – yet the feeling that he was at a club progressing much slower than he had hoped had been growing within the player for some time – and when Chelsea made a serious enquiry ahead of Liverpool’s game against Fulham, Fernando sensed that this was an opportunity that he could not resist.” Guillem Balague
Andy Carroll: Is He Worth It?.
“Yesterday marked the third time Kenny Dalglish has broken the English transfer record for a Geordie striker. On the previous two occasions it worked out pretty well. In 1987, Peter Beardsley arrived for £1.9m, and Liverpool turned into arguably the finest English club side seen to date (certainly few have bettered that red vintage). The Reds won the league that season, and in a three year spell were one win away from completing the league and cup double each time.” Tomkins Times
“Everton and Chelsea drew 1-1 for the second game running. David Moyes used Jack Rodwell behind Louis Saha, in a 4-4-1-1 system. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov replaced Leon Osman on the left of midfield. Carlo Ancelotti welcomed Frank Lampard back into the side, dropping Jon Obi Mikel and using Michael Essien as the holder. The rest of the side was as expected.” Zonal Marking
Japan 1-0 Australia: late extra time winner
“Tadanari Lee scored a superb volley – his first ever international goal – to win the 2011 Asian Cup. Alberto Zaccheroni made two changes to the side which beat South Korea on penalties. Shinji Kagawa was out injured, so Jungo Fujimoto started and Shinji Okazaki moved to the left. At the back, Maya Yoshida was available again after suspension, and replaced Daiki Iwamasa.” Zonal Marking
“Arsenal are winning over their doubters – and they are doing it in typical style. Match of the Day pundit and former Liverpool defender, Alan Hansen, has perennially shrugged off Arsenal’s title chances but now sees them as Manchester United’s closest challengers.” Arsenal Column
“Chelsea cruised past Bolton with goals from all of their front three, and Ramires’ first for the club. Owen Coyle made two changes. Gretar Steinsson replaced Sam Ricketts at right-back, whilst Martin Petrov came in for Mark Davies. Petrov played on the left, with Matthew Taylor switching to the right.” Zonal Marking
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the EPL matches on January 22, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (with all highlights together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Barcelona need a goal. Oleguer, that rare Marxist of a utility player, lumps the ball forward. It drops harmlessly onto the head of Ricardo Carv…actually, no; John Terry’s perennial sense of defensive propriety kicks in, and Barça are back in possession. Our protagonist can’t (yet) bring the ball under his spell, but Andrés Iniesta, a spritely 20-year-old with the hair to prove it, keeps his cool; tempting Terry out of the backline like an anaemic pied piper. A simple pass to Ronaldinho, and the scene is set.” Ghost Goal
“It has been exactly one year since I traveled 44 hours to Angola to interview Didier Drogba, the Chelsea and Ivory Coast superstar, for a story in Sports Illustrated magazine leading up to last year’s World Cup. He couldn’t have been more accommodating, spending 90 minutes talking to me in his private bungalow on the heavily fortified Ivory Coast team base in Cabinda during the African Cup of Nations.” SI
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 16, 2011. The full MOTD episode can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on January 1, 2011. The full edition of MOTD (which features all matches together) can be viewed here.” The 90th Minute
“Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott scored the goals as Arsenal stormed to victory. Arsene Wenger chose Robin van Persie rather than Marouane Chamakh, with Theo Walcott in for Andrei Arshavin, and Samir Nasri moving to the left. Lukasz Fabianski returned in goal.” Zonal Marking
Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
The 90th Minute
“Arsenal against Chelsea always seems much more than just a match between two title and city rivals. It’s a little symbolic even. It’s a battle between self-sustenance and foreign investment. Aesthetics v results. Romanticism v pragmatism. Okay, perhaps that is a disservice to Chelsea because they are capable of playing some breathtaking football while Roman Abramovich has worked on implementing a structure to ensure greater sustainability for the future. Indeed, an increased focus on youth has been displayed this season although not in the way it may have been intended.” Arsenal Column
