What Was Avram Grant Thinking?

They say hindsight is 20/20, and that’s certainly true. That doesn’t make it worthless though, especially when the party involved has already made a few questionable decisions in the past.

So then, Mr. Grant, let me ask you why you didn’t start John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Nicolas Anelka yesterday in your Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Olympiakos. Was it because you didn’t approve of Lamps scoring TWO goals last weekend in the FA Cup? Was it because you think that Florent Malouda is a better attacking option than Anelka, who has scored 13 goals this season? Was it because you wanted to go with a guy in Ballack who hadn’t played a Champions League game all season?

Listen, Ballack, Malouda, and Alex (who maintained his place ahead of Terry) aren’t exactly slouches, don’t get me wrong. They also aren’t as good as the three players who they started over. When you get to the Round of 16 in the Champions League, you have to play your best team and it’s as simple as that. There are no easy games at this stage of the tournament; teams that reach the last 16 don’t get there off a fluke or because of luck, they’re there because they proved they should be over six games in the Group Stage. You can’t disrespect an opponent by playing a weakened side. Bringing Anelka and Lampard on late in the second half isn’t good enough. You can’t expect them to do anything if they don’t get many minutes; it’s tough to come off the bench cold into a tough match and contribute, especially when you’re not used to being a substitute in the first place.

I don’t want to hear that Grant was trying to rest these guys for the Carling Cup final against Spurs this weekend. That match is five days away from yesterday’s game in Greece; Lampard, Terry, and Anelka would have had plenty of time to recover. I would’ve thought that players who can score goals (Anelka and Lampard) would’ve been preferred away from home over players who don’t usually score from the run of play (Malouda and Ballack) because away goals mean more in the Champions League. I would’ve thought that going with the club captain, John Terry, over Alex, who is a center back in name only as he loves to go forward, was the smarter move.

People are saying that Chelsea are in prime position now to advance to the quarterfinals. I don’t agree. Sorry, a 0-0 draw for the home team in the Champions League favors the home team because they didn’t give up a goal to the away side. Now, Olympiakos doesn't even have to win at Stamford Bridge; they can play for another 0-0 draw and take their chances in extra time and/or PK's, or push for that all-important away goal in normal time and then park the bus.

Do I think Chelsea will still advance? Yes. I just don’t think they did themselves any favors yesterday and I put the blame squarely on Avram Grant for not selecting his best side.

I Missed Me Some Champions League

It's that time again, time to listen to the official Champions League Hymn that we hear before and after TV matches and sing as high as we can. Don't kid yourself; you do it, I do it, it's no big deal, even if we don't understand the words.

The Champions League is back tomorrow and I couldn't be any more excited. There are some mouth-watering ties in the Round of 16 and to me, one of the best of the bunch will be on TV tomorrow as Liverpool hosts Inter Milan on ESPN2.

I made my predictions the week that the draw came out and did a small capsule for each pairing, so if you're interested in those, go back to the blog archive from around Christmastime.

Just to put it on the record though, I'll list the eight teams that I believe will advance right now:

Liverpool
AC Milan
Chelsea
Manchester United
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Porto
Fenerbahce

I know where I'll be at 2:30 PM tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully you'll be able to find a nice couch as well and enjoy the commentary from ESPN's Derek Rae and Tommy Smyth, two of the best in the business. Should be a good game at Anfield; I can't wait to watch.

The Champions!

FA Cup Quarterfinal Draw

The draw for the quarterfinal round of the world's oldest soccer competition was conducted today in Soho Square. From a record 731 teams that entered the 2007-2008 edition of the FA Cup, we're down to the last 8/9 and for a neutral fan like myself, this draw shaped up very nicely. All four ties will be played on the weekend of March 8.

Everyone's sentimental pick to win this tournament now has to be League One's Bristol Rovers, the lowest-placed team left standing. The newly-promoted Pirates will have every chance to advance to the semifinals as they'll host West Bromwich Albion, who just spanked fellow Coca-Cola Championship side Coventry City 5-0 on the road. Fortunately for Bristol Rovers, that game was a bit of an anomaly as W.B.A. have a losing record (6-2-8) this season away from home. With that said, Rovers' home record hasn't exactly been outstanding so far this year either (5-6-3) but there should be a sellout, raucous crowd at Memorial Stadium to give them an extra boost.

The other lower-profile, lower-league team who has reached this stage is Barnsley, and they are coming off a huge 2-1 upset victory at Anfield on Saturday. The Tykes drew a home game in this round so that works in their favor, but they'll have the distinct displeasure of hosting Chelsea, who are the defending FA Cup champions. Barnsley have been very good on home turf this season (9-5-2) and have obviously just proven that they are capable of beating a Premiership power. I don't particularly like their chances of knocking off Chelsea in this game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to force a replay at Stamford Bridge either and take their chances there.

In the other two quarterfinal, or 6th Round as the FA likes to call it, ties, we'll see an all-Premiership battle as Manchester United will welcome road warriors Portsmouth to Old Trafford, and then the winner of the Middlesbrough-Sheffield United replay will host Cardiff City.

