Tragedies in football...

In light of the recent heart wrenching tragedy that has left 19 people dead and many more injured in the Ivory Coast, I would like to recommend a fantastic film that really captures the pointless brutality in football to perfection. Below is the trailer for what I thought was a great use of 2 hours, and is appropriate given the recent drama and other deaths like the one in Italy last year. It is truly unfortunate that such intense passion and devotion lead to violence.

Trailer for Green Street Elite

No posts from me this week...

Like Stewart Downing in an important match, I will missing from the action for a week. I hope you are all enjoying your spring breaks.

Arsenal soon to be firing on all cylinders...

Much has been made of Aston Villa's attempt to snatch the 4th Champions league spot from Arsenal this season, but when push comes to shove I firmly believe that Ye Ol' Gunnars will edge out their Birmingham opponents. The reasoning behind this assertion is that Arshavin seems to be settling in to the team very nicely, and the Arsenal team has a bit of a swagger in its step despite missing some of its key players (Adebayor and Fabregas most notably). This good form also coincides with the poor form of Villa, who for me haven't looked the same since acquiring Heskey. I never posted about it, but for the longest time now it has perplexed me that no manager could figure out Villa despite the fact that Villa fields practically the same team in the same formation every time they play. Well, I believe the time has finally come when Villa are exposed, and managers have been completely erasing Ashley Young and Agbonglahor from games. To add insult to Villa's injuries, Arsenal will soon be boosted by the returns of Eduardo, Walcott, Fabregas and Adebayor. All in all, my money is on Arsenal to pip them for the spot.

Note: I wrote this before this mornings game, which further confirms my point. 

No wonder Beckham wants to stay in Milan...

"Wow. Wtf was that."

Those were my exact thoughts following the New York Red Bull's 0-3 defeat at the hands of a Freddy Ljungberg-less Seattle Sounders team. It wasn't so much that I was disappointed that the Red Bulls, a team that I support, slumped to an embarrassing defeat against a new franchise missing its shining star, but rather a profound disillusionment regarding the quality of soccer that is played in the MLS. Seattle, I must admit, had some absolutely stunning passages of play where a creative midfielder (mostly Montero, who if he keeps up these sort of performances will leave the MLS before you learn his name) would take matters into his own hands and make the shell-shocked Red Bull defenders look like they were still in high school, but my G-d did the Red Bulls disappoint me. Their passing was uncreative, their movement absolutely predictably, their mistakes were absurdly juvenile, and their organization was non-existent. The only aspect of their performance that I can take solace in was their work rate, but that led to more committed fouls than successful tackles. But my point is it should come as no surprise that Beckham was dying to stay in Milan for as long as he could given the performance I just witnessed by one of last year's MLS cup finalists. And that is coming from a fervent supporter of the MLS, i.e. this league better step up or spend another year as a complete joke.

LATER EDIT: Now that I have calmed down a bit, it looks like Seattle will be extremely successful. They have a great young team with a seemingly perfect infusion of experienced players, a fantastic fan base (32,000 people attended their opening game!) and a great coach.

Dream Team (for the slightly shorter "week" ahead)

Although the Champions league and FA cup games were very entertaining, Fulham vs. Blackburn did no quench my appetite for premier league games and subsequent fantasy points flowing in. So now that we are back into the thick of things, let's look at the match-ups and the golden boys. 

Everton vs. Stoke will likely be a tight game, ending with a 2-0 Everton victory. The man to look to in this game is as always Tim Cahill. I have held onto Jo for the last few weeks and have been sorely disappointed with his return, so my suggestion is to stay clear, especially since he is likely to do poorly against an organized Stoke defense. Look out to pick up Fuller barn door if he puts in a good performance. He has looked very sharp lately, along with an inflated Beattie. 

Hull vs. Newcastle could go either way. Although Manucho stole the show last week with a last gasp winner against Fulham, I don't expect him to start. Owen will probably be back for Newcastle, which will be a big boost for them. I wouldn't pick him up because he is likely to be a step behind the pace, but Obefemi Martins should prosper from Owen's reinvention of himself as a supporting striker. 