“I wanted to do some sort of preview of the forthcoming Premiership season here at Ghostgoal but really wasn’t sure how to go about it. I was especially unsure as to whether anybody wanted to trawl through my thoughts on clubs that I hadn’t followed in pre-season and didn’t really have a feel for the mood amongst the fan base. The brilliant solution – for me anyway – was to ask bloggers, websites, fans & fanzines of all the sides concerned to help me out and build some sort of picture of where everyone was at. It has been a task complicated by a transfer window that doesn’t shut until nearly 3 weeks after the season has begun and also by the time delay in compiling the preview – apologies to Damian, for example, the Villa fan who gave his views on the eve of Martin O’Neill’s dramatic walkout!” Ghost Goal
Giulio Romano, The Battle of Zama
“Goals from Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Andy Carroll meant Newcastle leapfrogged Liverpool in the table. Alan Pardew’s intention was clear – change as little as possible. Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan returned to the side after being unavailable for last week’s defeat to West Brom, but the other nine players remained.” Zonal Marking
Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea: Drogba changes game, then misses crucial penalty
“Roman Pavlyuchenko’s opener was cancelled out by Didier Drogba’s powerful drive, before a frenetic finish. Harry Redknapp chose Roman Pavlyuchenko over Peter Crouch, and was without William Gallas, so Michael Dawson returned. Carlo Ancelotti left out Didier Drogba but maintained the 4-3-3 shape. Paulo Ferreira started at right-back with Branislav Ivanovic playing in the centre. Frank Lampard was on the bench.” Zonal Marking
Genoa 0-1 Napoli: Hamsik header decides match
“An intriguing game rather than an exciting one, as Napoli go up to second for the time being. Davide Ballardini seems to have settled on a four-man defence after preferring three at the back last seasonand in the opening games of this campaign. He shuffled his side with the return of Omar Milanetto. Marco Rossi played on the right, with Rafinha moving to right-back in place of Giandomenico Mesto.” Zonal Marking
Roda 1 – 1 ADO: The 4-4-2 diamond doesn’t help Roda at home
“Roda remain unbeaten at home, but fail to win a home game again. Difficulties to convert their possession into chances which seem connected to their formation and playing style seem related to their 3-6-0 home series. ADO replaced missing winger Kubik with Vicento, a similar type of player, rather than making adjustments to their system like in the away loss at AZ and came away with a point in a game they might just have been able to win.” 11 tegen 11
Heracles 2 – 2 VVV: Bad pitch, bad weather, bad footb….
“It may not have been the best of matches to watch, but VVV will definitely be happy coming away with a point after being 2-0 down at half time. Heracles easily dealt with VVV’s split 4-4-2 team in the first half, as they simply regained possession every time the ball was played up to VVV’s strikers who missed any connecting midfielders. In the second half VVV did connect to their forwards and imposed a physical direct game that proved too much for Heracles to deal with in the end.” 11 tegen 11
Freiburg 3-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
“Papiss Cissé continued to show why Wolfsburg are intent on buying him to replace Edin Džeko as his brace and fantastic performance helped Freiburg defeat Mönchengladbach. Gladbach remain rooted in relegation trouble, but had they taken some of the numerous chances that came their way in the first half, the result could have been different.” Defensive Midfielder
“Below are Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on December 4, 2010. If a link is unavailable, it will be added later.” The 90th Minute
“It’s been several years since the Gunners won a trophy but will this season be any different? Arsenal are still alive in all competitions (Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, EPL) and below is a closer look at their chances in each one.” The 90th Minute
“Manchester United’s new-look forward line, Arsenal’s pressing, Blackpool’s corners and Rafael da Silva’s tackling” (Guardian)
“Below are links to Match Of The Day (MOTD) video highlights for all the EPL matches on November 27, 2010. The full episode of MOTD can be viewed here (contains all matches).” (The 90th Minute)
“Many questions were raised when Jay Bothroyd received a call up to England’s National team for the friendly against France. Isn’t there someone else playing in the Premier League that would be more worthy of a call-up? Is a player playing in the second tier good enough for an International team as highly ranked as England? There are many blogs that have gone into the positives and negatives of Bothroyd’s call up, that is not the question I wanted to look at. Fabio Capello has himself questioned the number of English players playing at the highest level, limiting the pool of players he can pick his squad from. Does Capello have a point? If not who are the strikers playing in the Premier League that Capello could call on and are other countries suffering the same fate?” (gib football show)
Carlo Ancelotti