Complete Quarterfinal Draw:

Barnsley vs. Chelsea
Bristol Rovers vs. West Bromwich Albion
Middlesbrough/Sheffield United vs. West Bromwich Albion
Manchester United vs. Portsmouth

Note: Premiership teams are in bold

FA Cup 5th Round Recap

Seven out of the eight FA Cup 5th Round ties were settled this weekend, with only the Middlesbrough-Sheffield United pairing in need of a replay. That match will come at the Riverside on the 26th, but both teams will be in the hat for tomorrow's quarterfinal draw.

Two surprise teams will be joining the aforementioned sides and the other five winners in that draw.

Barnsley, currently sitting in 14th place out of 24 in the Coca-Cola Championship, shocked Liverpool at Anfield by coming away with a 2-1 victory, a match which I covered in my last post.

The lowest-placed team left in this tournament, Bristol Rovers, hosted Southampton and won 1-0 on an 84th minute free kick from Richard Lambert. The Pirates are in 13th place out of 24 in League One right now and were only promoted to England's third-tier league last May after defeating Shrewsbury Town 3-1 in the League Two Playoff. This is a team who has now defeated at least one team in every division of the Football League in this year's FA Cup. They're riding the wave of success and have become the sentimental favorites to win this competition.

Portsmouth were fortunate to escape Preston with a 1-0 win as it took a 93rd minute own-goal to save the South Coast side from a home replay. David James showed why he's been selected as England's number one goalkeeper with a PK save on the hour mark. The most compelling storyline of the game didn't even come to fruition; David Nugent wasn't fit enough to play for Pompey in what would have been a return against the club for which he starred before moving on last summer.

Manchester United sent a convicingly strong message to Arsenal in a 4-0 home victory for the Red Devils. Arsene Wenger played a nearly full-strength lineup so there can be no excuses about that, and United showed that they're a different team when Wayne Rooney is on the field. The title race is not over yet; Arsenal will have to go back to Old Trafford in April and this FA Cup match served them notice that they better come ready to play.

Elsewhere, Chelsea took care of business at home against Huddersfield Town (3-1), and Coventry City thumped West Bromwich Albion 5-0 on the road in a battle of two recent Premiership sides.

Complete FA Cup 5th Round Scores:

Bristol Rovers-1, Southampton-0
Barnsley-2, Liverpool-1
Cardiff City-2, Wolverhampton-0
West Bromwich Albion-5, Coventry City-0
Chelsea-3, Huddersfield Town-1
Manchester United-4, Arsenal-0
Sheffield United-0, Middlesbrough-0
Portsmouth-1, Preston North End-0

Note: Premiership teams are in bold

As I said earlier, the quarterfinal draw will be made tomorrow morning here on the East Coast. You can find full coverage and analysis of that on this site and at epltalk.com.

Barnsley Shocks Liverpool in FA Cup

I don't think I need to explain to you what an upset this is, so I won't.

Liverpool should've won the game. It's that simple. They had more shots, more possession, more chances, more everything. But they only scored one goal and as I've said countless times, the only stat that matters in a team sport like soccer is goals scored.

Barnsley-2, Liverpool-1.

Oh, yeah. Time to get rid of Rafa yet? Someone has to be held accountable for a home loss to a mediocre Championship side in the FA Cup, particularly since Liverpool has been walking on a thin rope in this competition so far anyway. Yes, Liverpool could very well have been looking ahead to the showdown with Inter Milan on Tuesday in the Champions League, but it's the manager's job to prepare his players and get them focused on the game at hand, not the next game, or the one after that.

Not only that, but this competition likely represented the last chance that the Reds had at silverware this year; they’ve already been knocked out in the Carling Cup, have virtually no chance of winning the Premiership, and the Champions League is nothing more than a crapshoot based on who you draw, and Inter Milan will be daunting to say the least.

To me, when you get to this stage of a tournament, you have to go with your best players no matter who the opposition is. Not starting the captain, Steven Gerrard, and only bringing him on off the bench late in the game is inexcusable. Not starting Jose Reina, one of the two or three best goalkeepers in the league, is inexcusable. Not starting Javier Mascherano, a player who you alledgedly believe to be worth $34 million US, is inexcusable.

Sometimes you get what you deserve in soccer, and sometimes you don’t. Today Liverpool fell to a team they dominated in all aspects of the game other than goals scored. Is it fair? Maybe, maybe not. Is it life? Yes. If you don’t play your best players in a given game, you can lose. Someone needs to take the fall for this.

I believe it has to be Rafa.

Wise Move by Stewart Downing?

Middlesbrough left winger Stewart Downing signed a new five-year contract with the club today after weeks of maintaining his wish to leave Boro when his previous contract expired after the 2009-2010 season.

Downing has seemingly been rumored to join Tottenham in every recent transfer window, and looked a good bet to do just that in January. He's a 23-year old graduate of Boro's reputable youth academy, which has churned out some talented youngsters over the past several seasons and still appears strong.

The left-footer has also earned 16 caps for England and many people believed him to be England's next big thing at his position. He made his first senior appearance at the age of 20 under former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, but his international career has stalled over the past couple of seasons due to injury and poor form.

