Best Week of the Year

I know this sounds corny but in the holiday season of giving, that's exactly what the Premiership did as this was the most exciting week of soccer in 2007, at least that I can remember, as far as England's top league goes.

As we all know, the Christmastime schedule is packed with teams playing three or four games in the span of two weeks. Everything kicked off on December 22 and 23 and we saw an exciting 2-1 victory for Arsenal over their North London rivals, Tottenham on the 22nd. Had Robbie Keane converted a penalty late in that game ("Robbie Keane does not miss penalties"), Spurs might very well have come out of the Emirates with a win.

None of the other games that day were particularly enjoyable for the viewers, but the next day both the Manchester United-Everton (2-1 Man U) and Newcastle-Derby fixtures (2-2) were fun to watch.

Midweek was where things really started heating up though. On Wednesday morning, we had a candidate for match of the year in Chelsea's 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. Both teams could easily have won the game and there were some harsh refereeing decisions that affected both teams as well. This game was a fast-paced affair with chances on both sides but as a neutral observer, I was really pulling for Villa to win and end Chelsea's home unbeaten streak. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was the true definition of a captain when he put the Reds on his back for the last quarter of an hour at Derby with his team needing a victory. Gerrard's late winner really just proved once again how much means to his team, while Derby's terrific effort and performace went for nothing. Tottenham put up five goals against Fulham in a 5-1 laugher at White Hart Lane, and Manchester United's second-stringers went to the Stadium of Light and beat Sunderland 4-0. On Thursday, Manchester City and Blackburn combined for three goals in as many minutes in the first half in what turned out to be a 2-2 draw. Roque Santa Cruz is on a goalscoring tear right now and is as hot as any striker in the league.

We saw some entertaining games this weekend as well, not the least of which was a goalfest between Tottenham and Reading, with Spurs prevailing 6-4 behind four, yes four goals from Dimitar Berbatov. Arsenal came from behind to win 4-1 at Goodison Park in a game in which many people, myself included, predicted that Arsenal would drop points. West Ham pulled off what could likely be the upset of the season so far as the Hammers shocked defending champions Manchester United 2-1 at Upton Park. If only Alan Curbishley's squad could play Man U every game of the season; West Ham have won three straight league matches between the two sides. It was very nice to see Carlos Tevez salute the crowd before the match, I thought that was a great gesture of appreciation for the fans who supported him with everything they had last season. Even the 0-0 match between City and Liverpool was exciting. It was as up-and-down as they come at times and while Liverpool were the only team who were going to win, City did a great job of defending and Richard Dunne put in a heroic performance.

All in all, it was a great week of soccer and no matter what club you support, you can't beat that.

Shut Up, Rolando Bianchi!

Take a look at this article that came out today on ESPNsoccernet about Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi:

ROME, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Italian striker Rolando Bianchi aims to reach double figures at Manchester City this season but does not plan staying in the Premier League in the long term.

'I hope to score at least 10 goals and I want to win a place in the next Champions League with City. It would be like winning the championship,' he said in an interview published in La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday.

'I want to become a European top scorer. After the 18 goals I scored with (Serie A side) Reggina, I want to reach double figures in the Premier League too.

'Then I'll pack my bags again and go in search of new adventures. I'd like to wear the shirt of Atletico Madrid and score 15 goals in the Primera Liga too.'

He also said he planned to return to Italy soon because playing abroad was not helping his chances of winning a place with the Italian national team.

The forward, who has scored four league goals since joining City in July, said he had trouble getting used to the British diet.

'I have raised the white flag with English food. I don't like it,' he said.

'I think I'm the only teetotal player in the Premier League. My team mates were surprised when I refused a beer. They looked at me as if I were an alien.'

He also has his doubts about English refereeing:

'In Italy the referee whistles as soon as a defender brushes against you. In the Premier League you don't get a free kick even if the defender runs you over with a tank.'

Wow. I don't even know where to begin.

I guess I'll start by saying that if you're lucky enough to play professional soccer, or any sport for a living for that matter, one would think that you'd appreciate that opportunity and not complain about it. I understand that that isn't how things work in the real world; players have their gripes about certain things and I know that, I'm a player myself.

But Bianchi crossed the line in this interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, a newspaper in his home country, Italy. First of all, he shouldn't have gone public with his desire to basically leave Manchester City and go to Atletico Madrid or somewhere else in Spain if he can score 10 goals this season. Bianchi is 24 years old and in the soccer world, you're supposed to be a little bit more mature and a lot less selfish at that age; you're not a youngster or a kid anymore. Basically what he's saying is that he just views playing soccer for City as a challenge, as another step in the ladder. He scored 18 goals with Reggina in Italy, he wants to score 10+ goals with City in England, and then he wants to go to Spain and do the same thing.

This is selfishness to a tee. You don't come out in the media and say that you're in it for the individual glory of scoring goals; whether that's what you care about or not, you stick with the team-first mantra and say you want to help achieve great things with that club.

"I'll pack my bags again and go in search of new adventures." I'm sorry, you just can't say that publicly. This will become a distraction because he's putting himself above the rest of the team. If you're going to boast about scoring goals and speak of your ambitions, at least be able to back that up on the field. Bianchi has not done that. He's scored 4 goals in 14 Premier League games this season and is not even a regular starter for City.

Bianchi also has the gall to complain about British food and refereeing. Granted, British food isn't in the same caliber as Italian food (but then again, nothing is), and some of the refereeing has been shockingly bad this year. But come on! Bianchi had to have known these things before he came to City! It was his choice to come to England in the first place; he made the decision to leave home for greener pastures. I have no problem with that at all, but I do have a problem with whining about something he knew full well about or at the very least, should have known full well about.

As I said before, he's 24 years old now. He's not a kid anymore but this interview brought him back down to that level. I haven't heard younger, more productive foreign players like Nani and Fernando Torres come out in the media and say things like this. There was no reason for Bianchi to do what he did and there's no excuse for it. If I was manager Sven Goran-Eriksson, I would have Bianchi on a plane out of England in January as soon as I could. It's obvious he doesn't want to be in England and he has no real desire to play for City, so why keep him on the roster?

Things like this make me angry. Rolando Bianchi is a disgrace and I truly feel bad for Manchester City, who invested a lot of money in him and their faith won't be rewarded.

Fulham Hires Roy Hodgson

Fulham hired well-traveled English manager Roy Hodgson today to what the club described only as a "long-term contract", and the former Inter Milan boss will take over after the Cottagers' match against Birmingham City tomorrow.

Hodgson's last stop as manager was with the Finland national team from January 2006 to November 2007, and the 60-year-old nearly led the Scandinavian team to a place in Euro 2008 next summer. Among others, Hodgson has been in charge at Inter Milan, Udinese, Blackburn, Malmö FF, Grasshoppers, and F.C. Copenhagen on the domestic scene, as well as the UAE and Switzerland internationally. He was considered to be a long shot candidate for the England job as well this winter before Fabio Capello was hired.

Hodgson should command immediate respect with his background and experience as a manager. He's inheriting a team that's had more than their share of tough breaks this season but has the talent, at least in my opinion, to stay in the Premiership. Captain Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard should return to the lineup within the next few weeks and that will really be a majoy boost for the Cottagers.

Champions League Round of 16 Previews--Part 2

The night before Christmas Eve I gave you all my predictions for four of the eight Round of 16 ties in the Champions League and as promised, I have the last four today.

