Champions League: Match day 5

The long and the short of the champions league matches: Liverpool & Rangers have their fate in their own hands. Liverpool enjoyed a late outburst of goals to win 4-1 (a score line that really did flatter the reds). Rangers, on the other hand, did themselves no favors, losing 2-3 to a determined Stuttgart side in Germany. Now they must produce at least a point against Lyon in Scotland. Yes, Ibrox is a fortress, however, Lyon looked strong in their draw with Barcelona. Truth be told, Lyon are the better team, but a little grit may go a long way in getting Rangers through to the knockout stages.

In other games, Chelsea romped past Rosenborg in chilly Trondheim, in a match-up that really never was-- and Ronaldo scored a brilliant stoppage time freekick to assure victory of the group for Manchester United.

My picks for the groups:
A-Porto, and Liverpool will fly on through as though they'd never been on the brink of elimination.
B-Chelsea have already staked their claim; it could be a difficult ending for the Norwegians, who very well may stumble away from home, opening the door for Schalke to qualify.
C-Real Madrid, and Werder Bremen should advance
D-Cut and dried, AC Milan & Celtic.
E-Barcelona are through, and Lyon will use their quality to snatch the last spot.
F-This one was long ago decided: Man Utd & Roma, in that order.
G-Inter have already qualified in the top spot, so look for an under powered side to fall in Holland. And will a little luck (and help from CSKA), PSV will sneak through.
H-Another boring group: Sevilla & Arsenal, in that order.

Premiership Wrap: Arsenal Tops as United Crash

This weekend there was lots of booing around England, and rightfully so. The fans had every right to be disgusted as the big names (Gerrard, Lampard, etc.) came out and played their usual domineering style for their respective clubs. Why they can't manage for England, well that will remain a mystery. The top teams all held their ground, some in more spectacular fashion than others, with the exception of Manchester United who watched all three points disappear at Bolton. And I can't really say the Red Devils deserved anything more than they got, they seemed to have taken a page out of England's book, playing a truly uninspired match.

Everton trounced Roy Keane's sad little Sunderland in the biggest score line of the weekend. And it's time to take in the bets on which manager will be next to go: my money's on Southgate, whose Middlesbrough again couldn't take away an end product. Other safe bets-- Allardyce, Sanchez, and even old Rafa is getting closer the sharp end of the axe every time he opens his mouth. Next weekend we'll see which of the aforementioned bosses continues their woeful ways and gets the hook.

Goal of the week: Ireland's last minute volley, absolutely delicious. And fortunately for us watching at home we didn't have to see his underpants this time.

The match of the weekend for next week: Portsmouth v. Everton, maybe both sides will have goal explosions?

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

There really isn't much to add to the commentary on England's defeat at Wembley. At first I wanted to add the word "shock" in front of defeat, but it really wasn't a shock. England have been so mediocre, that I don't really find myself disappointed at their upcoming absence in Euro 2008. I know it's been said over and over, but the team lacks passion; the big names come together, but they can't seem to set aside their arrogance and play as a devoted unit. It almost seemed as though the English team (and supporters) thought they had it made after Israel's victory. And underestimating Croatia cost them dearly-- obviously the timid 4-5-1 was partly inspired by a lack of strikers, however, it was time to crank it up a notch after 15 minutes when England found themselves down 0-2. Instead they waited to infuse an attacking spark, and it almost worked. Now they'll get another crack at Croatia in World Cup qualifying.

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Well, well, well! What a set of games. It was a surreal sort of weekend, where suddenly the footballing world was holding their collective breath to see who would win between Israel and Russia. Yes, that's right, Israel and Russia. And shockingly (and luckily for English fans), it was Israel (that's what the picture indicates). The Russians haven't put forth much excitement, or had tons of success since the their USSR days, but certainly defeating (or at least drawing) with Israel didn't seem too much to ask. At any rate, this hands England a lifeline. We'll just have to wait and see what type of side the Croatians put forth on Wednesday, and if jolly old England can find a final way to bungle up their qualification.

Other matches, saw heartbreak for Scotland, who lost at the death and are now eliminated. I don't suppose they were going to dash forward and grab a winner, but the free kick leading to the equalizer was a scandalous call. I can see why McLeish was incensed.