Downing is a hometown boy and is probably Middlesbrough's best player right now. He's likely bringing in a pretty handsome salary with other clubs' interest in him driving up the the price for Boro to keep him, and he's one of their most tenured players anyway.

This is the issue for me as it relates to Downing. I don't think staying at Middlesbrough will help him grow at all as a player, and it definitely lessens his chances of a significant future with the national team. Ashley Young's emergence on the left side at Aston Villa has been a revelation to some people, and his 13 assists are tied for the most in the Premiership this season. Young is a spectacular set-piece taker, has great pace, and can score goals from open play. He's a year younger than Downing as well, and was handed a cap by new manager Fabio Capello in England's recent 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland. Joe Cole still has a big role with the national team also; Cole can play on both wings or behind the striker, and his versatility is a great asset to have.

Where does this leave Downing? With England, he has to be the third-choice on that left side now, even though he really looked to be the player of the future at that position as I said previously. With Middlesbrough, he's stuck on a club that's mired in neutral. Yes, Boro has ambition, but teams around them in the table have more money and nicer stadiums, so those clubs are able to attract better talent for the most part, even though I know Boro just landed record signing Afonso Alves.

This is a guy who would've fit in nicely at Spurs in my opinion, a team loaded with young British players and one that's in need of a player on the left wing. Playing for Juande Ramos, a well-known, accomplished international manager, would help Downing develop as a player much quicker than playing for the vastly less experienced Gareth Southgate. At Boro, he’s a star and sometimes has a tendency to take his foot off the pedal; at Spurs, he would’ve been just another good player on a team full of good (and a couple great) players and would’ve had to work his tail off.

I'm interested to hear your take on this, especially if you're a Boro fan. I'm not sure how much money Downing is making per week or per year at the Riverside, but surely Spurs would've offered him either very close to, as much as, or maybe even slightly more money. Spurs are a perennial UEFA Cup contender as well, and most players want a chance to play in a European competition.

It appears to me like Downing doesn't have much ambition; it's like he's lacking that drive to become the best player he can possibly be. He has it easy at Boro. He's one of the first names on the team sheet there every week as long as he's healthy. Playing for a bigger club would help him regain a meaningful role on the national team, but he seems satisfied with taking the easy route by staying at Boro.

What gives?

Everton, Bolton, Spurs in the Driver's Seat; Dons, 'Gers Have Work to Do

Solid away victories for Everton and Tottenham, at Brann and Slavia Prague respectively, have propelled the two Premiership sides into great position heading into their UEFA Cup Round of 32 second legs next week.

Everton had the more straightforward road game of the two, although going to Norway in February really couldn't have been pleasant. The Toffees clearly came to win as manager David Moyes opted to play a 4-4-2 formation instead of the more traditional away 4-5-1, and Yakubu was back in the starting lineup after his benching last weekend.

Their sixth straight UEFA Cup victory didn't come easy for Merseyside's second team; it was a 0-0 game heading into halftime and Brann had their share of chances in the first 45 minutes. Midfielder Leon Osman opened the scoring for Everton, however, in the 59th minute, and Victor Anichebe put the match to bed with a goal two minutes before full-time.

The victors had 61% of the possession but as I've said time and time again, you can have the ball all you want but it only matters if you do something with it, and Everton was able to do that tonight.

Tottenham went into the Czech Republic and held on for a 2-1 victory despite an awful mistake by former Slavia Prague goalkeeper Radek Cerny that allowed the hosts to pull one back. Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov each scored in the first half for Spurs, giving the strike duo a combined 36 goals so far this season.

Juande Ramos went with a makeshift back four as Pascal Chimbonda (left back), Didier Zokora (center back), and Teemu Tainio (right back) all played out of their usual positions. Ledley King stayed on the bench as the freezing temperature would've put his sore knee at even further risk, and both Lee Young-Pyo and Younes Kaboul were also available if needed.

The two away goals scored by Spurs and Everton really set both teams up nicely for the home leg next week, where I would expect a win from them anyway.

Fellow Premiership side Bolton got a victory as well, a 1-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid at the Reebok. The Trotters also received a big bonus and trump card in the form of a Sergio Aguero red card, meaning he'll miss the return leg next week. Aguero, the Argentine wunderkid, is tied for 10th in scoring in La Liga with 9 league goals and has scored 5 goals in 5 UEFA Cup games this season as well.

El-Hadji Diouf scored a minute after Aguero's dismissal late in the second half to put Bolton ahead, but former Pompey left back/midfielder Matthew Taylor put on a man of the match-type performance in the victory. Taylor was also the victim of the spitting incident that earned Aguero an early trip to the showers after the former's challenge.

After countless low crowds this season, Bolton were boosted by their largest home crowd of the season (26,163).

The two Scottish clubs left in this competition, Rangers and Aberdeen, both have their work cut out for them next week. Both sides were the hosts for this leg and both came out with a draw.

Aberdeen will have to go to Munich and either win or score at least two goals in a draw to advance past Bayern, the odds-on favorites to win the tournament, as today's match ended at 2-2. England U-19 players Josh Walker and Sone Aluko scored for the Dons, who led this game on two separate occasions.