5. AC Roma vs. Real Madrid: This could make for a pretty entertaining two games as we'll see the current leaders of La Liga take on the current second-place side in Serie A. Madrid are 8-0-0 in the league at Santiago Bernabeu while Roma are 5-4-0 away from home, so something will have to give when Madrid host Roma on March 5. However, I think this tie will basically be decided in Rome during the first leg. If Roma can get a win and not concede a goal I think they can go to Madrid and, in true Italian fashion, sit 9 or 10 men behind the ball and grind out a draw. To me though, it's more likely that Real Madrid will score at the Stadio Olimpico and at the very worst, head home with a draw. Madrid aren't going to lose at home so the only chance Roma has to advance to the quarterfinals is to win the first leg and stave off the attacks in the second leg. Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy are tied for 3rd place in the top goalscorers category with four apiece. Here's what it comes down to: If Madrid can stifle Francesco Totti (9 goals in 10 Serie A matches), they'll move on and it's as simple as that.
Real Madrid-3, Roma-1

6. Arsenal vs. AC Milan: This is the most interesting tie of the round with the young bucks at Arsenal taking on the veteran old guard at Milan. Arsenal may or may not still be in serious contention to win the Premiership by the time the first leg at the Emirates rolls around in February, but AC Milan have essentially no chance to win Serie A this season. In fact, Milan may have to win the Champions League this year just to qualify for it next year as they're way off the pace even though they have three games in hand on most of the other teams in the league. Listen, I know Arsenal are 9-1-0 at home this season but they've feasted on a soft schedule; the Gunners are beatable in London, especially because Milan will have all of their focus on the Champions League as Serie A is out of reach, and because the Rossoneri boast such an experienced, battle-tested roster. They are the defending champions and I expect them to play like it when they go to the Emirates in February. Gattuso won't give Fabregas a yard of space and will hound him all game long, while Arsenal doesn't have anyone who can contain Kaka (especially if Gilberto leaves in January). To be honest, I think Milan will win both legs and advance in style.
AC Milan-3, Arsenal-1

7. Olympiacos vs. Chelsea: Out of any of the teams Chelsea could have drawn for this round, I think they got their preferred choice. It won't be easy to go to Greece and come out with a result (Olympiacos is 7-0-0 at home in the league this season) but Chelsea will find a way to win 1-0 or 2-1, and they won't lose at Stamford Bridge in the return leg. The Blues won't win the Premier League and honestly, I think Avram Grant needs a deep run in the Champions League to really ensure his job status as manager. I don't care that he just signed a multi-year contract; if a big-name manager is interested, Roman Abramovich will come calling with no expense spared. As I said, Chelsea will get it done in this round with relative ease but we'll see what happens after that.
Chelsea-5, Olympiacos-1

8. Fenerbahçe vs. Sevilla: Here is the possible upset of the round; Fenerbahçe are my dark horse to move on to the quarterfinals and gain some valuable exposure for Turkish soccer. Fenerbahçe won all three of their group stage games at home en route to finishing 2nd behind Inter Milan in Group G, including a 1-0 win over Inter in September, and are 8-1-0 on home turf in the Turkcell Süper Lig so far this season. Sevilla, on the other hand, are seemingly crumbling as we speak. The back-to-back winners of the UEFA Cup now sit in 8th place in La Liga and are just three points ahead of the 13th place side, Recreativo Huelva. New manager Ronald Koeman is really trying to put his stamp on the club with the benching of some well-known players like David Albelda, Santiago Canizares and Miguel Angel Angulo, and I get the impression that the players don't have much confidence in him. Sevilla have just one win on the road in La Liga this season; they won't win in Turkey, so this tie will come down to the second leg in Seville, where they've already lost three times in nine matches. Fenerbahçe have some experienced players in Roberto Carlos, Alex, and Stephen Appiah while Sevilla's roster could be raided in January. It would be an upset in name only; I really think Fenerbahçe are the better team and we'll see that over two legs.
Fenerbahçe-3, Sevilla-2

So there you have it, my picks to move on to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. To recap:

Barcelona
Manchester United
Porto
Liverpool
Real Madrid
AC Milan
Chelsea
Fenerbahçe

"Best Of" List--2007

Before I get to the superlatives, I want to take care of a few little housekeeping notes.

First off, I hope everyone had a happy holiday and you were able to spend it with those that you care about. Whether you believe in Christmas or not, the holiday season is supposed to bring people closer together and have them share in this special time of year. I had family over for the past few days and it was a joy to spend time with them. I don't get to see them that often during the year so as I said, it was great to spend Christmas with some of my relatives.

I'd also like to thank all of you guys out there for checking out this blog and leaving comments and sharing your thoughts. I started English Soccer Talk right after the Champions League final in May as a way to try and express some of my thoughts about what I consider to be the most exciting league in the world, the Premiership. I've written 182 posts since then even with taking basically a month and a half off from posting after I started my freshman year of college this fall, and I'm looking forward to next year and sharing some of my ideas with everyone out there.

The podcast that I've hinted about twice over the past few weeks has kept getting pushed back but it looks like we'll start for sure in early January. Again, when I get confirmation about this and about the format of the show and where/when you can tune in, I'll let you all know with a post here. This podcast is the brainchild of one of my colleagues in the blog world, Johnathan Starling (BCJohn) and we (my brother, me, John, and Tyler Duffy) are all excited to get rolling.

Phew, alright. Here's my "Best Of" list for the year 2007 in the Premiership.

Best Game: Tottenham-4, West Ham-3 (03/04/07)
Most Improved Team: Portsmouth
Best Uniform: Manchester United-Away (Black)
Best Manager: Arsene Wenger
Most Passionate Fans: Liverpool
Best Stadium: Fratton Park and Craven Cottage (tie)
Most Outstanding Striker: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Most Outstanding Midfielder: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Most Outstanding Center Back: Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) and Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) (tie)
Most Outstanding Full Back: Nicky Shorey (Reading)
Most Outstanding Goalkeeper: Tim Howard (Everton)
Best Goal: Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham vs. Tottenham-12/02/07)
Most Exciting to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo
Most Valuable to his Team: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Best Summer Signing: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Worst Summer Signing: Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
Best Commentary Team: Alan Parry and Robbie Earle

Champions League Draw--Round of 16

Since I'm two days late with this, does that make me two dollars short? Oh well. The draw for the Round of 16 was conducted on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland, UEFA's headquarters, and there are some very interesting ties that will play out beginning February 19/20 and end, at least for most teams, on March 4/5. Inter Milan and AC Milan share the same stadium and both of those teams will play the second leg of their respective ties at home. Obviously they can't both play on the same day, so Inter Milan's home leg against Liverpool was pushed back until March 11.

Remember, the eight group winners play the eight group runners-up in the Round of 16. Teams from the same country can't be drawn against each other at this stage in the competition, and neither can teams from the same group.

Onto the matchups for the Round of 16: (Note: Teams listed first are at home first)

Celtic vs. Barcelona (Feb. 20, Mar. 4)
Lyon vs Manchester United (Feb. 20, Mar. 4)
Schalke 04 vs. FC Porto (Feb. 19, Mar. 5)
Liverpool vs. Inter Milan (Feb. 19, Mar. 11)
AC Roma vs. Real Madrid (Feb. 19, Mar. 5)
Arsenal vs. AC Milan (Feb. 20, Mar. 4)
Olympiacos vs. Chelsea (Feb. 19, Mar. 5)
Fenerbahçe vs. Sevilla (Feb. 20, Mar. 4)

•British teams are highlighted in bold.

First, my predictions to advance to the quarterfinals and then a brief synopsis of the first four ties:

Barcelona
Manchester United
Porto
Liverpool
Real Madrid
AC Milan
Chelsea
Fenerbahçe

1. Celtic vs. Barcelona: The only chance Celtic have to beat Barcelona over two legs is to win at Celtic Park by at least one goal, preferably two, and then try and hold out for a draw or a one-goal defeat in Barcelona. In the group stage Celtic beat AC Milan 2-1 at home; in fact, the Bhoys won all three of their fixtures at Celtic Park. They lost all three of their away matches as well, however, and two of those were against Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk. Those two teams are a far cry from Barcelona, who currently occupy 2nd place in La Liga.
Barcelona-4, Celtic-1

2. Lyon vs. Manchester United: Listen, I could care less that Lyon have won Ligue 1 six years running and look good to stretch that to seven titles in a row. They are not even close to being in the same class as Manchester United. Karim Benzema is an up-and-coming star for the French champions and will cost one of Europe's biggest clubs at least $35 million US this summer, and Juninho is a masterful free-kick taker, but that's about all Lyon have going for them in comparison to United. The Red Devils can beat you in any number of ways; they can grind it out like they did against Liverpool, and they can simply overpower you like they did to Blackburn and Aston Villa. Lyon may, and I repeat, may manage a draw at home but they have no chance to get a result in Manchester.
Manchester United-4, Lyon-1

