Champions League Matchups (Week 5)

Roberto Mancini

   Despite the hint of winter, Europe is heating up today as the UEFA Champions league takes center stage.  In this the fifth week of the group stage, sixteen (16) teams in action.  The top matchup of the day will see Manchester City (EPL leaders) traveling to Naples known for their exuberant fans.  Roberto Mancini the Italian manager of Manchester City has reportedly advised the City fans to take extra caution when they travel to the Italian city.  The BBC has sited incidents of violence in recent months against Bayern Munich supporters.

Other matches to keep an eye on are Manchester United Vs Benfica at Old Trafford, where both teams could qualify for the knock out stage.  Real Madrid host Dynamo Zagreb while Inter travels to Turkey to face Trabzonspor and Villareal visits the German giants Bayern Munich.  The full schedule for today and tomorrow is shown below.  The most interesting game tomorrow will be AC Milan v Barcelona in Milan.  Meanwhile Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen v Chelsea should provide some interesting insight into the depth of the two English sides.  Have a great show folks and stay tuned for our recommended links to watch the Champions league knockout rounds

Week 5 Schedule (Source BBC) 

Tuesday, 22 November 2011

CSKA Moscow v Lille, GpB, 17:00

Bayern Munich v Villarreal, GpA, 19:45

Lyon v Ajax, GpD, 19:45

Man Utd v Benfica, GpC, 19:45

Napoli v Man City, GpA, 19:45

Otelul Galati v FC Basel, GpC, 19:45

Real Madrid v Dinamo Zagreb, GpD, 19:45

Trabzonspor v Inter Milan, GpB, 19:45

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Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Zenit St Petersburg v Apoel Nicosia, GpG, 17:00

BATE Borisov v Plzen, GpH, 18:00

AC Milan v Barcelona, GpH, 19:45

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund, GpF, 19:45

Bayer Leverkusen v Chelsea, GpE, 19:45

Marseille v Olympiakos, GpF, 19:45

Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Porto, GpG, 19:45

Valencia v Genk, GpE, 19:45

 

Chelsea walks alone; Liverpool joins the chasing pack

What was built up as a showdown between Andy Carrol and Fernando Torres started off with neither of those men on the pitch.  It has to be said though that this match up is much bigger than those two players combined.  Not only because of the poor form Torres is in but the history of this match-up, and the quality of the other players on display.  We recall that Liverpool got the better of Chelsea in both meetings last year.

With Didier Drogba getting the start over Daniel Sturridge and Suarez up against the likes of John Terry what more could we ask for?  The Brazilians were well represented in the form of David Luis, Lucas, and Ramirez. Argentinian Maxi Rodriqez was also on show facing the English lads Terry, Lampard and Cole for Chelsea with Johnson, Hnderson and Downing for Liverpool. It promised to be a fluid affair and the supporters at Stamford bridge were upbeat.

The pace started off briskly and with Andy Carrol warming up after only half an hour speculations were abound. It was maxi who took the highlight of the half however striking in the 34th minute after a terrible mistake from John Obi Mickel.  Meanwhile David Luis shows how much of a "hot head" he is, having multiple encounters with the Liverpool players.  One wonders how effective he is in that position, and the wisdom behind his utilization at the back.  He loves to go forward and he has great attacking instincts but he is a little exposed at the back. The half eventually ended with Chelsea down by a goal with little to show, besides a close free kick from Drogba which went inches wide.  Andy Carrol failed to take the pitch and Torres remained unused

The second period started off much the better for Chelsea, inspired by the injection of Daniel Sturridge who replaced the culpable Mickel.  Meanwhile the anticipation was heightened as the crowd started to get a bit more involved in the game. The anticipation peaked when the attacking prowess of Sturridge paid off with a useful tuck in for a goal in the 55th minute.  It was the result of some nice build up play on the back of a few sustained attacks.  With an hour gone Torres was sighted on the touchline getting warmed up, while Jordan Henderson prepared himself for an appearance, replacing Bellamy in the 66th minute.


The game eventually went flat for a while splashed with the occasional spark - most notably an overhead attempt by Malouda in the box.  With 6 minutes remaining and the scores tied, Andre Villas Boas played his final cards.  Two former Liverpool players were brought on, Torres and Mereiles.  This was to have no effect however, because Glen Johnson had other ideas.  In the 87th minute he made a great run from the middle of the Chelsea half to beat his fellow English man Cole and slot it into the left corner for the lead.  The fat lady was already singing ("We never walk alone") when Andy Carrol made a staged appearance replacing the hard working Suarez.

The final score had Liverpool winning 2 - 1 moving up to 6th in the table, joining Chelsea and three other chasers on 22pts.  Chelsea remains 12pts off the pace with their 3rd loss in four games.  Not an exhilarating performance by the EPL standards but a great win for king Kenny as he is affectionately called in England.  Andre Villas Boas on the other hand will have to recede to some chicken soup for his troubles and hope for a turn in fortunes as they travel to Germany mid-week for UEFA Champions league fixture.