Bayern Munich didn't play a full-strength side and nearly paid the price. A few controversial refereeing decisions went against Aberdeen and would've resulted in PK's for the hosts if they would've been called. Instead, Bayern will thank fortune for being on their side and should win with relative ease next week to move on to the Round of 16.

Current SPL leaders Rangers were held to a 0-0 draw at Ibrox by Greek side Panathinaikos, who can advance with a win in Athens next week. They're undefeated at home in the league so far this season (8-2-0) and could pull off a surprise by defeating Rangers and progressing to the next round.

The only other surprise of this week's first leg was a 1-0 victory by Dick Advocaat-coached Zenit St. Petersburg over Villarreal.

Complete List of First Leg Scores: (Home team listed first)

Aberdeen-2, Bayern Munich-2
AEK Athens-1, Getafe–1
Bolton Wanderers-1, Atlético Madrid-0
Zenit St. Petersburg-1, Villarreal–0
Galatasaray-0, Bayer Leverkusen–0
Anderlecht-2, Bordeaux–1
Brann-0, Everton–2
FC Zürich-1, Hamburg SV–3
Rangers-0, Panathinaikos–0
PSV Eindhoven-2, Helsingborg-0
Slavia Prague-1, Tottenham–2
Rosenborg-0, Fiorentina–1
Sporting Lisbon-2, FC Basel-0
Werder Bremen-3, Sporting Braga-0
Benfica-1, Nuremberg–0
Marseille-3, Spartak Moscow–0

Note: British teams are in bold

All Quiet on the Premiership Front

Very, very slow news day today.

Nothing much to talk about right now as it's an FA Cup weekend, and I already covered these matchups a little bit after the draw for this round was conducted. The first legs of the UEFA Cup Round of 32 ties will be finished up tomorrow as half were played today. I'll have a recap of sorts on that tomorrow night with a focus on the British teams in the competition.

I know what I'm doing tonight though, and all you American college basketball fans out there should join me in watching Maryland head down to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle Duke. I'm also going to keep an eye on the Connecticut-Notre Dame game as the winner will solidify their status as the second best team in the Big East, and the Indiana-Wisconsin game in Bloomington. I'm curious to see whether Wisconsin can win a tough road game in a hostile environment like Assembly Hall; the Badgers still have to prove themselves to me away from home.

Premier League Will Likely Receive Extra UEFA Cup Spot

England’s position on top of the UEFA Fair Play rankings, calculated using a number of different criterion such as avoidance of yellow and red cards, crowd behavior, and the performance of club teams and national teams in European competitions, could lead to another UEFA Cup spot next season.

England would need to maintain their current position ahead of Norway and Germany until the end of April, when the final standings will be determined.

This is great news for those teams fighting tooth and nail for position in the bottom 5 or 6 in the top half of the table. As things stand right now, places 4-10 are separated by only 10 points and places 5-8, the usual UEFA Cup spots, are separated by just three points.

England could potentially send five teams to Europe’s second-tier club competition next year. If Tottenham beats Chelsea in the Carling Cup final on the 24th, Spurs would clinch the automatic UEFA Cup berth that comes with it, but that would also take away a spot from another team. Three teams (5-7) usually qualify for the UEFA Cup through their final league position; the 5th place team is guaranteed and the 6th and 7th place teams get in as long as both of the FA Cup finalists and the Carling Cup winner have qualified for Europe already, which has been the case in recent years. Another team could go through if they take care of business in the Intertoto Cup during the summer. One more team could now go if England gets that Fair Play spot.

Confused yet? The bottom line is that it’s very likely that four teams will be in the UEFA Cup next year, and there’s a good possibility that five teams will be there. That is, if Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel doesn’t rock the boat by picking up a few red cards before the end of the season, which he could very well do.

Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Everton, Blackburn, Manchester City, and possibly even West Ham all now have to fancy their chances of playing in Europe next season. With the way these teams have played so far this year, I think they all deserve it as well.

Gerrard and Carragher Concede Title; Set Sights on 4th Place

I know what you all are thinking.

“C’mon Michael, why are you taking another shot at Liverpool? Why are you so biased against Liverpool? Why don’t you like Stevie and Carra??”

Let me clear things up for once and for all. I have NOTHING against Liverpool FC, nothing. My brother is a Liverpool fan and so yes, I’ll make comments and jokes towards him but they are, for the most part, in fun. I have criticized Rafa Benitez in the past and my position that he should be fired this summer (or resign) still stands. I do, in fact, think very highly of both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. I just wrote a few days ago about how I believe Gerrard should be England’s next captain and I’ve said on multiple occasions that I think Carragher is one of the two or three best center backs in England, and can be the best on his day.

The point of this post is actually not to take a shot at Liverpool’s two local heroes. It would be very, very easy for me to criticize the captain and vice-captain for publicly throwing in the title towel.

You know what, though? I commend them for doing this.

We all know Liverpool aren’t going to win the Premiership this year; they’re too many points behind with not enough games to go and besides that, don’t have a good enough squad. The real goal for the Reds now is to finish fourth and get back into the Champions League next year, something that wouldn’t happen if they don’t finish fourth unless they win the Champions League Final in Moscow this season (and Liverpool are a favorite, at least in my eyes, to do so).