3. Schalke 04 vs. FC Porto: Neither of these two teams have anything to lose at this stage in the competition; Porto was fortunate to win a group that also featured Liverpool, and Schalke wasn't even favored to make it to the Round of 16 in the first place. The German side were never going to finish ahead of Chelsea and it's only because of Valencia's complete collapse that they finished ahead of Ronald Koeman's outfit. Schalke needed a 3-1 win over Rosenborg on the last matchday of the group stage to advance to this point. These two teams don't play in domestic leagues that are lucrative financially like the Premiership, La Liga, or Serie A, so a big source of extra revenue has been generated from the Champions League. The gate receipts and prize money are nothing to sneeze at, and I would expect both teams to play an attacking style and really try and win both legs rather than play not to lose like some of the bigger clubs do. Schalke have been good at home this season (only one loss in the Bundesliga) and if they can win by a couple goals and not concede in the first leg, they'll have the advantage going back to Porto, who haven't lost at home in the Portuguese league and have only given up one goal at the Estádio do Dragão.
Porto-3, Schalke-2

4. Liverpool vs. Inter Milan: This is undoubtedly the tie of the round in my opinion. Liverpool are a much better team in the Champions League than they are in the Premiership; Rafa Benitez is a brilliant tactician and can outwit any manager in the world over two legs. I guarantee Liverpool won't lose at Anfield in the first leg and I don't think they'll concede a goal either, and it could very well come down to March 11 and the second leg at the San Siro. Inter Milan are a more dangerous team on paper and when they're firing on all cylinders, no one can stop them. That's why the game at Anfield is so critical; Liverpool will need to set the tone heading back to Milan and make the Nerazzuri win the tie at home rather than at Anfield. Liverpool aren't explosive enough to come from behind and win, so it's essential that they get the first goal and try to grind the rest of the tie out. Liverpool are the more experienced team in Europe and by far the more successful one in recent years and I'll give them the nod here.
Liverpool-2, Inter Milan-1

My previews for the last four ties will be out at some point later next week; I'm taking a little holiday break to spend time with family and enjoy Christmas. Hope you and yours have a merry Christmas as well.

Goodbye, Lawrie Sanchez

Another Premiership manager has bitten the dust as Fulham fired Lawrie Sanchez today with immediate effect.

Sanchez joins Martin Jol, José Mourinho, Chris Hutchings, Sammy Lee, and Billy Davies as managers who started the year with a Premiership club and have been fired or have left by "mutual consent" during the season. Steve Bruce left Birmingham to join fellow relegation candidate Wigan in mid-November as well.

After a decent start to the season, Fulham have struggled recently and are in 18th place in the Premiership right now. The Cottagers haven't won since November 3 when they beat Reading and have picked up just one point in their last five league matches. To be fair though, they've been one of the most unlucky teams in the Premiership all season. Fulham very nearly won at Chelsea on September 29 but had to settle for a 0-0 draw, outplayed Arsenal at the Emirates for 80 minutes in the first game of the season but lost 2-1, were robbed of a point by a poor refereeing decision (what else is new?) at Middlesbrough on August 18, conceded a 90th minute goal to lose 2-1 at Aston Villa the week after the Boro loss, and on and on and on.

The injury bug has also hampered Fulham, with Brian McBride's absence due to a dislocated kneecap since that Boro defeat really limiting the options Sanchez could throw out there up front and making it much tougher for the London club to score goals. Creative midfielder Jimmy Bullard has been out for over a year with knee ligament damage but is back in training and could return to the lineup within a week or so, and McBride was no more than a month away from doing the same.

Still though, the Premiership is a business and Fulham have decided to cut ties with Lawrie Sanchez and move on. This club is too talented to be relegated in my opinion, but with Sanchez gone, you'd have to believe that the Northern Irish players he brought in this summer may want to leave during the January transfer window.

Former Fulham midfielder and Scotland international John Collins is now the favorite to replace Sanchez as the former just resigned from his managerial post at Hibernian. Collins is relatively young for a manager at 39 years of age and is very inexperienced as a manager, having only coached Hibs. He was at the helm for 54 games with the Hibbies and won 23 of them, with 15 draws and 16 losses as well.

UEFA Cup Draw--Rounds of 32, 16

Wow, we've had draws galore over the past couple days what with the Carling Cup semifinal draw yesterday and the UEFA Cup Round of 32/Round of 16 and the Champions League Round of 16 draws today. I'll get to the Champions League draw in my next post, but right now I want to shine the spotlight on Europe's second-tier club competition, the UEFA Cup.

Sevilla have won the UEFA Cup twice in a row now but won't have a chance to make it a trifecta. The Spanish side qualified for the Round of 16 in the Champions League this season, where they'll meet Fenerbahçe; but again, I'll discuss those pairings later on today.

The UEFA Cup final will be played at the City of Manchester Stadium this year, the first time it's been in held in England since the UEFA Cup switched from a two-legged final to a one-off affair in 1997-1998.

The draw for both the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 was made today in Nyon, Switzerland, the headquarters of UEFA. The eight UEFA Cup group winners were drawn against the eight third-placed teams, while the eight second-placed teams were drawn against the eight teams who finished third in the Champions League groups. Teams from the same country or the same group can't be drawn against each other.

Round of 32 draw: (Note--The team listed first plays at home first, then away)

Aberdeen vs. Bayern Munich
AEK Athens vs. Getafe
Bolton Wanderers vs. Atletico Madrid
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Villarreal
Galatasaray vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Anderlecht vs. Bordeaux
Brann vs. Everton
Zurich vs. Hamburg
Rangers vs. Panathinaikos
PSV Eindhoven vs. Helsingborg
Slavia Prague vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Rosenborg vs. Fiorentina
Sporting Lisbon vs. Basel
Werder Bremen vs. Sporting Braga
Benfica vs. Nuremberg
Olympique Marseille vs. Spartak Moscow

The first legs are scheduled for February 13/14, and the second legs will be played on February 21.

Round of 16 draw: (Once again, the first team listed is home first, then away)

Anderlecht/Bordeaux vs. Aberdeen/Bayern Munich
Rangers/Panathinaikos vs. Werder Bremen/Sporting Braga
Bolton Wanderers/Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Lisbon/Basel
Galatasaray/Bayer Leverkusen vs. Zurich/Hamburg
AEK Athens/Getafe vs. Benfica/Nuremberg
Rosenborg/Fiorentina vs. Brann/Everton
Slavia Prague/Tottenham Hotspur vs. PSV Eindhoven/Helsingborg
Olympique Marseille/Spartak Moscow vs. Zenit St. Petersburg/Villarreal

The first legs will be played on March 6, and the second legs will be contested on March 12/13.

•British teams are highlighted in bold.

You have to believe that Bayern Munich are the favorites to win this competition. They are on top of the Bundesliga (tied with Werder Bremen) with 36 points from 17 games heading into the winter break. With Luca Toni, Lukas Podolski, Franck Ribéry, and Miroslav Klose, the German side are more explosive than anyone else left in the UEFA Cup and to be honest, I believe they would've qualified for the Round of 16 in the Champions League this year if that would've been possible.

As far as the British clubs go, Everton and Tottenham seemingly have the best chances to progress further in this competition. Everton should take care of SK Brann, the Norwegian champions, without too much trouble (although it'll be miserable when they go up to Norway to play) and Tottenham should handle Slavia Prague as well. Rangers should also progress to the Round of 16, but I don't like their chances against Werder Bremen whereas I think Everton would prevail over two legs against relative lightweight Rosenborg or Fiorentina and Spurs would likely do the same against PSV Eindhoven.

Here are my predictions to advance to the Round of 16:

Bayern Munich
Getafe
Atletico Madrid
Villarreal
Bayer Leverkusen
Anderlecht
Everton
Hamburg
Rangers
PSV Eindhoven
Tottenham
Fiorentina
Sporting Lisbon
Werder Bremen
Benfica
Spartak Moscow

Carling Cup Semifinals

The Carling Cup semifinal draw was made last night after Chelsea's 2-0 win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

The semifinal round will be contested over two legs, with the team that scores the most goals over both games advancing to the final. The exact dates have yet to be determined but the matches will be played during the weeks of January 7 and 21.

