Just for the hell of it...

Why doesn't everyone post their CL final predictions for tomorrow and we'll see who is the closest.

I say a defensive game from Manchester United that either results in a 1-0 win to United or United winning in penalties. If United score, it will come from Ronaldo.

I think the lineups will be as follows:

Barca: Valdes, Puyol, Toure, Pique, Sylvinho, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Henry, Eto'o
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O' Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Anderson, Scholes, Park, Ronaldo, Rooney


Let's follow this format:

Result:
Scorers:

(optional)
Barca starting XI:
Man Utd starting XI:

Tevez, or not Tevez, that is the question... (Part II)

Sorry for the delay. Here are the cons.

Cons:

First and foremost: $$$$. Tevez is likely to cost a record sum, and when we look at the pros and his strike rate I just don't see that it is justified. Yes he is young, something I forgot to mention in the pros, but not young enough to be considered a prospect.

We all know what Tevez is capable of through his demonstration two season ago when he single handedly saved West Ham from the drop. But similar to Robbie Keane there is the possibility that Tevez just isn't up to being a player in a scheme rather than the go-to man all of the time. I think last season he demonstrated that he can play with the players on Manchester United, but as soon as his game time diminished on account of Berbatov, either his confidence changed or the system changed enough to put him off his stride. It's sad to see such an integral part of last season's campaign.


The synthesis of my thoughts is this: I don't think he is worth what they are asking for.


Post any pros or cons I missed and whether you think Man U should shell out for him.

Tevez, or not Tevez, that is the question...

As the end of Carlos Tevez's two year loan deal at Manchester United comes to an end, Sir Alex Ferguson is now faced with the difficult decision of whether to purchase Tevez for what will likely be a record fee, or to look elsewhere for a new striker. This debate has only flared up recently because Tevez has hit good form despite most of his appearances coming from off the bench. Tevez has also fueled the fire by saying that he wants to stay, but also claiming he will likely be playing for a different club next season. I think the only way to settle this is to look at the pros and cons of the situation.




Pros:

No one can fault Tevez's work rate. In fact I would say that is what he is most famous for. Sir Alex claimed that he has endeared himself with the fans because "They love triers ... the fans always take to that." It is wonderful to have a striker that makes the opponent's defenders always stay on their toes. He is often juxtaposed with Dimitar Berbatov because they sub for one another, and it only boosts my appreciation for this facet of his game.

Tevez is an excellent professional. This is best demonstrated through his positive attitude and eagerness to change the complexion of a game coming off the bench. He also, until recently, did not complain that he was a peripheral figure in United's campaign this year and took his chances well. A prime example of that was vs. Blackburn in the Carling Cup when he was awarded his first start in a while and had a four goal performance.

I wouldn't say Tevez offers much of a new dimension to the United front line, but he certainly is the only one that can match Wayne Rooney's output up top should Rooney get injured or need rest. He also represents the depth that the United team is touted for.

Post any other pros you think Tevez has.

I will discuss the cons in a post tomorrow.

Anything but Messi...

After 182 minutes of precise defending and intense focus, Guus Hiddink's Chelsea side were denied passage to the CL final in Rome by an exquisite and frankly unexpected equalizer by the player of the match Andres Iniesta. Iniesta's equalizer was stunning and brilliant for more than just the perfect technique he used to execute the strike. Goals, and maybe more importantly shots, like the one he took in second half stoppage time have not been taken by Barcelona all year. This is because down the wings they have been able to penetrate with such ease that they seldom score from outside the box because why try shooting from outside the box when you can get closer with a few clever passes and runs? And when they do score from outside the box the goal practically always comes from a free kick. Why I think Iniesta got the tiny bit of room that he did is because Chelsea were likely lectured on the fact that Barcelona like to pass from the top of the box in order to get a give and go and march to a point blank position in front of the goal before shooting. But leave it to the versatile and ever improving Andres Iniesta to throw out the game plan that had been stifled for 180+ against Chelsea and blast in a magnificent equalizer.

I will be anxiously waiting for the final for the next three weeks and cannot wait for the epic showdown.

A few laughs amidst the sobbing...

It is right around now that teams become mathematically doomed to relegation, and when other teams miss out on titles and championships because there can only be one winner for everything. So with that said, I present you with my three all time favorite light-hearted soccer related videos. 

It gets no better than this... or does it?

In recent weeks the debate over which league, La Liga or the English Premiership, has been raged as the CL winds down with only teams from these two leagues squaring off. Also recently, the defenders on the top premiership teams (with the exception of Manchester United) have decided to allow other top teams to score a flurry of goals on them in order to fuel the speculation that the premiership is the most entertaining league in the world. Examples of this modern phenomena include the 4-4 draws between Chelsea and Liverpool, and Liverpool and Arsenal. What's more is Chelsea appear to be in the driving seat of their CL matchup with Barcelona. So La Liga, what do you have to say about all of this?

Today, as if in direct response to the English pundits who thought they had won the argument, Real Madrid and Barcelona produced what can only be described as the most entertaining, most important, and most thrilling rout of the season. The football that Barcelona played was absolutely breath taking. But the great part of the game was that both sides allowed the other to display its full arsenal, a route that Chelsea opted not to take during their CL semi-final first leg. 

It just seems that La Liga relies much less on physical attributes, and encourages thinking rather than brute strength. In an interview, Fernando Torres confirmed this assertion when he claimed that Ricardo Carlvalho was the only defender in the prem that used his wits rather than his muscles to win tackles. What's more is Torres went on to say it was easier to score in the prem because of the all-action mentality of the defenders. 

So with that said, decide which you prefer. 

Side note: Also if you didn't see this installment of el Clásico, I strongly suggest you do when FSC plays it this coming Friday (I think around 4:00 P.M.)