I see nothing wrong with Gerrard and Carragher coming out and being realistic about this. Why should they carry on false hopes and dreams? I know that neither of these guys think Liverpool can win the league title this year, so I don’t have a problem with them telling the truth and saying it in public. Their focus is finishing fourth, and whether or not that can be considered a successful season is not the point because it’s what Liverpool need to do right now.

This is a different situation from that of ex-Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi, who I did criticize for his comments in the media through an interview with an Italian newspaper. What Bianchi said portrayed his manager, his teammates, and English culture in a negative light. Nothing positive came out of his comments; it made him only look more selfish and was surely a distraction to his team. There’s no place for that and City were right to loan him out to Lazio, where he’ll likely stay after this season.

In this instance, Gerrard and Carragher are accepting reality and setting a goal for the rest of the squad. Their objective is to finish fourth and they have no qualms about it, so they want their teammates’ and their fans’ focus to be on that and to not fool themselves by thinking they can finish higher. Both players have said that the teams around them are playing very well at the moment and it’s going to be a fight for that last Champions League position. Both players have said that Liverpool need to continue to get better every game if they want that spot.

What’s wrong with that?

Here’s the article I’m referring to:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=507176&cc=5901

José Mourinho on Setanta Sports--The Special One Unveils his New Signing

And the surprise is...Sven-Goran Eriksson?

Could've done better.

African Cup of Nations Recap--Third Place Match and Final

Egypt defended their 2006 African Cup of Nations championship successfully today in a 1-0 victory over Cameroon, giving the Pharaohs a record 6th continental title.

It was a rematch of the opening game in Group C, a 4-2 Egyptian victory. Mohamed Zidan scored twice in that game for the winners and his success against Cameroon continued today. The Hamburg striker came on as a substitute, won the ball off Galatasaray and Cameroon defender Rigobert Song in a hard-fought battle at the corner of the 18-yard box, and then played the ball square to Mohamed Aboutreika. Aboutreika was in alone on goal and slotted the ball coolly into the net in the 77th minute for his fourth goal of the tournament; obviously none of which were as important as that one.

Song nearly redeemed himself in an effort to equalize for Cameroon at the very end, but his header from a Geremi cross went over the net. Geremi, the Newcastle midfielder, had a particularly good game for Cameroon in a losing effort; his pinpoint free kicks, crossing, and passing caused a lot of trouble for the Egyptian defenders but in the end, they were able to keep the clean sheet.

Cameroon suffered an early blow as Arsenal starlet Alexandre Song had to be taken off after only a quarter of an hour due to a nagging injury he'd taken into the final. Song's absence freed up space in the midfield and allowed Egypt's five midfielders to have their way in that crucial area of the pitch.

Egypt's only Premiership player, Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky, entered as a late substitute after starting multiple games in the tournament previously for the Pharaohs. I would expect to see some players from this Egyptian team receive offers to play overseas as most of them play their club soccer domestically, but they'll need to be financially lucrative because they currently get paid very well at Al-Ahly, Zamalek, and Al-Zamalek, the three teams for which most of these players ply their trade.

Cameroon's lineup included Geremi and Song from the Premiership, as well as star Barcelona striker and leading goalscorer at this tournament, Samuel Eto'o.

I did pick Ivory Coast to win this tournament before it started but when they lost, I will admit (and you can go back to look at my semifinal recap for proof) that I hopped on the Egyptian bandwagon and went with the Pharaohs to beat Cameroon today. For Egypt, this sixth title has to be one of the most special because they defended their 2006 championship and proved most pundits, including me, wrong for tabbing either Ghana or Ivory Coast to win this edition.

In yesterday's Third Place Game, I was happy to see that both Ghana and Ivory Coast came out to play and showed passion instead of just playing out the string. Ghana, the host nation, emerged with a 4-2 victory after scoring three times in the last 20 minutes of the match.

Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari opened the scoring in the 10th minute with an absolute rocket of a free kick. Muntari's sweet left foot was responsible for three goals in this tournament and he set up a couple others as well. This is a player who really stood out to me during the 2006 World Cup, when he played in an integral role in Ghana's run to the Round of 16. I selected him as my "Top Newcomer" to the Premiership in my preseason awards (my predictions for end-of-season superlatives), and his play in the Premiership and African Cup of Nations has supported that pick.

Ivory Coast equalized and then took a 2-1 lead through a pair of first-half goals from Werder Bremen striker Boubacar Sanogo, who was making his first start of the tournament. Sanogo nearly finished off a natural hat trick in the 39th minute, but his left-footed shot came off the crossbar and out after he was played in by Chelsea's Didier Drogba, who had a decent game himself today.

Ghana then took the match by the horns and ended the game by scoring three consecutive goals, one of which came from former MLS star and current Nottingham Forest player Junior Agogo.

This was a match that Ivory Coast could have put to bed in the first half by capitalizing on their chances when they already had a 2-1 lead, but they left the hosts in the game and paid for it in the end.

The Black Stars played the entire tournament without their captain and talismanic central midfielder, Stephen Appiah, who was sitting out with a blood clot in his knee. With Appiah and Muntari in the lineup together, Ghana could have won this tournament but will now be looking to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. A third place finish is nothing to be ashamed of and French coach Claude LeRoy will look to build from the momentum established here.