Manchester United vs. Liverpool could go in so many different directions that I don't really know what to say about it. I picked up Rooney because he is in form and always rises to the occasion. I put my money on United winning, but I don't know by how much. Definitely stay away from the defenders in this game because they will surely all be picking up yellows. 

Middlesbrough vs. Portsmouth The spoils will likely go to Middlesbrough, who are a bit hotter than their southern opponents. I say there will probably be 2-3 goals in this one, and Tuncay is likely to have some hand in the Middlesbrough win. 

Sunderland vs. Wigan Hard to call, but the players that are worth looking at in this one is a hot Kieron Richardson, and two defenders whom my rivals in my leagues have held onto for a while, Figueroa and Collins. Figueroa has been in stunning form, consistently tallying SOTs ever since he scored his first goal for the club, while Collins has been in decent form. 

Bolton vs. Fulham is an interesting one. I would definitely go with Bolton players seeing as Fulham are garbage away from home, can't find the back of the net, and are on a terrible run at the moment. Players worth considering are Elmander, Taylor (I have him), and Steinsson.

Arsenal vs. Blackburn Arshavin will be fresh after missing out on the Champions league marathon against Roma. That combined with his excellent form and price makes him a great addition to your team. Picking anyone besides Arshavin and the defense might be risky business seeing as players are coming back from injury and might oust companions. 

Aston Villa vs. Tottenham Lennon is pretty hot, but against this tight Villa defense + Brad Friedel I doubt he will get his name on the score sheet. For me the star in this game is a red hot Robbie Keane, but same problem as with Lennon. Probably a good game to avoid. 

Chelsea vs. Manchester City There are some players on City that are playing wonderfully, i.e. SWP, Ireland and Elano, but this is not the game to choose them. Let their price fall against Chelsea and then pick them up for next week. Robinho is also one to watch out for who scored against Chelsea earlier in the season and is beginning to show signs of life after a good display vs. Aalborg midweek. Undoubtedly the players that will shine in this game are the smoking hot Didier Drogba and the ever present Frank Lampard. I have Shay Given because he always likes making tons of saves against teams like Chelsea, although a Man City loss is probably inevitable. 

West Ham vs. West Brom Players from any team playing West Brom are worth looking into. I happened to pick up Tomkins who has been playing center back for West Ham and will likely pick up a CS. Other good options are Parker, Noble, and my favorite Di Michele, who is very tricky and might bag a brace. 

Good luck, and as always you can post your team below and I will comment. 

What game were you watching?

After having just watched Manchester United beat Inter Milan by a score of 2-0, I am thoroughly annoyed. Not because the team that I was rooting for lost, but because announcers won't stop criticizing Ibrahimovic for not running the show in big games. After a brilliant display for 45 minutes, Ibrahimovic began to fade and then eventually digressed to making bad errors. But for g-d's sake, the announcers (in this case Tommy Smyth and Derek Rae) acted as if he had scored 3 own goals, beat up the ref, and got sent off. In the first half, neither Vidic nor Ferdinand came close to dispossessing him. He manifested the strength and intelligence that he is lauded for in Serie A games, and created Inter's best chances of the game with his mobility and incredible vision. My argument is this: yes Ibrahimovic does not tend to score in the big games, and yes he does fade as the game goes on, but announcers already have it set in their minds that as soon as he starts making mistakes that they are going to attack him. So my question remains, what game were the announcers watching? Because I watched a game in which Ibrahimovic created a few chances, wasted a couple others, but all in all came out of the game having put in a decent performance (especially considering he was up against the best defense in the world).

Superfly

Nike, which released their latest line of 'Mercurial Vapor' cleats early last year, has recently released (or rather, will in a couple months time) their newest edition.

The "Mercurial Vapor Superfly."
Yes. Superfly. I can't imagine them naming it something stupider.

Previously, companies such as Nike and Adidas released their newest editions of cleats roughly every two years, corresponding to the World Cup and European championships (i.e. gigantic advertising).

The difference between each (2-year) generation of cleats is probably the difference between, say, Microsoft Word '98, and Word 2000.