Semifinal matchups:
Chelsea vs. Everton
Arsenal vs. Tottenham

The North London rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham should make for an exciting two legs and I could see either team moving on to the final, though if I had to pick one, I would go with Spurs. My heart says Everton will knock off Chelsea to advance but my head says Chelsea will find a way to grind out a victory at Stamford Bridge and get a draw at Goodison Park. Chelsea are the favorites to win this competition now in my opinion and if they do so, they would successfully defend the title they won last year under José Mourinho.

Al Bangura Update

On Friday, I posted about Al Bangura and his background as well as the unfortunate situation he's found himself in right now. Red tape is everywhere in government these days to the detriment of simple human compassion and understanding, and just a few days ago it looked like Bangura was going to be deported back to Sierra Leone.

Not so fast. Bangura has been given a temporary reprieve by the Home Office, and he'll be allowed to stay in the UK while he applies for a work permit after the Home Office heard his appeal to prevent his deportation. In normal circumstances, a work permit probably would not be granted because Bangura is uncapped and Sierra Leone are not in the Top 70 in FIFA's world rankings, but this case will be considered by an independent panel of Home Office members and influential figures in the soccer world.

From a BBC article:

Labour MP Claire Ward, who brokered the meeting with Home Office minister Liam Byrne and has been a staunch supporter of Bangura's case, said: "They will consider his track record and what he brings to the game.

"They will then recommend to the Home Office whether he should be allowed to stay.

"At the same time the lawyers will be submitting Al's appeal through the legal process to the tribunal's decision, so we have two ways now to sort this out.

"We have moved a step further and it's a matter now for the panel to judge the sort of things that Watford fans have been seeing over the last few seasons, which is just how good Al is."

This is a step in the right direction and surely gives Bangura more hope to stay in the UK and play for Watford, who currently sit on top of the Coca-Cola Championship. Watford hosted Plymouth Argyle on Saturday and at half-time more than 18,000 home and away fans protested in support of Bangura, holding up posters with his face under the words "He's family". He was visibly moved to tears by the fans' backing and although he hasn't played since August due to an ankle injury, it's great to see those fans supporting this cause. This is something that goes above and beyond the game of soccer, this is about a hard-working young man who has a young family and because of circumstances he had no control over, will be in life-threatening danger if he's forced to return to Sierra Leone.

The online petition I encouraged you all to sign is in full swing. The original goal of 5,000 signatures has more than been surpassed, and in actual fact, the new goal of 10,000 signatures has been as well. There have been 10,372 people who have signed this petition and if you're not one of them, take a few minutes out of your day and add to that ever-growing total. I have the site in bold below, just copy and paste it into your browser and fill out the brief form to add your name and support Al Bangura in his attempt to stay in the UK.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-al-bangura

Carling Cup Quarterfinals

We were down to the final eight teams in the Carling Cup; the "Elite" or "Great" eight if you're a fan of college basketball and the NCAA Tournament, the boring last eight if you're not, but six days ago, Everton sent West Ham out of the competition with a 2-1 victory at Upton Park. Three more quarterfinals remain to be played with two of them taking place today and the other to kickoff tomorrow.

For your viewing pleasure today we have Blackburn-Arsenal at 2:00 PM ET, live on Setanta. Arsenal are coming off their 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday and with the short turnaround, combined with Arsene Wenger's preference to play his younger, reserve lineup in these cup matches, you'd have to fancy Blackburn getting the win today at home. Blackburn played miserably in defeat at Wigan on Saturday; Roque Santa Cruz bagged a hat trick but Rovers conceded five goals and lost 5-3. They are still alive in the FA Cup as well, and I would expect manager Mark Hughes to go after the silverware in these cup competitions. Blackburn gets it done today in extra time, 3-2

Manchester City host Tottenham today although that game won't be televised live here in the US. Tottenham beat City at White Hart Lane 2-1 on December 9th but this game will be at City of Manchester Stadium, where the home team has won 10 consecutive fixtures. Spurs are coming off a huge 1-0 win at Portsmouth on Saturday and they've shown signs of turning it around under new manager Juande Ramos. City's 4-2 victory over Bolton upped their home record to 9-0-0 in the Premier League and thrust them back into the race for the the last Champions League spot. Could be goals galore today at Eastlands, and I'll go with the home team here: City-3, Spurs-2

The last quarterfinal will be played tomorrow and is easily the tie of the round. Chelsea will welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge as both teams will try to rebound from 1-0 losses to their bitter rivals on Sunday (Chelsea to Arsenal, Liverpool to Manchester United). Both teams will have a say in who wins the Premier League this season although neither will actually win it, so I would expect two relatively full-strength sides as whoever wins this game will be the favorites to win the whole competition and the silverware that comes with it. Chelsea may have a record home unbeaten streak in the league, but they've been pretty shaky at Stamford Bridge in cup and Champions League competition. Liverpool will escape London with a hard-fought 1-0 victory.

Wolverines Lose to Chippewas; Closer Look at the Big Ten

The Central Michigan Chippewas accomplished what fellow Michigan state school Oakland couldn't do as they went into Crisler Arena and beat the host Michigan Wolverines 78-67 yesterday. CMU guard Giordan Watson scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and the Chippewas were able to hold off a furious late Michigan rally to improve to 4-5 on the season.

Michigan, on the other hand, dropped to 4-7 with the loss and will host current #8 UCLA next Saturday (2:00 PM, CBS). The Wolverines have bitten off more than they can chew with the tough schedule they've played so far this season and it doesn't get any easier. A team as young as they are should be playing the Radfords and the Browns of the world like they did at the beginning of the year, not UCLA, Duke, and Georgetown. Michigan has also played Butler and Boston College but those games were predetermined by someone else; those opponents weren't selected by whomever schedules the Wolverines' games.

The Wolverines got 17 points from sophomore forward DeShawn Sims and 11 points and eight assists from freshman guard Kelvin Grady, but once again bench points proved to be a huge difference in the game. CMU's bench chipped in 32 points while Michigan's subs only mustered 13. John Beilein's squad is taking some lumps this season as they continue to grow and mature; they did everything right today but they simply were outplayed by CMU and the Chippewas deserved to win. They were the more physical team and knocked down their free throws at the end of the game to seal the deal.

We know that Michigan at 4-7 is going to be one of the teams that bring up the rear this year in the Big Ten Conference, but for those of you who don't really follow that league, I'm here to fill you in on some of the other goings-on so far. Indiana is led by their stud freshman guard and national scoring leader Eric Gordon and are 9-1 this season, as are Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Gordon will likely be a one-and-done player and head to the NBA after this season, and Michigan State has a veteran squad that rebounds extremely well and likes to run in transition. Ambidextrous point guard Drew Neitzel is one of the four or five best at his position in the country and will lead that team into contention for the Big Ten title with Indiana.

The Spartans and Hoosiers are head and shoulders above the rest in the Big Ten, and there is an upper tier middle group of Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue, and Ohio State, and then a lower tier middle group of Iowa, Minnesota, and Penn State. Minnesota is 7-1 so far this season under new head coach Tubby Smith and have some nice players on the roster, but they haven't played anyone of consequence up to this point; their record is a bit inflated and they won't be able to stay in 3rd place all year like they are now. Northwestern and Michigan are at the bottom of the conference but Michigan clearly has the more talent of the two. Both of these two teams will struggle this season but both also have the ability to come up with a couple upsets against better teams this season, particularly if those games at home.

The Big Ten will employ an 18-game schedule this year instead of the traditional 16-game schedule that we've seen in recent years. This ensures that the cream of the crop will truly stand out and earn the #1 seed in the conference tournament this year, which will return to Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this year after it was held in Chicago last year. Indiana and Michigan State will likely fight it out all winter for that honor and could likely end up with somewhere between 13 and 15 wins in the conference. That middle group, which Michigan could play their way into if their young kids really mature in a hurry and the team grasps Beilein's complicated offense, will have somewhere between 8 and 12 wins and it'll really be a battle for higher seeding in the conference tournament. Whoever ends up at the bottom will likely be the conference doormat and finish nowhere near that middle group, and all signs point to that being Northwestern.