On the other hand, Ivory Coast will be bitterly disappointed with finishing fourth. They were a trendy pick to win this competition and now have to redeem themselves in 2010, which they should be able to do because of their squad's relatively young combined age right now. The players will be in their primes in 2010 and honestly, they'll have to make a statement in South Africa because this is a team that could be on a downward, rebuilding slide after that tournament.

Congratulations to Egypt for winning and to Ghana, both for finishing third and for putting on a successful, entertaining tournament. This is what soccer is all about and hopefully the next African Cup of Nations (Angola-2010) will be widely available on TV here in the US.

Minute of Silence Upheld at Old Trafford

I was so glad to see the capacity crowd at Old Trafford respect the minute of silence for the victims of the Munich Air Disaster this afternoon. Many people were worried that some moronic Manchester City fans would ruin the moment and jeer and howl and shout, so much so that City supporters' groups had asked that the minute of silence be changed to a minute of applause. That request was turned down and rightly so, and I'm happy that the fans behaved in a respectful manner.

Remember, these English fans are the same ones that booed the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner at the Ricky Hatton-Floyd Mayweather boxing fight in Las Vegas in December of last year. These are the same ones who couldn't keep their mouths shut at Wembley on Wednesday during the same kind of tribute before the England-Switzerland friendly.

English fans are well-known for their raucous actions before, during, and after matches. To be honest, I had my doubts over whether this minute of silence would be upheld by everyone. In a crowd of 75,000+ there are usually always going to be a few drunken morons whose belligerent behavior is embarrassing. But today, everyone did the right thing and I couldn't have been more pleased to see that.

Premier League Plans to Play Matches Overseas

Few issues in soccer recently have sparked more debate than the Premier League's announcement that they are considering playing competitive, meaningful matches overseas starting in the 2010-2011 season.

Here are the main aspects of the proposal:

1. An additional round of Premier League fixtures, extending the season to 39 games, from January 2011.

2. Four clubs to travel to one of five host cities, with two games taking place in each venue over a weekend (10 matches, 20 teams).

3. Cities would bid for the right to become a host, not for individual matches.

4. Points earned from the games would count towards the final Premier League table.

According to Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, "There is much more detail to follow which we will work on over the next 12 months." The 12 months Scudamore is referring to goes through January 2009, when a final decision on the full proposal will be made.

Scudamore has also said, in part: "I think it's an idea whose time has come. It's an exciting prospect."

Believe me, there are very, very few issues and topics on which I agree with Richard Scudamore. This one, however, I am in favor of wholeheartedly.

Many fans opposed to this, especially those in England, still yearn for and believe in the "romanticism" of the game and they'll fight to do everything they can to preserve it. They believe that the notion of playing games abroad is a slap in their faces, the people who pay their hard-earned money to watch their beloved teams play.

I respect that, I do.

With that said, I think these fans are quite a bit misguided. The reality of the situation is this: The Premier League is the most popular sporting league in the world; the TV numbers don't lie. It has become a global entity with a vast majority of its players (most importantly, its best players) hailing from foreign countries. Half of the 20 league clubs have foreign ownership, either through a family, an individual, or a group of individuals.

This isn't my father's generation of soccer, where mostly everything associated with the Premiership was British and more specifically, English. Fans and players don't interact on a personal level anymore; you're not going to find your favorite player drinking in a pub after a game and you can have a pint with him or whatever the case may be.

There is so much money in this game these days, and the potential for even more money is out there in the global market. The interest is there in Asia, the Middle East, and North America and the last time I checked, the population is greater in those regions than in England, a relatively small country. More population = more potential profit.

That's what many fans don't seem to understand, and I think they're jaded in that regard. This game isn't about the fans anymore, and it's that simple. It's a business, and the objective of a successful business is to make money. In order to make money, you have to go where the money is and if that hurts the domestic fans in the process, so be it; the chance of worldwide profit far outweights the negative reaction at home.

You know that the fans who don't like this proposal will still come to the Premiership games in England. They need their soccer fix and I don't blame them. Even if a small portion of those fans decide that playing overseas is the last straw and they won't attend matches any more, there are many more fans who will gladly take their place in the stands.

The bottom line is money. If fans opposed to this global plan don't agree with that, that's obviously their prerogative. That will only hurt them in the long run though; it's a lose-lose situation for those people. Trust me, the game will move on without them. Why not embrace the fact that the game is so popular and more and more people want to experience that firsthand?

You can't blame owners and chairmen for wanting to make money. In our daily lives, isn't our goal to make money and live a good life? That's our goal isn't it? That's the whole point of the concept of work. It would be hypocritical to deny these businessmen that same objective simply because it offends you personally.

Think about it. No games are being taken away in England; fans there will still be able to attend 18 home matches a year and because of the relatively short geographical distances between cities, can probably go to a couple away matches as well. What's the harm of playing one additional game a year overseas? Again, I harp on the fact that there is no "romanticism" in the game anymore. It's not about sentiment and emotion, it's about making money.

The sooner people come to grips with that, the better.