“So Carlo Ancelotti is staying at Chelsea, for now at least, and with the club sitting top of the Premier League talk of crisis at Stamford Bridge feels slightly hysterical. Even if there was no substance to the reports — strongly denied — that Ancelotti was ready to quit on Sunday evening, though, something is going on behind the scenes, a lead that stood at five points three weeks ago has disappeared and the weakness of the squad’s structure has been exposed.” (SI)
“Manchester City’s decision to start the recent derby game with a midfield of Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Yaya Touré was an extreme example of how much the ‘holding midfielder’ has become a part of the football scene. More than half of the teams in the World Cup used formations with two holding players, and it is just as common to see the same pattern in Leagues One and Two. Not bad for a position that Leeds United legend Johnny Giles describes as ‘a myth’.” (WSC)
“Last week, we looked at how Birmingham’s pressing of Manchester City’s centre-backs at goal-kicks forced Joe Hart to kick the ball long, losing possession on every occasion. Against Fulham, the situation was changed with the introduction of Jô. He offered more of an aerial presence in the City attack, despite being positioned on the left wing. The majority of Hart’s kicks were sent towards the left-hand side, where six of the long balls were won by the Brazilian striker. This chalkboard compares Hart’s distribution in the Birmingham game to the Fulham game, showing how the presence of Jô helps City win possession high up the pitch.” (Guardian)
“Below are Match Of The Day highlights for all the EPL matches on November 20, 2010. If there’s not a link available for a match, it will be updated shortly. The full edition of MOTD (which includes all matches) can be viewed here.” (The 90th Minute)
“For the second weekend in a row, a north-east side went to London and picked up a shock win. Like Newcastle in their 1-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend, Sunderland recorded a win over Chelsea by playing with two nominal strikers. Unlike Newcastle, they pressed high up the pitch, attacked in numbers in open play, and took the game to the opposition.” (Zonal Marking)
“Below are MOTD highlights for all the Premier League matches on November 13, 2010. (The 90th Minute)
“Below are video highlights for the Premier League matches on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. If a match doesn’t have a link, it’s not yet available but should be added soon.” (The 90th Minute)
“Two excellent first-half goals from Fernando Torres secured Liverpool’s best result under Roy Hodgson. Dirk Kuyt came back into the side after a long period out injured, with Martin Kelly the other surprise name on the team sheet. Maxi Rodriguez continued in midfield. Didier Drogba was only considered fit enough for the bench, so Carlo Ancelotti used Saloman Kalou on the right and Nicolas Anelka as the main forward. Frank Lampard was injured, as was Michael Essien, so the midfield trio was the same as in the win over Spartak in midweek.” (Zonal Marking)
Liverpool 2 – 0 Chelsea
“Fernando Torres produced a striker’s masterclass to score twice as Liverpool inflicted only a second defeat of the season on Premier League leaders Chelsea. Torres has a liking for playing the Londoners at Anfield, as his six goals in five matches against them at home shows. Chelsea were heavily linked with a summer bid for Torres but it never materialised and manager Carlo Ancelotti said he did not need to buy the striker as he was satisfied with his own forwards.” (ESPN)
The real Fernando Torres stands up
“His body language has been overanalysed, his future debated and his commitment criticised, but one statistic seemed to suffice to sum up his start to the season. Fernando Torres had scored as many goals as Sotirios Kyrgiakos. After a brace to pull ahead of the Greek in a Mediterranean mini-league at Anfield, to scythe Chelsea stylishly apart and to give Roy Hodgson much the best result of his nascent reign, one thing is clear. He’s back.” (ESPN)
We’re All Wrong, We’re All Right
“At long last, Liverpool look like a proper team again. Not a great team, admittedly, but at least a team. My criticisms from the summer relating to the appointment of Roy Hodgson remain, although my reactions a few weeks ago after a run of eight dire league games (and performances, which makes it even worse) obviously look increasingly premature.” (Tomkins Times)
Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“Chelsea has made a stunning start to its Premier League campaign for the second successive season, currently sitting five points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United after 10 games. What makes them so good? Here are five points to consider.” (ESPN)
“Chelsea took longer than usual to get into their stride, but recorded a familiar comfortable victory.