From the Predictable to the Unpredictable

On Friday, I posted about how "Grand Slam Sunday" was never likely to live up to the hype, and that there were some other fixtures that had the potential to be lively, fast-paced, and exciting.

Through one half of the "Battle of the Big Four", it's been exactly as anticipated. Manchester United eked out a goal from Carlos Tevez to beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield and move to the top of the table pending Arsenal's date with Chelsea later today. The Liverpool-United game was clearly full of passion from the players, but it was an incredibly dull affair. Liverpool had two clear chances in the span of three minutes in the first half but other than that, were completely bottled up by United's back four. United, for their part, really didn't threaten at all during the 90 minutes and it took a set piece for the Red Devils to score (Rooney and Tevez combined for the goal; haven't I been saying for some time now that they are the best strike duo in Europe??).

We'll see what happens with this Chelsea-Arsenal game but with key players missing from both sides, I'm not expecting much. Chelsea play some of the most sleep-inducing soccer known to man anyway and they'll be without their best goalscorer, Didier Drogba, and Arsenal may not have the services of midfield playmaker Cesc Fabregas, who won't be 100% even if he does play.

I did say that there would be games yesterday that would be much more exciting than the ones we'd see today, and I was right. The games I picked out, however (Derby-Boro, Portsmouth-Spurs, and West Ham-Everton), didn't exactly deliver for me. It was the Wigan-Blackburn game that proved to be yesterday's best, with two players, Marcus Bent for Wigan and Roque Santa Cruz for Blackburn, racking up a hat trick for their respective sides. Wigan won the game 5-3 and even that is a bit misleading as Marcus Bent didn't score Wigan's 5th goal, the one that put Blackburn away, until the 81st minute.

For as much as I criticize the Premier League for its predictability, its games like these that keep me coming back for more. I love attacking, free-flowing soccer and games between teams that have so much more to gain than they have to lose, like the four teams (and two boring games; one for sure so far, the other likely) we'll see today. The Premiership is the most entertaining league in the world; you can argue all you like about the level of soccer and the players' technical ability, whatever, all of that may be higher in other leagues. This league has the best value for money and is the most exciting, and there shouldn't be any debate about that.

Al Bangura Should Stay in England

For those of you who haven't heard, a very interesting (and possibly life-threatening) situation is brewing across the pond right now, one that has crossed the line between soccer and politics and has snowballed over the past few days.

Al Bangura, a 19-year old midfielder who currently is under contract to Championship side Watford FC, is being faced with deportation back to his native Sierra Leone. Bangura fled his country when he was 15 with his country amidst civil war. His father had died and it was the custom of the Poro Secret Society, a voodoo cult in Sierra Leone which he led, that Al, short for Alhassan, was to replace his father in the cult when the time came.

Instead of joining the PSS, who Bangura said threatened to kill him if he didn't join and take part in tribal rituals, including mutilation, he fled to Guinea. There, he met a Frenchman who wanted to sell him into the homosexual prostitution business (Africa is known for human trafficking) and took him to France. From France, he took Bangura to the UK where Bangura escaped again and approached the Home Office to seek asylum, which was granted.

Now that Bangura is over 18 and legally an adult, however, that asylum status has changed, according to Britain's Home Office. The Home Office is essentially the UK's department of internal affairs and ruled in mid-November that Bangura would be deported back to Sierra Leone, pending a hearing at which Bangura could plead his case to remain in the UK. That hearing took place on Tuesday and its outcome did not go in Bangura's favor. A UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal decided that Bangura was exaggerating the risk to his life if he was forced to return to Sierra Leone, and thus the Home Office will now start the process of removing him from the country.

Bangura had 10 days from Tuesday to appeal this decision and his manager at Watford, Aidy Boothroyd, has already said they would be doing so. Many notable figures in England, including Elton John, have come out in support of Bangura and now the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, will get involved. FIFpro, the world representative organization for professional soccer players, is backing Bangura, as is the English Professional Footballers' Association.

Bangura has a fiancee and a son who is not even a month old, and if he was to be deported he would leave them both behind. He paid over $240,000 last year in taxes and has been a law-abiding, tax-paying resident while he's been in England. He's never played for Sierra Leone on the international level so it's not possible for him to get a work permit, so this appeal will likely be his last chance to stay in England and to survive. Watford are using their contacts for whatever possible help they can get and I'm sure they are not alone in the soccer fraternity that is the Football League and the Premier League.

The "should he stay or should he go" debate is a tough one, because there are those who take a hardline on immigration and resident visas and permits and whatever else for security reasons and at a time where the threat of terrorism is always prevalent, I understand their reasoning for doing so. They don't look at cases on an individual basis and they tend to just go by the book; that is, if a person has a legitimate reason and purpose for staying, he can stay, if not, he has to leave. There are those who look at it on a case-by-case basis and apply common sense and rationale to the situation. As Stephane Burchkalter, the general secretary for FIFpro's African division, said, "Football must play its part as an engine of integration and we back their appeal. We expect the government to favour the spirit of the law."

To me, the Home Office and this Asylum and Immigration Tribunal are guilty of the same thing many bureaucracies fall to these days: Red-tape. Bangura has a young family, he's paid his taxes and followed the laws while he's been in England, he fled civil war in a country and region that is really struggling economically. They are almost dehumanizing Bangura and just viewing him as another ritualistic decision they have to make, a simple "Yes or "No" when in actual fact, it is not that black and white; there's so much gray in between. It's ridiculous to deny him a work permit on the basis that he doesn't play for Sierra Leone's national team because he doesn't want to go back to Sierra Leone! He obviously is "working" by playing for Watford (53 league appearances since 2005), he contributes to the economy, and he's supporting a young family. It's easy for those white-collar government officials or whoever sits on these Asylum and Immigration tribunals to make a decision about whether to send a person back to their native country; they have their cushy, upper-class lifestyle and safe existence in Britain, but that person may be going back to his or her death in the country from which they came.

He has said that "I am just praying every night that the Home Secretary will review this and allow me to stay because, inside of me, I know I'm supposed to be here. I would love to be a citizen here. If I was given the chance to be British, I would take it with both hands". There are plenty of people in England who would love to leave their country, I'm sure. England is full of some of the most miserable, unpleasant people in the world and for Bangura to actually WANT to be there, to LOVE becoming a citizen there and not get the chance to would be a disgrace.

The public support and outcry is really growing and I wouldn't be surprised if Bangura wins his appeal and is allowed to remain in England. It never should have gotten this far though; there was no real reason other than a technical, nitpicky rule to even start this process in the first place. That's the sad thing about governments these days, they are more concerned about following procedure and going by the book instead of caring about the people who put them there.

Please, go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-al-bangura to "sign" the online petition to help this cause and sway the people who hear Bangura's appeal. The folks there have a goal of 5,000 signatures and as of my typing this post, 4,098 people have signed and it's looking like that goal will be reached.

I hope Al Bangura is allowed to stay in England. Anything else would be a travesty of justice.

"Grand Slam Sunday"?--Yeah, right!

The nonstop hype machine that is the media has been relentlessly shoving this Sunday's games between Arsenal-Chelsea and Liverpool-Manchester United down our throats for a week now, if not longer, and although I understand that they're just doing their job and catchy labels like "Grand Slam Sunday" are what sell newspapers and magazines and whatever else, I'm sick of it.

Here's the actual reality: Whenever "Big Four" teams play against each other, there's all kinds of pomp and buildup but the games themselves usually fail to deliver. They are often incredibly dull, and more times than not end up in draws, or maybe one team pushes across a scrappy, ugly goal to get the victory. Players and managers are afraid to get beaten and allow one of their fellow title challengers to take all three points, so they don't take many risks. Instead of playing to win, they play it close to the vest and the matches are not aesthetically pleasing, to say the least.