ESPN TV Schedule for the February 19/20 Champions League Matches

The TV schedule for ESPN's coverage of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 ties has been released, and I have to say, I think "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" has it exactly right. Not only did they select the best ties of the round to broadcast (their first legs, at least), these are the teams that appeal most to American viewers, the target audience.

You can make the valid argument that Manchester United is the most recognizable name here in the States, but their match against Lyon will likely not make for great viewing and thus will not be televised on ESPN.

Only a couple more week until the Champions League restarts and I couldn't be more ready to see the best teams in Europe go at it after some of the dreadful games I've seen this winter. If you'd like to see my predictions, scroll down to the date of the Round of 16 draw where you'll find capsules for each tie and my picks to advance.

Here's the ESPN TV schedule:

Tuesday, February 19:

Arsenal vs. AC Milan (2:30 PM ET; ESPN2)
AS Roma vs. Real Madrid (5:00 PM ET; ESPN Classic)

Wednesday, February 20:

Liverpool vs. Inter Milan (2:30 PM ET; ESPN2)
Celtic vs. Barcelona (5:00 PM ET; ESPN Classic)

African Cup of Nations Semifinals Recap

Alright, so I was 0-2 in predicting the results of today's African Cup of Nations semifinals. I think that's what makes this game so special. I went with both of the "favorites" for all of the logical reasons, and my logic was proven to be skewed. Hey, I can live with that.

The biggest surprise, at least as far I was concerned, was Egypt's 4-1 victory over Ivory Coast. It wasn't the fact that Egypt won that surprised me; after all, Egypt are the defending champions of this tournament. It was the margin of victory that really shocked me.

Striker Amr Zaky bagged the game-winning goal for Egypt for the second straight game; in fact, Zaky scored twice in a span of five minutes in the second half today to propel the Pharaohs.

Egypt went up 1-0 through a goal from former Sheffield United midfielder Ahmed Fathi in the 12th minute. Fathi took a bouncing ball outside the 18 and sent it towards goal, though a significant deflection was what beat the Ivorian goalkeeper.

The match then went scoreless until Zaky's first goal of the game in the 62nd minute to put Egypt up 2-0. Lyon forward Abdul Kader Keïta pulled a goal back for my pretournament picks just a minute later, but Zaky scored again in the 67th minute to throw a wrench in Ivory Coast's comeback hopes.

Mohamed Aboutreika, who has scored a whopping 81 goals in 128 league appearances for Egyptian club side El-Ahly, added an insurance goal in second half injury time to account for the final margin.

The scoreline was a bit misleading; Chelsea striker Didier Drogba had three very good chances denied by Egypt's goalkeeper, Essam Al Hadari, when it was still 1-0.

Six Premiership players were in Ivory Coast's starting lineup but surprisingly, Middlesbrough's Mohamed Shawky didn't play for Egypt today although he'd started in their previous games and is a fixture at the holding midfield position for his country.

In today's other semifinal, Cameroon beat hosts Ghana 1-0 behind a 72nd minute goal from former Colorado Rapids midfielder and Alain Nkong. Nkong came on as a substitute 10 minutes prior to his goal, and his appearance was only the second in his international career.

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o continued his prolific tournament with the assist on Nkong's game-winner. A superb through ball sent Nkong in on goal and his opened-foot finish allowed the team and German coach Otto Pfister to book a place in the final, where they'll meet Egypt.

Pfister has managed across Africa in both a club and international capacity since 1972 and has never won an African Cup of Nations. He's been in charge of a U-17 World Cup winner (Ghana-1992) and a U-19 African Cup of Nations winner (Ivory Coast-1983), but has never won Africa's continental championship.

It was a pretty even game and both countries had their chances. I was surprised that Cameroon's defense was able to shut down Ghana but to be fair, the latter were forced to play with Michael Essien in the back to replace the suspended captain, John Mensah, and were without Asamoah Gyan and Laryea Kingston altogether due to injury.

The final is now set. Egypt will meet Cameroon in Accra on Sunday. Prior to that, we'll see the Third Place game between Ivory Coast and Ghana. Because of that third place game, Salomon Kalou, Didier Drogba, and Michael Essien will all miss the huge match between Chelsea and Liverpool and that should offset the absence of star striker Fernando Torres for Liverpool.

I'll go with the defending champions to beat Cameroon and repeat. They've defied my expectations so far so I might as well ride the form team, although Cameroon are playing well right now also. Of course, Egypt did thump Cameroon 4-2 during the group stage but if anything, I think that result plays in the latter’s favor as they’ll want revenge and Egypt may come out a bit cocky.

These third place games are always crapshoots. Teams either come out with no energy and spirit because they're not in the final, or they come out to play with no pressure on their shoulders and relatively little on the line. The better team is Ivory Coast, particularly if Ghana's injury problems don't get better over the next couple of days.

England-2, Switzerland-1...Recap

Distinctly average.

That's how I would categorize England's performance for the majority of their 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland tonight. Distinctly average.

If the England players wanted to come out and set a positive tone to impress new manager Fabio Capello, I'd have to say that as a group, they didn't accomplish their goal.

David James was OK between the sticks. He made the stops he was supposed to make, but shanked a couple of goal kicks and clearances after back passes from field players. He didn't appear to control his back line very well either, but more on them in a second.