Now, it seems, the generation gap has been reduced even more, with Nike leading the charge.

I suppose it makes sense from a business point of view, with soccer becoming more accessible (not only through the television, but through youtube, streams... the internet in general). But, as one who enjoys his cleats, there is a point where I feel somewhat cheated. Like when Apple lowered the price of the iPhone months after it was released. Kind of.

I'll probably continue writing about this trend later. (soccer shirts for example, home and away)

The Hebrew Hammer...

Similar to when I gave a shout-out to Ji Sung Park, I feel it necessary to highlight the excellent play of another winger in the premiership. I'll give you a few hints to who this mystery man is (besides the photo). He is Israeli, owned by one of the biggest clubs in Europe, his name does not rhyme with Smen Smahar, and remember I said he was playing well (so that rules out Tal Ben Haim). Yes, it is indeed the diminutive, scrappy, creative, and currently wonderful Yossi Benayoun. I think it was not a coincidence that when Yossi was missing from the lineup against Middlesbrough that the team slumped to an embarrassing 2-0 defeat. His absence was emphasized with his wonderful performance against Sunderland, which he capped off with a goal. 

If we rewind the clock two years, we will find Yossi impressing for an over-achieving West Ham side that took the premiership and FA cup by storm. He was picked up by Liverpool that summer, and impressively avoided falling into a bin of players that look fantastic for smaller sides where they run the show, but cannot find their niche in a European power house's lineup. The most relevant example that comes to mind is Jermaine Pennant, who failed to impress at Liverpool. 

Unfortunately for Liverpool fans,* Yossi, the goal scoring hero at the Bernabeu, will be missing for the upcoming 2nd leg of Liverpool's tie against Real Madrid. And with the departure of Jermaine Pennant during the January transfer window, they will likely deploy Stevie G on the right wing, which I do not think is a satisfactory plan B for a club of the magnitude of Liverpool. I am not going to blow up Benayoun's importance to the team, or Real Madrid's chances of turning this tie on its head, but should something go horribly wrong for Liverpool, I can guarantee you that Yossi's absence will be one of the main reasons for Liverpool's early exit.

*I have now used that line in my last three articles, so you should take the hint(s) that things aren't going that well for them. 

The new "glass man"...

Yesterday, Ronaldo de Lima, nicknamed the "glass man" on account of the frequency he acquires injuries, made his much-hyped return to football. Considering he is getting old and consequently has blurred the line of which injuries are because of his age, and which are because of his propensity to get injured, we must pass on the title to a new world class striker that has a knack for missing games through injury.

Yes, I am looking at you Mr. Torres.

Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, it looks as though Torres' career might be plagued by this nagging hamstring and fragile ankles. Though, Liverpool fans can take solace in the fact that;

1) he still can produce the goods quite quickly after coming back from injury (for example his performance vs. Portsmouth)
2) Lionel Messi seemed to be in a similar situation and has since strung together a long string of appearances.

So maybe it is just a bad run at the moment, or maybe it is something more serious, but only time will tell.

He's clearly Keane to re-impress us...

With a goal and two assists in today's match against Middlesbrough, Robbie Keane officially revitalized his career. Following his astute abandonment of his childhood "dream come true" of wearing Liverpool gear (although he got to wear it while riding the bench), Keane has become a central part of Harry Redknapp's plans and has consequently regained the sort of goal scoring form we are used to seeing from him. His revival began with a two goal performance for the Republic of Ireland during mid-Feburary, which sealed a narrow victory and won a vital three points for his national team, and has continued on until this momentous occasion.

Though once again the common man is left bewildered. How in just a few short weeks has Keane managed to go from zero to hero? And how did Rafa fail so miserably at getting any sort of return from his massive investment? To be perfectly frank, during the summer I was quite terrified of the prospect of Liverpool having two legitimate strikers. Especially a pairing that seemed like it would work wonders. But for some reason besides my nightly prayers, it just never clicked. Well now that the old Keane is back, its hard not to point a finger at Rafa and laugh at the fact that he has to play the likes of El Zhar and N'Gog on account of his inability to squeeze goals out of Keane. But I guess such is life as a premiership manager.