It's usually the games you wouldn't have expected that turn out to be the most exciting, games that feature relatively mid-to-low table sides. The potential for gain and reward far outweighs what they could lose so you usually see a more aggressive, attacking, up-and-down game. Last year just six points separated 11th place Aston Villa from 7th place Bolton, and only two points divided 7th and 9th place Portsmouth. There's nothing wrong with 9th or 11th, but 7th means the UEFA Cup and there's an added financial bonus there as well as the prospect of European competition. Teams will often scratch and claw for that and when four or five teams are in the running for one or two spots like they were last year, that's when you see exciting games because those teams need results; they can't afford to share the points.

Listen, I'll be watching these games this Sunday just like I know the rest of you probably will. I also know that I'm not likely to see a beautiful display of soccer; the term "Joga Bonito" doesn't apply to games like these. I believe both the Arsenal-Chelsea game and Liverpool-United match will end up 1-1. Honestly, I can't even watch Chelsea when they're playing weaker opponents like Derby or Sunderland, so I really am not expecting too much from the Blues-Gunners affair. Liverpool are coming off a big win over Marseille on Tuesday, they have momentum and confidence on their side, and they're at home. Manchester United are the better team overall though and when you add all those factors together, you get a draw.

There are some gems in the rough that I'm looking forward to on Saturday. Believe it or not, I think the Derby-Middlesbrough game is huge and both teams could desperately use the three points because they're each a candidate for relegation, Derby obviously more so. A draw won't do either of them much good and their talent level is relatively equal, so look for that game to be pretty free-flowing. You would have to believe the Portsmouth-Tottenham game will be a goalfest, maybe 3-2 or 4-3. West Ham is starting to get healthy again and they host Everton for the second time this week (Everton won 2-1 at Upton Park in their Carling Cup quarterfinal tie); I think that will be an exciting game as well.

Tune into those two games on Sunday, sure, but if you want to see 90 minutes' worth of action and fast pace, check out those Saturday games I mentioned as well. Don't believe the "Grand Slam Sunday" hype. "Stupor Sunday" will probably be a more fitting description.

Michigan Hits the Century Mark; Defeats Oakland (MI)

Led by 24 points and eight rebounds from freshman guard Manny Harris and 22 points from DeShawn Sims, the Michigan Wolverines shot their way to victory over Oakland (MI) last night, winning 103-87 to improve to 4-6 on the season.

Much like Michigan did against a more athletic, more talented Duke team last weekend, the Grizzlies put up a valiant fight for about the first 10 minutes of the game against the bigger, faster, and stronger Wolverines. Also just like Michigan in that blowout loss to Duke, however, Oakland simply couldn't keep pace and with 8 minutes left in the first half, they trailed 32-25, then 44-27 with just over 5 minutes remaining.

Oakland wanted to play to their strengths and set a fast, breakneck tempo, score a lot of points, and play enough defense to try and sneak out of Crisler Arena with a win. The problem was that Michigan plays the exact same way but with a much more aggressive defense, and when you're facing the more athletic players that Michigan has and the deeper bench that the Wolverines possess, you just can't run with Michigan for 40 minutes, just like Michigan couldn't against the talent that Duke can put on the floor.

As I said before, that's not to say Oakland didn't give their best effort. Derick Nelson is a stud at small forward and could be playing for any Big Ten school in my opinion. Nelson had 31 points for the Grizzlies last night and really just had his way with anyone whom Michigan tried to put out there and defend him. Erik Kangas has Big Ten ability as well in terms of shooting the basketball from distance and he scored 24 points, 15 of which came via the trifecta. With Oral Roberts likely to be down this season, look for Oakland and IUPUI to really battle for the Summit League's (former Mid-Continent Conference) NCAA Tournament bid.

Two key stats in this win for Michigan: 58% FG percentage compared to 42% for Oakland, and 31 points off the bench to just 11 for the Grizzlies.

Next up for the Wolverines is another home game against a fellow state school, as the Central Michigan Chippewas will come into Ann Arbor this Saturday (2:00 PM, BTN) and try and get a win for the MAC.

Champions League or Domestic League?

This is an interesting debate in my opinion, one which you can go back and forth on for hours depending on which club you support and what league that team is in. I'm very interested to hear how you all stand on this question, so if you wouldn't mind when you're done reading this, leave a comment identifying which team you follow and your reasoning for why you'd rather them win the Champions League or their domestic league. I'm sure everyone wants their team to win both, obviously, but go on the premise that they can only win one.

Sometimes circumstance and situation dictates which of the two a club will pursue the most. Take, for example, AC Milan. The Rossoneri are in 10th place right now in Serie A, 19 points behind their rivals and league leader, Inter. AC Milan aren't going to win the league this year and will probably have to make a deep run in the Champions League not only to save face with their fans but to save manager Carlo Ancelotti's job. When it's clear that a team doesn't realistically have a chance to win their domestic league, they don't have any other choice but to put all of their eggs in the Champions League basket. French club Olympique Marseille was forced to do that as well as they're in 13th place in Ligue 1, but their plans were thwarted yesterday by Liverpool and they'll have to settle for the parachute into the UEFA Cup.

Speaking of Liverpool, I asked my brother (a huge Liverpool supporter) what he'd rather see the Reds win, the Champions League or the Premier League. Curiously enough, he said the Champions League even though they just won it in 2004-2005 and were in the final last season. Liverpool hasn't won the Premiership since it came into its modern existence in 1992, and the last time they won the league was the '89-'90 season. Manager Rafa Benitez stated that his team's goal was to win the league this year, but it sure didn't seem that way when he subbed key players out and essentially conceded their match last weekend at Reading, a 3-1 loss.

Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, on the other hand, probably want to win the Champions League this season as they just won the Premiership last year, and if they were forced to pick just one to win this year, it would be the CL. United are on such good form, however, that they could very well end up winning both, a double that has been done most recently by Barcelona in '05-'06 and Porto in '03-'04.

Another factor to consider is the prestige and money involved in a certain country's domestic league. It would be significantly better financially for a French team or a Portuguese team to go deep in the Champions League than it would be to finish in the top three or four in their respective domestic leagues or even win the league, and a team from either of those countries or from Scotland, Germany, Holland, etc. (the "second tier" leagues in Europe) would be viewed with more respect worldwide. Celtic can win the SPL all they want and Bayern Munich can win the Bundesliga every single year, but if they don't do anything in the Champions League, it's hard to take those clubs seriously.

For teams in Italy, England, and Spain, I would say that their domestic leagues are very nearly as prestigious as the Champions League. It's basically almost always the same teams from each of those countries who qualify for the CL year after year and those teams almost always progress to the Round of 16, so for me, it's a crapshoot from there on in with the literal luck of the draw. The league, though, is a test of endurance and will and it's harder to win than the CL, in my opinion. In those "second tier" leagues, there are only two or three teams who have a realistic chance of winning the league and there are some truly atrocious teams that make up the middle and bottom of the table, but in La Liga, the Premiership, and Serie A, the talent is spread more evenly and the competition is better.

So what do you think, do your want your team to win their domestic league or the Champions League? Obviously if you support a team that isn't in the Champions League, it means they probably won't win their domestic league either but if you had to pick one, which would it be?

Mourinho Withdraws from England Consideration

Former Chelsea boss José Mourinho has, as I predicted before here on this site and over at epltalk.com, ruled himself out of the running to become England's next manager.

Mourinho has stated multiple times that he believes a national team's manager should be of that nationality and that the only country he'd ever truly consider coaching is his own, Portugal, and even then not until the end of his career.

At just 42 years of age and with the managerial résumé he has, taking the England job would have been a big step down for Mourinho. It's likely that he didn't want to commit himself for the next two and a half years without the prospect of returning to domestic soccer, his love, and I feel confident that the FA wouldn't include an "out clause" in any potential contract to allow him to resign his post to take a club job without considerable compensation.

Mourinho has won the Champions League and four consecutive league titles (two with Porto, two with Chelsea) in his managerial career and is one of the greatest enigmas in the world of soccer today. He has an enormous ego, which is something England as a whole does not need any more of, and although he would probably produce results with England and lead them to success, Mourinho cares much more about club soccer and the greater challenge that it brings.