There is still a bit to be decided on Wednesday. Of course, England's fate lies in their own hands again. Portugal need a draw against the Finns to assure safe passage. Norway need Turkey to stumble, as qualification now lies out of their control after throwing away at least a point at home to the Turks on Saturday. And lastly, and most unlikely, Northern Ireland could still qualify: if they defeat Spain and Sweden lose to Latvia.

My predictions: England and Portugal sneak in with tight fought draws, Norway or Turkey- it's too close for me to call and Sweden will claim their spot with a win.

Premiership Wrap: As Expected

This was a weekend with some interesting match-ups-- that produced no surprise results. The big guns all came through as expected, with the exception of Chelsea, who dropped two points in their match with Everton. Manchester United and Arsenal cruised to victory, both teams playing a smooth flowing style of soccer that just makes you want to do nothing but watch them play. Liverpool dawdled about for most of the game before snatching the points at the bitter end. Kudos to Fulham for hanging tough for most of the game, especially as the second goal shouldn't have been a penalty; so at least the Cottagers can take away a small moral victory. In their match, Chelsea couldn't quite put away the game, and Tim Howard played a huge role in picking up an impressive point for Everton at the Bridge.

The weekend's big grudge matches: Birmingham v. Aston Villa and Sunderland v. Newcastle proved exciting. The former saw Villa stealing all the points in a match that certainly could have gone the other way and the later ended in a draw. Sunderland have shown grit, but if they're to survive, they're going to need to find a little luck as well. And on to the other relegation favorite, sorry old Derby were destroyed by West Ham. The Rams just don't have what it takes to even play with the big boys, and they showed this over the weekend, as generally unimpressive West Ham played circles around them. The Hammers looked as though they were merely playing pick-up soccer in the park. Which brings me to Tottenham's much needed win against Wigan. Both Jenas and Berbatov played in a relaxed and dominating fashion and juked and flicked about the field like they were playing against a gang of school boys. But only time will tell if Tottenham will truly show a revival in form.

Next week: The teams are off, and England's (and McClaren's) fate will be decided.

Champions League: Match day 4

Liverpool made an emphatic announcement over the mid-week: don't write us off! Unfortunately for the reds, things aren't quite so simple, but their fate is still in their hands: Given that they beat Porto and then beat Marseille (provided Marseille and Porto both beat struggling Besiktas) by at least one goal they should be in the clear. Whew, that wasn't confusing at all. It'll be tricky beating Porto and you can never assume any of the other stuff will go as it should, so we'll just have to wait and see. The home match against Besiktas this Tuesday was quite an offensive display, although, three points are still three points; it doesn't really matter how much you run up the score, but it should be a good confidence booster as well as three necessary points.

Manchester United and Arsenal continued their all-around dominance, easing into the next round with still two matches to play. Again Rooney and Tevez looked sharp in combination, if they really begin to click, this could be a lethal combination. Probably the most shocking match of the week was in Spain, where Valencia went down 0-2 against minnows Rosenborg of Norway. Much is still left to be decided though and the standings could be turned upside down in the two remaining matches. Look for Rangers and Rosenborg to be the surprise survivors of the first phase; their northern fortresses will prove the critical factor clinging to their second place spots.

Premiership Wrap

The premiership brought November in with style, the much anticipated match between Arsenal and United lived up to its billing. Arsenal stopped United's win streak, and in doing so showed that they've got desire as well as skill. Some how or another the Gunners showed a little heart and dug out an equalizer in the dying minutes of the match. Arsenal are still undefeated, but keeping it up for the whole season for only the second time in only a handful of years doesn't sound likely.

The other unbeaten side, Liverpool were lucky to escape the first half against Blackburn. Rovers controlled the game and rattled the crossbar two times before the interval. However, Liverpool came out of the locker room looking like a completely different team and were the better side in the second half. Perhaps a draw was a fair result, although the match could have a used a goal or two. Chelsea and Man City were both back to their usual ways: with Chelsea winning a dull match 2-0 at Wigan and City scrapping up all the points against lackluster Sunderland. Next weekend City will take on Pompey who absolutely destroyed Newcastle with a flury of early first half goals; looks like we may see which one is the real deal.

I'll be anxiously awaiting next week's match-up between Man Utd and Blackburn, it will be televised, for those of us with FSC, and Blackburn have a habit of troubling United, so we'll let you know how it goes.