The Ogre and Other Oversized Players

River Plate coach Nestor Gorosito yesterday told recent signing Christian Fabbiani that he needs to trim down. This is the type of thing one might hear from a manager from time to time, but this is a special case. Fabbiani, pictured on the right, recently weighed in at 100 kilos (220 pounds) and is nicknamed "the ogre" in his native Argentina. Here are a few words from his coach on the topic:

"Because a cow eats grass and it's a cow, it eats all day and it's a cow.

"Fabbiani needs to accept responsibility and lose weight. I don't need him to go down to 92 or 93 kilos, but he has to get down to 97 and at the moment he's a hundred and a bit.

"We want him to play 90 minutes, not just half an hour."

Fabbiani, who is actually quite a good player at times, is not the first footballer who looks like he could have been purchased at Costco. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Ronaldo:
The Brazilian World Cup winner is probably the most famous and most successful of the "large" footballers. What always amazed me about Ronaldo was how he was still so fast despite carrying so much weight. It makes you wonder how good he might have been had he been a little leaner. His more recent weight issues can perhaps be attributed to knee injuries, but even in his prime, he was the crop of the (ice) cream.

John Barnes:
Like Ronaldo, the former Liverpool and England star did in fact put on weight with age. Back in his time, the striker did have his way in front of goal, and apparently in front of the dinner table as well. On a slightly unrelated but equally amusing note, I invite you to watch the big man rap in England's official 1990 World Cup song.

Diego Maradona:
Although technically not fat until after his playing days were over, he was always quite a chubby little man. He has the distinguished honor of being the only man on my list to have had stomach surgery to deal with his weight problems. Oddly enough, like fellow fat-man Ronaldo, he was renowned for his quick feet. Interesting trend developing here.

Ferenc Puskas:
Aptly named and an absolute magician on the ball, the Hungarian maestro was probably the first of the fat footballers. Like the others, his weight fluctuated over the years, but his play certainly did not. He was known for being an incredible shooter of the ball, and it's not too difficult to tell where the extra power came from.

Perhaps the big-boned footballer is a dying breed, which is quite a shame considering some of the names on this list. Anyway, as long as the ogre has something to say about, the legacy of Puskas and others will live on:

"It's my physique and I can't change it much. But I'm going to play Sunday, I'm not going to get left out of the team again"

As one title race cools off, another heats up...

There seems to be a new custom in football where if you laud the team you just lost too, your loss will seem less of your fault, and more because of the other team's brilliance. Such is the case with this current unbeatable Manchester United team. This tactic has already been embraced by Harry Redknapp, David Moyes, Nicolas Anelka, and Arsene Wenger among others. In fact the only manager who does not seem to be heaping praise on Sir Alex and the current United side is Big Sam, yet his full strength Blackburn side ended up losing to a weakened United side, so maybe he should jump on the band wagon. It is hard to disagree with everyone claiming United have already secured the title, though keep in mind similiar praise was being heaped on Barcelona just a month ago.

Because of their recent slump in form, and Real Madrid's impeccability, Barcelona have now let a 12 point lead slip to a measily 4 points. It is hard to say what threw them off of their stride seeing as all of their stars are healthy and in relatively good form. Possibly Eto'o's prolific goal scoring drying up a bit over the last month. But if I had to put money on it, the problem in my mind is Victor Valdes. I never understood how such a strong team could have such a weak goalie. When you look at Real Madrid, it is easy to attribute their consistancy with the amazing performances from Casillas week in and week out. Yet Barcelona seem to lack that solidity at the back, which for Real Madrid embues the rest of the team with confidence. It is rather shocking if you look at the defense in front of Valdes, the small quantity of saves he has per-game, and the number of goals he lets in that he is still the first choice keeper at Barcelona. With the Madrid derby this weekend, Barcelona might be able to re-extend their lead to 7 points. But I don't see any indications of Barcelona coming out of this slump or Real Madrid entering one without changes to the goal keeping personnel.