If you're England, you can wish all you want that he'll change his mind and accept the post, but really, I don't think he's the best guy for the job and to me, it's a blessing in disguise that he's withdrawn his name from consideration. This is not to say he's not one of the best managers in the world; as I said, his track record speaks for itself, but why would you want someone who only has half his heart in it and doesn't have the passion and fire for that particular job?

In my opinion, Mourinho was just stirring things up and never had any serious intentions about taking this job. I think he's after either the AC Milan or Barcelona jobs as both of them could be available sooner rather than later, and in announcing his "interest" in England, he tried to force those clubs to make a move and get rid of their current managers.

The funny thing in all of this, though, is the fact that the English media had made it sound like if the job was offered to Mourinho, he would take; it was a shoo-in that he would be England's next manager because hey, mighty England called and who would turn down that job?? Newsflash for England: If you can't qualify from a group with Andorra, Macedonia, and Estonia, you simply don't deserve to go to Euro 2008 or any other tournament. The reality is that England simply isn't as good of a side as their media likes to make out. They are not truly the Three Lions; they are more like the Three Little Pigs.

Middlesbrough's Fans Are a Disgrace

I turned on the Middlesbrough-Arsenal game this morning and was disgusted by what I saw at Riverside Stadium. I'm not talking about the quality of play; that was fine, and Middlesbrough pulled a shocker in earning a 2-1 win over the previously unbeaten Gunners. I'm not talking about a sloppy field or bad weather; the pitch was in good shape and it was a nice day by English standards.

No, what I'm referring to is another disappointing turnout at the Riverside. Arsenal are on top of the Premiership and you would think a capacity crowd would've come to see them and make it more difficult for them to pick up a victory away from home. You would think that the fans would want to create a hostile atmosphere and environment so that their team, who are candidates for relegation, would have a better chance to earn much-needed points from the game. As usual, however, the English seem to defy customary logic and what I saw today was a three-quarters filled (maybe) stadium.

Middlesbrough's official average attendance this year is 26,393, good for 13th highest in the Premiership. Their stadium capacity is roughly 35,000, but if there are only 9,000 empty seats in that stadium on a given matchday, I'm Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm sorry, that attendance figure has to be completely inaccurate and it's such a shame when the fans don't come out to see these afternoon games, especially when the best team in the league comes to town. How Middlesbrough pulled out a victory today with the kind of crowd they had today is beyond me. It's a testament to the players more than anything and I give them full credit for getting up to play this game, but come on, it's pathetic that the stadium wasn't full and seeing all these empty seats on a weekly basis is just sad.

Beware the Cameron Crazies

The Michigan Wolverines dropped to 3-6 on the season after their 95-67 loss today to #6 Duke as the Blue Devils stayed undefeated, improving their record to 9-0.

Both teams came out of the gate as cold as ice from the field and that allowed Michigan to hang around for the first seven or eight minutes of the game. Duke started heating up, however, and Michigan simply couldn't keep pace and the game's outcome was never really in doubt after that.

Whenever you go on the road in college basketball, particularly to an arena as intimidating as Cameron Indoor Stadium, you have to be efficient with the basketball if you want to win the game. Michigan was not today; they turned the ball over 15 times compared to just 8 for the Blue Devils, and they only shot 38% from the field (and 32% from downtown) while Duke was close to 50%.

Chalk this game up as another tough learning experience for John Beilein's young team. The Wolverines have already went to Georgetown and played Butler on a neutral court and will play UCLA at the end of their nonconference schedule, and the lessons learned in these kind of games will prove to be beneficial come Big Ten season, if not next year, although I know the long-suffering fans of Michigan don't want to hear about seasons to come. Six of Michigan's first nine games have come away from the friendly confines of Crisler Arena, and there aren't many top-caliber, nationally ranked teams that can say they've gone on the road as often as the Wolverines this season.

There were a few bright spots for Michigan, namely the performances of DeShawn Sims, Ekpe Udoh, and Kelvin Grady. Manny Harris, Michigan's star freshman and best player so far this season, was largely invisible throughout this game, partly due to foul trouble, but largely because he was simply guarded well and when he got free, the shots weren't falling for him. John Beilein will also undoubtedly be pleased with the fight his squad showed even when they were behind by double figures; they didn't pack it in early but Duke was just too much this afternoon.

For the Blue Devils' fans, Coach K has a team that has Sweet 16 (at the very least) written all over it. They run the floor extremely well, spread opposing defenses out to allow penetration and kickouts, have much-improved depth in being able to bring Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek, Taylor King, and Nolan Smith off the bench, and boast the best home-court advantage in the country. Duke is the second best team in the relatively down ACC behind North Carolina but both teams have the potential to go deep in the NCAA Tournament once again.

Christmas Schedule

Ho ho ho! The Christmas season is upon us and as far as the Premiership goes, this is probably the most exciting time of the season for fans and the most defining time of the season for teams with the packed schedule that this time of the year brings.

The current situation at the top of the table is not one that is unexpected; although the order in which the teams in 1st-4th place may not be the same as many pundits, myself included, predicted it would be at the end of the year, the teams themselves were in most people's Top 4 at the start of the season. I picked Manchester United to win the Premiership this year (currently in 2nd), Chelsea to finish 2nd (3rd), Liverpool to finish 3rd (4th, but with a game in hand), and Arsenal to finish 5th (1st).

However as I said before, the busy holiday schedule will be an exciting one with each team playing four league games in two weeks (three of those in one week), not counting the Carling Cup quarterfinal round matches which are mixed in during this period as well. Only Premiership clubs are left standing in the Carling Cup and for eight of them, (West Ham, Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham, Blackburn, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool) these fixtures have varying degrees of priority compared to league matches.

It's the league games that matter most to most people, though, and so what I want to do here is list the schedules for each team in the Top 4, followed by my predictions for each of their games, and then come up with what I believe will be the way the top of the table looks heading into January. These two weeks could prove to be the most important two weeks of the season for a lot of teams, especially for the Top 4 but also for those in the relegation fight.

Current Table:

1. Arsenal (37 points, 15 games played)
2. Manchester United (33 pts., 15 GP)
3. Chelsea (31 pts., 15 GP)
4. Liverpool (30 pts., 14 GP)

Holiday Schedules and My Predictions:

Arsenal---Chelsea (2-1 win), Tottenham (3-2 win), @Portsmouth (1-2 loss), @Everton (1-1 draw)
Total Points: 7 out of 12

Manchester United---@Liverpool (1-1 draw), Everton (2-1 win), @Sunderland (3-1 win), @West Ham (2-0 win)
Total Points: 10 out of 12

Chelsea---@Arsenal (1-2 loss), @Blackburn (1-1 draw), Aston Villa (1-1 draw), Newcastle (2-0 win)
Total Points: 5 out of 12

Liverpool---Manchester United (1-1 draw), Portsmouth (2-1 win), @Derby County (3-0 win), @Manchester City (2-0 win)
Total Points: 10 out of 12

Teams also play on either January 1st or the 2nd to round off the holiday schedule. Liverpool will still have a game in hand on the rest of the "Big Four", who may not be the Top 4 after these couple of weeks depending on other results but I believe they will be, just in a different order than they are now.

According to my predictions then, here's what I believe the top of the table will look like heading into January 1/2:

1. Arsenal (47 points, 20 games played)
2. Manchester United (46 pts., 20 GP)
3. Liverpool (43 pts., 19 GP)
4. Chelsea (39 pts., 20 GP)

I didn't list it up above because it's not part of the holiday schedule, but these point totals and games played reflect what I believe will occur this weekend.

The knee injury to Didier Drogba has essentially ended the Blues' title hopes, and what a race it will be between Liverpool, United, and Arsenal for the Premiership trophy in the second half of the season, one that could very well come down to the last couple of weeks.

Is There Anyone More Clutch than Tim Cahill?

Timmy Cahill's 85th minute goal today against Zenit St. Petersburg propelled Everton into the Round of 32 in the 2007-2008 edition of Europe's second tier club competition, the UEFA Cup.