The starting back line (Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, and Ashley Cole) was the definition of mediocre. In fact, I think "mediocre" would be flattering for the games these four players had. First of all, one could make the argument that Brown, Upson, and Cole shouldn't have been in the starting lineup based on current form in the first place, but that's neither here nor there. Ferdinand and Upson looked very, very shaky at times in the center, none more so than on Switzerland's equalizer in the 58th minute. Brown doesn't give you anything going forward, and Cole gives you very little on defense for a left back. Wayne Bridge came in for Cole in the 73rd minute and was an immediate upgrade at that position in my opinion, but if Switzerland had any attacking capability in their front line whatsoever, they would have scored more than once because this England defense was ripe for the picking.

The midfield was definitely England's bright spot, with both goals coming from that group. Neither Gareth Barry nor Owen Hargreaves, Barry's replacement at the holding midfield position, played particularly well, but captain Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, David Bentley, and Shaun Wright-Phillips all had solid games. Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas opened the scoring on a tap-in finish in the 40th minute after a wonderful bit of dribbling skill from Cole, and Wright-Phillips tapped in a left-footed cross from Gerrard in the 62nd minute to put England back in front, 2-1. Jenas didn't exactly light things up today; I thought he actually played poorly aside from the goal.

Up front, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, and Ashley Young all played, with Young coming on for Rooney just three minutes before the match ended. Wazza dropped deep in the first half, as is his usual playing style, and then ended up in a wide left midfield role for most of the time in the second half. The Manchester United man continued his lack of production at the international level though as he had numerous shots, but none of them seriously threatened Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio (sounds real Swiss to me!!). Crouch was more useful than Rooney I thought; the big man has an incredibly soft touch, and can win balls in the air and control them to his teammates or to himself, and he showed these skills today. Personally, I feel that the lone striker formations which Capello favors cater more towards Crouch's strengths than Rooney's, so I'll be looking at that position more closely in the future.

As I said, I think the play of the midfield was England's lone bright spot today and if Switzerland had any offensive punch, they could've easily gotten a result out of this game. Not the most impressive way to begin under Capello, but a victory is a victory.

My Man of the Match: If I was forced to pick, it would be the captain, Steven Gerrard.

My England Starting XI

I've been focusing on the England national team over the past week or so here, trying to divert attention away from the Premiership a little bit and to the new era under Fabio Capello.

Injuries have limited the options Capello was able to choose from for the friendly today against Switzerland, but if I had to pick a starting lineup from today's roster, here's who I would go with:

GK: David James (Portsmouth)
LB: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)
CB: Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
CB: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham)
RB: Micah Richards (Manchester City)
LMF: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
DMF: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
CMF: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
RMF: David Bentley (Blackburn)
ST: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
ST: Peter Crouch (Liverpool)

Subs:

Scott Carson (Aston Villa)
Matthew Upson (West Ham)
Joleon Lescott (Everton)
Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)
Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United)
Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

I have a feeling Capello might go a different way and possibly play a 4-5-1, with Hargreaves, Barry, and Gerrard in the middle. The Italian manager is known for playing with two holding midfielders and a lone striker and if that's the case today, I don't see how he couldn't put Peter Crouch as the target man up top ahead of Wayne Rooney, who drops too deep for my liking.

What's your take? I want to hear your preferred lineup.

Steven Gerrard Handed Captain's Armband

I don't think this is a shock to anyone.

Liverpool's local hero had been the skipper in John Terry's absence in the fateful Euro 2008 qualifiers against Russia and Croatia last year and with Terry injured AGAIN, Gerrard was the odds-on favorite to lead England out today in their friendly against Switzerland.

The only other choice was Manchester United center back Rio Ferdinand, but Ferdinand isn't even club captain and was responsible for organizing the Christmas party at which Jonny Evans, now on loan at Sunderland but with the Red Devils at the time, was accused of rape.

To be clear, Capello hasn't named Gerrard permanent captain and won't name a permanent captain until England's first World Cup qualifier in September, against Andorra. Until then, there will likely be a rotation involving Gerrard, Terry (when healthy), and possibly Ferdinand.

If you ask me though, Steven Gerrard would be the right man for the job. Many readers think I have a bias towards Liverpool, which is far from the case, but trust me, I know a leader when I see one. Gerrard has put the Reds on his back on numerous occasions, most notably the famous come-from-behind victory over AC Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005. He clearly inspires his teammates whenever he's on the field, and Capello said as much yesterday:

"I won't be picking a permanent captain for the time being but at the moment I think Steven Gerrard is important for everyone because he is a player who can motivate other players and transmit ideas," said Capello.

I believe Gerrard should be the full-time captain, with or without John Terry in the lineup. I have a feeling the former will receive that honor as well, although a string of unimpressive performances at the international level could mean otherwise and Gerrard hasn't exactly lit it up for England in recent games.

New England Away Kit

Here's a clip from Sky News unveiling England's new red away jersey, showed off by Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand. They'll wear this at the Stade de France in Paris on March 26 when they play Raymond Domenech's squad in a friendly.

First, however, they'll host Switzerland on Wednesday. That match will mark the start of the Fabio Capello era.