Chelsea rested John Terry and Michael Essien, so Branislav Ivanovic moved to the centre of the defence, and Ramires came in on the right side of midfield. Saloman Kalou replaced Florent Malouda. Spartak moved Yevgeni Makeev to right-back and brought in Andrei Ivanov on the left. Alex returned, so Ari dropped to the bench.” (Zonal Marking)
Blues forced to play out second billing
“It has been many a long year since Chelsea supporters looked upon those who swear allegiance to Tottenham Hotspur with an envious eye, but that might just have been the case this week. Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues may be riding high at the top of the Premier League table and assured of a placed in the last 16 of the Champions League after this comfortable romp against an outclassed opponent, yet such serene progress becomes a little mundane when it is the norm.” (ESPN)
Chelsea 4-1 Spartak Moscow – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – Champions League
(The 90th Minute)
“Three wins from three so far for Chelsea, and a fourth would effectively seal progression to the second round of the Champions League. They start as odds-on favourites to win this game against a Spartak side who would unquestionably be content with a draw. How can the Russians contain Chelsea? Here’s five key tactical points.” (itv)
“Below are MOTD video highlights for all the EPL matches on October 30, 2010. The full edition of Match Of The Day (which includes all the matches) can be found here.” (The 90th Minute)
Fanatics of Tangier, Eugene Delacroix
“Alex Song’s late header gave Premier League title chasers Arsenal a narrow victory over West Ham to deny the bottom club a deserved point at Emirates Stadium. Robert Green, in front of watching England manager Fabio Capello, had pulled off a string of fine saves to keep the Gunners at bay.” (ESPN)
Arsenal 1-0 West Ham United – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL(The 90th Minute)
Blackburn Rovers 1 – 2 Chelsea
“Branislav Ivanovic nodded home a late winner for Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea as Blackburn squandered a golden chance to upset the odds at Ewood Park. Rovers controlled the game for long periods and could have gone in front for the second time when Jason Roberts shot wide in the 81st minute with the goal at his mercy.” (ESPN)
Chelsea pull one out of the hat
“The Premier League appears to be embarked upon a perpetual quest for another Roman Abramovich or a second Sheikh Mansour. For most, this particular Holy Grail is unattainable. Instead, there were Ewood Park debuts for Venky’s managing director Balaji Rao and his brother Venkatesh, the men intent on making Blackburn a brand in India.” (ESPN)
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Chelsea – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – EPL
(The 90th Minute)
“Under normal circumstances in the Premier League, you’d look at a side that was five points clear with a quarter of the season played and assume it was strolling toward the title. These, though, are not normal circumstances. Chelsea has been the best team, scoring four more goals than anybody else and conceding five fewer. Beyond statistics, it feels as though Chelsea has been playing the best football.” (SI – Jonathan Wilson)
“With several matches played, the dark haze clouding our view of football in England has finally started to disperse. Now, with the crystal clear light of the holiest of truths, we set upon the most divine of inquisitive expeditions. We turn a deciphering eye upon the UK, helping you to distinguish the verdad santisima from the deceptive half-truths mulling about. Let us begin.” (futfanatico)
Scissors Kick 