The Australian international's tally this afternoon got me thinking, and when I sat down and tossed a few names around in my head, I couldn't come up with any player more clutch than Cahill. There is no one I'd rather want on my team when I need a goal with 10 minutes or so left in a game, whether it be an equalizer or a winner.

A few recent cases in point:

June 12, 2006: Australia was down 1-0 to Japan in the opening group stage match for both teams in the 2006 World Cup, and Cahill came on in the 52nd minute as a substitute. In a group with Brazil and Croatia, this was a game Australia simply could not afford to lose if they had any hope of advancing to the Round of 16. Cahill's 84th minute tally from close range to equalize was dramatic enough, but he took it one notch further just five minutes later when he scored again to snatch full points for the Socceroos.

July 8, 2007: Australia was minutes, if not seconds away from what would have been an embarrassing loss to Oman in the opening group stage match for both teams in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Again, a loss there would have really dealt Australia a serious blow towards qualifying for the next round in a competition they were expected to win. Cahill, again on as a substitute (due to injury, he wasn't fit to play all 90 minutes but would have if he was healthy), scored in the 92nd minute to give Australia a point. That late equalizer was huge because both Australia and Thailand had 4 points from 3 games in the group stage, but Australia went through with a better goal differential. Without that point, Australia would have likely finished behind Thailand and Oman to finish 4th out of 4.

We've seen what he's done for his country, and he's done it for his club as well.

October 31, 2007: It was the 4th Round of the Carling Cup and Everton had a tricky matchup at Luton Town. After 90 minutes, the score was still 0-0 and extra time was needed to determine which team would move on in England's second tier domestic competition. Cahill had come on as a substitute again (in the 77th minute), and in the 101st minute, he came up with yet another big goal to put Everton ahead and the Toffees held Luton off for the last 19 minutes to advance to their first Carling Cup quarterfinal in 19 years.

November 11, 2007: Not only did Cahill score another late goal for Everton, this one might end up as the goal of the Premiership season this year. Everton were losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in a game that Chelsea were taking it to the Toffees. Chelsea outshot Everton 16-6 (10-2 in shots on goal) and had a 59%-41% advantage in time of possession. None of this mattered to Cahill, and his spectacular overhead kick in the 90th minute gave Everton an undeserved, but much applauded, share of the spoils. He didn't come on as a sub in this game, but who cares?

I did some research on ESPN Soccernet in preparation for this post, and although I've given four examples of Cahill's aptitude for late-game heroics, his résumé is even more impressive. Of the 38 goals Cahill has scored for club and country in competitive matches since the 2004-2005 season, a whopping 11 of them have been late-game (75th minute or later) equalizers or game-winners. Overall, 20 of those 38 goals fit into either of those two categories.

I can't think of anyone more clutch than Tim Cahill. If you can, feel free to leave a comment and explain your reasoning for whomever you choose.

"Made in Lisbon, Delivered in Manchester": C. Ronaldo

For the record, I couldn't care less that Kaka just won the 2007 Ballon D'Or and the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the UEFA European Club Player of the Year and will probably win the FIFA World Player of the Year when it is announced later this month. These are nice awards, don't get me wrong, but the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo, hands down, no doubt about it. Ronaldo is the finest player in the world's finest league and any discussion about who should win awards like these should start and end with him.

Manchester United's 22-year old Portuguese winger played for Sporting Lisbon before joining the Red Devils in 2003 and has blossomed from that point on. The scary thing is that he hasn't even realized his unbelievable potential as a player yet, although you wouldn't necessarily know it if you watched him play for Portugal or Man U.

Two more goals today propelled the Red Devils to a 2-0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford, giving Ronaldo 6 goals in 9 league games from midfield already this year, and he has 11 tallies in 15 games in all competitions. Last season was a breakout year for the Portuguese star as he rang up 23 goals and 20 assists in 49 matches (all competitions), and he bagged 12 more goals in 2005-2006.

Forget the stats for a minute though and think about the things you can't measure. Ronaldo has great pace and is very nearly as adept with his left foot as he is with his right, enabling him to play on either wing and benefit from the free role he's given with United. He's the best player on the ball in the world with his dribbling prowess; a simple YouTube search will provide highlight videos of him going past opponents with an array of moves, the double and even triple-scissors chief amongst them. He's as good of a passer as there is as well, both through balls and crossing, and is United's free-kick taker whenever it is within shooting range.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Kaka or Ronaldinho or Lionel Messi; each of those players is fantastic in their own right. The sky is the limit for Ronaldo though and he can do things with the ball that no one else can. His good looks have obviously made him a marketing godsend for United. We've seen it at times this season and last when Ronaldo has been either suspended or just coming back from international duty: When he isn't in the lineup, Manchester United are a completely different team and they don't have that flair and spark and energy that they do when he's playing.

Kaka, you can take all your awards and the awards you'll inevitably win in the future. The people who vote for them are incredibly biased towards Brazilians and tend to look mainly at what players do in the Champions League. For me, however, if I had to build a team from scratch, I'll take Ronaldo over anyone else in the world, including Kaka, every single time.

FA Cup Third Round Draw

The third round draw for England's most prestigious cup competition was released yesterday, and Premiership teams now finally get in on the act. These matchups are scheduled for the 5th and 6th of January. If a game ends in a draw, a replay will occur to determine who moves on to the 4th Round. The home team for that game would the visiting team in this match.

Note: Premiership teams are in bold, and the home team is listed first.

Preston North End vs. Scunthorpe
Port Vale/Chasetown vs. Cardiff City
Colchester vs. Peterborough
Bolton vs. Sheffield United
Blackburn vs. Coventry City
Brighton vs. Mansfield
Northampton/Walsall vs. Millwall
Charlton Athletic vs. West Bromwich Albion
Watford vs. Crystal Palace
Luton Town/Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool
Plymouth Argyle vs. Hull City
Aston Villa vs. Manchester United
Tranmere Rovers vs. Hereford
Tottenham vs. Reading
Burnley vs. Arsenal
Bristol City vs. Middlesbrough
Fulham vs. Bristol Rovers
Huddersfield vs. Birmingham City
Horsham/Swansea City vs. Havant & Waterlooville
Sunderland vs. Wigan Athletic
Oxford United/Southend United vs. Dagenham & Redbridge
Everton vs. Oldham Athletic
Derby County vs. Sheffield Wednesday
Southampton vs. Leicester City
West Ham vs. Manchester City
Ipswich vs. Portsmouth
Wolverhampton vs. Cambridge
Barnsley vs. Blackpool
Chelsea vs. QPR
Stoke City vs. Newcastle
Swindon Town vs. Burton Albion/Barnet
Norwich vs. Bury


Chelsea, the current holders of the FA Cup, should progress to the 4th Round without much trouble. The most interesting tie of this round, by far, is Aston Villa vs. Manchester United. Both teams are capable of winning this whole competition but obviously only one will progress to the next stage.

Big Win for Harvard

It's over in Cambridge as the Harvard Crimson pulled out a big win for Tommy Amaker against his former team, the Michigan Wolverines, 62-51.

Hats off to the Crimson fans that packed the Lavietes Pavilion this afternoon. The small gym holds only 2,050 people and every seat was filled, although to be fair, Michigan had a sizeable contigent that traveled as well.

Harvard's three-guard lineup really controlled the tempo of the game and as I said in my last post, the team was that able to do that most effectively was going to win and the Crimson did. I also identified another key to the game, valuing possessions, and Harvard only turned the ball over 9 times compared to Michigan's 11 giveaways.

What was really interesting about this game was the fact that four Harvard players played for over 30 minutes, and they were obviously boosted by the energy of the home crowd. Tommy Amaker only used eight players while the Wolverines used ten. Usually the team that has a deeper rotation is the one that wins the game, but the relatively slow tempo of the game allowed Harvard to play their key core of guys without fear of tiring them out.

Harvard is definitely a team to watch in the Ivy League this season. The preseason pick to win the league and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that comes with it (the Ivy League doesn't have a tournament after the regular season) was Cornell, but with Coach Amaker at the helm you have to believe Harvard will be right up there. As for Michigan, it could be a long year and realistically, another trip to the NIT is all that can be hoped for.