Our man of the match is Glen Johnson while the better strategist was Kenny Dalglish. See you next week when we cover the game of the week(13) Liverpool Vs Manchester City

World Cup 2010 Review

Congratulations to Spain on winning the World cup.   What can I say about that final match.  It was a real chess match I tell you, like a scene from the Gladiator or better yet 300.  Spain as I said in my preview had the better team and the experience of playing together paid dividends in the end.  Spain played total football and held the narrow edge.
 
The referee was the obvious star of the match and not totally by his own doing because if he played to the events on the pitch we might have finish the game with about 20 players.  He and his team did a fair job and I cannot blame him for the state of play because life goes on after world cup and especially with these professionals they ought to be protected. 
So for my awards I will name Argentina as the most entertaining team to watch.  This is followed closely by Spain and Ghana.

The best defensive team goes to Portugal while the most efficient goes to Germany.   Player of the Tournament goes to Pique while player of the finals is Jesus.   The worst team to watch is Greece and the most disappointing team was France.  Goal of the tournament goes to Micon while the best assist to Felipe Melo.  Mr. Melo also gets the most indisciplined player and the X-factor in the tournament.
South Africa 2010 was good because of the professionalism by the hosts.  It was incident free for the most part and the quality of the facilities were top rate.  The vuvuzelas were tempered nicely after the first round and that was commendable.  In the end it was true to form because the best team in the world won.
OJB

World Cup Finals 2010 Preview

One of the most interesting thing about this world cup finals is the fact that a First Time Champion will ease out of the company of mere pawns, and step into the envied company of the Royal Priesthood. The greatest show on earth will incidentally have one star and a supporting cast with the precise roles determined at the end of the final chapter. The other 30 playwrights in this show are therefore left out of the climax, having only contributed to the build up - or should I say tear down - of the great show.

Tactically, the Dutch are more dynamic because of their ability to play a myriad of different styles in the same game and by that play to each and every moment. The Dutch is akin to the Transformers with the way they match and mix roles as the situation dictates. Where Spain's strength lies is in their trust for each other on the pitch. This allows them to stick to their roles with the confidence that the different pieces will deliver. Thus Spain is like a Boeing 747, once everything is in check you can be sure it'll deliver the goods. not even volcanic ash can stop them because they have the ability to fly around it once they have prior knowledge. This is the key with the Spanish, their knowledge of the game and their opponents. Above this however is the knowledge of themselves. Spain knows and believe in their team and this will be their best weapon.

Again, this finals will not be a classic but it will not be a dull affair either, simply because of the Passion which surrounds it and the fact that the Spanish plays a beautiful brand of football irrespective of the situation. Beautiful if you are not playing against them that is. Might I dare say: "Spain is barca save for Messi". OMG, I've said it. I cannot make any predictions for the score but the outcome is unanimous.

Annex:
The Spanish people needs this boost because their morale has not been very high due to the economic mayhem in the Euro-zone. The unemployed youths will be encouraged to try a little harder and the general mood will be one of unity. This will be good for the country. Alcohol sales will go up, birth rate will rise, racism will decrease and the Spanish language will spread. The micro economy will thrive at least for a couple of weeks.

It would do a great deal for the Dutch too but they could live without it. In fact they will do better without it because they enjoy a good debate about what went wrong and they can export more Bears to Spain and import more marijuana from Jamaica. God Bless Amsterdam.

DISCLAIMER:
We are not promoting excessive alcohol consumption in Spain nor do we endorse the use of marijuana in small quantities or illegally. We love Holland as well as Spain and this is not an indictment against any one country or people.

Why Spain will win World Cup 2010

Spain up until a few months ago was ranked #1 in the world. This is not by chance or favor, but because of performance. The European Champions have been one of the most consistent sides in the world for the last couple years.

Germany is playing well, but they do not have the collective experience to win a World cup Semi Finals against Spain. The hunger of the Spanish team along with their collective experience will have a profound effect on the Semi finals tomorrow.

Andres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol, Alonzo and the other Barca guys work very well together and they know how to grind out games. This will therefore be a conservative game, which is out of character but necessary. It will by no means be dull however, since both the Germans and the Spanish have complete teams. The team that concedes first will have the more difficult task of winning. Thus we will see a half pitch game, meaning that the end to end flow will be curtailed in pace and reach.

Villa Vs Torres is a non issue. Villa is the man in form and Torres is not his usual self so he will most likely start off the bench. Failing this he will be withdrawn if the advantage is not significant for Spain after the first hour.

In the final analysis, Spain will grind out the victory. There is a strong possibility it will go to the extreme, not only due to the strength of the Germans but the fact that the game will be ultra conservative the Best Team will win.


OJB

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